The Reluctant Villain
Page 26
Mark gave a sigh of relief,
“Phew, I thought you were going to tell us somebody had cottoned onto us. What’s the deal then?”
“Before I give you the details I need some information from you Mark. Now, tell me the truth and no details will leave this room, ok Gerry?” and he looked at Gerry for conformation which he received. But Mark was more cautious but Ernie continued,
“Ok Mark, you’ve mentioned your brother Kevin in the past and his history with the gang in Leeds. Has he ever killed anyone?”
There was a shocked silence as the question was absorbed. Mark stared at Ernie before responding,
“Is that some kind of trick question? If you think I’m going to drop my brother in it just for the sake of your curiosity, you can forget it” and he started to rise from his seat, presumably with the intention of leaving the room but Ernie motioned him to sit back down.
“It’s no trick or idol curiosity Mark. If I gave him a contract to bump someone off, would he have any qualms about doing so?”
Mark thought long and hard before answering,
“If the price was right and the job was doable, I’m sure he could do it. But who’s your target, if it’s some innocent bystander you want to get rid of merely because you don’t like that person, then no, he won’t do it”
Ernie was not prepared to give any more details, instead he said,
“This person is no ‘innocent bystander’ he has committed murder in the past and wants me to help him dispose of some items of value. Now are you prepared to ask Kevin if he’s interested?”
Mark looked down at his hands before mumbling,
“I can ask, but he’ll want more details from you first”
Ernie smiled,
“Don’t worry, once I tell him the details, there’s every chance, he will be interested. So Mark, you contact your brother and ask him to call me here at the Centre. Obviously, no more mention of this meeting to anyone”
Once the others had departed Ernie made two phone calls, one to the Market Man and the other to Andrew Phillips, the latter to make sure he received a favourable discount on his flight and accommodation when he travelled to Australia.
He wanted to know from the Market Man, whose real name was Richard Connelly, if he ever exported goods to the other side of the world and what measures could be taken to ensure his consignment was not searched too thoroughly for any extra items that were being smuggled into the country. Connelly agreed to send Ernie’s items in his next container that was due to leave in a month’s time and would arrive a week before Ernie’s flight landed.
His goods would be kept safe by Connelly’s accomplice until Ernie collected the items. The charge for this service would be £1000, payable up front, which was agreed.
A couple of days later Robin Stockwell phoned Ernie at the Centre and asked if he could do him a favour which he was happy to undertake. Robin explained he was planning on visiting Canada in the near future and wondered if Ernie’s security patrol could keep an eye on his premises while he was away. Ernie agreed and continued the conversation,
“I’m planning on taking a break at about the same time, I’m off to Australia to visit a former colleague. Actually Robin, I might be able to get you a discount on your air ticket and foreign exchange through my business contacts. How are you coping these days, are you still dispensing your remedies and creams?”
“Thank you for your offer Ernie, I haven’t finalised my flight details yet or even though about Canadian money, thank you for reminding me, I also need to make sure my passport is valid.
“As for the dispensing side it’s gone very flat since Stella died, one or two callers for the burns cream and herbal potions. I’ve formulated a new perfume I want to promote but I want the opinion of my niece Natalie to see if it has an agreeable aroma for today’s young ladies. Natalie will be a good barometer of that”
“Oh, I had forgotten all about Natalie, what’s she up to these days?”
Robin was reluctant to divulge too much information about his niece so he merely said,
“She’s doing very well and will be finishing in university sometime soon. Her stepfather is very proud of her and keeps a watchful eye on things”
The conversation ended with Ernie promising to make enquiries about tickets and Canadian dollars.
Once he had received agreement from his contact in Australia that he had an interested party in the artefacts Ernie concentrated on the temporary changes he would have to sort out at the Centre.
With the help and co-operation of Councillor Barnes he convinced the local authority to close the Centre for a couple of weeks for refurbishment while he was away on his travels.
His next task was to get Mark and Gerry to take over the security patrols in his absence. But what seemed like a straight forward switch nearly ended in disaster.
On the conclusion of their latest meeting Ernie finished the briefing by reminding his two assistants,
“Before finishing your patrol tonight break into the Fish Bar, on Rupert Street, making it look like someone was after the night’s takings. No fire or anything that dramatic. It’s just a reminder to the owner that it would be wise to invest in our security offer, he wasn’t that interested when I called in to see him a few weeks ago. Any problems, call me on the CB radio we installed last week”
Just after two thirty the following morning Mark parked their van a couple of streets away from their intended target. It was an area where other clients had their premises so if they were spotted they would not look out of place. However, no other single person was abroad that night.
With the aid of Gerry’s keys, they gained access to the rear of the Fish Bar. As soon as they entered the building the smell of heated cooking oil filled the air and Mark became very wary. The only sound to be heard was the murmur of the extractor fans.
“There’s something not right here, this place closed before midnight and those fans should have cleared the cooking smells, just be careful Gerry”
As they made their way to the office to carry out the task Ernie had ordered they passed the rear of the serving area and the deep fat fryers. Gerry stopped to listen to an unfamiliar sound.
“What the heck’s that bubbling noise?” he said quietly, at the same time he put his hand on the cover of the fryer and took hold of the handle. Seeing what his friend was about to do Mark shouted,
“Gerry! Leave it and get back!”
His warning was a split second too late. Gerry had only raised the cover a couple of inches but it was enough to allow cooler air to penetrate to the hot, bubbling fat in the fryer. With a loud whooshing sound, a jet of flames shot up and engulfed Gerry’s left hand. He let out a shrill scream and staggered on unsteady feet.
Mark reacted with amazing speed, pulling his friend away before he fell back towards the column of flames that was shooting into the air. With his free hand he grabbed a fire blanket next to the fryer and flung it over the flames. He managed to find the gas supply and temperature controls to the fryer and turn them off before concentrating on helping his friend.
Gerry was in a state of shock and moaned feebly, Mark half pulled and led him out of the building. As they reached the relative safety of the yard behind the Fish Bar Gerry started to sob from the pain in his hand. While leaving the building Mark had managed to grab hold of a towel and he quickly wrapped it around his friend’s burnt hand. He gave Gerry a good shake,
“Gerry! We’ve got to get out of here, ok? Let’s get back to the van and I’ll call Ernie’s place on the radio, he will know what to do”
Mark managed to bundle his friend into the van, he knew it wouldn’t be long before the emergency services arrived on the scene and if they were caught in the vicinity of the building they would have a lot of explaining to do, especially with the condition of Gerry’s hand.
Rather than call Ernie from their current location, Mark drove for about five minutes before stopping in a side street. Gerry’s moans and groans had
turned into loud curses and threats to anyone and anybody he could name.
Mark didn’t bother with the niceties of CB radio speak, he switched the radio to Transmit and had to shout into the handset in order to be heard over Gerry’s pleading voice,
“Acme Security to base, come in Ernie for Christ’s sake, emergency!”
There was no reply within ten seconds of his call and he was part way through repeating his message with a few expletives when Ernie cut in.
“Base to Security 1, codes only, no names. What is your problem? Over”
Mark bit his tongue before replying,
“Ok Base, have it your way! My mate has badly burnt his left hand and I need to know where to take him, No NHS facilities”
Ernie quickly grasped the situation and asked Mark for his location. Once he heard the reply he said calmly,
“Base to Security 1. You’re a couple of streets away from an old pharmacy, the owner will provide short term assistance. I will meet you there in 10 minutes. Over and out” and the line went dead. Ernie then picked up his phone and dialled a familiar number. It rang more than a dozen times before a sleepy voice answered,
“Hello, who is this?”
“Robin, its Ernie Newsham. I’m sorry for disturbing you at such a late hour but I have a small emergency I need urgent help with. One of my people has badly burnt his hand. He needs to be seen at a specialist burns unit but it will take me at least half an hour to get him to Frenchay Hospital burns unit, can you help please?”
Robin Stockwell took a few moments to gather his senses before he replied,
“I can put some of my cream onto the burn but if you say he needs a burns unit’s expertise why don’t you take him straight there?”
“He’s in my van just around the corner from you with a friend. I’m sorry to bother you at this time of night but it is urgent Robin”
Ernie knew that even at his age, Robin Stockwell would not refuse to help in an emergency and he was proved right.
“Very well I will be downstairs within five minutes, tell them to wait outside the door to my flat”
Ernie thanked him before putting down the phone, then he relayed the instructions to Mark and added,
“I won’t meet you by the pharmacy, I will wait by the van instead. You can take the van back to the Centre and bed down in my office, I’ll sort Gerry out”
As Robin approached his front door he heard someone knocking loudly, and he walked forward and opened the door cautiously. One person was supporting the other who was leaning heavily against him. Robin Stockwell did not want to invite two strangers into his flat so he told the taller man to wait outside for Ernie to arrive.
“What’s his name please?”
Mark hesitated for a moment and then spoke,
“It’s Gary”
Mark didn’t want to leave his friend but knew he had little choice in the matter so he stood back as the elderly man bore the weight of his companion and shut the door behind him.
Helping Gerry to sit down by the kitchen table he first asked what had happened. His patient was not very coherent but he was sure he said,
“Checking security of building, found someone had left deep fat fryer on and flames shot up at me, don’t remember much else”
The pharmacist gently removed the towel protecting Gerry’s hand which caused more cries of pain. On viewing the extent of the injury, he frowned,
“Gary, I can only put a temporary dressing on your wound but you must get to a specialist burns unit for proper treatment or you may lose the use of your hand”
He applied his special cream to the wound and gently wrapped it in a gauze dressing, he then gave Gerry a couple of tablets and a glass of water.
“These tablets will help with the pain but they will also make you feel a bit sleepy, here’s four more tablets but only use them if you have nothing else to take. I’m also giving you a small jar of this cream to put on as a backup help. Now remember Gary, Ernie must take you to the nearest burns unit which is in Bristol as quickly as possible. They will be able to help you more than I can”.
Gerry swallowed the tablets and spoke quietly,
“Thanks Mr Stockwell, actually my name is Gerry not Gary. I was the person who engraved the gold lighter for your wife”
A look of comprehension crossed Robin’s features,
“Ah yes. I don’t think I’ve had chance to thank you for that wonderful work. Well, I’m sort of glad in a roundabout way to repay you. Now let’s see if your friend or Ernie are waiting for you outside”
Gerry stood up, still a little unsteady, but he managed to walk to the front door unaided and Robin opened it up and Mark was standing by, waiting for his friend.
Gerry turned to his saviour and thanked him. Robin smiled and said,
“That’s all right, now remember Gerry, straight to the hospital or that damage will be permanent”
Mark led the way as they walked slowly to meet up with Ernie. Once they were out of earshot of anyone he turned to Gerry and hissed,
“Why the hell did you tell him your name, you daft sod! I told him your name was Gary, now he’s got your real name he could tell the cops and we’re all in the shit!”
Not willing to get into an argument with anyone Gerry said nothing and was pleased to see Ernie coming around the corner to meet them. Seeing the gaunt expression on his young assistant’s features Ernie told Mark to take the van back to the Centre while he took Gerry to seek further medical help. Once he had him strapped into the front passenger seat he asked,
“What did Robin say about your burns Gerry, are they bad enough to need urgent attention?”
“Got to go to burns unit in Bristol hospital or I’ll lose my hand” was all he could manage to say.
Ernie closed the passenger door and got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He hadn’t had chance to get the full story of the accident from Mark so he was not sure if his two assistants were responsible for the fire at the Fish Bar.
By now the tablets had already started to take effect and Gerry‘s head slumped forward on his chest. Then he started mumbling as he dozed, his words didn’t make sense at first but suddenly Ernie recognised them as being a rough transcript of his introduction to stealing from the chocolate warehouse and his meeting with the Market Man.
He couldn’t afford to take the chance of this being repeated in front of strangers so he drove back to his house and managed to get his semi-conscious companion inside without any of his neighbours being awakened by Gerry’s sometimes loud ramblings and cries of pain. Once he had put Gerry in the spare room and covered him with a blanket he left him to sleep away the rest of the night. While his patient slept Ernie formulated a plan that he was sure would convince Gerry he had carried out Robin’s instructions. There would be too much risk in taking him to a hospital where too many questions could be asked. Instead he decided to contact a former Consultant and GP who owed him a favour but was no longer legally allowed to practice as a member of the medical profession following complaints from former female patients.
However, his skills were ideally suited to meet Gerry’s current requirements, and he had his own house kitted out just like a mini clinic, with the capability to carry out minor surgical procedures.
After checking Gerry was in a deep sleep Ernie had one more task to perform before returning to his own bed. He left a phone message for Mark to collect some of Gerry’s toiletries and clothes to last him at least a week and to deliver them to his house as soon as possible, and if anyone enquired about Gerry’s absence, to tell them he was having a break from work for a short while.
Mark arrived with the items Ernie had requested just after nine later that morning and it was clear to Ernie that he hadn’t had much sleep either. So, this would be the ideal time to interrogate him about last night’s events.
“Mark, I told you both it was to be made to look like a simple break-in at the Fish Bar, not a full blown arson attack, so what happened?”
Ernie frowned at the last comment. Was it an accident or had the owner thought he could get away with an insurance claim for his premises being burnt down?.
“I don’t think it would be wise for me to contact the owner directly but I’ll put in an anonymous call to suggest it was an attempted insurance fraud. At least you made enough noise to alert the people in the flat above who managed to get out safely”
Mark asked if he could see his friend but Ernie refused as he wanted Gerry to sleep as long as possible or until his doctor acquaintance arrived later.
“You know Gerry told that chemist bloke his real name even though I gave a false name to him earlier? If he hears about the fire and puts two and two together, he could tell the police which would mean trouble for us”
“Let me worry about Robin, I think I can convince him it was a pure accident. You had better go back to the Centre for now, I will be along later once I’ve got Gerry into a clinic to sort his hand out” The medic arrived just before midday and went into the spare bedroom to meet his patient. Gerry had been awake for nearly an hour and had taken another of Robin’s tablets but it wasn’t having such an immediate effect as the earlier ones he had been given.
Ernie introduced the doctor as a Mr Rogan and then left the room.
“Well young fella, let’s have a look at this hand of yours shall we? “
Gerry drew his injured hand from under the cover and tensed himself ready for the almost unbearable pain he was about to endure when it was touched. But nothing happened. Rogan compared the size of both Gerry’s hands and shook his head,
“You can relax for now Gerry, I’m not going to put you through any unnecessary pain just yet. I will take you to my clinic and examine your hand under a general anaesthetic and decide on your course of treatment”
Gerry looked up at Rogan with an almost pleading look in his watery eyes,
“Am I going to lose my hand? I’d go crazy if that happens; tell me, please, can you save my hand?”