The Reluctant Villain

by James Williams

  He spoke with the nursing staff and told them he wouldn’t be able to visit every day as he was starting a new job. Even though this was true he still felt guilty, but he knew if he didn’t have something positive to concentrate on it would drag him deeper into a depressive state. Not that the prospects of being involved in Ernie’s shady work prospects filled him with much comfort.

  He contacted Ernie and said he was ready to start work on the understanding he could visit the hospital at a moment’s notice, which his new boss agreed this would be acceptable.

  The first few days were rather boring and repetitive, consisting mostly of reading manuals on assembling and dismantling the various fitness machines. Mark would be with him most of the time and they started to build up a working relationship. However, Mark would be summoned by Craig, the life guard, to carry out some duty and upon his return Gerry noticed his companion’s damp hair. On the third occasion of this routine occurring he waited about ten minutes before going to investigate the reason for Mark’s absence. He had a good idea of what he would find and was correct. Mark was having his enforced swimming lessons. Not wishing to embarrass his colleague Gerry did not mention any knowledge of his discovery.

  On the Tuesday of the following week the inevitable happened. Ernie came running from his office and told Gerry to grab his coat and follow him. He had visions of this being his first security patrol but was mystified as it was late afternoon and nowhere near getting dark. Gerry had been so absorbed in his work of assembling a new cross trainer machine he had forgotten all about his other concerns. Ernie’s first comment as they got into the car re-focused his mind very quickly.

  “Brace yourself lad, you’re wanted over at the hospital asap. It doesn’t look good”

  Gerry was surprised at how calm he felt, visions of being in a blind panic had haunted him in the past when he first thought of what he would feel like at this moment.

  They were shown into the side ward where a nurse was sitting by the side of his Gran’s bed. At a first glance he couldn’t see any difference in his Grandmother’s condition but on closer inspection he noted her breathing was much shallower and less frequent.

  The nurse stood up and left the room, Ernie tapped Gerry on the shoulder and spoke quietly,

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll go and see if the doctor is around” and he closed the door behind him, leaving Gerry sitting down and holding his Grandmother’s hand.

  He had never been very religious, not attending any church since his parents’ funeral but without realising what he was doing, he silently said the Lord’s Prayer. It was only on finishing he knew it was his farewell to the old lady who had cared and guided him for almost ten years.

  A gentle hand on his shoulder made him turn around and staff nurse Lamb whispered quietly,

  “Would you like to go outside for a few minutes Gerry while we make her more comfortable?”

  He nodded and stood up and went outside to stand against a wall next to Ernie, neither man saying anything. Gerry could feel his companion watching him from time to time but he chose to ignore it and look away.

  It was nearly fifteen minutes before the staff nurse came out of the room and she gently took hold of Gerry’s arm and led him back into the room and Ernie followed behind.

  “I’m very sorry Gerry, she’s gone” was all she said but continued to hold onto his arm until he moved to sit down next to the bed. She looked at peace. He was aware of Ernie and the nurse talking quietly but couldn’t make out what they were saying, not that he really cared.

  He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting by the bed but eventually Ernie came over to him and spoke,

  We can’t do any more here Gerry; I’ll take you back to the flat where we can have a chat”

  He stood up, kissed his Grandmother on the forehead, the numbness inside blocking all emotions he felt and he turned and walked past Ernie without saying a word.

  No words were spoken in the journey back to the flat until Ernie parked the car and switched off the engine. Gerry was about to get out when Ernie spoke,

  “Don’t bottle up your emotions Gerry, even men are allowed to cry sometimes”

  Gerry looked back at him and said coldly,

  “That’s not for me! Look, I’d rather be on my own for now so I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks for the lift”

  And he got out of the car before Ernie could reply, walked to the door of his flat, let himself in and slammed the door. Ernie contemplated following him but decided to let him do things his way, there were lessons he would have to learn for himself.

  The flat was cold and felt unfriendly, it was never this way when his Gran was alive. He went into her bedroom and looked in each and every drawer and cupboard, something he never dared do in the past. But now he had control of anything and everything in his life, all decisions would be made by him, no more asking for permission to bring a friend into the flat.

  In fact, he had only sought the consent of his Gran on one occasion. He had asked if he could bring Catherine, his ex-boss’s daughter to come and listen to some of his records. He had assured the old lady they would not play the music too loud, and he was convinced they kept to that promise.

  Yet every fifteen minutes there was a soft knock on the door followed by his Gran’s voice,

  “I think you should turn that down please Gerald”

  On the third time this occurred, Catherine whispered to him,

  “It’s not the music Gerry, she thinks we’re up to something. She doesn’t trust us to behave”

  After the fourth interruption Catherine grabbed her coat and left. Gerry went to talk to his Gran and ask the real reason for her repeated visits to his room and she calmly answered,

  “I just wanted to be sure you were both safe dear”

  It took several seconds for the penny to drop but he was too dumbfounded to respond. And he didn’t tell Catherine either. Needless to say, that was the first and last time he invited anyone around to the flat.

  From now on, things would be different, he would invite who he liked, when he liked, to come back to his flat. And the first one he would invite to join him would be Sally, once she had finished helping her sister. It still nagged him to try and remember her ever mentioning a sister. Was there another reason for her sudden absence, but what?

  On thinking of Sally, he decided to phone her and tell her the news about his Gran, perhaps that would influence her early return to him.

  Nobody picked up the phone and it cut into the answer machine. He didn’t want to leave a message so he hung up.

  *****

  Sally was not at home, she was making her third visit to her new GP within a fortnight. At first she had put down the feeling of nausea and headaches down to extended morning sickness. However, the symptoms soon disappeared once she had left her flat. Her doctor carried out some tests but couldn’t come up with a definitive answer, so she went back home and went straight to bed, even though it was still early evening.

  Gerry had started to remove his Grandmother’s clothes, not really sure how to get rid of them, he was surprised at the amount of clothing she had acquired over the years. As he emptied the last drawer, the truth hit him.

  She wasn’t coming back; he would never hear her soft, calming voice again or be able to go to her for advice. There would be no more hot, nutritious meals waiting for him when he got home from work. There was nobody else he could call family. He was on his own.

  All these reminders hit him like a hammer blow to his chest and he fell back sobbing into the mound of clothes on her bed. He must have cried himself to sleep because when he finally woke the room was cold with the first light of dawn beginning to show in the clear frosty sky of another day.

  He went into his own room and after removing his jacket and shoes he slid under the warm covers of his bed. He instantly fell back to sleep once more, only to be awoken by the constant ringing of the phone in the living room. He hoped it would be Sally but instea
d Ernie’s voice greeted him,

  “How are you feeling now lad?”

  Gerry cleared his throat and replied,

  “Much better after some sleep. Oh, and thanks Ernie, I took your advice and feel a lot better for it”

  His new boss didn’t push him on that subject but continued,

  “Good, now comes the difficult bit. Getting the death registered and organising the funeral. I don’t suppose you’ve had time to look for any life insurance policies or similar documents?”

  Gerry had to clear his throat again before speaking,

  “No, I started going through her clothes and wondered what to do with them, there’s a heck of a lot of them”

  Ernie cut in,

  “Forget the clothes, it’s paperwork you should concentrate on for now. Look, I’ve got a calls to make this afternoon so if you’re up to it, I need you here with Mark. Then tonight I’ll come around to help you go through any documents we can find. Deal?”

  Gerry accepted the offer, made himself a quick breakfast before going back to work. Mark was aware of what had happened and after a very brief commiseration he stayed clear of his work mate, which suited Gerry perfectly. All he wanted to do was clear his mind of any thoughts of what had happened to his Gran. She was gone now and he had grieved for her and that was that. Or so he thought!

  Ernie’s first call was to Andrew Philips Travel agency and the unsuspecting manager showed him into his back office. He was expecting his visitor had come to talk about security arrangements and its cost. The latter would be the biggest surprise.

  Ernie began,

  “I don’t have much time Andrew and I won’t beat about the bush. Something came into my possession last week and I think you might like to see what that is. Can we use your video recorder and TV monitor over in the corner”?

  Andrew Philips suddenly became suspicious and asked the reason why that was necessary. Ernie said nothing and went over to the equipment that the travel agent used to show prospective clients holiday advertising videos. , switched it on and inserted a video he had taken out of his briefcase.

  After switching things on he walked back to the office door to make sure they wouldn’t be disturbed and watched for Philips’ reaction.

  It took less than five seconds for the significance of Ernie’s visit to dawn on the travel agent, he had turned very pale and without turning his gaze from the screen he asked,

  “How did you get hold of this tape?”

  Ernie let the video run for another minute before returning to switch the equipment off and turning to face his host,

  “That doesn’t matter right now, just confirm to me who the other participants are and how much you paid the women”

  Philips confirmed the names that Sally had given him and he said his fee was £1000, but he didn’t know how much Fred Barnes paid as he paid for the venue which he named as a motel on one of the junctions on the motorway.

  Ernie whistled,

  “£1000? That’s some fee for just a few hours of hanky-panky! Why so high?”

  Philips spoke with a hint of anger in his voice,

  “There was supposed to be a second meeting taking place but neither of the women turned up. Not that we were in a position to report them. Now I need to know, how did you get hold of the video”

  “Let’s just say, the owner of the recorder was a little careless in his choice of repairer when he couldn’t open the camera”

  “And what does Mr Barnes have to say about your involvement?”

  Ernie knew Fred Barnes would want to keep this episode firmly under wraps so he used this as a lever against Philips.

  “He will cooperate and doesn’t want any scandal, he can’t afford to let his church group know anything, or the police authority for that matter”

  Andrew Philips gave a little sigh of relief, he didn’t belong to any such groups.

  “How much do I have to pay for this tape and your silence?”

  Ernie smiled,

  “The tape is yours; I have the master and several copies. The fee? Right now, nothing, but in future I may need air tickets and certain information only you can provide”

  The travel agent suddenly asked,

  What’s to stop me going to the police, Fred Barnes can look after himself”

  Ernie played his second trump card,

  “Oh, the reason the women didn’t turn up was because one of them died from a drugs overdose. Drugs she purchased with the money you two paid her. So, life would get very complicated for you both”

  Philips visibly slumped in his seat, he knew he was beaten. He muttered,

  “Alright, Mr Newsham, what happens next?”

  Ernie stood up before replying,

  “Nothing right now, I’ll be in touch at the appropriate time. Now if you will show me out please, let’s make it look like a good meeting for your assistant‘s benefit”

  Reluctantly Philips obliged, and after showing his visitor he told his assistant that he was not to be disturbed under any circumstances for at least an hour. He went back to his office and locked the door to ensure his privacy and switched on the television and video recorder.

  Councillor Fred Barnes was in a Council meeting so Ernie left him a message to arrange a meeting as a matter of urgency. He went back to the Centre to collect Gerry in order to help him sort out his Grandmother’s affairs.

  Back at the flat Ernie suggested that Gerry should search for, and check any relevant official looking paperwork, while he did the same in the living room and kitchen.

  After more than two hours of searching Gerry had found a life insurance policy on his Gran and the rental agreement on the flat, but no will or Power of Attorney documents. There were also bank statements dating back more than eight years.

  Ernie had found an interesting list of items hidden in the pages of the old lady’s bible but he decided not to show it to Gerry. He put the note into an inside pocket of his coat and went back to find his assistant in the bedroom.

  Having looked at the paperwork Gerry had found, Ernie commented,

  “First of all, you will have to register the death and once you have the certificate you can claim on the policy and close her bank account. Didn’t you find your own or her birth certificates?”

  Gerry shook his head, puzzled as to why he would need those details, so Ernie explained the barest reasons but kept back some of the more important ones, thus keeping Gerry reliant on his counsel until the matters had been resolved.

  Ernie had one more thought,

  “Have you got an up to date passport for identification purposes?”

  Again, Gerry shook his head,

  “No, my old passport ran out three years ago and it was taken when I was still at junior school”

  Ernie appeared to look serious for a moment but underneath he was even more pleased at Gerry’s reliance on him now grew,

  “Ok Gerry, that might delay things a little but let me sort out those details for you. Tomorrow morning, we need to collect the death certificate from the hospital and get you a new passport photo. In the meantime, find some bags to put all your Gran’s clothes in and we can take them to a charity shop, also things like her handbags or ornaments you don’t want to keep.

  “Try and keep your mind occupied for the next few days and it will help you come to terms with what’s happened. You can always give me a ring at the Centre if you have any questions or problems you’re not sure how to tackle. I have to leave now, I need to go out on my security patrol with Mark tonight”

  With that final comment Ernie left the flat, satisfied he now had enough control over Gerry to manipulate him even deeper into his plans.

  On arriving back at the Centre, he went into his office to have a second look at the list he had found inside the bible. As he had first surmised it must be a comprehensive list of the items that had been stolen from the flat.

  He had to read the list several times to grasp the possible value of the items. Judging from their detail
he was convinced that whoever stole them, that person would have great difficulty in disposing of them locally. He would have to make discreet enquiries amongst the villains he knew to discover if any knowledge concerning these items was known. And he knew exactly who he would approach first.

  18

  Graham Bishop had gone to ground. Despite his many contacts Ernie couldn’t discover his whereabouts and had to temporarily call a halt to his search but not before he broke into Bishop’s flat where he made a surprising discovery.

  He had Gerry’s second set of skeleton keys and after making sure Bishop was not around he gained entry to his abode. Personal belongings were strewn around and Ernie surmised his target had only left for a short while and would be back at some later time.

  He failed to find any signs of the items on the list he had found in the bible but another discovery caught him by surprise. An old school photo of two young boys gave Ernie food for thought. On the back of the photo was a rough note which simply said, “My lads” The younger boy in the picture looked nothing like Graham Bishop but the older one could have been Bishop’s younger brother!

  Something was nagging Ernie, what was the connection aside from the photo, that he knew needed to be solved. Bishop was from Yorkshire, judging by his accent and so was Mark but there was no resemblance between the two. It was time he delved deeper into Mark’s past, if only to dismiss any connection. He made one other important discovery, Bishop’s real name.

  He replaced the photo in exactly the same position where he had found it and checked to make sure he had not left anything out of place. Later that evening as they drove around, supposedly checking on the security of their client’s properties, but also looking for potential new targets. Ernie pulled into a side street and casually asked Mark,

  “I’ve got to sort out a passport for Gerry as he’s got no other form of photographic identification, what about you Mark, I don’t suppose you have a passport either?”

  Mark was watching a young woman walk past and replied without taking his eyes off her,