Rogan put a reassuring hand on Gerry’s shoulder and spoke softly,
“No Gerry, I’ll make sure you don’t lose your hand, but you might not have the same flexibility as you had before the accident. Now, you must keep thinking positive thoughts and that will help you to heal quicker. I will speak to Mr Newsham to arrange your transfer to my clinic, I will speak to you later, and try not to worry”
But Gerry’s thoughts were far from positive. Each time he looked at the swollen hand his mind was focused on his past engraving skills he would no longer be able to accomplish. Who was it who forecast this might happen. Then he remembered, Robin Stockwell’s wife.
Had she planted the seeds of failure in his mind or was she tried to warn him away from that path. He vaguely remembered her warning; however, his life choices were much clearer back then.
No, it wasn’t Stella Stockwell’s fault he found himself in this state. It was Percy bloody Matthews and the bastard who stole those items from his Gran who tipped the balance. Harry had put paid to Matthews so that just left the scum who stole those things from the flat. ‘Concentrate on identifying that person Gerry, a reason to get well again!’
His hand started throbbing once more so he took another tablet Robin had given him and the pain slowly subsided but his sleep time was plagued by memories of the past.
This time three women’s hazy forms were approaching him. In front was Sally carrying what looked like two dolls but then he could see they were babies. Sally turned away but the two women behind her pushed her back towards him, this time she wasn’t holding anything, she held her hands in a pleading motion and trying to speak. He watched her mouth and she seemed to be saying,
“All gone, all gone”
All three suddenly disappeared but not before he recognised the two other women. His Grandmother and Stella Stockwell were each holding a baby.
A hand on his shoulder was gently shaking him and he awoke to find Ernie standing by the bed.
“Time to go Gerry, we need to get to the clinic”
His companion looked up at him nervously,
“Do you trust him Ernie? Will he be able to fix my hand?”
“Since he was kicked out of the NHS he’s done a lot of private work abroad and from the fees he’s charged he managed to open his small clinic. I doubt there is anyone better and will do a good job on your hand”
Looking away, Gerry knew he didn’t have any choice but to trust Ernie’s word.
He spent the next ten days at the clinic and had numerous operations on his hand. During that time, he had no visitors and felt as if he had been abandoned by everyone. However, Ernie had been busy arranging private physiotherapy sessions once he had been discharged from the clinic. Even though these sessions helped Gerry to regain some use of his hand he no longer had the dexterity of movement he had previously enjoyed.
The scar tissue only seemed to be healing at a very slow rate and the sight of his malformed fingers was sometimes too much even for him to bear so he resorted to wearing a leather boxing glove to keep it hidden from view whenever practical.
This limited his work in The Centre and Ernie noticed the frustration building up in his assistant so he took him out on his nigh time patrols to show Gerry he had something to offer. However, Mark became more resentful of this change in roles and arguments between the two became a frequent occurrence.
“You burn yourself and end up as teacher’s pet while I have to stay here and fix these busted machines and any other crap that needs sorting. It’s also me who has to make excuses to cover your back when the punters ask awkward questions. I need bloody help around here and if you ain’t up to the job Ernie will have to find someone else to pull their weight or I’m off to pastures new and you two can get stuffed”
Ernie heard this latest argument and called them both into his office to try and resolve the problem.
“First off Mark, you’re going nowhere! Try it and there might be an accident waiting just around the next corner you turn. Gerry is willing to train one of the lads who is out of work to help you in the Centre, the one you know as Banjo is pretty clever with his hands and he’s keen to get involved.
“But only with the stuff in the Centre, no mention is to be made about our other activities. And you both make sure he doesn’t find out what’s upstairs in our storeroom. I’ll tell my contact on the Council that Gerry needs to change his job role and become a trainer and you Mark will have more of a supervisor’s role which will mean a pay rise for you both, does that sound ok?”
Both nodded in agreement but Mark still had a gripe he wanted resolving.
“A couple of the lads who attend the Centre have said that bloke from the old chemist has been asking questions about me and Gerry. He wanted to know how and where he burnt his hand, if it was anything to do with the chip shop fire. He’ getting too nosey for my liking and needs to be warned off”
Ernie frowned,
“He’ not the first to make that connection, one of my ex-colleagues stopped me in the street a few days ago. The answer I gave him was that you two were burning some old refuse in the back yard and Gerry had put too much petrol onto the rubbish and there was a small explosion. Stick to that story and in the meantime I’ll have a word with Robin Stockwell”
Mark sneered,
“He won’t believe that story about burning rubbish! I tried to cover for Gerry on the night of the fire by giving Stockwell a false name but this stupid prat gave him his real name. If he goes to the cops we’re all in the brown stuff”
Gerry retaliated,
“For your information mate, I was in bloody agony that night and wasn’t thinking straight”
Mark was about to respond but Ernie put his hand up for silence,
“Ok both of you, enough! From now on you two will only use nicknames for each other, especially when you’re on a job. Let me think of a couple of names that will suit your roles. In the meantime, Mark, I’m contacting your brother tonight to arrange details of the job I want him to do”
22
The next morning Ernie took his two assistants to one side, out of anyone else’s hearing.
“Right Mark, your name will be Torch and you Gerry will be Keys. If I need to explain I’ll tell you later. Now I’m going to speak to Robin Stockwell”
He found the pharmacist sweeping up glass outside the broken window of his shop. As he got out of his car Ernie enquired,
“When did this happen Robin? Have you got someone coming to fix it for you?”
Pausing in his cleaning up duties Stockwell replied ruefully,
“I was preparing my breakfast at my usual time, about six thirty, when I heard the sound of breaking glass and I came to investigate. I’m just clearing up to make sure nobody cuts themselves on this mess.
“I can’t afford to pay for a new window at this moment so it will have to be boarded up instead. I’ve got someone coming later this morning, one of Ralph Byewaters workers”
“What about the police, have you informed them?”
Robin gave him a knowing look before replying,
“Oh Ernie, you should know they have better things to do with their time but Sargent Proudfoot said he would call in later on his way off duty”
Ernie opened the boot of his car and took out a pair of heavy duty gardening gloves and put them on.
“Let me move those larger pieces of glass Robin. I will finish clearing up here if you like, I need to talk to you about that incident where you helped one of my lads with his burnt hand”
Robin was silent for several moments, there was also an issue he wanted clarification on and he believed Ernie was the person with the details. Passing the broom, he had been holding to his companion he said quietly,
“If you can finish out here, I will go and make us both some coffee. I want you to clear up something that has bothered me since that incident”
Ernie took hold of the broom and sensed that the next few minutes were not going to be as easy as he
had hoped. Knowing Robin would not be satisfied until he had heard answers that convinced him that he was being told the truth. Ernie decided to try distraction tactics. It took him a further ten minutes to make sure no broken glass would cause any hazard to anyone walking past.
He had taken off his gloves when Robin appeared at the door to his flat and summoned Ernie to follow him inside. Indicating to a chair by the kitchen table he put down a cup of coffee in front of his guest. Ernie tried to speak but Robin held up a hand for silence,
“Thank you for helping me to clear up that glass Ernie, I already have a busy morning ahead of me so I will come to my point straight away.
“How did young Gerry come to burn his hand so badly? Was it anything to do with the fire at the shop they call the Fish Bar?”
Ernie tried to look offended at such a suggestion,
“No Robin. He and Mark had been burning some rubbish in the back yard of the Centre and I think one of them must have poured some petrol over the fire and it suddenly blew up out of control. Either that or there were some old fireworks amongst the rubbish, I’m not sure…”
Robin cut him short by banging the table top.
“It was neither! Those burns were caused by hot fat or oil. Different types of burning liquid cause different kinds of burns and I am convinced Gerry’s burns were caused by hot, burning fat. Now Ernie, I want the truth or I will have to go to the police with this information and let them deal with it”
Ernie couldn’t hide the embarrassment he felt at being caught out like this but he wasn’t about to give in to Robin’s threat.
“Ok this is what really happened. Mark and Gerry were out on their security patrol and were checking the alley behind the shops which include the Fish Bar. The extractor fans were on at the chip shop and they could smell the hot oil and knew something wasn’t right.
“Gerry has a set of skeleton keys because they have to check some of the shops they are allowed to enter, but the Fish Bar is not one of those shops but they decided to check it out anyway. Gerry heard the bubbling sound coming from one of the fryers and started to move the cover. Mark shouted at him to stand back but it was too late, it gave the hot fat oxygen and it just flared up over his hand. Mark managed to pull him back from the flames and threw a fire blanket over the fryer which saved a lot of extra damage.
“Mark’s shouting also alerted the family living in the flat above and they managed to get out before the fire brigade arrived. The other thing Mark discovered was that the fryer had been left on at the highest temperature. That was either accidental or deliberate, I don’t know which”
Robin sat quietly for several minutes, absorbing and dissecting what he had heard. He already knew part of the facts from what Gerry had told him as he was being treated shortly after the incident, but he was still not fully satisfied with Ernie’s answer.
“I understand now how the fire started but have you told the police about your suspicions?”
“No, because Gerry doesn’t have a locksmith’s licence to carry skeleton keys and my security business would be in trouble. You also have to understand that there have been lots of incidents that could be unfairly blamed on my lads if that got out”
Robin continued to push his point,
“Gerry gave me a rough outline of what happened, so why did you lie to Me Ernie. We’ve always helped each other whenever possible. Why couldn’t you be straight with me? If that’s what really happened I’m sure your ex-colleagues would give you a fair hearing”
Robin was not prepared for what happened next.
Ernie’s face went a crimson colour, he pushed his chair backwards and stood up and shouted angrily,
“Nobody will believe anything good I say about the kids who attend the Centre and that especially goes for Mark and Gerry!” and he went on to tell his host how Gerry was arrested and held for several hours just because Percy Matthews accused him of starting the fire that burnt his shop down.
“He had a good job with David Evans but once Matthews took over the business he made the lad’s life a misery. Add to that, he had to cope with the sudden death of his grandmother and the tragic loss of his girlfriend Sally.
“As for Mark, he escaped from an abusive father up North and was nearly molested by a filthy rat of a lorry driver on his journey down here. He’s no saint by any means but I told him he starts with a clean slate as far as I’m concerned. I’m sorry I lied to you Robin, but if that’s what it takes to protect my lads then so be it!. Nobody it seems, is prepared to give them a second chance but me”
Before Robin could respond Ernie stormed out of the flat, got into his car and drove off at speed. Two men had unloaded large boards and other timber from the back of a lorry and had placed them against the wall of Robin’s shop. Moments later Robin came out and looked around, acknowledged the men and started to approach them but noticed Jenny Potter crossing the road towards him with a worried expression on her face.
“Are you alright Robin, I saw Mr Newsham come out of your flat and drive away at speed. I must say, he didn’t look very pleased and I thought something had happened to you”
Robin shook his head,
“No Jenny, he wasn’t very happy, go inside while I talk to the men about the window”
He joined her a few minutes later and offered her a cup of tea which she declined, stating she only came over because she was concerned for his well-being after seeing Ernie drive off in a hurry.
“Don’t worry about me Jenny, Ernie and I had a small difference of opinion over a small matter and he objected to my response. Although I must say, I’ve never seen him lose his temper in that manner before”
“Oh, I never thought Mr Newsham had a temper, he always seems so pleasant to me. Was it anything to do with the broken window?”
Robin smiled to himself, He knew Jenny was genuinely concerned but she had a habit of sharing her news whenever the opportunity arose so he framed his answer in such a way that would not hold her interest.
“No Jenny, it was just something of a technical nature that wouldn’t make much sense to other people”
Hiding her disappointment at not having new gossip to divulge to others she gave Robin some news instead.
“My sister is going into hospital in Ipswich soon and I will be visiting her towards the end of next week. Have you booked your flight to Canada? I’m sure Natalie will be excited over your trip”
Robin scratched his head and let out a sigh,
“Well the flight is booked but an oversight on my part might force me to cancel it. I forgot to check my passport and it expired a couple of months ago, if it doesn’t arrive in time I’m stuck”
“But surely you can ring up the passport people and tell them the situation? My niece was in a similar situation over a holiday last year and they sent her passport by special courier to make sure it arrived in time”
Robin let out a laugh, grabbed Jenny by the shoulders and planted a kiss on her forehead. She went bright red and looked in horror at him,
“Jenny, you’re my saviour! Of course, that’s the answer! Stella would have checked out such details in plenty of time, women are more organised in that way”
Pleased that she had solved his problem Jenny visibly relaxed.
“What is the date of your flight and will you want your usual roast dinner after this weekend?”
“He thought for a moment before shaking his head,
“My flight is late on Saturday of next week, Ralph Byewater and his wife are driving me to the airport. So no dinner that weekend thank you Jenny. Now I must make that phone call about my passport. I’m sure we will see each other before I leave”
She took the hint and left him to his chores which included making tea for the two workers he had promised earlier. His thoughts drifted back to Ernie’s reaction, especially his outburst of temper. That man had things on his mind that were troubling him and he decided the signs were not good.
About an hour after the workmen left having com
pleted their task Robin Stockwell had yet another visitor. On investigating who had rang the doorbell he found Sargent Proudfoot admiring the handiwork of his last visitors and he said on seeing Robin,
“They’ve done a good job here Robin, anybody would need to use a chainsaw to get through this lot. Do you mind if I come in for a moment I need to satisfy my curiosity over something”?
Robin nodded and led the way into his flat but the Sargent turned towards the rear of the old pharmacy,
“Sorry Robin, but it’s in here I need to check if you don’t mind. I need to see that your chemicals and the like are stored safely and secure”
The pharmacist now knew why Proudfoot was keen to come and see his shop.
“I haven’t forgotten about health and safety rules Sergeant; all my materials are securely locked away in a safe place. Most of the materials I used to dispense are nearly all gone, although I’ve started to experiment with a new perfume I would like to develop. But those ingredients are also under lock and key”
Proudfoot turned to face him and asked,
“I’m sure you are taking the necessary precautions to keep these items safe but have you notified the local authorities about the new items you are storing. Also, are there any items here you no longer use that need to be disposed of in a safe manner?”
Stockwell knew he had lapsed in that area and attempted to defend his lack of action.
“I appreciate your need to check these things out Sargent and I have yet to sort out those items I no longer use and I will make a start on that work immediately. However, I will not be able to complete that task until after I return from my trip to Canada”
Proudfoot trusted the pharmacist’s word and his sincerity in carrying out the work but he knew he had a duty to report the matter to the local authorities under the COSHH regulations.
“I appreciate you are adhering to the Control of Substances Act but I still have to report what I have found to the relevant people. It will be then up to them to decide what to do next and how soon they act. I’m sorry Robin, I have no choice in the matter”
The Reluctant Villain Page 27