A Good Find by Gary L Beer (chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT) 📕

didn't do a runner.” smiles Steve.
Curly Pete looks embarrassed; “Didn't give it a thought, sorry for losing it back there, I just wanted revenge for Mick, and I still do.”
“So do I, you aren't the only one, I think that's why I haven't been myself I didn't realise how much of a friend he was until he'd gone.”
Curly Pete's grief covers his face and Steve thinks he is going to cry he looks so hurt and upset.
“Come on let’s get these fellas into the motor before they stiffen.” Steve says gently as he turns and walks back into the house.
“All Ok?” asks Natalie looking concerned.
“Yeah, we're just more upset about losing Razor Mick than we admit, we'll be Ok, could you search these fellas before we dump them in the car please?”
“Yeah sure, do I get to keep what I find?” asks Natalie with a smile, as she stands up and walks over to Phil's body.
“Depends what it is, put what you find on the table and we'll go from there.”
Natalie searches through Phil's pockets taking out his wallet, some loose change, mobile phone and a letter inside a blue envelope. Putting them on the table she searches Dave and Barry and puts everything on the table as Curly Pete walks in the door.
Steve wonders where Sheila is as it must be ten minutes since she went to the bathroom; “Where's Sheila?” he asks Natalie.
“She's having a bath, she missed her shower this morning, don't mind do you?”
“Hardly.” laughs Steve relieved as to her whereabouts; “What we got here?” he asks as he picks up Barry's wallet. Taking out several hundred pounds in twenty pound notes he puts them on the table, pulling out the credit cards he puts them on the table and throws the wallet down. Doing the same with Phil and Dave's possessions he picks up the money and hands it to Natalie; “This is for you and Sheila, I'll burn the rest.”
Natalie takes the money and looks down at the pile of credit cards; “What a shame, but you are right, thanks.” she smiles as she starts to count the money. Phil seemed to have as much as Barry and Steve guesses that there must be several thousand pounds between them.
Natalie confirms this a few minutes later when she finishes counting; “Two thousand four hundred and sixty pounds, thanks Steve,” she laughs loudly; “Are you sure? Considering the amount that you've just lost.”
“You are welcome; if it weren't for you I wouldn't be here to give it to you.”
“Doesn't mean we have become best friends and that you owe me and have to come round every Sunday for tea and lettuce sarndwiches.” Natalie says softening the hard words with a smile.
“I usually go out on Sundays it will have to be a Saturday as I like the sound of lettuce sarndwiches and to be eaten on the couch with little cups of tea.” Steve laughs, turning towards Curly Pete he looks down at Phil; “Start with the lightest shall we?”
“Yeah, if you want.” Pete shrugs as he walks over to Phil and starts to pick him up.
Steve hurries forward and between them they take Phil out and put him in the back of the car. Carrying Dave is a bit more difficult as he is a lot heavier, and Barry, who must weigh over a hundred kilo has to be dragged out through the door. Steve and Curly Pete push him onto the back seat with Phil and Dave and with a final push they slam the door shut.
“I'll go and get something to cover them with, I'm not expecting any visitors except for Dippa and Barney maybe and they don't have to know about this.”
“Yes, this will just be between me and you and the two girls.” answers Curly Pete coldly as he follows Steve back into the house.

“You should see the smile on your sisters face” says Stef as he looks in his rear view mirror as he drives away from the car sales garage with Heather in her new car following about fifty metres behind.
“So she should do, I'm really jealous, she got an incredible deal.”
Heather had got an amazing deal with a two year old Ford Fiesta that only had twenty one thousand miles on the clock. Stef felt that the car dealer had given her more for her car than it was worth in the trade in, but he seemed delighted so he must have made money on the deal.
“What are we going to do when we get back?” asks Nicola.
“Have a cup of tea and something to eat would be good.”
“No! I mean what are we going to do now, have you thought about next week and the week after?”
“Yeah I've given it a lot of thought, we can't stay with Heather so we've gotta look for another flat somewhere.”
“Heather won't mind us staying; now Simon's got away, I want to go to Australia now!”
“We can't stay with Heather for too long as all the time we're there we're putting her in danger, especially if we get recognised by one of the gang and followed back to her home.”
“But they are over thirty miles away, the chances of bumping into any of them must be really slim.”
“Slim or not it might happen, I'm with you lets go to Australia, we've already filled in most of the forms though I bet we'll still have to wait for a month or more. We can't put your sister at risk for more than a couple of days and even then we'd better stay indoors as much as we can. That's why we gotta find somewhere else to live while we wait.”
“What about Simon?”
“His money should arrive day after tomorrow, best get a decision out of him then.”
“What are you going to do about our old flat?”
“Keep the payments going until we get out of this country, that way we won't have to let the letting agent know, or anyone else they can use to find us. Anyway I've got to go back and get my passport; it's stashed under the bedroom carpet.”
“You can't go back there.” Nicola exclaims in horror.
“No it's cool; I'm gonna park it on the private road and go in the back way.”
“And when are you going to do this?”
“I can't get it out of my mind so I am gonna go tonight.” Stef answers firmly.
Nicola knows that tone of voice and gives no reply as she looks out of the window; a field of sheep meet her gaze. The sheep look calm and happy as they feed on the grass and Nicola looks forward to the time when she can be as happy.

“It's getting dark, when are we going to do this?” asks Curly Pete.
“We need to do it soon as the weather forecast was for rain this evening and we can't afford to leave footprints, give it a half hour then we'll go.”
“Why don't we use the boat to get rid of them and we can still burn the motor.”
“Yeah I've been thinking about that Pete, even if we manage to dig the bullets out it would be obvious they've been shot as I'm sure they won't burn completely before the fire brigade arrives; and we don't want Old Bill poking around. They'll just consider the car was nicked and dumped by kids, best we take off the number plates and the identification plates.”
“I can do that, you got a drill?”
“Yeah, don't forget the ones inside the doors.” answers Steve as he goes in search of his battery powered drill.
Curly Pete is standing outside with the bonnet to the car already opened when Steve steps out the back door. Handing him the drill and an old tobacco tin filled with different sizes of drill bits Curly Pete asks; “Have you got any mounted points, ya know a shaped grinding stone on a shaft?”
“I know what you mean the closest thing I've got is a three inch grinding wheel, will that do?”
“It'll have to, look.” Curly Pete points his finger at the driver’s door window where the registration number is engraved on the glass.
“I'll go find it.” says Steve as he hurries back indoors.

Darkness covers the town as Curly Pete, driving the Mercedes, heads out towards the river. Steve follows closely behind with Sheila and Natalie sitting behind him on the back seat. Steve would have preferred that he and Pete go out on the boat on their own but Sheila had been most persuasive in saying that they would make good witnesses if things were to go wrong. They could also go out and get something to eat as well as have a drink. Steve felt that Sheila was more interested in getting something to eat than coming with them on the boat.
Half turning in his seat he asks; “Wouldn't you prefer I dropped you at the Pub while me and Pete go out, we'll only be an hour.”
“Yeah, I'm starving and that Pub does good food, don't mind if we eat ours before you get back?” replies Sheila.
“Don't mind at all, to be honest I'm not very hungry.” Steve answers as Curly Pete takes the turning for the river. Steve concentrates on driving around the corner before Sheila distracts him again; “You'll feel better once you've dumped them overboard.”
Steve looks at her in the rear view mirror and smiles; “Hope so, I've not eaten since breakfast.”
Concentrating on his driving Steve follows Curly Pete until the lights of the Public House appear out of the gloom. Taking his phone out of his pocket he pushes a button and speed dials Curly Pete who answers immediately; “I'm dropping Sheila and Nat at the Pub, see you at the boat.” Steve says hurriedly into the phone.
“No worries, tell 'em to stay out of trouble.” jokes Curly Pete as he disconnects the call.
Steve pulls up in front of the Pub; “Curly says stay out of trouble.” he tells them with a smile.
“As if we would.” laughs Natalie as they get out of the car and she slams the door shut.
Steve drives into the darkness after Curly Pete's fading rear lights. As boats start to line the riverbank Pete slows down to a crawl until he reaches Steve's boat.
Steve pulls in behind him and jumps out; Curly Pete has parked the Mercedes as close as he can to the little wooden jetty that is Steve's berth and Steve squeezes past and approaches his boat.
Steve had bought his boat, 'The Betty' from the proceeds of several drug deals about nine years ago. The Betty is a four metre long fibreglass boat with a small cabin that can sit four people comfortably. At first he had had to meet Ingrid or whoever was bringing it over about two miles offshore. They would be fishing and without having to come too close to