Kevin, who had been clock-watching all day, knew the exact time when the two women burst into the bank. 'You were supposed to have fixed this yesterday!' the taller one yelled. 'I sometimes wonder what I'm paying you for! Never mind. As usual, I'll do it myself.'
Kevin recognized her from the TV straight away. She was tall, slim, with glossy blonde hair and very high cheekbones. As soon as she saw him watching her, her frown was replaced with a smile. She took a deep breath, and came slowly up to the counter, as if she was on a catwalk. She was wearing a black fur coat with high heels, and her hips swayed as she moved. Her assistant remained five paces behind.
Jessica stopped at Kevin's window and peeled off her black leather gloves. 'Hello.' Her voice was rich and low. 'My name is Jessica Drake.'
Kevin's eyes were glued to her collarbone. She was wearing the Augusta necklace. 'Good afternoon, madam.' He sounded a bit stiff, like Symington.
'Darling, you probably know that I'm performing at the Theatre Royal, just down the road from you. Well, I can't leave my necklace in the wings while I'm on stage, or some wicked little chorus girl will steal it. I thought I'd better deposit it in your bank for the week. My assistant will pick it up on Monday morning. Would that be possible, darling?'
As she talked, Kevin stared at the necklace. He was trying to fix all of the details in his head so he could remember them for Linda later. Jessica Drake was just as beautiful in real life as she was on TV. She had pale, clear skin and bright blue eyes with the longest eyelashes he'd ever seen. But there was something odd about her face. It was so smooth, it didn't seem to move as she spoke. It was as if someone was pulling the skin at the back of her head. And when you looked closely, the lashes at the outer corners of her eyes went a bit too far beyond each eye. And her lips seemed too big and a bit sore…
'Darling, are you listening? I want to deposit my Augusta. I assume your bank offers a safe-deposit service?'
'Of course, madam. If you'd like to walk over to the door on your right, I'll buzz you straight through. There's just a little paperwork.'
'OK, but hurry up, darling, I'm in rather a rush.'
Jessica headed towards the door. Kevin felt a stab of nerves as he went to meet her. He was doing business with a Hollywood movie star. Well, sort of. Linda had told him Jessica hadn't been in a film since her divorce, but that didn't matter. His wife would still be dead impressed.
By the look of it, so were his workmates. They had stopped what they were doing and their mouths hung open.
Jessica was every inch the movie star, but the necklace was what drew your eye. The two strands of pearls glowed, and the sapphire and diamonds twinkled. Kevin's present for Linda looked just like the real thing!
He pressed the security switch and the door unlocked.
'My driver is waiting outside,' snapped Jessica. 'I can't be long. Must I really sign some silly form? After all, you do know who I am?'
Kevin held open the door for her as she glided in with her assistant. 'Yes, of course I do. I saw you on TV last Friday. But I'm afraid we can't take a deposit without filling in a form. Sorry.'
'You saw me on TV, did you? You'd think the media would have had enough of me by now, but they always seem to want more. Oh, well.' She stroked her fur coat. 'I guess that's just the downside of being famous.'
'Madam, please.' He took her into his office where he kept the forms. 'Do sit down. Can I take your coat?'
This was turning into an exciting day. Kevin couldn't wait to tell Linda about it. He wondered if he could ask Jessica for an autograph. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do. But what was the harm? He'd ask her when the necklace was safely in the basement.
'Forget my coat. Just get on with it!' She sat down and slowly crossed one long leg over the other. The other woman stood beside her. 'Quickly! Give me the forms.' Jessica pointed to her assistant. Clearly, you didn't pass anything to royalty in person.
Kevin handed them to the assistant with his pen, and the two women signed their names.
'Don't just stand there, sweetheart. Fetch me the key.' Her voice wasn't quite so rich and low now that she had only him to watch her. It was more of a screech.
Kevin unlocked the safe fixed to the wall behind him.
In it, there was a row of small hooks with numbers underneath. Some had a key hanging from them, but many didn't as the client kept their key at home. At the top of the safe, there was a small shelf with just one key. This was the guard key for all the boxes.
Each deposit box had two locks, which had to be unlocked before the box would open. The guard key was kept in the safe, and used by Kevin to open the first lock. Then Kevin would leave the guard key in the lock and the client used their own key to open the second. Kevin had to leave the guard key in the lock because the client's key would only work if the guard was in place. It was extra security so that the two locks couldn't be picked.
The safe in Kevin's office also had two locks to open and close it. Symington held the guard key and Kevin had the second. Each morning Symington would open his lock, then Kevin opened his. At the end of the day, they both locked the safe for the night.
'Come on, then.' Jessica snatched the little key out of his hand. 'Show me my box.'
'It's downstairs, if you'd like to follow me. Oh, I should have introduced myself. I'm Kevin Dodds, deputy manager.'
Jessica looked put out. 'Deputy manager? I thought you were the manager. I can't hand over my necklace to any Tom, Dick or Harry. I insist on dealing with the manager.'
'I look after deposits, madam, and you don't need to hand your necklace to me. You can lock it into the safe yourself and keep the key, so that you can be sure it's all in order.'
'I know that.' She looked Kevin up and down. 'I've had more safe-deposit boxes than you've had hot dinners, but I will not be taken care of by a deputy. It's like going to the theatre and getting the understudy, you silly little man.'
She slapped the top of his desk. 'Fetch me the manager. Now!'
Kevin smiled and went to look for Symington in his office.
Symington dropped his newspaper when Kevin told him who wanted to see him and scuttled out to meet the star.
'Oh, there you are, darling. I told him I could only deal with the manager.' Jessica looked out of Kevin's office window to check that the other staff were watching. There was nothing she liked more than making a scene. 'Now, let's go and put away my Augusta. Perhaps you'd be kind enough to take it off me.'
Symington's eyes were very wide. He could only nod. Then, as if she were on stage, Jessica pulled off her coat and flung it at Kevin. 'Make yourself useful.'
She turned the clasp to the back of her neck and lifted her hair for Symington to undo the catch. Even from where he was standing, Kevin could hear his boss breathing heavily. Kevin was seriously pissed off. Deposits were his job. He had really wanted to undo the clasp of a two-million-pound necklace.
Symington handed the necklace to Jessica, who placed it in a black box that her assistant pulled out from her bag. 'Madam, if you'd like to follow me, I'll show you to your deposit box downstairs. Dodds, look after Ms Drake's coat.'
Jessica took the box from her assistant and headed for the stairs with the bank manager. Kevin heard Symington's voice as they went down to the basement. 'I do apologize for my deputy. He's not very bright, and tends to get a bit star-struck.'
'Darling, he was no problem. I'm used to it. It's just nice to have the manager in charge of such an important deposit. Besides, that deputy of yours has his hands full now. He looks like a yeti all covered with fur.'
He heard them chuckle as they trotted down the stairs. Jessica's assistant took the coat from him and Kevin made his way back to the counter. He felt pleased that the great Jessica Drake hadn't been in any films for a long time. He was glad she had to travel up and down the country just to get a small part in a small town. She was a bitch.
