going to stay unconscious, so step two was to secure the victim. Bruce grabbed the desktop lamp and ripped it out of the wall socket. He grabbed a multitool from his tracksuit bottoms and cut the plastic flex from the base of the lamp. Then he folded the free cable into equal lengths and sliced it in two.
The unconscious Australian was slumped backwards over the desk. Bruce slid off the knuckleduster and pulled on a pair of disposable gloves, before grabbing the quilt off the bed and throwing it down to cover the puke on the floor. He knelt in front of his victim and began tying his ankles with the flex.
After binding ankles and wrists, Bruce realised his victim was struggling to breathe. He prised open the Australian’s mouth and was rewarded with a dribble of sick. Bruce turned his head away from the nauseating smell, then plunged two gloved fingers down his throat to clear out the muck.
Once Bruce was certain that his victim was breathing properly, he used all his strength to lower the unconscious body to the floor on top of the quilt. Then he adjusted the limbs into the recovery position so that his victim didn’t choke while he was unconscious.
Now the room and victim were secure, Bruce switched the soggy gloves for a fresh pair before pulling his mobile out of his jacket.
‘John, it’s me.’
‘Bruce, where are you?’
It was only as he stood with his mobile to his face, staring at his giant victim trussed up on the floor, that Bruce got a realistic sense of what he’d just achieved. There had to be a navy shirt in this.
‘I’ve got him good,’ Bruce said jubilantly, almost laughing. ‘I’m at the Crowne Residence, room nineteen-eleven and our oversized friend is tied up at my feet.’
John sounded pleased. ‘Good job. Was he armed?’
‘Nope,’ Bruce said. ‘He didn’t seem the type, so I risked it.’
‘Are you OK?’
‘Except for the dude’s puke all over my jacket, yeah.’
‘Right,’ John said. ‘Do you feel safe up there?’
‘I think,’ Bruce said. ‘I haven’t had much chance to look around, but it seems like he’s the only person staying in this room. Are you gonna send in the cavalry, or what?’
‘What type of joint is it?’
‘Swank,’ Bruce said. ‘Five stars, easily.’
John tutted. ‘Place like that is gonna have security cameras everywhere and who knows if the bad guys are friendly with the management. Did he see much of you before you knocked him out?’
‘Enough to make a positive ID. We rode up in the elevator together and ended up having a tussle before I knocked him out. He’s a bit bloody and I think his jaw might be broken, but he’ll still be breathing when the chambermaid finds him.’
‘Right, in that case, I want you to make it look like a mugging. Take photographs for identification purposes, then steal his passport, money, documents, watch, jewellery and anything else that looks like it’s worth money. Put it all in one of his bags and walk out the front door.’
‘OK boss. It’s a big hotel, there was a line of taxis out front when I came in. Shall I head back in one of those?’
‘Sounds good,’ John said. ‘Don’t head directly to the apartment. Ask the driver to take you to the Great Northern Hotel and I’ll meet you in the lobby.’
‘Who’s staying there?’
‘Nobody, but it’s not far from where I am staying. Best to cover our tracks.’
Bruce smiled, realising he was being daft. ‘Yeah, of course.’
‘Call me when you get in the taxi.’
Bruce ended the call and pocketed the phone. He crouched over the unconscious man, slid a hand inside his suit and found a wallet. He flipped it open and read the man’s name off a credit card: Barry M. Cox.
*
It was gone ten o’clock when Bruce emerged from a cab outside the lobby of the Great Northern Hotel. John grabbed a smart leather bag as Bruce paid the driver.
‘Keep the change.’
‘We’ll head straight back to my hotel,’ John said, as the cab pulled away. ‘It’s only a few hundred metres. How do you feel?’
‘No injuries,’ Bruce said. ‘But I’m knackered. Can we stop somewhere and get a Coke or something?’
‘There’s a mini bar in my room,’ John said, as he set off briskly. ‘We’re in a rush: Chloe and Kyle are waiting for us.’
‘Waiting for what?’
‘Chloe’s going to take all the documents and paperwork you stole from Cox back to the apartment. She’s gonna scan them and e-mail the whole lot