Chapter 11
Nick had left the school around 2 p.m. after he’d had lunch with some of the staff and then a chat with the deputy head about the opportunities for in-service training. He’d had to follow through with the appointments which had been arranged but in truth, his enthusiasm was waning. Was he really cut out for this? It was going to be such a shock having to cope with the lax safety procedures. Not only that, he was worried whether all the extra studying and workload would start to bring on his headaches again. He needed to step back for a couple of days and give it some more thought. He would explore all options open to him, he didn’t want to make any rash decisions.
Upon leaving the school he sent a quick text to Polly to say he would update her later and that he would stop off at the supermarket to get some shopping. He needed to do something undemanding to distract himself and he didn’t want to be at home too long on his own before Polly got back. He’d also noticed a missed call from Matt Pearson which had come through whilst he was chatting with the deputy head. He tried phoning back but received Matt’s voicemail so he left a message saying that he hoped they could make contact soon. He was a little surprised at the call as they’d only been in touch via text messages for the last six months and hadn’t made any effort to meet up in person. No doubt Polly’s chance meeting with Matt had spurred him into getting in touch.
He spent about an hour shopping and also went into the cafe to have a coffee and look at the news on his phone. He felt the presence of other customers and the bustle of the cafe comforting. He had DIY jobs waiting for him at home but he didn’t really feel like making a start this afternoon, perhaps tomorrow would be better when he had more energy. It had been rather emotionally draining at the school.
When he left the supermarket he got caught up in the school-run traffic and cursed himself for lingering so long in the cafe. He’d forgotten how busy the traffic was around 3.30 p.m. in the afternoon. So it was nearly forty-five minutes later when he turned into the road where he lived. As he approached his house he had yet more reasons to curse. Once again, Ryan’s van was parked across his driveway and the house on the other side which was being renovated also had about five vans parked along the street. Thus, Nick had to park a good fifty yards down the road and to traipse back and forth to his house to unload his car. He just hadn’t the energy to have another encounter with Ryan until later. Perhaps Ryan would go out again and allow him to access his drive. This was becoming seriously annoying, he might have to contact the landlord and explain what a nuisance his tenants were becoming.
After unpacking his shopping, Nick went upstairs to change into jeans and a polo shirt and was just uncapping a bottle of lager when his phone rang. Matt was returning his call.
‘Hi, Matt, good to hear from you,’ said Nick rather wearily.
‘Yes, it’s been too long,’ replied Matt, ‘are you feeling OK, you sound a bit down?’
‘Oh, I’m alright. I’ve just had a bit of a stressful day. I went to a school to chat to them about teacher training, and well..., well it’s a long story. I’m just a bit, well, undecided. I’ve got lots to think about,’ and he sighed.
‘Oh, I see, yes, it’s not easy deciding what to do next. When do you have to make a decision?’
‘Not for a while as I’ve missed this year’s intake, so it’s not imminent, it’s just.. well I’m not used to, how shall I say, drifting, I feel at a bit of a loose end here.’
‘I see, well there’s something I wanted to discuss with you. Do you have time for a chat at the moment?’
‘Sure, fire away!’
Matt began to update Nick with news about his and Brett’s consultancy company Perszolve and the potential new spin-off company at the University. Nick listened with interest and was pleased that Matt was making a success of a new venture. He’d always like Matt and had been sorry to see him leave BioQex. They’d been colleagues at a previous company as well so their history stretched back several years. However, he was beginning to wonder where all this was leading. Nick had no business experience or an MBA like Matt had. Eventually, Matt brought up the subject of the chemistry team at the university.
‘So you see, Brett and I have managed to convince them that they need some more experience on board. Someone with excellent synthetic skills who is used to problem-solving. They’ve agreed to a six-month contract and an industry equivalent salary. I think this is just what they need to make some real progress.’
‘Well, that’s really good, congratulations, Matt, sounds awesome.’
‘So have you worked out why I’m phoning then?’ asked Matt.
‘Well, er, well I don’t know, not really,’ said Nick stumbling over his words. He’d been concentrating on Matt’s sizeable amount of information which had been delivered at speed. Matt was obviously very upbeat about the possibilities and when he fired off a direct question, Nick was rather surprised.
‘I’ve recommended you for the position,’ said Matt, triumphantly.
‘What? Me? Seriously?’
‘Yes, who better?’
‘Well, I don’t know, it’s just a surprise. A nice surprise, of course. I didn’t think I’d be going back to laboratory work, I just, well, I don’t know.’
‘Look, it’s six-months, initially, it would still give you the chance to go into teaching. And it would look good on your CV, what do you say? Could you meet me at the University in the next day or so and we can go through things, look at a contract, meet the team?’
Nick was silent. It was a bolt out of the blue. It all felt rather too much for him to absorb in one day. He should really discuss this with Polly before leaping into something suddenly.
Just at that point, he heard car doors banging and loud music starting up from a car stereo. Over the thump thump noise of the base, he could hear Ryan’s distinctive voice telling someone to ‘Fuck off, you piece of shit!’
‘Why not? I’ll do it! Sounds like a great idea,’ said Nick enthusiastically. ‘Let me know where and when I should meet you.’
‘Great stuff, thanks, Nick,’ replied Matt, ‘I’ll be in touch. You won’t regret this, I really feel this could be the start of something big.’
Nick pressed disconnect on his phone and put his head back against the sofa. He had acted rashly but if he was trapped at home any longer he would go mad. He could not stand spending any minute longer than absolutely necessary in close proximity to Ryan. He needed some regular work and a distraction. It was time to show those university boys how to really do some science. A new phase was about to start and he was excited. Suddenly he felt energised and headed off to the kitchen to make a start on dinner. He hoped Polly would be similarly excited and hopefully, a nice mea would help him sell the idea to her. The money would come in very useful indeed. Perhaps they would be able to employ a decorator and make some proper progress on the house.
Chapter 12
Lee Percival was now on his way to Brensford Manor for his early evening meeting with Cole. He’d started to get anxious when his ten-year old Vauxhall Astra had been reluctant to start. He was seriously worried it might develop major problems which would prove to be expensive. That was why he was desperate to keep his job as a doorman at one of Cole’s clubs and hopefully, he would get a little bonus for this latest information update. He needed to create a good impression and make sure he was first on the list should any additional assignments present themselves. He’d been so lucky to make acquaintance with the slow-witted Scott whose girlfriend Erin worked at the university. It had been one of those chance encounters which had appeared initially innocuous but had become a rich seam of treasure to be exploited.
He stopped at the electronic gates and pressed the intercom buzzer. The usual hired help answered and he gave his full name. After a pause, there was a buzzing noise and the gates opened slowly. He drove slowly up the driveway, past the carefully tended lawns and parked around the back near an annexe where Cole had his office. Alighting from his car, he straightened his jac
ket and checked the fly on his trousers. He pulled his shirt away from his armpits and took a quick sniff at them. He hoped that his anxiety had not caused him to sweat too much. Wiping his hands on his trousers he ventured round to the door of Cole’s office and rang the bell.
**
Nick and Polly were sitting down to a meal of tofu vegetable curry with pilau rice. So far they’d just discussed the school visit and Polly had suggested Nick tried to forget about it for a few days and perhaps look for some more schools to contact rather than giving up completely on the idea of teacher training. It was good advice and after all, there was no rush. Polly told Nick how someone from the catering department at the university had been to see her to report a colleague whom they were sure was ordering more supplies than necessary and then selling the food staples on to businesses in the surrounding area. Although the catering was contracted out to a separate company all the costs were being passed on to the university so it was a matter for investigation. Polly had begun to think there was no department immune from dishonest employees. It was a further vindication of the decision to establish her role and draw up the detailed whistle-blower policy.
After clearing the meal away and washing up Polly said she would get on with some ironing.
‘No, wait a minute,’ said Nick, ‘let’s have a coffee, there’s something I need to discuss with you.’
‘Oh, what’s that? I thought we’d exhausted the teacher training subject, at least for a while?’
‘It’s something else. It’s been a busy day.’
‘Intriguing,’ said Polly, but inwardly her stomach was churning. There had been numerous occasions in the past when Nick had wanted to discuss something and it had been a difficult situation. She hoped that they weren’t going to be revisiting those days again.
‘I had a phone call this afternoon,’ Nick explained.
‘Yes, who was it?’
‘Matt Pearson.’
‘Oh, yes, well I told you I’d bumped into him the other day. He’s OK isn’t he?’
‘Yes, all seems to be going very well with the consultancy he set up. They’ve secured a contract with the university to support them with this spin-off company for cancer treatment. It all sounds very exciting.’
‘Well, that’s great, I’m really pleased for him. Anything else?’
‘There’s an opportunity for an experienced chemist to help out, troubleshoot, give advice, that sort of thing.’
Polly raised her eyebrows. ‘Go on.’
‘He offered me the job. It’s for six months. Good salary. Well, not quite as good as at BioQex, but very reasonable, for an academic environment, that is.’
‘Well, sounds great? Are you interested? When does he want to know?’
Nick paused and finished his cup of coffee. He felt a bit embarrassed about his next response and felt his neck start to flush. ‘I’ve accepted. I told him this afternoon. Straightaway, I just felt it was the right thing. After all, it’s only six months and I can still look into schools.....and it will be good for my CV...’ Nick was gabbling now, his words spilling out in an uncontrolled stream. He knew he should have discussed it with Polly first and he was worried about her response. He paused to see her smiling at him and she reached for his hand.
‘Nick, Nick, slow down, it’s OK.’
‘Really? You don’t mind? You’re not annoyed with me are you?’
‘Of course not. I’ve seen how depressed you’ve been getting stuck in the house having the lovely Ryan and Kylie next door for company. Believe me, I’d feel the same. I don’t know how you’ve been able to put up with it for so long.’
Nick smiled back at her, a huge wave of relief washing over him. He reached for Polly and hugged her.
‘When I was leaving this morning, Kylie ran out to her car. She started the engine and then the door opened and she chucked out her empty water bottle, the wrapper from her sandwiches and an empty fag packet and just left them on the pavement. I noticed they’ve now blown on to our driveway. So I know what they’re like.’
‘What, cheeky trollop,’ said Nick. ‘I’ll go and clear it up, I need to take out the recycling anyway,’ and he got up to go outside.
‘Never mind that now,’ said Polly, ‘I’ve got a better idea. There’s something I need your help with in the bedroom,’ and she beamed at Nick. All thoughts of the litter were forgotten for a while.
**
Daniel Lythgoe heard his girlfriend Jessica return from her Pilates class. He was in the bathroom of their flat and quickly turned the lock on the door. He shouted out to her, ‘Hi, just in the loo, won’t be a minute,’ and set about clearing away the remains of a line of cocaine he’d just been snorting. He suddenly felt infinitely better, positively buzzing. He just hoped he didn’t look too hyper or she would start to suspect something was wrong. He washed his face in cold water to calm his mood and emerged from the bathroom.
‘Hi, Dan. Everything OK?’ she asked, stepping back slightly and studying him. ‘Have you got a cold?’
‘A cold? No, why?’ Dan wiped his nose, starting to panic that some white powder remained visible around his nostril.
‘Your nose looks to be running a bit and you sound a bit nasal,’ replied his girlfriend.
‘Oh, no, it’s nothing, I’ve just had a bit of a sneezing fit, that’s all,’ said Dan hurriedly, escaping from her gaze to go and sit down in front of the television.
‘How did it go with your big meeting today then?’
‘Oh, great, things are really moving along now. We’re going to have someone joining us from industry to help out. I hope he fits in though and isn’t too bossy.’
‘Well, the main thing is that you get this project off the ground. It will look really good for you in the future.’
‘Yes, that’s true,’ agreed Dan.
‘Just one thing I wanted to mention to you. I checked the joint account today and there’s not much money left in it. You’ve withdrawn nearly two hundred pounds over the last fortnight. What have you been spending it on?’
Dan had to think quickly. Jessica must not under any circumstances find out where the money had gone. ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, had a flat tyre the other day, and Pat at the lab needed some readies so I helped him out a bit.’
‘Why did you pay for the tyre with cash? We usually use the card as we get the reward points,’ she pointed out.
‘Oh, their machine was playing up, kept refusing the card, you know how it is?’
‘Well make sure you get the money back from Pat won’t, you. He’s no right asking you for a sub, we can’t afford it. Tell him to find someone else in the future.’
It was fortunate this conversation was being conducted through the door to the bathroom as Jessica was getting changed and showered after her class. Otherwise, she would have seen her boyfriend’s agitation during his interrogation. There was no mistaking the fact that Dan had a drug habit which threatened to get out of control. A few months ago when he’d been short of funds he’d had to steal a laptop from the university in order to service his coke habit. He was worried sick that the dealer’s demands might turn out to be even more onerous. He had to keep his habit secret from the university nor did he want to get caught stealing. The portents were certainly bad, that wasn’t in dispute. Just how bad they proved to be he would discover very soon.
Chapter 13
Lee arrived for his shift at The Flamingo, a lap dancing club towards the outskirts of Persford. This was one of Cole’s less respectable enterprises, not exactly illegal, well not on the face of it. However, in some of the rooms towards the rear of the property, out of the gaze of the general public, the activities crossed the boundary of strictly legal. There appeared to be a reasonable number of visitors in tonight but it was still early. Attendance generally increased after 11 p.m. when the bars and pubs closed. He yawned, it was going to be a long night ahead, the doors closed officially at 3 a.m. but it was usually nearer 5 a.m. when he could leave the premises and the clea
ning team started to arrive.
He looked at the bookings in the ledger and could see that a stag party was due at 10.30 p.m., that often spelled trouble but they were always big spenders and any breakages would have to be paid for otherwise some of them would be heading home with some really sore heads and not just from the excessive alcohol consumption.
‘Evening, Lexie,’ he said to the girl at the front desk. She was one of the few employees who were actually from the local area. Most of the dancers were from Eastern Europe, who had moved to the UK in the hope of a good job and a comfortable life. Well, they had a job and soon realised that in order to earn a reasonable amount they would have to be accommodating to extra requests from some of the customers. He had a special fondness for one of the recent additions to the team, a blonde girl from Poland, Karolina. He thought she was really attractive and wondered whether there was the possibility of a relationship with her. Up until now, his advances had been rebuffed but he intended to persist. He spotted her rushing in carrying a small holdall no doubt containing her scanty costumes.
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