If nothing else, the route to the statue of Old Father Thames was a scenic one. Sun broke through the persistent clouds, brightening the foliage and the river. It had been some time since Lupin and Jigen had ridden bicycles, but the lovely weather lent to the task feeling more like leisure than work.
Lupin looked around, content. It was nice to be out of the more crowded, commercialized areas of London.
They were fairly close to the statue site when they came up on two women taking a walk along the path.
"On your left!" Lupin called cheerfully, doing what Jigen was surprised to hear was a fairly convincing British accent.
The women nodded, walking more to the right side of the path as they sped past.
They biked on in silence for a few moments.
"Want to take a break, strike up a conversation with the ladies back there?" Lupin asked, eyebrows raised.
Jigen suppressed a groan. "Not particularly, especially since people are on the lookout for thieves."
"No one knows it's me," Lupin said, somewhat forlornly.
"Not yet, anyway. Most polices are incompetent, but I've heard London's can be threatening when they want to be."
Lupin nodded thoughtfully, seeming to take to heart what Jigen said.
"We'll keep going then," he said, beginning to pedal as the path hitched slightly uphill.
Lupin slowed as they reached the statue site. The site was remarkably unimpressive, the statue's stone exterior giving zero indications of treasures within it. There, surprisingly, didn't seem to be a lot of security or onlookers either, except for the rush of vehicles crossing over the nearby bridge. The area didn't seem particularly populated by visitors or criminal activity, the surroundings as calm as the river adjacent to it. Lupin biked around the statue, presumably checking for cameras or any security measures. Seeming satisfied, he pulled up next to Jigen and gestured for them to head back. "We'll come back tonight," he said.
The ride back wasn't quite as serene as the ride to the statue. They were both a bit more tired, not realizing the miles they would clock to and from the statue. Clouds had swallowed up the sun, and the temperature dropped by 10 degrees about the same time as a light rain shower. Jigen and Lupin hastily placed the bicycles in the shed that came with the hideout and went inside.
Lupin took a hot shower, perhaps longer than he intended. It felt amazing after the exertion of the bike and getting caught in the rain. After getting out of the shower, he slipped on a sleek black outfit that would allow him to blend into the night. He gargled salt water for a sore throat and made sure the melting solution he would use on the concrete around the statue was well secured. The three of them would be driving in a vehicle similar to a hauling trailer.
After a dinner of hibachi steak and vegetables (made by Goemon, who flushed when Lupin and Jigen asked why he had a splint on one of his fingers), and playing cards until about 11 p.m., they set out in the trailer to the statue site.
Lupin was a bit surprised to see so few vehicles on the road. They didn't see anyone when crossing over the picturesque stone bridge, called St. John's bridge, even after they parked the trailer and Lupin hopped out, opening the back and lugging out the steel drum containing the melting solution.
He was proud of this one. It would melt the concrete around the statue, but not damage the statue stone itself. It was also nonflammable and safe for wildlife. As Lupin used a hose to spray the solution and as he waited with Jigen and Goemon for the solution to work, he was surprised by how low the stakes felt for this heist. They didn't seem to attract the attention of any law enforcement on the way here. Pops hadn't been on his trail since they left Japan. Despite himself, Lupin started to feel a little sad. Perhaps the three of them would get their souvenirs, but where was the thrill? It may be a good thing that their next target would be a bit more heavily guarded.
He would focus on the next heist later. For now, he listened to the soft crackling, reminiscent of the hibachi steak they had cooked hours before, of the concrete as it broke away from the statue base. Making eye contact with Jigen, who returned his grin, they crept into the back of the trailer and pulled out the ropes, levers and wagon to move the statue onto the trailer. Goemon stood guard at the opposite side of the trailer, keeping all sense alert for any threat, his hand gripping the sheath to the Zantetsuken.
Impressively quiet, Lupin and Jigen stealthily shimmied the wagon underneath the statue, placing as much weight of the statue onto the wagon as possible before lifting it. Making sure it was secure on the wagon, they heaved the wagon up the ramp at the back of the trailer. Jigen hissed at Goemon to give them a hand, but Goemon, who either pretended to or genuinely did not hear him, remained on guard.
Finally, the statue was secure in the back of the trailer. Wiping sweat from his brow, Lupin stepped out and cheekily placed caution signs around the hole in the concrete the missing statue created. Because he was wearing gloves, he wouldn't leave fingerprints. He was a gentleman, after all. Couldn't risk innocent people breaking their legs falling into this hole. Now that he wasn't carrying a stone statue around, he noticed the crisp, cooler weather more, the unbroken silence.
Lupin got back to the front seat of the trailer and took the wheel, with Goemon at the passenger seat and Jigen sitting between them. Lupin switched on the ignition and turned on the headlights, one of the few sources of light that permeated the night.
They made their way to the bridge. It was after they started driving over the bridge that they heard a frightening, crunching sound.
Lupin's ears perked up immediately. He didn't remember the road on the bridge being rough in any way.
"Coming from the back," Jigen muttered. They exchanged concerned glances.
"Well," Jigen said after a moment's silence. "Is someone going to check it out?"
Rather than answering that question, Lupin switched the trailer on park, and the three of them played rock, paper, scissors to see who'd have to leave the trailer.
Lupin lost (he thought paper would be a safe bet, as Goemon usually chose the rock. It'd be tonight of all nights Goemon would decide to surprise them and choose scissors).
He stepped out of the trailer. Lupin started to make his way to the back when he heard something, and it wasn't the crunching sound from the trailer.
He heard it before he saw it: a vehicle, its colors indistinguishable from the darkness of the rest of the bridge, barreling toward him.
Lupin flew backward, narrowly missing being mowed down by tires. Shakily getting to his feet, leaning against the back door of the trailer, he watched as the vehicle got to the end of the bridge. It reached a stretch of road, slowly turned around, and headed back on the bridge, making no sign of stopping. Lupin, realizing that he was being caught between a moving vehicle and a stationary trailer, made a snap decision.
"Jigen! Goemon!" Lupin yelled, jumping over the bridge wall and falling into the river beneath moments before the back of the vehicle crashed into the trailer.
"What the hell?!" Jigen, scrambling to the driver's side, just barely stuck his head out the window to see what hit them, as the truck didn't have a rearview mirror.
A glance at the vehicle without headlights and Lupin's yell was all they needed to know. Goemon reached into the glovebox and threw a gray ball Jigen's way. With expert aim, Jigen pitched the ball in the vehicle's direction, then sped off as a wall of dense, impenetrable fog rose behind them.