Miranda Rijks Short Story: The Golden Loot

The Golden Loot

A short story written exclusively for Village Tweet by local author Miranda Rijks “Go faster!” Lenny hisses at Pete. They’re already driving at 90mph. Pete’s knuckles are white as he “Let’s call the number,” Emily says. Flora isn’t so sure. But Emily has a mobile phone and has already whipped it out of her pocket, grips the steering wheel. And then they putting it on loudspeaker. hear the sirens. “We found your bag of coins on the side of

“It’s the coppers,” Pete says. The three men the road.” Emily’s voice quivers. keep their eyes down as the police car speeds “Where are you?” A man’s voice asks, gruffly. past them in the opposite direction, heading “Billingshurst.” towards Wisborough Green. “Where in Billingshurst?”

“Maybe not for us,” Lenny suggests. But “You can’t give him our address!” Flora then they hear more sirens. hisses, eyes wide with horror.

“What if they’ve set up a roadblock?” Jim asks. He’s “You still there?” sitting on the back seat with the loot. “Yes,” Emily says quietly.

Jim can’t stand it anymore. He didn’t want to be involved “Take them to the police station. You’ll get a finder’s fee.” and had tried his best to avoid this initiation, but when “Why did you leave your phone number in the bag?” Lenny says you’ve got to do something, you’ve got to do it. Flora asks. But the man has hung up. He lowers the window and chucks the bag out of the car.

“What the hell have you done?” Lenny screams. Jenny is furious with the girls, although she’s not quite

Pete takes his foot off the accelerator. “No point in sure why. She stares at the shiny gold coins. “Right, I’ll getting done for speeding,” he mutters to himself. call the police.”

Seconds later he sees the flashing lights in his rear Some hours later a policeman knocks on their door mirror and the policemen gesticulating for him to pull over. and introduces himself as DS Withers. Jenny explains “Don’t forget we’re doing the sponsored rubbish collection school litter collection. this morning,” eleven-year-old Flora announces brightly, “We’ve got two suspects in custody for a theft from the as she sits down to her bowl of Coco Pops. “The whole museum and they’re suspects for a string of other class are doing it, and their parents too. I think fly tipping burglaries in the area.” is disgusting.” “Will I get a prize?” Flora asks.

Her mother Jenny sighs. She had totally forgotten DS Withers smiles but doesn’t answer. about it and it’s the last thing she feels like doing, going out in the cold drizzle and picking up other people’s litter Over the next few days, Jenny and Flora watch the News along the side of the road on her day off work. But Flora avidly. Flora and Emily boast how they found stolen loot. is self-righteous, environmentally aware and very But they hear nothing more; neither on the News nor from competitive. Jenny has no choice. the police. After five days and fed up with her daughter’s

“Whoever collects the most rubbish wins,” Flora pestering, Jenny calls DS Withers. announces. They are all wearing fluorescent yellow bibs “I’m afraid that the coins your daughter found were over their anoraks, hands stuffed in rubber gloves. The fakes. The originals had been put in a drawer underneath school has organised it well. Teachers are positioned the museum display cabinet. No crime was committed.” along the road and at key junctions, waving at cars to “Have you released the suspects?” slow down to a crawl. Flora and her friend Emily race “No. Two of the three have been charged with breaking along the verge, shoving rubbish into their black bin bags, and entering a number of premises. They’ve been on our eager to collect the most. An hour later, their bags are radar for a while. They’re awaiting bail. The third is a bulging. minor and no charges are being brought against him.”

“This is really heavy,” Flora says, as she bends to pick up a Sainsbury’s carrier bag that has been tied at the top. What no one knows is that things have panned out

“What’s in it?” Emily asks. exactly the way Jim planned it. Nicking the coins was

But before they can look, the girls are interrupted by meant to be his initiation into the gang, but Jim doesn’t Miss Smith who announces it’s the end of the sponsored want a life of crime like his older brother. He wants to litter collection. To her delight, Flora’s bag is both the work in the animal refuge centre. When they broke into fullest and the heaviest. the museum, he followed Lenny’s orders and lifted the

After lunch, while Jenny relaxes on the sofa with a coins. But rather than putting them into the carrier bag, he magazine, Flora whispers to Emily. “Shall we see what’s shoved them into a drawer, popping the cheap replicas in the Sainsbury’s bag?” he bought off the internet into the Sainsbury’s bag that

They tiptoe out to the back of the house and open the Lenny had given him to carry the loot. He tipped the black bag that Jenny left next to the recycling bins. police off too with a text from a burner phone. He’s Together, the girls remove the Sainsbury’s carrier bag relieved that Lenny and Pete will be charged. The only from the black bag. Flora tips it upside down and the thing he feels bad about is the young girl who found the contents clatter onto the ground followed by a torn piece loot. Once he’s worked out what he can give her as her of paper floating down like a feather. Flora picks it up and finder’s fee, he’ll send her a text. A kitten from the animal reads what is written: If you find these please call this centre, perhaps. number. A mobile phone number was scrawled below the that her daughter found the coins when they were doing a message. Miranda Rijks writes psychological thrillers set in West

The girls bend down, their mouths agape, as they pick Sussex, published by Inkubator Books. Paperbacks and up the big coins. ebooks are available on Amazon. Find out more at

“Looks like gold,” Flora says. www.mirandarijks.com.