A Clattering of Jackdaws E-Book

Tony Jackson

• Herausgeber: Grosvenor House Publishing
• Kategorie: Krimi
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 542

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Karel Zajic arrives at work in Poland to find his future in ruins. Moving to Levensbridge in England a chance meeting looks to have solved all his problems, but huge risks are involved. Postman Danny Mason gets a deal which looks to have secured a bright future for himself, but he is treading on dangerous ground. D S Bene Douglas of Levensbridge C I D suddenly finds himself working alone. Suspicious deaths, drug dealing, and a suspect colleague all combine to guarantee a chilling climax, where his own life hangs precariously in the balance.

Leseprobe

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the following people for the help they have given me in the making of this book.

Alan Strong

Ken & Val Graham

Margaret Blamire

Who helped me with editing the book

Also

Mark Charters

Steven Bee

Kevin Harding

At Royal Mail, Carlisle

Who helped in the design of the book cover

Not forgetting

My wife Pat

Who had to put up with me during the months I was lost to her while writing this novel

CHAPTER 1

March 2010

A foul mood

Matt Renwick stormed back into the house slamming the door behind him, only minutes earlier he had left the premises of Esk Logistics and Dunne’s Warehouse. Cathy his wife had not been expecting him to return so soon and was doubly surprised when she saw the mood he was in. Normally a calm and easy going man Matt’s face now looked decidedly thunderous. “What on earth’s the matter Matt, something’s certainly upset you?” “It’s that bloody boy! I’ve warned him before about this scheme he’s operating. I’ve told him to put a stop to it and get rid of everything connected with it. Does he take any notice? No, he bloody well doesn’t, he’s still at it and this time he’s gone too far. I’m going to see Tom Metcalfe tomorrow to change my will, and after that I’m going to the police.”

“Oh Matt, don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit, that boy’s been like a son to us and I don’t want to see him get into trouble with the law.” Matt was beginning to calm down a little, but it was obvious to his wife that he was unlikely to change his mind. Although his face was returning to its normal colour the determination was still clearly showing. The rather short and well rounded figure she was observing was tense and edgy, his thinning hair was dishevelled and falling over to the side.

“I tell you Kathy it’s not right, it’s not just a little con he’s trying to pull, this is massive, and if I don’t put a stop to it now God knows where or when it will end. But when it does, guess who else will be implicated in it, me of course right up to the eyeballs.” Cathy looked worried; she adored her husband and hated seeing him as uptight as this. “Maybe if I had a word with him do you think that would do any good?” “No, he’s not going to give up now; he’s in too deep and he’s become far too greedy.”

Walking over to the phone he picked up the receiver and made a call to his solicitors. The secretary Sarah Bentley took the call. “Sarah, its Matt Renwick here, is Tom Metcalfe in the office?” “No,” she replied “he’s out at the moment and I’m afraid his appointment book is full for the rest of the day. Ellis is here; would you like to speak to him?” Matt hesitated and then said “No, if Tom is in tomorrow can you make me an appointment with him?” “Yes, that’s no problem; how about ten o’clock will that be alright for you?” “That will do fine Sarah I’ll see you both then.” He hung up the receiver and went back into the kitchen where Cathy was waiting.

“You know Cathy, this has broken my heart. I thought I had done the right thing in selling the business to him, it was going ever so well at first but this recession has turned out to be a lot worse than anyone could have imagined. But when he joined up with Ray and they introduced that Polish run I thought it would save the business from going under. I believe it was working they just needed to be patient, it’s a pity they both got so greedy.” “So what will happen now?” asked his wife. “Well, nothing until tomorrow after I’ve been to see Tom Metcalfe and called in to see the police. I built that business up from nothing you know, and it’s such a shame it’s going to end this way.” “Right,” said Cathy “let’s leave it for now and worry about it tomorrow, that will come soon enough.”

Matt was thoughtful. “It all started soon after that Polish printer Karel moved into Ray’s premises. He’s as much to blame as they are, they would never have been tempted if he had stayed away. He should have gone back to bloody Poland when his business went pear shaped and none of this would have happened.”

After an unusually quiet evening watching the television they decided to have an early night, and after doing the usual checks on lights, doors and windows, they walked along the corridor of the bungalow to their bedroom and retired for the night.

At around one thirty in the morning a dim figure crept up the darkened driveway to the bungalow. Moving noiselessly, the prowler made his way to the garden shed at the rear of the property. Removing a key from inside the shed the figure then approached the house and entered through the rear door directly into the kitchen. Keying in the correct sequence of numbers the alarm was quickly disabled. The dark figure then took towels from one of the drawers and silently moved around the bungalow closing the doors along the corridor, leaving only the kitchen door and the main bedroom door open. The intruder then sealed the bottom of the closed doors using the towels. Back in the kitchen again, the dark figure placed a sheet of written notepaper on the worktop and turned on the gas supply to the cooker and the hobs. Then after pausing for a few moments re-set the alarm and quietly left the house, re-locking the door and returning the key to its usual position in the garden shed.

CHAPTER 2

Two years earlier in Poland – March 2008

Karel Zajic drove the few miles from his home in the small village of Pencec to his place of work in the city of Krasnovice. The old fortified city was situated in the mainly agricultural region of western Poland, close to the border with the Czech Republic. Both Karel and his wife had been born in the old Czechoslovakia but had moved to Poland with their respective parents when they were young.

Karel was employed at the Novac printing company, a business which had been created by the Communist State soon after the end of the war. With the fall of Communism, the company was bought from the state for a nominal amount by Edin and Georgi Novac, two brothers who were former employees.

Under Communism a large part of the branch in Krasnovice had been used in the printing of bank notes, and this practice was allowed to continue when the new owners took over the running of the business. A firm contract was agreed between the brothers and the banks to keep production there for the next ten years. One of the conditions of the new contract stated that the building should be upgraded to a much higher level. It had to meet the new standards of excellence laid down in the newly introduced buildings and construction standards code; this had been agreed by the government and was now a requirement of law. A new government approved security system was installed, and two new temperature controlled rooms were built inside the main building for storage of the sensitive paper used in the manufacture of bank notes. A new press was also included in the terms of the contract.

The brothers had to borrow heavily to cover the cost of these enhancements, but had the foresight to see the benefits that they would bring to the company in the longer term. The guarantee of having this ten year contract allowed them not only to enjoy the lucrative rewards from this work, but it also gave them the confidence to expand into other areas of more specialised work.

The business prospered under the new ownership and the brothers soon added a second and much larger branch in the capital itself. The smaller branch in Krasnovice expanded their original premises to take on new contracts won by the ambitious owners. The larger branch in the capital concentrated mainly on production of the newly established and popular newspapers which were now available to the populace. The new found freedom of the media after years of Communist constraints had opened up vast new opportunities for media coverage, both in the printed form and over the airwaves. The Novac printing company flourished over the next few years and nearing the end of the government contract it was agreed that it would be extended a further two years.

It was only one year into the new contract when the major banks in the capital met to discuss the future of the production of bank notes. A building which was central in the banking district became vacant, and there were those in the banking business who could see the benefits of developing this site to print new stock, not only was it in the capital itself but right on the banks’ doorstep. It was decided to employ an architect to design and provide a costing for this venture.

Even before the design and costs were presented to them the banks were beginning to appreciate the advantages that would be gained by this new initiative. One of the main points was that huge savings could be made in the expensive security arrangements. Not only at the premises in Krasnovice but also for the transit of bank notes from the production site into the capital, ample security was already in place in the capital which could easily cover the new build.

So it was decided, work would cease in Krasnovice at the end of the current year and would then transfer to the capital.

The news hit Novac’s hard. After years of relatively easy living, the realities of having to compete in a competitive market where contracts were hard fought for, and if won at all were on far less generous terms. It was decided that for the next few months at least the larger branch would subsidise its smaller sister in Krasnovice.

After starting work as a young and enthusiastic trainee in the 1970’s, Karel had risen over the years and through the ranks to become Manager and chief overseer of the main printing operation.

He had over the years enjoyed a reasonable standard of living throughout his career with the company. At least that was the case up until the last year or so, when the recession had hit his country and the company much harder than anyone could have imagined. Karel couldn’t understand why his circumstances appeared to have been hit a lot harder than he had expected. His pension plan was not going to deliver half as much as he had been expecting it to, and this was a constant worry to him.

It was only a few more years until his planned retirement; he had never intended to work much longer after his fiftieth birthday. Together with his wife Eliska he had been looking forward to their new found freedom where they could enjoy some much needed quality time together. Eliska also had her plans and intended taking some long overdue holidays which they would share together.

The cost of bringing up a family during the communist rule had been too expensive for them to fulfil any personal ambitions they might have had, and sacrifices had been made. Twins, son Tomas and daughter Milena had both excelled at school, so it was only natural that they would want to continue their education.

It was a wrench for the family when they left for University. Karel and Eliska found themselves in a home they had lived in for many years that now felt unnaturally strange and unfamiliar to the one they had known. The twins, homesick for much of the first few months away jumped at the chance to come home as often as they could. But over the three years that they were away, Karel and Eliska gradually saw less and less of them as they adjusted to life away from home. Their success in gaining the required qualifications had their parents glowing with pride and pleasure at their achievements. They left University, two extremely confident and competent adults who were fortunate enough to find employment in their chosen fields.

Karel’s thoughts on his way to work turned from the twins to his beloved wife Eliska, the girl with beautiful golden hair to whom he had been married for twenty five wonderful years. When they first met he had been immediately stricken, those lovely long tresses which framed her tanned slightly longish oval face and eyes that simply sparkled, she had a figure that was the envy of all her friends. She is little changed today; a couple of dress sizes larger and her hair slightly less golden, but still very much the same girl as all those years ago.

The past years had not been so kind to Karel, the thick wavy mousey brown hair he had been so proud of had receded quite early in life leaving just a reminder along each side of the head, and this was now in danger of turning grey. A few worry lines crossed the forehead which was now cruelly exposed, and the figure once trim and pleasing to the eye had succumbed to too many years of Eliska’s excellent cooking, at least that’s how he explained the excess around his midriff. Being a couple of inches taller than Eliska his more generous proportions didn’t look too out of place when they were seen together.

Putting these nice thoughts away he reluctantly turned his mind back to the present. The pension fund he had been saving hard for over the years had according to the latest forecast been drastically reduced. It offered no guarantee of the happy and comfortable retirement he had been looking forward to. He had worked so long and hard for this, foregoing foreign holidays and new cars which he classed as luxuries but which others took for granted. Neither he nor Eliska smoked nor did they drink much, just the odd bottle of wine now and again with their meals. The whole thing just seemed so damned unfair.

They did have some money saved but this had always been earmarked for their jaunts abroad. Luckily they had the good sense to buy their house, this was now paid for whereas most in the village were rented. This at least gave him some satisfaction. Eliska has a part time job in the local infant school, but some of the work she does there is voluntary. She enjoys her work, but the money she brings home doesn’t contribute much to the running of the household.

Considering the present situation, it looked very much as though for the foreseeable future at least he would have to put his retirement plans on hold, and hope that the business could see out the recession without too many casualties.

It was a Sunday morning and Karel was not due to be at work, only security people were on the premises at weekends. There were a couple of new contracts to be signed before he took the week off. Not that he was going anywhere; he was only using up the remainder of his allocated leave for the year. The contracts had not been available for him to sign on Friday as they had only been delivered to the company the previous day.

Karel had no problems with coming out on a Sunday; it was not unnatural and it had often happened in the past. The contracts would have been left with security and it would only take him a few minutes to check and sign them before returning home again for lunch.

Arriving at the company premises his mind was still occupied with nicer thoughts, he found a space and parked his car. If he had been a little more attentive when doing this he would have noticed that there were more vehicles than usual in the car park.

Little did he realise when he entered the building that morning, how events that would take place on that day would change his life forever.

CHAPTER 3

Levensbridge - January 2010

Danny gets an offer

The town of Levensbridge nestles in a naturally evolved valley, midway between the southern edge of the Lake District National Park and the northern end of the Pennine mountain range. It is the largest town in that old county. Two smaller towns lie around twenty miles away in either direction and there are numerous villages and hamlets scattered around an area of roughly forty miles across. This part of the country as you would expect is quite large in terms of acreage but considerably sparse in population. Agriculture is the main source of production and employment here.

Being on the edge of the Lake District it attracts a huge influx of tourists during the summer months. The town has a good range of shops in the High Street where local traders vie alongside shops of the larger national chains; most of the banks are well represented, as are pubs and restaurants which are found aplenty in the main street and the offshoots from it. Some of the narrow lanes still contain the old Alms houses. The last remaining cinema in the town the Alhambra downsized a few years ago, following the trend set by many others due mainly to competition from television and DVD’s. The cinema now uses only one half of the original building, the other half being sold off and transformed into what has become Ocean’s nightclub.

The main Post Office in Levensbridge is easy to find being highly visible on the town’s High Street. Unlike the Royal Mail delivery office which is tucked away at the rear of the main Post Office building. Inside this building though are a team of postal workers dedicated to the task of collecting, sorting and delivering mail, within the town and the smaller villages and hamlets within a twenty mile radius. Ten such postmen were allocated to deliveries in the town itself and a larger force responsible for deliveries and collections in the rural area.

Danny Mason was responsible for the delivery and collection of mail on the Lower Kent Business Park which is on the southern side of the town. He was popular with his customers and had been the regular postman there for the last five years. Easily recognisable by his mop of unruly curly brown hair, a broad smiling face and his long loping gait. He was never too concerned about his general appearance and his uniform always looked as though it could do with a good wash. He loved his job and had been saving hard for a deposit to put down on a house. Living with his parents had been fine, but now he had a steady girl friend with whom he was madly in love, both of them were keen to have a home of their own where they could settle down and start a family.

Things had been progressing well up until the end of the summer period, but then everything changed. Ever since he had joined the organisation overtime had always been available, it was taken for granted by some for paying the mortgage, taking holidays and buying new cars. Sadly all that had come to a sudden and rather sticky end about two months ago. New working practices had been introduced as part of a recent pay deal brought in under the guise of efficiency. Although it benefitted the postmen who didn’t rely on the extra work by giving them a reasonable raise in salary, it didn’t help some of the others who had become reliant on the extra work, and the generous overtime rates they were rewarded with.

Sorting letters into the order for their deliveries, Danny and his two colleagues were working alongside each other on the three end fittings in the delivery office. “You got anything in mind Alec?” asked Danny. “No there’s no other jobs around here, maybe one or two part time ones but nothing that pays as much as we are getting here, even without the overtime,” he replied “how about you?” Danny could think of nothing. “The problem is, we don’t have any recognised skills or qualifications, this is a skilled job in its own way I suppose but there’s nothing else like it in the town. We’d have to move away to find something similar and I don’t want to do that, how about you Simon?”

Simon did have one iron in the fire. “I know the manager in that new supermarket on Bridge Street; he’s going out with my sister and he thinks he may be able to get me a couple of nights stacking shelves. I think I could get finished there just in time for me to get back here to do my delivery. It would mean a couple of long shifts of about fourteen hours each I reckon, but they would be in midweek so I could still go out at the weekend.”

“Any chance you could put a word in for us?” said Alec. “Well I can always ask, but they have a few part timers doing the job already, do you want me to ask for you as well Danny?” “Yeah sure,” said Danny “but it doesn’t look too promising does it?” Before leaving on their individual rounds they decided that if any of the three were to hear anything that would help earn some extra money, the information would be shared between them.

Danny, who was basically an honest guy, brooded over the situation he now found himself in. How on earth was he going to raise the extra money he so desperately needed to find the deposit for his new home? As the weeks went by, customers who had also become friends could not fail to notice the change in him, and although they could sympathise there was nothing they could really do to help him. One or two offers of part time work had been made, but the problem was his split shift where he had afternoon collections to perform. With house prices still rising he could see his dream home fading away far off into the distance.

Danny’s fortunes were soon to change dramatically through a chance encounter with Eugene Reay, co-owner with his brother Manny, of Ocean’s the town’s only night club. Eugene was a squat little man with balding head and flaccid features; every small inch of him a Danny de Vito lookalike. He was aware that Danny no longer frequented the club and when spotting him on his delivery casually asked, “I’ve not seen you in the club lately Danny boy, what is it saving hard for the wedding?” What had begun as a simple gesture of curiosity led to a full blown tale of Danny’s woes. Eugene was quick to take advantage of this; a solution to a long standing problem was fast forming in his mind.

He was prepared to listen carefully to Danny, responding with what he hoped sounded like genuine concern and making sympathetic comments when he sensed they were needed. When he felt he had gained Danny’s confidence he began gradually to introduce his plan, quite innocently at first making sure not to scare him off, but little by little he was getting the feeling that his offer might not be rejected out of hand.

The offer was brilliant in its simplicity. There would be packets arriving at the post office for delivery to an address in the Lower Kent Business Park, one of the small units which was unoccupied would be ideal. The packets would end up on Danny’s delivery fitting, and all Danny had to do was put them in his delivery bag along with the other mail and let Eugene know when he had them. A meeting would be arranged along the route where the packets would be handed over, and for this a very generous payment would be made.

The packets would be coming in from Europe and would contain rare and valuable plants which should officially be opened on entry into the UK. But as Eugene explained, to have them waiting around in customs and then have them exposed to a cold climate would lead to further delays, which in turn would more than likely kill off the plants before they reached him.

The plants would be sold to friends and customers who were all avid collectors and members of a rare plant society, of which Eugene himself was a member. The packets would show the contents to be second hand books which would divert any suspicion from the packets on their entry into Britain. So there would be no risk to Danny, and it would be a nice little earner for the two of them.

Slowly but surely Danny was coming around to the idea. The prospect of making some extra money at regular intervals and with no risk to his employment with the Post Office all sounded very appealing, and it would all be done in the firm’s time as well. Danny was still a little wary and needed extra assurance that nothing about the deal was in any way illegal.

“Listen,” said Eugene “the only reason I can’t take the chance of having them delivered to the club is because it would arouse suspicion, why would I even want to be bringing in second hand books to the club? How long would it be before someone was tempted to take a look inside? When they saw the plants they would obviously jump to the conclusion they were cannabis or some other drug. That would lead to a full scale search of the club, and that’s something I can well do without.” Eugene had plenty of experience in dealings similar to this and his explanation convinced Danny completely. It wasn’t long before he had his full agreement.

CHAPTER 4

The main protagonists

Esk Logistics and Dunne’s Warehousing and Storage Depot were sited next to each other on the Lower Kent Business Park. Paul Hanbury was the owner of Esk, and also a co-owner of Dunne’s next door. His lifelong friend Ray Parrish was the other co-owner of Dunne’s and also manager of the depot. The two men met on most days as the two businesses ran more or less as one rather than separately, both to a certain extent were dependant on the other.

“Don’t be late for the club tonight Ray, it could be a good night with all the rugby lads there.” Ray was always up for a good night out and was quick to respond, “yeah and don’t you go hiding around the corner waiting for me to get the first round in,” which raised a chuckle from Paul. The two friends went their separate ways back over the waste ground adjacent to the depot and returned to their respective offices. It was on this ground a few years ago that they would have bets with each other as to who was the fastest driver, or more to the point who was the craziest. Careering around in their souped up old bangers it was an escapade which was bound to end in disaster.

Predictably one Saturday afternoon the accident waiting to happen did happen, a blown out tyre was blamed for the crash. But this was no comfort to the boys who realised albeit too late that it was down solely to their own recklessness, and it could so easily have ended in the death of one, or even both of them. Paul escaped relatively unharmed with a few cuts and bruises but nothing that would leave any lasting damage. He was then, and still is today, a stocky built man of generous proportions all round, with pure white hair, a round face with a slightly ruddy complexion and sparkling blue eyes. He is always good fun to have around and is a regular magnet for the ladies, even though he is married to Angie.

Ray on the other hand didn’t come out of it so well. He sustained injuries to his left leg which left him with a limp and a partial disfigurement to the left side of his lower face and jaw. In the years since he had managed to disguise the limp until it was hardly noticeable and a facial growth of rather old fashioned sideburns had virtually covered the scars. Anyone meeting him for the first time would probably be a little curious as to why such a seemingly pleasant and ordinary guy would want to create such a Victorian image of himself.

Surprisingly the crash and the injuries to Ray did not mar their friendship and the pair continued as before, still the best of pals. Now though there were no more races to be won or lost, the bets now were around the fortunes of the local rugby team. Neither man was overly keen on the sport itself but both were regular customers in the club after games, always ready to give a verdict on the game, usually as to why it had gone so horribly wrong.

No-one in the club took much notice of the ridicule the pal’s directed at the team, for to be honest there was little to be said in their defence. Most of their observations were accepted with good grace as they were good customers and spent quite a lot of money over the bar. The team had never known any real success and were presently languishing at the bottom of the league, as was the case in the previous two seasons. The only reason they were safe from relegation was the fact that there was no other division below them to be relegated to.

The police station in the town could be found a little way from the town centre; situated on a narrow street with parking on one side only, it sits at the end of a row of small terraced houses. Built in the Victorian era it has never changed its outward appearance. Inside, the building has undergone several alterations and is now fully equipped to deal with modern police operations.

The town has its own small force plus a branch of CID. Gordon Sowerby is the Senior Police Inspector, a strict man strong on discipline and a firm disciple of doing everything by the book. Sowerby was one of the old brigade coming up through the ranks, he didn’t approve of the new breed of officers who came into the force direct from university. He looks exactly the same now as when a raw recruit all those years ago, only the uniform has changed. He stands tall and straight, retaining a slim figure and angular features which tend to disguise any feelings he has. No one could take him for anything other than what he was, a well respected, efficient, and no nonsense officer of the law.

CID is led by Inspector Adam Firth who had returned to his native north after a career spent mainly in London with the Metropolitan Police Force. He is now into his last two years with the force and was happy to accept the post in Levensbridge, to hopefully see out the remainder of his time away from the stress of London life. Unlike Sowerby, when meeting Adam for the first time you wouldn’t take him for a policeman, his appearance is deceptive. Outwardly he could pass easily for an old fashioned doctor or solicitor; he prefers his old checked jacket with the leather patches on the elbows to a suit. A rather long expressionless face and a body language that says “well, if I have to go to work today I suppose I should make the effort.” The eyes though express a completely different character altogether. They said to you, this is someone in complete control, someone with a razor sharp mind and an uncanny knack of being able to sense when something is not just right.

Working under him are DS Benedict Douglas (Bene as he is known), and DC Mike Ostler. The other member of the team is DS Steve Mitchell who has been on long term sick leave over the last few months.

Bene by nature is basically rather lazy, he had tried various local jobs without finding any that he found remotely appealing, and then finally he amazed all his family and friends by passing the exams and interviews which gave him entry into the Police Force. It came as quite a shock to him also as he had not been too confident over his chances. But after the initial training and two further years of buckling down he found he enjoyed the work enormously. Promotion to CID suited him even better where Adam took him under his wing, his local knowledge of the area and the people in it were an advantage to Adam.

Mike Ostler is a newcomer to the town and the Police Force; his clerical background suits him more to office work than the operational side, he is perfectly happy sitting at his computer and doing all the report writing and any other mundane clerical work. Mike is not married and has few friends in the town; he is regarded as a bit of a loner outside of work. Some would say he is overly conscious of his pale image and complete lack of hair which had been lost to alopecia early in his life. He rarely joins the others on nights out and is seldom seen in any of the pubs or clubs around the town.

Mike often found that his time was shared doing work for both Firth and Sowerby. Inspector Sowerby had been quick to recognise the value of having him inside, as it allowed his officers to spend more time on active duties. This was an arrangement that suited both sides of the force, and Mike in particular.

Bene is a local man and looks exactly that, not good looking as such but he makes up for this with his simple charm and friendly nature. He is just over six feet tall with an athletic build and rustic features which are topped off with a mop of thick curly brown hair. The warm friendly brown eyes are set well back under his broad forehead. He considers himself very much the poor relation in his partnership with Adam but it is a relationship that works well.

Adam likes to have Bene around, even though he appears a little naive in being able to pick up on any unusual events or situations; as yet he didn’t have the nose for it. It would have been easier if Bene had been stationed in another town where he didn’t know anyone, this would have sharpened up his senses a lot quicker. However Adam still thought that he had the makings of a good CID officer and he would teach and encourage him to achieve this.

Likewise Bene is content working with Adam, and when success comes to CID he is more than happy to bask in any glory that is going. This was usually achieved through Adam’s endeavours, but Bene deemed that even if his own contribution was small it could only cast a good reflection on him as well as Adam.

CHAPTER 5

Back in Poland – March 2008

Karel has a decision to make

Karel was by now curious as to why there appeared to be a lot more activity around the site than usual as he headed for the main office. “Hallo Edin, don’t often see you here at weekends what’s happening? All these trucks on the site and the men working with them are not our people.” Edin looked up, but although he addressed Karel he was avoiding any eye contact. “I didn’t expect to see you either Karel what brings you here on a Sunday?” “Only a couple of contracts to sign which will be collected later today, they will be needed for an order next week and as you know I’ve taken this next week off.”

“Of course I’d forgotten about that.” He sat up straight and slowly raised his eyes to look at Karel; it was a few moments before he spoke. His face was showing signs of embarrassment, of being caught out unexpectedly. Karel could sense this and was immediately worried; uneasy thoughts were starting to run wild inside his head. When Edin spoke his voice was hesitant, unsure about how to deliver the words he needed to say. “As you know Karel the branch here has been heavily subsidised over the last few months by our larger branch in the capital, although we have been able to attract some work the contracts we have gained are not long term ones, they’re not profitable enough to warrant keeping the branch open any longer.”

Edin’s eyes went down to his desk again, allowing himself a short pause in which to collect his thoughts and think over his next lines. He looked up, a little more assured now and continued. “My brother and I have done everything possible to keep the branch open, hoping against hope that things would improve, but we have finally succumbed to the inevitable and have to admit defeat. The branch here must be closed down before it drags the main branch down with it.” Karel was horrified. “And what is to become of me and all the other staff here, many of us have worked hard for the company over the years and will have nowhere else to go, there’s no other business in the area where our skills can be utilised.”

Edin looked away again, uncertainty and guilt plainly showing on his face. “I fully agree with you Karel and can well understand your feelings; we are in a position to help some of the workforce but unfortunately not all of them. We can offer some employment in the main branch as we have a few vacancies there, the ones who take up the offer will have to move to the capital of course. Some will be prepared to do that, some I expect will not, but as from now this branch is closed.”

Edin continued. “We will be holding a meeting with the workers outside the gates when they arrive in the morning. We can’t afford to have the meeting on site for fear of any damage that may be done if the men decide to vent their anger on the machinery. At the meeting we will explain everything to them and the options that are available. It’s not good news I know, but we have to be perfectly honest with them. I know many of the men who have been good servants to the company will have grievances which I admit are well founded. Unfortunately there is no way out of this; it’s going to be extremely hard on everyone.”

While Edin had been trying to explain away as best he could the demise of the printing works he was aware of the anger and despair intensifying in Karel’s face. He needed Karel out of there quickly before he could cause any trouble; his mind went into overdrive to find a solution which he hoped would pacify him. There was no easy way out of this; Karel was going to have to benefit somehow from this disaster. What he hoped was a solution to this predicament came to him suddenly and clearly.

Looking more assured he addressed Karel with more confidence. “We’ve been aware for some time now of the little sideline you have going at home, using one of the old press’s you bought from us a year or so ago.” Karel stared at him and wondered exactly what Edin was driving at, was he about to suggest that he had been deliberately taking work away from the company and depriving them of profit, surely the little jobs he had done at home were only on a very small scale and could not have damaged the company in any way.

This thought quickly receded as Edin continued. “What I can offer you is this, take whatever you need in supplies that will cover any work you can obtain for yourself. I know it’s only small time, cards, paper jobs etc, but take whatever you need, you deserve it. I have no intention of letting you suffer any hardship after what you have given us over the years.”

Karel stood motionless, he was in shock and unable to take in all that had been said let alone respond in any way. Edin spoke again this time with more urgency. “There’s nothing else I can offer you I’m afraid, but if you agree then there’s no time to lose you must take all that you need now, today. As you can see things are moving fast, and by this evening most of what can easily be moved will already have left the site, only the larger machinery will remain and this will be taken away in the next day or so. By the middle of the week there will be nothing left here but empty sheds and offices”

Karel was slowly coming to terms with the enormity of what was taking place, he had to concentrate hard now on what was going to be his only chance of salvaging something for his own future. “I need a truck as well as paper and card, also some of the printing plates that I can use for more specialised work.”

Edin was up on his feet now and moving towards the door. “Take the small wagon in the despatch shed you are insured for it, look upon it as a gift. I have to go now and help with the removal of some sensitive material in the annex, remember take all you need and look after yourself and Eliska.” Then as an afterthought, “and leave your car here, you can come back for it later, I’ll have one of the men pick you up from home and bring you in to collect it,” and with that he was gone.

Karel went over to the shed and took out the wagon; with this he could take away as much as he wanted, he had no feelings of guilt over what he was about to do. He had been let down and badly treated by the company. He knew that the only reason he had been given this opportunity was because unluckily for Edin he had turned up unexpectedly that morning. If there had been no reason for him to go to the works today he would not even have known about the meeting the following day. He would probably have got the news a day or two later through the media, and then it would have been too late to do anything about it, he certainly wouldn’t have had the chance that he had now. “Yes,” he thought, and not with a little bitterness, “this is an opportunity that I intend to take full advantage of.”

Looking over the items he would need he quickly began loading anything he thought may be useful. His income had been supplemented by the little jobs he had managed to get locally, printing cards for occasions such as weddings or party invitations, business cards and other miscellaneous items that his small press was capable of producing. Now though he would have to find a lot more work for his press if he were to make any sort of living out of it.

Security guards were stationed at the door of the main store room, but having been instructed by Edin to give Karel full access around the site they allowed him in without any qualms. Plates that had been used for printing were never discarded after job completion, occasionally they were brought out again to produce a new batch or renew old stock. Along with the matching dyes they were kept in an office which was usually locked.

Finding this office open Karel brought out and loaded most of these boxes onto the wagon. They would be of no use to the larger branch that was not geared up for that particular type of work. Quietly but surely he gathered up as much of the materials as he could, his mind constantly working as to which particular materials he would require and what quantities of each he thought he would need. Sheets of card of various colours and thickness were his main priority, and he found plenty there that would meet his needs for quite some time.

The paper was a more difficult proposition; he would have to think carefully about what he was likely to need. If he took too much of the softer paper it may not keep its composition for long and may quickly go to waste if not used. He took only small amounts of this before making up with larger quantities of the more robustly constructed paper which was in large heavy rolls. He had enough room for two large rolls of these, and with the assistance of the security men loaded them to the wagon. “You’ll have to be leaving soon” said the taller of the men, “the boss wants the place locked and secure as soon as the removal men are finished, and they’re almost done now.”

Karel looked at his watch and agreed with them that another ten minutes should see him finished. Looking over the remaining stock his eyes fell upon the packages containing sheets of paper that had been used for the old bank notes, could he use this? He wasn’t sure, but it was paper that wouldn’t perish if kept packed as it was now so he decided that there may be a use for it at sometime in the future. “Just give me a hand with these last few bundles will you?” he shouted over to the guards “I’ll be on my way then and leave you to lock up.” The last of the packages were loaded and Karel left the site vowing never to return. Even for the meeting the following day which he knew was bound to end in chaos and dismay.

It was a quiet and troubled Karel who arrived home late that afternoon, sitting down to his evening meal with Eliska he began slowly to explain all that had occurred at his place of work. After clearing away the remnants of the meal and washing all the dishes they sat down together. They now had to try and work out what would be the best they could hope for. The future which not long ago had been assured now looked very uncertain indeed.

Karel tried to explain to Eliska the likelihood of making a living from his own home, but even with the tools and materials that were now at his disposal it was unlikely that he could guarantee much work for himself. Eliska had an idea but was not sure how it would be received, she knew that even though they owned their own home the cost of just eating and paying the bills could prove to be more than they could afford. She knew that every option had to be explored so she began to reveal her thoughts to Karel.

“Your brother and his wife who was also my best friend moved over to England not long after they married, they are always asking us to go and visit them. He has a good job there and the standard of living is much better, the wages are more than twice what they are here.” Karel seemed attentive and was waiting for her to continue, and Eliska was thinking that it may be an idea which was not going to be ruled out before it had been carefully thought over. She continued. “I will write to him tomorrow and ask him to find out what could be available for us over there; maybe you could start your own business. We can easily sell the house here which would help us until we are settled, and the children would be able to come over and see us occasionally. We are part of the European Community now, so we will be entitled to certain benefits which would also help us.”

The response to Eliska’s letter was encouraging. Levensbridge, the town where Emil and Agnieska lived had nothing in the printing trade, so the opportunity for a business of that nature could prove to be quite lucrative. Houses were much more expensive than in Poland but rented properties were available. A vacant shop with a flat above had been discovered by Emil in one of the local estate agents, and he was further encouraged when told that a council subsidy may be available to someone bringing new business into the town. He was getting more and more excited about the possibility of his brother coming over to join him in England.

His positive response to Eliska’s letter soon convinced Karel to make the move. The only downside Karel could see was the language; both his son and daughter had taken up English as a second language and had taken holidays there to put it into practice. Karel and Eliska’s English was not as good, but Emile had agreed to help them improve. He told them that a basic language course in English was available free in the evenings at one of the schools. Many other Poles who had made the journey over to England attended it as they needed to pick up the language quickly in order to find work.

A few weeks later and with the house sold Karel and Eliska made the move to Levensbridge. All their possessions were sent via a carrier, which was followed by Karel and Eliska in his new truck together with his press and materials.

CHAPTER 6

Levensbridge - January 2010

Bene’s night out

“Bene, has anyone seen Bene?” asked Adam Firth. “Over here boss” said Bene, poking his broad head around the DI’s door. “Have you got all the paperwork we need in the morning for this court case?” Bene’s thoughts had not been on the court case, but instead were on the forthcoming night out at the local rugby club. He was prepared for Adam though. “All here in the top drawer boss, there are two files, one for the evidence you’ll need when called and another containing all the other related bits and pieces which may or may not crop up as the case progresses.” “Good,” said Adam, “Right I’m off now and don’t you get too much to drink in that club tonight, I need you to have your wits about you tomorrow. I know you don’t have an active role to play, but you’ll learn much about court procedure tomorrow and that will come in useful when you have to take a case to prosecution yourself.” With that Adam was gone.

It was time now for Bene to make a few phone calls. Tonight had been long awaited; an audition of local talent had been arranged by the club in aid of charity for the local hospice. Bene knew that a girl dance group and two other girl singers would be there. He needed to arrange a time for meeting his pals, better to go in together than singly, girls usually turned to look at a group of lads going in together, but Bene had found that when he went in alone, for some reason he didn’t attract the same attention.

Thursday was not generally a night that Bene went out, as a rule he would stay in and save himself for the weekend. But for some reason the club had chosen that night for the charity bash, probably because there was no football on TV. The club, like most clubs and pubs in the town was usually fairly quiet in midweek.

The night came soon enough and the entertainment quickly got underway as there were plenty of acts to cram into the time allowed. Budgie Collins the steward was under pressure and had to get help from two of his buddies Pip and Fruit. Not real names of course, but nicknames of two brothers who were also good customers at the club, they often helped out and still enjoyed the night even though they were working. “Your round!” shouted over one of Bene’s pals, “come on you’re always the last to get them in, deep pockets is what you’ve got mate.” With a little embarrassment Bene made his way over to the bar. “It’s not that I’m tight or anything” he said to himself, “it’s just that they drink a lot faster than me and I’ve always got half of mine left when they’ve finished.”

The bar was crowded with customers waiting to be served, Bene just managed to squeeze in between Paul and Ray who were in their usual positions hogging the bar. “Hey up it’s that fellow from Crossroads” joked Paul. “Come to get a drink for Miss Diane then Bene boy.” The boys had clearly been in a lot longer than Bene and were well on their way into a riotous night out. “You two got shares in this place” retorted Bene, not at all happy with being compared to his namesake in the TV soap. Ray looked around to make sure they still had centre stage, “We’ve both got someone to cuddle up to tonight Bene which lucky lass have you got lined up to warm your bed?” Ray was really enjoying himself now and finished off with a loud guffaw to encourage the others around him; much to Bene’s annoyance everyone within earshot was having a good laugh at him.

Feeling angry with himself that he couldn’t find anything witty to throw back at the two pals, he leaned over the bar trying hard to attract the attention of the bar staff. When he eventually did get served he quickly made his escape back to his own gang of friends. The evening carried on much in the same vein and there were a few more jibes to be contended with, mostly instigated by the two pals who were having a whale of a time. Bene wasn’t the only one to be singled out as a target for their amusement; the two had also latched onto a couple of other misfortunate’s and were giving them a hard time as well.

As the night’s entertainment began to draw to a close many of the customers began to drift away, and by eleven o’clock Bene was not feeling too good. Too much lager was starting to take its toll and instead of getting a buzz from it he was instead feeling quite groggy. To make matters worse he had failed miserably in attracting any attention from the many girls who were in the club. One or two he had managed to chat to but none of them had showed much interest. They would soon make their excuses and drift off to try their luck with someone else.

“Damn,” thought Bene “I really thought this could be the night; it’s always crap having to leave on my own when all the others are going home with their wives or girl friends.” Looking around, the place was emptying fast. Bene manoeuvred himself round to a position nearer to the door, and when he thought he could leave unobserved he passed through the door and made his way back to his flat which was about ten minutes walk away.

Going back to an empty flat from work was OK, he didn’t mind cooking and he felt good about having his own place where he could do exactly as he liked. Going back to an empty flat alone after a night out though was depressing; it was not how it was meant to be. The main reason he had bought the flat in the first place was with the expectation of finding a girl friend or two that he could bring back and entertain there, regrettably this was not happening. He was feeling cold and a bit under the weather so he climbed straight into bed, forgetting to set his alarm for the morning.

The morning arrived soon enough and Bene began to move around in the bed, his eyes were still closed and his brain was telling him that he needed the toilet urgently. After several more squirms he shuffled over to the side of the bed and put his feet on the floor. Gradually he stood up and felt for the door handle, slowly opening his eyes as he made for the bathroom. Minutes later a much relieved Bene dragged his weary body back to the bedroom where he intended to tumble back into bed and continue his sleep. Sitting down on the bed he ruffled his hair and yawned widely, after which, and just for a second his eyes were fully open before swiftly closing again. That second however might just have saved him. For as he slumped down again on the bed, the face of the clock which had planted an image into his brain, sent shock waves through him.

“Eight o’clock!! No! No! It can’t be.” Coming around in what seemed a mere split second he realised immediately the stupidity of the position he had allowed himself to get into. The court case would be starting in less than an hour, and he still had to get himself ready and be at the station before leaving with Adam for the courts at eight thirty. “Damn and blast,” he swore at himself, dressing as fast as he could after a quick wash and shave. “How the hell could I be so bloody stupid and forget to put the alarm on.” All thoughts of the night before were immediately obliterated from his mind which was now fixed firmly on the events of the coming day.

Flying out of the block of flats he knew that he couldn’t take the chance of driving there in his own car, undoubtedly he would still be over the limit. A quick throat spray did the trick; at least now the smell of alcohol wouldn’t give him away. There was no way he would get to the station on time; he was feeling anxious and full of guilt. How could he let Adam down again, his attitude to work would have to change rapidly if he were to remain in C I D. He couldn’t bear the thought of having to go back into uniform again. But this had to be a real possibility now; Adam couldn’t be expected to overlook his waywardness forever.

Just before panic had a chance to take a real hold of him his luck changed for the better. With a pip on the horn a car pulled in beside him, and as he looked in he could see Constable Jenny Stephenson one of the new recruits to the station. Jenny had only been with the force a couple of months but had made an instant impact on her male colleagues. She was good looking, bright and cheerful and always ready for a good laugh. Naturally she attracted lots of attention from the men, but it didn’t take her long to weigh up the intentions of some of them and she knew exactly how to deal with them. Any smutty remarks or innuendos she could easily turn to her advantage and put the men down, sometimes gently, sometimes with a bang. Sowerby was pleased to have her on board, being told from powers above that she was to be fast tracked. He could see the potential in her straight away and would do whatever he could to ensure her development was not impeded while working for him.