The Secrets of Ice Cream Success

by AD Hartley

  ‘I did not scream like a girl! That was a warrior’s battle cry!’ Norton huffed in indignation.

  ‘Anyway,’ Ben continued ignoring Norton, ‘We made a run for it but it looks like they followed us.’

  Carlo looked back out the door and saw Lucy leading Mr Hill into the factory with, to Carlo’s surprise, Herbert Fitzherbert lumbering along behind them. ‘This could be tricky.’ Carlo noted as his friends both swore on seeing Fitzherbert coming up the stairs too. ‘Did you actually hear anything while you were there. Any evidence?’

  Ben and Norton shook their heads. ‘We haven’t tailed Herbert properly yet. But we’ve ruled out Neil because he’s too busy at the Fish shop, so I reckon it’s Herbert.’ Norton added.

  ‘Based on what?’ Carlo asked.

  ‘Gut feeling.’

  ‘Big enough gut!’ Ben pointed out.

  Carlo sighed. ‘Look, you two just go and keep out of trouble somewhere. I better go and see what’s going on.’ he said, taking a quick glance out of the door before heading back down to his office, whilst Ben and Norton took the opportunity to scoot in the opposite direction, down the stairs to the canteen.

  Carlo entered the office to find Mr Hill seated by Carlo’s desk and Fitzherbert loitering near the door like a bodyguard. Lucy was stood next to Carlo’s chair.

  ‘Ah, I was just going to get you and Randy.’ Lucy said with a smile. ‘Can I get everyone a drink whilst we wait?’

  Mr Hill asked for a tea, Fitzherbert a lemonade, but Carlo declined. The past week since Luigi’s Ghost had reappeared and the renewed optimism throughout the factory that had followed had left Carlo feeling elated, but the arrival of Mr Hill once more seemed rather ominous to Carlo, who waited in silence, sat staring at his visitors.

  Lucy eventually returned with the drinks followed by Randy who looked just as unhappy as Carlo at Mr Hill’s unexpected visit.

  ‘Haverton!’ Randy brayed trying to cover his initial surprise. ‘Why you should have phoned. Is this a social call or work? I would have come to you and saved you the trip… if I’d have known you wanted to talk.’ he finished, with what Carlo thought sounded like a little too much emphasis on the last words.

  ‘I was just in the area, Fox, my man. Thought we could catch up. Young Herbert here had never seen the place. Good for his education to see how, err… other people do things.’ Mr Hill said, jovially. The barbed comment did not pass Carlo by.

  ‘I see you still have this young scamp around the place.’ Mr Hill continued, indicating Carlo with a nod of the head. ‘Good for moral I suppose. Keeps the troops happy to have him around, I’m sure.’ he finished, as if he was talking to Randy about his pet dog.

  Randy laughed nervously and ignored the comment whilst Carlo silently fumed.

  ‘But, enough of the small talk. Herbert, if you will…?’ Mr Hill continued, holding out his hand and taking a folder from Fitzherbert. ‘Right, yes… here we are. Bad business, Randy, awful shock, obviously. To think this would rear its head again! Wish you had taken my call, m’boy. I could have helped.’ Hill rambled on, seeming to take pleasure from the vague statements.

  Randy looked increasingly uncomfortable, but seemed to understand what Hill was intimating. “Well, yes, terrible timing, but extremely sensitive, Haverton, what with, err… everything. Thought it best to keep in house for now.’

  ‘Hmmm, hmmm. Yes, understand entirely. However, there is the matter of the press, dear boy. Would be dreadful, just dreadful if this were to become common knowledge.’

  ‘Well, hopefully that can be avoided… can’t it?’ Randy replied.

  Carlo looked back and forth between the two men as if watching a tennis match, not at sure what was being discussed but certain there was something more meaningful behind the words. Carlo slammed is hand down on the desk jolting both men into silence as they turned towards him in surprise.

  ‘Fly.’ Carlo said to no one in particular, absently flicking the pretend remains of an insect into the bin next to the desk. ‘So, Mr Hill, how can I help you?’ he continued, pointedly straightening the sign on his desk that said “Giancarlo Leodoni – Owner and Jnr Managing Director” so it faced Mr Hill directly, before interlocking his fingers on the table in front of him and smiling pleasantly at the large man opposite him.

  Mr Hill looked at Randy with interest, saying ‘Going off script a little here aren’t we, Fox, my man?’ but as Randy opened his mouth to reply, Mr Hill raised his pudgy hand to silence him, turning to Carlo with a smile. ‘Let’s see how this plays out,’ he continued, seemingly amused.

  ‘Master Leodoni. It has come to my attention,’ Hill said with his usual guttural gargle, brandishing the papers he had taken from Herbert, ‘that an illegal substance has been used in the manufacturing process here at Leodoni’s. Obviously as a worried citizen such news is of great concern, but as a supportive neighbour, not to say competitor, I am here to offer whatever…’

  ‘No it hasn’t.’ Carlo said, interrupting Mr Hill, still with a smile upon his face.

  ‘Excuse me?’ Mr Hill said, taken aback.

  ‘No illegal substance has been used in the manufacturing process here at Leodoni’s.’ Carlo emphasised.

  Mr Hill smiled, though with little warmth. ‘Ah, I see. Have it your way.’ he continued, ‘Let’s just call it an “unorthodox ingredient”, shall we.’

  Carlo shook his head. ‘You misunderstand, Mr Hill. I mean there has been no non-approved ingredient used in our factory and I would take great offence at any suggestion otherwise.’ he finished, giving himself a mental slap on the back for the professional nature of his retort.

  ‘You deny that your stock has been contaminated?’ Mr Hill shouted, in indignation.

  ‘There has been no non-approved ingredient used in our factory and I would take great offence at any suggestion otherwise.’ Carlo repeated.

  ‘I have evidence to the contrary!’ Hill countered, waving the papers once again.

  ‘Show me.’ Carlo replied, stretching out his hand.

  Mr Hill withdrew the papers and placed them back into the folder, handing them back to Fitzherbert, who shot Carlo and angry look as he took them.

  ‘I think not.’ Mr Hill said, standing up.

  ‘But I thought you were here to offer help in the name of neighbourly concern?’ Carlo added, also standing.

  ‘Well, you are greatly mistaken!’ Mr Hill shouted, turning to leave the office. ‘Dangerous course, Fox. Call me when you’ve come to your senses!’ he growled at Randy as he stepped out of the room. ‘Come along, Herbert.’ he added from outside as Fitzherbert lingered long enough to stare threateningly at Carlo.

  ‘I’m not at all sure that was wise.’ Randy said with a sigh, sitting down in the seat just vacated by Mr Hill.

  Carlo shrugged. ‘Why are you so scared of him, Uncle Randy?’ Every time we see him you look like a school boy who has been caught by the headmaster doing something naughty.

  Randy looked stung. ‘That’s not it at all, Carlo. Not at all! It’s just that Haverton Hill is a very important man in this area and it makes sense to show him the respect his position deserves.’ Carlo snorted in disgust as Randy continued. ‘If nothing else I think it was extremely unwise for you to lie about the contamination.’

  ‘I didn’t lie!’

  ‘You told him there had been no contamination, Carlo.’

  ‘No, I said there had been no unauthorised ingredient used. But why would he think there had been? It doesn’t make sense. If he knew it was cockroaches he would have said so.’ Carlo mused.

  ‘I’m not sure it matters what Mr Hill thinks contaminated our stock because if he takes that evidence to the press we are in serious trouble.’

  ‘Evidence!’ Carlo shouted, jumping to his feet. ‘Hold the fort!’ he said, as he leapt for the door.

  ‘Carlo! We need to discuss this!’ he heard Randy shout from the office as he took the steps down to the factory floor two at a time, spinning through the doors to the staff
locker room and into the canteen.

  ‘Oi! Mr and Mrs Sherlock!’ he shouted across the room to Ben and Norton. ‘Detecting time, c’mon!’ Carlo said, waving them to follow as he dashed out of the canteen.

  Ben and Norton caught up with Carlo at the main gates as he peered around the corner.

  ‘What is going on?’ Norton grumbled holding a pack of crisps in one hand and half eaten chocolate bar in the other. ‘I hadn’t finished eating.’

  ‘That’ll be on your headstone when you die!’ Ben laughed at Norton. Carlo pulled them back to attention with a shout.

  ‘Evidence!’ he said, loudly. ‘Hill says that he has some evidence that there was contamination in our stock, but no one outside the factory knew that. We recalled all the stock claiming it was a clerical error not a problem with the actual product and it’s all been destroyed now, so what evidence was he just waving around at me and why did he think there was a dodgy ingredient? If he had evidence he would know it was a cockroach! Something very weird is going on.’

  ‘So he wasn’t here about us, then?’ Norton asked, stuffing the final bite of chocolate into his mouth where the previous bite was still happily being chewed. ‘’ere ‘ot in ‘rouble?’

  ‘No, you’re not in trouble, but if that evidence gets out, whatever he has, we all might be. But if we can find out what it is it might lead us to the culprit! Get the bikes!’ Carlo finished, peering around the gates once more.

  Ben and Norton dashed off again, reappearing moments later with their three bikes and wide grins.

  ‘Quick, he’s just left!’ Carlo said, taking his bike from Ben and hopping on. The three shot out of the gates and headed down the road and around the first corner almost colliding with Mr Hill’s huge black car as they rushed headlong into the same traffic jam. Steering to the left, Carlo and Ben hopped over the curb and onto the pavement whilst Norton screeched to a halt, planted his feet and lifted himself across the curb before pedalling furiously around the corner where his two friends were now lurking, watching Mr Hill’s car intently. As it passed the road they were waiting in the three boys tried to keep their faces from view, nonchalantly looking in every direction but the car, before setting off to follow at a more sedate pace as Mr Hill made his way through the traffic.

  ‘Is that Herbert driving?’ Ben asked, speeding up along the pavement to glance in the car’s window before dropping back out of sight.

  ‘Nah, can’t be.’ Carlo said, ‘I wouldn’t trust him to drive a wheel barrow, never mind that beast!’

  ‘It is you know. Look at the shoulders of the driver! Who else do you know who’s that big?’ Ben said, as the boys weaved either side of pedestrians, Norton rather less gracefully with the occasional halt and apology followed by huffing and gurning as he got back up to speed.

  Eventually Mr Hill’s car turned a corner leaving the main traffic and sped towards the Hill’s factory, forcing Carlo and the others to up the pace to stay in sight. Leaping off the pavement they shot down the road, Ben urging Norton to more effort in order to stay in touch. As the car disappeared into the foreground, Carlo abruptly swung right into a park followed by Ben as they hurtled across the grass and around the pond leaving Norton behind.

  Skidding through the gates at the other side of the park they began circling the outer wall at the back of the Hill’s factory, bombing around the corners until they soon found themselves nearing the front gates.

  Both boys screeched to a halt and deposited their bikes against the wall just as Mr Hill’s car approached from the opposite end of the road and turned right into the gates of the factory. They casually walked along the wall, ignoring the wheezing from behind them as Norton arrived looking red in the face and thoroughly disgruntled.

  ‘Shhh!’ Carlo said, waving his friend into silence as he started to protest the need of so much exertion.

  Carlo and Ben peered through the gates as Norton leant against the wall behind them with his hands on his hips fighting for breath, but Carlo was disappointed to see Mr Hill march directly from the car to the factory doors empty handed apart from the ever present umbrella swinging at his side.

  ‘What now?’ Ben asked in excitement, ‘Do we go in?’

  ‘No.’ Ben answered puzzled. ‘He doesn’t have it. It must still be in the car.’ Both boys looked across to see the car slowly pull away in a big loop around the ornate drive of the factory and head back towards the gates.

  ‘Damn!’ Ben said, flinging himself to the side followed by Carlo, shooting past Norton towards the bikes.

  ‘Huh? Norton exclaimed. ‘Where are you…?’ he started but at that moment the car pulled out of the factory, paused for a moment and then turned left away from the boys, Norton’s ample bulk shielding the others from sight as he looked at them in confusion.

  Ben pointed down the road behind his friend and Norton turned to see the car disappear around the corner.

  ‘Are you sure it was Herbert?’ Carlo asked Ben.

  ‘Unless the zoo is missing a gorilla, yes, that was Herbert.’

  Carlo sighed. ‘OK, get the bikes.’

  ‘Ah, man! You’re kidding me!’ Norton moaned as his friends jumped back on and set off down the road.

  The three boys made more stately progress across town this time based on Norton’s theory that Herbert had driven the car home for lunch and there was therefore plenty of time to reach his house before he left. Carlo was pleased to discover that Norton’s guess proved correct as they all turned into his street to find the large black car parked outside one of the houses.

  Carlo slowly pulled up alongside the car and peeked inside to see the folder that Mr Hill had been holding sat on the back seat. He surreptitiously tried the handle but wasn’t surprised to find it locked. He turned to see his friends stood outside a neighbouring house and saw Ben bend down, pick up a rock and wave it towards Carlo with an expectant grin on his face, mimicking smashing the car window. Carlo shook his head firmly, but couldn’t think of any other ideas.

  ‘What now?’ he asked making his way back to where the others stood.

  ‘I still think smashing the window is the best idea.’ Ben answered, still holding the rock in a menacing fashion.

  ‘No!’ Carlo replied again. ‘If we break in Herbert will know straight away that the folder is missing. If we can get it without him knowing it could be ages before they realise we have it, which will give us time to work out how they got it and what to do next. We need to do this ninja style.’

  ‘What? Take him out with a flying kick? Can you do that?’ Norton asked, impressed.

  ‘Of course I can’t!’

  ‘A distraction is what we need.’ Ben looked at his friends and a smile slowly appeared. ‘I have an idea.’

  Carlo groaned.

  ‘Remember,’ Carlo said for the third time, ‘wait until he has unlocked the door before you make your move.’

  ‘I know… I know.’ Norton answered irritated. He had been chosen as the most likely distraction on the basis that Ben may prove too intimidating and cause Herbert to just drive away, whilst Carlo would probably just get ran over, according to Ben. Seeing no reason to take issue with Ben’s theory considering the few other occasions he had come face to face with Herbert, Carlo agreed and Norton found himself volunteered, with the proviso that Ben wait around the corner should he be needed to rescue Norton from an otherwise certain pummelling.

  Carlo pushed Norton towards Mr Hill’s car and then scampered to hide behind a different vehicle as Ben looked on from around the corner where he was waiting with the bikes. Carlo edged around the back of the car so he could get a good view and saw Norton nervously stood next to the large black car looking as conspicuous as it was possible to get. The wait seemed to drag on for hours, though looking at his watch only ten minutes had passed when eventually Carlo heard the front door open and Herbert step out towards the car.

  Norton, loitering a few yards with his back to the car, bent down to tie his shoelaces as Herbert left the hou
se and waited until he heard the car door open before standing up, staring straight at the windscreen. Herbert stopped as he was just about to duck into the car, surprised to see the younger boy.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked, still holding the car door open. ‘You don’t live ‘round here.’

  ‘Nuthin’.’ Norton replied with a shrug, trying, and failing, to sound casual. ‘It’s a free country. Can stand where I want, can’t I.’

  ‘Well you can’t stand there or I’ll run you over! Herbert said as Norton meandered in front of the car as if just out for a stroll.

  ‘I wouldn’t, you might damage it. It’s a nice car’ Norton replied, nodding towards the vehicle.’

  But Herbert mistook the nervous strain in Norton’s voice and with his natural suspicion and slow he wit jumped to entirely the wrong conclusion. ‘Here, have you done something to this car!’ he shouted, marching towards Norton who took a few startled steps backwards.

  Behind them Carlo watched the scene unfold and saw his chance to move, but quickly pulled himself back as Herbert turned away from Norton to inspect his car.

  ‘I’ll bloody thump you if you’ve done something to this car!’ Herbert continued to rant, caressing the bodywork and looking around the bonnet for signs of vandalism.

  ‘I didn’t do anything, honest!’ Norton squeaked as Herbert turned back to him.

  ‘You bloody well better not have done, or I’ll make you wish you’d never seen this car, you fat lump!’ Herbert raged, grabbing Norton by the shirt and pushing him backwards as he continued shouting. ‘You just get out of here now or I’ll…’

  ‘Or you’ll what?’ Ben asked stepping into view behind Norton.

  Carlo silently praised Ben for being shrewd enough to step out to help Norton but still make sure Herbert was facing away from the car. Ducking out and keeping low, Carlo reached the back passenger door of the car, opened it as silently as he could and reached in to the grab the papers, before closing it and making his way back to the other car still crouching.