CHERUB: The Killing - Robert Muchamore Page 0,74

Kerry and Dave took turns monitoring the sounds inside the house.

The TV went off at 00:22. They tracked the sound of Michael Patel walking upstairs, brushing his teeth and flushing the toilet. Patricia woke up as her husband climbed into bed. At 00:30 Michael told his wife that he loved her and that he’d checked on their daughter. The microphone began picking up a gentle snoring sound at 00:37.

‘They’ve been asleep for twenty minutes,’ Kerry said. ‘That’s long enough, isn’t it?’

Dave nodded, as he pulled his radio out of his pocket. ‘Base, I think the Patels are asleep. We’re moving in.’

‘Copy that, Dave,’ Chloe answered.

Dave pinched James’ nose to wake him up. He gasped through his mouth before opening his eyes and shooting up from the floor of the van.

‘Joanna,’ James gasped.

‘Who’s Joanna?’ Dave said with raised eyebrows, as James yawned and rubbed his hand over his face.

‘I was having this weird dream. I was in a tent with this girl I met on my first mission. But Clint Eastwood and my nan kept flying over in a hot air balloon and dropping rocks on us.’

‘A dream like that probably means something really profound,’ Dave grinned.

Kerry couldn’t resist chipping in. ‘It means he’s an idiot and we knew that already.’

‘Are they asleep now?’ James yawned.

Dave nodded. ‘You’re going in.’

James grabbed the backpack he’d been using as a pillow.He pulled out his radio and fitted the earpiece. ‘Testing, testing, James testing.’

Chloe came back in his ear. ‘Hearing you loud and clear, James.’

Kerry did a radio test, then she and James pulled on disposable gloves and baseball caps. Kerry fitted an attachment to the front of her lock gun and tucked it into the front pocket of her shorts. Dave checked all the monitors to make sure nobody was walking along the street outside, then switched out the lights, so that James and Kerry weren’t seen as they jumped out the back doors.

‘Good luck out there,’ Dave whispered. ‘I’ll radio right away if the mike picks up any movement inside the house.’

Kerry led James across the road and up the Patels’ driveway, passing their BMW. She pushed the lock gun into the deadlock and made easy work of undoing it, before swapping to a different-shaped pick and attacking the regular lock.

James whispered into his mouthpiece as they passed through the doorway. ‘We’re in.’

After pushing shut the door, they each grabbed cylinders – like mini fire extinguishers – out of their backpacks and pulled rubber gas masks over their faces. Kerry checked James’ mask was fitted properly and James returned the favour. They were halfway up the stairs when Dave called through their earpieces.

‘Back up, we’ve got movement in the bedroom.’

James and Kerry hurried stealthily down the staircase, as the light came on in the upstairs hallway. Patricia Patel stepped out of the bedroom. She checked on her sleeping daughter, before cutting into the bathroom.

Kerry whispered into her mouthpiece. ‘Do we pull out?’

‘Negative,’ Dave answered. ‘She’ll probably go back to bed. Stay in the house unless she starts coming down the stairs.’

Sure enough, Patricia flushed the toilet and wandered back to bed.

James peeled off his gas mask and spoke to Kerry. ‘We’ll have to wait until she’s gone back to sleep.’

01:16

Fifteen minutes dragged by as James and Kerry sat against the wall at the bottom of the staircase, listening to their heartbeats. When Dave gave the all-clear they refitted and rechecked their gas masks, before heading up the stairs again.

The Patels slept with their bedroom door open, so they could hear if their daughter woke up and started yelling. James and Kerry ripped safety collars from the necks of the gas canisters as they entered and crept around to opposite sides of the double bed. James held up three fingers and counted down. They both moved on zero.

James positioned the white cup on the top of the canister a few centimetres above Michael’s nose and mouth, before gently turning a screw to release the gas. Kerry’s task was more awkward, because Patricia slept with her face buried in a pillow. They each held the canisters in place and counted until their victims had inhaled seven times; enough gas to knock them out for two and a half hours.

Job done, they cut the flow of gas and backed out of the room. James ripped off his mask. Kerry did the same and they smiled at each other.

‘Good job,’ James grinned. Then he pressed the button to speak into his mouthpiece. ‘This is James. We’ve