by Ted Tayler
As the mortal remains of Donald MacDonald were being removed from his Honda, Colin Bailey was already heading south towards England and a well earned rest. Everything changed when they pulled into Manchester Piccadilly. He was wide awake now! Someone on the platform directly in front of his carriage window was staring at him. The look on her face was one of incredulity; it was Therese Slater!
She had obviously returned from Europe! How long did she wait before she gave up on him and got back to her northern roots Colin wondered? He could tell that she was still confused and a little uncertain.
The minor facial modifications he had undergone at Larcombe Manor plus the blue contact lenses and frames would fool the vast majority, but Therese had been up close and personal with Colin Bailey and he could see that she had now convinced herself it was him. She was finding hard to believe that he was alive, when the world thought he was dead.
Therese didn’t appear to be catching this particular train, but Colin still had to determine what she would do with the knowledge she now had. Would she go to the police? He wasn’t convinced she would do that to him; perhaps she’d sell her story to the newspapers to set herself up for a comfortable life. That was more likely. Colin needed to know; even if it meant he had to get off the train here in Manchester and catch a later one south; he had to talk to Therese.
He gathered up his things and rushed to the door. In the nick of time he managed to get the door open and jump down onto the platform. Therese walked tentatively towards him.
“Is it really you?” she said “I thought you were dead.”
“That’s what everyone is supposed to believe” said Colin.
“You look different; that’s what threw me. When your carriage stopped right by me, I saw you and couldn’t believe my eyes. I waited for almost two months for news. I kept waiting to hear that your body had been found at last, so I could move on. I never expected to see you alive again. When the bar work dried up and my money ran out I decided to come back to my sister’s. I’m still looking for work but I did find a place of my own to rent a few weeks back. It’s in Runcorn near my sister. It’s not in a great neighbourhood but when you’re on benefits you have to do the best you can.”
Colin was only half listening to Therese wittering on. He was trying to work out what to do next.
“Look” Colin said “I’ve got some time off due to me; why don’t we spend it together?”
“Do you mean it this time?” said Therese.
“It wasn’t my fault we didn’t get away to the Netherlands in July” said Colin “it was that copper Hounsell.”
“My number is still the same Owen, or Colin; whatever you call yourself. Why didn’t you call me before, you know I’d drop everything to be with you.”
“That’s my girl” smiled Colin “I’ve never forgotten what you looked like when you dropped everything before!”
“I’ve never forgotten how you made me feel either. Are you sure we can’t just do it here somewhere in the station?”
Colin was tempted but he knew that his priority was to get off this platform and away from the crowds. He’d spent too long in Manchester earlier in the year; somebody might just remember seeing him and Therese together. He drew Therese to him and kissed her hard. It felt good.
“When is your train?” he asked Therese.
“In about five minutes” she replied.
“Okay if I come back to Runcorn with you?” asked Colin. Therese nodded. Colin dashed to get a ticket and they were soon sat in a compartment on their way to Runcorn. It was almost midnight when they arrived by taxi at Therese’s first floor flat; they crept in and made it upstairs to her room without disturbing anyone.
Colin woke up about five o’clock. With Therese snoring gently beside him he spent the next three hours wrestling with his conscience. Colin’s conscience hadn’t troubled him a great deal in the past it has to be said; he had no problem ticking people off his list in the most decisive manner. After all, they deserved it; he was just rectifying other people’s mistakes.
Perhaps it was his age, or he was getting soft but as soon as they had closed the door behind them and rid themselves of their clothes, Therese had reminded him how fiery and exciting the sex had been between them when they met in the summer.
A few days in bed with Therese wouldn’t recharge the batteries like Erebus wanted, but it was a pretty enticing prospect.
Then there was Athena. Was he feeling guilty about cheating on her? They hadn’t shared anything more than a few kisses for crying out loud! Who was he kidding? She was way out of his league anyway.
Athena was a beautiful, intelligent woman with a great body who would probably be his boss when Erebus had taken his place in the celestial navy. Her partner Simon dying in the London bombings must have wrecked her emotionally for a while, but despite what Erebus thought, Athena was no shrinking violet.
Colin asked himself whether all Athena needed him for was one night of passion to get back in the saddle again. After that he might be yesterday’s newspapers.
“Bloody hell!” he thought “this relationship lark is complicated isn’t it.”
What the hell; perhaps on this occasion he could have his cake and eat it!
One thing he knew for certain; Therese wasn’t about to hand him over to the police, based on the energy she’d put into their lovemaking earlier and she couldn’t wait for them to get off on holiday together somewhere. It was after those few days holiday that concerned Colin. What would she want from him then?
This could get messy! If he ended it after the holiday she might turn nasty and threaten to expose him. Perhaps he could keep her sweet by promising to be a frequent visitor to Runcorn? As long as he avoided her discovering where he was based and wanting to follow him back down south, perhaps he would get two helpings for a while after all?
As the morning started to break over the shabby street that Therese called home, Colin realised that their ‘brief encounter’ at Manchester Piccadilly could ultimately result in Therese putting too much significance on their relationship and starting to get ‘clingy’.
If she asked him for some type of commitment he might have to do something to solve the problem, permanently!
Although he had only been with Olympus for a few months, Colin ‘The Phoenix’ Bailey was well aware how important the integrity of the organisation was; nothing must jeopardise that.
CHAPTER 23
At Larcombe Manor Erebus was just about to bring the morning meeting to order. Athena was sat on his right hand side reading the overnight reports. Thanatos and Minos were on his left deep in conversation about the terrorists still in the ice house.
Alastor was a little late. The door burst open and there he was, slightly out of breath with a copy of the Daily Record under his arm.
“Sorry for the delay Erebus, but I had to pop into the city to get a copy of this regional newspaper. Phoenix has played a blinder on the Dunfermline job, judging by the report in here.”
“He hasn’t been in touch yet has he?” asked Athena casually.
“He’s on holiday my dear” scolded Erebus “I’m sure you’ll get a post card in due course. ‘Wish you were here’ or something along those lines.”
The old man winked at her. Athena look a little flustered for a change. Their banter went straight over the heads of the other three men around the table.
“He’s a good addition to our organisation” said Thanatos “efficient and single minded.”
“He chose extremely well on this mission” said Alastor “there doesn’t seem to be any doubts about it being suicide. ‘The body of Donald MacDonald was found in his car yesterday evening; it’s thought he died from carbon monoxide poisoning’. They’ve reported all the basic details of the case brought against him previously and mentioned ‘additional evidence discovered at his home that supports the note left in his car for the police’.
The Fife area police chief gave a statement to the Record in which he said ‘Donald
MacDonald was a troubled soul, whose actions had destroyed his long and conspicuous career; we pass on our condolences to his family and hope that Donald is now at peace.’ A neatly tied up package presented to the authorities; just leaving them to tick the boxes on their interminable paperwork and move on.”
“Excellent” said Erebus. “And he’ll be here at Larcombe Manor with us for the foreseeable future as Athena informed us on Saturday morning” he added cheerily.
Athena picked up one of the overnight reports and hurriedly changed the subject; she could feel several pairs of eyes turned her way. She already knew that Erebus suspected a growing connection between her and Phoenix; she didn’t want the others to have too much time to think about what might lie behind the old man’s comment.
“This report from Level Three of the ice house is a little disturbing” she said “we don’t want to keep these men here for too long surely? It’s been some time since our last snap inspection from the charity commissioners. Although they’ve never suspected anything amiss with our set up, having four people under interrogation at the same time could be an issue. I hope we can clear things up quickly.”
Erebus nodded.
“I share your concern Athena but we need to tread carefully; despite the fact that we carry out our operations in secret, we have always tried to maintain some standards. Our interrogation techniques are designed to get the information we desire, but anything forbidden by international law is beyond the pale and we wouldn’t entertain using more extreme methods. We must trust Henry Case and his team to persuade our guests to provide the answers we need to hear.”
Athena was well aware that Henry Case had a formidable reputation; he was undoubtedly good at his job, indeed Athena couldn’t think of anyone who was better suited for the job that they did than Henry.
Athena was the only person around this table that knew that among the personnel in the ice house, the chief interrogator was known as ‘Head’ Case.
“If we don’t make significant progress today, perhaps we might invite Henry to report to us here at our morning meeting?” she suggested.
“That sounds perfectly reasonable Athena; so be it” replied Erebus “let’s move on to the next item on our official agenda.”
Up north in Runcorn Therese was stirring beside him; Colin slid out from under the covers and headed for the bathroom. He needed a pee and a shower, in that order. He was also keen on leaving Runcorn this morning to find a more interesting place to spend the next couple of days relaxing.
After he had eased the load on his bladder Colin opened the shower door just a touch and tested the water. The steam rolled out of the stall, creeping over the mirror. That’s what he needed; an invigorating hot shower! He stepped in to the cubicle. Just as he was leaning his head back and soaking his hair it occurred to him that he didn’t get a towel. He slid the door open to get one from the towel rack.
Therese’s smiling face appeared next to the open shower door with a towel wrapped around her.
“Were you looking for this?” she asked.
Dropping the towel she stepped in with him. Colin groaned. His body was letting him down again. The sight of her incredible, dark athletic body made him react accordingly.
Therese leant in to him and kissed him beneath his ear. Colin reached for her lips, giving up any thought of non-cooperation and kissed her, trapping her tongue with his. He reached one hand under her thigh and lifted it up higher, opening her up and pressed his swollen member against her. He continued to kiss her and slipped inside her.
They continued to pleasure one another as the hot water pummeled their bodies. Sliding up and down, grinding against him, and using her legs as leverage Therese worked him hard, gripping his back with her fingernails, her legs quivering and her sighs escaping in one massive wave of ecstasy.
They paused for a moment, to catch their breath and then Colin began once more to thrust into her; they were both panting and gasping now as her hips pressed back to meet him. He continued to thrust until he was completely drained; and then he grabbed the soft towel she had brought with her and wrapped it around them.
“I’m hungry; what’s for breakfast?” Colin asked.
“Wasn’t I enough?” said Therese pouting.
“More than enough” said Colin “but sex always gives me an appetite.”
“I can see I’m going to have to keep making you hungry then!” said Therese.
The rest of the morning drifted away while they found something to eat and then decide where to go for their short break.
“Blackpool’s a great place to visit” enthused Therese “any time of the year.”
Colin wasn’t convinced; he remembered the looks on the faces of the guys from Maiden’s Hair when they turned up at the next venue after being given a few days off from the grind of their tour. Blackpool is the most deprived of England’s larger seaside towns, and suffers far more poverty and crime than the national average.
Life is a struggle with high unemployment and the worst death rate of any place in Britain; alcoholism is rife and drug taking common. On the Grange Park estate, one of the largest in Lancashire, residents talk of dealers operating openly on the streets. Colin had listened to Vincent Gagnon and the rest comparing the seaside resort to many of the worst parts of the cities back in their native Canada.
“Man” Vincent had said “you can keep your stick of rock and kiss me quick hats! And what the hell is it about you Brits with donkeys on the beach?”
Colin was listening to Therese wax lyrical about the miles of beach and promenade and all its attractions and all the time he was thinking that he ought to ask Erebus if there were any direct actions in Blackpool that would justify a visit for business purposes rather than ‘pleasure’.
Eventually he got Therese to pack a bag and phone for a taxi so they could set off to the station; it was early afternoon already and no matter how efficient Virgin Trains were it was going to take a couple of hours via Liverpool Lime Street to get to the seaside!
“Half a day of my holiday wasted!” thought Colin “well, apart from that time in the shower; that was pretty memorable!”
Therese knew Blackpool pretty well so it wasn’t long before she had found a decent hotel to stay in; Colin wasn’t going to slum it in the back streets. Not when Erebus was paying. They had a second floor room that would have looked out over the Central Pier if the other buildings hadn’t been in the way. It was central and close to the front, so as far as Colin was concerned it would do.
The rest of Tuesday was spent checking out the double bed, finding a restaurant that served something other than fish and chips, having a few drinks and then almost running back to the hotel for an early night.
“This sea air is so bloody tiring” said Colin.
“Just once more sweetheart, please?” purred Therese.
They fell asleep about three o’clock.
The weather was pretty autumnal on Wednesday and Thursday so most of the daylight hours were spent dashing between Madame Tussaud’s, where Colin half expected to see himself; the sea life centre and Ripley’s Believe it or Not.
Therese wanted to see anything and everything associated with the Tower; so they visited the Ballroom, the Dungeon and Jungle Jim’s. Colin drew the line at the Eye. No matter how good the view might have been if it hadn’t been raining all the way to Ireland, there was no way he was going four hundred feet up in the air and standing on a sheet of glass. No thank you!
He paid for Therese to go up on her own; half the reason for that was to get a bit of peace and quiet and the other was to cast a weary eye over the scene he saw around him, if he looked past the glitzy façade of the Pleasure Beach and the Golden Mile.
In the bars they had visited he overheard the locals talking about a worrying type of visitor to the area; the dole tourist. Thousands claiming housing and incapacity benefits had moved to the town for a year-round holiday, but had forgotten to pack their bucket and spade. So many people were unemploye
d; yet when you go to the bars and clubs, they’re packed with people. It didn’t make sense to Colin.
He remembered those early days with him and Karen when they used to nurse their drinks to last through an evening in the pub, listening to the live band, with only enough money at the end of the week for one night out. He worked hard to provide for his wife and daughter; Karen did her bit too, once Sharron was a bit older. Why weren’t other people prepared to do what they did back in the day?
Sat with Therese in a café at lunch time on the Thursday he looked at the people sat around them; nearly everyone else in the place seemed to be on drugs. You could tell the ones with a few quid; they showed all the signs of being on cocaine or heroin. Heaven knows what the rest of them were on!
Therese was sympathetic to a degree; her life in Manchester had given her a tough grounding in how hard things could be for many people.
“You don’t know what it’s like up here, living in the soft South like you do. There is work out there if you put in some effort finding it, but a lot of people up here like to sit on their backsides doing nothing and the government makes it worthwhile them not doing anything different.”
Colin shook his head. It didn’t make sense.
When they had finished their meal, they made their way outside; the rain had thankfully stopped for a while and the sun was making a valiant attempt at breaking through the fast scudding dark clouds. Colin nearly stumbled over two women sitting on the edge of the pavement drinking cans of strong cider. It was just after one o’clock; they could barely talk so when they slurred a few words in his direction he wasn’t sure whether they were bad mouthing him or telling him to have a nice day. It was no surprise that they looked old before their time.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as they visited the Pleasure Beach and Therese even persuaded Colin on to a couple of the scarier rides. In the evening they found a cabaret with a female impersonator and a DJ who favoured seventies and eighties dance tracks.
