CHERUB: Class A - Robert Muchamore Page 0,22

wondered what Junior would say.
‘Oh, he’s a businessman. Import and export. He’s a millionaire actually.’
James acted impressed. ‘Seriously?’
‘No kidding. That’s why I get so pissed off he won’t give me decent pocket money. There are six Playstation games I want really bad. I’ll get a couple of them for my birthday, but that’s not till November.’
‘Steal ’em,’ James said.
Junior laughed. ‘Yeah, but knowing my luck I’d get busted.’
‘I know a few things about shoplifting,’ James said. ‘My mum was into it, before she died.’
‘Did she get nicked much?’
‘Never,’ James said. ‘Shoplifting is a snip, as long as you use forward planning and kitchen foil.’1
‘How many times have you done it?’ Junior asked.
‘Hundreds,’ James lied.
In fact, the only time James had tried shoplifting was when he was in care shortly after his mum died. He’d ended up in a police cell.
‘So what’s the tin foil for?’ Junior asked.
‘I’ll show you, if you want to go for it.’
‘I’m in if you reckon it’s safe.’
James gurgled up the last of his Coke. ‘There’s no guarantee, but I’ve never been caught before.’
He reckoned shoplifting was a good way to cement his friendship with Junior. If they got away with it, he’d be a hero and he could invite himself round to Keith Moore’s house to play the games. It would be trickier if they got caught, but the experience of getting in trouble together would probably bring them closer.
James wouldn’t get in real trouble with the police, because they would arrest and charge James Beckett, a boy who didn’t really exist. As soon as the mission ended, CHERUB would pull James Beckett’s criminal file and have it destroyed, so no fingerprint or DNA evidence would ever be linked back to James’ real identity.
James bought a roll of tin foil in one of those everything for a pound shops. They locked themselves in a disabled toilet. James gave Junior the stuff out of his backpack and lined it with a double layer of the shiny aluminium.
‘What does it do?’ Junior asked.
‘You know those alarms that go off when you take something out of a shop?’
Junior nodded.
‘They’re metal detectors,’ James explained. ‘They put those sticky metal tag thingies on everything, and the alarm goes off when it detects them.’
‘So, won’t the metal foil make it go off?’
‘It only goes off when it detects the right-sized piece of metal. Otherwise, it would ring for every umbrella and belt buckle. So, as long as you wrap the security tags inside something made of metal, the alarm thinks it’s something different and doesn’t go off.’
‘Genius,’ Junior said, breaking into a grin.
‘All we need is a shop where they keep the Playstation discs in the boxes, not behind the counter.’
‘Gameworld does,’ Junior said.
‘We’ll have to go in separately. I’ll go up and stick the games in my pack. Your job is to distract the security guard, or any staff that come near me.’
‘How?’
‘Anything to take their attention off me. Just walk up and ask where something is.’
‘You’re sure this isn’t going to go wrong?’ Junior asked excitedly. ‘If we get caught, my dad will crucify me.’
‘Trust me,’ James said. ‘Besides, you’re only a lookout. I’m the one taking the big risk.’
James felt confident as Junior led him through the shopping centre towards Gameworld.
The security guard stood in the entrance. James went straight up the back to the Playstation games. His foil-lined backpack was already unzipped. He found four of the games Junior wanted, then realised he might as well grab a few for himself while he was taking the risk. It was dead easy: the security guard was picking his nose and the guy at the checkout was texting on his mobile.
James zipped the pack up and slung it over his back. Junior stood in the doorway, with the security guard pointing out the DVDs to him. James headed towards the exit as nonchalantly as he could, but his heart was thumping. As he passed through the detector, an alarm went berserk and a mechanical voice boomed out:
‘We’re sorry, an inventory tag has been left on your item. Please return to the store. We’re sorry, an inventory …’
The guard took hold of James and tried to drag him into the shop. Junior could have kept his head down and nobody would have been able to prove he was involved, so James was impressed when he charged towards the security guard and punched him in the side of the head. James kneed the guard in the stomach and started running, with