Girls Best Friend: Part 16

I know its not June! But I thought you could have part 16 to tide you over...if that is you havent given up reading it :)

Here its is.....

Robert Rob had just started working at the best criminal law firm in the City. He was only working weekends and evenings filing whilst he studied Law at the nearby university, but everyone had told him it was a great chance and in all likeliness they would sponsor him whilst he did his LPC and he could get a training place there.

Rob mostly filed, but he liked it and his course mates were jealous too, often joking that he had “connections”. When he had been given the job they had told him that he would be rotating around several departments starting with assisting the team who dealt with the high profile criminal cases. On the same day that he started with them they took on a new case.

The team was headed by two lawyers who were very well known Roberts and Robertson. They had represented a lot of criminals and had even managed to get the guilty ones off, or at least that was what people told Rob when they found out who he worked for. Despite the dubious character of their customers, they worked hard and they showed Rob how to use the law to his advantage. That is not what happened with this case.

The case itself involved the infamous Fratelli Twins who had been arrested for murder, armed robbery, handling of stolen goods, kidnapping and that was just the tip of the iceberg. They never denied their guilt but they only asked that Roberts and Robertson were able to get them life imprisonment at a fairly luxurious prison, ideally the one that Jeffrey Archer was incarcerated in. The youngest Fratelli wanted to be a novelist and said if it’s good enough for Archer then it’s good enough for me.

During the trial, Roberts and Robertson has asked Rob to come into work on a Saturday, it was unusual but Rob was happy for the extra money and the experience. Arriving at the offices he noticed that there were more cars than usual in the car park and the reception had a security guard sat at it which he assumed was the norm. The place seemed eerily quiet as he took the lift to the 4th floor to meet his bosses. As the doors opened he heard shouting coming from the corridor and he called out to Roberts and Robertson but heard no reply. Rob wasn’t surprised as the shouting grew louder and he followed the sound till he was standing outside the stationery cupboard.

The shouting stopped and his stomach leapt into his throat as he was filled with panic at the very thought that they had heard him. He was in two minds as to whether he should knock or cough or something but he didn’t need to do either as the voices started up again. Instantly, he recognised Roberts voice,

“We are your solicitors Mr Fratelli, we cannot handle stolen goods, you really are putting us into a compromising position” he whimpered.

“I disagree. And I am never wrong. Do you understand? No-one disagrees with me. Kapiche.”

Rob swallowed hard, he was scared and he was outside the room, he couldn’t imagine how Roberts was feeling or how he even had the courage to speak. The Fratellis were 100% nasty on every level. Even when they were being professional (or so they said) they made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you felt compelled to be anywhere but in the same room as them.

Rob heard Robertson speak next, in what sounded like complete exasperation, he said, “Okay…okay…” Roberts interrupted, “What?! What are you saying? If we are caught our lives will be over, we might as well let them kill us now.”

Robertsons voice remained calm, “Look, I know what I am doing and we really don’t have a choice, trust me. Mr Fratelli we would love to help but let’s get you into a comfortable prison first shall we”. Rob was always impressed by Robertsons ability to be officious and complimentary at the same time. He heard The Fratellis mumble something and Rob hid in the cleaning cupboard as he saw the handle turn on the stationery room door.

Through a crack down the side of the door he saw them all leave, Roberts and Robertson followed up the rear, Rob was glad to see that they weren’t hurt and as he was about to leave the cupboard he heard Robertson say to Roberts, keep it in the stationery cupboard, no-one will look there.

As soon as they were gone he went straight in there and started searching, with no idea what he was searching for, that was until he saw the light catch it and he was dazzled. It was a very large diamond. As in VERY large. He picked it up and a lightbulb went on in his head as he realised that this was the White Majesty diamond that was stolen by the Fratellis and never recovered. He put it down quickly. Then he picked it up again and was mesmerised by the light dancing off it. He put it down. He picked it up. He put it down. What if anyone suspected his bosses of concealing stolen goods? What if they came and searched the offices? He picked it back up. He put it down into his jeans pocket and made the decision to hide it at home until the trial was over. He would tell Roberts and Robertson what he had done and they could hide it again later. He was about to leave the stationery cupboard when he caught his reflection in the filing cabinet drawer, the diamond made his jeans bulge in quite an unbecoming manner, he took it out and shoved it into his Doc Martin boot. It dug into him and he had a small limp but it would be ok till he got home.

On his way back to the lift, he was very careful not to be seen, and when he stepped into the reception area he remembered the security guard. He doubted that he was paying that much attention anyway and strode out and home.

He ran straight to his room and changed his shoes, shoving the Doc Martins to the back of the wardrobe, and then rushed back to work.

This time when he arrived the security guard was gone. He went up to the offices again and was relieved to see that The Fratellis had left.

“Morning” he said brightly to his bosses and they both looked up and smiled at him.

“Morning Rob thought you were going to be a no-show, we have some files to go through before Monday…” and they started work, Rob never had a moment that seemed right when he could tell them about the diamond.

Several hours later and Rob was sweaty, dusty and ready to go home when the silence of the office they were working in was invaded by the sound of police sirens outside. They all moved to the window in time to see armed police enter the building. From the corner of his eye he saw Roberts and Robertson exchange panicked glances.

The police left disappointed that their source had been mistaken, but not before leaving a mess of the entire building, and they vowed that they would be keeping an eye on them.

Roberts and Robertson asked Rob to give them a minute, which he assumed would be when they would try to work out why the police hadn’t found the diamond. For want of something better to do he went to the stationery cupboard to find a decent hiding place for white majesty.