say, but shakes his head and keeps his eyes on the road instead. Theyâre in his old manâs car, and he doesnât want to stack it. A prang is the last thing they need.
Sull pats the dash. âYour old man let you have his wheels for once, eh?â
âWell, he told me to fuck off,â Craggs says. âSo I did. Thought heâd appreciate me doing what he wanted for a change. And I canât help that he taught me to drive when I was twelve, now, can I?â
When they laugh Craggs knows itâs more from the relief of being out of danger, if only for a little while. He washes down with tequila the thought of getting sprung by the cops.
After a while he parks opposite a servo and the three of them pass around the bottle. In the rear-view, Craggs sees Joel holding it up, peering at itâand listens to him crapping on for a bit about the worm. Craggs gets out of the car. When he sticks his head in the window a few minutes later, heâs holding up a crowbar. Now look at their faces!
âWhat the fuck is that for?â
âItâs for Sull,â he says, grinning.
As usual, Joel hasnât got a clue; he turns to Sull. âWhat are you gunna do with that?â
Sull is frowning. âNo idea, mate. What are you on about, Craggs, you crazy bastard?â
Time to lay it down for them. âYou see that servo?â
âThe petrol station?â
âYeah. Theyâve got cash in there. A shitload of cash.â
âOh, Craggs, donât be fucken insane,â Joel says.
âIâm not.â
Thereâs silence then.
Joel pipes up again. âJust get back in the car and chill out, all right? Thereâs about ten cartons in the boot weâve gotta get through yet.â
Craggs keeps looking at Sull. âWhaddya reckon, mate?â
âDonât be a stupid fucker,â Joel croaks in Sullâs direction. âThereâs someone in there, for fuckâs sake.â
âWhaddya reckon, mate?â Craggs demands.
âWell ... how much cash is in there?â
Craggs looks over at the joint. âMaybe a thou, maybe more.â
Sull drains the bottle of its last yellow mouthful. âYouâre on. Letâs go.â
Sull gets out of the car. They piss on the sand. Craggs looks back at Joel. âYou coming?â
âNah, mate, Iâm not.â
Weak as. He shakes his head like a disappointed teacher.
He and Sull head towards the fluoro-bright building. He passes Sull the crowbar. Jesus. Sull holds it like he doesnât know how. Thereâs no one else there apart from the person in the shop, no cars fuelling up. You can see the figure behind the counter. A chick. Shit. Hope sheâs cool. Craggs looks back at the car, at Joel, his eyes tiny and shining in the blackness. Frozen.
Once theyâre in, it happens in fast-forward.
The sliding doors shut. The fluoros are so harsh. Sull half raises his arm. The girl behind the counter is opening the till. Then a moan goes up, the moan of yet another alarm, and thereâs a sudden blur of movementâand Craggs is leaping the counter, half climbing over itâand then the girl is dropping back, and he is grabbing Sull by the shirt, shouting Get up! and they are running to the car, the crowbar dangling from Sullâs hand.
Craggs shoves him into the car and sees Joel staring at Sullâs T-shirt. At the blood on it. Fine sprayed spots, even a couple on his face, like little zits.
They drive away in silence.
Sull begins to vomit in the footwell.
14
I was awake all night, waiting.
I found out later that the cops were over at Craggsâs within a couple of hours, then they busted Sull. They paid me a visit the next day. I was taken down to the station for questioning. McPhee was there, lording around like King Dick himself. Said he liked the mug shot Iâd left them on the CCTV, and laughed. Theyâd already primed Craggs and Sull, but they still hauled