[b]City of London 2:40 PM[/b] James Zinkman’s puffy eyes expanded slightly at the sight of his father standing at his doorway. “What are you doing here?” “Is that how you greet me?” Isaac Zinkman asked. “A month. I haven’t seen you for a month, and your first words are those?” James sighed and stepped back to let his father into the flat. He was only wearing his skivvies. Isaac took in the flat with disdain. The place was a sty and there were very obvious signs of a party recently being held here. Empty champagne and liquor bottles littered the hardwood floor. Isaac wrinkled his nose at the sight of a used condom strewn across a lampshade. “Having fun?” “Living life,” said James, shuffling across the floor towards the kitchen area. “You should try it sometime. All those diamonds aren’t worth a damn thing if they sit behind glass.” “They’ll always be worth something,” said Isaac. “And they’re not sitting behind glass. Not anymore.” James look confused as he pulled a can of beer from the fridge and popped its top “What do you mean?” “We were robbed last night.” “Oh, shit.” “Indeed.” Isaac stepped into the kitchen and looked at his son. He looked so much like his mother, more so than Adam ever did. It was appropriate, really. Adam was the embodiment of Isaac, hardworking and dedicated. A family man. James was frivolous and coveted flashy things. Very much like Isaac’s now deceased wife. And like his mother, James was dependent upon booze and pills to make it through the day. “Did you have anything to do with it?” James looked up from his drink. “What?! No. Why would you ever think that?” “Because there are only two people left who know about the store’s security. You and your brother.” James scowled and stepped forward. He seemed to tower over his father. “Why the fuck are you looking at me? I’m just a bloody salesman. Adam’s the general manager.” Isaac didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped back towards the door and made his way there. He opened it, letting into the apartment a man who frightened James. It wasn’t that he was big or physically imposing. He was quite average in both height and build, average enough that you could pass him on the street and not think twice. His dark hair was done in a brushcut, short on the sides but longer on the top. A regular bloke. Until you got to the eyes. There was nothing approaching warmth, or humanity there. They seemed to stare right through you, only giving you a cursory glance. As if the man already knew you were a temporary distraction, one that he could easily handle and then move on to the next task. “James, this is my friend Etan. Etan, James wants to know why you think he helped the people who stole from me.” “The people who stole from you had access to the security schematics,” Etan said with just the hint of an accent in his speech. Where it was from, James couldn’t tell. It was Eastern European for sure. "Your brother and the security guards are the only ones who can opened the locked file cabinet where those plans are held.” “See? Then how--” “The file cabinet keys are missing from Adam’s keyring,” said Isaac. “We discovered that this morning after Etan made his inquiries with the security guards and found they were cleared.” Etan began to slowly walk towards James. He backed up across the kitchenette until he felt the cold, smooth metal of the fridge against his bare back. “Those keys were discovered in your desk at work, taped and hidden underneath the drawer." “Bollocks,” James yelled. “It’s horseshit, it’s a frame up, it’s--” Etan’s firm hand struck James across the face. It was an open-palmed slap, but the force of the unexpected blow sent his head back against the fridge. He looked shock and held a hand to his now bloody lip. He started to protest, and was met with another slap from Etan. “Why did you do it?” asked Isaac. James started to speak, but stopped when he felt his throat tighten. Tears began to sting the corners of his eyes. “I needed the money,” he finally got out. “I owe some bad people a lot of money and I--” “Why did you not ask for it?” said Isaac. “You are my son, I would do anything for you.” “Oh, piss off,” he snarled. “I’m your son? No, Adam’s your bloody son. I’m just the fuckup, the one you have to tolerate. You wouldn’t given me the money. And if you had, you’d have hung it over my head the rest of my life how you had to bail me out.” “So instead you steal from your own family?” Etan asked. “To this man who you owe everything you have, you help rob him? If you were not a disgrace before, you certainly are now.” “Fuck you, you bastard.” Another open-palmed slap flew at James’ head. But this time he was ready. He raised his left forearm to block it, but was taken off guard as the hand went low and chopped him in the throat. He gasped and grabbed his neck, sputtering as he sunk to the floor. “Who do you owe money to?” Isaac said before taking a deep breath. “Who is it that you helped rob me? If you give me a name Etan will not break your legs.” --- [b]Mitcham 2:40 PM[/b] “I think we got one.” Bobby raised an eyebrow at Charlie. Bobby was behind the wheel of the car, smoking and waiting for Charlie to return from the pawnshop. Bobby had been skeptical from the moment he pulled up. The sign that announced the place as Hunter’s Lodge Pawn & Jewels was battered and the once gold letters had faded, threatening to peel if they weren’t touched up soon. The three golden balls below the sign were tarnished and as worn as the sign. “What happened?” Bobby asked as Charlie closed the passenger side door. “It’s more what didn’t happen. As soon as I start talking diamonds he shut me down.” The pawnshop was the third stop of their search. The previous two attempts to fake fence the diamonds had produced expected results. Both men had been interested and were offering a pretty fair rate to fence the jewels. The man they were looking for would have no need for their offers. “He said he wasn’t interested in diamonds, kept saying it.” “Maybe Sid was wrong?” Bobby asked. “Sid’s never wrong,” said Charlie. “He finally said he’d take them off my hands for five pence on the pound. Chicken feed. Like he was trying to insult me with a low offer. What kind of jewelry fence doesn’t want jewels?” Bobby took a long drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke before speaking. “Maybe one that is expecting a large shipment of new merchandise? One that can afford to tell you to piss off.” “See,” Charlie said with a grin, tapping his temple. “Now you’re on to something, Bob. I think this guy is gonna led us to Reams if we watch his shop.” “We have to meet Coach soon.” “Shit. You’re right. Let’s split up. I’ll stay here, you go get Coach and see what he found out about the car. If I’m not here when you get back, then I’ll ring the flat in Croydon where Red’s resting sometime tonight.” “Okay,” Bobby said as he climbed out the car. Charlie moved over and got behind the wheel, rolling the window down so he could keep speaking to Bobby. “Just be careful.” “Always am, Bob,” Charlie said with a wink.