Meaner Things Read Online Free PDF

had been knocked down at some point – and it was this room we had to get into.
    “The only possible way in is from the roof,” I told her. We were sitting in a Starbucks, near the warehouse, after completing another ‘recce’. “We’ll use the scaffolding. A plank bridge will get us across.”
    She seemed doubtful. “We don’t know if we can get inside from the roof.”
    “There’s a door out to the roof,” I replied, “I saw it when I worked there. Never been through it though. We should be able to crowbar it open.”
    “Hmmm . . . sounds a bit noisy, very noisy if it’s alarmed. And it’s a way for the cavalry to catch us if we mess up,” she said thoughtfully. “We have to fix that.”
    “We could climb down a rope to the ground.”
    She snorted. “Are you kidding? It’s way too high up. I’m not risking a broken back.”
    “I’ll work on it.”
    She looked up, gave me a thin smile, and I knew she was about to hit me with something I might not like.
    “Mike, we have to be absolutely certain we can get away from there if something goes wrong. We can’t leave anything to chance; which means we have a bit more work to do.”
    “What are you suggesting?” I said.
    “We go up there and see for ourselves. Find a better way in, if possible.”
    I nodded. “When?”
    “Tonight.”
    *
    After dark we took a late bus downtown and got off a few stops short of the warehouse. When we arrived we groaned simultaneously. The builders repairing the church had erected additional lighting inside a cage of secure wire mesh high up on the scaffolding. We approached it cautiously and saw that it also held a pulley that went all the way up to the top. It would have been a neat way up for us, assuming we could have knocked out the light; but the cage was padlocked, so not something we could use.
    “Perhaps it’s for the best,” Emma whispered, “We’ll keep it as simple as possible.”
    “Yeah, I’m not James Bond,” I replied.
    We went around the back of the church, where the scaffolding was unlit and climbable. At sidewalk level there was a fair degree of shadow cover for the most dangerous move – climbing up the first, ladderless section.
    I pulled on my gloves, took a quick look around, and clambered up onto the bottom rung of the scaffolding. Emma followed closely behind and I felt pressure to climb quickly. It wasn’t too difficult and I just kept going until I got to the top.
    We rested there a while and then took a look around. I heard a hissed “Yes!” and she waved for me to come to her. At the corner of the building, where a roof buttress above us jutted into the sky, the builders had left some old scaffolding planks that they were no longer using. We pulled one out and gave each other a high-five. It seemed long enough.
    There was only one way to find out for sure.
    We moved it across to the nearest point to the warehouse roof and heaved it into position. The far end clattered down noisily, but stayed in place.
    She gave me a nudge and I knew I had to take the lead.
    “Hold it steady,” I said.
    She did and in the end it wasn’t difficult. On the others side we found our way onto the flat of the roof and began exploring. I checked the door and noted the gaps between it and the frame. The domed skylight occupied most of our attention and we gave it a thorough examination with flashlights.
    When we were done we retraced our way back without any problems.
    In her room that night I made up a list of the equipment we’d need.
    *
    We decided we’d do it the following Tuesday night. The Friday before is when the ‘Strange Incident’ happened. That’s how I think of it. Before the heist I dismissed it as unimportant. Afterwards? Well, judge for yourself.
    “We have one more thing to do,” she said, when we met in the Students’ Union bar at six p.m. after lectures.
    “What’s that?” I wondered, thinking it would be some sort of ‘recce’ thing.
    “I want you to meet