Searching For Hope

by Michael Joseph

  'Anyway,' said Archie, coming back round the bar. 'Did you track down Jake Dawkins?'

  Sam told Archie how he had tailed Jake to the squat.

  'Just be careful, Sam. That man's capable of anything.'

  Sam didn't need telling, having seen enough evidence for himself. What he intended to find out was just how much Jake was capable of.

  An hour later, Gloria told them it was time she headed back to the Salvation Army centre.

  'Thank you for asking me along, gentlemen. I know you didn't know Danny well...'

  The three men shot furtive glances at each other.

  '...but I'm sure he would have appreciated us all being there.'

  She wiped her eyes daintily with the back of her hand. Their belated appearance at the funeral, mixed with a couple of gin and tonics, was taking its toll. Denny moved across and gave her a warm hug. Sam noticed how Gloria didn't flinch in his embrace. Perhaps something good was going to come out of this sombre day.

  Sam rang for a taxi as Archie offered his commiserations to Gloria. The group chatted a little longer until a car horn sounded outside the pub.

  'That's your lift, Gloria,' said Sam. 'I'll see you out.'

  Gloria bade Denny and Archie farewell, insisting they all meet up again soon. The two men told her with genuine smiles they would hold her to it.

  Outside, a black cab was waiting in the street. Gloria turned to Sam.

  'Have you found anything out, Sam? I didn't think it was appropriate to bring it up in there.'

  Sam was surprised to hear her ask. He thought, with Danny now laid to rest, she might just want to let things lie. Clearly, he wasn't the only one harbouring a burning sense of injustice.

  'I'm getting there,' said Sam, reluctant to go into detail, 'and when I do find out what happened, you'll be the first to know.'

  Taking in his set jaw and defiant look, Gloria nodded and said nothing more. Sam opened the taxi door for her. A double decker bus stationed at the bus stop behind the cab suddenly pulled out and trundled past them.

  'Thanks, Sam. It was nice to see-'

  She froze, staring down the street. Sam followed her gaze.

  The Jaguar.

  A tall man with black hair was getting out of the driver's seat, walking around the back of the vehicle.

  'That's him,' whispered Gloria.

  'Who?' asked Sam.

  Gloria's face had gone an ashen colour.

  'The man who followed Danny the last time he visited the centre.'

  Sam grabbed Gloria and pushed her unceremoniously into the taxi, causing her to yelp in surprise.

  'Sam! What are you-'

  'Keep down!' he hissed, clambering in after her. 'Just in case he looks this way!'

  Gloria did as she was told, staying low in the back seat. Sam sidled up next to her and peered out the back window. He saw the man go into a nearby shop. Sam realised the parked bus would have blocked his view of the pub. The man wouldn't have seen the taxi pull up, or Sam and Gloria come out of the pub. If Sam could get away unseen, drop Gloria off, then return to the vicinity, he would have the element of surprise.

  'Do you two want to go anywhere or what?'

  Sam turned around. The taxi driver was looking in his mirror at them impatiently.

  'Yeah, put your foot down, mate,' Sam told him, reaching to close the passenger door. 'The Salvation Army centre.'

  'Gloria!'

  Sam groaned. Archie had come out of the pub waving a pair of gloves. He peered in through the open taxi door.

  'Gloria! You forgot your-'

  He stopped when he saw Sam in the taxi. He looked downright confused when he spotted Gloria alongside him, slumped down low in the seat.

  'I didn't realise you were taking Gloria back.'

  Sam cast another glance out the back window. The man had come out of the shop. He was staring at the parked taxi with intense curiosity.

  'Archie! Get in!'

  'What?'

  'Look, are we going or not?' asked the driver, looking back over his shoulder.

  Sam ignored him and gave Archie a piercing look.

  'Arch, just get in the car!'

  Archie shrugged and climbed in.

  ***

  'What was all that about?'

  Archie was giving Sam the most searing look he could muster. He had tried asking why he was being dragged along as soon as they left the Barton, only to be thwarted by a gentle nudge in the ribs from Sam. Archie had stewed in silence on the journey to the Salvation Army centre. Now they had dropped Gloria off, he wanted an answer.

  'There was a car parked down the road from your pub,' Sam told him after instructing the taxi driver to head for his flat. 'A blue Jaguar. It's been following me for a few days. I didn't want it spotting me.'

  Archie frowned.

  'So you used me as a decoy?'

  'Sorry, Arch,' nodded Sam. 'The driver was coming out of the shop. He was looking this way so I needed him to think it was you getting in the taxi. I had to-'

  'I noticed the Jag as well,' said Archie, his face darkening. 'I also saw the man getting into it.'

  'And?'

  Archie gave Sam a grave look.

  'His name is Jimmy Edwards. He's a small-time crook. A fence who can get you anything you want.'

  Small-time? The description threw Sam. Knocking out dodgy gear was one thing. Murder, possibly kidnap, was a different matter altogether.

  'Okay, so he's a bit of a villain. Why the serious face?'

  Archie grimaced.

  'Jimmy Edwards isn't a man you want to cross, Sam. He's a right nasty piece of work. A bit like Jake Dawkins, but smarter and better connected. Which begs the question...why is he so interested in you?'

  In whispered tones, Sam brought Archie up to speed with everything that had happened. He thought it only fair given he had involved his friend today. By the time he had finished, the taxi was nearing his flat, and Archie was shaking his head in disbelief.

  'You're getting yourself into serious danger, Sam. I know you want to pay these people back for what they did to you, but-'

  'Don't bother telling me to go to the police, Arch. They aren't going to get the answers needed. That man at the funeral, Stuart Sloane, I'm sure he knows something. I also think he's scared stiff of going to the police for some reason. And then there's Jake Dawkins. He'd be on his toes as soon as a copper got within fifty yards of him.'

  Archie saw little point in arguing.

  'Okay, what are you going to do now?'

  The taxi pulled up outside Sam's flat. Sam shifted in the back, ready to get out.

  'Well, the Jag didn't follow us, so I'm presuming it's still watching the pub. I'm going to jump in my car and head back that way. You go back in the taxi. Get the driver to drop you off around the other side of the pub...out of sight from the Jag.'

  Archie nodded. He wondered what Sam had planned. However, he kept his mouth shut.

  He wasn't that curious.

  ***

  Sam pulled up some distance behind the Jaguar, on the other side of the road, using the parked cars in between as cover. Although he could see the Jag clearly from his position, its darkened windows prevented him from seeing into the vehicle. He supposed it mattered little now. He knew who was watching him. He just didn't know why.

  A message came through on Sam's phone. It was Archie, letting him know he was back in the Barton. Sam tapped the steering wheel in satisfaction. Now it was just a case of sitting tight and waiting for Edwards to make his move.

  Half an hour later, nothing had changed. The Jaguar hadn't budged, and nobody had got out of it. Sam found himself admiring Jimmy Edwards' patience. The man was evidently smarter than the average two-bit criminal. He had followed Sam all over the place during the last few days, remaining undetected for the most part. He had also pulled one or two cute tricks on Sam in the process. Edwards was wasting his talent buying and selling dodgy goods.

  Sam saw movement up ahead. The Jaguar was inching f
orward. Then, to Sam's bewilderment, it stopped after a few yards. He watched the car remain stationary. What was Edwards up to?

  Suddenly, the door to Sam's car was flung open.

  'Get out of the car!'

  Jimmy Edwards was pointing a gun at him.

  Chapter 21

  Sam took his time getting out of his Capri. He was fuming at his carelessness, having been caught out yet again. There had been two people in the Jaguar, and they had seen him get into the taxi after all. Then they had played him, taking advantage of his complacency.

  'Lock your car, then walk over to the Jaguar. I'll be right behind you, so don't try anything stupid.'

  Sam took in the man who had constantly got one over on him recently. He was exactly as Gloria had described, tall and slim, with a toned physique that suggested he worked out regularly. His hair was swept back with gel, and his cheeks bristled with designer stubble. He had re-positioned the gun so it was partially hidden beneath his black bomber jacket. The silencer was the only part of the gun in view, discreetly pointing out as a stark warning to Sam, reminding him who was calling the shots.

  'Come on. Hurry it up.'

  Sam slammed the door shut and locked the car, coughing noisily as he did so. Edwards laughed nastily.

  'You're wasting your time trying to attract someone's attention. There's nobody about.'

  Sam looked up and down the street. The snowy pavements were deserted. The road, its surface covered with melting snow and grit, had few vehicles driving up and down it.

  Edwards was right. He was on his own here.

  Sam walked past his car and stepped into the road, feeling Edwards close at his back. Sam gazed over at the Jaguar. A sobering thought struck him. If he got into that car, he wouldn't be alive for much longer. He would go the same way as Danny.

  A bright yellow Micra was coming up the road at a leisurely speed. Sam halted, waiting for the car to pass. He studied the driver, a young blonde lady wearing too much make-up. She was singing along to herself contently, safe in the knowledge the two men up ahead weren't about to dash across the road in front of her.

  'You should have done what you were told,' sneered Edwards, waiting patiently behind Sam. 'You should have kept your nose out.'

  Sam half-turned to him.

  'Now where would the fun have been in that,' he remarked casually, encouraging Edwards to keep the conversation going. As far as Sam was concerned, the more Edwards talked, the less likely he was to be totally focused.

  'A regular wise guy,' Edwards muttered. 'Not that it's going to do you much good.'

  Sam watched the Micra draw level with them.

  'You never know, Jimmy.'

  'Hold on!' exclaimed Edwards. 'How do you know my-'

  Sam threw himself onto the front of the passing Micra, rolled across its bonnet and dropped down into the road on the other side, hitting the wet tarmac hard. The Micra screeched to a halt next to him. Sam got up into a crouching position and looked into the little car. The driver had flung her door open and was scrambling out of the vehicle. Beyond her, Edwards was watching on, uncertain of what to do next. He had hidden his gun away, clearly unwilling to expose it to a member of the public.

  'Is he alright?' the woman shouted at him. Edwards took no notice. He was staring intently at Sam through the car.

  Sam ducked back down and crawled off the road. He gazed up the street. The driver of the Jaguar hadn't got out to lend Edwards support. Sam hoped it stayed that way. He was depending on these cold-blooded murderers thinking twice before opening up in broad daylight in front of witnesses.

  'Where has he gone?'

  The high-pitched squeal told Sam the woman was panicking at Sam's absence. There was no time to waste. He set off again, scrambling along on his hands and knees behind the line of parked cars.

  'Hey! Where are you going?'

  Sam raised his head and peered through the nearest vehicle, surprised by how much distance he had already put between himself and the collision scene. Edwards was walking off in the opposite direction, heading for the Jaguar. The woman was standing on the spot where Sam had hit the ground, staring after Edwards, perplexed by his indifference. Sam watched her look down at the ground, scratch her head, then peer in his direction. He ducked down again and resumed crawling until he saw his Capri on the opposite side of the road. Keeping low, he edged into the road between two parked cars.

  The woman was getting back into her car, shaking her head. Further on, Edwards had almost reached the Jaguar. The Micra started up and resumed its journey. Edwards paid it no attention as it drove past him. Then he turned and looked back down the street, scouring the area for any sign of Sam.

  Another vehicle was approaching. A people carrier. Sam waited until it had gone by him, then darted across the road, unlocking his car as he ran. Breathing hard, he ran round to the driver's side and yanked the door open.

  Something ricocheted off his wing mirror.

  Sam jumped into his car and turned over the engine, catching sight of Edwards climbing into the passenger side of the Jaguar. As Sam pulled out into the road, the Jaguar did the same before speeding off. Sam turned his steering wheel full arc and drove off in the opposite direction. He had been lucky. Now wasn't the time for a car chase.

  The shot had missed him by mere inches. Sam could only presume Edwards had snapped. The man had clearly been reluctant to use his weapon out in the open, but as soon as the road had cleared of traffic, he had taken a pot shot. Sam wondered if he was fuming right now at his momentary loss of restraint. Or bemoaning his lack of accuracy.

  Sam had only driven a few yards when his phone started ringing. He pulled over and answered it warily, using his mirrors to keep a vigilant eye on the road around him.

  'Hello?'

  'Oh, hello. Is that Sam?'

  Sam felt relief at hearing Stuart Sloane's voice. He had expected it to be Jimmy Edwards snarling down the phone.

  'That's right.'

  Stuart Sloane wanted to talk.

  ***

  'Why were you at Danny's funeral?'

  Sam didn't want to risk replying with a lie. If he contradicted anything Danny had told Stuart, then the young man opposite might clam up.

  'I'm a private detective investigating Danny's death.'

  Stuart Sloane relaxed noticeably.

  'I didn't think you were one of them. Not with all those old people with you. No disrespect.'

  'None taken,' smiled Sam, wondering how Archie, Denny and Gloria might view the innocent description of them. 'Who do you mean when you say 'one of them'?'

  Stuart paused before answering. Sam gazed around the small coffee shop, allowing Stuart time to find the right words. The shop had been Sam's choice. Stuart had invited him to his flat, an apartment on a new estate overlooking the beach, but Sam had deemed it wiser to meet in public. He had already brought trouble to Diego's door. He didn't want to inflict the same on Stuart. However, the worried look on Stuart's face right now told Sam he had experienced plenty of trouble of his own lately.

  'I don't know who they are,' said Stuart. 'All I know is...'

  He halted, brushing his floppy blonde fringe off his face.

  'I tell you what,' said Sam quietly. 'Why don't you tell me how you met Danny?'

  Stuart nodded slowly.

  'We got to know each other online. Danny was looking for his sister...putting pictures of her on social network sites...asking if anyone had seen her.'

  'And you saw her?'

  Stuart blushed a little.

  'I saw her in a pub here in Newgate. She had dyed her hair black, but it was definitely her.'

  'Did you talk to her?'

  'No. She was busy serving behind the bar.'

  That made Sam think. Serving behind a bar? That sounded like a young girl who had run away from home and ended up in a dead-end job.

  'Did you see her again?'

  Stuart reddened further.

  'I went back to the pub a few days later, but
I didn't see her.'

  Sam could guess why Stuart was looking sheepish. He had taken a shine to Hope Findlay. Sam kept the thought to himself.

  'Which pub was this?' he asked.

  'A place in Shard End. It's not the sort of place I'd go to normally, but they had just opened and were selling cheap drinks. I went with a friend to check it out.'

  Stuart had his nose turned up at the memory. Clearly the place hadn't impressed him.

  'Can you remember the name of it?'

  Stuart nodded without hesitation.

  'Jaspers.'

  Sam felt a chill run down his spine. Danny Findlay had died right next to the place his sister had been working.

  ***

  'When I told Danny I had seen her, he said he was coming down to Newgate immediately. I offered to put him up while he looked for her.'

  'That was very generous of you.'

  Stuart didn't seem offended by Sam's remark.

  'We had become good friends online. We had a lot in common. Both of us had grown up unhappy at home. The only difference was I got a good job at eighteen and was able to get out. Danny only stayed with his aunt and uncle for Hope's sake.'

  'What is it you do for a living?' asked Sam, wondering how this young man could afford one of those expensive flats on the beach front.

  Stuart shrugged easily.

  'I design computer systems for a multi-national company. I suppose I struck lucky. I enjoy the work and it pays well.'

  Sam was impressed by Stuart Sloane. He was affable and modest, unaffected by success at a young age.

  'You said you and Danny had a lot in common?'

  'That's right. Computers...Danny was quite good with them himself...music, that sort of thing...and he was easy to get on with.'

  Sam could see why the pair had clicked. From what he had heard, Danny had possessed the same quiet, gentle nature as the young man sat opposite. He saw another similarity. Stuart had the same wistful look in his eyes that Gloria had displayed.

  Danny Findlay had died without knowing the positive effect he had left on people.

  'Okay,' said Sam, deciding Stuart was sufficiently relaxed to discuss more difficult matters. 'So he moved in with you?'