Lights and Noise

"I've been shopping. All the items on your list, are now safely stored in my bag, ready for your expert hands," said Hla.

"Nick wants to check them now before we get stuck in a dingy church," said Philippa.

Hla handed over the goodies to the children.

Torches flicked on and off, the packaging of spare batteries discarded. Two sizes of hammer and a mason chisel didn't need checking, Nick felt their weight. A small battery-operated circular saw was turned on. Nothing.

"That needs charging," said Philippa.

"I know," said Hla. "Give me a chance."

The afternoon was for rest, everybody's batteries needed charging alongside the equipment's Ever Ready supply.

"The workers keep at it until six pm when they knock off and go home. Priests will be lighting candles and praying for another couple of hours. Around nine pm we will eat in the restaurant opposite, then we cross back to the church grounds, keep to the tree line. We will then lay behind the wall with St Joseph's name plastered on the front. We will wait until midnight. Then we move. The tourists mingling along the riverside will be tucked up in their hotel beds by then. The road will be clear. The night owls amongst them will be in bars on the other side of town," said Hla. "Do you have questions?" She felt like an army general readying her troops.

Nick was sitting peacefully. Philippa knew he had something on his mind.

"Did you check for an alarm system?" blurted Philippa.

"Yes, of course, I did. The fathers don't believe worshipers would steal their bibles. If they did, well, then their need is greater than the church's," said Hla. "And, don't forget very few people know of the ring's existence, and no one alive has ever seen it. However, they do have a powerful light, triggered by movement. The nightwatchman sleeps in a shack at the back."

"Looks like you've covered everything. Where is our black makeup?" sneered Philippa.

"We won't see anyone, there will be nobody to see us, we won't need it," said Hla.

"I'm only joking," she retorted.

"Okay, joke over. Let's go."

The trio set off. The stop at the restaurant was a pleasure for Nick, over-ordering. Philippa worried about her weight, picked at Nick's dishes. Hla ordered but ate little, chucking scraps to the neighbouring dogs.

They mingled with the few tourists. A mother with two children didn't look out of place as they admired the yellow tower from the path.

"Right, Philippa, you go first. There is no one looking, get comfortable behind the wall."

Hla pretended to fiddle with Nick's buttons as a couple walked past, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Nick snorted his disgust.

"That's what you do when you fall in love," smiled Hla. She got no response.

"Off you go," she said, nuzzling his back like a mother hen, grinning to herself. Nick shook himself free.

Hla strolled one hundred yards in each direction, peering casually, checking the path was all clear.

"Okay, you two, comfortable enough?" As she joined them behind the wall.

Nick snorted again. Philippa grunted.

"I could be worse," whispered Hla.

"Yeah, if we were robbing sewers," answered Philippa.

It was time to move. The priests had closed and locked the main door. The watchman had checked all doors were secure. He disappeared into his cabin. The security light went off. There was no movement. Lights on the tower shone a dim orangey-yellow, and a dim light glistened from inside.

Hla had a new friend joining them. The happy recipient of her earlier meat tidbits plodded up to them. The safety light beamed. They sprinted to the wall and ducked. The cabin remained closed.

Philippa grabbed the dog, Nick sliced his throat. No emotion showed from either child. Hla smiled, "Well done, you two," she whispered.

They waited for three minutes, no sound, no bright light. Safe to move to the back of the church.

Nick had predicted correctly. The locks were ancient. He had two problems, noise and movement. He shuffled Hla and Philippa around the corner. He didn't need to tell them to keep their mouths shut. Movement he insisted had to be in slow motion. Not jerky and not fast, slow and smooth. The light remained inactive.

He pulled off his t-shirt. It was needed to muffle the sound from any metal parts he was working on. He too had to keep his movements to slow motion.

His theory was fine, but he was not strong enough to force the lock without a sharp stab with a screwdriver. He was stuck. And he would not accept failure. One of his colleagues could add power, but how without setting off the lights and disturbing the man?

The answer was obvious. "Why didn't I think of that before?" he wondered.

He removed the circular saw from his backpack. Moving in slow motion, he tapped on the night watchman's kiosk door.

The door opened slowly. A Thai soap opera was turned down as an elderly man peered through foggy glasses.

"Yes, can I help you, young man?"

Nick simply pointed up with a shocked stare. The man wondered what he was looking at, stepped out and craned his neck to see the stars.

A buzz caught his attention as a shiny new blade hacked his throat.

Nick, slowly returned to his task.

The noise was now less of a problem, but he didn't need the light to show the world his other piece of handy work.

"I should have hidden his body," he said to himself.

He whistled the girls across to the door. They crept to him, surprised by the puddle of blood on the footpath.

He shrugged and signalled to grasp the tool. Philippa went to grasp the metal, then noticed something else, something new. She stroked a small growth of hair on his ear. Then, looking at the other side, she grinned. Hla was concentrating on the job at hand and hadn't noticed.

Knowing they needed to keep their pace slow, sweat was dripping. With a sharp clack clack, a hinge snapped. They couldn't help moving quickly. The bright light showed the lock hanging loose and the door swinging inwards. With the light on, Philippa shoved the body into its hut. She turned the tv volume up, in case anyone nosed the door.

Philippa joined the others inside as darkness returned.