by David Woods
They dressed, ate a large breakfast and Venk said a lingering farewell, promising to ring her that night and whenever he could. He left mid- morning and headed back towards his flat, determined to take action as soon as possible.
Chapter Seventeen
Jan had just got off to sleep when the telephone rang. He nearly fell down the stairs when on answering it, a policeman informed him of the disaster and asked him to get to the scene as soon as possible. He said that Van Hagen had already been informed and would meet him on site. He pulled on some clothes and rushed to his car, driving as fast as he could to the site. The glow of the blaze was visible half a mile away and immediately thoughts raced through his mind. How would they manage to run the company? Would the insurance cover them and how did the fire start?
The answer to the last question suddenly struck him and he shouted at the top of his voice “That bastard, Venk.”
Ben was talking to a fireman when he saw Jan arrive and ran across. “It’s too late. The whole of the office block is gutted.”
“So I see.” They watched as firemen poured water over the outer walls and through the windows, but it was obvious there was nothing left to save. Another fire crew was damping down the service bay and the lorry standing outside.
A fireman walked across to them, shrugged his shoulders and frowned. “All we can do is confine the fire to the office building, and save the rest.”
“Any idea how it started?” Jan asked.
“We don’t know yet, but there’ll be an investigation.”
A police officer joined them and asked questions about the possibility of an electric fire being left on, and was the wiring up to standard? Ben answered all the questions to his satisfaction and then asked. “Is the possibility of a break- in being considered?”
“It will be looked into, but of course very little evidence is left after a fire of this intensity.” He left, carrying a powerful torch to examine the outer fence.
Ben and Jan stood alone and completely numbed. The years of hard work they had put in to create the company, and here they were watching part of their achievement crumble before them, making them feel angry and despondent. Ben spoke first. “I must go and ring Caroline. She will be very worried.”
“Of course. I will talk to that policeman.”
Caroline was extremely upset on hearing the extent of the damage and was anxious to view the scene herself, but her husband convinced her to stay with the baby and wait until morning.
Jan found the policeman looking at a gap at the end of the fence. “The area was shaded from the moonlight and a person could work on the fence without being seen.” He said as soon as he saw Jan approaching. “Have you noticed this hole in the fence before?”
“No I haven’t. And I checked this fence only yesterday.”
“Oh. Why would you do that? Were you anticipating trouble?”
“No, but I check the fence regularly in case the local boys are tempted to tamper with our lorries.”
The policeman resumed his careful examination with Jan looking on. “The fence has been unfastened at the end and not cut. Why would anyone do that when it would have taken longer?” The policeman shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know but there will be an investigation into the possibility of arson.”
Jan nodded and walked back to find Ben, telling him about the hole. “It was that bastard, Venk. I’ll swear to it.”
Ben nodded. “You’re probably right but shall we tell the police?”
Jan thought about it for a moment. “Let’s discuss it with Caroline in the morning.” They talked to the chief fire officer, who told them that although the fire was under control and nearly out, a fire team would remain damping down until morning.
On the advice of the chief they went home. Neither of them managed much sleep, returning early the next morning to find a blackened burnt-out shell of a building, and the fire team still pouring water on to smouldering timbers. It looked much worse in daylight, but they were relieved to find no damage to the service bay or lorry. Caroline arrived to see the two men, down- hearted and despondent, staring at the burned out offices. “Come on, it’s no good standing here. We’ve a lot to do.”
They agreed and Jan offered to stay on site to re-direct any lorries from the service bay. Their work schedule was burnt, but he could remember most of it, having had it typed the previous day. Ben and Caroline returned to their flat and initiated the necessary proceedings by ringing the insurance company, who promised a representative would be on site by the next morning, and suggested hiring a mobile site office which would be paid for as part of the claim. This was soon organised, and the telephone company promised a temporary line would be installed as soon as the office was in position.
They worked hard all day, and by evening had a two- room office with furniture and telephone. The police called during the morning, questioning them at length about possible enemies, past and present, and anyone with a grudge. They had previously agreed not to mention Venk, not wishing it to be known that they had associated with him in the past. They said they knew of no one with a grudge, and the only possible enemies would be similar companies who had lost business because of them. The police officers wanted a list of valuable items stored in the offices and were surprised that there were none.
Policemen dressed in overalls returned in the afternoon and started sifting through the debris, an operation taking several hours, with firemen helping to move some of the heavier items. They took away samples of paper and what remained of the side door lock, which had obviously been forced open. When Jan saw them packing up their equipment ready to leave he asked. “What do you think was the cause of the fire?”
“We’re certain the building was broken into via the side door with a view to burglary. When nothing was found, the burglar set light to paper from the filing cabinets and then left hoping he had destroyed evidence of his crime,” said the senior policeman.
Jan agreed. “It’s certainly a possibility,” and started repairing the fence as the policemen left.
On their return the next day the officers reported that tests had proved the fire was started with petrol, indicating that it was probably just arson rather than burglary. Again they asked about possible enemies but were given the same answer as before.
The next two days involved intense activity and included meeting insurance assessors, building contractors and surveyors, but business did not seem too badly affected, with most of their customers bearing with them and appreciating the difficulties. The lorries were kept very busy with Jan working from a desk in the service bay. Caroline was glad she had taken the bought and sales ledger details home, which enabled her to ring all the suppliers and customers, who willingly provided her with copies of relevant paperwork. They had no time to think about finding Venk, but hoped he would be satisfied with the destruction he had caused and leave them alone.
Brian and Anna returned tired and late to their house near the factory, having travelled all day. They were relieved to find the house clean, tidy and undisturbed, as they had worried about the possibility of a break-in whilst they were absent. They collapsed into bed and slept until mid- morning. Brian was keen to get to the office but would not leave until Anna was ready to go with him, and the rest of the day was spent attacking the paperwork which had accumulated whilst they were away. They left for home about nine in the evening, satisfied with the performance of the factory, but realising their absence had left a few problems unsolved. Anna rang Caroline later that evening and was shocked to hear the bad news. She promised to visit her the following day.
Brian awoke early to a warm sunny morning and wandered about the garden before breakfast, thinking about the fire and its implications. Caroline said they were certain it was Venk, and he was sure they were correct. Whilst on holiday he wondered if Venk would attack the two men in some way, and now it had happened there was even more reason
to find him. He stopped walking, sat on a garden seat and his thoughts returned to that terrible day in the old cottage. He could see in his mind the violation of his beloved Anna, the frightened look in her eyes as that screaming lunatic leered at her. The anger mounted up inside him, causing his pulse to race and he gripped the wooden seat with clenched hands.
Anna looked out of the back door, and saw him sitting there staring at the ground in front of him, obviously very tense. She ran down the path and touched his grim white face, which made him jump. “Come in to breakfast. It’s no good sitting there thinking.” She hugged him as he stood up and whispered. “You must not dwell on the past my love. Just think about the future.”
“You’re right of course, you lovely lady.” They walked into the house, arm in arm, with Brian thinking how lucky he was to have such a beautiful and kind wife. They drove to work together and made some telephone calls before leaving in the direction of Antwerp.
They arrived at the haulage yard just before lunch. Ben and Caroline were working in the temporary office and did not notice the couple outside staring at the wrecked building, but the receptionist saw them and rushed out to greet them. She liked the couple because they were so friendly during their visits, which had been quite frequent over the last few months. Caroline looked up from her accounts, and ran outside to hug Anna and Brian, who were overwhelmed by the welcome. Ben and Jan shook hands with them. In contrast to what had recently occurred, it was a very happy few minutes. They all walked into the already overcrowded office, and after a few minutes chatting and commiserating over the damage that had been caused Brian suggested they go out for lunch. Ben and Jan could not make it due to an appointment with the surveyors, but Caroline joined them as she wanted to hear about the Swiss holiday. They lunched in a small restaurant, and Caroline listened as they described the holiday. “I’ll try to persuade Ben to take me next year.”
Anna suggested a dinner party at a restaurant in Antwerp before their return to England, and this was arranged for the following evening.
During the afternoon and the next day they worked hard visiting suppliers and catching up with things not attended to during the last fortnight. John Knight rang from Kent and reported on his progress which was still good, but he wanted a meeting soon to solve a few problems and discuss future strategy.
The dinner party was a great success with Jan bringing his fiancée, June, and they all enjoyed the evening, returning to Ben and Caroline’s flat after for a chat and coffee. When the girls had disappeared into the kitchen to wash up, Jan looked grimly at his two friends and said, “What about Venk?”
“I have to return to England for a while,” said Brian.
“How long before you return?”
“About two weeks, I think.”
“You still want to find him?”
“Yes I do.” Brian said firmly.
Jan grimaced. “So do I, very badly.”
Ben whispered to Brian. “How is Anna?”
“She is recovering very well and tries hard not to think about it.”
“Good. We’ve been very worried about her, and you of course.”
Jan stroked his chin. “It’s a pity I didn’t find Venk before the fire.”
He went on to describe how he had tracked him down to the decorators. Brian laughed as Jan told the story of Venk’s last day at work.
The girls returned from the kitchen, agreeing it was time to depart. Anna promised to be in touch as soon as she and Brian returned in about two weeks. They left just after midnight, the roads were quiet as they drove off. Anna chatted on the way home about Jan and June, who had invited them to their wedding in a few week’s time. She added that she would be looking forward to the event and talked about buying a new outfit. Brian smiled. “Isn’t it strange how our enemies are now such good friend?”
“Yes, but they have changed over the years.”
“Do you think Jan will settle down to married life?”
Anna thought for a moment. “Yes I think he will. And June will make sure of it.”
“You mean he’ll be under the thumb?”
“He might be. She is a strong sort of woman.”
“Well I hope they’ll be as happy as we are.”
She leaned over and kissed his neck before leaning against his arm, and became silent for the rest of the journey.
They left for England early the next morning, driving towards Calais in heavy rain and wind, which rocked the car as they made their way across the flat countryside.
It was eleven in the morning when Venk walked into his flat. It smelt stale and damp, and as he looked around he thought what a contrast between this dingy and sparsely furnished place with its faded wallpaper, chipped paintwork and yellowed ceilings, and the elegant house he had just left. He cringed as he walked through to the kitchen, pulling out a chipped mug from the bowl, still dirty from the day before, and rinsing it before making coffee. He sat looking out of the dirty window across the roofs to the low buildings of the town, and thought about the beautiful garden with its shrubs and flowers. How good it would be to sit in that dining room eating a superb lunch whilst looking down the garden, with Heidi sitting opposite talking softly about what she planned to plant next spring. How lovely the bulbs would be when they shoot up around the shrubs.
He sat for a while sipping his coffee, thinking about the night before, remembering the way Heidi had coaxed him into relaxing on the bed while she massaged him and then took off her clothes. It had been the first time he had looked at a naked woman and become aroused for years, and instead of finding it revolting he wanted to touch her gently -not once did he feel like beating or humiliating her. This thought made him feel warm inside, and he knew he could make love again if only that ‘other woman’ did not enter his mind at the wrong moment. He remembered how passionate he felt as he moved closer to enter her, but then that horrible vision returned to ruin his moment of triumph. As his eyes looked out of the window, all he could see were women laughing at him as he fell into that filthy pit. He awoke with a start, spilling coffee down his trousers, the hot liquid sticking to his leg. He cursed loudly and dropped the mug, breaking it on the bare floorboards with the remainder of the coffee disappearing through the gaps. He tore off his trousers, ran into the bathroom to sponge his leg and cursed again as he relieved the pain with cold water, but after a while he calmed down and put on a new pair of trousers. He then prepared an early lunch and drank more coffee out of his last mug.
He decided to try and find out where his ex-wife lived. He racked his brains but just did not know where to start looking, as it must have been all of eight years since he had seen her. He sat eating an apple, when he remembered she had a sister living near Rotterdam. They had visited once or twice soon after the marriage, and Sylvia quite often went to see her alone before she walked out on him. He wondered if he could remember the address and that afternoon, drove to the outskirts of Rotterdam trying to decide which road to take. Suddenly he recalled a landmark, took a right-hand turn and ten minutes later stopped outside a block of flats.
The area was pleasant with well- kept lawns, tall trees and a children’s playground equipped with swings and roundabouts. He parked and strolled into the flats, using the lift to the sixth floor. The door was opened by an elderly man who invited him in and offered a drink which Venk declined. He asked if Sylvia’s sister still lived there, but discovered she had moved away about a year previous. The man had a forwarding address which he proceeded to search for among some papers in a drawer. He produced a well -thumbed slip of paper, and Venk recognised the handwriting of his ex-sister-in-law, as he had seen letters from her years ago. He made a note of the address and returned the slip of paper to the old man, who still wanted him to stop for a chat. Venk made an excuse and hurried out to his car.
The location was a flat in Gent, too far for him to drive that day. He decided to go home, and as
he turned out on to the road he looked up at the flat and saw the old man staring down at him. He looked away quickly and drove off at high speed, slowing down when he was out of sight.
That evening Venk rang Heidi, who was delighted to hear from him and told him what she had been doing all day. She did not suggest he visit as he would have liked, and when she did not mention their previous encounter, he wondered if her husband had returned. She just chatted as if he were a friend calling for a casual chat, and rang off promising to meet him in town for lunch in a couple of days. He put the receiver down wondering if she wanted to get rid of him, or did she really want to have lunch with him? He churned the matter over in his mind as he walked back to his flat, finally convincing himself she wanted to see him but could not be too enthusiastic, as her husband might hear and get the wrong idea. He spent the evening reading, so absorbed and interested in the book that it was midnight before he went to bed. He sat up for a while drinking coffee and thinking about Heidi, wondering if she was making love with her husband or someone else.
He drove to Gent the next morning to look for Sylvia’s sister, and within twenty minutes found the block of flats and parked. The flat was on the second floor, he knocked at the door and when his ex-sister-in-law answered she blinked at the sight of him. He was much older, but she recognised him instantly. “Hello. You’d better come in.”
He walked in and looked around the room. She was alone as far as he could tell, and living in a well- furnished spacious flat overlooking grassland. He looked at her. “How are you keeping?”
