South by South East by Anthony Horowitz Read Free Book Online

Canadian security guard had ever worked as a lumberjack. He would have only had to smile at a tree to knock it down.
    Maybe it was the sun, but the sweat was beginning to trickle down my neck as I walked round behind the bank. It was on a corner, separated from the pavement by a narrow line of flower-beds. Slowly, I tiptoed through the tulips peering in through the ground floor windows. Fortunately, they were fairly low down and because of the hot weather some of them were partly open. I heard snippets of conversation, the jangle of coins, telephones ringing. At the sixth window I heard Tim’s voice. He was already being interviewed by Louise Meyer.
    “Tell me, Mr Diamond,” the manager asked. “Do you have any experience of security?”
    “Not exactly security, Lucy,” Tim replied. He paused. “Do you mind if I call you Lucy?”
    “I prefer to be more formal.”
    “That’s OK, Lucy. You can call me Mr Diamond.”
    Another tulip snapped underneath my feet as I shifted closer to the window. I reached up to the window-sill, then pulled myself up and looked through the glass.
    I could see Tim sitting right in front of me, facing the window. Louise Meyer was opposite him, behind her desk. She was a tough, no-nonsense businesswoman. She was wearing a dark blue suit cut so sharply she could have opened a letter with her sleeve.
    “I don’t have much experience of security, Lucy,” Tim went on. “But I do have the security of experience.”
    I looked round the office. It was a big room, dominated by the desk, with a few chairs, a cocktail cabinet, a map of Canada and a heavy filing cabinet. There was a sort of alcove just outside the office, a miniature reception area, and I could make out an old-fashioned iron safe jutting out from the wall. Tim had forgotten to bring his case into the office. He had left it on top of the safe.
    “So you’ve never worked in a bank,” Louise Meyer said.
    “You could say that,” Tim replied.
    “Well – have you?”
    “No.”
    I waved. Tim was staring right at me but he was so wrapped up in himself that he didn’t notice anything. I thought of tapping on the glass but I didn’t want Meyer to hear. I just wanted Tim out of there and the attaché case with him.
    “But let’s talk about your bank, Lou,” Tim went on. “Frankly, I’d feel safer leaving my money in a paper bag at a public swimming pool.”
    “You would?” Mrs Meyer was astonished.
    “You’ve got more holes here than a fishing net. If you ask me, a robber could crack this place in about fifteen seconds flat.”
    “You think so?”
    “I know it.” Tim slumped into his chair. He was obviously enjoying himself.
    I waved harder, jumped up and down and whistled. Tim ignored me. “Have you checked who I am, Lulu?” he asked the manager. “I could be a crook myself.”
    “Well…” I saw Mrs Meyer’s hand reaching out for the alarm button under her desk.
    “I could have a gun on me right now.”
    “Wait a minute, Mr Diamond.” Mrs Meyer was getting nervous and anyone except Tim would have seen it.
    “I could have a partner waiting outside…”
    “Could you?” Louise Meyer turned in her seat to look out of the window. That was when she saw me. I was frozen with one hand in the air like I was about to punch my way through the glass. I opened my mouth to explain.
    “And I could have a bomb,” Tim added.
    And that, of course, was when the bomb went off.
    I didn’t even realize what had happened at first. There was a flash of red light and the window seemed to curve out towards me. I must have been off-balance from the start because my legs jackknifed under me and I was thrown back onto the flower-bed. This was just as well. A torrent of burning air and jagged glass missed my head by a fraction as half the office was blown out into the street.
    Somehow I managed to get back to my feet. I was glad they were still at the end of my legs. I gave myself a quick examination. There was blood on my shirt and