by Ellis, Tim
‘How are you feeling?’
Jerry had brought her parents and the children in to see him even though it was likely the doctor would let him go home tomorrow. He’d smiled, hugged and kissed them, and then the grandparents had taken the children away to annoy everybody in the restaurant.
‘I feel a bit tired, love. I’ll need lots of TLC when I come home.’
‘Like that’s going to happen. If they’re sending you home, you’d better be up to the task. I can’t remember the last time I had a decent man in my bed.’
‘I’ve only been in here a week.’
‘No, it’s been longer than that.’
‘We’re not talking about the same thing, are we?’
‘I’m going to train as a barrister,’ Jerry blurted out.
Ray was quiet for a minute and then said, ‘I think that’s a brilliant idea.’
‘You’re not angry?’
‘Why would I be angry?’
‘The children.’
‘We’ll sort something out. I might even retire and become a house-husband.’
‘At forty-one! I don’t think so, Raymond Kowalski. All this lying around in bed has addled your brain. I didn’t marry a hunk so that he could turn into a house-husband. You’ll get yourself back to work where you belong.’
‘Yes, dear.’
‘Do you remember that fifty thousand pounds?’
‘The drug money Donnelly transferred into our account?’
‘Yes. Well, everybody seems to have forgotten about it, and I used most of what we had trying to clear your name, so we’re broke.’
‘I’m sure they’ll remember sooner or later, and whoever’s account it came from will want it back as well.’
‘In the meantime...’
‘You really will get us arrested if you start spending it. It’s not our money.’
‘When they want it back, we’ll let them have it. In the meantime, I’m going to invest it in Charlie Baxter and my training. It’ll only be for a short time, until we get all that compensation for what they did to us. Then, we’ll give the money back.’
‘I’m not happy about it, Jerry.’
‘It’ll be all right, trust me.’
***
Saturday, 8th March
‘Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, you know,’ Richards said.
‘Do I look stupid?’
They’d jumped on the ten fifty-three train from Chigwell to Liverpool Street on the Central Line. At Liverpool Street they hopped onto the Circle Line, and caught the train to Paddington Station.
Now, they were five minutes away from their destination.
‘I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it might incriminate me.’
‘Is that all you could find out?’
‘Well, I wondered why they’d added the number five? It’s like an echo – five, five. Maybe it means 55, or E5. And why is it written after your name? Does it mean that you should investigate Epsilon 5, or that you are Epsilon 5, or...’
‘You can stop talking now – my ears are beginning to throb. I’m sure that as soon as we arrive at Paddington, all your questions will be answered.’
‘Do you think...? No, it couldn’t be.’
He didn’t chomp on the bait.
‘What if...?’
The train pulled into the station. When the doors opened, they made their way up to the mainline station, and then onto Platform 8.
He handed the woman the Left Luggage slip.
‘Ah! This was when luggage was “luggage”. Now, it’s “excess baggage”.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘Left luggage used to belong to British Rail, but now it belongs to Excess Baggage (Airports) Ltd.’
‘I see.’
‘And anyway, you’re ten years too late.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Well, look...’ She pointed to the ticket. ‘The date: 11th July 2002 – ten years ago.’
‘Yes, I know that.’
‘Then you’ll also know that we only keep unclaimed luggage for seven days, and that’s being generous.’
‘So, where is it now?’
‘Ah well! Remember I said about left luggage being owned by British Rail?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, in 2004 it became the responsibility of Excess Baggage (Airports) Ltd.’
‘You’ve already said that.’
‘British Rail would have kept your briefcase here, but now we have to send it to Wembley.’
‘The football stadium?’
‘I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re not one of those with special educational needs, are you?’
Richards giggled. ‘I said as much to him earlier.’
‘You want to listen to this woman, Mister. She knows her tomatoes from her onions.’
‘Where in Wembley?’
‘Even if I told you, you’re forty-five minutes too late – they close for the weekend at one o’clock on Saturday.’
‘We’ll have to come back on Monday, Sir,’ Richards said.
The woman snorted. ‘Monday is a Bank Holiday, so that won’t do you no good.’
Parish’s shoulders slumped. ‘Okay, thanks for your help.’ He turned to go.
‘You’ll need this,’ the woman called after him.
‘Thanks,’ he said, taking the Left Luggage slip and putting it into his inside jacket pocket.
‘And this.’ She handed him a business card with the address of the Wembley storage depot on it. ‘Tuesday’s your best bet, after nine o’clock.’
‘Do you think it will still be there after all this time?’
She pursed her lips, and whistled. ‘Is the Moon made of green cheese?’
####
About the Author
Tim Ellis was born in the bowels of Hammersmith Hospital, London, on a dark and stormy night, grew up in Cheadle, Cheshire, and now lives in Essex with his wife and four Shitzus. In-between, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps at eighteen and completed twenty-two years service, leaving in 1993 having achieved the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (Regimental Sergeant Major). Since then he has worked in secondary education as a senior financial manager, in higher education as an associate lecturer/tutor at Lincoln and Anglia Ruskin Universities, and as a consultant for the National College of School Leadership. His final job, before retiring to write full time in 2009, was as Head and teacher of Behavioural Sciences (Psychology/Sociology) in a secondary school. He has a PhD and an MBA in Educational Management, and an MA in Education.
Discover other titles by Tim Ellis at http://timellis.weebly.com/
Warrior
(Adult Historical Fiction)
Path of Destiny
Scourge of the Steppe
The Knowledge of Time
(Young Adult Science Fiction)
Second Civilisation
Orc Quest
(Young Adult Fantasy)
Book I: Prophecy
Adult Crime:
Harte & KP
Solomon’s Key
Stone & Randall
Jacob’s Ladder
Parish & Richards
A Life for a Life
The Wages of Sin
The Flesh is Weak
The Shadow of Death
His Wrath is Come
The Breath of Life
The Dead Know Not
Be Not Afraid
Quigg
The Twelve Murders of Christmas (Novella)
Body 13
The Graves at Angel Brook
The Skulls Beneath Eternity Wharf
Collected Short Stories/Poetry/Anthologies
Untended Treasures
Where do you want to go today?
Winter of my Heart (Poetry)
With Love Project – The Occupier
Also due out in 2012/2013:
Footprints of the Dead (Tom Gabriel 1)
The Terror at Grisly Park (Quigg 5)
The Gordian Knot (St
one & Randall 2)
The Timekeeper's Apprentice
Orc Quest Book II: The Last Human
The House of Mourning (Parish & Richards 9)