“As you can see Sergeant, the whole roof has collapsed but the outer shell of the building appears to be quite stable for the present anyway. But I’ll leave that decision to the local authorities.”
“Any idea what caused this?”
Collins shook his head.
“Too early to speculate. That will be the task of our investigation team who will be here later. One thing I will say though, once the fire started it spread damned quickly, whatever was stored in there made sure of that.”
Proudfoot hesitated before telling Collins of his visit a few days earlier and the report he had made to the council regarding the contents of Robin Stockwell’s store room.
Collins sighed.
“Well, you did the right thing in one respect, it is the council’s responsibility, but maybe a quiet phone call to one of my station officers might have got things moving a lot quicker.”
“I had thought about taking the second course you suggested but I have an Inspector who insists on everyone going through the proper channels, but that didn’t help poor Robin.”
Collins replied sympathetically.
“Well, what’s done is done. Perhaps the Council should have been more on the ball and checked things out once the pharmacist had retired.”
The body was removed and placed in an ambulance to be taken to the mortuary pending a post mortem and subsequent inquest.
It was now late afternoon. Sergeant Proudfoot had gone off duty. A lonely figure stood on the corner transfixed by the scene facing her. A single fire engine stood in front of what had been a solid familiar building when Jenny Potter had left to visit her sister a couple of days earlier.
A few wisps of smoke rose into the clear afternoon sky as the fire personnel moved around over the mound of rubble, making sure there were no hot spots left to reignite. One of Jenny’s neighbours came over to try and speak to her but she didn’t seem to notice their presence. It was only when a young police woman stood in front of Jenny that the spell seemed to break.
“Miss Potter? Sergeant Proudfoot asked me to look out for you. Can we go inside your house where we can talk in private please?” And she gently, but firmly turned the older woman around to face her own home. The WPC had been given details of who to contact if Ms Potter arrived on the scene. Once inside the house, Jenny had several questions on her mind but the first one caught out the policewoman a little by surprise.
“I hope someone has informed Mr Stockwell about this? He left for a trip to Canada this morning.”
WPC Rudge tried to ignore the question and said softly.
“Miss Potter, Sergeant Proudfoot thinks it would be best if you stay with someone for a few days until things return to some sort of normality here. If I can use your phone I will contact someone to collect you.”
“Collect me!? Whatever are you talking about young lady? I am quite capable of looking after myself thank you. Now, you have not answered my question I asked earlier. Has Mr Stockwell been informed or not?”
The look on the policewoman’s face suddenly told Jenny the devastating news and she took a pace backwards and collapsed into the armchair, bursting into floods of tears. It took several minutes for these to abate and she mumbled the same phrase several times before her companion could understand what she was saying.
“Your cats? I’m sorry Miss Potter, what have they got to do with this matter?”
Jenny wiped her eyes before replying.
“My cats are with a neighbour at number 36. Could you collect them for me and then make me a cup of tea in the kitchen, through there, please?” She pointed in the direction of the kitchen.
“Ok, I’ll do what you ask but I need to make a phone call first. I will be back in a moment.”
She dialled the number her superior had given her but it was engaged so she went to the kitchen to make them both a cup of tea. On returning to the lounge she found Jenny standing by the window, staring once again at the scene across the road. Taking the elderly woman by one arm she managed to return her to her seat.
“Excuse me Miss Potter, I didn’t manage to speak to anyone last time so I need to try the phone again.”
“Who are you calling?”
Rudge hesitated but felt she had no option but to tell the truth.
“Sergeant Proudfoot asked me to contact Mr and Mrs Byewater to ask them to collect you and take you back to stay with them. He didn’t feel you would want to spend this time on your own.”
Jenny Potter sat up in her chair, suddenly quite indignant.
“I thank you and Sergeant Proudfoot for your concern regarding my welfare but this is my home and I shall remain here. So, once you have finished your tea, would you please go to number 36 and collect my cats. They are all the company I require at present.”
Not wanting to upset her host by trying to force the issue the WPC proceeded to carry out her request. The Sergeant would have to deal with Ms Potter in his own way, if he dared.
Once she was alone with her two cats Jenny sat back in her chair and sobbed until she could cry no more. She fell asleep, exhausted, with her feline companions meowing in unison to their mistress’s distress.
The coldness of the room awoke her in the early hours of the morning and she climbed the stairs to her bedroom, removing her shoes before getting into bed fully clothed. This had never ever happened before in her life but it was of little concern at this moment.
The late autumn sunshine was streaming into her room when she finally awoke. Not even the activity of workmen, erecting scaffolding to facilitate a large screen to hide the area around the devastated building, had penetrated her sleep. Nor had she been disturbed by the repeated ringing of the phone next to her bed.
Both cats were lying next to her and it took several moments for Jenny to recall the reason she was in bed still fully clothed. Dabbing her eyes with her lace handkerchief, she arose from the bed and walked to the window to survey the scene outside.
Despite it being late Sunday morning there was lots of activity. A fire engine and a large police forensic van were parked next to the building and there were several people in white overalls milling about.
Tears started to run down her face as she turned away from the window. Would she ever be able to look out of her house again without feeling this desperate loss? The message light was flashing on her phone but it was ignored. There was nobody she wanted to talk to at this time, who could help ease the terrible pain she was feeling.
25
After overseeing the swimming gala and closing the Leisure Centre on the Saturday evening, Gerry returned to the flat expecting Mark to be lounging around as usual. But there was no sign of him. All he found was a note on the dining table which read:
‘Passports arrived so have managed to book a late holiday with Club 18-30 in Majorca, will be back in about 10 days mind the fort. Mark.’
Crumpling up the note and throwing it in the kitchen waste bin he shouted.
“Bloody typical of you Mark, look after number one and sod your commitments.”
He found his passport and put it into a drawer in his bedside cabinet, not knowing if he would ever use it.
Because of his colleague’s selfishness this meant he would have to postpone plans to visit Sally’s grave until Mark returned. He would now also be responsible for letting the refurbishment team into the Centre on Monday morning and be available to answer any queries they may have about the work to be carried out. As for the security patrols Ernie had mentioned they would have to wait until Mark came back. This didn’t bother him too much as he had felt uneasy about going on those patrols ever since his hand had been burnt so they were bottom of his priority list.
Even though he had only eaten one light snack in the Centre café in the last thirty six hours Gerry had very little appetite and decided to have an early night. His sleep was disturbed by sounds that seemed to emanate from different parts of the flat and had him repeatedly getting out of bed to investigate. On the fourth occurrence the noises
seemed to be coming from Mark’s bedroom and on entering the room he made a discovery that shook him.
He found the light switch as he stood in the doorway and took a further step inside. As he did so he could have sworn someone or something brushed past but without any sound.
Looking around the room there seemed to be nothing out of place until he noticed one of the drawers on the bedside unit was half open. That drawer was definitely closed when he had come to check if Mark was in his room earlier in the evening. He bent down to look into the drawer and discovered a large wooden box that took up most of the space.
Gerry knew he shouldn’t be going through another person’s possessions but his inquisitiveness got the better of him. It was a very tight fit and it took him several minutes to prise it out of the drawer. He was surprised at the weight of the box and almost dropped it until he managed to get a firmer grip.
Placing the box on the bed he noticed the name etched onto the lid, Kevin Yarrow. It could only belong to Mark’s brother, but what was inside. There was a small lock set into the front of the box but a further search of the drawer did not reveal any key. He retrieved his set of skeleton keys from his own room and set about finding a matching key for the lock.
There were only four possible keys that could fit and to Gerry’s relief, the third key did the trick. But his euphoria was short lived when the contents of the box were revealed to him. There were two oily rags inside, and within each rag was a revolver. Also, in the box were several clips of ammunition for the guns.
He sat on the bed staring at the box and its contents. Was Mark just looking after the guns until his brother returned? No, he remembered being told that Kevin was escaping to Canada to start a new life. That meant that Mark was the new owner of the firearms. Recalling the incident in the Stockwell bedroom sent a shiver down Gerry’s spine and proved that Mark was familiar with handling such weapons. But Ernie would not allow such folly to take place. Or would he?
Having already been a near victim of Mark’s volatile temperament, Gerry was not prepared to let the guns remain in the flat a moment longer than necessary. So, they had either to be disposed of or moved to a safer place. But where, was the question. The obvious answer would be the Leisure Centre and they had to be moved while both Mark and Ernie were away.
But he had to do more than just move the guns. Once Mark returned from his holiday he was almost certain to check that his possessions were still intact. A delaying tactic would be necessary to prevent him from discovering his loss.
It was getting late and Gerry decided to leave the task of hiding the guns and ammunition until the morning. He returned everything to the box and took it into his own bedroom. At least he knew they would be safer with him.
It wasn’t often that Gerry had bad dreams but that night his sleep was punctuated by several.
The first dream involved Sally. He was standing in a large room he didn’t recognise. Someone called him from behind and he turned around to find Sally standing in the doorway, she beckoned him to follow and then disappeared. Outside the room there was only one way he could go, up a set of stairs with Sally at the top urging him to follow her.
Once again she disappeared and he called out her name but there was no sign of his onetime lover. He wandered into another room which had a window open. Walking over to see if there was any sign of his former love. He stood by the open window and heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards him. He spun round but a figure of an unknown person pushed Gerry backwards towards the open window.
He felt himself falling and woke up in his bed, covered in sweat and panting for breath.
He slowly regained his composure and was mystified as to why Sally would lead him into a trap. He lay back in the bed and was soon asleep again. But the dream was repeated several times, with other people from his past leading him into the same situation and ending in identical fashion to his first dream.
The final dream had a slightly different ending. Standing by the open window once more, he turned around to see that the room was on fire. Looking out of the window he noticed three men dressed as firemen holding out a blanket for him to jump into, and recognised the men as Ernie, Mark and Kevin.
But as he jumped they withdrew the blanket and laughed out loud as he fell past them into a dark hole.
When he woke up this time he found himself shouting at the top of his voice.
“Why, why, what have I done wrong?”
Not only was he bathed in sweat, the bedclothes were also damp and in complete disarray. Even though it was still in the early hours of Sunday morning he decided his time would be better spent in sorting out the problem of finding a safe hiding place for the guns.
After eating a quick snack for breakfast, he went out into the back yard of the flat to try and find an object that was of a similar weight to the guns and would fit into the box. He spent the next half an hour going back and forth until he found something that he was satisfied would be a close match.
A slightly chipped house brick wrapped in one of his old t-shirts to prevent the brick sliding around was the best solution. Merely locking the box up again would not prevent Mark from discovering the switch, so he had to find a way of delaying him. And he hoped the answer was in Ernie’s office.
As the Centre was closed for the duration of the refurbishment work he could hide the guns in their upstairs storeroom where no outsiders would have access. However, he knew Mark also had a key to that room, along with Ernie, so to keep Mark at bay until he had explained things to Ernie, the lock would have to be changed.
Gerry knew the scariest part for him would be carrying the guns through the streets back to the Centre. He could not risk walking his normal route as it passed close to the burnt out pharmacy and there would still be a police presence in the area.
Ernie had once told him to look as if he didn’t have a care in the world when he was carrying out a task that could make him appear nervous. That way, you were less likely to attract attention to yourself.
Even with this thought in his head Gerry felt that every person he passed was observing him with suspicion as he walked to the Centre carrying the guns and ammunition in a back pack. But nobody he passed paid him any attention. Everyone seemed to be headed for, or away, from the carnage in the nearby street.
Once he was inside the sanctuary of the Centre he broke out into a cold sweat and leaned against a wall to regain his composure. Gerry took the stairs to the store room two at a time. The sooner he hid the contents of his back pack the better. As he unlocked the door he cursed himself for forgetting to bring along his tools to change the lock. Once inside the room he took out the contents of his bag and hid them in the furthest corner from the door amongst some builders’ equipment.
After closing and locking the door Gerry went to the Centre’s maintenance store to search for a replacement lock but couldn’t find one that would fit. Checking the time, he decided to go to a hardware store across town, but he had a wasted journey as they didn’t have the correct size of lock he required. However, he could order one that would arrive within a couple of days.
Disappointed but not disheartened, as he still had time to change the lock before either Mark or Ernie returned from their respective trips, Gerry trudged back to the Centre to find the other item he required to delay Mark from opening his brother’s box.
Thankfully, he found the item in a drawer of Ernie’s desk in his smaller office next to the reception area. At least he could put one part of his delaying tactics into operation. He returned to the flat, happy in the knowledge he could keep Mark away from the weapons for the time being at least.
Still feeling hungry he prepared himself the first proper meal he had eaten in nearly two days and then collected the tools he would require denying Mark access to the interior of the box.
Placing the box on the kitchen table he used his own keys to unlock it. He took the tube of Super Glue he had found in Ernie’s desk and carefully put a couple of drops into the
recesses and applied liberal amounts of glue to the edges of the lid for good measure. The box was locked and he waited a few minutes before trying to unlock it again. As he had guessed, the lock would not budge and the box remained firmly sealed.
The box was returned to the bedside drawer where he had found it the previous evening. He made sure the drawer was left in the exact condition as when he had found it. Now he would have to wait for Mark’s return and hope that he could distract him until Ernie returned.
The refurbishment team arrived on the Monday morning and Gerry showed their supervisor, Adam, around the Centre and handed him a set of keys so they could let themselves in each day.
“On my list of work, I have, clean and re-tile the swimming pool area, update equipment in the café kitchen and re-lay a new floor in the gymnasium, along with various painting and decorating tasks in the reception area. Is there anything to add to the list?”
“The two office areas need no work done as well as the upstairs storeroom. We’ve already given that a coat of paint. But Mr Newsham asked if you could check the safety of the outside staircase that leads to the exterior balcony.”
Gerry also told him which parts of the Centre Ernie wanted to be kept off limits.
Adam nodded but added.
“That’s fine. Oh, by the way, just to let you know, a Councillor Barnes has taken an interest in this project and he may pay a surprise visit during the work. Not sure why he’s so interested, it’s nothing to do with his department.”
Gerry understood immediately but said nothing to the supervisor. Ernie had left instructions of what to say to the Councillor if he started to get too inquisitive. As well as having to change the door lock to the storeroom, Gerry would have to dismantle some of the exercise equipment in order for part of the refurbishment work to be carried out. This would give him the legitimate excuse to be on hand should Barnes turn up at the Centre.
Late on the Friday afternoon of the first week of the refurbishment work Gerry was moving the last piece of exercise equipment to allow the workmen full access to replace the flooring.
The Reluctant Villain Page 32