I didn�t even need to pick the lock on the shed, since I�d left the door unlocked earlier.� After all, who would steal a set of second hand tools?
I hadn�t minded the cleaning too much as it was exercise of a sort and I try to stay fit and healthy.� Carrying several heavy tools halfway across town was a bit too much exercise, which is where Buster fit into the plan.� He happily collected all the tools and carried them easily.� I had to stop him from emptying the shed of all its contents.� Normally I�d encourage that kind of attitude, but Father Terry and all his altruistic ways was a valuable resource and even though there was little chance I�d be linked to the crime, it was an unnecessary risk.
With Buster carrying the heavy load it didn�t take long to reach the meeting point.� Even though we arrived with time to spare, there wasn�t really time to trek back to the store, so we had a few minutes to spare.
Buster isn�t the greatest conversationalist, but I�ve found that if I can get him started on a topic, he�s happy to rumble on about it for as long as I�ll listen, requiring very little input to the conversation.� Today, the topic was what he�d spend a big bag of gold on, assuming the job was a success.� From the way he was going, Buster was going to need several big bags of gold, but it�s good to have goals.
I tuned his animate rumblings into background noise and focused on stage two of the plan.
From somewhere, Prue had acquired an old hand drawn cart.� It was small enough that it might not need a donkey or mule to move it, but we had Buster.� I would definitely not call him a donkey, because I like my body in one piece, but he would have no problem pulling the cart.
I did my best to hold my breath while I inspected the cart.� It wouldn�t do to have our important prop fall apart half way through the job, even if it did smell of the dung it had previously been used to transport.
The cart was structurally sound, if smelly, and Buster was happily chatting away, but something wasn�t right.� Then I actually heard what my subconscious had noticed � the faint scrape of a boot on cobbles.� Somebody was coming.