The Swimmer

by David Haynes

  She scribbled a quick note on the paper lying on his desk and looked out the little window. The sea crashed on the rocks where George Hooper had been washed up. “Don’t worry George we’ll set the records straight for you.” She let herself out, pulled the door shut behind her and walked quickly across the field to the car park.

  The first thing May did when she arrived at the office was open David’s file. It was as dry as it’d been the first time round but what caught her eye was the chapter covering the financial projections. Given the mines mediocre past, David had projected incredible returns for the next ten years. There was even some speculation going into the following ten years.

  She stopped reading and powered up the computer. Even with an optimistic mind, which David wasn’t in possession of, it didn’t make sense for such magnificent returns to be considered. She searched the internet for tin prices and projections used by other mining companies. The scales on which tin mining was made profitable was several times larger than anything Levant would be able to produce. David didn’t do anything without carefully considering his options so why on earth was he fabricating profit margins. It just didn’t make sense.

  She flicked through the file again; reading paragraph after paragraph about the capacity of the mine and the employees needed to reach optimum financial reward. “Why open a tin mine?” She whispered into the office.

  “Who said anything about a tin mine?”

  May jumped and uttered a stifled shriek as she turned and saw David standing in the office doorway.

  “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. You seemed entranced by the file. Finding it interesting I hope?”

  “You didn’t. I just didn’t hear you come up the stairs.” Her voice betrayed the shock.

  David smiled. “Oh I think I did, judging by your reaction.”

  The smug look on his face concentrated her mind again. “What did you mean by that comment?” She slid to the side, hoping to hide Hooper’s diary and the ledger.

  David walked into the office closing the door behind him. “About the tin mine you mean?”

  “Yes, what did you mean? This file is all about opening a tin mine. Unless I missed the point entirely.”

  David walked towards her. “I think you should read it again. I’m not sure it says anything about tin.” He paused and looked towards the ceiling. “Well, maybe once or twice, but only in the past tense.”

  May frowned. “In the past tense?”

  David nodded. “Yes May, you know, the past tense.”

  May nearly lost her composure listening to his sarcastic tone. “David, I’m not a fool, don’t speak to me like that. If it’s not a tin mine then what is it?”

  David clasped his hands together. “Indium.”

  “What?”

  He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew his iPhone. “Do you have one of these?”

  May shook her head.

  “It’s incredible. I bought an iPad last week too; amazing inventions. You can do almost anything with these things. Anyway, Indium goes into making the screens, not just for these but sat navs, computers, all the top end electronic gadgets. No idea how they do all the technical stuff but guess what?”

  May shrugged.

  “It’s all over Levant. It’s absolutely peppered in the stuff and I’m going to get it out.”

  “Okay, so why try and hide the fact? It doesn’t say anywhere what you’re doing or what you’re looking for in this file.” May paused and recalled the financial projections. “Although I supposed, it’s implied in the financial projections. There’s no way a tin mine could produce those returns.”

  David laughed and the noise went through her. “I’m not hiding anything. I just want to keep my options open.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Don’t be so defensive. I’m going to bring hundreds of jobs to the area again; hundreds of mining jobs. Once Levant’s up and running, I’ll be able to buy up all the other derelict mines.”

  “Before anyone knows they’re worth anything you mean?”

  “It’s good business, May.” David unclasped his hands and splayed them out in an open gesture. “No-one loses. It’ll be just like the old times when Polglaze mining was the chief employer around here.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Instinctively May reached behind her back and felt the rough leather cover of the diary. David’s eyes narrowed for a split second but she was relieved his eyes never left hers.

  He smiled again and sank his hand back into his pocket. “You keep my secret and I’ll keep yours.” He raised her digital recorder and waggled it in the air laughing.

  “Now, I’d like you to bring the camera and your note book. I’ve got some important people coming to the mine this morning and I want it recording. Not for this week’s paper, but for the next one. We can drip feed it to them, okay?”

  May kept her hand on the diary. “Right now?”

  “Yes please, right now. We’ll go in my car.” He started towards the door, May was relieved he hadn’t waited for her. “Okay, we’ll take your car. Just let me grab my stuff and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  David waved over his shoulder. “Just don’t take too long please.”

  “I won’t.” Her stomach was churning and her head was spinning. David was being his normal self, which was strangely comforting.

  She quickly sent a brief text to Joe. Morning, Mr sleepyhead gone to Levant with David. He doesn’t suspect anything. I’ll call you when I get back. Xxx

  She put both the diary and ledger under the desk and piled old papers on top of them, then picked up the camera and notebook and walked out the office.

  David was already sitting in the driver’s seat by the time she reached the car. She glanced at his face through the rain spotted windscreen; he was completely inscrutable and tapping something into his phone. “I’ve had enough of this bloody rain, how about you?” she asked with a lightness of tone she didn’t feel.

  He turned sharply with a ‘what the hell are you talking about expression.’ “What? Err yes absolutely.” Then continued tapping his phone.

  “I thought you were in a rush?”

  David slipped the phone into the inside pocket on his jacket. “Yes, yes I am. I’ve just forgotten something.” He opened his door and got out the car. “I’ve left it in the office, shan’t be a moment.” He slammed the car door shut and walked back towards the office.

  In a panic May grabbed the door handle and pulled it to let herself out. Nothing happened, so she tried again, and again nothing happened. She watched David climb the first step on the metal staircase. “David! Wait!” Whether he heard her or not, it didn’t matter, he continued up the steps towards the door.

  May reached over and grabbed the driver’s side door handle. The dull emptiness when the locking mechanism didn’t engage didn’t surprise her in the slightest. She could feel a growing terror charging fiercely through her nerves now. What was she going to do? She looked around for something to smash the window with; the glove box held just that, a pair of brown leather gloves.

  She climbed into the back seat and tried both doors in rapid succession. Somehow David had managed to activate child locks on all the doors; she was well and truly trapped. ‘Think girl, think.’ When he came back to the car he’d have to open the door to let himself in. In that split second, she’d have to be quick, but with a bit of luck she could barge him out the way and get away. She climbed back into the front seat and watched as David reappeared carrying Hooper’s diary and the ledger. ‘My phone for god’s sake, just phone the cops or Joe.’ She felt the reassuring lump in her pocket and briefly fumbled with it. There was no time. David was almost there and she had to be ready.

  She kept here eyes on him as he approached. Her muscles were tensed and ready. Then he did something she wasn’t expecting, he walked past the driver’s door and opened the rear passenger door. “That’s better. I think I’ve got everything now. Would you say so May?” He dropped both the book
s onto the beige leather seat then slammed the door.

  May didn’t reply and braced her left leg against the bulkhead in the foot well. The central console was much wider than other cars but the element of surprise was in her favour. David pulled the door open and bent his considerable frame into the car. At that moment, May sprang to her right with her hands outstretched. “Let me out you bastard.” She shrieked at the top of her voice hoping that someone might hear.

  David hadn’t been expecting the manoeuvre but it was clumsily executed. The width of the car gave him sufficient time to raise both his hands and guide May’s attack away. She felt her body and legs twist awkwardly causing her face to meet his. David pulled back his right fist and punched her hard in the nose. He instantly regretted it as blood jetted onto the beige leather on both front seats. In a bad temper, he pushed her unconscious, slumped body back into the passenger seat and climbed inside.

  Sighing, he removed a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and started wipe the blood from the leather. The handkerchief quickly became blood clogged and only served to smear the mess, making it worse. He looked across at May’s face; her head was tilted backwards and was resting on the headrest with her mouth agape. He’d never seen a broken nose before and the fissure which had opened up along the length of her nose made him feel a little queasy. Even so, he couldn’t help but be entranced by the steady trickle of crimson blood which flowed down her nose, along her upper lip and into her mouth before dribbling out again. He followed its meandering course along her bottom lip, down her chin and onto her roll neck jumper. What was once bright red was now turning a dirty shade of brown as the blood soaked into it.

  He looked away disgusted. At least it would be her clothes that would be ruined now and not the leather. He took a glance around the deserted street then pointed the car in the direction of Levant mine. He’d been with two people in the last twenty-four hours, one was dead and the other was unconscious. He was pretty sure he could make it three dead before the day was finished. He whistled ‘Puffing Billy’ as loud as he could; he hadn’t felt quite so relaxed in a very long time. Things were coming together nicely, very nicely indeed.

  Joe woke slowly and tried to open his eyes. His right eye flicked open as normal but for some reason his left eye didn’t want to. The early morning woolly feeling soon disappeared when he ground his fist into his right eye socket to encourage the sleep to release its hold.

  He sprang bolt upright and shouted in anguish as the pain exploded through his head. He closed his good eye and waited for the pain to subside along with his racing heartbeat. The relief was short lived and only masked all the other aches and pains which were happily playing fiddlesticks with his nerve endings.

  He dropped back down onto the mattress and released a long, deep sigh; rubbing his eye was not a mistake he’d be in hurry to repeat. The raindrops pounded on the window above his head and he wondered when the last time he’d woken up alone in this bed was. He checked his watch; it was after ten. He also wondered when the last time he’d woken up so late was.

  He vaguely remembered May getting out of bed but he’d been too weary to move or say anything. He even felt her gentle kiss on the back of his neck; it had merged into some dream or other which he couldn’t quite recall. He began to feel the cool air on his exposed naked torso and he knew, the longer he stayed in bed, the longer the cottage would stay cold. He didn’t relish the idea, but his first job of the day would be to build a fire.

  Carefully, he swung his aching legs over the side of the bed and put his feet down onto his discarded clothes. His toes felt the shape of his mobile phone through the material of his jeans and he reached for it. The central button flashed rhythmically indicating a message or a missed call. He pressed the button and saw ‘one new message’ in a yellow box flash up on the screen. He pressed the button again and saw the message, ‘Morning, Mr sleepyhead gone to Levant with David. He doesn’t suspect anything. I’ll call you when I get back. Xxx’

  The message was timed at 09.12. He reached down and pulled his jeans on. This wasn’t good, not good at all.

  He selected the, ‘reply?’ option and started typing, ‘I’m awake now, sorry I missed you this morning. Please call asap.’

  He didn’t want to type anything which might sound too panic stricken but he needed to know she was alright. He sat on the side of the bed for a few minutes staring at the screen. Nothing happened.

  How would Polglaze know what they’d found out? Joe quickly worked through some theories in his head. No one had seen them digging in the graveyard last night he was sure of that, and besides them, only Henrietta knew what was happening; it was locked down tight. He shook his head and looked down at his constantly moving toes. ‘Where were the books?’ “You’ve got to be kidding, you haven’t taken them to work with you, have you?”

  If the books were gone then May had either taken then to her place, or the more likely option, to work. If she’d taken them to work then there was a chance David would see them and that meant he’d know exactly what they’d been doing. This was very bad news, especially for May who was down in the pits of the earth with him right now. He pressed the call button to May’s number. It went straight to answer phone. “Hi, it’s me, can you call me as soon as you get this please?”

  He tried to keep all signs of tension away from his voice but it wasn’t easy. If she was down in the mine, there was unlikely to be a signal anyway. “You could sit here all day giving yourself reasons not to do anything but you know when something feels wrong pal, and this feels every single shape of wrong.”

  He stood up quickly, pulled on his jumper and rushed downstairs. He was going to find her, and not necessarily the way Polglaze would expect. He would need a little help though and he knew just where to go to get some.

  Joe didn’t have to wait long until he heard the familiar and cheerful chatter of the two fishermen approaching the cove. He’d been pacing up and down the slipway for the last five minutes waiting for them but it had felt like hours. He walked away from the crashing waves towards the path where they appeared, in company with the little terrier. Although he felt like he was tied up in a tangle of knots inside, he couldn’t help but smile as he walked towards them.

  “Morning lads.” He offered his hand.

  “Your eye looks bloody awful mate.” Chris took his hand and pumped it hard.

  “Cheers Chris. You alright Charlie?” Charlie took his hand and gripped it, laying his other hand over the top. “Good mate, good.” He paused and seemed to shudder in pain. “You sure this is a good idea? You really don’t look very good.”

  Joe laughed. “Thanks for the concern, and the critique of my looks but honestly, I feel fine.” He knelt and scratched the little wiry dog behind the ears. “Hello there boy.” Groaning slightly, he stood up and turned to look towards the islands. “Like I said on the phone I need you to get me out there,” he pointed at The Brisons. “and, I’ve got a feeling my kayaking days are over after yesterday.” He felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. “I think you might be right, although, I heard the swimming pool at St Ives is doing some lessons.”

  Joe turned to face the two grinning men. “Ha ha. Now, can you take me out there? I’ll pay for the diesel.”

  They turned away from Joe in unison and walked towards the boat shed. “Don’t worry about that. May at work?” Chris asked.

  “Errr… yes you could say that’s where she is.” A loose thread on the knot in his stomach worked itself free and wriggled frantically.

  They worked quickly and efficiently in getting the little fishing boat ready to go. Each of them had his own role, which had been practised over the last decade. Neither man spoke while they worked and seemed completely independent of each other. The only time Joe involved himself was to throw a canvas holdall onto the boat which made a metallic sound when it struck the bottom. Joe looked at Chris. “Just bringing your tool bag, hope you don’t mind?” Chris shrugged. “No worries.”

&nb
sp; The boat bobbed through the breaking surf. The outboard motor provided a reassuring cough and splutter as it cut through the ocean. Chris stood proud in the bow of the little boat leaning carelessly on the lobster pot winch which looked as ancient as The Brisons themselves. The little dog, with his paws on the side of the craft, sniffed at the breeze and uttered deep growls in defiance at some unseen creature. Joe had to move his head uncomfortably to see the twin peaks of the islands. The lack of vision in his left eye had been nothing more than a painful, minor irritation this morning, but it had the potential to be dangerous, particularly if things panned out as he feared.

  Joe directed Charlie to the rear of the isles and to the dock he’d found the previous day. It was a tighter fit for the fishing boat but with skill, Charlie managed to manoeuvre it safely into place. Joe slung the tool bag over his shoulder and started the scramble up the rocks with both Chris and Charlie behind him. Whether it was just their way or whether they really had no interest in what he was doing, neither Chris or Charlie asked him for any explanation as to what they were doing. Charlie had steered the boat into the dock, as if it were the most natural place on earth to find one, without once asking ‘What is this?’