Hope Never Dies

by Mike Holden

  The journey was shorter than Haslam anticipated. Once the car had ground to a halt, he was bungled out and into some kind of building. He was then pushed into a lift that appeared to only travel to one floor. Once out of there, he was taken into a room and sat down on a small and hard chair. The blindfold was then removed. The room was quite small and sparsely furnished except for a large desk and what appeared to be an even larger man behind it. Haslam guessed that he was somewhere in his 40’s but could have been younger. His head was completely bald, probably shaved to make him look even scarier than he seemed. He wore an expensive leather jacket over a black shirt. Two of his associates were stood behind him.

  “Mr Neil Haslam” he said after taking time to assimilate him. “I think I am due an explanation”

  Haslam looked at him, mentally weighing up his options. All three characters looked to be very unsavoury, not unexpected as they were blackmailing him. There was no way that he could escape, particularly as he did not know where he was. The fact that they knew where he lived also had a strong bearing on him deciding to stay. Should he try to bluff and lie his way out of this, as he had done for most of his life? If they found him out, the chances of him continuing to live seemed somewhat remote. He decided that he really did not have alternative but to come clean, but first he must try to wrest some initiative.

  “Can I ask who you are?”

  “No” came the gruff reply “but I’ll tell you anyway. My name is Mr Davies”

  That was not much help.

  “But it is you who is going to do the talking” said Davies, threateningly

  Haslam felt that he had no option and recounted the story from arriving at the restaurant the previous afternoon until now. Davies listened intently and eventually said

  “Describe for me again the tow people who you say stole your bag?”

  Haslam did so but he suddenly recalled that no one had actually mentioned their names. He attempted to appease Davies by going into as much detail as he could remember. He even told Davies where they lived.

  You really are stupid, aren’t you? These cretins steal a large sum of money from you and you don’t even know their names” he shouted at Haslam, “unless of course, they don’t exist and are a figment of your imagination”

  “I can assure you, Mr Davies that they are not”

  “Then find out their fucking names and right now” yelled Davies

  Haslam was mentally quivering and he knew that Davies had him where he wanted

  Davies continued.

  “A bit unfortunate, Mr Haslam, for you anyway. Your delay has cost you twenty-five grand which I see that you have conveniently brought with you.” He said looking at the bag on the floor to his left. He opened the desk drawer in front of him and produced three DVD’s, waving them in front of him

  “Our business is finished. These recordings will be made public, firstly to your wife and family, and then your antics with the girls will be all over the internet by tonight. However, I am not unreasonable. Am I?” he said to his colleagues. They both shook their heads in unison.

  “The third DVD showing what you have thieved from your company will be kept in this drawer for one more week which should give you ample time to find the money, which by the way, will still stand at two hundred and twenty five grand.”

  “You already have the twenty-five grand” He looked at the bag in front of him. Davies smiled at him,

  “That is inconvenience money; the next twenty-five grand is interest. Do you have any problem with that?” He looked at his two associates, as though for confirmation.

  He continued “And don’t try anything stupid. You can’t just walk away from this and if you don’t show then we’ll coming looking for you. Know what I mean?”

  Haslam nodded. He knew only too well what it meant. The conversation was evidently over when Davies indicated to his henchmen. They roughly hauled Haslam from his seat, and replaced the blindfold. He heard Davies say as he was leaving the room.

  “The Astra will be in the same place at the same time next week”

  CHAPTER 14

  Neil Haslam had a lot to think about and once he was released around the corner from his car, he made his way to the nearest decent pub. He ordered a double scotch, not even considering whether or not he was driving later in the day. He thought that he had been very careful in covering his tracks in all his illicit dealings. He recalled to himself how easy it was to embezzle the money from the company and he was able to cover the shortfalls of money by simply changing the sales invoices. The previous months were sweet and satisfying for him as he lavished some of that money on young girls. The more he became used to being in the company of these girls, the more daring he became with the girls becoming younger and younger particularly so with the last two girls, two weeks ago. He was always careful to ask their ages, knowing that they would lie but as far as he was concerned, his conscience was clear. As he saw more of these girls, so the hotel bills spiralled and consequently he rented an apartment near the city centre for his liaisons which he could enjoy without interruptions. The DVD’s showed him with two young girls in this apartment. It was clearly his, but he was racking his brains as to how anyone had found out about it and how anyone could have gained access without his knowledge and installed a couple of cameras. The apartment was supposed to be security protected, but as he discovered to his advantage, yesterday, there was little problem in breaching any security that may be provided by any concierge. But he could not fathom out as to how other people knew about it.

  He bought another Scotch. Still there was no answer to this conundrum. He now had to concentrate on his future. He didn’t give a toss about him being all over the internet porn sites, as his wife and kids would be most unlikely to see him there. He thought that watchers may marvel at his prowess, but he could never be sure as to who was watching, and knowing some of his so-called friends, and it was very likely that some of them would be avid watchers of internet porn. That was a chance that he would have to risk. His main problem was his wife. He knew there would be a problem there, she would throw him out of the house and demand a divorce. He would lose virtually everything. When he was ready, he would go home and see if he could retrieve any of the mess.

  But first he had to find his money. He had absolutely no idea where the Chinese girl and her boyfriend were. Maybe they had escaped on a plane somewhere abroad or maybe they were still in this country. Perhaps that deadbeat policeman might know. He would telephone him in the morning on some pretext. He decided to go home.

  *

  Davies waited for his henchmen to return and called them up to the office. The entrance off the main road was hardly noticeable amidst rusted-iron gates and pot-holes and once through the entrance, the yard gave a similar appearance of dereliction. However, the door in the corner was new and had very strong locks attached. To the observant, there was a small CCTV camera placed next to the door. The entrance to the first floor reeked of decay with the staircase looking very dodgy. However, there was a large lift that was in good working order and this was used by Davies and his associates.

  Whilst the whole area looked derelict and totally neglected, there would never be any vandalism, illicit drug dens or any other activity, as it was well-known that “Mr Davies” owned and used the site, which, in effect, meant that, you kept away from the place if you wanted to stay healthy or even alive.

  In total contrast, while the room that Davies occupied was quite small and sparsely furnished, there was a large oak desk, equipped with a telephone and computer. The chair where Davies was sitting was plush black leather which seemed to mould round his large-framed body. Similarly, the chairs around the room were also made of simulated black leather. However, these were denied to all but the invited. The likes of Haslam had to stand in front of him.

  “What do you make of that story?” he asked them. T
he younger of the two, a thug by the name of Jimmy Reed, was the first to answer. He was tall, well-built but that was down to muscle and not fat. Like his boss he shaved his head as he knew it gave him a more sinister and frightening appearance

  “Boss, it sounds like a load of shite and I’ll be happy to personally in person deliver that DVD to his missus” Reed always led with his mouth first before thinking, but Davies knew this and that once he had given matters some thought his opinions were usually worthwhile. The other minder, more middle-aged than young, was less tall than his colleague but just a broad, again due to muscle and not fat. His face could only be described as butt-ugly but he had long auburn hair that was tied back in a pony-tail, a remnant from a bygone fashion era, but as likely as not, still fashionable when he was young.

  “I agree with Jimmy” he replied. His name was Brian Slater.

  Davies, whose first name was Theodore, but from an early age, he told everybody to call him “Vic”. Those who refused or forgot were soon on the wrong end of his fist and they did not make the same mistake twice. He smiled at them and said,

  “I think that you’re both wrong” This was the cue for them both to seriously consider changing their minds, “And why do I think that? Because I know he was telling the truth. If you were observant, you would have seen that he was practically shitting himself. He was in no position to lie and besides, isn’t the story too far-fetched to be made up. No. He’s telling the truth and there’s two hundred grand out there somewhere waiting to be retrieved. What do you think now?”

  “You could be right, boss” agreed Reed. Slater simply nodded his head in agreement. “Good” he continued, “now that we are all agreed, this is what I want you to do. Jimmy, go to this Chinese bird’s flat and see what you can find. Steve, you can hang on here and drive me home later. Tomorrow morning, Jimmy, you can pay a personal visit to Mrs Haslam, take somebody with you, and personally deliver her package. Haslam will be there of course. Lean on him for any further information.”

  Reed left the room and then Davies said to Slater.

  “Get me my cop friend here. He can earn his keep”

  CHAPTER 15

  That evening saw much reflection and thought over events in the last twenty-four hours or so from everyone concerned.

  The hotel that Kim and Ned were staying in was comfortable but quite basic and they decided to eat in a local restaurant. Kim’s culinary passion was for hot and spicy Indian and they dined at one in the centre of town. Conversation between them was muted purely because of the situation that they found themselves in, how they could extricate themselves from it without compromising their liberty and what they next day might bring. They

  were sitting in a corner of the restaurant, not because they thought that it was necessary still to hide but that they simply did not wish to be overheard. As the Indian food expert, Kim ordered an array of dishes ranging from papodoms and Bombay potatoes to various meats in hot curries.

  “What’s to stop us getting on a train tomorrow morning and returning the money” asked Ned

  “Nothing really” replied Kim, “but at this stage, I don’t think it will do us any good. Let us have a couple of days up here to sort ourselves out better and prepare our defence, after all, no matter what, we are really going to need one and a good lawyer.

  *

  Detective Sergeant Terry Kingsly spent the evening at home reflecting on how two hundred grand would change his life. He could now retire and with the pension he would receive, the rest of his days would be quite comfortable. But first he had to find the elusive Mei-Zing Chen and Edward White. He realised that when interviewing them that they were not criminals and if they had the money, then they were in it up to their necks and they would already have realised that the water was much too deep for them. He would put even more resolve into finding them tomorrow morning. He called Hannah and Alan Payne and told them to be at the station first thing in the morning to review the case. He also wanted some further assistance and asked them to find a volunteer for him.

  *

  Neil Haslam spent a very uncomfortable evening and night with little sleep. He had no doubt that his wife would be in possession of the DVD in the morning and that would be curtains for him. Unfortunately he didn’t know how to tell her even though part of him really wanted to. His priority after his wife was to find the money. He must telephone that policeman in the morning.

  *

  Vic Davies had met his “tame” policemen that evening and obtained some very basic information. He told him to let him have the full details by the following day. He knew there would be no problem there. He went home to his new house, a very palatial one in leafy Alderley Edge, a lifestyle that fitted in well with his new live-in girlfriend. She knew what Vic wanted and knew better than to refuse. Still it was not a price too high to pay for the comfort and security she enjoyed. She worried about the future and the time when Vic would trade her in for a younger model. She had decided to make herself far more useful than just a sex object. She would make herself financially indispensible to him. Once they were settled in their large living room and she sat next to him on the lush settee and gently unzipped his trousers before she leant down and took him orally. She would keep doing this until he was fully satiated. This was his preferred method of ejaculation because he could always see the results of his enjoyment, coupled with the knowing that her other two orifices would always be available to him. Eventually she asked him how the encounter had gone with Haslam

  “The stupid bastard’s lost the money. He says that an old geezer and a young Chinese bird have got it but he says that they’ve done a bunk and he doesn’t know where they are”

  “Is that it then?” she asked

  “You know me. Tomorrow morning Mrs Haslam will know all about her husband and the girls he’s been shagging but I’ve given him some more time regarding the money that he’s nicked. That’s in our interest”

  She smiled knowingly “There’s going to be some real fireworks at the office tomorrow. I shall definitely be there”

  For the new-found girlfriend of Davies’ is none other than Stephanie Dawson, Neil Haslam’s personal assistant and it is no coincidence that she and Davies met up together.

  *

  Kim and Ned were lying together in the double bed but almost at separate ends. He had taken a chance when he requested a double room but, surprisingly, it had met no objections from Kim. Perhaps her mind was elsewhere as she appeared to have had that far-away look for most of the day. His feelings for her, had changed over the period that he had met her from falling head-over-heels in love with her, to becoming good friends and, whilst he would not admit it to her, fatherly love mixed in with a little of the first. John appeared again to him, All you need is love

  He recalled to himself how he had met her four years ago. She was a student at the University of Manchester, studying law and had come to Britain a couple of years previously on what was an arrangement between the university and a local one in a provincial city in north-east China. She was making ends meet by taking a job as a waitress in a local restaurant in Chinatown. Ned had a penchant for Chinese food, particularly the more authentic that was served in this quarter of the city. He noted that Kim, when serving him, had that special sparkle in her eyes and a smile that was more akin to the Mona Lisa. Her youthful beauty made an immediate and lasting impression upon him. In those days, there was that look of child-like innocence which, over the years had matured into an extremely beautiful woman. He knew that her smiles which were directed at him, were purely part of her job and that they meant nothing, but still he could dream.

  On one particular night, a night he subsequently regarded as life changing, because of Kim, he spent a little longer in the restaurant than normal, simply to be near to Kim if he would admit it to himself. After all, he had only a featureless hotel room to return to, and gazing at Ki
m was far preferable. As he sat there he realised that most of the customers had already left and there was just him and a couple of young uncouth and noisy men, obviously the worse for drink. He watched these two men with growing anger as they starting making more and more abusive and obscene comments to Kim, attempting to touch her every time she came near to them. She did her best by trying to smile the situation away. Ned really wanted to sort them out but the coward inside him knew that he would be in for a good hiding if he tried. He needed to pay a visit to the toilet. On returning the sight that greeted him, made his blood boil and he did not hesitate for one second, for these two men had pinned Kim to the floor, one was holding her down, whilst the other was hitting her and trying to remove her clothes. He weighed in, shouted at the top of his voice, picked up a water jug from the nearest table, smashed it over the head of the one on top of Kim and then started on the other. The noise had alerted the kitchen staff and two men, one very young and one elderly came into the restaurant to help Ned free the girl. After his initial success with the water jug, he picked up another and smashed it at the second lout.

  “Police will be here any minute” shouted the old man. Still stunned, the two thugs staggered out of the restaurant, threatening dire retribution in Anglo-Saxon expletives. Ned helped Kim onto a chair and poured her a glass of water. He told the young man to bring her a cup of sweet tea. As he went into the kitchen, the sound of the police sirens could be heard that stopped outside the restaurant. Two policemen came through the door. As the only non-Chinese in the place, they initially approached Ned, who recounted the incident to them, describing the thugs in as great a detail as possible. One of the policemen relayed this information into his radio. The two Chinese appeared to be quite un-cooperative, claiming to speak and understand very little English. They turned to Kim who was slowly sipping her tea and whimpering softly. Ned explained that she was not in a fit state to talk to them and wouldn’t they be better to come back the following day when she was feeling better. They agreed and left.