They simply had to have it, it was the only way.
If he could only gain entrance to the room he was convinced the disaster could be avoided. He tried the door, and to his amazement it was unlocked. He pushed it open and entered slowly. He found the light switch; the room was a clean and orderly lounge room. Two settees faced each other across a low coffee table sitting on a rug. An entertainment centre sat in one corner with another door leading off to other rooms. There was an elegant light fitting, and an assortment of pictures around the walls.
The room was pleasant enough, but what really struck him, what immediately took his breath away was the curtained window. It was hung with a pair of beautiful full length curtains. The curtains looked very expensive and made from a particularly fine damask. He moved into the room slowly and walked across to them. He felt the heaviness of the cloth; it put him in mind of his uncle’s shop when he was a kid… making a bit of pocket money on the weekend.
It was during this time that he found he had a strong liking for curtains made from this material. It was nearly always more expensive than any other material in the shop, and as result not a lot of it was sold. He would watch customers stop and feel the texture. He would listen to their comments. He membered how his uncle was forever talking about the decorative effect of drapery, and how important curtains were in a room.
Even now he could remember some of the dos and don’ts his uncle would repeat like some sort of sacred mantra. Only ever do a warm hand wash, never bleach, always drip dry in the shade, no ringing or rubbing, don’t tumble dry, only ever use a warm iron, and never dry clean them. He could actually hear his uncle saying that. Never dry clean them!
He stepped back to admire them. Each curtain was full-length with two matching tie-backs, and matching pelmets, all in a carefully understated blend of beige and gold. The unique repeating of the floral motif was a piece of art in itself. They had obviously been chosen to match the general ambiance of the room. Every detail showed the fact that they had been professionally made.
Suddenly, he was brought out of his reverie by a noise; not loud, but a noise coming from another room. He should get on with… he held the thought, but he couldn’t complete it. What should he do? What had he come here to do? He knew it was important, and he… Another noise, this time louder. Somebody was obviously approaching from another room.
He moved as quickly as possible to the door. He went through it without making a noise.
Out in the hallway his lookout whispered “Did you get it?”
“Get What?”