by Sam Fintz
Rose looked at Fat Pat and the two of them just started to cry.
“That is awful. I can’t change the date,” Rose sobbed. “It’s been nearly three weeks as it is, and I need to bury my husband. I guess we will have to go ahead without him. It will break his heart…. oh, what am I saying! His heart is already broken. This could kill him too!” Rose said through her tears.
Fat Pat came over to her and put her arm around her. “It will be ok darling,” she said to Rose and held her close.
Doctor Bhakari told them that she would leave them. “I will go and see Stefan now. I think you need to consider not telling him about the funeral. It may be too much for him, even though he is fairly sedated,” she said.
“I will, Doctor. Thank you,” Rose said, feeling dread over the situation. Poor Stefan, she thought and wished it was her lying there in the bed and not him.
Doctor Bhakari had left the room and before Rose could say anything else her mobile rang. It was her solicitor.
“Rose, its Richard Caine, is this a good time?” the caller asked.
“When is it ever a good time these days?” Rose asked with a sigh.
“I am sorry things haven’t improved Rose. By the sounds of it you are still struggling,” Richard said.
“Yes, Stefan is still really poorly, and Jim’s funeral is coming up in a couple of days. He won’t be able to go,” she told him.
“That is bad news. I am so sorry, I wish there was something I could do,” Richard said.
“I know and thank you, Richard. What is it you called for?” she asked.
“I just wanted to let you know I have tied up Jim’s estate as I had the autopsy report. I have also received Stefan’s money from the policy. Jim had instructed it to be paid to me in the first instance. I will hold it in a trust account for him. The estate was pretty straightforward as you can imagine. Jim, God bless him, had made sure it was easy for you with no stress. You obviously get the lot and I have filed all the necessary papers for you, so you don’t need to do a thing. I have notified everybody that needed to be notified. I have also taken care of all the accounts that were in his name alone and had them transferred to you. Luckily there was a clause in his will that gave me the power of attorney to do all that. That’s why I haven’t bothered you with anything,” Richard said.
“Oh, Richard thank you,” Rose said.
“I will go through it all with you once Stefan is well. For the meantime you don’t need to worry. You have money in the bank and we can look at it all soon. When is the funeral?” Richard asked.
“Thanks Richard that’s fine, I trust you. The funeral is the day after tomorrow at Mill Lane at 3pm. Please come,” she told him.
“Of course I will, Rose. Jim was my friend as well as my client. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Ok good. He was very fond of you. I will see you there. Goodbye Richard,” Rose said.
“Goodbye Rose and if you need me, I am here,” Richard said and hung up.
Rose turned to Fat Pat and said: “Let’s go and sit with Stefan a while.”
“Yes let’s,” Fat Pat told her, and they went to Stefan’s room. One of his nurses was still in there with him. She told them that they had given him some diazepam and he was quite calm. She smiled sweetly at them and left the room.
Rose went over to Stefan who was looking sleepy and she took his hand. She had decided that she shouldn’t tell him about not attending the funeral. She wasn’t sure if he was sedated enough not to get stressed by the news.
Rose and Fat Pat stayed awhile and then left him to sleep.
“Let’s go and get drunk, Pat,” she told her friend.
“Sounds good to me,” Fat Pat told her, and the two women left feeling a little bit better than they had the whole day.
Chapter 55
After the guests had left Rose’s house having drunk and eaten their fill, her and Fat Pat cleared away all the dishes, cups and glasses and filled the dishwasher. They were both relieved that everyone had left quite quickly.
Rose was sad though that Stefan hadn’t been there, but she was more or less resigned to the fact that nothing would ever go right for her again. Fat Pat tried to be as cheerful as possible, but it was hard for her too. Jim had been a dear friend and she missed him too.
When the house was tidy and clean again, the two ladies went to sit at the kitchen table. Rose got out a bottle of wine and two glasses. She poured them both a full glass and they sat in silence and drank a little.
Rose eventually said to her: “Pat, thank you for everything you have done.”
“No need to thank me love. I will always be there for you. I am going for a fag outside,” she told Rose.
“Since when do you smoke again?” Rose asked her with surprise.
“About two weeks now. I fell off that wagon from the stress. I managed not to smoke when my idiot husband left but this, this was too much,” she told Rose.
Rose got up and went to the cupboard under the sink and produced an old ashtray, a packet of Marlboro Lights and a lighter.
“Jim used to sneak the odd one and he didn’t think I knew. I found this at the back of the shed the other day. I had one and since then I have also been off that wagon, so go ahead, light one up! I am going to as well. Do you want one of these?” Rose asked.
“Go on then, beats these Superkings any day!” Fat Pat said, and the two women laughed and lit up, sitting back and blowing out a steady stream of smoke.
Fat Pat looked at Rose and although she was trying to be brave and hiding behind making light of the cigarettes, Fat Pat could see in her eyes she was troubled.
“Rose is everything ok with you, besides the obvious?” Fat Pat asked.
“Yes Pat. I guess it is. Now that Jim is buried and there isn’t much I can do about Stefan except pray, it is time for me to prepare for the trial of that bastard that killed my Jim,” Rose said, suddenly sounding more serious than she had in a while.
“Ok, that’s fine. I am sure they will lock him up for this one. Surely it’s an open and shut case,” Fat Pat said.
“They had better, I can tell you or there will be hell,” Rose said. “Whichever way it goes I am not going to let it rest at that. They will need to pay for Stefan’s suffering too, mark my words.”
“Yes of course, they must. His family has so much money, I am sure Stefan will want for nothing. What’s Richard Caine said about it?” Fat Pat asked, sucking hard on her Marlboro, clearly enjoying it.
“He told me not to worry about it now and he has it all ready to go later when the trial is over. He has been so good. He has sorted all Jim’s affairs already and got Stefan’s inheritance money from the insurance policy. I am not worried at the moment as he is taking care of it, but those Harringtons need to worry and keep their cheque books handy. It’s going to be a big one and I will make sure of that,” Rose said, pointing at Fat Pat with her cigarette.
“Well that’s good to know. I am sure Jim left you all well provided for,” Fat Pat said.
“Oh yes, the house is paid for and there is money in the bank. So, whatever I get off those people will go to making Stefan’s life a bit more bearable,” Rose told her.
“Good for you Rose. He is lucky to have you as his Mum and Jim as his Dad. I know I have said it many times, but I am here for you, whatever you need. I mean that. I have nobody else, so you are my life. You need anything Rose, just ask. Just not money, that pig left me with very little!” she said, and the two women laughed. Rose couldn’t help but wonder how lucky Stefan had felt having her and Jim as parents. The guilt of what Rose and Jim had told Stefan would not go away.
After about an hour Fat Pat left Rose to go home. Rose immediately went to get her laptop and brought it to the kitchen. She had an idea and she needed to start her research. It involved making the Harringtons pay more than cash, so she needed to be careful.
Chapter 56
The date of the trial was fast approaching. Mike Chalmers had prepared his legal team
for the day. They were meeting to go over the fine details. The defence barrister had just arrived at the reception and was being shown up to Mike’s office. Mike left his team to go and meet with barrister Tim Harding.
“Tim, good to see you,” Mike said and shook his hand vigorously. “Come in, can I get you a drink?” he asked Tim.
“Yes please. Just a coffee will be fine,” he replied.
Mike gestured to Charlotte to come in and told her to bring them coffee and some Cantucci. She nodded and left the office.
“Right, let’s get down to it,” Mike told him. “You have the file I sent you?” he asked.
“Yes, here it is,” he said. He brought it out of his battered leather briefcase he had clearly had since his university days. Mike was baffled how a man that earned more than most people in the UK still carried that old thing around. Different strokes, eh.
Tim started first. “The way I see it, we will have to be really sharp to get off this one. They have that footage which is pretty damning and while the witnesses are a bit weak, they are still witnesses. Juries tend to believe them if they are convincing enough. Do you have anything that we can use? I know you Mike, you always have an ace tucked up those expensive sleeves.” They both grinned widely.
“Tim, you make me blush” Mike joked. “Let’s wait for the coffee and I’ll fill you in. In the meantime, how’s the wife doing after that last debacle?”
“You know how it is. She likes to spend it faster than I make it. So, I am lucky you look after me so well,” Tim said and winked at him.
“Yeah tell me about it,” Mike said. “You would pass out if you saw Eva’s Amex bill! Still they are worth it.”
“True,” Tim agreed as Charlotte brought in the coffee and biscuits.
“Charlotte here is going to sit in and take a few notes if need be,” Mike told Tim.
“That’s fine,” he said. Charlotte shut the door and sat down opposite Mike.
“Now Tim, what I have done so far is remove the source of the video evidence. All that is left is for Smythe to get rid of their copy or copies of the footage. He is adept at not leaving a trail. Something that doesn’t come cheap and luckily Malcolm Harrington has deep pockets. Our copy will also disappear mysteriously, so it can’t be subpoenaed. I will “fire” someone here to make it legit looking,” Mike told Tim.
“Ok, so far so good,” Tim told him. Tim shouldn’t really be party to this, but he was deep in Mike’s debt after he was bailed out recently when his expenses far outstripped his income. Something which could have cost him his licence to practice law.
“Next thing I have done is with the witnesses. Well we haven’t done anything to them. Not yet. You remember that South African we have used a few times?” Mike asked him.
“Yeah, sure. Nice lad but I wouldn’t like to piss him off,” Tim replied.
“No, you don’t want to do that I assure you. I have seen what happens there. Anyhow, he has been tracking the witnesses. He has told me that he is ready to strike anytime. The one is a drug addict in remission, and another is some queer freak who he has in his sights. The last one is some drab bitch who he is going to “send” somewhere. With his looks he will be able to pull that off easily. He can be very charming when he wants to. A bit like a viper,” Mike said. They all laughed.
“Ok, so if you pull those out of the equation the case falls on its face. What about the wife and son? Will they testify?” Tim asked.
“She doesn’t remember anything apparently, so she is no use. The son is too ill. He is bed-bound, and the strain of the trial would be too much for him. My guy at the MRI told me this just yesterday,” Mike told Tim.
“Ok, looks like we have it in the bag. Easiest money I have earned in a long time!” Tim said.
“You bet. You can buy that wife of yours something nice,” Mike told him.
“No chance, Mike. That’s going straight into my private account. I am a lot of things, but I am not daft!” Tim told him.
Charlotte had been sitting quietly not taking any notes. There was nothing said that should be recorded. She asked the two men: “Is there anything you need from me?”
“No darlin’, just tell the dining room we will be down there in half an hour. I have got Tim here some rare Japanese beef for his lunch and a bottle of Chateau Lafitte ’90 to wash it down. I picked it up for a mere £480 from an auction house in New York. He needs looking after. Clearly his missus can’t cook!” Mike said.
“Sure Mike will do,” she said and left the office once again.
“So, Tim what’s your honest opinion?” he asked once the door closed.
“Really this should be a slam dunk Mike. No evidence, no case. Simple as,” Tim told him. “My only concern is the wife. What will she do when its dismissed?”
“Don’t worry about that. Malcolm has already told me that there is £1million available for any problems. That should silence anyone. The son isn’t going to be going anywhere fast, so if it comes to it, we will pay for his rehab as well and any other little niggles that come up,” Mike assured him.
“Good. What about the Chief Constable? Is he still sweet?” Tim asked.
“Yes, he is fine. He is due to retire in the next couple of years, sadly. He is looking to pad his retirement as much as he can. He is going to “inherit” a large sum of money from a foreign relative and that will explain his nest egg if anyone starts asking how he could retire to the Bahamas on a police salary. Already setting up that paper trail for him. He has been invaluable. I will miss him, but I will find another like him. The kind of money I throw at people on Malcom’s behalf makes everyone buyable,” Mike told him.
“You always cover your bases, I have to say. Just as well. You have a lot of them to cover and not all of them are above board,” Tim told him.
“Oi, careful who you say that to!” Mike joked.
“Just between us,” Tim said and tapped his nose knowingly.
Mike got up and went to check with Charlotte if the dining room was ready for them. She told him it was, and he went back to get Tim.
“Malcolm is going to join us. He has recently got back from the Middle East, so he can tell you about his latest escapades. He did well. He even managed to get the Israelis to bite this time. That’s hush hush as the Arabs probably wouldn’t do business with him if they knew. They’ll find out anyway eventually, but the contracts are pretty tight. But he can tell you. You know how the Harringtons are if you steal their thunder,” Mike said as they headed to the executive dining room. They found Malcolm sitting in an armchair by the window holding a glass of single malt Scotch. To both their surprise, Aiden was there too.
“Malcolm, you remember your outrageously expensive barrister Tim? Tim you remember the man who makes your dreams come true?” Mike joked as Tim and Malcolm shook hands.
“Aiden, to what do we owe this rare pleasure?” Mike asked Aiden.
“Hi Mike, Dad has been away, and I haven’t seen him. I thought I should drop in and he can tell us all about his latest coup,” Aiden told him. “Also, I had heard via the grapevine that you have some of that Japanese beef that is so hard to find these days.”
“I will have to tighten up my security around here,” Mike told him and laughing the men went to the huge dining table.
Wine was served, and Malcolm proceeded to tell them all about how things went in the Middle East. He was happy that his son was here to enjoy this with him, and Aiden was happy to have a rare occasion with his father. The two of them were really close since Aiden’s mother Barbara had passed away two years previously. They had both loved her a lot and the support they gave each other helped them through it all.
During lunch Mike told Aiden and Malcolm about the status of the case and both of them were very pleased.
After the delicious lunch and a lot of wine and after dinner liqueurs, Mike and Tim returned to Mike’s office. Aiden and Malcolm left together to go home where they were hosting a dinner for the Manchester homeless charity that Ma
lcolm was a patron of.
Mike took Tim via his legal team’s office. There they chatted about the case a while and they were both agreed that it was going to be a quick turnaround. Mike had some of the best legal minds working for him. He paid them handsomely and his expectations were high. Secrecy being one of them. Malcolm and Tim then went into Mike’s office to finish up their business after which Tim left and Mike called Charlotte in.
“Close the blinds, won’t you love and lock the door. All that meat and business has left me in need of a bit of TLC!” he told her.
“Yeah, not to mention the booze,” she said and went about doing what he asked. After all he was her boss.
Chapter 57
At the Harrington mansion the charity dinner was ending. The event was well-attended as usual. Malcolm had invited a lot of high-powered people, amongst them the Prime Minister and a number of influential MP’s. The security had been tight, and the house had been fully checked and cleared by the security services in the run up to the dinner. Before any car was allowed onto the estate it was checked over thoroughly and when the occupants were in the house, the cars were parked well away in the large open field behind a row of trees and out of sight. Anyone that had driven past the estate wouldn’t have known anything was going on there. Malcolm had also provided additional security of his own. He didn’t want anything to go wrong on his watch. Malcolm often had this calibre of guest at his home, so he was used to it.
Malcolm had just given his usual gripping speech and had pledged another £100 000 of his own money to the charity, which was met with raucous applause. That money was going to come in handy to tackle Manchester’s worsening crisis. He had also pledged that Harrington Construction would give a large piece of land near Strangeways for the construction of low-cost homes to help house homeless families. His company would build these houses and the charity would lease them to the council in return for other favours yet to be discussed. Everyone there, including the PM, knew Malcolm had already thought those favours through and would collect on them in due course.