The owner, Valerie Simmons, had left Diane in temporary charge while she went on a month’s cruise around the Caribbean, not realising her deputy was embezzling funds from her business by not entering the names of all guests who had stayed at the guest house.
But Gerry’s arrival had been an unexpected bonus. Diane had cleared out Sally’s belongings from her house and had found a couple of references to him, including his telephone number. When he had made his booking to stay at the B&B she quickly formulated a couple of different schemes to trick him into handing over some cash and it turned out to be much easier than she could have dared hope.
There had to be no evidence of Gerry and the seven other guests who had stayed and paid in cash but had not been entered into the official register. Diane had made a profit of nearly £2700 from this scam in the three weeks she had been in charge. All other current guests would have left by midday on that Friday.
She had even gone to the trouble of replenishing the food and other items consumed by the unregistered guests so as not to arouse the suspicion of the owner.
Just before retiring for the night Diane received a phone call from her partner,
“Nobody will touch that brooch, there’s some inscription on the back that’s putting off my contacts and the best offer I was given was £20 so what do you want me to do, sell or hang on to it?”
She was convinced the brooch was worth far more,
“I’ve made a nice little profit here so hang on to it, I’ll bet we will get more if we flog it abroad. I can’t stay chatting, I need to have an early night so that I can be long gone before Ma Simmons turns up”
She was alone in the house that night and was not prepared for the images that haunted her dreams.
The first dream involved the brooch, showing Gerry giving it to Sally who was then replaced by an elderly lady Diane did not recognise. She was then led down a dark corridor that opened out into a large meadow which was full of flowers and several people dressed in striped clothes. The other thing Diane noticed about these people was everyone, including the children had shaved heads.
Instinctively she placed one of her hands on her own head and discovered that it had been shaved in the same way. The next moment the woman had led Diane to the front of a queue that was filing towards a large building with two large chimneys billowing out dark rancid smoke into the air. Diane tried to run but the other people behind blocked her escape and started laughing as they pushed her towards the open doorway.
She awoke bathed in sweat and shaking uncontrollably, only then comprehending the significance of the other people’s appearance. As in the dream Diane put her hand onto the top of her head and was relieved to discover the familiar cropped mop of hair was still intact.
She got out of bed, put on her dressing gown and went downstairs to raid the drinks cabinet Mrs Simmons kept for special occasions. Her hands were still shaking slightly as she poured the second drink in an attempt to wipe the images of the dream from her mind. Tiredness took over and she reluctantly went back to bed. She slept for about two hours before another dream arrived. This time she was with Pete in an open top sports car and they were driving down a country road laughing and joking at their good fortune. Diane glanced to her left and saw the same building with two chimneys billowing out smoke. She screamed at Pete who was distracted and had to swerve violently to avoid a giant dumper truck that was heading straight for them. The building had disappeared but in its place was a yawning chasm and the car was pushed over the edge. Once again Diane awoke shaking and sobbing.
When she eventually managed to calm her nerves, Diane remembered Pete didn’t own a sports car and sleep enveloped her once again with no further such dreams.
******
Gerry arrived home in the late evening and was glad to discover Mark was not around but there was a message on the answer phone from Ernie.
‘Gerry, not sure when you’re coming back tonight but Mark and I are going out on patrol. He’s not very happy about the guns but I told him there had been an attempted break-in at your flat and you moved the guns for safe keeping, so stick to that story when you meet up.’
He had to listen to the message a second time before deleting it from the memory of the phone.
He heard Mark enter the flat about three o’clock in the morning and braced himself for a visit to his room. Sure enough, there was a loud rap on his door and Mark pushed against the door but Gerry had locked himself in the room. The shout from outside told him Mark was not in the best of moods.
“Open up Gerry or I’ll kick this bloody door in, you and me need to talk and I aint waiting till morning.”
“Ok, keep your hair on. Just give me a minute to wake up properly. I’ve been on a coach for the best part of yesterday.”
There was a muffled threat from the other side of the door but no further comments. Gerry put on a pair of jeans and T-shirt before unlocking his door and meeting Mark in the lounge. Mark rose from the chair and stared menacingly at him.
“Why the hell did you give those guns to Ernie? Kevin gave them to me for my use. You had no right giving them to that ex-copper.”
“Did Ernie tell you about the break-in, you must have left your window open when you buggered off on your holiday? Someone had got into your room and the window was open when I checked it after hearing noises.”
Mark was spoiling for a fight and snarled.
“I’m damn sure I didn’t leave any window open. This is the story you and Ernie have concocted just to hide the guns from me. You’ve no bloody right! Kevin gave them to me so hand them over Gerry, or so help me I’ll beat the hell out of you if you don’t!”
Gerry managed to hide the fear he felt and spoke calmly.
“Mark, I heard noises in your room and when I went to investigate the drawer of your bedside cabinet was fully open and I could see the box in there. A few minutes more and that person would have got hold of the guns, it was lucky the box was jammed tight in the drawer.
“Just think Mark, if the police had found out about the guns they would have been crawling over here and the Centre and discovered the stolen stuff there. That would have meant curtains for us and Ernie. And even Kevin if they caught up with him, at least this way the guns are safer where they are and we’re still free to carry on.”
Mark calmed down slightly as he followed Gerry’s reasoning but still felt aggrieved.
“Maybe so, but I still need to have a bit of practice now and then.”
“Remember what Ernie said about using guns? That would make the police even more determined to catch us. And Ernie’s contact on the police authority would get cold feet, from what I’ve seen of him.”
Mark looked puzzled.
“How come you know who he is and how did you meet.”
“This gave Gerry the opportunity to turn the conversation to a different subject and he relayed the story of Councillor Barnes and his attempts to search Ernie’s office for the incriminating video tape. When he finished with the part about the Councillor falling through the outside staircase and ripping his expensive clothing Mark was laughing.
Mark stood up to leave the room but not before saying.
“I’ll explain more in the morning but Ernie reckons it would be a good idea to make the nightly patrols more noticeable but at the same time, you and me go out on foot to do a few jobs on our own.”
The relief was clear to see on Gerry’s features, it looked as if Mark had accepted his explanation.
But nothing could be further from the truth. As soon as he had left the room and closed the door, Mark muttered to himself.
“Oh no kiddo, you and me have unfinished business over those guns but I can wait.”
It was a couple of days later before Ernie summoned them into his office to explain his new working methods.
“We’re going to rotate duties in this way from next week. I will go out on patrol on my own while you two break in to businesses that refuse to play ball. Just make it obvious t
hat you’ve been in and taken stuff or caused some damage. The Market Man has gone away on a trip to South America and I’ve got the use of his van for a few weeks. It’s almost identical to ours so we’ll swop the logo and number plates. I’ll drive that vehicle and you will have use of ours, but only if you need it to transport goods back here. If you’re going just to cause damage it would be best if you are on foot for a quick getaway. We will stick to the same number of patrols per week so as not to arouse suspicion. Any questions?”
“You mean we will be doing all the break-ins while you swan around in the van each night?” Mark asked sarcastically.
“No Mark, we will rotate the duties when I say so, you might be doing the patrol while Gerry and I do the other stuff, or you and Gerry swop the patrol duties and I go to persuade any reluctant clients the error of their ways.”
Gerry chipped in with a query.
“There’s usually two of us on security patrol, if we are being watched, won’t that look odd?”
Ernie’s answer surprised them both.
“There’s a couple of the older kids that are regulars at the Centre want some pocket money so I’m letting them join me on patrol on odd days.”
Gerry was not happy.
“Ernie, you distinctly said we weren’t to involve any of the kids in our business, so why the change of heart?”
Ernie shook his head.
“They’re not getting involved in our business in any way. They will only go out on patrol with me and that’s all it will be, a genuine patrol. And don’t give them any reason to be suspicious, especially you, Mark.”
“But why? Gerry persisted.
“I’ve heard mutterings amongst some of those attending the Centre linking us with the break-ins. By taking a couple of them out on patrol I want to show them it’s all above board, a security patrol nothing more nothing less.”
The other two said nothing so Ernie continued.
“Tonight Mark, it’s you and me again on patrol, Gerry you can come out with me on Tuesday.”
Before he could say anything else his phone rang. The receptionist told Ernie someone wanted to speak to him. When he was told the name, Ernie cursed quietly but said he would meet him in his office downstairs in a couple of minutes. He put the phone down and addressed Mark and Gerry.
“I’ve got an unexpected visitor downstairs so I want you two to keep your heads down until he’s gone.”
“Who is it?” Mark asked.
Ernie hesitated before saying one word.
“Proudfoot” and left the room.
Mark scowled at Gerry.
“It’s at times like this when I wish I knew where those guns are hidden, if the cops have sussed us out then I want to go down fighting.”
Gerry looked at him with incredulity.
“Are you crazy? We don’t know what the copper is here for, it could be something totally innocent, and you want to start a war with your bloody guns. Let Ernie handle it, it’s his ex-mate he’s meeting for God’s sake.”
Mark turned to face his companion with a look of pure malice on his face.
“You think Ernie is your bloody mate and tells you the truth all the time, yeah? Well, I know him better than you Gerry baby and I bet you anything one of his dark secrets from the past involves you in some way.”
Gerry laughed.
“You’re crazy Mark. Until I got involved in this security caper of his I’d only met him as a customer in Mr Evans shop.”
“I still think he’s more tolerant of your mistakes than anyone else. To me, that smells of favouritism for some reason or other.”
Gerry sensed he was being wound up by his colleague so he said nothing.
Ernie met Peter Proudfoot in the foyer and invited him to enter his downstairs office.
Once both men had sat down facing each other over the large desk Ernie opened the conversation.
“So, Peter, to what do I owe this visit. I thought you were a busy man these days.”
Rather than come to the point immediately the Sergeant said quietly.
“Yes, enough to keep me busy. How was your trip to Australia?”
Ernie knew his ex-colleague well enough to know he would only come to the reason for his visit when he was good and ready. But he wasn’t going to let him dictate the pace. He had a good idea why this meeting was taking place.
“Peter, we are both busy people and I don’t have time for idle chit chat right now, so can I assume this visit is to do with Robin’s tragic death?”
Proudfoot gave a small cough before responding.
“Very well. I know you travelled to Australia on the day before the fire and would not have had any direct involvement in the blaze.”
Ernie put his hand up and spoke in clipped tones.
“Stop right there Peter! I had neither direct, nor indirect involvement, or even prior knowledge of the fire. Damn it, Robin and Stella brought me back to full health and I counted them amongst my closest friends.”
It was Proudfoot’s turn to hold up his hands in submission.
“I’m sorry Ernie, that didn’t come out as I intended it to. I apologise. With this investigation and all the other break-ins continuing I’ve been on double shifts for the past week.”
For the first time he noticed the look of exhaustion in his ex-colleagues features and the slump of his shoulders made him look ten years older. The Sergeant continued.
“I’ve spoken to young Gerry and he told me what he and the other lad, who works for you, were doing. But there’s one character we are anxious to have a word with, have you seen anything of, or heard rumours about Graham Bishop since you came back?”
Ernie had not been prepared for this turn of events so he asked cautiously.
“What makes you suspect Bishop?”
“Something Gerry let slip when I had a brief chat with him. He remembers Bishop threatening to burn David Evans shop down some time back, unless he paid protection money. No sign has been seen of friend Bishop since the Stockwell fire.”
Ernie was genuinely surprised at the first part of Proudfoot’s comment. But he decided to take a gamble.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard about such threats, but I’ve just remembered something totally unconnected.
“It’s not the first time he’s disappeared on an extended leave of absence. I heard rumours that he had tried to pull a fast one over some items he was trying to flog to a London mob. They were not at all happy with Mr Bishop and wanted to even things up.”
Proudfoot perked up at this news.
“We checked out his whereabouts leading up to the fire and he was definitely at his favourite watering hole that evening but left early to keep an appointment with someone.”
The subject was getting too close to home for Ernie’s liking so he tried to change tack.
“What about my old mate, Inspector Gates, hasn’t he come up with an answer?”
For a moment Proudfoot looked surprised at Ernie’s comment.
“Oh, you haven’t heard the latest. Gates has been promoted to Chief Inspector and gone up North to run their Regional Crime Squad. I’ve got a new boss now, an Inspector Stevens.”
For a second Ernie’s spirits lightened. With Gates out of the way would there be a chance of getting his job back in the Force? Then reality took over, Gates had finished any chance of him returning, with his damning report that even a top lawyer couldn’t fight. Proudfoot interrupted his thoughts.
“Well, there’s not much else to say. I’m off to catch up on some much needed shut eye. If you do hear any news of Bishop, be sure to let me know.”
“You can depend on it Peter.” Ernie replied, still feeling some rancour at Gates’ involvement in his dismissal from the Force.
After showing the Sergeant out Ernie returned to his upper office to share the news with Mark and Gerry.
“You two might have got lucky. The police have Graham Bishop down as their number one suspect for the Stockwell fire.”
; “How come? “Mark asked.
“Thanks to Gerry here who told Sergeant Proudfoot that your Father once threatened to burn down the shop he worked in. Do you remember saying that?” he said, turning to face his assistant. Gerry merely nodded but remained silent. The memory conjured up another reminder of Sally. His eyes glazed over and he left the room.
It was time to make a phone call.
“Vicarage Road B&B, can I help you?”
Gerry was a bit surprised at the voice of the woman who answered the call, it definitely was not the woman he knew as Valerie. This person sounded a lot older.
“Hello? Vicarage Road B&B, can I help you”, the woman repeated with a slight hint of irritation in her voice.
Gerry replied to this less than homely greeting.
“Could I speak to Valerie please?”
It was the woman’s turn to hesitate but when she finally answered the temperature in her voice had dropped several degrees.
“Excuse me! This is Mrs Valerie Simmons speaking! Now would you mind telling me your name and purpose of your call or I shall put the phone down.”
Gerry had a sudden thought and replied.
“Mrs Simmons, my name is Gerry Reynolds and I stayed at your B&B last week and the lady in charge told me her name was Valerie, your daughter perhaps?”
The frosty reply came back.
“Mr Reynolds, I do not have a daughter. You say you stayed here last week. Wait one moment while I check the guest register.”
The only sound to break the silence for the next few minutes was the intermittent turning of pages and rustling of paper. When she returned to the phone the irritation in her voice had barely diminished.
“Mr Reynolds, I have no record of anyone with that name staying here, and I have gone back to the time before I went on holiday. Are you sure it was here at my establishment that you stayed?”
“I’m certain I stayed at your place. I can describe the room and view in detail if you want me to do so and a rough description of the four other guests who were also present.”
The Reluctant Villain Page 35