The Reluctant Villain

by James Williams

  “Ok, as he’s already told you, no marks or scratches on these new items or we’ll both loose wages and if we do I’ll take it out on your hide, so watch it!”

  Right at that moment, Gerry couldn’t decide who he detested most out of the two men. True to form, they worked well past their normal finishing time and when he arrived home Gerry was full of anger towards both of them.

  He went to bed in a mixed state of exhaustion and depression earlier than normal for the second night in succession. But others would be toiling a lot later and would be pleased with their night’s work.

  7

  Ernie and Mark waited in the shadows at the rear of the shop until all other sensible people had retired for the night. When all was clear they moved to the entrance of the shop yard, Ernie took out a folded, thin strip of metal from inside his coat and opened it to its full length.

  He pushed the metal through the gap between the edge of the large door and the gatepost and manoeuvred it up and down until he located the latch that kept the door closed. He had visited the yard on a number of occasions while in the pretence of advising the previous owner on security matters. David Evans had asked if it would have been advisable to fit a strong lock onto the gate frame but Ernie had said it would not be necessary as there was nothing of value in the yard. The expense of adjustments to the gate to incorporate a lock would not be justified as the rear of the building had sufficient security methods to deter any would be burglars. Evans never left his van in the yard overnight as he used it for his own transport needs and he trusted Ernie’s advice as a friend of long standing.

  He found the latch and lifted the end out of its position and the gate swung opened silently on its well-oiled hinges. There was a light on in the rear of the building and the door opened and Harry stepped out to meet the two burglars.

  “Took your time didn’t you, I thought this would be finished by now, and who is this kid?”

  “Keep your voice down! When you said Matthews wanted you to stay as night watchman I had to change my plans. Never mind who this is, the less you know the better”

  Mark had stayed in the shadows as Ernie had instructed him.

  “What happens now?” Harry asked.

  “This!” and Ernie’s punch to his head caught Harry completely by surprise. To add to his discomfort, when he fell the big man banged the other side of his face on the edge of the shop door. He started moaning as Ernie knelt over him to speak,

  “Remember what I told you to say, get it right and there will be an extra bonus for you. Get it wrong and you know what will happen. Wait at least an hour before calling the police” and he gave him a not too gentle, kick in his ribs. Then he removed the van keys from the prone man’s jacket pocket. Ernie unlocked the rear door of the van to make sure Harry hadn’t been lying about the contents. He hadn’t. After closing and locking the rear door Ernie climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine and signalled to Mark to close the gates once the van was clear of the yard and get into the passenger seat.

  The van was driven to the rear entrance of the leisure centre and Mark got out and opened the large doors to allow Ernie to reverse inside, after which he closed them to avoid prying eyes.

  “Ok, I reckon we have no more than 25 minutes to unload this lot and get back on the road”

  The unloading and storing of the stolen goods was accomplished within Ernie’s time limit. Mark picked up his equipment for the final part of the operation and he climbed into the driver’s seat of the van and once Ernie had opened the centre doors, he watched Mark disappear out of the car park. After locking up the building Ernie followed the van to its final destination in his own car.

  Ernie caught up with Mark on a large piece of waste ground behind some derelict buildings and left his car parked a safe distance from the van. Mark was busy pouring the contents of a can of petrol inside the passenger compartment and then threw the can inside the rear of the van.

  Ernie approached him and asked, “What have you done with the spare keys?”.

  Mark answered without turning around,

  “On the floor as you said. This is the bit I enjoy the most. Stand back if you don’t want to fry”

  He took an aerosol can and a lighter from his pocket, judged the direction of any wind and went to the passenger door to open it. He called to Ernie,

  “As soon as I fire my little flame thrower into the van and I’m out of the way, slam the door quickly. I don’t want to be caught in any back draft from the flames. Ready?”

  Ernie nodded; Mark operated the aerosol and lit the lighter, taking great care not to spray himself with the contents of the aerosol can. He let backwards and Ernie slammed the door shut.

  For a brief moment very little happened, until the flames ignited the petrol. Then with a dull thumping sound the whole interior of the passenger compartment was a mass of flames.

  The 2 men ran for the car and left the area at high speed, but once they were clear Ernie slowed down to observe the local speed limit. He glanced at Mark,

  “One day you’re going to get it wrong with that lighter trick”

  Mark gave a clenched fist salute to himself and laughed,

  “Not me! I’m too good at my job”

  Ernie drove to his own house and told Mark to change out of the clothes he was wearing and put fresh things on before occupying the settee on which he was to sleep.

  Gerry rose from his bed extra early the next morning. Instead of a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea, he cooked himself a full breakfast. His energy levels had suffered because of his rushed lunches over the previous few days. Mrs Reynolds came into the kitchen just as he was finishing eating.

  “What’s this Gerry, you don’t normally eat a full breakfast, you’re not skipping lunch are you”

  “Morning Gran. No, Mr Matthews has shortened my lunch break so I don’t have time to eat even a decent snack. Sorry, I can’t stop to chat now, if I’m late he’ll dock sum of my wages”

  She shook her head as he grabbed his coat and went outside.

  As he approached the shop it was evident that something was not all that it should be, for a start, he hadn’t seen so many police officers in the area at one time before.

  He tried to enter the shop but his way was barred by a WPC.

  “Sorry sir, nobody is allowed in, you will have to come back later”

  “But I work here” he said slightly bemused, “what’s going on?”

  She nodded and told him to stay where he was and on no account to leave the area. So, Gerry did as he was told and waited. It took the WPC a good couple of minutes to return and then she told him to follow her.

  She led him through the store and out into the back yard where the vans had been parked the previous night. Matthews was talking to a police officer while a mam in civilian clothes was paying close attention to the back gate. On seeing Gerry Matthews turned around abruptly and said with some venom,

  “You’re late again! Remember what I said before about docking your wages. And this morning of all days!”

  The three other occupants in the yard turned to judge Gerry’s reaction to this outburst but he looked baffled at the activity going on around him. He answered Matthews’s remark,

  “I wasn’t late Mr Matthews I was outside the shop before eight o’clock but was prevented from coming in”

  The WPC nodded to her colleagues to confirm the fact and she told Matthews,

  “That’s true sir, he arrived just after seven fifty five”

  Relived that his story had been confirmed Gerry asked,

  “Where’s Harry? He’s always been here before me”

  “In hospital!” Matthews barked out without turning around.

  Even more confusion showed on Gerry’s face and the other uniformed officer indicated that he should follow him into the shop while the WPC engaged Matthews in conversation. The officer told Gerry to take a seat in the kitchen and then he asked the lad to go over his movements from when he left work
the previous evening. Gerry began with a question,

  “Before I do, can you tell me what’s up with Harry, why is he in hospital?”

  “Mate of yours, is he”

  “No way! A work colleague maybe, but a mate? No chance”

  The officer thought for a moment before replying,

  “Ok, all I can tell you is that Harry was beaten up last night and the van full of goods was stolen. Now, tell me what your movements were last night after finishing work”

  Gerry explained that he had left work just before six thirty at the same time as Harry. He had gone home to his Gran’s flat, had a cooked supper, watched television with her and had gone to bed just after nine o’clock because he was tired after all the carrying and lifting he had done that afternoon.

  The officer interrupted him,

  “You said Harry left at the same time as you, did you leave in the same direction?”

  “No, I live the other side of Market Street and turned left after leaving here. I looked back and saw Harry go into the Butler’s Arms just across the road”

  The lapel radio on the officer’s uniform buzzed before he could ask another question and he stood up and walked to the front of the shop to speak in private. Even so, Gerry managed to hear some of his responses,

  “Where?”, “Anything left?” and “That’s odd, why do that I wonder” and then the conversation ended. He walked out to the yard and passed on part of his conversation with Matthews and his colleagues. Matthews swore and kicked something over that clattered around the yard. Then the officer returned to continue talking to Gerry.

  “Ok, where were we. Right, did you know that Harry sometimes doubled up as security for your boss when required?”

  “I’ve only worked for Mr Matthews since Monday so how would I know Harry’s routine. I don’t have a routine of my own. I was supposed to be at college today but the boss told me it had been cancelled this week because the tutor was off sick, I was looking forward to going to get away from here for a while”

  What course is that?” asked the officer.

  “Hand engraving and computer training at Muller Road College” Gerry said sullenly.

  “The officer seemed puzzled,

  “Who is your course tutor, Gerry, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Lee Bradley, and he’s the best!”

  “Describe him to me” which Gerry did. The officer spoke on his radio and seconds later the WPC came into the room.

  “Ok Gerry, give the name of your tutor and describe him to my colleague”

  Gerry did so and the WPC smiled,

  “Now tell her what your boss said yesterday afternoon”

  “That my course was cancelled because Lee was off sick all week”

  The woman shook her head,

  “My name is WPC Bradley and I’m married to Lee and he’s as right as rain”

  “Think very carefully before answering Gerry did you have anything to do with this robbery last night. Don’t say anything until I come back from talking to your boss” and he left the room while the WPC stayed with Gerry.

  In the yard the officer asked Matthews,

  “How well do you know young Gerry Mr Matthews?”

  “I inherited him from the previous owner and he’ not a very good timekeeper. I would get rid of him if I could find someone to take his place but I suppose I’m stuck with him for now”

  “Mr Matthews, did you receive a phone call yesterday to say Gerry’s course at college was not running today?”

  “I can’t remember such trivial things, what has that got to do with this robbery anyway”

  The officer pressed him further,

  “It’s to do with the simple matter of, can we trust that Gerry is speaking the truth. Now Mr Matthews, did you or did you not receive a phone call yesterday concerning the course that Gerry was supposed to attend at college today. Yes or No!”

  “Are you taking his word over mine? He’s slow, sullen and I think he resents me for taking over the cosy workplace his ex-boss kept for him”

  The officer took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly,

  “Mr Matthews I realise this is a stressful time for you. However, I have reason to believe that either he is lying, or I am being side-tracked in my investigation. If I have to, I can have a record of your incoming calls made to you yesterday. In order to do that I would have to ask my superiors to sanction such an enquiry. In that case you would both have to accompany me and my colleague to the police station. So, for the last time Mr Matthews, is the answer yes or no”

  Matthews sighed,

  “No damn him but why do you take his word over mine. I’m a well-respected..”

  The officer held up a hand,

  “Enough. The tutor who you claimed was off sick happens to be married to my colleague and she confirms that her husband is at work today! Whatever your motive for trying to get the lad in trouble could be is frankly none of my business. We’ve wasted the best part of an hour trying to sort this pointless exercise of yours out. Now, have you anything further to add to your statement?”

  Matthews shook his head. The officer called to ask his detective colleague if he was finished investigating. He nodded and came over to speak,

  “Plenty of old prints but nothing new or un-smudged but I’ll take the prints of Mr Matthews and the lad and the bloke in hospital just to eliminate then”

  “What do you need my fingerprints for, are you seriously thinking I set this up myself? What about the boy, have you checked if he told any of his mates about what was in the van?”

  The uniformed officer spoke quietly and deliberately,

  “As my colleague said, we need to eliminate your prints and those of your employees from our enquiries. Speaking off the record, I think you have tried your best to get young Gerry into as much trouble as you can and I don’t believe he has anything to do with this robbery”

  He re-entered the shop to tell his colleague and Gerry what had taken place. Turning to Gerry,

  “It’s none of my business but if I was you, I would look for a better employer to work for sooner rather than later. One other matter, the detective will want to take your fingerprints, just like your boss, so that they can distinguish them from any others he’s found”

  “Am I still a suspect concerning the robbery?”

  “Not unless you have anything to say to make me think different”

  Gerry shook his head,

  “I’ll tell Lee my husband, the reason you didn’t go to college today so don’t worry” the WPC added as they prepared to leave.

  Matthews called to them before they left,

  “One minute, you said the van was burnt out with nothing left inside, can’t you get any clues from there?”

  “It’s too early to say but I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. Good morning Mr Matthews” was the final comment from the male officer.

  Matthews swore and stormed into his office. Five minutes later he came out and shouted at Gerry,

  “I don’t pay you to sit around doing nothing. Do something useful like making me a cup of coffee”

  Gerry stood up and went into the kitchen. He pondered whether to ask his boss what his reason was for telling lies about college. He had the right to know and was going to have an answer!

  By the time he took the drink to the office another man, in his late twenties, was waiting in the office with Matthews. Both ignored him as he went but as he was about to go back out his boss said curtly,

  “Gerry, this is my son, Quinten, He’s going to show you how to distinguish a mobile phone from a cordless phone. First, make him a drink as well”

  “Tea, not too strong milk and no sugar please Gerry, meet me in the workshop in a few minutes”, Quinten spoke with more friendliness than the lad had heard from his father since they first met.

  Gerry had not bothered to bring a flask in that morning, unaware of what had happened the night before so he expected Harry to be at work and wasn’t going to provide
him with free drinks.

  He took the opportunity to make himself a cup using the same teabag as he had for Quinten.

  Gerry was joined by Quinten in the workshop and they sat opposite each other while they finished their drinks but as Gerry finished his cup Matthews senior stuck his head round the door and said smugly,

  “I’ll add that cup you made for yourself to your list of drinks for the week”

  Gerry protested,

  “I used the same teabag after making Quentin’s tea!”

  Matthews was about to respond but his son beat him by saying,

  “Come off it Dad, you can charge it to me if you have to”, which received a low growl from his father but no other comment. Once they were alone Quinten said quietly,

  “You’re learning fast Gerry, he’ll try and get away with charging you for anything he thinks he can. He was even like that with me and my brother at first but we stood our ground”

  “What’s your brother’s name?” was the only thing that came to mind. Quinten seemed to be on the level but Gerry wasn’t taking any more chances with any of the Matthews family until he got to know each one a lot better.

  “He’s called Oswald, poor bloke! He’s in his early thirties and left home about ten years ago. Probably had enough of Dad’s tight ways with money. Once I get my degree in Computer Science he won’t see me for dust either”

  “Your father said that you are supposed to teach me about the new stock we’re going to be selling here. I know how to do the basics with computers but don’t ask me to take one apart or repair one that’s broken”

  Quinten laughed,

  “No chance! All I will be showing you is how to sell accessories such as cables and the various bags for tablets and lap tops. There will be somebody from one of Dad’s other shops to deal with selling all the gadgets etc. That person will also know about the repair side of things. Keep this to yourself for now, but I think he’s planning on selling non-electrical items as well. I don’t know but you may be more suited to selling that kind of stuff”

  Gerry wanted to say he would much rather be doing the work he did before the shop was taken over by this family. However, even though Quinten seemed a lot friendlier he wasn’t ready to trust him just yet. Instead he simply said,