A Mother Scorned

by Sam Fintz

  Mike Chalmers left Malcolm’s office feeling really uneasy. Christ, these Harringtons are some family, he thought. As for Aiden, how many more times would he be able to fuck up before Malcolm finally brings him into line.

  As he crossed over into his office he called his contact at the CPS who updated him. He was told that there was no change and to prepare for a trial.

  “How much would it cost to make it go away?” Mike asked the person on the other side of the line.

  “Mike, this one is not for sale. She won’t let go. She is already badgering the forensics guys to get her some evidence, so she can charge. The police are on her side. Your Chief Constable at GMP is sweating. I will see what I can do but I can assure you it won’t be easy.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. I will wait for your call” Mike told him and hung up without another word, knowing that he wasn’t going to get that call. He threw his phone on the desk in anger and poured a stiff measure of Ardbeg.

  “The fucking Chief Constable is not the only one sweating” he said to himself as he took a swig of the amber liquid.

  Chapter 15

  Aiden and Jason showered and had breakfast in the Suite. They left the hotel and Aiden dropped Jason at his office in the swanky new tower block off Deansgate.

  He drove straight to the Ferrari dealership and ordered a new car. He was told it would be eight weeks at least, but that they would try and speed things up. The director of the dealership knew better than to ask what had happened to the other one Aiden hadn’t had for very long. The story was spreading fast! He also knew better than to question people like Aiden. These people spoke and the only answer he gave them was “yes”. He knew his place in life.

  From there he headed over to the company headquarters and went straight to Mike’s office.

  He sat down opposite Mike and said to him: “So, have you fixed this yet?”

  “No Aiden, I haven’t. It’s not that easy. I have made the calls and have prepared the paperwork in case of a lawsuit, but I need you to know this could end up with criminal proceedings. I will do all I can, and I want you not to worry. I will make sure you don’t go to jail. You might get left with a fine and a couple of million compensation, but that should be it. I told your father to send you away until it blows over but by the look on your face that’s not happening! So, you will need to stay under the radar until it is over. No parties, no scandal and especially no deaths.”

  Aiden smirked at him and said that he would see what he could do.

  “People love me, I can’t help it. But ok, I will try,” he told Mike, knowing full well he had no intention of complying. Some twat dying in a crash was not going to change his life! Little did he know that the CPS had other ideas.

  He left the headquarters and headed back to the city. He parked in a disabled bay in the garage under Jason’s office. It was right by the lift, so he didn’t have to walk too far. He took the lift up to the top floor where Jason was just getting ready for a meeting.

  “Hey Jase, let’s go out,” Aiden said to his friend.

  “I can’t right now, I have a meeting,” Jason told him.

  “Fuck the meeting, let’s get pissed!”

  Jason looked at his friend and said “You know what? You’re right. After what you went through it’s the least I can do.”

  With that he asked his PA to reschedule the meeting and the two headed off to the One and Only. That was the difference between Aiden and Jason. Aiden demanded, Jason asked. Jason couldn’t have been happier as they made their way to the hotel. This was way better than a stuffy meeting. Anyway, he would get his new hotshot recruiter to deal with them.

  Aiden on the other hand was thinking how easily he could sway this boy. A wink and a promise were usually enough. Today was no exception!

  Chapter 16

  At the Greater Manchester Police Headquarters the Chief Constable was in a meeting with Sarah Blake from the CPS. The lead officer on the case, D.I. John Wilkes, was also there.

  “So, what have we got so far?” Chief Constable Max Smythe asked.

  Sarah was the first to reply.

  “The evidence we have, and witness statements suggest that the Ferrari was being driven at high speed through a red light. The other car didn’t stand a chance. They were literally sitting ducks. We have one fatality and two injured, one of which could become a fatality. We were able to breathalyse and drug test the Harrington lad, and he was as high as a kite. I have it on good faith that this is not his first endeavour with police.”

  Max Smythe tried to hide his discomfort as he asked Sarah: “How likely are you to charge him?”

  Sarah looked at him in shock. She could not believe the stupid question she had just heard from the Chief Constable himself.

  John Wilkes quickly jumped in and said: “Sarah, may I? I believe we have enough to charge him with dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving as well as drink- and drug-driving. We only have the breathalyser and the drug test and witness testimony. The only CCTV in the area was somehow out of service at the time. It might be a bit sketchy, but we feel we can make it stick long enough to get him in front of a jury. The only thing that worries me is that bloody Mike Chalmers. He is like a flipping Rottweiler. He is not going to take this lying down. Of course, the choice to prosecute is in your hands not mine.”

  “I will deal with Mike Chalmers,” Max offered, thinking that he wasn’t quite sure how he would do that.

  “Ok then sir, we will wait for you to make the next move. Let us know and we will proceed to arrest him.”

  “I will John. I will.”

  With that, the meeting was over. Max slumped back in his chair staring out over the cityscape.

  “Oh fuck,” he whispered to himself.

  He reviewed the file he had in front of him. He turned to the witnesses that had come forward. As he read them, he felt more than a little relieved to see that Chalmers was going to have a field day. There were only three people who were prepared to stand as witnesses (the others probably knew the Harringtons and their tactics!). Of those three he could see that one was a known drug dealer and the other two, one a failed drag queen, were equally suspect. He hoped that nothing else would come up to stir things up. If this didn’t go the Harrington’s way, who knows what the fallout would be!

  “Oh well, it could be worse. At least with a bit of imagination, I am sure Chalmers will make these three look like dithering idiots,” he said to himself, laughing out loud when he realised he was the only person in the room.

  He took a mobile out of his pocket and dialled Mike’s number. This phone was one Mike had given him and was a secure line that could never be traced to either of them.

  “Mike, they are going to charge your boy with drink- and drug-driving, dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving. I am going to push for just one main charge. That will make it easier for you to work this one out and get it thrown out. I won’t act until tomorrow to give you time to break the news. Don’t worry he will be out on bail within an hour. If you bring him in here, I will personally oversee it. I couldn’t do anything else at the time but trust me we will make this as painless as possible. I promise.”

  “For your sake it had better be. I will be in touch. The usual arrangement stands. Look out for it.”

  Mike hung up leaving Max feeling both a little uneasy and a lot relieved. He always felt like that when Chalmers was about to pay money into his account in the Cayman Islands. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Nobody would ever suspect the Chief Constable, after all his father and his grandfather were pillars of the community. Why would he be any different? Today his relief was not so much that he was getting a pay-out again. It was more that Mike Chalmers didn’t threaten to expose his secrets as he usually did when he didn’t get his own way. He took it really well for a change. Hopefully this was a good sign.

  Chapter 17

  Aiden’s mobile rang. He reached over to the side of the bed where the phone la
y next to half a bottle of Grey Goose and what was left of the cocaine. Jason was fast asleep next to him on the huge super king-size bed in the Harrington Suite.

  He answered after a few rings. It was Mike Chalmers.

  “Mike? Hi, what’s up?” Aiden asked.

  “Aiden, I need you to come with me to the police in the morning. They are looking to charge you with a number of things relating to the accident. I don’t think they have a solid case and our friend Smythe is going to handle the whole thing. We will have you out on bail before your clothes will smell of police so don’t worry. You need to come to my office at 9 and we will go together. Don’t worry and once I have all the information they have on you, we will use our usual resources to make it go away. Please try and stay out of trouble tonight. Where are you?”

  “I am at the One and Only, I will stay here and be a good boy for once,” he laughed.

  “Good lad. I will see you at 9 and Aiden please, I mean it, stay out of trouble. It’s only a few hours so it shouldn’t be difficult, even for you!”

  “Cheers Mike. See you tomorrow,” Aiden said and hung before he had to listen to anymore sound advice he might not like.

  He looked over at Jason fast asleep and totally naked. He took a swig of vodka and slid over to him. It didn’t take a lot to get Jason aroused. Aiden thought to himself that there were worse ways to spend the day than being adored by a beautiful man. Especially one that would do anything he asked. Aiden’s mind was focussed on what his friend was doing to him and the shit he faced in the morning was soon out of his mind. Jason knew what Aiden liked and it looked like he was going to make sure he didn’t disappoint.

  Chapter 18

  Rose was sitting in Ben Cohen’s modest office. She knew he did well, but he had always been a little frugal. Ben was a tall man with a once-slender build. He now had a slight belly thanks in part to his love of the cake shop near his office. He had dark hair that he wore in a side parting and he kept it short. It was clear he didn’t spend a great deal of money on haircuts, but he still looked good. He had a kind face which made his mother often wonder why her son didn’t have a wife yet and boy could she go on about it.

  After chatting and reminiscing for about an hour they finally got around to what she was doing there. Rose told him the events of the past day or two. He sat there with a grave look on his face.

  When she had finished, he handed her a glass of water and asked her: “How can I help with any of this?”

  Rose replied, “Ben, I need you to do some digging. I need you to find out the name and the whereabouts of the guy driving the other car and I want you to dig up as much dirt as you can. I heard somewhere that it was something to do with those Harringtons. Someone once told me they are made of Teflon; nothing sticks to them. I need you to make it stick, please!”

  “Wow, Rose. If it is one of them it is going to be tough. You know I would do anything for you so please leave it to me. I will see what I can find out. I am sure you want to get back to Stefan, so I will call you as soon as I know something.”

  “Thank you, Ben, I knew I could rely on you.” Rose thought to herself that she knew that was the reason she was there. Guilt aside, she needed him.

  When she had left Ben to go and pick up Fat Pat and get to the hospital, Ben called his friend at the MEN newspaper, who had an ear to the ground in these matters, to get some information. He learned that it was Aiden Harrington who smashed his Ferrari into the Winters’s Mercedes after jumping a light. He also found out that Aiden was breathalysed and drug tested and had failed, but wasn’t arrested on the spot. He was also told that the reporter had it on good faith that an arrest was imminent, but the only evidence was witness statements and the testing. No CCTV. Ben thanked the reporter and hung up the phone.

  He said out loud to himself: “Wow, those Harringtons are a piece of work. There has to be more evidence than that! I will have to find it.”

  He thought really hard how he would do that when he suddenly realised that there must have been someone who had a dashcam that would have some kind of video recorded. He knew someone called Amir, who worked at the Manchester Taxi Association, which was a new initiative that the new mayor had spearheaded after the last mayor had failed to achieve much during his short tenure. He gave Amir a call and said that he was looking for dashcam footage from the accident and that he would pay £1000 to the first person to come along with it. He told Amir that he needed to keep it as quiet as he could especially since the police hadn’t managed to get anything yet and possibly hadn’t even thought of doing that. Amir promised him he would be discreet.

  When he was done on the phone, he started to do a search of Aiden Harrington. This was going to be a long process. There was a lot of stuff to go through. Aiden Harrington was a busy boy and he was no angel.

  Chapter 19

  Rose and Fat Pat sat at Stefan’s bedside. Rose was a lot calmer than the last time she was here. They were waiting for the consultant to come and see them. They were both hoping for some news.

  Rose looked at Stefan and marvelled at how helpless he looked. He was not the strong, handsome, dark-haired lad he had been just a short while ago. She wondered what his life was going to be like. Right now, she feared the worst. He was in for a rough ride.

  The consultant Dr Shaheen Bhakari was a small woman. She introduced herself to Rose and Fat Pat.

  “Mrs Winters, I am afraid that we have not got any real news, your son’s condition remains unchanged. We have him stable now and in a few days, we will look at bringing him around, so we can assess any damage. His blood tests came back normal and he seems healthy, so we are on a good footing to start with. We are concerned about the heart irregularities, but we are hopeful that it was the trauma that caused that and that the rest and medication he is getting will help to keep that stable.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Rose said to Doctor Bhakari. “I hope so. I am not looking forward to telling him about his Dad.” In her mind, Rose was thinking that hopeful was probably all she could be.

  “No, of course not. But for now, let’s focus on resting him and yourself and hope that the next few days will bring better news. If you need me ask the nurses to page me. See you soon, Mrs Winters.”

  “See you soon, Doctor and thank you again,” Rose said.

  Doctor Bhakari left the room and Rose turned to Fat Pat and said to her: “Let’s stay a little bit and then we can go out for a bite to eat. I am quite hungry, which can only be a good thing.”

  “Yes, Rose love, let’s do that,” Fat Pat told her friend. She felt pleased that Rose was feeling a little better.

  “For tonight Pat, let’s forget all our troubles. We can drop the car off and cab into Didsbury. We can go to that Turkish place and we can have a few wines,” Rose told her. What she was really thinking though was how could she forget? But she needed to put on a brave face for everyone.

  “Ok good,” Fat Pat said. They sat with Stefan a while and then left him on his own.

  Chapter 20

  When Aiden’s alarm sounded in the morning he woke with a start. It was 7.30 a.m. and he realised that he had a bit of a bothersome task ahead. Jason stirred next to him, but he just kissed him and told him to go back to sleep. He jumped in the shower and when he got out, he called down to the concierge to order breakfast. Eggs Benedict and some Bollinger with a pot of strong coffee should get him going.

  After he dressed and ate breakfast, he called down again and ordered his car. He went to Jason and told him he would be back soon and to just order what he wanted. The two hugged and Jason told Aiden: “I wish you didn’t have to go!”

  “I will be back soon and then we will have some fun today. Don’t worry this is just a little hiccup. See you later,” Aiden said confidently.

  He left the Suite and went downstairs where the Range Rover was waiting for him. He gunned it out of the parking bay and headed off to meet Mike Chalmers. He was listening to Adele for a change. Soothing stuff, he thought.

&
nbsp; When Aiden got to Mike’s office, Mike was pacing. He was only a few minutes late but that was enough to get Mike riled. After moaning at him for a bit, Mike explained that he would deal with everything and advised Aiden to say nothing.

  “No comment is your new mantra, am I clear?” he asked Aiden to which he nodded.

  “Let’s go face these arseholes then shall we?” Mike asked Aiden.

  “No comment,” Aiden said and laughed. “I can think of a million places I would rather be, but I guess the sooner we go there the sooner we get done with it. You are sure that it will be ok, right?”

  “Aiden, of course! Nobody gets past me. I promise you! Especially not a bunch of civil servants.”

  They left the office and were whisked away in the company Bentley. Once they got to the Police Headquarters, the Chief Constable was waiting for them. Aiden was formally arrested, and they were all taken to an interview suite where they were met by John Wilkes.

  Wilkes started firing questions at Aiden and all he got back was “No Comment.” Realising that he was getting nowhere, he suggested that Aiden was held in custody pending further questioning and investigation. Max asked Wilkes to pause the interview and the two stepped outside.

  “John, we are not going to hold him. He is not going to go anywhere, and I have the personal guarantee of his father and his lawyer that they will not let him out of their sight. You know who his father is I am sure, so I don’t need to tell you the fallout if we keep his son here without a really solid, valid reason.”

  “Ok sir, you’re the boss. If this backfires it’s your head! But be sure, his father and lawyer are not the only two who will be watching his every move.”

  “That’s ok John, but please be careful. You remember what happened to Sergeant Watkins when he was doing unauthorised surveillance on these people. Don’t worry it will all be fine,” he told him, knowing that it probably wouldn’t.