by Bill Carson
“What? What was that for?” he said.
“The surprise, of course. Staying here, I mean it’s a lovely surprise, Nick. Thanks, I didn’t fancy trying to find some grotty old flat,” she said, as the bright lights of the magnificent façade of the building filled her large cat-like liquescent emerald eyes.
“No, sorry love, we’re not stopping here. I just wanted to grab a paper and some smokes from the kiosk next door,” he said.
She sat back open mouthed, and stared at him for a moment.
He smiled and grabbed her hand. “Only kidding, course we are, I’ve booked us in for the week.”
“You rotten sod,” she said under her breath as she got out.
Nick had booked them into one of the more luxurious rooms of the hotel, and the place really was worth every penny.
“Right, first things first, Anna…” He stopped talking as she sauntered, naked, into the bedroom and he shook his head at the vision before him. Her tight, lean, bronzed body was still glistening from the shower, and had stopped him in mid-sentence. “I’ve got to pop out, Anna, I’ll only be an hour or so. I‘ve booked us a table in the restaurant tonight, and afterwards I might just have a little surprise for you.”
“Really, you have been busy, but that sounds great and I’m bloody starving,” she smiled.
I wonder what he’s up to? I’d better put my war paint on and look absolutely irresistible just in case, she thought.
“Good, and you’ll like the surprise, I can guarantee it,” he said, as he observed her getting dressed.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but something’s definitely going on because you’ve got that look in your eye,” she said, as she shimmied into a tiny pair of black panties. She then laid her stunning evening dress out onto to the bed and imagined it wrapped around her. Irresistible, she thought.
“You stick with me, kid and you’re gonna live forever,” Nick said, in his best Bogart impersonation, as he quickly slipped out of the door.
Nick was back within the hour, and Anna looked absolutely stunning in her evening dress. She was upbeat and happy as they sat in the magnificent surroundings of the grand salon restaurant. With its Louis XVI-style décor, it really was a beautifully opulent setting, and Nick and Anna virtually had the place to themselves.
“This place is magical, Nick, it really has made my day, thanks,” she said, as she gently clasped his chin, pulled him forward and gave him an affectionate kiss on the lips.
“The night is young, and don’t forget that big surprise I promised you.”
Anna’s emerald eyes sparkled with anticipation in the candle light, as she watched his every move and hung on his every word. The setting was perfect, the atmosphere electric and the soft background music set the scene. With all the extra care she’d taken on her hair, nails and make-up, and with her curvaceous body enveloped in an elegant silver Prada dress, and her best Jimmy Choo high heels, she was sure there couldn’t possibly be a better moment for him to pop the question.
As they polished off one of the most mouth-watering desserts, Nick suddenly slid the empty plate forward, dropped his napkin onto the table, and abruptly stood up.
“Right, Anna, get your coat, we’re off.”
“We’re what? Where? Where are we going, Nick?”
“Hammersmith,” he said.
“Hammersmith! I’ve not put all this on to go to some bloody old pub in Hammersmith, Nick. What are we going there for?” she said angrily.
“Don’t be like that now, you’ll see soon enough. And it’s not a pub. Let’s get a taxi and then you’ll find out, won’t you,” he said with a cheeky wink.
Twenty minutes later the cab entered Hammersmith Broadway, pulled over halfway up King Street and stopped outside a little row of rundown shops.
Nick paid the driver, and as the cab slipped away he turned around with his arms outstretched and said, “Well, whaddya think?”
She slowly turned and faced him. Nick was standing with a huge grin in front of a small glazed office door, and emblazoned across the top of the door in large gold lettering were the words, ‘The Harland Detective Agency’, set in a semi-circle. Under the light from the nearby street lamp, the inscription glowed about his head like a small halo.
She was totally stunned and momentarily lost for words, and couldn’t believe that they had left a beautiful villa in an idyllic location on a Greek island for a lock up office in Hammersmith. She had now realised that this was the surprise that she’d been promised; this was what all the build-up was for. Anna stood and stared at him in disbelief, and felt totally numb and utterly deflated.
“What? What is it?” he said.
“Nick, what the… why did you… I mean it’s…” she stuttered, as she pointed to the front door.
“I know you’re excited. It’s a stroke of genius, and I knew you’d be pleased. This is the idea that I’ve had for ages, and it surprises me why I didn’t think of it before, to be my own boss on my own manor. With you right by my side, the dynamic duo, what a team! We can’t fail, let’s go inside,” he said enthusiastically. He slotted the key into the lock and put his arm around her shoulder and guided her through the door.
The place was in fact quite pleasant, and was also very clean and newly decorated. It had polished wooden floors throughout, and a small modern reception area on the left. There was a large office over on the right hand side, and another room situated at the back which contained a tiny fitted kitchen.
“Well, you haven’t said much, Anna. This is what all those calls to London were about. Don’t you like the place? I could look for something else, I suppose, but the rent here was very reasonable, love, and it’s got a cracking little flat above.”
“No, it’s fine, Nick, but I thought you wanted to get away from all this kind of stuff, work I mean, and I thought you were going to ask me to...”
Before she blurted out her most heartfelt thoughts, she managed to hold her tongue before making a fool of herself.
“I thought you’d be pleased, love. Look, I always liked solving cases and putting those villains away, you know that, it was a great buzz. It was just the set up within the Force that was wrong but this time I can, I mean we can, be our own guvnors, can’t we? And I’ve still got all my old contacts, and I’m gonna ask a couple of the boys from my old squad to come and work with us occasionally. We’ll send them out on the jobs we don’t want to do, and we’ll take all the cream that comes in. I’ve got all sorts of good feelings about this one. The sky’s the limit here. We can do close protection and surveillance and evidence gathering for high-class divorces. No more scumbags and villainy to contend with, and from what I can see, there’s a hell of a lot of money to be made in this kind of work.”
After fifteen minutes it was evident that Anna was not exactly over the moon with his big surprise, and she said nothing during the ride back to the hotel. She clearly wasn’t happy about any of it, but what could she do but go along with it? She didn’t want to spoil it or bring him down as he did seem really keen on the idea.
She was in love with him and maybe it wasn’t that bad of an idea after all. Two ex-coppers working as private detectives, what could possibly go wrong? They went back to the hotel and stayed at the bar until late. Just before they went to sleep Nick turned over and whispered into Anna’s ear.
“Hey, Anna, guess what?”
“OK, I give up, what?” she said half-heartedly.
“I’ve got another surprise for you tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait,” she grumbled, as she turned her back on him and couldn’t be bothered to make any more small talk. She’d had enough of him for one night, and in reality what she really wanted to do was simply tell him to fuck off!
Anna was feeling a little worse for wear next morning, as the small celebration that Nick had laid on had turned into a bit of a binge drink, and she wasn’t used to consuming large amounts of alcohol. Her head was throbbing and felt like it was the size of a football. He, on
the other hand, was up and about early. He’d showered and had already been out for some smokes and newspapers, and had also ordered two full English breakfasts which had just arrived.
At breakfast Anna said little and pushed around the eggs, bacon and sausages on her plate. She was still in a massively sulky mood which he put down to the hangover. He, on the other hand, was still very much in high spirits. He eventually stopped reading the paper and decided to kick things off.
“You’re quiet, what’s up?” he asked, as he slipped his arm around her shoulder.
“Headache” she said, without looking up.
“Oh, I see, I’ll get you a couple of aspirins, that’ll sort you out. Don’t forget, I’ve got another little surprise for you this evening, and I guarantee you’ll like this one too, so I hope you’ll be feeling a bit better later on.”
“Yeah, we’ll see,” she said, as she rose from the table and marched off into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
I don’t know. Can’t live with ‘em and can’t live without ‘em. She’ll pick up, especially after the surprise I’ve got for her, Nick thought.
“Anna, I’m popping out, love, I won’t be long. I’ve got to go and see a man about a bit of business,” Nick shouted through the locked door.
A forced mumble came from the other side.
“Don’t hurry back,” she said.
It was safe to say that Nick, for reasons unbeknown to him, was in Anna’s bad books. He could not for the life of him establish why, as his mind was totally preoccupied with his new venture.
What have I done? Or was it something that I should have done and didn’t do? Was it something that I said or didn’t say? I don’t know, women, what do they really want? Do they know? Now there’s a question, he thought, as he slid into the back seat of a black taxi. Throughout the journey, his brain began to switch into detective mode, and he started to retrace his steps over the past twenty-four hours to see where or even if he’d put his foot in it.
Now she was alright in the restaurant, and she looked absolutely terrific, all smiles and kisses and compliments, and then bang! An hour later, out of nowhere, I‘ve got some right old moaning minger on my hands, with a face like a well-slapped arse and as hostile as fuck. I need to go back a bit here and look at this from a different angle. I’ve definitely missed something here. She looked great and was as sexy as hell in her best dress and I…
He stopped the self-interrogation, as he’d finally figured it out and the penny suddenly dropped.
Oh bollocks, poor Anna, she was expecting me to be down on one knee with a gold ring in my hand. It all adds up now. All she got was a lousy trip to Hammersmith and a quick waltz around her new place of employment, and I hadn’t even asked her if she wanted to do the fucking job. I can be an absolute idiot sometimes. I’ll have to make it up to her; if I don’t I could lose her. I don’t need that, especially right now, as that would screw everything right up. Mind you, I really don’t fancy getting hitched either, but maybe I can compromise, he thought.
“Hey, driver, pull over just here will you, please.”
The cab came to a sudden halt right outside Hemming’s, the upmarket jeweller.
Chapter 4
John Kane had decided that it was time to leave his beautiful little cottage and this particularly sad chapter of his life behind, and move on once more. As a light breeze ruffled through his hair like the gentle caressing hand of a loved one, he stopped loading the van for a moment and drank in the spectacular scenery for one last time.
As the dying rays of the huge sinking blood-red sun brought forth the night, he gazed out across the bay. In the distance he could see the tiny coloured lights surrounding the balcony of the delightful little seafood restaurant as they swayed and flickered in the twilight, and recalled the last time he was there with Lynda.
As he stood and gazed out to sea, all was peaceful and still, and the only sounds were the slow distant rhythmic hum of a propeller-driven aircraft and the endless surge of the tide. Half an hour later, he’d finished loading the last of his belongings into the old Transit van, but before closing the van doors he decided to double check the contents of his rucksack. Black beanie hat – check; large pair of cable cutting pliers – check; large steel cold chisel – check; rubber mallet – check; micro torch – check; knife – check; leather gloves – check; pair of thick woolly socks – check.
He secured the back doors, climbed into the van, and headed for the M4. It’s a long haul from Cornwall to London, the best part of three hundred and fifty miles, and his journey would be a little longer.
As he exited the motorway he headed away from London and joined the M25 and travelled towards Watford. He specifically sought out a small engineering factory on the outskirts of the rural town because of its use of highly corrosive acids. At precisely 2.45 a.m. John Kane pulled the weary van over to the kerb and parked at the edge of the town. He grabbed his rucksack and made his way across country on foot.
Fifteen minutes later, he stopped on the corner of the crossroads and quickly checked the signpost for the industrial park: it was pointing dead ahead. He had a quick surreptitious glance around and all was quiet. He then crouched down and, under the cover of the darkness, he crept toward the high chain-link fence that surrounded the small industrial estate.
He made it to the fence undetected and slipped on his gloves and then he sat, watched and listened for a moment. He pushed back the sleeve of his tight fitting black compression top and checked the luminous dial on his large-faced diver’s watch. It was now exactly 3 a.m. At this time in the morning it was a good bet that the night security guards would be at their lowest ebb, as they were generally nine hours into their insanely long twelve-hour shifts. From his position the theory was proven as he could just make out the bulky shape of an overweight security guard who was slumped inside the little white hut, which was situated to the left of the main entrance gate. Typical, thought John, as he slipped the razor sharp lock knife into his back pocket.
He knelt on the dew-soaked grass, unclipped the plastic clasps on the rucksack and placed it beside him. He opened the zip and pulled on the black beanie hat, and then took the pair of large cable cutters from the side pouch of the rucksack and snipped the thick strand of wire that ran along the bottom of the fence. He then clipped two more sections of the wire fence which ran vertically, and grasped the bottom part of one of the wires. With his right hand he began to slowly unwind it in an anti-clockwise direction. As if by magic a gap in the chain link fence opened up like a giant zipper and he crawled through the opening, unheard and unseen.
The factory was at the very end of a row of similarly constructed buildings, except that this one was older and had old-fashioned wooden double doors. Thankfully the place had a little less lighting, due to some bulbs that had blown. Only one camera pointed in the direction of the doors, which was of no consequence as the guard in the box who was supposed to be watching it was still snoring.
He quickly removed the rucksack and placed it beside him. He took out the large chisel and forced the sharp blade into the tongue and groove joint of the door, wrapped his beanie hat over the end of the chisel and clouted it with the rubber mallet. The single, solid blow split the joint open first go.
He managed to lever the plank free without too much trouble, which made the next one easier to remove, and the gap he’d now created was big enough for him to crawl through. Breaking in this way would also ensure that the simple alarm connection top and bottom of the door wasn’t compromised. Before entering, he took another peek at the security box, and could see that he’d thankfully not disturbed the dozing security guard. He then pulled the thick woollen socks over his boots to muffle the sound of his footsteps against the concrete floor of the factory.
John carefully and quietly dragged himself through the gap and pulled the rucksack through after him. Once inside he clicked the button on the micro torch once to turn it on, and then clicked it again to lower the int
ensity of the beam. He then shielded the beam with the palm of his hand so that most of the light was now deflected toward the floor. He held the tiny torch out in front of him at arm’s length, and inched his way around the unfamiliar layout of the workshop. His steps were slow and deliberate, and at all times he was aware of the fact that the slightest noise could be disastrous.
He eventually found his way to the back of the workshop, where the secure storeroom was situated. It was easy to spot as it had large warning signs plastered all over it and right slap-bang in the middle was the symbol for corrosive acid. He made short work of the padlock by ramming the chisel into the hasp and levering it from the reinforced door. Beyond that was the steel cage he was looking for.
The smaller padlock yielded little resistance. He then stepped inside the cage and ran the torch light along the shelves, stopping at the small, bright yellow bottle with a label of a skull and crossed bones and a melting hand symbol on the front. He carefully slipped the rucksack from his back and slid the bottle gently into a small, tight fitting side pocket. He then picked up the rucksack and retraced his steps back to the fence. As he reached it, he took a quick glance over toward the guard’s box which was empty. He must be making his rounds, thought John, as he reached for the knife in his back pocket and quickly glanced left and right, picturing the fat guard strolling around the corner at any moment. He crouched down on all fours and kept as low as possible. He crept like a cat, using long silent strides, and eventually made it safely back to the gap in the fence. He stood up on tiptoes and now got a better view of the security box. He could now see that the guard was still in there; he’d just slumped down a little more into his comfy chair as he fell into an even deeper sleep. John pulled the soaking wet socks off his boots, and made his escape back the way he came.
