"Yes dear. Have you got your cakes ready to bring?"
"I'm not sure. I can't remember what I was doing… I'd just made the mixture, but I don’t think I've baked them yet. I just sat down on the sofa and the next thing I knew the phone was ringing."
"Well, never mind. If you can get here by about half past ten then they'll still be enough time for you to sell most of your cakes, they always go so quickly anyway."
"Yes, I hope so. I'll come as soon as I can."
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I was nearly ready. I had dressed, washed, and eaten, all in a haze, anticipating what I was about to do. I checked through the contents of the CDs again, making sure everything was present and correct. I couldn't afford to make a mistake with this, Dieter was relying on me for something very important, whatever it was, and I didn't want to miss out on this chance for some seriously big money. I didn't understand - looking through the records I'd obtained from the Home Office database, I couldn't really see how anything there could be of use for anything. Details of refugee applications during the last eight months - names, dates, country of origin, reason for needing asylum, whether or not they were accepted, what they went on to do… I couldn't imagine what someone would want to do with this stuff.
It worried me in a way; if Dieter was willing to pay so much for such highly classified information then he and his associates must be planning something very serious, and probably illegal. If they were caught it would surely be very easy for the Police to trace the source of the their knowledge back to me, and then I knew there were plenty of laws that could have me seriously punished. I was guilty of almost every computer-related crime there was, and it wouldn't take long for all this to be unearthed by some suspicious detectives. Even worse, the Police might already be watching Dieter and follow him to the exchange location, see me with him, and immediately implicate me in his activities. It was with this in mind that I chose to wear a hooded top and dark glasses, although thinking about it I realised it wouldn’t do much good, as any onlookers would see my car number plate. Anyway, it was silly; I was getting unnecessarily paranoid now. I had considered pulling out of the deal but the temptation of money was too great, and I had made the decision to go ahead with it now, so I should just get on with it, and go to the car park where Dieter would be waiting.
I opened the door feeling absurdly nervous. I looked out before stepping through and closing the door carefully behind me, while the heavy rain battered me relentlessly. Getting wet was of no consequence, as long as the disk stayed safe. I walked over to my blue-green Peugeot 206 and got in, feeling my pocket as I did so, to check that the CD was still there.
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The smell of the cakes was lovely. I'd made my usual batch - 12 little cup cakes, a chocolate cake, and a plain sponge cake. It was a bit disappointing, they didn’t seem to have turned out as well as they usually did, but it would have to do. I packed the cakes into the same battered old Tupperware boxes that I always used, and got myself ready to go. I felt strangely tired, and I had a bad cold, so I could hardly be bothered to go to the jumble sale, but felt obligated to because I'd promised Mrs Tigglesworth, and because I always did. Besides, I knew that it was all for a good cause, and that I'd feel that familiar warm glow of satisfaction inside, knowing that somewhere there was a little child who had some happiness in their life because of my cakes.
Anyway, I wouldn't have to bother staying, if I didn't feel like it. I could just give my contribution and then leave. People would still appreciate it, and I'd be able to relax back home on the sofa, with a warm fire, a newspaper, a Cliff Richard record, and a nice cup of tea. Yes… I thought… that would be the best thing to do. I looked out and saw the rain beating down viciously, as the wind swirled and blew it into my windows. Typical - the weatherman had said this morning that it'd be fine today, "with a slight possibility of showers later on in the evening". I checked that all the windows were shut, not just to stop burglars, but also to stop the rain getting in while I was out. I put on an old raincoat and opened my umbrella, as I stepped out of the door and into the storm, and made my way slowly over to my aging red Ford Fiesta.
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I waited. My job constantly required me to wait, and I hated it. I looked silently through the scope of my rifle, checking that I could see closely enough. There was Dieter, sitting stone-faced in his car, the only one in the deserted car park, waiting for the man to arrive. Charlie, that's what Dieter said he was called. It didn't matter what he was called though, all I had to do was shoot. "It's a simple job, Mr Helmer. He'll park next to me, we'll get out of our cars, and he'll hand me a CD. As soon as I've taken the disk from him, kill him." Those had been Dieter's instructions. Simple enough, I thought, but it was still getting annoying waiting here in the rain. If I get too cold I might start shivering, and then anything could happen, or the rifle could easily malfunction if it got too wet. I couldn’t move about, in case "Charlie" arrived and saw me standing here on the roof, so I'd just have to lay still and hope my body could keep itself warm.
I saw a car turn into the car park and tensed, my eyes focusing down the scope and my finger softly touching the trigger. The car slowed, and I tried to see the driver, but the angle of my view wouldn't allow me to. It stopped beside Dieter's car, and a man got out, holding something that was just a blur to me even with the magnification of the sniper lens. So… this is "Charlie", I thought. He walked up to Dieter and they appeared to speak, then Dieter got out of the car looking slightly annoyed. They turned their backs to me, and spoke for a second, while I took careful aim, ensuring that the centre of the crosshair was targeted right at the man's head. "Charlie" transferred the thing he was holding into Dieter's hand, then stepped back slightly, turning towards me. I made the miniscule adjustment necessary to allow for the movement, and then squeezed the trigger.
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As I drove slowly in the direction of the Community Centre I was reminded very forcefully just how bad the weather was. The rain streaked across my windscreen making it difficult to see, even though I had the wipers on their quickest speed, and the sound of the wind being violently repelled by the walls of my car made me feel that I could be blown away at any moment. I looked at the road ahead, and noticed that someone was driving the same car that I had been thinking of buying for the last few days. It was a nice new Peugeot 206, and I'd seen a year old second hand one yesterday that was only £5000. Interesting, but I didn't like the colour of the car in front; it was a sickly blue/green colour.
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Just a few more minutes and I would be at the car park. I was tense, remembering the threatening tone of Dieter's voice, and thinking of all the things I could be imprisoned for. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the same red Ford Fiesta that had been behind me for the last five minutes. Could it be tracking me? I suspected that it might be, but as we turned a corner, a curly wisp of white hair was revealed to me - I could hardly imagine an old woman as an assassin. Of course, that could just be what they wanted me to think - real gangsters wouldn't necessarily dress in the stereotypical dark suits and dark glasses. They'd be a lot slyer than that, probably wearing disguises, or even hiring old women to follow people. Stop it, I told myself; you're getting way too paranoid, there's nothing to be scared of in seeing an old woman in a Ford Fiesta!
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I sped up a bit, as I realised it was almost half past ten, and everyone at the Jumble Sale would be expecting me and my cakes to arrive soon. I knew this road only had a 60 mph speed limit so I was still within the law. I found myself pushing up closely behind the Peugeot and decided to overtake it, not something I often did with my unreliable senses, but today I was feeling confident.
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Suddenly I realised the Fiesta was getting closer and closer to me. To my horror it started to accelerate up to a position alongside me. I looked across through the rain-streaked window and saw the face of the old woman, imagining where she could have a gun concealed. I was expecting her to try and force me off the road, but she accelerated in front of me. Phew, I thought - she must've just been overtaking me.
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It was nice to have successfully overtaken the Peugeot. It gave me a new confidence in my own driving ability. I relaxed as I accelerated into the empty road ahead of me. I turned a corner to see a horse in the middle of the road. I braked sharply and tried to swerve, but it was too late. I smashed into the horse and then felt a sickeningly powerful jolt as the Peugeot came into the back of me at 50 MPH.
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I felt relaxed, relieved that the Peugeot was in fact no danger to me. I smoothly turned a corner, and then saw the Peugeot almost instantly stopping just a few metres in front of me. "WHAT THE-?!" was all I managed to say in the split second before I went headlong into the Fiesta.
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The cars collided and together swerved into a tree at the side of the road, as the horse collapsed lifeless to the ground. There was a moment's pause and then two colossal bangs in quick succession. Both petrol tanks exploded and a vast cloud of fire billowed into the air, scorching everything around it. The frail old body and the strong young body lay equally helpless in the rubble, unconscious and crushed as the flames caught hold of them. The rain continued to fall and the gloomy atmosphere was in stark contrast to the giant natural funeral pyre that burned so brightly.
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The man's head slumped, and he fell to the floor lifeless. "Charlie" was no more. I kept focused on the man, checking that he didn't move, and then felt the rush of pleasure, as I knew I had done my job well.
"Mr Helmer!"
Dieter turned and shouted up at me, I assumed to congratulate me. However, as I zoomed in to see the expression on his face I realised there must be something wrong.
"Mr Helmer, I hope you realise that you just killed an innocent man."
I didn't know what to say. It felt like I was killing innocent men every day, I never knew why I was killing them, it was just a job.
"But… I just killed the guy like you told me to."
"Mr Helmer, that man was just a stupid tourist handing me a piece of paper with the directions to the hotel he was trying to find!"
Dieter was really angry, close to blowing, but I still didn't see that it was my fault.
"Uh…sor-"
"SORRY isn't good enough! What the hell did you think you were doing, you idiot?!"
"I thought-"
"I don't care what you THOUGHT, you obviously didn't LOOK very carefully! What are you, a blind sniper?!"
He drew his pistol and aimed for me. I kept my eye on the scope and aimed for him. I fired. He fired. I saw him fall, and as did so his bullet rushed upwards towards me. The last thing I saw was my scope shattering as the bullet flew through it.
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It was quite a shock for the police, and not easy to comprehend. They found the remains of the two cars and their owners, and the horse lying on the road beside them was explanation in itself. More difficult to make sense of were the two dead men found lying next to their cars in a car park. It wasn't for a couple of days before they discovered the final body lying on the rooftop still clutching a smashed sniper rifle, and still it seemed impossible to fully work out the events that led to this result. It was such an unlikely combination of people and situations that when one young constable suggested the correct story to his Inspector he was written off as a madman. Unsurprisingly, no one considered that it could've been the reality that was crazy.
