‘Here we go. Browne, Transit Connect. That’s the small one you know?’
‘Yes, we aren’t moving anything huge just a few boxes so a big van would be too much.’ He smiled
‘No problem.’ She stood and took a set of keys from the cabinet behind her. ‘Here you go, it’s full of diesel and there’s a charge if you don’t fill it up on your return. She handed him the keys and a small plastic wallet full of papers.
‘Thank you.’ Dan said. The keys looked like they had been rolled around on a garage floor and the wallet had seen better days. The clear plastic had turned white in lines where it had been folded.
‘All of the information for the vehicle is in there along with contact numbers for any problems or breakdowns. It’s not insured to go outside the UK, is that ok?’
‘Yes, that’s fine, I’m not going far. Just moving in with my girlfriend.’ Dan said.
She smiled, her eyes softening ‘Oh that’s nice, have you been together long?’
‘No not really, a few months. It just feels right and I can’t stay single forever.’ Dan said.
‘I hadn’t known my husband long but sometimes you just know it’s right. We’ve been together twenty-eight years next August.’ She held out her hand to show him her wedding ring. It was tight on her fingers, like a little gold belt on a big fat man.
‘Well I don’t know if we will be getting married yet but you never know.’ Dan said smiling.
‘Well I hope it works out for you both.’ She said.
‘Me too.’ He said stepping backwards to the door.
CHAPTER SIXTY
‘What if he comes back?’ Emma asked.
‘He won’t come back, he knows we like privacy and even if he does he won’t come up here.’ Dan said.
They stood in the back bedroom of The Old Coach House, thick oak beams crossed the ceiling. The room was perfect for Dan’s plan.
‘Is that everything?’ Emma asked.
‘No, there’s a couple more boxes I think.’ Dan said. ‘Oh, and the MDF sheets.’
‘Ok, I don’t think I can carry those, shall I just grab the boxes?’
‘Yeah, that would be great and I’ll get the MDF.’
‘All this exercise’s making me tired.’ Emma said.
‘Keeping you fit though and there’s not much more to do. Once this is finished we can have a shower, cuddle and a bit of rest.’
‘That sounds good, especially the cuddle.’
‘I know, the sooner we’re done the longer we have to snuggle.’
Emma smiled. ‘You really know how to motivate a girl.’
# # #
Dan stood back, his t-shirt stuck to his back with sweat. ‘I think that’s done.’
They stood in the centre of the room, the thick MDF sheets lay on the floor covered in plastic sheeting. More plastic hung from the beams, making the room into a semi-transparent tent. Duct tape held the plastic sheets together, there was only one entrance where the sheeting could be pulled apart. In the centre of the room stood a solitary wooden trestle, Dan had bought it from Ikea but it wouldn’t be holding a desk top now. He had screwed it down to the MDF, the screws bit tight into the sheet with a satisfying squeak.
‘It looks really weird.’ Emma said, her hair stuck to her face, refusing to move when she blew at it.
‘I know but it should mean we don’t leave any evidence.’ Dan said
‘It looks like something from E.T.’ Emma said. ‘I loved that film.’
‘I never did really. I had a lunchbox with it on but I didn’t really like the film. It was just that everyone had to watch it like Star Wars and back in my day you didn’t get many kids films.’
‘You old bugger. I don’t like Star Wars at all, I don’t get it.’
‘Neither do I, it made a lot of money though.’ Dan said. ‘Can you sit on that a minute?’
‘On what, the wooden thingy?’ Emma asked.
‘Yeah, the trestle.’
‘Ok.’ Emma said perching on the top beam of the trestle. ‘Like this?’
‘Yeah but wiggle around a bit.’
Emma wriggled on the trestle. ‘Is that enough?’
‘Yeah perfect, it’s not going anywhere.’ Dan said nodding his head in satisfaction.
Emma stood and walked to Dan. ‘We are really going through with this aren’t we?’
‘Yes. It’s too late to pull out now. It’ll be over soon and when it’s done it’s done. We can just forget about it and get on with things. Together.’ Dan said pulling her against him.
‘I’d like that. It will be better when it’s all over with.’ Emma said looking up at Dan.
Dan kissed her. ‘That’s pretty much it done now babe.’
‘Good, you’re all sweaty and minging.’ Emma said with a look of mock disgust on her face.
‘Well it’s not the first time I’ve sweated on you, you just don’t like it with clothes in the way.’
‘Shut up you. Can we go get showered?’ Emma asked.
‘Yeah, come on. Sounds good.’
‘Then a cuddle though, remember?’ Emma said. ‘You promised.’
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Asda carpark. Always busy and always with empty spastic spaces. Jaz drove past them muttering under his breath and pulled into the nearest Parent Child space. He stared back at the woman who shook her head as he turned off the engine. Stupid bitch was probably just bitter she couldn’t find anyone to go near her let alone give her a child. He got out of the car and looked back at the cripple spots. To justify that many spaces a quarter of the country would need to be in a wheelchair and most of them were skiving anyway. Lazy bastards.
His BMW blinked its indicators in agreement with him as he walked towards the entrance. He stopped to pick up a basket and went inside walking as far to the left as he could to avoid the charity beggars wanting his change to save hedgehogs.
Jaz had timed his visit perfectly. This store was a few miles out of his way but at lunchtime the local school kids came here to buy sweets and cans of pop. It was slim pickings today but there were a few stripes of young thigh between long socks and short skirts. He couldn’t see Bethany so he stopped in the magazine section and picked up a National Geographic.
He flicked through the pictures, nothing exciting in there but it would fill a few minutes.
‘What you looking at?’
Jaz turned from the magazine. ‘Oh, hi Bethany.’ A smile formed. ‘I didn’t expect to bump into you again.’
‘Yeah well, I needed lunch. They do salads here.’ Bethany was tall for her age, an awkwardly tall thirteen-year-old girl who might be pretty if her acne calmed down.
‘You don’t need salad, you’re perfect as it is.’ Jaz said lowering the magazine to his side.
‘Oh, I do, I’ve got to lose some for me party.’ She lowered her eyes.
‘What’s wrong?’ Jaz asked softening his eyes to look as caring as he could. He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled when she didn’t withdraw.
‘Oh, nothing really, you know how it is.’ She said with a forced smile.
‘I do, I remember teenagers are horrible. It’s why a lot of girls like older men. They know how to treat a girl properly.’ He liked to plant the idea of an older man as soon as the pains of being a teenager came up, it always did.
‘I guess. Never mind. What’re you looking at anyway?’ She asked.
‘Oh this.’ Jaz said holding the magazine up. ‘I’m just looking at places to go. Was thinking about America again but I’m not sure. I’ve got nobody to go with so it’s not so good.’
‘Oh wow. I’d love to go to the States. Maybe one day I will. Have you been before?’ Bethany asked.
‘Me? Yeah, a few times. It’s good. You should go.’ Jaz said. He knew her family couldn’t afford it when he saw her house. It was a shitty little bedsit in town and had taken him a few days driving around the school routes to see which way she walked home but it was worth it. Poor girls were always easier to impress, rich girls were mor
e eager to be naughty but had nosier parents.
‘Maybe.’ Sadness spread across her face. ‘I better get going. Lessons start in a bit.’
‘Oh ok, no problem.’ Jaz stopped himself before going further.
‘See you soon ok?’ Bethany said with sad hope in her eyes.
‘Maybe, I hope so too. You be careful ok, all sorts of perverts around and a good-looking girl like you attracts them you know?’
She blushed as she turned away giggling. ‘Bye Jaz.’
Jaz smiled and watched her walk away, he put the magazine back and walked away. Things were going well with her, two weeks of bumping into her and she was already thinking of an older boyfriend and didn’t flinch when he touched her. All he needed was a rainy day. It was much easier to get a girl in his car when it was raining.
He walked through the shop uninterested in the people around him, none of them would match the tingling excitement running through his body. All he needed was that rainy day and he could buy her a little gift from the nice man she sometimes sees in Asda
He got to the baked beans and stopped. Nan was always fussy and he didn’t know which ones she would want this week. Usually it was Heinz but sometimes the shop brand was the one she preferred. He bought her Weight Watchers once and she accused him of calling her fat. He reached for the Heinz and knew she would want whichever ones he didn’t get so it didn’t really matter. He dropped them into the basket and headed to the lightbulbs, she needed a bulb changing and he’d already decided to buy a few different strengths so it wouldn’t hurt her eyes like last time.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Dan placed the black Jack Wolfskin’s on the bed along with the other bags he had brought with him. He unfolded his cheap lock knife and cut through the thin plastic clips holding the tags to the bag. He put the labels and plastic tags inside the black dust bin liner at his feet. He picked up the three black Under Armour balaclavas and put them inside the rucksack, he stopped and took them out checking the eye holes were sewn shut on one of them. He couldn’t resist slipping one on himself even though he knew it was pointless and immature. They came from the companies Heat Gear range designed to wear when you wanted to feel cool, light and dry. He didn’t know what use anyone would have for a balaclava to wear in warm conditions unless they too were planning on some clandestine activities. Perhaps there were a lot of people who needed to hide their identity. Dan didn’t think too much about it as he felt the material slide easily over his head, the sensible grown up inside telling him that he was being immature while the inner child told him to go look at himself in the mirror.
The inner child won and he could almost see his smile through the material. Looking back at him from the mirror was just a pair of eyes. His face entirely hidden, he doubted even Emma would recognise him. The only word he could think of to describe himself was ‘badass’ and it was a word he never used but right now there wasn’t a better suited word. He couldn’t resist nodding with agreement to himself at just how badass he looked before the inner adult reminded him that he had work to do.
He slipped the balaclava off and walked back to the bedroom putting it inside the bag with the others. He picked up the motorcycle gloves and put them on. They fitted fine, he knew because he had tried them on as soon as they arrived but he couldn’t resist punching his palm and feeling the hard Kevlar knuckle protection. They moulded to his knuckles perfectly and from his earlier wall jabs he knew the protection worked fine, he guessed they were as close to a legal knuckle duster as you could get and buying them had raised no suspicion. He picked up his Stanley knife and began to cut off the gloves finger tips.
He took out the antique Policeman’s truncheon, it felt like a miniature baseball bat in his hand and the palms of his gloves almost stuck to the handle. He didn’t need to loop his hand through the leather cord although he would later. It felt good in his hand and the inner child couldn’t resist hitting the mattress one more time. There was a satisfying thump and he wondered how many heads had been whacked with it in its lifetime. The advert had told him it was made from lignum vitae and had been used in London over a hundred years ago. It would be a shame to burn afterwards and he thought that he may have to buy another after everything was done. He could afford any sentimentality over a piece of wood tonight and it felt fitting that its last act would be catching a criminal.
He began to peel the labels from the black wooden baseball bat. It felt perfect in his grip. It was designed to hit things and it was clear why it had become the thug’s weapon of choice. He looked down at the remaining carrier bags. If anyone had been tracking his shopping habits they would have been concerned that he went from Anne Summers to Screwfix but nobody would have been concerned about his trip to Tesco.
He put the baseball bat on the bed and dropped the duct tape, socks and everything else into the rucksacks.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
The ‘Grapes & Spice’ was an old pub, long since closed and soon after taken over to become the villages only curry house. The clientele was mostly local and the staff expected Jaz there every Friday. They began pouring his Cobra when he walked through the door and was shown to his regular table.
‘Jaz, good to see you again.’ The waiter spoke as he pulled out the chair. ‘Are you alone tonight?’
‘Yeah, Sadiq’s on holiday and Hamza’s got his mother in law visiting.’ Jaz raised his eyebrows in disgust at the thought.
‘Ahh well he probably wishes he was here. Nobody wants that, much better to stay single like you.’
‘Exactly.’ He said sitting down and taking a sip of his beer.
‘Will you be having the usual this week?’
‘Yeah, Bhuna and Basmati with Bhaji’s to start.’ Jaz said took another sip of beer.
‘Very good. Poppadum’s?’
‘Yeah. None of that red shit though.’ Jaz said.
He laughed. ‘No problem. Anything else?’
‘Nah. That’ll do thanks.’ Jaz said taking another sip.
‘Great. I’ll get it out to you as quick as possible.’ The waiter turned and walked back to the kitchen.
Jaz leaned back in his seat. He hated eating alone in public but Friday just didn’t feel right without a few beers and a curry. It finished off the week and he liked it here. He’d never drank here when it was a pub but he doubted it had changed much, it still felt like a pub inside and the fireplace still had brass decorations hanging from it. He continued drinking the Cobra, it was nice and cold and exactly what he needed after another day of shitty kids.
The waiter put the poppadums on the table in front of Jaz. ‘Another Cobra?’
‘Yeah, that’d be great thanks.’
‘Very good.’ He said as he turned away.
Jaz picked up the first poppadum and snapped it, it broke into three with a satisfying crack. He picked up the smallest piece and spooned some of the mango chutney on top followed by a spoon of the chopped onion and cucumber on top. He hated to see other people try to do it the other way around and end up dropping food everywhere, Jaz used the mango like a glue and it all stayed in place. It had been a slow week and sitting there alone he felt bored, the food was good but it had been a long time since he’d had anyone to play with. There was one girl who was a potential, some ditzy slut from Cambridge who might do until Bethany was ready. He opened his phone and flicked through the pictures she had sent him. She was a Snapchat girl, she felt it meant she was safe but any fool knew how to work around it. He wrinkled his nose at her pics, she was quiet fit but it was taking a while for the hook to sink in. She wouldn’t send anything without underwear and it had been three weeks now.
He put his phone down on the table, she was close to being dropped but then she did have a cute face and it had been a while. Another week, he told himself, if he didn’t get tits by then he’d fuck her off and maybe she’d come running back when the attention stopped. A few of them did that, acted all tough and then came back begging when they got lonely. By the time he’d fini
shed with her she’d certainly be begging. He smiled and took another swig of beer. Another week, maybe two.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
‘Are you ready?’ Dan asked.
‘Yes.’ Emma said. ‘I’ve cleaned my nails like you said.’
‘Cool. Mine too.’ Dan said putting his nail clippers on the bedside table.
‘What do we need to do now?’ She asked.
‘I’ve loaded the car so now it’s just getting washed, dressed and having some caffeine. Did you bring the cans of Monster?’ Dan asked.
‘I got Red Bull? Is that ok? I don’t like Monster.’
‘Yeah, I prefer Monster but don’t mind either. It’s the caffeine we need. We can’t be feeling sleepy while it’s happening.’
‘We’re really going to do it, aren’t we?’ Emma said squeezing Dan’s hand.
‘Yes babe. It’s time to end this properly.’
‘I love you you know.’ Emma said.
‘I know and I love you too. Otherwise we wouldn’t be doing this at all. We just need to get going.’
‘Ok I’ll get in the shower.’ Emma said standing up from the bed. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The water was hot and the steam soon began to fill the bathroom, fogging the mirror. She stepped back into the bedroom and unbuttoned the white shirt Dan had given her when they met.
Dan sat on the bed watching, his eyes not leaving her as she reached the bottom button. The shirt slipped off leaving Emma in just her white boy shorts. She hooked her thumbs into the waist band and stopped when she noticed Dan’s eyes on her, she crossed her arm across her breasts when he smiled at her.
‘Stop staring you.’ Emma said.
‘How can you be shy after everything we’ve done?’ Dan said laughing
‘I don’t know, I just get shy sometimes.’ Emma said.
‘Ok I promise I won’t look, just go get showered. I can’t promise I won’t join you in there though.’
‘Well that’s different isn’t it?’ She said, her bum wiggling as she trotted into the bathroom.
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