The Reluctant Villain

by James Williams

  Bishop gave Gerry a none-too gentle push in the direction of the table where Mark was sat, he didn’t seem to pay much attention to Kevin at first. Once round the front of the table he could see Mark features and he let out a hollow laugh.

  “Oh, the second of Newsham’s security scam, he sure likes having kids around him. Trouble is you need real men to do work like this”

  He gave a loud belch before drawing out a pistol from his coat pocket. Then he looked over at Kevin and spoke aloud,

  “Wait a minute! Newsham told me there would only be Cool Hand Luke here and a security guard. So, who is this character playing with the rubber hoses. Get over here by the table right now or I’m liable to get very nervous and maybe shoot someone by mistake”

  He gave another loud belch and rocked slightly on his heels. It was clear he had been drinking heavily. Kevin turned around and walked slowly towards him, singing softly the first few words of an old ballad,

  ‘Oh mine Papa’

  Bishop stared, the words not penetrating his thoughts until Kevin was about six feet away. Then the realisation dawned on him.

  “Where the hell did you come from, are you working for Newsham as well!?”

  Kevin continued smiling and said nothing, calmly walking behind Mark and sat down on the chair next to his brother. Bishop looked at them both and for the first time he noted the similarity between them. He looked directly at Mark and spoke in a hoarse whisper,

  “You’re young Mark aint you, I’ve seen you around town a few times and it kept on nagging me, now I know why. When did you move down here?”

  Mark could not hide the resentment in his voice as he spoke,

  “About a year ago, not that it concerns you anyway”

  Kevin gave him a slight nudge,

  “Come on Mark, this is a family gathering, long overdue in my books, let’s have a drink to celebrate this memorable moment” and he reached for the bottle of whisky and started pouring it into the three plastic cups.

  “What about stumpy over there?” Bishop asked as he kept his hand on the gun.

  “He’s not family” Kevin said dismissively.

  Gerry clearly heard the comments but kept his thoughts on the plan he was formulating to surprise Bishop. He stood up and gathered the coils of the first lane marker, along with the hooked pole and dragged them behind Mark and Kevin to a point where they could be hung on the wall to dry. He returned to collect the next set, taking the same route as before. He did exactly the same with the next two sets of lane markers. However, he walked behind Bishop on his next return, judging the distance between the back of Bishop’s chair and the edge of the pool. The others took very little notice of his slight diversion and continued their small talk. Mark added very little to the conversation, it was mostly a two way dialogue between Kevin and his father.

  The gun was still within easy reach of Bishop’s right hand but he had been lulled into a more relaxed state, possibly due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

  As he walked behind their father with the fifth set of coils Gerry made a motion to Kevin and Mark telling them to hold Bishop in deeper conversation. Mark didn’t seem to notice but Kevin sensed something was about to happen and he sat slightly forward as he spoke.

  “So how much do you reckon Newsham will get for his trip to Australia and what’s your share?”

  Gerry was on his return journey to collect the final set of markers and Kevin noticed that he carried the pole balanced on his left shoulder. As he passed behind their victim who had just given an estimated value of his share, Kevin sat forward and shouted,

  “How much did you say??”

  This distraction gave Gerry enough time to swing the pole around as he swivelled on his heels and hooked the right side of the chair occupied by Bishop and pulled it away from the table. The rubber feet of the chair skated across the damp surface towards the pool edge.

  Bishop let out a yell and attempted to stand up but Kevin was more alert and quicker in his reaction. Pushing the gun across the table in Mark’s direction. He then gave the chair his father was still sat on a hefty kick which sent both chair and occupant into the pool. With the weight of his outdoor clothes and his lack of swimming experience he disappeared under the surface of the water and didn’t reappear for nearly half a minute. Kevin turned and smiled at Gerry,

  “Nice one kid, you’re ok by me. Let’s have that pole so that I can finish off the job I’ve been paid to do”

  He took the pole from Gerry’s grasp and turned towards the pool just as his father resurfaced, coughing and spluttering. He tried to speak but all he succeeded in doing was taking in more mouthfuls of water. Kevin knelt by the pool and held the pole out towards his father but once he had caught hold off the hook at the end he was prevented from coming in any closer to the edge of the pool and safety.

  Bishop managed to shout out between gasps for breath,

  “What are you doing, you stupid bastard, get me out of here. You know I can’t bloody swim”

  Kevin spoke in a cold, cruel tone,

  “Oh no Daddyo. This is payback time for not giving me and Mark a fair chance of a good life. You were more interested in boozing and chasing skirts to care about us and our Mum. Go and join the fishes where you belong!”

  And with his final remark he twisted the hook from his father’s grasp, pushed, and held him under the surface for the next five minutes.

  This was too much for Gerry who ran for the nearest toilet to be violently sick. By the time he eventually returned to the pool, Mark and Kevin had pulled their father’s body out and were searching his pockets. To Gerry, they looked like a couple of vultures feeding on their prey. The disgust was evident in his voice when he spoke,

  “For God’s sake! Isn’t it enough that we’ve just killed him, do you have to squabble over his belongings so soon after?”

  Kevin stopped what he was doing, walked over to Gerry and put a hand on his shoulder before speaking in a quite consolatory Tone,

  “Gerry, in my business you make sure there’s no evidence left behind to link you to the victim. Mark and I need to check he’s got nothing in his pockets or at his digs to link us to him While you’re carrying out your next little job, I’ll take his keys and give his flat the once over, ok?”

  Gerry thought for a moment, nodded reluctantly and went over to the table to finish off the remains of the bottle of whisky. There would be further challenging situations to face before the night was over.

  While Kevin wrapped the body in a tarpaulin Mark reversed the van through the large open door so that they could load up without being observed. Earlier that day Kevin had taken a casual stroll along the river bank to find a suitable secluded spot to park the van.

  Following Kevin’s instructions Mark parked in the designated spot. The weather had deteriorated with heavy blustery showers. The kind of conditions that made people think twice about venturing out on such a night.

  Their plan had been to open the tarpaulin at the top of the bank and let the body slid down into the river but it was held up by long grass at the water’s edge. They couldn’t leave the body in that position so both men had to scramble down to manoeuvre it into the river. But Kevin was not satisfied with leaving the body floating on the surface of the water.

  He stood on the wooden jetty used by local fishermen, and with the aid of the pole and hook he dragged and then pushed the body under the wooden structure. There were numerous discarded fishing lines, some with weights attached in the water, after much pushing and pulling he managed to wrap some over the body.

  In order to make a decent job of entangling the body with the lines Kevin had to half immerse himself in the water before he was sure the body would not exit from its prison too quickly. As he pulled himself out of the water Mark hissed a warning and he just got out of the river before a silver streak flashed past the position he had just vacated. As he rolled onto the jetty he muttered,

  “What the hell was that thing?”


  Mark shook his head in stunned silence. Kevin grabbed the pole and hook and thrust it into the water, hitting something solid with the tip of the hook. The fish swam away a lot slower than it had attacked. Kevin looked at the end of the hook and understood why. There was a residue of fish scales and a little blood on the tip of the hook.

  “Whatever it was, it’s not so mobile now. If there are more like that round here I don’t want to be in that water for any money!” Kevin muttered.

  They found a couple of broken paving slabs nearby and slid them into the river, blocking off access to underneath the jetty.

  “I need to get changed from these wet clothes dam quick, I don’t want to catch pneumonia” Kevin said with a shiver, “I can get changed back at the Centre and dry this lot out while you two get my tickets from the old man”

  While they had been away Gerry had drained the swimming pool, ready for a steam clean later that morning. He looked on in amazement at Kevin’s condition when they returned.

  “What happened to you? The pool would be warmer for a midnight swim compared to the river” Kevin aimed a playful blow which Gerry easily dodged and explained briefly what had happened. Gerry nodded his head knowingly,

  “That was a pike, vicious brutes they are, there won’t be much left of the body if that thing gets to it”

  “I managed to clobber it with the hook and it might think twice before returning, but right now, I need to change from these clothes, any chance of drying them out quickly?” Kevin asked as he started to shiver.

  Mark took him to the changing rooms and switched on the heaters as well as giving his brother a couple of large towels to wrap around himself to keep warm.

  24

  Gerry and Mark entered the pharmacy through a side door that was not overlooked by other buildings. They spent an anxious couple of minutes until Gerry found the correct key to gain entrance. Another key was required for the door leading from the pharmacy to the living quarters. Once inside, they both stood still for over a minute to check if their entry had been heard.

  The ticking of a large clock standing in the corner of the hallway seemed unusually loud but no other sound or movement could be heard in the building.

  Mark shone his powerful torch along the passageway as they moved to find the lounge area where Ernie had told him the passport forms should be located. Once inside the room Gerry checked to make sure the curtains were drawn before switching on the main light.

  Within seconds the forms were found but there was no sign of any money, Canadian or otherwise, and no tickets. Their search continued in silence but without success. The exterior pockets of a large suitcase were also gone through but only contained a small photograph album and details of an address in Canada.

  Next to the case was a small cabin bag with a note attached. The note simply read:

  ‘Liquid items to be declared’

  Inside the bag were half a dozen miniature bottles along with two larger 50ml bottles, each with handwritten labels that read:

  ‘Munro Heather Perfume, formulated by Robin Stockwell’

  Two further miniature bottles stood on the mantelpiece with a note addressed to someone called Jenny. A third 50ml bottle lay broken in a rubbish bag that had been placed near the door to the pharmacy storeroom, ready for disposal the next morning. The large stain on the carpet near the fireplace had almost completely dried out but the aroma of the perfume was still noticeable.

  The two men continued to search for the money, knowing that it was a vital part of Kevin’s travel plans. Their searching became more desperate and less careful, opening drawers and cupboards with less care or any thoughts about making too much noise.

  Robin Stockwell was having a restless night. He drifted in and out of sleep. This would be his first trip abroad without Stella and while he was looking forward to meeting up with Natalie and her stepfather Frank, the journey was causing him to have mixed emotions.

  A sudden thought struck him. He had not changed his will since Stella’s death and Natalie was now his only remaining relative. He would have to rectify that matter as soon as he returned from Canada. He sat up in bed and switched on the bedside lamp on the nearby cabinet, put on his spectacles. He reached into the top drawer to retrieve a writing pad he kept there for such times. The pad was beneath the two bundles of money and his tickets he had placed there before getting into bed.

  After writing a memo to himself about changing the will he smiled and looked upwards. Stella was still sending him these little reminders to complete tasks, even now and he said a silent ‘Thank You.’

  Removing his glasses, he switched off the lamp and lay down in bed, satisfied there were no more things he need worry about. He was finally ready to have a proper sleep.

  However, his sleep lasted less than ten minutes. An unfamiliar sound woke him and he sat up in bed and was about to get out when he heard a gust of wind outside. He sighed and lay down once more.

  “They’re not here! We’ve searched every possible place downstairs so it only leaves upstairs to look.” Mark muttered sullenly. These were the last words Gerry wanted to hear but he knew there was little choice left open to them if they were going to succeed. Before climbing the stairs Mark spent a few minutes working out how he was going to make any fire look like an accident. He found Robin’s gold cigarette lighter and slipped it into one of his pockets without Gerry noticing.

  Even though Ernie had told Mark about the layout on the upper level they made their way quietly along a corridor which had a total of four rooms along its length. There were two medium sized bedrooms and a bathroom, as well as a fourth room that had been used as an office at one time.

  Now it was used as more of a display storage room. In one corner a stand with six shelves had been erected and on each shelf there were numerous bottles of varying sizes marked in a similar way to those they had found in the living room. In addition, each shelf had a date and what was surely the formula of each batch. Mark read a couple of the items mentioned on the lists and gave a grim smile. Two of the ingredients mentioned different percentages of alcohol and benzene or ethanol. He indicated to Gerry to follow him out of the room and they retraced their steps along the corridor to the top of the stairs but turned away from them and made their way to the final room on that level.

  Robin turned over, one eye partly open and he thought he could see a faint glow near the door to the en-suite bathroom. He blinked several times, and yes, there was something there so he reached for his glasses once more but the sound of a creaking floorboard outside the bedroom door drew his attention in that direction.

  He threw back the bedcovers and was about to get out of bed when the door burst open and a bright flashlight dazzled him for a couple of vital seconds. Mark ran in first and half dived forward and swung the heavy torch, catching the old man a glancing blow on the side of the head.

  Gerry found the main light switch by the bedroom door turned it on and ran around the far side of the bed. Robin was only stunned by the blow but Mark grabbed one of the pillows and pressed it over the face of his victim. The pharmacist struggled briefly but Mark was much younger and fitter and the pressure was continued for at least another minute. When signs of resistance subsided, he told Gerry to keep watch while he searched for the money and tickets.

  Reluctantly Gerry took hold of the pillow but allowed Robin’s head to turn to one side. Rather than having to watch the old man he followed Mark’s movements around the room. He failed to notice the slight rise and fall of Robin’s chest and when a hand shot up and grabbed his burnt hand in a strong grip, he let out a shout of pain and surprise. He tried to push the pillow back over Robin’s face but his one hand was no match against the strength of both of Robin’s.

  “Gerry! What do you think you’re doing, stop it, this is insane” Robin pleaded?

  Mark stopped his searching and came back towards the bed while taking his father’s gun out of his pocket.

  “No Mark! No shooting, please!” Gerry ye
lled.

  Robin was distracted by Gerry’s outburst and turned towards Mark and this gave Gerry the chance to grab the discarded torch. Without thinking he gave Robin two clubbing blows to the head and followed up by grabbing hold of the pillow, forcing it over Robin’s face and applying pressure. This time there was no resistance from the pharmacist but Gerry pressed down with all his strength.

  He seemed to be in a trance and was not sure how long he kept this up but a shout of triumph from Mark on finding the money and tickets broke the spell. Gerry looked around at his surroundings and the terrible truth of what he had just done broke over him and he released and threw away the pillow.

  He looked down at the face of the man who had, not long ago, come to his aid when he was in agony and feared of possibly losing his badly burnt hand. And he witnessed an even greater fear in the dead eyes that stared back at him.

  He fell back in horror and landed on the floor beside the bed with a loud thump. Mark turned away from counting the money at the sudden noise and for a moment couldn’t see his partner. In looking around the room his gaze briefly fell on Robin Stockwell’s corpse. But the features were different to those Gerry had seen moments earlier.

  Mark could only see hatred and fury that seemed to be directed solely at himself. For a split second he thought he was going to be attacked by Stockwell but he averted his eyes and noticed Gerry’s legs on the other side of the bed. He called out his name but there was no response from his friend.

  He walked warily around the side of the bed and looked down at the prone figure. He gave a none-too gentle kick at one of Gerry’s feet but got no response. Then he noticed that Gerry seemed to be staring up with no real focus on anything in particular. He kicked even harder and hissed.

  “Gerry! Get your arse in gear. We’ve still got things to do.”

  Still there was no response. Then he remembered the glass of water on the bedside cabinet where he had found the money. He retrieved the tumbler and returned to stand over Gerry and poured the contents over his face.