The Grey Man

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Kevin parked the car, then he and Linda crossed the road to Marco's. Linda was still questioning him about last night. Kevin had been forced to spend the best part of the afternoon at the bank, talking to Head Office and filling in forms. 'Will Symington really get the sack for not getting videos of those yobs?'

'They'll make him take early retirement. It's funny, but I feel a bit sorry for him. Anyway, he'll get a big fat pension. The bank needs to keep him happy. They won't want their customers to find out that they let the world's worst bank manger look after their money for so long.'

'Do you really think you might get the job?' she whispered, as if it felt too risky to say it out loud. 'Tell me exactly what he said again.' She wanted yet another blow-by-blow account of what the general manager had told him.

'"Let's book a meeting on Monday for you to come up to Head Office. We'll discuss your future and the branch's long-overdue refit."'

Linda kissed his cheek, excited, as Kevin pushed open the door for her. He followed his wife in. The restaurant was packed, everyone enjoying their Saturday night out. As Linda took off her coat and hung it over the back of her chair, Kevin saw again how beautiful she was. Her freshly blow-dried hair swung across her face as she sat down.

'Good evening, Mr and Mrs Dodds. A pleasure to see you again.' Mark placed two glasses of champagne on their table. 'Please accept these on the house, and may I congratulate you on your wedding anniversary. I hope you have a lovely evening.' He lit the candle on their table and left them alone to look at menus.

Something caught Kevin's eye at the far end of the room. 'Bloody hell! That's Dave from school — over there. He's punky Debs's husband. But that's not her with him.'

Linda turned to see Dave with a young blonde girl. Her hand was in his on the table, and they were gazing into each other's eyes. 'Yuk! I almost feel sorry for Debs.'

Kevin thought back to the way she'd taken the piss out of him and Linda on the bus but couldn't help feeling the same. 'Me too. But let's forget about them and tonight just think about us.' He lifted his champagne glass, 'To our happy marriage and lots more happy years to come.'

'To our happy marriage.' They clinked glasses.

Linda picked up her handbag. 'Now it's present time. Close your eyes and open your hands.' Kevin opened his arms as wide as if he was about to carry a tree-trunk. 'Smaller.' He moved his hands a few inches in. 'Smaller.' His palms were touching when he felt something laid in them.

He opened his eyes, tore open the envelope and two flight tickets fell out on to the table. 'What's this?' He already knew the answer.

His smile grew wider as Linda rattled off the details. 'Our five-star Greek holiday! Just think, Kev! Sun, sea and sand. I've been saving up for the last year. No caravan for us!'

He leaned across the table, pulled her head towards him and kissed her lips. He didn't care who saw him. Thank you, sweetheart. It's the best present ever. I can't wait.' Kevin reached into his inside pocket. 'And now for yours. Close your eyes and open your hands.' Linda cupped her hands and brought them in front of her.

He dropped the slim black box into them.

Linda smiled as she wrapped her fingers round the leather and opened her eyes. 'Mmm. Looks good already.' She snapped the box open and her jaw dropped. She was silent for a moment, but her eyes said it all.

'The Augusta!' It was the loudest whisper anyone had ever heard. Now it was Kevin's turn to grin from ear to ear.

'I just love it, Kevin. You know I do. Thank you so so much. I bet it cost a fortune and this one looks amazing. Look how the pearls glow. You'd never know. They're so beautiful. Thank you.'

She took the necklace out of its box and put the Augusta round her neck. As the diamonds sparkled in the candle-light, his wife had never been more beautiful. She was a princess.

'Thank you, Kevin. I don't care if we're broke for the rest of our lives. I love my Augusta, and I love you.'

Kevin couldn't contain his excitement. He also felt guilty. 'Linda, I need to tell you the truth about all that extra work I've been doing this week, and what I did last night.'

Linda was still smiling, not really taking it all in.

Kevin leaned over the table to whisper, 'I robbed the bank. My bank. And it was great.'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got old Rowland's money, did you? Are we off to buy our island?' She stroked the necklace. 'And are you going to buy the real one now?'

'Linda. It is the real one…' He told her the whole story, how he switched Linda's Augusta with the real one in Jessica Drake's deposit box.

'Course you did, Kev,' she said, when he'd finished. 'I'd expect no less of you on our anniversary.' She smiled. 'Listen, I don't care that this Augusta isn't real.'

'But it is. I've got to go back to the deposit box tomorrow night and swap it back again. She's leaving town on Monday.'

'You don't need to pretend it's the real one, darling. It's beautiful, and you gave it to me, so it's even more special than Jessica Drake's. You're the best husband in the world, Kevin Dodds.' She picked up her glass. 'I propose a toast to my perfect husband.'

Just then two guitarists in red shirts appeared, strolled up to their table and started to play.

Kevin raised his glass to his wife. The musicians were playing a Billy Joel song. Their Billy Joel song. Just as Kevin had asked Mark to arrange. '"I love you just the way you are", Linda. I want to tell you over and over again. I love you. I love you. I love you.' Linda was overwhelmed. As the guitarists played on, her eyes filled with tears.

Tears welled in Kevin's eyes too. Everything felt different now, and really good. It was the biggest kick in the world to see his beautiful wife wearing a priceless necklace. He hadn't wanted to rob the bank for money, it wasn't about that. And it didn't matter that nobody knew what he had done. What mattered was that he knew, and he was proud of himself. Never again would he let women like Debs take the piss out of him or his wife. Never again would he be pushed around by the Symingtons and Jessica Drakes of this world. The grey man had gone.

Kevin drank the last of his champagne. 'You know what, Linda?' She looked up from her Augusta and smiled.

'Change of plan. I'm not going back to the bank tomorrow night. You keep the real one. You deserve it.'