‘I’ll tell you when I’m ready or when I think you’re ready.’
‘Oh, fine, yes, ma’am, two bags full, ma’am.’
Dolly’s face was frightening, but she didn’t blast off, she just said calmly, ‘Yes, it will be fine, Ester, but I’m paying out and I don’t want any stupid mistakes, like driving round in a stolen car. Like blokes coming here to slap you or any one of us around.’
‘Okay, okay, we’ve been over that.’
‘And we’ll go over and over it until I’m satisfied. Now get on with what you have to do, all of you.’
Julia sniffed and looked at Ester. ‘What do you want us to do?’
Dolly jerked a thumb towards the receiver and the headphones. ‘You take it in shifts to listen in at the signal box.’
Who’s listening in to the copper?’ Gloria asked.
‘I am,’ Dolly said as she picked up her briefcase and walked out.
Ester nudged Julia. ‘You think she’s listening in on us?’
‘Put money on it,’ Gloria said.
It was a long night, Julia and Ester taking it in shifts, boring hours of listening in at the signal box. It only became interesting when Connie entered and started talking to Jim. She hitched up her skirt as she perched on the table and crooked her finger at him. ‘I got a present for you.’
Jim was a bit sheepish and hung-over. ‘Look, Connie, about the other night.’
‘Forget it, you said a lot of things that maybe you didn’t mean.’
‘No, I meant every word, I just didn’t mean to pass out.’
She wound her legs round his waist. ‘Here, this is for you.’ She unwrapped the pen and slipped it into his top pocket. ‘Keep it close to your heart.’
Ester looked over at Dolly as she walked in. ‘He’s got the pen. It was a bit distorted to begin with but now we can hear them snogging clear as a bell.’
Dolly glanced at Julia, who had the earpiece in. ‘I’m off, be back late. I’m taking Gloria’s car.’
Julia beckoned to her and she moved closer. ‘I think they’re having it away, lot of heavy breathing, you want to hear?’
‘All I want to hear is the code for those alarms.’
Julia pressed the earpiece further into her ear. That’s what he’s just talking about. Must have been a quickie in-and-out job.’
Connie pulled down her skirt and stepped out of her panties as Jim closed the gates for a passenger train. He did not mess around when it came to working, he was very serious, and Connie edged behind him to wrap her arms round his chest.
‘No, just stay off me a second, I got work to do, darlin’.’
Connie sighed, moving close to the alarm box and special telephone. If something went wrong on the rail, Jim, what would you do?’
‘Get the sack if they found you here.’ He looked towards the station as the train headed up the tracks.
‘I mean if there was an accident,’ she asked, sliding down so as not to be seen from the station.
‘Well, with the alarms I got a direct line to the local cop shop, fire brigade and ambulance. They can all be here within four minutes.’
‘What about the live wire cable?’
She watched him as he went about his business, pulling the levers down, moving backwards and forwards across the hut.
Julia switched on the main speaker and she, Ester and Dolly could hear the train thundering past the signal box. Then they heard something else, a third voice.
John had been playing detective, waiting, and now he knew he was right — he could see her curly blonde hair. He was standing at the gates, his car engine ticking over, when he looked up at the hut. He knew it was her. As the gates opened and the train passed, he saw her more clearly. She was laughing and chatting away. He drove into the yard beneath the box and ran up the wooden steps. He banged on the door.
‘Connie, I know you’re in there. Connie!’
He burst into the signal box, and Jim whipped round.
‘What you think you’re doing?’ John yelled at Connie.
‘Seeing an old friend,’ she shouted back.
‘She’s my girlfriend.’ John moved towards Jim.
Jim looked at Connie in confusion ‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing!’ she shrieked, pushing at John.
‘You liar! This is the second time I’ve seen you up here! I’ll get him the sack, that’s for starters. You shouldn’t be up here.’
‘I can go wherever I like, it’s no business of yours.’
‘Yes, it fucking is!’
John threw a punch at Jim who ducked, looking down at the station, terrified someone would be watching. He then went back at John.
‘Look, mate, I dunno who you are but you’d better get out of here.’
John grabbed Connie. ‘She’s coming with me.’
‘I am not! You don’t own me,’ Connie yelled, kicking out at him. She was close to the alarm switch, within inches.
Dolly put her hand over her face. ‘One of you had better get up there, get her out.’
The alarm went off. Julia winced, the sound was so loud it screamed through the room. ‘Jesus Christ, it’s the fucking alarm!’ Ester yelled.
Jim’s face drained of colour. He shouted for Connie and John to get out as he dialled the station to report a false alarm. Connie saw him punch in each number and closed her eyes, desperate to remember each one in order as John tried to haul her out. They could hear somebody shouting from the platform below. ‘Get out of here!’ Jim roared. If Connie or John was discovered in his signal box, he’d lose his job for sure.
By now a passing patrol car had heard the alarm and was already heading towards the station, siren blaring.
John dragged Connie down the steps and had only just shoved her into his van when the patrol car hurtled into the yard. The two uniformed officers got out as Jim appeared at the top of the steps. ‘It’s okay, no problem. It was just a routine test.’
The officers hesitated, one continuing up the steps to discuss it further as the other crossed to John.
‘What you doing here?’
John grinned. ‘Sorry, mate, just having a quickie with the girlfriend when it went off, talk about being caught short.’
The officer nodded, looking into the van. Connie tittered nervously.
‘Well, you shouldn’t be in this area, so go on, on your way.’
John drove out, Connie sitting as far away from him as possible. ‘You had no right to do that, you know,’ she said. ‘I don’t belong to you. I can have as many boyfriends as I like. You even live with a girl and I don’t get uptight about that.’
‘I don’t live with anyone any more.’
‘Well, don’t blame it on me.’
John slammed on the brakes. ‘It’s over between us because I thought you were serious about me.’
‘Oh, do me a favour.’
‘I just did. You could have been arrested for being up there with him, you know, and he’ll probably lose his job.’
‘Only if you rat on him.’
John clenched the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white. ‘I don’t understand you, I thought—’
‘You thought what?’ she said, her face red with anger.
That maybe you... that I was seeing you, Connie. I made a mistake.’
‘Yes, you did, John. I don’t like being told who I can go out with by you or anybody else. If I want to screw—’
‘Stop talking like that.’
‘Talking like what?’
He turned on her. ‘A cheap tart.’
She slapped his face and pushed at him with her hands, almost wanting him to slap her back, but he shook his head and turned away. ‘I’ll take you home.’