For the Sake of the Children: The first Chloe Webster thriller (Chloe Webster Thrillers Book 1)

by Alex Highcliffe

  The Timer gunned the Ford Focus down the road, the newly acquired car keys hanging from the ignition. He looked in the mirror.

  Do I look like a fucking plumber?

  15

  Chloe continued to uncover differences between her previous firm and this larger, strange place full of unfamiliar characters. One thing she did like was the in-house sandwich shop. She made her way down at lunchtime and sat at one of the few tables outside the snack bar in the firm’s atrium, watching her new colleagues come and go. It was a little expensive, but very convenient, and she could see herself making good use of it during her time here.

  Enjoying her sandwich and looking around her, she saw a familiar face coming through the atrium towards her. It was the man with whom she’d shared an overly intimate moment in the revolving doors that morning. She wasn’t in the mood for more apologising, so she turned and looked the other way as he disappeared into the shop to buy a sandwich. A moment later he reappeared and headed over to the tables.

  Damn.

  ‘Do you mind if I join you?’

  Chloe looked up at him. His boyish good looks were accentuated by a huge smile and surrounded by a mop of dark brown hair.

  ‘Yes, of course,’ she said politely, ‘but I will have to get back to work in a minute.’

  ‘Oh that’s a shame. I’m Ben. Ben Howson. You’re new here aren’t you? We met this morning I think!’ He unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite.

  Chloe smiled politely. She knew he was only being friendly but she really didn’t feel like making polite conversation.

  Do we have to do this?

  ‘Hi Ben. I’m Chloe. Yes, it’s my first day here. And it’s been a testing one so far to be honest.’ She found it hard to disguise the weariness in her voice.

  ‘I bet it has. There are some real characters up in the family law department.’ He looked intently at her as he spoke. She liked the attention and found the experience far less irritating than she thought it would be.

  ‘How did you know I was a family lawyer?’

  ‘I’ve just seen Ray and he told me we had a new starter. I work up there too, but I’ve been in meetings all morning. Have you come across Ray yet?’ He grimaced and she smiled.

  ‘Yes. He made sure I had plenty to be getting on with. I thought it was very good of him to be so considerate.’

  Ben grinned. ‘That’s him.’

  ‘So how long have you worked here?’ asked Chloe, and ate the last piece of her sandwich.

  ‘Well I trained here for two years and then stayed on when I qualified. That was three years ago now I think. Yes, three years. It’s not a bad place once you settle in. Assuming you do a good job of course.’ That smile again.

  ‘Oh dear, that sounds ominous,’ laughed Chloe. ‘Do I need to be worried?’

  ‘No, not at all, but we’ve had one or two people come and go recently. There was one lad in particular who was only here for six months or so. He was fine when he first started and seemed enthusiastic enough, but then he seemed to go downhill for some reason, lost his way a little I think.’ He looked around as if to check that the lad himself wasn’t listening. ‘Some days he just didn’t turn up for work. No explanation or anything. He’s hardly been in at all for the last couple of months and no one’s heard from him for a while. I think he’s finally realised it’s not for him. Drake reckons he’ll be formally dismissed next time he shows his face.’

  Chloe found him very easy to listen to. His voice was warm and friendly, with just a hint of a northern accent which she thought added character to his voice.

  ‘Wow. Has anyone tried to contact him?’

  ‘Yeah, I think so. Well HR will have done anyway, but I guess there’s only so much you can do if he’s not bothered anymore.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ agreed Chloe. ‘What about…’

  ‘Hi folks,’ interrupted a voice. ‘I see you’ve found the new girl then? Getting to know each other are you? You wanna be careful, people will talk.’ It was Ray.

  ‘Oh, hello Ray. Very funny. I was just telling Chloe about Simon…’

  ‘What that loser? I wouldn’t waste your breath if I were you. I don’t think we’ll see him around here again.’

  ‘Why not?’ asked Chloe. ‘Do you know where he is? Maybe he needs help and support.’ Why am I fighting his corner?

  Ben looked surprised at the hint of aggression in her voice.

  ‘No, of course not, but I’ve seen his type before. Not prepared to go the extra mile. I hope you’re not like that.’ Ray looked at Chloe and she didn’t like his expression.

  ‘I’m fully committed,’ she asserted, her resentment stirring quickly now.

  ‘To the firm?’

  ‘To my clients. And to justice.’

  ‘That’s very noble of you. Let’s hope you appreciate what’s most important.’

  Ben interjected. ‘Right, we were just off back to work weren’t we Chloe?’

  ‘We were’, she said, not breaking her eye contact with Ray. ‘I have clients to look after.’

  ‘He’s an associate solicitor you know?’ advised Ben when they were a safe distance away. ‘Works very closely with Drake and not really someone you want to fall out with.’

  Chloe stopped and looked at Ben. She didn’t have him down as a company man and she felt just a little disappointed in him.

  ‘He’s also an arsehole,’ said Chloe, and walked off towards the lifts.

  16

  ‘Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.’ The tension caused cramps across his shoulders. The traffic was heavy now, and time was pressing hard. He checked his watch for the third time in quick succession. 12:35. He was never late. Twenty five minutes was not going to be enough to get him there on time.

  ‘What the hell? Go! Fucking go!’

  The car in front had stalled at a green light and the Timer took a deep breath as the lights turned back to red.

  Idiot.

  He looked at the bag beside him. He’d never been late for a job before. He hated people being late. Reliable, dependable, accurate. His reputation had been built up over many years and he wasn’t going to let it slip easily. Hot flushes were coming regularly now and he could feel the damp of sweat under his clothes. Not having been in this situation for a long time, dark memories of his childhood began to surface as the phobia tightened its grip. He tried to shake them off, but that cloudless autumn day of twenty five years ago was as clear as if it was yesterday. Running through the streets as a nine year old, he knew he would be late for school. Detention was the standard punishment, but what happened during that detention would live with him forever. The teacher concerned was arrested and imprisoned a few years later when one of his victims eventually went to the police and made formal accusations against him, but the horrific events he experienced in that classroom would mean he could never, ever, risk being late again.

  The traffic light turned back to green and rescued him from his thoughts. This time the car in front managed to set off without a hitch. The traffic, however, simply would not disperse, and the journey didn’t get any easier.

  The meeting place was a disused warehouse on the outskirts of Sheffield. The grey building loomed above him as the Timer pulled up and checked his watch. 13:03. Shit. He stepped out into the mist and hurried towards a small door set into the wall next to a huge metal shutter.

  ‘I was starting to think you weren’t coming.’

  The voice greeted him as he pushed through an inner door into a concrete room. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and the floor was littered with scraps of plaster, wood and metal, along with the cast-offs from drug users. What little light there was edged its way in through a small window set high up in the wall opposite him. The owner of the voice stood holding a bag and had pulled his hood up and over his head so as to obscure his face. In this light, the Timer would never be able to recognise him again, and he knew that was the intention.

  ‘Throw the bag over here,’ demanded the hoodie.

  ‘Ha
ve you got the cash?’ The Timer was beginning to feel calmer after his journey.

  ‘What do you think this is, a fucking handbag?’ The hoodie held up the plastic carrier bag he was carrying. ‘Just throw the bag over here and then I’ll do the same.’

  ‘Hundred grand?’ asked the Timer.

  ‘That’s what was agreed.’

  ‘Well why make it all so difficult then? Let’s just make the exchange and get out of here.’ The Timer didn’t like this kid. He was unprofessional, and he looked nervous. That was always a sign of danger.

  ‘Give me the fucking bag,’ screamed the hoodie. The weapon appeared from nowhere and the Timer sighed.

  Give them a gun and they think they’re Clint fucking Eastwood.

  ‘Okay, okay. Here, take it.’ The bag landed a couple of paces to the gunman’s left and just behind him. It was a calculated move by the Timer. ‘Now you give me the money.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, all in good time.’ The hoodie bent down to collect the bag and couldn’t resist a glance inside. As he focused his attention on the contents the Timer took a step back to the wall and grabbed hold of a piece of wood which had fallen with the collapsed ceiling. He clasped it behind his back, careful to keep it hidden from his assailant.

  ‘Good. Looks like the drugs are all here. I guess we can both now relax.’ The hoodie tucked the gun into his belt and made towards the door, passing near to where the Timer stood. He tossed the carrier bag of cash at the Timer’s feet. ‘Nice doing business with you.’

  The Timer smiled. ‘The pleasure’s all mine, son.’ The makeshift weapon made a sickening crack, the thick material of the hood doing little to dampen the sound. Such was the force of the swing that the wooden baton broke in two. The Timer reached down to the body now lying next to the bag of drugs and checked for a pulse. He stooped to collect the cash and left.

  Nobody would ever know he’d been late. At last he could relax.

  17

  As Chloe walked down the hill towards home she noticed that the mist had started to clear and a few stars were winking intermittently overhead in a clear sky. The cold of another February evening had taken its grip and occasional streetlights guided her home in the darkness. She had left at six o’clock, thinking that was reasonable for her first day. Tiredness had come upon her suddenly on the train home and she’d felt her eyelids falling with the lullaby rhythm of the train.

  Opening the cottage gate and pacing up the flagstone path to the door, she could smell her favourite pasta dish in the air and it was very welcome after the day she’d just had. Her father really was a diamond when he wanted to be.

  ‘Hi Dad,’ she shouted as she pushed open the door.

  ‘In the kitchen love,’ came his strong, familiar tones. If it wasn’t obvious by his appearance that he was ex-military, then the sergeant-major’s voice certainly gave it away. ‘How’d it go today?’

  ‘Yeah it was all right. I’ll tell you about it over dinner. I’ll just get changed.’

  Chloe headed up to her bedroom. Her only completely private space in the world served to relax her even more. She quickly changed out of her formal work clothes, washed her face and looked in the mirror.

  ‘That’s more like it,’ she said to the naturally pretty face staring back at her. She thought about the people she’d met today. Drake seemed okay; busy and impatient as you’d expect from a partner in a large law firm. Ben seemed nice enough, if a little irritating in a puppy dog kind of a way. And as for Ray Fuller well, he was best avoided if at all possible. She looked at her reflection again and stared deep into her own eyes. Maybe I need to give him more time. Perhaps I’m relying too much on first impressions.

  ‘There you go love, your favourite,’ said her father as Chloe sat down in the kitchen with a contented sigh.

  ‘That’s fantastic Dad, just what I need. I’m so hungry.’

  ‘So tell me about your day.’ He joined her at the table with his own plate.

  ‘Oh, you know, the usual Chloe Webster kind of thing. I managed to spill coffee on my boss before I even knew who he was, fall out catastrophically with one of my colleagues and probably ruin a potential friendship with another. And on top of all that I had to see a client who I’d rather not have dealt with on day one. So pretty good going really, all things considered.’

  Her father smiled and looked proudly at his daughter across the table. ‘I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. You’ll soon settle in.’

  ‘Yeah I know. It’s just that everything is very different to the old place; so strange and new. I’ll get used to it. Dad, this pasta is great. And the bread too; homemade I’m guessing?’

  ‘It is. I thought you’d need a good fill when you got in. Any plans for tonight?’

  ‘No. I need a good night’s sleep. I’m getting an earlier train tomorrow to avoid my boss. I can’t stand the idea of having to go through all that again. Honestly dad, it was so embarrassing when I knocked his coffee all over him on the train. It was packed and everyone just stood staring at me like sheep. And imagine the shock when he turned out to be my boss! The thought of it still makes me cringe.’

  Her father laughed and she joined in. There had only been the two of them for several years now, since her brother left home. Her father often encouraged her to think about getting a place of her own but part of her wanted to stay with him. He’d miss her terribly if she left, but she’d miss him too. For now she was in no rush to live on her own.

  Chloe finished her meal and helped her father clean up.

  ‘There’s a good film on tonight love if you fancy it.’

  ‘Yes, okay, as long as it doesn’t go on too late. I really am whacked.’

  She noticed her father limping a little more than usual. ‘Is your leg bothering you again, dad?’

  ‘Only a little. Comes and goes, you know. I’ll go back to the doctors if it doesn’t improve in the next day or two. There’s no point making a fuss, they’ve done all they can.’ Her father had suffered a career ending injury in the army. He could walk, but needed a stick to assist him over any distance. ‘I’ll take some painkillers.’

  ‘Okay, but don’t suffer with it unnecessarily. Come on, that film starts in a minute.’

  18

  The Timer woke to the sound of his alarm. 07:30. He was up and out of bed before his wife had even stirred. The hot, stinging water from the power shower was soon bouncing off his face, removing any lingering remnants of a good night’s sleep. After a time, he could hear his wife moving around in the bedroom and calling to the girls. His family was important to him, more than anything else. He smiled to himself and squeezed shampoo into his hand.

  ‘What are you up to today?’ asked his wife as he strolled into the large modern kitchen.

  ‘Oh nothing much. This and that, you know. I’ve got an appointment at the solicitors this morning for some business, but I won’t be long. Do you want me to pick the girls up later?’

  ‘Oh that would be really helpful if you could. I’m meeting Gill for lunch and you know how she likes to go on. It could be a long one!’

  He smiled at her knowingly. The truth was he thought Gill was one of the most annoying people he had ever met, but he’d never say anything to his wife. The two were good friends and had been for many years, since they were at school together.

  ‘Which solicitors are you going to? Local, or in town?’ she asked.

  ‘In town. That one opposite the town hall. Anderson and something, I think it’s called. They’re reliable, we find. A bit stuffy, but reliable. They tend to do things the way we want them done.’

  ‘Oh right, okay.’ She lost interest in the conversation as her two daughters marched into the kitchen and instantly demanded her full attention. ‘What do you want for breakfast then you two? Cereal? Toast? Or I can do you some eggs if you want.’

  The Timer checked his watch. 07:55. Time he wasn’t here. His appointment at the lawyers was at 09:30.

  Mustn’t be late.

  A shiver c
rept up his back as he recalled the events of yesterday, and the dark memory of his schooldays started to lurch into his thoughts again. He crushed it by turning his attention to his daughters.

  ‘Give daddy a big hug then.’ He spread his arms and his daughters jumped on him with squeals of joy.

  He’d left the bag of cash hidden in the garage and he collected it on the way out. Time to clean some money, he thought to himself.

  The word was that the new contact was more reliable than the last one. A girl this time he’d been told; surely easier to deal with than that idiot who was there before.

  He hoped so, for her sake.

  19

  The earlier train served its purpose well and Chloe arrived at work without encountering Drake. She would have found it awkward to fish around for polite conversation on a crowded train, especially after the incident with the coffee. Maybe when she got to know him better she would make more of an effort, but in the meantime, she thought it wise to steer well clear. In any case, the earlier train was much less crowded and in her opinion that was worth the loss of an extra twenty minutes in bed.

  She glanced over to the coffee machine and saw Ben pondering over his choice of morning refreshment. She decided that she had some bridges to repair from yesterday, so she scooted over to the machine herself to say hello.

  ‘Morning Ben. How are you today?’ She smiled in the hope that he didn’t harbour a grudge about their difference of opinion over Ray.

  ‘Oh hello Chloe. Not bad thanks. You?’ He removed his coffee from the machine and took a sip. She felt relieved and thankful for his friendly response.