Weekend in Weighton Final Amazon version 12-12-12

by Weekend in Weighton (mobi)

  The trailer had been a dream, but now we were onto the main feature. The con was on.

  ‘You want to know about your mother, Robert. Have I got that right?’

  ‘Yes, this is why I have come to England.’

  ‘Well, I can do better than that.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  I put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Breaking news, my friend. Helen Porson lied to you. Your mother is very much alive and I know where she is.’

  His lower jaw fell, and he took a moment to steady himself. ‘It is what I have known in my heart all along.’

  Kip went to speak, but his brother pushed a palm into his chest, quelling the interruption. ‘This really is true?’ asked Robert.

  I nodded.

  ‘Then you must tell me.’

  ‘That I will, me being second last of the boy scouts n’all. But in return ...’

  Robert looked at me closely, suspicion settling on his face. ‘In return, Mr Eddie?’

  ‘I need information.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘Your dealings with Helen Porson.’

  Robert crossed his arms. ‘A simple trade?’

  ‘I see you’re picking this up as we go along.’

  Kip snorted. ‘And we trust you?’

  I smiled. ‘Here’s the thing. You don’t have to.’ I pointed at Kate. ‘Check out my glamorous assistant. Who’s not gonna trust that angel face? Am I right, boys?’

  They looked over at Kate, and she waved again. The Nkongos exchanged a compliant shrug. My spring was sprung. Now it was time to reload.

  ‘Here’s the deal. A hundred yards in that direction is the Mayflower Arms.’ I arrowed my finger down Hope Street. ‘It don’t exactly smell of roses in there, but it’s quiet. Another selling point: I’ll be there for the next twenty minutes. That’s me and the fragrant Ms Connolly. Trust me, she’s even better close up.’ I reached over and pressed Robert’s upper arm. ‘You and Da Dynamite Kid talk it over, yeah?’

  Robert held my eye. ‘You’ll tell me about my mother?’

  I stuck my tongue behind my front teeth and nodded. ‘Come see me.’

  After tipping my head, I strode past the Nkongos and headed over to Kate. Without looking back, I linked arms with her, and we strolled down Hope Street. Maybe the Sunday afternoon traffic wouldn’t mistake us for star-crossed lovers, but we looked winsome all the same.

  ~

  Two glasses of mineral water fizzed on the badly stained table. Our second round. By turns, Kate and I glanced expectantly at the pub door, but it was only troubled by the draught.

  Apart from “Cider Bill” with his nose stuck in the paper at the bar, we were the only patrons in Weighton’s most understandably underrated city centre hostelry. I looked at my watch and frowned. According to Seiko Quartz, thirty five minutes had passed since the nervy trade-off with the African brothers.

  ‘You think they’ll come?’ asked Kate, her voice indicating otherwise.

  ‘Sure.’ I flicked the Boddies bar mat for the seven hundred and eleventh time. ‘It ain’t like they’re on the midnight train to Georgia.’

  Kate looked at me from the corner of her eye but didn’t reply.

  I knew she hadn’t devoted much of her life to the pursuit of trivia, but there are times when needs must. I figured I had to stay in shape for quiz night anyway. ‘You may not know this,’ I told her, ‘but there’s a Manchester in Georgia. One in Tennessee, too.’

  ‘Really,’ she said, not interrupting her door vigil. ‘And is there a market in Weighton?’

  ‘It’s a long shot but I’m going with “yes”.’

  She took a sip. ‘How long will we wait?’

  ‘As long as. Gotta keep on keepin’ on. Right?’

  Before Kate could reply, long shadows bore down on the glass doors. Like in an old-time Western, the doors swung open as the black hats blew in. The Nkongo boys were definitely in town, but they looked in no mood to speak easy.

  Kate patted my arm as I watched them scan their surroundings. They saw us and came over.

  ‘What you havin’, boys?’ I lifted my glass. ‘I can recommend the house blue.’

  The Nkongos shook their heads and sat down opposite.

  I touched Kate’s lower back and angled my hand at our visitors. ‘Kate, this is Robert and his brother Kip.’ They gave a brief nod. ‘Kip, Robert, this is Kate, the angel of whom I told. I think you’ll agree she already deserves that top billing?’

  Kate nodded and beamed at them. ‘Hello.’

  The expression on Kip’s face remained fixed. In contrast, Robert flashed a smile at Kate, but it had faded by the time it reached me.

  ‘Please, I must know about my mother.’

  ‘Sure you do. That’s where we all want to get to. All in good time. First, I need to know what you two space cadets have been up to in Weighton?’

  They sat in silence, faces frozen. I wondered where I could find an icebreaker at short notice.

  ‘Why should I go first?’ Robert finally asked.

  ‘Someone has to, and it’s not my turn.’ I fiddled with the bar mat. ‘Anyway, you have my word.’ I did the sign. ‘Cross my heart and hope to fry.’

  Kip alternated his stare between the pub bric-a-brac and Kate. He clearly had an eye for interior decor.

  Robert set his hands on the table as a sign. ‘What do you wish to know?’

  I smiled. ‘See how easy that was?’

  Neither of them smiled back.

  ‘Okay, your starter for ten. When did you arrive in Weighton?’

  ‘Two weeks ago,’ said Robert.

  ‘And you wrote a letter before you came?’

  ‘Yes. I wanted to introduce myself. I only learnt the truth about my mother after my father died. When I was told of her, and where she was from, I knew I must try to find her. The only information I had was the name and address of her twin sister. That is why I wrote.’

  ‘And she replied?’

  ‘Yes. She said my mother was dead. She told me not to come. ‘

  ‘You still did.’

  ‘Of course. I needed to know who she was and why she …’ His words trailed away, but he lifted his head in a dignified pose.

  ‘Why she never came back for you?’

  He lowered his big eyes and nodded.

  ‘So you set up camp in our fair borough and wrote to her again?’

  Robert leaned forward and stared at me. ‘If you know all this, why do you ask?’

  ‘As you are learning, Helen Porson not always speak with straight tongue.’ I smiled. ‘I want to make sure what she told me is correct.’

  He nodded. ‘I see.’

  ‘And did she contact you at the B and B?’

  He sighed heavily, his cheeks bowing. ‘Yes. She sent a note but refused to help. She told us to go home.’

  ‘That didn’t put you off either.’

  ‘No. I sent her more letters. I begged her to see me. And I knew there must be other ways. Other people who could help. All along, I believed inside my heart that my mother was really alive.’ He touched his chest with his hand.

  ‘Then what? She agreed to see you?’

  Robert’s head wobbled in a “yes and no” fashion.

  ‘She sent another note,’ he went on. ‘It said for us to go to her house. There was a date and time.’

  ‘Last Thursday?’ asked Kate.

  He nodded again.

  In the small pause I took a sip of water. ‘Why do you think she changed her mind?’

  Robert shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I think she knew from my letters that I was desperate.’ There was a sting in his eyes as he said it.

  ‘And you went to the house at the appointed time?’

  I saw him look at his brother, his eyes downcast. Kip gave a slight shake of his head and looked away.

  I pushed on. ‘What happened at the house, Robert?’

  ‘It was an accident,’ he said quietly. He paused to look at Kip again.

 
I looked too, and caught Kip’s eye. ‘Tell me about the accident?’

  Kip grinned at me but said nothing.

  His brother continued. ‘We went to her house around nine. We arrived early, but she didn’t answer the door. Then Kip saw her through the window. The door was open, so we went in. We didn’t mean to surprise her, but she was frightened. She wouldn’t talk to us, wouldn’t answer any questions. Kip tried to get her to talk. She … fainted.’

  ‘You mean he choked her?’

  Kip stood up and gave me the big eyeball routine. Robert tugged him back into his seat.

  I cast a sideways glance at Kate and realised our question-mark faces matched. Helen Porson was either mistaken about Cartwright being the perp, or she was showing desperate ambition trying to set him up. From what I was hearing, the “Dangerous Brothers” were now in the frame for both murders. Or “accidents” as they’re called in Nkongoville. It also meant Robert had found what he’d come for without knowing. Worse, he’d become an unwitting accessory to its passing. More importantly, Eddie G’s short but unstinting quest for justice was homeward bound. My fingers were itching to tap three nines. Ain’t that the home-run truth.

  ‘No,’ said Robert. ‘Kip only shook her to make her talk. She fainted. But she was still breathing.’ He drew a big sign across his chest. ‘I swear.’

  ‘And you just left?’ My voice croaked with the irony.

  Robert shook his head. ‘We went for information. I couldn’t leave until we had something.’

  ‘You looked through her stuff?’

  He nodded without any trace of apology. The stunts some people pull?

  ‘You find anything?’

  ‘Only a key.’ He paused. ‘We didn’t get long to look. Kip heard a noise and we had to leave.’

  ‘A noise?’

  ‘Yes. Outside.’

  ‘What was it?’

  ‘We didn’t stay to find out.’

  ‘Did you see anyone when you left?’

  ‘We were careful on the way out. But on the road walking away, yes, we saw someone.’

  ‘Who?’

  There was a broad smile from Kip. ‘The man who grabbed you. The big man.’

  My mind felt like a Catherine wheel in a tornado. The connecting pieces which had fallen sweetly into place were suddenly exploding.

  ‘The big knuckle-headed guy?’ I held up my hand to indicate very big.

  ‘Sure,’ said Kip. ‘He was getting out of a car. With a smaller guy.’

  ‘In a fancy suit?’

  Kip nodded.

  Enter Jimmy C to the crime scene. So Helen Porson was telling the truth. And if Elaine had been alive when the Nkongos left, maybe Helen was right and Cartwright had applied the coup de grip.

  I turned my attention back to Robert. ‘What made you think the key was important?’

  He shrugged again. ‘It had an address label. I thought it might connect to my mother.’

  ‘And where did it connect?’

  ‘The flat. The one where you found us.’

  I smiled at Kip. ‘Scene of the next accident, hey? Either a pantomime is missing a villain or you’re on a hot-streak.’

  The all-action hero sat back and stared, his eyes full of rage.

  Kate cleared her throat. ‘If you don’t mind, Robert,’ she said, smiling sweetly, ‘I have a question.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Why did you follow Ed from the police station?’

  ‘After we left the house we were concerned for Mrs Porson. I went to the hospital to see if she had been taken there. And Kip went to the police station. He waited a long time, but then saw Mr Eddie being brought in by the police and followed him when he left. He only wanted information.’

  Kate smiled and nodded. ‘Thank you.’

  Robert leaned over and squeezed my wrist. ‘Now it is your turn.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s comin’ up after the break, my friend. But we haven’t had your full and frank yet. What happened after you jumped me at the flat?’ I eyed Kip. ‘You and I may be quits on the Punch ‘n’ Judy show, but what did you do to Mr Clegg, the man who arrived at the flat after me?’

  Before Kip could speak, Robert held up a hand. He looked at Kate, then me. ‘It was an accident, just as you say.’

  ‘They say one accident is careless. But two in two days? That’s some weird voodoo goin’ down, right there.’

  ‘I have already told you, Helen Porson was alive and breathing when we left. I swear.’ He tented his fingers. ‘Mr Clegg, he saw us standing over you, and he attacked us. We defended. He tried to break my arm. Kip had no choice: he hit him with a lamp.’ Robert looked into my eyes and spoke calmly. ‘It was an accident. If we had meant to kill him, we would have killed you.’

  I studied his face and thought it over. My instinct told me he was telling the truth. And the Cleggster wading in like that to save a non-voter? A politician living and dying by his own manifesto. Only in Weighton, citizens.

  ‘Now you must tell me about my mother,’ declared Robert.

  This was where it might get a bit rough. But into every life a little squall must fall. Especially when you play the long con.

  ‘Here’s the thing, Robert.’ I took a deep breath and tried to keep the karma. ‘I do know exactly where your mother is.’

  I turned and looked at Kate. She nodded, and there was the beautiful straight face I was counting on.

  ‘We were with her this morning. This very morning.’ I pointed an index finger downwards for emphasis. ‘She asked us to find you.’

  Kip was already bristling.

  ‘Go on,’ said Robert.

  ‘She wants to meet you.’

  ‘But?’ prompted Kip, his eyes not bothering to battle the bulge.

  ‘It has to be done her way. I’m to bring her to you.’

  Kip immediately stood, shrugging off any attempt by his brother to haul him back.

  ‘Once again he’s lying.’

  He had a point, but I couldn’t back down. Rule number one of Eddie G’s conflict resolution manual: if in doubt, apply more front.

  I rose slowly to my feet and gave him a zonal stare. ‘I may not be wearing a black belt today, Fizz Bomb, but be advised I have a shitload to choose from. Savvy?’

  Kip compressed his fists into balls and lifted his chin. The African stand-off was on. I narrowed my eyes and studied my opponent for any sign of attack, whistling a lonesome Morricone tune in my head. The tension between us radiated through the unoriginal beams and bounced back to the original carpets. For the first time – maybe ever in the Mayflower – a nonplussed “Cider Bill” let the edge of his newspaper go and relinquished his rictus-like grip on his pint. Following Bill’s lead, the landlord lifted his head from his Sunday paper and suddenly appeared more interested in Weighton’s breaking news.

  Kip’s expression was brooding, but he stood stiffly and made no move. Kate dug her nails into me. I didn’t move either, even though it hurt.

  The rolling tumbleweeds were finally becalmed by Kate’s firm voice. ‘Okay, boys, I think you can sit down now.’ She gave us both a stunted smile then addressed Robert. ‘If you want to know the truth about your mother, this is the only way.’

  Robert nodded and looked up at his brother. Kip’s stare remained unbroken.

  ‘She’s right,’ I said. ‘Those were Elaine’s instructions. Take it or leave it.’

  ‘I knew you could not be trusted,’ growled Kip, his voice rising. ‘You will regret this.’

  I tipped my head from side to side. ‘Do I sense another accident coming on?’

  Behind us, the landlord swung open the bar hatch. He had a phone in one hand and a cricket bat in the other. ‘Time to take it outside fellas, or I call the police.’

  ‘We’re going,’ I said. ‘The Five-O's have had enough of my time already.’

  Robert caught my eye. ‘The meeting?’ he asked.

  ‘Be at the Town Hall – six o’clock sharp.’

  I held my hand out to Kat
e. She took it and stood beside me.

  ‘My mother will be with you?’ pressed Robert. The question was aimed at Kate more than me.

  ‘We’ll all be there,’ I said quickly. I stuck out my hand and he stood to shake it firmly, his eyes not leaving mine.

  Kate and I turned to leave, but Kip moved around the table and half-blocked our way.

  ‘If you are not there, I will find you.’

  I eased Kate ahead of me and stood toe to toe with Kip.

  ‘I’ll alert the Coast Guard,’ I said.

  Kip tried a shirt grab, but my block and flat-palm strike pushed him away. Robert stepped between us and held his brother to one side. Mister Landlord started to practice his cover drive in the background, the message clear.

  ‘See you at six,’ I said, moving away. ‘And I suggest you vacate.’ My over-the-shoulder glance fell on the landlord. ‘Or you might be hitting six before you know it.’

  I joined Kate at the door and we headed out into a warm blast of Weighton sunshine. The damp heat swamped us, but I was way past perspiring. The con was still on.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Sunday – 16:05

  As Kate drove me back to Northside Comp, we agreed a plan. Well, I told her the plan, and she went quiet. When objections came, they came like a cavalry charge. In the end I had to overrule her. Not because I knew better, but I did know more. After her wedge of protest, Kate signed up to the grand master plan. The deal we struck entailed Kate meeting Hobbs and giving him the gist of our diamond defence. If everything worked out, Kate and Hobbs would collect Helen Porson and get back to town in time for my reunion with the Nkongos. To ensure Hobbs played nice, I told Kate not to reveal our meeting place until she got a “cool running” text from me.

  It was going to be beautiful: ‘Hobbs, meet Kip’, ‘Kip, meet Bugg’, ‘everyone say “so long” to Eddie’. Whether Hobbs tweeted an “APB” on Jimmy would be his call. As long as I didn’t point any fingers in the “Beezleboss” direction, I was home and hosed. Ain’t that the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but.

  Kate’s alternative had us going straight to the police station and whistling Dixie. Do not pass go, do not collect Helen Porson and – despite the best efforts of my brief – go straight to jail. I knew we couldn’t risk it. Jimmy’s men on the inside would be, well, inside. And outside, his stormtroopers would have the place staked. Either way, it could only lead to a world of pain. And my ribs had lost their taste for Tom’s knuckle sauce.