No Place in the Sun Read Online Free PDF Page B

hundred if you shift it by Friday.’
    They went through the rest of the cars. Kevin was in a bad humour from the fluorescent yellow VW, and the rest of the load didn’t help his mood either.
    ‘Ah Jesus, look at the clocks on these wrecks.’
    Tom looked at the car in question, the Toyota had nearly a hundred thousand miles on the odometer. ‘Looks clean though, should go back all right.’
    Kevin cheered a bit, but he still wasn’t happy. ‘Myles has to be paid his cut for clocking it though; all comes out of the profit. I’m getting sick of McGuire short-changing me.’
    He stomped back to the office and slammed the door. Tom took out his phone and called Myles.
    ‘Can you call over this evening and adjust a few for us?’
    ‘How many?’
    ‘Nearly all today’s batch, about ten, all high numbers but look good otherwise. We need them done tonight though before customers see them tomorrow.’
    Tom made two cups of coffee and left one of them down in front of Kevin. ‘Myles is on his way.’
    ‘Thanks boyo. Can you do something for me on the way in tomorrow? I need a letter dropped off at the test centre, ask for Roger Hall and wait for an envelope from him and bring it back. It’s some paperwork that they didn’t have for me last week.’
    Myles arrived just as they were turning off the lights.
    Kevin waved his arms at him. ‘For God’s sake, don’t leave that fucking Jeep out front, someone will see it. Bring it round the back quick.’
    Myles drove around and into the shed. Tom shook his head. ‘For such a smart fellow with his computers and all, he hasn’t much savvy. Why does he have to have his name written on the Jeep?’
    The offending vehicle had a bright sign on each side that told the world that it was owned by ‘Myles Back’, a play on the owner’s name and the nature of his business. The smaller print advised that he was in the business of recalibrating speedometers, a legitimate business need when a garage replaced a broken speedometer with a new one and the mileage had to be brought up to the correct level on the new instrument. While he might get the occasional job of that nature, Myles made most of his money by ‘clocking’ cars for unscrupulous dealers.
    Kevin sighed resignedly ‘he’s a bit thick that way, but he comes when we want him and he’s cheaper than the others by a long shot.’
    Myles looked at the yellow car in astonishment. ‘It’ll take more than a bit of clocking to make that one sell. Where did you get that thing?’
    Tom motioned to him to shut up; Kevin was in a bad enough humour without upsetting him further, but Myles kept rubbing salt in the wound. ‘You could put a ‘Follow Me’ sign on it and sell it to the airport; they could take it out on really foggy days.’
    Kevin retreated to the office and slammed the door.
    Myles was still laughing at his own joke. ‘What’s up with him?’
    ‘Don’t mention the war. He’s not too happy with today’s batch, and that thing just added insult to injury. Let’s make a few home improvements, cheer him up a bit.’
    ‘That’s one ugly car, mustn’t be a standard colour, I never saw one in that yellow before.’
    ‘It was one of two specials for that radio station that started up and only lasted a few months, do you remember, Mellow Yellow FM, played a lot of oldies?’
    ‘Oh yeah, crappy music, no wonder they folded.’
    One by one, they drove the cars into the shed and closed the doors. Tom popped the bonnet on each car and Myles connected the lead from his laptop to the service port and made a few quick adjustments on the keyboard. In an hour all the cars were a lot more saleable.
    Myles closed his laptop and packed it away in the case.
    ‘Is that the lot, Tom?’
    ‘That’s all, I’ll just finish putting on the new rubbers on the clutch and brake pedals and then we’re done. We’re going for a few beers, do you want to come?’
    ‘No, I’ll pass on that, see you next week.’
    Tom and Kevin