by Ben Spavins
they would fall apart once on the road. He eventually found a cheap Cavalier at £395 at a dealer just down the road, he read through the advert and deciding it looked good on screen so he closed the window and left the hostel.
...
Marvin pulled up in the car park opposite the prison and juddered to a halt, he’d struggled to get used to the Cavalier after years of not driving and was not used to the handling or the lack of gadgets in the car. No electric windows, no MP3 connectivity, no climate control, the dealer had told him he was lucky as this model had power steering as an optional extra.
Marvin waited in the car, listening to some Bob Marley, enjoying the sun shining through the open sun roof. He was waiting for Otis, his old cell mate, it was his release date and Marvin wanted to be there when he left, as he knew there’d be no lawyer waiting for Otis, he’d come from a broken home in every sense, no Father, no address, no money, zilch.
Otis had been in and out of prison since he was sixteen, he wasn’t a bad guy, he just didn’t know any other way to survive other than criminality, he turned his hand to anything, shop-lifting, burglary and his latest crime for his incarceration, drug-dealing, Marvin figured if anyone could help him find this mystery weed-growing step-father of Reece's, it'd be Otis.
He was steadily flicking through a local newspaper when a drugs case caught his eye, he’d paid close attention to any drug related news since hearing about his house. He read through the article, a married Mother had died of a drug overdose in suspicious circumstances, but it was her husband’s name that caught Marvin’s eye, Micah Jacobs. Jacobs was a guard at the prison, no-one liked the screws, but Jacobs had been fair, lenient when he could be as long. As long as you didn’t screw him, he didn’t screw you.
Marvin dropped the paper onto the passenger seat and leant back in his seat, still getting used to the sunlight, he checked his watch 11.02am, he remembered his own release, the anxiety to get through those doors and away. At 11.07am, the doors eventually opened. Marvin stepped out from his car and walked towards the prison door, he saw a few familiar faces walk out before he saw Otis, he was talking to someone behind him.
Marvin waited patiently for a few minutes before his curiosity got the better of him and he approached Otis to see who he was talking to. As he walked forward, he could see it was Jacobs Otis was talking to. Jacobs noticed Marvin and called him over.
'Hello stranger, didn't expect to see you here, presume you've come to pick this one up, hopefully you can keep him on the straight and narrow'.
Marvin laughed, 'I think this one's a lost cause but I'll do my best. I'm sorry to read about your wife'.
Jacobs nodded and stepped forward, out of the prison, 'I think she was murdered' Jacobs said quietly, ushering Marvin into a corner, out of sight of the surveillance cameras.
'What?'
'She used when she was younger, bought from some little urchin off some sink estate, ended up in rehab and was clean, changed her name to start afresh and get away from her dealer and that's when she met me. She'd been clean for years, then a few months ago, she suddenly wanted to move abroad, get away from it all, she seemed almost scared. I didn't think much of it at the time, I just put it down to some mid-life crisis, then a few weeks ago, she's found dead in a car park, from an over-dose. She wouldn't have used again, not with the kids, I know she wouldn't, I think her old dealer may have caught up with her'.
Marvin raised an eyebrow, he knew from experience when someone you love dies for no reason you try to blame someone. 'I think you need to see someone, no-one bears a grudge for that long'.
Jacobs nodded, 'I'm right Marvin'.
'I'm sorry Jacobs, it just seems a little far-fetched, why are you telling me this anyway'?
'Have you been to your old house yet?'
'No, I've been told to check it out though, why?'
'I think we may have a common enemy'.
Marvin laughed nervously, 'I'm not a criminal Jacobs, I'll investigate the house and that'll be it, whatever I find out will be shared with the police'.
'We'll see Marvin, no one would blame you if you went looking for revenge'.
'I don't know what you're getting at, but me and Otis need to go now, take care of yourself, don't get too hung up on your wife's old dealer'.
Jacobs huffed, nodded slowly and without saying a word, returned to the prison and closed the door, Marvin and Otis turned and walked for the car.
'That was a bit weird' Otis said.
'I know, he sounds nuts'.
'What's this about your old house'?
'I'm told it's being used to grow weed, plastic lining on the windows, I thought you may be able to give me some , hmm, on the job advice maybe'?
Otis smiled, 'so much for the straight and narrow huh'?
'Marvin laughed, 'it can wait for a little while'.
...
Marvin awoke to hear the same feet walking down the hallway, his new alarm, creaking floorboards. He opened his eyes, looked at his Breitling, 8.15 as expected, he looked around the room, still getting used to life outside his cell, the curtains were letting glorious sunlight into his room, birdsong outside, it was still like a dream.
Marvin had decided he’d go to his house prepared, if the rumours were true, it had to come down, no reporting it to the police, he wanted this mystery man to know Marvin meant business, how better to do it than burn his crop, his money.
Marvin went through his routine as usual, had a shower, had breakfast and returned to his hostel room. Once inside, he took in a deep breath, today was the day he was going to hit back, he changed into some black clothes, non-descript should he be seen and laid out what he needed on the bed. His keys, his phone, should he need to ring Otis, his wallet for buying the petrol cans, petrol and matches, he'd have to stop off at a cash machine on the way so there was no record of him buying the petrol. He'd then have to stop at various petrol stations to fill up one can at a time so he didn't attract any attention.
Marvin then he placed the last item down on the bed, the most personal item of all, the last letter he'd sent to Denise, still sealed, still unread, this time it wouldn't go undelivered.
He had already decided on his point of entry, another advantage of his time in prison was learning various ways to break into houses. He’d always felt his house had been secure, how wrong he had been, a skilled burglar could have easily broken in. The trick he’d learnt in prison was to smash the patio door with a single marble. He’d been told, that if a marble was thrown at the centre of the patio door, the pane would shatter and fall to the ground, he decided he’d buy some at a toy shop on the way.
Marvin looked at the familiar face of the Breitling, he'd already planned the route on Google, he'd get some cash from the machine round the corner, then he'd stop at two stations before picking Otis up, then he'd stop at another 3 and let Otis fill the cans up. If the police investigated it, he needed to keep his face off CCTV as much as possible.
...
Marvin pulled slowly to a stop outside his old house, he turned the key in his cavalier and heard the engine rumble to a stop. Here he was again, Marvin thought, 4 years ago at this very spot his world tumbled down around him.
‘You sure you wanna do this man?’ Otis asked.
Marvin nodded. He was silent and determined. He opened the car door and stepped out, quickly striding towards the house, the gates had been left open, firmly in place, taken prisoner by the garden plants some time ago. Weed’s growing from the once impeccable driveway, a shadow of its former self. He looked up at his house, all the memories came flooding back, Denise, Reece, Taya, Christmases, Birthdays, and that’s all it was now, memories.
He walked up to the front door, as expected, it had black plastic lining over the glass, the rumours were true, he peered through the small gaps, hoping for a glimpse of something, disappointed he could see nothing. He walked towards the side of the house and studied the side gate, the same side gate he’d fixed years ago. He rattled the gate and as expect
ed, found it was locked, Denise had been obsessed with security and everything had always been locked.
Marvin took a few steps back, looked over his shoulder towards the road, checked to see no one was around, looked back at the gate, lowered his shoulder and ran at it. The door frame splintered as the lock on the door tore away, slamming against the wall of the house. Marvin smiled, the first bit of vengeance, and it felt good.
Marvin walked into the back garden, closely followed by Otis, they walked past the kitchen window, and as expected, it was covered in black plastic lining too. They carried walking along the path towards the rear patio doors, finding them covered by black lining as well, both deciding this would be the point of entry. A moment of silence as both considered the next move, both were fresh from prison, they knew if they were caught, they were both screwed.
‘You sure’? Otis asked.
Marvin nodded, he tried the handle to the patio door, it was locked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bag of marbles, carefully, he made a hole in the bag and let one trickle into his palm. Lining himself up with the patio door, he put the marble between his index finger and thumb, took careful aim the centre of the pane, pulled his hand back and released, the marble threw the air, hitting the pane of glass almost central. The marble bounced off and fell to the floor, leaving the pane of glass intact.
Marvin sighed, had he been told wrong? Or had hi