by Sam Fintz
Suddenly the lift doors opened. 10 more people spilled into the apartment. They were all “checked in” and given a glass of bubbly. Aiden was really loving this. He had had a few lines and was now onto the vodka martinis that Will poured so well. He just kept them coming.
People were dancing, drinking, snorting and some were getting really close. It was only 3 in the afternoon, but it was looking to be a great afternoon.
At around 5 Aiden got a call and without telling anyone he left, leaving the party going. He knew that within the hour most of them would either leave or head to one of the five large bedrooms for a bit more fun.
Aiden retrieved his Ferrari from the underground garage and roared off to meet with his mysterious caller. He took the long way around and ended up on Wilbraham Road. He liked that way around as there were lots of lights to scream away from in the Ferrari.
The call Aiden had received earlier was from Anna and he was feeling excited at seeing her again. She was from the wrong side of the tracks and his father would never approve, but she understood him, she didn’t judge him, and she would do pretty much anything he asked of her without question. He was also feeling very relaxed thanks to the cocaine and the drinks Will had plied him with. Using the steering paddle shift, he shifted down as he approached the lights. As he put his foot on the accelerator, he looked down at his phone to check Instagram to see how many likes his latest pictures had received. He didn’t notice the light was red as he blasted through the intersection just as Jim Winters’s Mercedes was crossing the intersection. It was too late to brake and the Ferrari smashed into the side of the Mercedes. The look of surprise on Jim’s face was something to behold as the Ferrari sent the Mercedes spinning across the intersection. It was like a scene from a movie.
“Oh fuck. This is going to be expensive,” Aiden said to himself as what was left of the Ferrari came grinding to a halt. Besides the airbags and the quality of the Ferrari, the drink and drugs probably saved him from serious harm. He was so pleased he had chosen this car.
As he passed the crash site on Princess Road, his mind snapped out of the reverie.
Chapter 8
Aiden pulled into the Manchester One and Only Hotel and tossed his keys at the valet. The Harrington Aeronautical investment in the hotel meant that he didn’t have to worry about a minor detail like parking his own vehicle. With a spring in his step he bounded into the hotel and walked to The Etoile, the hotel’s award-winning restaurant. He was greeted with enthusiasm by Antonio the manager. He was quickly ushered to his table where Jason was already into his second scotch. Antonio brought him a vodka martini and scurried away leaving the two to talk.
“Wow buddy, you look good!” he told Jason. The two had that special relationship that boys have after knowing each other for years.
“I am dying to know what you have to tell me,” Jason said. “It had better be good!”
“Well, I had the most amazing lunch party, as I am sure you have heard!” Jason just rolled his eyes. He had heard. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another Aiden do!
“Everybody was getting on so well. There were tons of people there and they snorted and drank me dry. It was so raucous the concierge rang to tell us to turn it down,” Aiden lied, trying to big up the whole thing and make Jason jealous that he had missed it. “That beast Carl was all over two girls and a guy as well as Emma. I tell you bud, it was wild. I was even considering going with the flow, if you know what I mean! But I wouldn’t betray you like that!” Aiden winked at him.
“Anna called, and I thought that since I was so horny, I would go see her rather. I drove the long way around to exercise the Ferrari. Man, that car could fly!”
“Could?” Jason asked.
“Yes bud, that’s the next bit! I was just powering through the intersection when some arsehole in a Mercedes crossed in front of me. It didn’t end well for him. Never seen a Merc fly like that. The thing spun right across the road. The guy was so surprised, his eyes nearly popped out of his head! Man, it awesome. Way better than anything I have ever done before. The rush was stupendous. Brought me right down from the coke!”
“Wow Aiden, were you hurt?”
“Nah, that Ferrari was super safe. I didn’t even get a bruise! But my fucking ride is destroyed! Nothing left of it. So pissed about that, I loved that car and it will take months to get another one, although I am sure that I could pull a string or two. So, I am slumming it in the Range Rover,” he laughed.
“Geez, that’s awesome, I really am jealous. I bet the rush was amazing. Why do I always miss the good stuff? Oh yeah, what happened to the other guy?”
Aiden looked at Jason and said, “I don’t know, don’t care. There were three ambulances that rushed them away. There were so many people there I couldn’t make out what was going on. I heard someone say the driver died, but who knows? Serves them right. He should have been watching where he was going!”
Jason looked clearly in awe of his friend. They ordered another round of drinks and a bottle of Bollinger to accompany their rare T-bone steaks. After their meal, they went up to the Harrington Suite to get ready for the rest of the evening and to round up the troops. Aiden and Jason were buzzing as they called their mates. Before they left Jason stole a quick kiss and rubbed Aiden’s crotch. All this excitement had made him incredibly horny, but that would have to wait. There were cocktails to be drunk. The Apothecary Bar was Aiden’s latest purchase. The lounge he had built there and named Aiden’s Folly was waiting for them to arrive! Life could not be better.
Chapter 9
Rose had fallen asleep when Fat Pat came back bearing cups of tea and sweet pastries. She woke with a start and after a moment of confusion she realised that she was at the hospital and the horrors of the day came flooding back.
“Here Rose have this,” Fat Pat told her. “The sugar will do you good. Sorry I couldn’t get anything stronger.”
“Thank you, Pat. You are a love. Still no news on Stefan. Time will tell. They will keep him under for a few days and then see what they want to do. Pat, I really need to see Jim. Can you ask them if that would be possible? I am sure they have to do an autopsy or something, but I have to see him!”
Fat Pat nodded and suddenly Rose wailed at her: “Oh Pat, what am I going to do without him? He was my rock!”
Fat Pat didn’t have words for her friend, she just hugged her tightly and told her that everything would be ok in the end. With that she left to go and arrange for Rose to visit Jim. She needed to leave the room anyway so that she didn’t cry in front of Rose. She knew that wouldn’t help matters.
Fat Pat arranged the visit to the mortuary for the next morning. She went to wash her face and went back to tell Rose.
When she got back, she found a scene of chaos. It turned out that while she was gone Stefan had had an episode. The doctors were all working hard to stabilise him. Finally, they got things under control. The doctors explained to Rose that this kind of thing happens when a major trauma has occurred.
Rose and Fat Pat just sat quietly in disbelief and watched Stefan, who was now resting calmly.
Chapter 10
After Stefan’s episode, the doctors told Rose she really needed to rest, and that Stefan was in good hands. They had stabilised him again and he seemed restful.
She really needed a long hot shower and a drink. They gave her two Valium tablets and told her to go home, take one of them and get some sleep. Fat Pat pleaded with her to listen to them. She would be no good to anyone if she made herself ill.
Fat Pat drove her home to Didsbury in her tiny car. The hospital had promised that they would call her the second anything developed. Fat Pat told her she would stay with her so that if they called, she could bring her straight back.
She purposely stayed off Princess Road as she was sure there would still be evidence of the crash and also the memories would be too fresh and raw.
When they got to Rose’s house, Fat Pat took her indoors and sent her straight upstairs t
o run a bath. Rose really wanted to shower, but with her arm in a sling that was near impossible.
“You go and bath but take care to keep that arm out of the water. I will make something to eat. You need to keep your strength up. I’ll bring you a drink in a bit, but you go on up!” Fat Pat told Rose.
Rose was too tired to argue as she dragged herself up to the en-suite. Until a few hours ago she had shared it with Jim. She dropped the scrubs into the bin and ran the bath. Rose caught a reflection of herself in the mirror. She had so much bruising. When the bath was ready, she stepped in carefully and sank down into the water, taking care to keep her arm dry. The hot water on her body soothed her straight away. She felt a little guilty that she was feeling any kind of pleasure after what had happened, but she just closed her eyes and lay back.
Rose heard a noise in the bedroom and her first thought was that Jim was home. She soon remembered that it couldn’t be!
“I’ve poured you a whisky with a bit of ice. Don’t gulp it down!” Fat Pat called to her.
“I won’t!” Rose replied. She knew she would.
When Rose got downstairs feeling a little bit more normal after the bath and the scotch, she found Fat Pat had made her a cheese omelette and some toast laden with butter. Fat Pat knew exactly how to make Rose feel better. She was a real gem.
After wolfing down the food and washing it down with a glass of wine, she took the Valium with the last gulp of wine and headed up to the bedroom. She lay down on the bed and before she knew it she was out like a light.
Fat Pat sat in the lounge with the television on and the phone next to her, hoping that it would not ring. She really hoped that Rose would be able to get some rest so that she would have the strength to face what was still to come. It troubled her that Rose was looking for revenge, but she figured it was just the grief talking and that Rose would think more clearly once she had rested.
Chapter 11
At the Apothecary Bar, Aiden and Jason were greeted with the usual arse kissing they were accustomed to. Aiden had made sure when he bought the bar that it was always filled with beautiful people. A lot of comps were given out to achieve this, but it was working. The bar was the talk of Manchester and was always packed. Just the way he wanted it.
The two headed up to Aiden’s Folly where their drinks were waiting for them. Aiden had messaged ahead his requirements and was pleased to see that they had complied, whilst not expecting anything less. As nobody was in there, he grabbed Jason and kissed him.
“If you play your cards right there will be more to come,” he told Jason with a wink.
Soon their “crew” started to arrive. Drinks were flowing, and nobody seemed to have a care in the world. Least of all Aiden, who was dancing with Jason and some pretty girl called Marnie who didn’t seem to have a lot going on upstairs. She had the strangest accent, which Jason told him was a Scouse accent. Aiden hoped that she wasn’t going to talk a lot. He could only just bear the Manchester accent, but Liverpool was intolerable. He decided rather quickly that he would pass on this. The thought of that accent in his bedroom didn’t fill him with joy.
Jason was looking at his friend in awe. He was thinking to himself that Aiden was so cool. He had probably killed a man earlier and he just brushed it off. He wished he could be so cool. He felt truly blessed to have Aiden as his friend, part-time lover and all-time role model. Quite honestly, life could not be better. Anything Aiden asked Jason to do he did without question. Some guys are so lucky he thought to himself, smiling like a cat that got the cheese.
At around 4 a.m. everybody had left, and the place looked like a bombsite. Aiden and Jason got into the Range Rover and drove around to the One and Only, despite being completely drunk. They went up to the Harrington Suite where Aiden more than kept his promise. The two fell asleep soon after they had exhausted their sexual energy that had been building up for hours. As Jason drifted off in Aiden’s arms his last thought was how happy he felt. The life of the rich was divine.
Chapter 12
At around 9 a.m. Rose woke with a start. She had been dreaming about a family holiday they had taken to Rhodes a few years back. They’d had such a good time. Jim and Stefan had become close again and things could not have been better. Had we done the right thing telling Stefan? she wondered.
At first, she looked at Jim’s side of the bed and wondered where he was. Suddenly the reality of the night before struck her, leaving a cold feeling inside her stomach and a taste of bile in her mouth. She also realised that she was facing the mortuary visit.
She got up and pulled on a gown. She went downstairs where Fat Pat was sitting at the kitchen counter.
“How did you sleep?” Fat Pat asked Rose.
“I slept really well, thanks. I dreamt about Jim and our holiday on Rhodes. At least I have good memories, if nothing else,” she sighed. She thought again whether they were right telling Stefan. Maybe they should have done what Jim wanted and kept it a secret.
Fat Pat went over and hugged her and told her that she was just popping over to her house to shower and change and would be right back.
When she had gone Rose poured some coffee that Fat Pat had made earlier and picked up the phone. She dialled the number from memory and asked to be put through to Ben Cohen.
“Hello Ben, it’s Rose Winters. I need to see you urgently,” Rose said when Ben answered the call.
“Rose, so good to hear from you. I was so sorry to hear about Jim. I can be there in half an hour.”
“Thank you, Ben, but I will need to come to you. What I have to ask you has got to be between the two of us,” Rose told him.
“Ok, that’s fine. Just come whenever you are ready. I am in all day working on a case.”
“Ok, see you later then,” Rose told him and hung up.
“If anyone can help it’s him,” Rose whispered to herself, taking a small amount of pleasure from that.
Chapter 13
When Rose and Fat Pat got to the hospital they parked and walked over to the Clinical Sciences building in silence. When they got to the mortuary the technician warned Rose that Jim didn’t look good, but Rose said it was fine and that she just needed to see him.
Rose and Fat Pat were shown to the waiting room where they sat on a small sofa and waited. The room was very subtly furnished and on the table was a box of tissues. Rose grabbed a couple of tissues and dabbed the tears that were streaming down her face. Fat Pat was crying too. The wait was painful. She knew what was coming and she was dreading it. She knew she would be seeing her husband’s lifeless body and that was going to be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the technician came quietly into the room and asked if they were ready. Rose nodded, and the technician opened the door and showed them in.
In the room Jim was laid out on a mortuary bed covered to his neck with a white sheet. His face looked battered, but he appeared peaceful. Rose wished he would just open his eyes and say it was all a mistake and he was fine, but that didn’t happen.
Rose just stood there and sobbed, tears falling freely down her cheeks and onto the polished floor. Fat Pat took her hand and squeezed it. She could see how devastated Rose was. It was awful.
After a few minutes Rose turned to Fat Pat and said, “Let’s go. I have seen him now.”
Rose then turned back to Jim and whispered “Goodbye my love. We will meet again.” She kissed his forehead and with a shuddering sigh they left the room.
When they were on their way out, Rose turned to Fat Pat and said to her: “As God is my witness, someone is going to pay for this!” Fat Pat looked at her and nodded. Now was not the time to try and talk sense to Rose. She was grieving, and Fat Pat hoped that she wasn’t having a breakdown. The time will come to talk about this. For now, all she could do was support poor Rose.
The two women went over to the main hospital building to go and see Stefan. The nurse told her there was no change to his condition. Rose felt
a little relieved. Even though no change meant he was no better, it also meant he was no worse. Small mercies.
Chapter 14
At Harrington Aeronautical Headquarters in Cheshire, Malcolm Harrington was sitting behind his impressive oak desk in his tastefully decorated office. He was talking to Mike Chalmers, who was sitting opposite him on an antique leather chair. Malcolm had managed to strike a fine balance between modern chic and antique style, and it was a huge success.
“I have to be honest Malcolm, this is not going to be easy to hide,” Mike told Malcolm in a matter of fact way. “So far, we have managed to keep a lid on it and they have agreed not to arrest Aiden just yet, but that new piece of skirt at the CPS is pushing hard. She has a point to prove and she is looking for a big win. To be honest, there isn’t much bigger than this. There is also the matter of a possible lawsuit by the Winters family which could further fuck things up. I suggest Aiden lays low for a while and doesn’t make the usual spectacle of himself. If I were you, I would send him somewhere until we can sort this out. Knowing him though, he probably won’t go. Failing that, he will have to stay out of the spotlight until I can do something.”
“Mike, I have to say that you have dealt with worse than this. So, my advice to you would be to stop sitting there telling me what I should be doing with my son and go out there and fix this fuck up before the board gets wind of it and our shares start to fall. I am on the brink of a big deal with the Arabs and I don’t need this to get in the way. I think we are done here. Let me know when you have some good news and if that so-called piece of skirt at the CPS is a problem, take care of it!”