The Reluctant Villain

by James Williams

  “Good, that man is very devious, you must be careful of him at all times. Now where was I, Yes I remember. Silas eventually returned to this country after making his fortune in the gold fields and through his trickery”

  Gerry held up his hand to ask a question,

  “But Gran, you said at the beginning that he fled to Africa because he was about to be transported, surely the authorities would have arrested him even after his long stay”

  “Quite right Gerry, normally they would have done so but Silas came home as some sort of hero. He had been in Africa for more than twenty years but he left the gold fields at the start of the Boer War to become a scout for the British army. He was even decorated for his service and gallantry”. As she finished her remark she opened another pouch and withdrew a box containing a medal.

  The ribbon on the medal was badly faded but the inscription was as clear as if it had been done just yesterday. It was the Queens South Africa medal. Gerry put his hand out to remove the medal from its box but his grandmother pushed his hand away and said firmly,

  “No Gerald! On no account must you take the medal out of its box. There is something unpleasant about the medal and the other items that Silas bought home with him from South Africa”.

  Gerry was about to laugh but managed to stop himself when he saw the earnest expression on her pallid face. He simply asked,

  “What do you mean Gran, it’s not going to bite me is it?”

  He was not prepared for her reaction as she closed the box and placed it back in the cloth bag and returned it to the suitcase which she closed firmly.

  “Gerald! You are clearly not ready to be told the whole story and its implications. Now I am tired and want to get ready for bed so please leave my room. Goodnight dear” and she turned away from him but not quickly enough to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

  He mumbled his own ‘goodnight’ and left the room, with feelings of surprise and not a little confusion. She had never spoken to him with so much hurt and anger in her voice since he had moved in to the flat to live. He sat in the lounge for more than an hour trying to digest the events of the evening but couldn’t come to any rational conclusion as to its meaning.

  It would not be too long before he found out through several interlinked events that would change his life over the next six months to something he could not envisage at this moment in time.

  9

  If he had expected his day at college to be a relief from his job worries then he had to think again. Lee, his tutor, had to tell him on several occasions to concentrate on what he was doing; two practise pieces of work had to be thrown away as Gerry had made very basic errors in their design. When the class broke up for its mid-morning break Lee took Gerry to one side.

  “Gerry, I don’t know what’s bothering you but the work you’re producing is, well total rubbish. My wife didn’t go into any details but she told me you’re having a hard time at work with your new boss. There’s nothing I can do about that but if you don’t buck up your ideas, it might be better if you go home for the rest of the day and come back next week when I hope you will be back to your normal self. Go and have your coffee break and if you don’t come back for the next lesson I’ll say you went home sick. Ok?”

  Gerry stood, thinking for a moment before replying,

  “I’m sorry Lee, it’s not just work that’s winding me up. I promise I’ll do better after the break, I don’t want to go home. I need something to occupy my mind”

  His tutor tapped him on the shoulder,

  “Off you go then and it doesn’t matter if you’re a few minutes late coming back”

  He joined a couple of his classmates in the refectory and one of them, Jack, asked,

  “What’s her name then Gerry? Must be pretty special for you to balls up your work like that”

  Gerry forced a smile,

  “Not female problems Jack, more to do with work. If you hear of any jobs going, give me a shout”

  “Miserly Matthews up to his usual tricks again is he”

  Gerry nodded and told his friends about some of the things that had happened but didn’t mention the robbery until one of the others at the table spoke.

  “I heard about Matthews being turned over and that fat slob Harry having a bit of a kicking. Couldn’t have happened to two more qualified cretins”

  Gerry didn’t volunteer any further information in case it got back to the police or his boss. The others left him to return to the class while he finished his coffee. Deciding also it would be best to try and talk to his grandmother when he got back home, he was still feeling guilty about making her angry and upset.

  Having decided on his proposed actions when he finished his day at college the rest of his time in class was more productive and earning praise from Lee for his change in attitude.

  However, when he arrived back home Mrs Reynolds was not waiting for him in either the lounge or kitchen and Gerry felt a moment of panic until he knocked on her bedroom door and he was relieved to hear her voice.

  “Hello dear, your dinner is in the oven keeping warm. I’m rather busy at this moment doing some writing. I will let you know when I’ve finished”

  Even though her voice sounded normal there was a finality about it that told him not to disturb her for any reason. After eating and clearing the dishes he spent the rest of the evening brooding and waiting anxiously to make peace with his grandmother. She came briefly out of her room more than an hour later simply to announce she was tired and would be going straight to her bed and not bothering to have her usual late evening hot drink. A repeat performance occurred the following evening and it wasn’t until the Sunday afternoon that Gerry was able to confront her.

  “Gran, I’m sorry I upset you the other night when you were trying to tell me something about the medal and its significance. I promise not to make fun of anything you tell me about that and the other pieces”

  She stared at him for several seconds trying to assess his mood. Finally, a smile spread across her features and she nodded once and spoke,

  “Very well Gerald, we will have some tea then I will explain everything to you. But remember, on no account must you tell anyone else about these items”

  He heaved a sigh of relief and smiled back at her,

  “I promise Gran, it’s our secret and nobody else will know”

  After eating and clearing the table of their dishes she asked Gerry to bring the suitcase into the living room so that the contents could be looked at in more detail. He was a little surprised at its weight and how his Gran had managed to move it. He placed it on the settee but before opening the case she continued the story of how Patterson had accumulated his ill-gotten gains.

  “The other night I told you how a witch doctor was supposed to have put a curse on the items Silas had stolen from his tribe. It seems that curse also extended to any items Silas had accrued in his time in South Africa including the medal he was awarded and any other items he came by illegally.

  “According to Silas’s son, my father, the curse would only be invoked if those items were sold for profit or stolen by anyone else. Furthermore, if the items were ever stolen then the curse would not only affect the thief but also extend to any male member of the thief’s family. It seems there is no end to this curse”

  Gerry held up his hand to ask,

  “Is there any proof of this happening?”

  Mrs Reynolds spoke in a very quiet voice,

  “My father took the curse seriously and told me the story and became very nervous after his father was killed less than a year after his return to this country. On the day before his death Silas had removed a gold nugget from the case and taken it to be valued. No money had been agreed for the price of the gold but that was enough to invoke the curse. On his way home from a meeting the next day Silas was knocked over and killed by a horse drawn tram”

  Gerry was silent for a few moments but felt he had to ask another question.

  “But Gran
, why didn’t the curse affect your father, or did it”

  She gave a faint smile,

  “No, it didn’t affect him or me for that matter because neither of us tried to sell any of the items, we looked after them carefully. However, I’m afraid your father took no notice of the curse”

  “A feeling of apprehension came over Gerry as he asked in a shaky voice,

  “What did he do Gran?”

  She took hold of one of his hands before replying,

  “About two weeks before their accident he and your mother took some of her trinkets to be valued as they wanted money to take you on holiday as a special birthday treat. The trinkets were almost worthless but somehow, either by accident or deliberately, a ring that was part of the items from Africa had been mixed in amongst your mother’s trinkets”

  Even before he asked the question Gerry was sure he knew the answer,

  “The person they went to meet recognised the ring as being valuable and persuaded them to sell it”

  “She nodded and brushed away a tear,

  “He was an authority on African artefacts and knew the origin of the ring. He tried to persuade your parents to take the rest of the items Silas had stolen but they refused. So, he agreed to pay them a fraction of the value of the ring and they collected the money from the buyer on the night of their accident

  It was Gerry’s turn to wipe away tears from his eyes and both were silent for several minutes until he asked the question that nobody had ever provided him with the full answer.

  “What actually happened in their accident, I always remember Dad as being such a careful driver”

  Gran took hold of his hand again,

  “Before they left the meeting with the buyer your Mother phoned me and told me they had received £500 for the ring and were going to have a celebration meal before coming back home. You were staying with friends that night and I received a phone call from the police just after midnight to tell me there had been a bad accident.

  “All they would tell me was it appeared that your father went through a yellow light at a crossroads and he was hit by another vehicle on an emergency call and both your Mum and Dad were killed instantly”

  She broke off and they hugged each other for several minutes, both crying quietly. Gerry seemed to change at that moment, a cold, fanatical desire to find out who was really to blame for the death of his parents overwhelmed him.

  “Who was driving the emergency vehicle that hit them Gran?”

  She hesitated for a long moment,

  “Gerald, it’s not important now. They’re gone and knowing won’t bring them back. Please, let things rest in the knowledge that they were only thinking of you”

  Gerry’s outburst shocked and frightened her. He removed his hand from her grasp and thumped the settee with such force that the items in the suitcase bounced with the power of the blow. Without realising what effect it might have on his elderly relative he shouted,

  “Well, it’s bloody important to me! I need to know!”

  Mrs Reynolds almost fell off the edge of her seat in shocked at the response to Gerry’s outburst. Floods of tears ran down her cheeks and the sight of this effect bought him to his senses. He tried to mumble an apology and take her hand again but she brushed him away and pointed to the door for him to leave. He hesitated momentarily but knew he had overstepped the mark and he left the room to go into his bedroom.

  He could hear the sounds of grief coming from his Gran’s room but knew she wouldn’t respond to any apology from him at this moment. Neither could he fully understand or explain his own outburst, it was completely out of character. Perhaps after a night’s sleep they would be in a better frame of mind to talk. However, that conciliatory talk would never have the chance to take place for several weeks.

  Gerry also had a night lacking in little sleep and he only awoke the next morning with insufficient time to even have breakfast, let alone make peace with his grandmother.

  Matthews was waiting in the shop doorway as Gerry arrived, slightly out of breath, after running the last half mile to make sure he wasn’t late thus giving his boss the opportunity to dismiss him.

  “And about time too. Get into the storeroom and take over from Harry. I need him to do some meaningful work that you can’t be trusted with”

  Gerry knew from that remark that it would be the most mundane task Matthews could find for him to carry out. But before he could get to the sanctuary of the storeroom he came face to face with a woman in her mid-twenties. She was almost as tall as Gerry and the clothes she wore did little to cover her rather interesting figure, from the low cut blouse to one of the shortest skirts Gerry had seen in ages. Any thoughts he had about asking the woman if he could help her were cut short by Matthews’ sardonic tone,

  “You can stop gawping at her boy, when I’m not here Miss Spires will be in charge so you take orders from her. Now go and take over from Harry like I told you”

  Gerry gave a little nod in Abigail’s direction but she seemed to look straight through him as if he wasn’t even in the room. He understood right away that she wouldn’t dream of accepting him as a fellow employee, she was the boss’s favourite and everyone better realise that fact from the very beginning.

  Gerry walked into the storeroom and was greeted by Harry’s gruff tone,

  “Where the hell were you yesterday?”

  By now, Gerry wished he had not bothered getting up and coming to work so he responded in kind to Harry’s comment,

  “Yesterday was my college day and the boss knew that so it’s not my problem if he didn’t bother to tell you”

  This was the first time he had stood up to the big man’s constant sniping and surprisingly Harry laughed and said,

  “Wow! Talking tough because there’s a bit of skirt working here now. Take my advice sunshine, steer well clear of that Abigail, she’s poison”

  Gerry laughed back,

  “I’ve already got the message loud and clear”

  Matthews’ voice bellowed from the shop,

  “Harry! Tell the kid what to do and let’s get moving, I want to pick up that new van today, not next Christmas”

  Harry mouth an obscenity in the direction of their boss and quickly told Gerry his task.

  “Make a list of all this crap that you used to sell, number of items and each individual price. There’s a pen and pad on the table, best of luck mate!”

  Gerry looked at the items to be listed which were scattered around the floor in one big pile. There was no semblance of order as Harry had left them. His first task was to put the items in neat piles to establish their category and number of each item. He had almost completed that first task when Abigail called his name.

  “Gerry, make me a cup of coffee will you, milk with two sugars”

  He noted the lack of courtesy in her request so he wanted to establish who was paying for the beverage. When he enquired as to this fact Abigail gave him a haughty look and said scornfully,

  “I’ve never paid for any drink in my life, so just pull your finger out and make it!”

  As he returned to the kitchen area the thought crossed his mind,

  ‘I can believe that your ladyship’ so he decided he was entitled to a drink as well. After making the drinks he returned to his task in the storeroom. Boss’s pet or not he wasn’t going to put up with much more of this place. Apart from fixing the lock on the gate he hadn’t done what he could call worthwhile work in nearly six weeks of being employed by Matthews. He decided it was time to look elsewhere for gainful employment.

  An hour later he was summoned again to serve Abigail, receiving the same lack of thanks or courtesy.

  Shortly after midday she announced she was going for lunch and would be back in due course. This lunch break lasted more than 90 minutes. On her return Gerry said he was leaving to have his break. Abigail promptly stated,

  “Mr Matthews told me you’re only allowed half an hour for your lunch so don’t be late”

  On h
is return Gerry made a point of looking at his watch and noted he had only taken 28 minutes and nodded in the woman’s direction. She ignored his action until it was time for yet another coffee break, two more followed that afternoon. As Gerry was taking the final drink to Abigail, Matthews arrived back from his day out with Harry tagging behind. He smiled at the woman and had a short conversation with her before turning to Gerry.

  “How many cups is that you’ve had today then, remember to let me know so I can take it from your wages”. He turned back to Abigail and asked her to confirm.

  “He’s had five cups to my knowledge, although I don’t know if he had any while I was on my dinner break”

  Gerry spoke up for himself,

  “Actually, Abigail I only had four cups, I made myself a cup each time you requested a cup of coffee. And I didn’t have a drink while you were out on your ninety minute lunch break”

  She looked daggers at Gerry but Matthews interjected,

  “Well that’s at least four cups to pay for by you and if Abigail was out that long for lunch, it’s none of your business”

  Gerry was about to make a comment when a tap on his shoulder distracted him, it was Harry,

  “If you’ve finished making that list we need to load the stuff into the new van. Is that right Mr Matthews?”

  Gerry nodded and seeing the look in Harry’s eyes he understood the message and followed the big man into the yard where the new van had been parked.

  Once out of earshot of the shop Harry turned to his fellow workmate,

  “I told you before that bitch is poison, they set you up concerning her lunch break. Like it or not, you and me will have to work together to keep our jobs or Lady Muck will conjure up some way of getting rid of one or both of us”

  Gerry didn’t trust Harry but decided to take his advice for the moment.

  It took them nearly half an hour to load the van, by which time the shop was due to close. As they finished Matthews came into the yard and announced,