William Shaw - The Conspirators

Location: The British Heart Foundation shop, 20 London Road

Transcript: He was still at his desk just after four in the afternoon when the doorbell rang. When he looked down from the first-floor window he saw a smart black Lexus with tinted window, parked illegally in the bus stop outside his house. The doorbell rang again. There was no entryphone, so he descended the narrow stairs to the front door next to the British Heart Foundation charity shop. When he opened it, a woman stood there. She was tall, with straight dirty blonde hair and had a Burberry messenger bag slung over one shoulder. She lowered her dark glasses and peered at him. ‘Jacob Meaney?’ she said. ‘Yes.’ ‘The Jacob Meany?’ ‘I’m sorry?’ ‘That was a little rude,’ she said. ‘Putting the phone down on me.’ ‘Did I?’ ‘Mr Meaney,’ she said. ‘I have a proposal for you. One that I think you’re going to find very interesting.’ That night he slept badly, waking from strange dreams to wonder if he should have found out more about the job before committing himself to it. The next morning, Jacob woke before his alarm went off, shaved and dressed and stood at the window. At twenty to six in the morning, the black Lexus was on the street outside again, parked on the bus stop. Its windows were dark, making it impossible to see inside.