Heartless Reaction

by Dawn Marsanne

  ‘Congratulations. How much are you offering?’

  ‘He wanted half a million but I’ve offered four twenty. I’ll go up a bit higher but not the full whack.’

  ‘Goodness, quite a sum. Remind me, where is the money coming from?’

  ‘Alpha Motors. Sidney received the money recently. It’s been on deposit for such an occasion. I didn’t know about this but perhaps I had a sort of sixth sense which made me tell Sidney not to tie up the funds.’

  ‘So, what does that take your stake up to?’

  ‘I don’t know exactly but it’s around eighteen percent. Possibly a bit more?’

  ‘So, you’re the next biggest equity holder after the University then?’

  ‘Looks like it. I can’t believe it really. If you’d asked me twenty years ago whether I’d be invested in such an enterprise I’d just have laughed.’

  ‘It’s a good cause. I’m very proud of you.’

  ‘Thanks, Maureen, it means a lot to hear you say that,’ he held her hand. His gaze wandered past Maureen to the work being done by the gardeners. ‘God, those edges don’t look very neat,’ he said, getting up and striding over the lawn.

  Maureen could hear Ron giving him instructions.

  ‘Look, we are paying you good money to do this and I don’t want a shoddy job!’

  Ron was shouting now and the supervisor wandered over.

  ‘Look at that as well,’ he said pointing to a rose bush. ‘It’s a bit lopsided!’

  Maureen sighed. It wasn’t that bad but Ron was such a perfectionist when it came to having work done. Suddenly she saw him raise his hand to his chest. Maureen sprinted across to the group of men.

  ‘Ron, stop getting annoyed, it’s bringing on your angina. Come and sit down.’

  ‘Stop, fuss...’ Ron started to say but didn’t finish. He fumbled in his pocket for his spray. Maureen stood holding his arm whilst he sprayed under his tongue and they waited for the pains to subside. The gardeners looked on with concern.

  ‘Can we do anything, madam?’ one of them asked.

  ‘It’s OK, thank you. Better, Ron?’

  ‘Yes, it was only mild. I’ll just sit in the shade for a while.’

  Maureen carried on with her emails whilst Ron recovered.

  ‘I want you to phone Sandhills, chase up your operation.’

  ‘Oh, no, I’m OK, really. There’s just a lot going on at the moment.’

  ‘If you don’t phone them, I will.’

  ‘No, leave it.’

  ‘OK, no phone call, no dinner party tonight. I’ll phone Katie to cancel.’ She produced her mobile and scrolled through the contacts.

  ‘OK, OK! God, you are a bully,’ said Ron. ‘You are starting to sound like me!’

  Maureen smiled. For once she had the upper hand. It was an unusual feeling. She wondered how long it would be before she was in this position again.

  Ron picked up his mobile and phoned Dr Young’s secretary, explaining that she was arranging an operation for him.

  ‘When? No, that’s no good,’ he replied.

  Maureen started to question his decision but he flapped his hand at her.

  ‘Well, I suppose so, I just need to check with someone.’

  Maureen could hardly believe her ears. She was actually being consulted. Was she dreaming?

  ‘Friday?’

  Maureen nodded.

  ‘OK, yes, when? Afternoon. Right, thanks.’

  Ron sighed. ‘Friday this week. Best to get it over with I suppose.’

  ‘That’s a relief,’ replied Maureen.

  ‘They are sending out a letter with all the details,’ he paused. ‘Maureen, I hope you don’t mind not going on a honeymoon just at the moment?’

  ‘Course not.’

  ‘Really? There’s just so much going on at the moment. But we’ll book something for the winter. Go somewhere warm. How about that?’

  ‘Lovely. Anyway, I’m busy as well with Hubert’s estate and the property business. It’s not a good time.’

  ‘I did wonder whether we should have left getting married until later in the year.’

  ‘Well, it’s too late to change things now, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so.’

  ‘I’m beginning to worry you are having second thoughts,’ said Maureen.

  ‘Don’t be silly. No, it’s just that I would have liked it to be more special for you. I should be taking you away for a magical holiday somewhere exotic.’

  ‘I’m quite happy, I don’t need that sort of thing. Anyway, we have our own little haven here, don’t we?’

  ‘You’re so understanding,’ said Ron. ‘Thank you.’ He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

  ‘Right, well I’d better check all is ready in the dining room for this evening. What do you want for lunch today?’

  ‘Just a sandwich,’ replied Ron. He realised he also had something to sort out for this evening as well. He smiled. Preparation was the key to success. It could be his motto. Fortunately, others weren’t as diligent in this respect which enabled him to stay one step ahead.

  **

  DI Mike Harris was at a crime scene on the Lensfield Estate. The Scene of Crime Officers, SOCOs for short were gathering evidence whilst waiting for the police pathologist to arrive to assess the body at the scene.

  ‘Mr Price? I understand you found the body this morning?’ said the Inspector. The man who had reported the crime had a varied selection of tattoos and facial piercings. The stud in his right eyebrow looked infected and Mike could see a painful looking pustule next to it.

  ‘Yes, I was taking my dog for a walk. He was off the lead and as we walked past here he ran down the alleyway and started barking. I couldn’t shut him up. I tried calling him but he wouldn’t come away so I came to look.’

  ‘That’s when you found the victim?’

  ‘Yeah, it were a shock. Horrible sight. I told your officer that I was sick, you can see the puke there.’

  Mike had indeed seen the vomit. Fortunately, it wasn’t actually over the body.

  ‘Sorry, but I couldn’t help it. Not when I saw the poor bugger.’

  ‘It’s understandable, sir,’ said Mike Harris. ‘Now, did your dog go right up to the body? Touch it in any way?’

  ‘Er, well, I’m not sure,’ said the man, evasively.

  ‘Please just tell us everything you know, sir.’

  ‘Well, I think Benji, my dog, did sniff around. I think he might have had a chew. I pulled him off as soon as I could but he must have been attracted by the blood. He sort of went mad.’

  Inwardly Mike Harris sighed. He looked down at the vicious looking bull terrier type of dog which was slavering all over the pavement. It had a strong leather lead which looked more like a hawser for mooring a ship than for restraining a dog and this was attached to an equally strong metal collar. In Mike’s view, Benji seemed the most inappropriate name for the beast. He looked into its hostile eyes and stepped back a pace. A car pulled up alongside them and Alistair Gordon alighted.

  ‘Morning, doctor,’ said Mike Harris. ‘The victim is down the alleyway.’

  The dog growled and strained on the leash as the pathologist passed by.

  ‘Sit! Benji, shut the fuck up!’ shouted the owner.

  ‘Right, well, if you could give your details to the constable here, you can go home. We might need to contact you. If you think of anything else, please give us a call.’

  ‘OK, thanks. Actually, I’ve just thought of something else.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Er, well, I think Benji might have cocked his leg on the bloke as well. He can’t help it. It’s his usual patch. We come down this way every morning.’

  ‘Thank you, we’ll be in touch,’ said Mike Harris. He looked around him and didn’t doubt what Mr Price had just told him. The floor was littered with dog faeces. Out of sight and out of mind meant nobody bothered to clear up after their dog. He walked carefully down towards the pathologist to see what he coul
d glean from the scene.

  Chapter 36

  On Monday evening, the chemistry team was gathering at Barista Nuovo for drinks and a meal to celebrate the patent filing of UP-627-TK. The evening was being paid for out of the PersCure budget as a way of thanking people for the long hours and concerted effort which had been expended.

  ‘Hi, Adam, there’s a tab behind the bar, get whatever you would like,’ said Pat Dunford.

  ‘Anyone else want a refill as I’m going?’ asked Adam Newman.

  ‘Another lager,’ said Nick. ‘Brett’s been held up but Matt should be here soon, ah here he is.

  Greetings were exchanged.

  ‘What time are we eating?’ asked Matt, ‘I’m starving.’ He looked at his watch, it’s over seven hours since my measly sandwich at lunchtime.’

  ‘I booked the table for eight,’ said Hannah. ‘Not long now.’

  ‘So, Nick, are you going to make a speech?’ asked Pat, ‘as you coordinated all the patent write-up?’

  ‘Ha! I don’t think so. Everyone knows it was a real team effort.’

  ‘Here’s to the team!’ shouted Matt and everyone raised their glasses.

  ‘Oh, look who’s turned up,’ said Nick. ‘Nice of you to join us!’

  ‘Very funny,’ said Brett. ‘I can’t help it if I’m dedicated to my work!’

  ‘Always the same,’ said Matt. ‘He forgot that he agreed to give Annabelle a lift this evening, didn’t you?’

  ‘No, I did not! The taxi was late. Bunch of idiots. Claimed I’d booked it for tomorrow.’

  ‘Right, I think we should go over to our table, now,’ said Hannah.

  ‘I’ll join you in a minute,’ said Adam who gave his glass to Nick and headed off to the Gents’ toilets.

  The group had pre-ordered their meals to save time so the starters were just appearing when Adam returned.

  ‘You’ll never guess what happened in the toilets,’ said Adam.

  ‘I don’t think we want to know!’ said Brett, ‘someone tried to pick you up did they?’

  Everyone laughed.

  ‘So funny,’ said Adam. ‘No, I was offered drugs by a scrawny young lad. He was a bit aggressive too.’

  ‘Really? What here? But it’s quite a smart place,’ said Hannah.

  ‘He had a tattoo of a spider’s web on his neck. Keep away from him if you see him. Anyway, he produced a selection of wraps out of his pocket, told me he would do me a special offer!’

  ‘What did you do?’asked Hannah.

  ‘I told him I wasn’t interested, of course.’

  ‘He then asked me if I was at the University and could I spread the word for people to call a special number.’

  ‘So, what then?’

  ‘I told him to get lost, although those weren’t the exact words I used.’

  ‘You don’t think he’s one of these Drug Lines, what are they called?’ said Hannah.

  ‘County Lines,’ said Brett. ‘Wouldn’t surprise me, they are spreading everywhere.’

  ‘Do you think I should have got the number and given it to the police?’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry about it, I’m sure they will have heard of it. Now, enough talk about drugs, legal or otherwise,’ said Brett. ‘I think I fancy another drink.’

  **

  The six guests plus their hosts Ron and Maureen had enjoyed an amazing three-course meal prepared and served by Katie. They had started with a medley of smoked fish, followed by grilled lamb cutlets and were now having a break before the cheesecake and fruit were served. Maureen had seated Geraldine and Christian opposite Sidney and Melissa Failsworth. They seemed quite well matched and as Melissa was younger than Sidney by about eight years she wasn’t much older than Geraldine. She thought she had overheard Melissa suggesting to Geraldine that they should go out together one evening for a pizza and a film.

  Ron seemed slightly subdued compared with his normal ebullient self but perked up when he was able to score some points against Gerald Shipton.

  ‘So, you’ve been having a few problems in your shops then Gerald?’

  ‘It’s one thing after another. One of my pharmacists left as he wanted to move nearer to London, something to do with his parents. You know I had to get rid of that bastard Bolton, after that..., he lowered his voice. ‘Well, after he’d been stealing from me.’

  ‘Did you call the police?’

  ‘Shush, no, we didn’t want the publicity. He agreed to go quietly.’

  ‘Why did you let him dictate terms?’ asked Ron. ‘I’d have had him hung out to dry!’

  ‘Because it would look like we didn’t have proper procedures in place. Besides, there was some other dodgy business.’

  ‘What? Don’t tell me he was downloading porn at work,’ laughed Ron as he filled his glass up with red wine.

  ‘Gerald, perhaps we shouldn’t go into all this now,’ said Felicity.

  ‘Oh, it’s OK, Ron won’t say anything.’

  ‘Now I am intrigued,’ said Ron, wondering whether there could be any information he could store away in his capacious memory and use to his advantage in the future.

  ‘It’s just something one of the other employees said.’ Gerald sniffed slightly. ‘They think he might have been connected with that Britannia First group.’

  ‘Really? Those who bombed the barracks?’

  ‘Well, we don’t know it was them exactly. It could have been another group of nutters. They thought they overheard him once when he was on his break, talking to someone about, er, well, it wasn’t a very nice word, about ethnic minorities and the like.’

  ‘So, was he ordering bomb making stuff through your shop then?’

  ‘Ron! Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Gerald, too quickly in Ron’s opinion. ‘Ha! What a thought. No, he just seemed a bit prejudiced that’s all. Oh, cheesecake, lovely.’

  The guests had varying ratios of cheesecake and fresh fruit and then Maureen asked Katie if she would serve coffee in the lounge.

  ‘You all go through,’ said Ron. ‘Christian and I are going to wander over to my office. We just need to discuss a few things.’

  ‘Not tonight,’ said Maureen. ‘Give poor Christian a break. Can’t you discuss it tomorrow?’

  ‘It’s OK, Mrs Welch,’ replied Christian, ‘I suggested we discuss something actually. We won’t be long.’

  Geraldine smiled at Christian and continued to chat with Melissa as they made their way through to the lounge and coffee.

  ‘Right, I’ll show you my office, this way,’ indicated Ron. ‘We have to go outside I’m afraid.’

  ‘Lovely place you’ve got here,’ said Christian pleasantly. Despite being nervous at the start of the meal, the wine had given him some courage and it was time for some plain speaking with his employer.

  **

  Dylan Beggs’ trade had been very poor that evening. He had been forced to try to expand the network into some of the more upmarket areas of Persford but his protestations had been ignored. Now it was approaching 11 p.m. and despite hanging around several smarter drinking venues he’d only sold three wraps of coke. If he reported back that sort of turnover to his supplier he would be liable for a good beating.

  As he ambled through the town centre, Dylan decided to catch the number sixteen bus to the Lensfield Estate where he would be more likely to offload his remaining night’s supply. He could also pop back home and collect his bike so he could cover more ground. There was also a chance that business would be booming in another area and he would get a call to do a delivery further afield.

  Tomorrow he would have a chat with his sister Savannah and try to impress on her not to go out alone. His past cautions had been ignored but she simply had no idea how dangerous the boys from London were. The new kids on the block were in an entirely different league and he wished he’d had the sense not to become involved.

  **

  ‘Take a seat,’ said Ron.

  Christian sat down and looked around Ron’s office. ‘It’s very secluded down he
re away from the main house. I can’t hear a thing.’

  ‘Yes, it means I can think without being interrupted. When Natasha was alive she used to play her music loudly and it was hard to concentrate. Besides, it’s good to separate work and home life.’

  Christian could wait no longer, ‘Well, now the pleasantries are out of the way, I think I should stop pretending. I’ve had enough with the way things are being run. You are being totally manipulative and not showing me any respect. I went along with your, well, your plans which were somewhat borderline, if I’m being kind because we had a deal to help each other out.’

  ‘We did and I thought you had come around to my way of doing business.’

  ‘I must say I do admire the way you can strike a deal and turn around businesses which are failing. However, you cross the line. It’s simply not acceptable to forge documents, tell lies, bend the rules all the time. I can’t go along with it any longer.’

  Ron raised his eyebrows.

  ‘What do you plan to do?’

  ‘I want you to start to respect me. I am not going to forge signatures again and I am not prepared to swap paying patients for those who are next in the queue.’

  ‘So, those who had to wait a couple of weeks for a later trial. What happened?’

  ‘They are OK, well, not exactly well but no worse, one is actually better than she was as her tumour has reduced.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘What do you mean so?’

  ‘They are OK. No damage was done.’

  ‘No, not in this instance but there might have been.’

  ‘Might.’

  ‘Yes, might.’

  ‘Lots of things might happen,’ said Ron. ‘They might have caught flu and died of pneumonia as they were so unwell. They might have had a car accident on the way home. Lots of things might have happened.’

  ‘I’m not following you.’

  ‘Well, what I mean is that sometimes you over think things. You aren’t flexible. We have to consider the bigger picture. Sometimes you have to make a decision which will benefit the greater good. The fact that the Clinical Unit is still operating is benefiting the whole area.’

  ‘It’s called ethics. We should all be bound by that. It separates us from animals.’