The Reluctant Villain

by James Williams

  “I have come across a homemade video which you played a minor role in along with four other people. Now I know you made an early exit after slapping one of the other participants across his face.

  I recognise three of those people but the woman who took your place I’ve not seen before. Who is she?”

  Sally gave a little smile, she now knew the reason for his visit.

  “You’re too late Ernie; she died about three years ago from a drugs overdose, so you will have to cross her off your list of blackmail targets”

  Ernie coloured slightly at the answer she had given but he was not fully convinced yet. He repeated his question with a hint of menace,

  “The name, Sally. I need her name”

  “Barbra Hutchinson. Check it out with your colleagues. They found her body in the fishermen’s shack next to the jetty. She used the money she got from that little show to buy the drugs. I can’t prove it but I’m convinced that bitch Abigail, was her supplier”

  “Are you still in touch with her?” Ernie asked.

  “No way! She offered me some stuff once but I told her where she could shove it. I’ve seen what that does to kids and don’t want any part of it. That’s the reason I quit university”

  Ernie‘s thoughts raced ahead, so now he had another hook into Abigail. As Sally turned to reach for a tissue from a box to blow her nose he noticed something and his question caught her completely off guard,

  “When’s the baby due Sally?”

  The look on her face confirmed his suspicions and no answer was necessary but she said quietly.

  “I’ll tell the father the answer to that when I see him”

  Ernie stood up and as he turned to leave something caught his attention for a brief moment. The flames in the gas fire were not the usual colour he would have expected. All he said as he left was enough to earn silence about his visit.

  “I don’t think either of us has cause to mention my visit here today. Agreed?”

  Sally nodded and closed the door behind him. She had known Ernie for many years and things were never straight forward, especially if you had to agree with the man. Gerry would have to be very careful if and when he dealt with Ernie.

  She suddenly felt very tired and wiped her nose once more, hoping she wasn’t catching a cold. Even though it was not yet eight o’clock she decided to have an early night and went to bed.

  17

  Mark and Gerry had no option but to sit around waiting for their clothes to dry. In that time as they spoke it became apparent to each of them they had more in common than either had realised.

  Due to differing circumstances neither had received proper parental guidance in their informative years.

  Gerry’s parents had a more stable relationship and he wanted for nothing, except perhaps more love and affection. They were both ambitious business people and that was their number one focus in life. Even from his earliest years he could remember being left with his Grandmother while Mum and Dad were away on business trips or holidaying with other couples.

  He could only ever remember going on holiday abroad with them on one occasion. They went to Spain for ten days and he was ill most of the time because the local food didn’t agree with him and his parent’s social life was hampered to such an extent his father wanted to come back after only four days but they couldn’t arrange a flight. When they did arrive back home he recalled his mother saying to her Mum they wouldn’t take Gerald on holiday abroad again. Holidays after that were confined to day trips to the seaside.

  Gerry was a bright lad at school and he was keen to learn. However, it was only due to his Grandmother’s persistence that he continued his studies after his parent’s accident. Gaining enough qualifications to be considered for a place at university. He insisted instead on finding a job in order to support his Grandmother as payback for all the sacrifices she had made in raising him.

  Mark’s parents rarely seemed to have had enough spare money to visit any of the seaside resorts or local attractions. Yet his mother would spend most evenings playing bingo while his father frequented the local pubs on a regular basis. His father could never hold down a proper job so he supplemented his income by breaking into local shops and houses.

  The local police began to take an interest in his activities and he decided to move out of the area, thus deserting his family to fend for themselves. Not that his wife and two sons missed having him around, he would often return home from his escapades in a drunken state and the boys learnt at an early age to stay well out of his way on those occasions.

  While both parents were away the child minding duties for Mark were left in the hands of his older brother, Kevin, who sometimes abandoned Mark at home while he followed his own criminal pursuits with the gang he had joined.

  Mark was also a quick learner and in his early years wanted to become a policeman. This ambition was thwarted by his minor criminal involvement with some of Kevin’s friends. He was caught shoplifting on a number of occasions and appeared in the juvenile court. Due to his brother’s influence he began to see the police as his enemy, preventing him from obtaining things his school friends had received by legitimate means. After his court appearance he resorted to starting small fires in his school which eventually led to his expulsion.

  He would have been in more serious trouble until some of Kevin’s gang friends persuaded a witness not to give evidence against him in an assault charge. Finally, Kevin decided it would be better if Mark was sent far away from the influence of his friends to try and start afresh.

  ”Gerry. Look, I’m not very good at expressing my thoughts but nobody else I know would have jumped in to save my skin so thanks, mate. I owe you one”

  Slightly embarrassed, Gerry smiled and shrugged his shoulders,

  “Next time there may not be anyone around to save you so why don’t you take up Craig’s advice and learn to swim. Places like this usually run classes for beginners of all ages”

  Mark shook his head,

  “That’s not for me; I’d be too embarrassed learning with a bunch of kids or old fogies”

  This made Gerry laugh for the first time in ages,

  “If you did fall in again and there was nobody there to rescue you, embarrassment would be the least of your worries, you’d be dead!”

  Once they had retrieved their dry clothes Mark resumed his guided tour of the Centre. He finished by taking Gerry to the locked room above Ernie’s office. Before he unlocked the door he said,

  “Don’t tell Ernie I showed you what’s in here, he’d have my guts for garters! If he knew.”

  He unlocked the door and switched on the light which shone feebly and didn’t do much to lessen the gloom. More than half the floor area was covered in boxes of varying sizes, some partially open.

  Gerry gasped, he couldn’t be certain, but he was sure he recognised some of the items in the open boxes. He looked around and then asked,

  “Where does this lot come from? This looks more like a shop’s storeroom than one for a Centre like this. Come on Mark, cough up, where’s it from?”

  Mark gave a triumphant laugh,

  “This is what me and Ernie pick up some nights when we go on our security patrol, either from punters who won’t pay up or from those idiots who think they’re too clever”

  It didn’t take long for Gerry to realise the bigger picture,

  “You mean the two of you nicked it!? That’s it! I don’t want anything to do with this kind of work, I’m leaving right now and Ernie can keep his flaming job”

  He turned to leave the room but the doorway was blocked by a familiar figure. Ernie stood still, saying nothing but the expression on his face spoke volumes. Gerry tried to push past but he was no match for the ex-policeman,

  “Not so fast young Gerry. I was hoping to hold this conversation at a later date but it looks like there’s no time like the present. Follow me downstairs to my office and don’t be stupid enough to try and run. Mark, lock up for now and we’ll speak lat
er” There was hidden menace in his last remark.

  He unlocked the door to his office and told Gerry to go in first and he then closed the door behind them, inviting Gerry to sit down in front of the desk.

  Ernie took the seat behind the desk and appraised the young man sitting opposite. He leant back in his chair, saying nothing, knowing from past interview techniques he had used in the police that his guest would be feeling uncomfortable and would eventually break the silence. It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes before Gerry spoke,

  “Ernie, I don’t want anything to do with what I’ve just seen upstairs and I can forget what Mark told me. That’s your business and I want nothing at all to do with it. I’m not the person you need here and won’t get involved in anything illegal”

  He started to rise from his chair but Ernie barked out an order,

  “Sit down! You’re not going anywhere until I say so. And for your information Gerry, you are already well and truly involved in my business, so keep your mouth shut and listen!.

  “Remember when I came into your shop before Christmas and you were talking with Colin Evans? I bought in a set of van keys for you to copy and those keys weren’t mine, they belonged to a van full of stock that was stolen from Matthews’ back yard and later found burnt out. You performed a similar service for me a few months earlier. Yes, David Evans gave the go ahead then and those were my own keys; I was just testing the water to see if your boss would cooperate. He never thought to challenge me and neither did you. Don’t forget Gerry, ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law”

  Gerry stared back at him, not able to quite comprehend what he had just heard. Then he remembered the words of caution Sally had mentioned, and Colin’s reaction after he had sorted out the van keys for Ernie. Added to those remarks was the double edged advice about his future given to him by Stella Stockwell. He asked nervously,

  What plans do you have for me then? Mark may be the type to pinch anything that’s not nailed down but I’ve never stolen anything in my life. Please Ernie, you know I’ve got enough problems of my own right now without getting involved in this kind of work”

  Ernie’s voice lost a little of its menace but it was nowhere near as friendly as the tone Gerry was used to,

  “I know you’ve got troubles Gerry and I can help you sort most of them out. But everything has its price. Look, you don’t have a job and the type of things you’re good at, Matthews has got them covered in this town and sly bastard that he is, he has a fair bit of influence within the business community.

  “Do you have any savings, what about your rent, and God forbid, if something happens to your Gran, do you have enough money to cover the funeral expenses? I can help you with some of those things but if you don’t join me and Mark you’ll be in debt up to your ears in no time”

  He let his comments sink in before continuing,

  “I’m not asking you to go around, beating up people or breaking into their houses, I leave that kind of thing to people like Graham Bishop. What we do is go to business people and offer them a security service for a regular fee. Some see the sense in what we offer, others need, let’s say, a little persuasion to understand the situation. I choose my clients carefully and only select those who can afford my services, the small traders and those who are struggling we leave alone. They’re not worth the hassle anyway”

  Gerry thought carefully before speaking,

  “You mean people like Matthews I suppose. But his shop in Hereford Street is run by a decent bloke who’s got a young family. If you targeted his shop he would suffer at least as much as Matthews, if not more”

  Ernie smiled,

  “I don’t intend to hit his shops for a while, from what you say it doesn’t look as if he’s discovered our last little venture on Friday night. When we picked you up walking home from the hospital, the van was full of gear from the storeroom in your home base. Once we had got into the yard someone had conveniently left the key in the storeroom door. I’ve still got it here with me” and he took a key from the drawer of his desk. Gerry looked at it and confirmed it was the one that had gone missing. He even had a little smile,

  “I bet that was Harry who left it in the door. Both him and Abigail were in a right panic when the power failed”

  The mention of the woman’s name reminded Ernie that he had other business to attend to before the following morning. He looked at his watch and stood up,

  “Ok Gerry. You know the deal, it would be unfortunate if you tried to back out, I couldn’t afford to let you discuss my business with anyone else so let’s have your answer now. In or out!”

  Gerry knew he was trapped; his head was spinning at the dramatic change in Ernie’s manner and the events of the day. He bowed his head and said quietly,

  “I’ve got no choice. In, dammit!”

  Ernie stood over him and spoke in his more friendlier tone,

  “Good, all I need from you now is your assurance that this conversation goes no further. I won’t drop you in at the deep end; I’ll choose the first target you will be involved with very carefully. In the meantime, concentrate on your Grandmother for the next couple of days, then call in to have another chat”

  The mention of his Gran seemed to clear his head. He was supposed to ring or call in at the hospital this evening. It was past nine o’clock so a phone call would be better.

  He stood up and tried to leave but Ernie held his arm and forced him to shake hands.

  “There, the deal is done and agreed now”, released his hand and allowed him to leave.

  Beryl, the receptionist, unlocked the front door of the Centre and let him out with a cheery ‘Goodnight’.

  The chilly night air helped him to clear his head and concentrate on what was his current priority, namely phoning the hospital. Much to his relief, the nurse on duty reported no change in his Gran’s condition and that the doctor would be doing his rounds in the morning and there would be an update later.

  He tried to think if he had any way of escaping Ernie’s clutches but could find no other person he knew who could give him the protection he would need. He wasn’t going to worry Sally with his problems though he did toy with the idea of possibly looking for a job in her area. But how long would it take Ernie to discover his new whereabouts. And that could put Sally in danger.

  No, he had been naive in trusting the honesty of others. Well, if he had been drawn into the shady world of Ernie Newsham he would have to be very careful and make sure his back was covered at all times.

  The next day he went through the motions of going to the Job Centre in the vain hope of finding work that matched his skills but his hopes were soon dashed when all that was on offer was stacking shelves at various supermarkets. He had always worked hard and never tried to cheat anyone and with a good boss like David Evans he had felt that the future only held positive benefits for him.

  Then along came Percy Matthews. The total opposite of Mr Evans. Even his own sons couldn’t abide his working practices. He treated his staff like dirt, except for Abigail. He could only think of Tony who had similar morals to himself.

  So, he tried to look on the positive side of working for Ernie at the Leisure Centre. He had to admit that it was in Ernie’s own self-interest to make sure he didn’t get caught or arouse the suspicions of others. But he also knew that once he had taken part in one of Ernie’s illegal ventures he would be snared in his web of crime with no way out.

  Ernie was also busy in making copies of the video he had obtained. He made four complete copies along with as many duplicates of each participant’s involvement. If they tried to deny or delay in cooperating he could always make additional copies and threaten to send them to their families or the authorities. Then, of course, the price would go up.

  He decided to approach the two men first, he now had an extra lever against Abigail after his meeting with Sally.

  She too, could prove to be a problem but his visit had also given him a clue on how to gain her silence
and prevent her from assisting or influencing Gerry.

  He didn’t finish his copying and editing tasks until well after midnight and coupled with his long round trip earlier he decided not to do his nightly security patrol. Unwittingly, this proved to be a minor godsend as two properties in a new area he had planned on offering his services were broken into that night.

  One of these businesses was a popular local restaurant and the perpetrators had only managed to steal a laptop computer from an office but had also started a small fire in one of the toilets. When Ernie heard about this he questioned Mark about his movements that night.

  “Ok, it was me; I started the fire and took their bloody laptop. I tried to go in for a meal the other day with Beryl and they turned us away just cos I was wearing jeans. Bloody snobs!”

  Ernie grabbed Mark by his collar and put his face within inches of his employee,

  “You stupid idiot! What have I told you about not drawing attention to yourself? If the police investigate and ask if the manager or his staff know of anyone with a grudge against them and your description is given? Your baby face features make you stand out a mile. Keep a low profile for the next week or so and don’t do anything on the break-in front without my clear say so. Understood?”

  Mark was seething inwardly at Ernie’s repeated jibe at his youthful looks but he bit his tongue and mumbled an apology.

  Ernie calmed down a little but decided on a unique way of teaching Mark a lesson,

  “Ok apology accepted but seeing as you have to keep low for a while, I’m going to get Craig to give you private swimming lessons. And if you fail to attend those lessons then I’ll get one of the female instructors to sort you out”

  Mark stood open mouthed for a second and tried to protest but Ernie had walked away, partly to hide the smirk on his face. He knew how Mark tried to look like the macho man in front of the female staff and wouldn’t want to lose face in front of any of them.

  Each subsequent visit to the hospital put Gerry in a more depressed mood and he slowly realised that even if she recovered most of her faculties it would be very doubtful that the hospital would release her into his care.