Plender

by Ted Lewis

  I lit another cigarette and went into the main bedroom and looked it over. Only someone with my experience could ever tell I’d virtually turned it upside down. But it had all been a waste of time; I’d been through every drawer and cupboard in the house and I hadn’t turned up anything with Kate Knott’s maiden name on it.

  I went into the kitchen and made another cup of coffee.

  Where the hell was Knott?

  KNOTT

  Dawn light drifted in through the hotel window. I lay on the bed, my back leaning on the pillows I’d propped against the wall. I’d been like that for the last seventeen or eighteen hours. I didn’t want to move and at the same time I didn’t want to do anything else. I’d drunk the best part of a bottle of scotch but I’d gone beyond drunkenness and even sleep wouldn’t come. I’d just lay there, letting the events of the past week unfold in my brain like a flower in a time lapse film. All the pain had gone now and all I was left with was a numb feeling of despair.

  But at least I’d come to a decision.

  PLENDER

  At two thirty on Sunday afternoon I left Knott’s house and drove back to my digs. There was no point in me staying there any longer. I’d keep ringing the house at regular intervals until he showed up. If he showed up. But there was nothing else I could do. I just had to wait. But if he walked into the nearest police station I was well covered; my story was watertight. What I’d intended springing on Kate Knott I could spring on the police. The fact that I’d discovered that Knott had been having an affair with a girl who was now missing by finding some discovered pictures of her in his studio would go down very well. Knott’s counter-charge that I’d got rid of the body for him without even being asked to do it would sound like so much wishful thinking. There was only the bit about taking his car that seemed the slightest bit dubious. But that would seem crazy enough just to be true. It had been good enough for Kate Knott it would be good enough for the Boys in Blue.

  But, anyway, for Christ’s sake, he wasn’t going to walk into any police station. When it came right down to it, he was too fond of himself to do anything like that.

  On the way into my digs I picked the latest tape on Froy from the letter box and took it up to my room with me. I closed the door behind me and took my coat and my jacket off and hung them up and pulled on a thick sweater and lit the gas fire.

  Then I made myself a cup of coffee and put the tape on the machine and lay down on my bed with a cigarette and my coffee and listened to the tape.

  KNOTT

  I went home first, just in case he was still there. At least that’s what I told myself. His car was no longer in the drive, but I went into the house just the same. I went into every room, and stood quietly in each one for a while, taking in all the details you never normally notice—the overturned bottle of scent on Kate’s dressing table, the old teddy on top of the wardrobe in the kids’ room, the old newspapers Kate kept stacked down the side of the sink unit. I took in everything, calmly, but each item made the weight in my stomach a little heavier; but I did remain calm, because I knew that to be otherwise would make the exercise meaningless. After I’d done that I went to one of the photo albums and picked out a shot of us all, one that a sea-front photographer had taken at Scarborough. I put it in my pocket and started to leave the house.

  I’d got as far as the hall when the phone began to ring. I stood there for a moment, wondering whether or not to answer it. And then I thought that it might be Plender so I went back into the study and picked up the receiver.

  It was Kate.

  “Peter?” she said.

  “Yes.”

  There was a silence. Then she said, “I wondered what had happened to you. If you were all right.”

  God. I thought, not now. Not now I’ve made my decision.

  I said, “I’m fine.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “I’m sorry about yesterday,” I said.

  “Listen, Peter,” she said. “I’ve been talking to Daddy. He knows Plender. Knows of him, I mean. So does the man you hit. They wanted to know what connection you had with him. I told them what had happened, how you met, and they seemed concerned. I couldn’t make out why, quite. But Daddy wants to talk to you. He thinks it’s important that you should talk to him. So do I. I think something’s wrong. Because of Plender.”

  “Kate . . ...”

  “Peter, I want to come back.”

  I couldn’t speak.

  “I want to help. Whatever it is. But look, talk to Daddy first. He’s here now. Then—”

  I put the phone down and stood there for a long time, just listening to the silence of the house.

  PLENDER

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Even after I’d played the tape a third time.

  There were the usual ringing tones, then the receiver was lifted and Froy’s voice said, “Brown speaking.”

  “Have you any news?” said the voice of the leader.

  “We’ve put a watch on his flat but as yet he hasn’t turned up.”

  “And his office?”

  “The same.”

  There was a silence. Then the leader said, “I wish I knew exactly what’s been going on.”

  “So do I, sir. Whatever it is, I’m afraid we have to assume that it’s dangerous to the Movement.”

  “Quite. I’ve got as much from my daughter this afternoon as I possibly can without making her suspicious, but there’s nothing much to add to what she said while you were here. They made contact a week or so ago; he’s been to the house twice, once at her invitation over this divorce business, and that’s it.”

  “We’ll find out anything else there is to know when we question him, sir.”

  “Of course. But whatever it is, he’s finished. This is too close to me. We’ll have to get rid of him.”

  “Yes,” said Froy. “You see I can’t help thinking the worst, as I’ve said. Blackmail’s his trade, and I’m very much afraid your son-in-law may be on his books.”

  “If he ever discovered the connection between my son- in-law and myself . . .”

  “I know.”

  “So what do you intend to do?”

  “Nothing till tomorrow. The people to pick him up don’t get back from the meeting until late tomorrow afternoon. But I’ll get on to them as soon as they return.”

  “Phone me as soon as you have anything.”

  “I will, sir.”

  Then the line went dead. I switched off the machine.

  I’d already checked about the man outside.

  I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to take it in, but the thoughts in my mind refused to be organised into any kind of shape. The only thing constant in my mind was the repetition of the word ‘finished’.

  It was over. The whole thing. I was finished. I’d finished myself.

  I stood up.

  This was where I needed all my self discipline; I’d made plans to cover this kind of a situation. I had to pull myself together and accept what had happened, however sick it was making me. Otherwise I wouldn’t be finished; I’d be dead. I put my hold-all on the bed and then I opened the safe and took out my money and my photostats and put them in the bottom of the bag and covered them with a few clothes. I took my gun and holster out of my drawer and put the gun on the bed and began to strap on my holster.

  There was a knock on the door. I didn’t move.

  “Mr. Plender,” came Mrs. Fourness’s voice. “There’s somebody to see you.”

  I didn’t answer.

  I heard her mumble something to whoever it was and then she said, “It’s a Mr. Knott. Are you at home?”

  I walked over to the door and opened it a couple of inches. Then I opened it properly when I saw Knott standing next to Mrs. Fourness.

  “I hope it’s a
ll right,” she said. “He said it would be.”

  “Yes, it’s all right,” I said.

  Knott came into the room and I closed the door behind him. I saw him look at the hold-all and the gun.

  “That’s right,” I said. “I’m leaving.”

  “Leaving? Why?”

  Suddenly I felt very tired.

  “You’d never believe me in a million years,” I said.

  “But you can’t leave yet.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Why’s that?”

  “Because I want you to show me where Eileen is.”

  I smiled.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “You’ll be quite safe,” he said. “I won’t involve you. I won’t tell the police anything about you. I just need to know where the body is. They have to have a body. Otherwise they might not believe me.”

  I looked at him. He must have gone completely out of his mind. He didn’t even realise that with me out of the way he had nothing to worry about. Christ, that would be funny if I had to tell him that.

  Then the phone rang. Without thinking I picked it up. The minute I put the receiver to my ear the line went dead. They were on their way. It was too late.

  Knott picked up the gun from off the bed.

  “Take me,” he said. “I have to know where she is.”

  I looked at him. They were only a few minutes away. The plans I’d made were useless now. Unless . . .. . ..

  “I must know,” he said. “Please take me.”

  They wouldn’t try and take me with Knott around, that was certain. That was something I’d taught them. Not in daylight, not when they could be identified. But the quarry, that would be different. If I let them follow me it would be dark by the time we got there; they’d try then. And I’d have the advantage there; I knew every square inch of the place.

  I put my jacket on and picked up my hold-all.

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll take you.”

  KNOTT

  The closer we got the more terrified I became. It was the thought of being close to something that had once been alive, something I’d once made love to, something that was now under the earth, with the earth’s things moving through it . . . I squeezed my eyes tight shut and thrust my hand in my pocket and gripped the cold handle of Plender’s gun, like a child who is frightened of the dark grips his toy pistol under the bedclothes.

  After we’d been driving for almost three quarters of an hour, the possibility of where Plender might be taking me began to dawn on me.

  “Where?” I said. “Where did you put her?”

  “I’m going to show you, mate, aren’t I?” he said. “I mean, that’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?”

  “Not . . . Not near there.”

  Plender shrugged.

  “Wait and see,” he said. “Wait and see. This is Brian Plender’s magical mystery tour. The fun starts when the ride finishes.”

  He began to whistle to himself.

  PLENDER

  They’d kept behind me all the way. I had to give them credit; they were doing a good job. Nobody else would have guessed we were being followed.

  We reached the top of the hill that overlooked Brumby. Just before I turned left down the track that led to the quarry I said, “Want to drop in for a cup of tea with your mam before we get to the scene of the crime?”

  “Shut up,” he said.

  I laughed.

  “Now, now Brian,” I said. “You’re not in the big city now so let’s have less of your big city ways.”

  We got to the overhung entrance of the quarry and I crawled the car along the narrow track until it opened out into the quarry basin and then I turned right and drove towards the old engine houses.

  When we got there I switched off the engine and the lights.

  Knott was sitting bolt upright, stiff with fear.

  “Well, here we are,” I said.

  I opened my door and got out and listened. Very faintly I could hear the other car crawling along the track. I looked back at the entrance. Dusk was turning into full night now and the mouth of the entrance was hardly visible.

  I walked round to the passenger side of the Cortina and banged on the roof and opened the door.

  “Let’s be having you, then,” I said. “No time for shillyshallying. We haven’t got all night.”

  Knott got out of the car as if he expected something to charge out of the darkness and leap on him.

  “Over here,” I said, walking towards the engine house. Knott followed me, walking on eggs. I stopped in front of the upside-down panniers.

  “Now then,” I said, stroking my chin. “Let’s have a little think. Which one was it? Do you know, I’m not entirely sure I can remember.”

  Knott stared at the panniers.

  “Under there?” he whispered.

  “Er, yes, that’s right,” I said. “But which one?”

  Knott took a step or two in front of me, as though drawn by a magnet.

  “Here,” I said, “you know what it reminds me of? Have you ever seen them do that trick down the market where they have three cups face down and a peanut and they cover the peanut and shift the cups around and you have to guess which cup the nut’s under? This is like that, isn’t it?”

  Knott sank down on to his knees.

  “God,” he said. “God help me, please.”

  “Well,” I said, “you pays your money and you takes your choice.”

  The other car nosed into the quarry and the noise of its engine became suddenly louder as it fanned out across the quarry floor.

  Knott twisted round like a rabbit in a snare.

  “What’s that?” he said.

  “Friends of mine,” I said.

  I saw the lights cut out and I heard the doors open.

  “What’s going on?” said Knott. “For Christ’s sake, tell me.”

  “I couldn’t begin to explain,” I said. “But now I’ve done what I said I’d do, I’d like my gun back.”

  Knott’s hand dived into his pocket and he scrambled up from the floor, bringing the gun out as he came.

  “What’s happening?” he screamed. “Tell me what’s happening.”

  “For Christ’s sake,” I said. “Shut up and give me the fucking gun. I’ve got to move while I’ve the chance.”

  I could hear the others moving in the direction of our voices.

  “No,” said Knott. “You haven’t shown me. How do I know you’re not lying? How do I know why you’ve brought me here?”

  “The gun,” I said, walking towards him. “Give me the fucking gun.”

  “I’ll kill you,” he said. “If you don’t show me, I will, I’ll kill you.”

  Then I heard Gurney shouting through the darkness.

  “Plender?” he called. “Are you going to come to us?”

  “What do you think?” I shouted back.

  I turned to Knott again.

  “Quick,” I said. “While I’ve got a chance.”

  “It’d be best if you did,” shouted Gurney. “It’s only a talk we’re after.”

  Knott peered into the darkness in the direction of Gurney’s voice.

  “Why are they here?” he said. “Why did you bring them?”

  I made a dive for Knott and the gun but he turned towards me at exactly the moment I moved and more out of surprise that anything else he pulled the trigger. The bullet was yards wide of me but I automatically threw myself face down on the ground. When I looked up Knott was staring at the gun in amazement.

  “All right, Mr. Plender,” shouted Gurney. “That’s good enough for us.”

  Three powerful torch beams cut through the night. That stupid sod Gurney thought I’d hauled off a shot at him. Knott turned s
lowly towards the light. I got to my feet and began to race for the back of the engine house.

  KNOTT

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Plender get up and start running. Then I stared at the point where the light was coming from. I couldn’t grasp what was happening. I couldn’t believe it. What were these people trying to do? Whatever it was, they were preventing me from doing what I’d decided to do. How dare they? What right had they? They had to be stopped. I began to walk towards them. But the torch beams weren’t trained on me. Two shots burst from the darkness and there was a crash behind me and I turned and looked where the shafts of light were pointing and I could see Plender, lying on the ground, shivering as if he was very, very cold.

  They’ve killed him, I thought. He’s dead. My mind was very clear about the situation; they’d killed Plender, and now I’d have to look for Eileen myself. That wasn’t fair of them. They must realise how unbearable that would be for me. They shouldn’t have left me all alone, to do that. I had to let them know what they’d done to me.

  PLENDER

  I tried to roll over on to my back because the pain in my chest was too much to allow me to stay face down, but everything I tried to move made the pain worse so finally I had to give up. All I could do was to twist my head round to look in the direction of Knott.

  I heard them begin to walk towards me, to finish the job. There was no point in taking me away now.

  Then I heard Knott shout out, “Look what you’ve done to him.”

  “Shut up,” Gurney said. “And stay where you are.” Two of the torches were trained on Knott now, but he had his hands at his sides, and the gun was out of range of the beam. Gurney ignored him and walked towards me, holding the other torch.

  “You’ve killed him,” screamed Knott. “Now what am I going to do?”

  Gurney had almost reached me. Any minute now the gun would go off and that would be the last sound I’d hear. Not that it would make any difference. I knew how badly I’d been hit.

  I waited for the sound of the gun.