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

as images of the bald headed man walking down the road conjure up in his mind. The anxiety he feels twists his stomach and he tosses and turns for several hours until sleep overcomes him.

Stef drives slowly away from Simon along the empty road turning into the town centre which by all appearances is as empty. Driving along the High Street his thoughts are on money and what it will bring not on where he is going and not paying attention he does not see the shadowy figures that stand on the street corners, and who step into the shadows at his approach. Happily he dreams of life in Australia until the thoughts of money changing and smugglers takes away the smile. The feeling that he is going to lose it all returns as he turns the corner into their road; driving slowly he pulls up outside their flat and switches the engine off.
Opening the door quietly he gets out and shuts it as quietly and walks up the path with a frown furrowing his brow. Simon's body language wasn't right, something was wrong. Nervously he looks up and down the road; all is quiet and feeling more confident he opens the door and gently steps into the hall. Putting a smile on his face he opens the inner door expecting to see Nicola, all is quiet and dark! Nicola has gone to bed not waiting for his return. The worried frown returns and Stef walks across the room and sits on the couch in the darkness.
Now he is back home safe his mind starts to whirl in a confusion of thoughts; where to put the money, how to change it into dollars, his mind goes round and round the same thoughts and worries repeating themselves in his head until he thinks he is going mad!
The grey of the dawn is beginning to light the sky when Stef finally gives in and goes to bed; Nicola sleeps soundly and he gets into bed as quietly and softly as possible. Staring up at the white patterned ceiling his thoughts continue to torture him until sleep finally claims him as another day begins.


Chapter Four

“You took your time.” says the voice from the darkness as Dippa opens the door.
“Wanted to make sure, we followed everyone to their homes that came along the seafront, except for one.”
“Who was that?” asks the voice as the man turns on the light; he is a big man wearing a deep blue pinstripe suit that strains almost to bursting as it tries to cover the muscular frame. The shaved head, tattooed neck and hands seem out of place in the expensive suit and surroundings. Expensive oil paintings of the seashore from a few miles up the coast adorn the lavishly purple patterned wallpaper. A massive flat screen television appears to fill one wall and beside it is an impressive sound system. The man sits at a large glass table that is littered with Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets and bags, some look like they have been there for several days.
“Fella on a bike we stopped along the seafront.”
Blue suit stares hard at Dippa controlling his anger, the man standing in front of him maybe small, but he is deadly seeming to have no compassion or feeling, apart from the pleasure in hurting people.
“What happened?” he asks.
“Sorry Steve, feel like I’ve let you down; we stopped this fella along the seafront just after midnight. He was on a bike but being on his own I believed him when he said he had been with his girlfriend. He cycled away slowly when we let him go and I sent Cheesey to follow him. Cheesey couldn’t catch him and lost him in the town, the fella cycled real fast when he got out of sight of us.”
“Where about in the town?” Steve asks feeling his anger getting the better of him as this is not what he wants to hear.
“Just about in the middle, there are a lot of flats above the shops and Cheesey is convinced he knows the road where the fella lives. Cheesey took a walk down it but didn’t see anything though he did have the feeling he was being watched; could feel it. A couple of the gang gonna keep an eye out for him from now on, be just a matter of time.”
“I hope you are right we need that money for when Ingrid comes, how do they know what he looks like?”
“Eric and Carol saw him on the seafront when I stopped him; they were in their car having a smoke so he never saw them.”
“What are they going to do; hang about in the street until he shows himself or what?” asks Steve impatiently.
“Carol reckons she’s got a friend who lives in the same road, they are round there now, well they haven’t phoned to say otherwise, hang on.” says Dippa taking his mobile phone out of his pocket he punches buttons and puts it to his ear; “You all settled in?” he says into the phone a few seconds later, nodding his head he looks at Steve and nods his head; “Let me know soon as.” he says and pushing a button puts the phone back into his pocket. “Yeah, they are in and looking out the window.”
“How many others were there along the seafront?”
“One other on a bike and four people walking, I got the lads keeping an eye on them.” answers Dippa with a cold smile.
Steve relaxes and sits back in the chromium chair; “Been a nightmare this one, you've told me some of it on the phone now you can tell me the rest.” he says staring Dippa in the eyes. They had known each other for many years and his trust in Dippa is not complete.
“Yeah, we were lucky if it weren’t for Cheesey seeing the blue lights; gave us time to stash the bag in the reeds. We were parked in the usual place and had the rods set up when the police drove up. They made us move back to the other side of the railway line; but not before looking through the motor and our bags. I got right stroppy with them when they started to search through the motor and one of 'em threatened to arrest me for obstruction so I shut up. They wouldn't tell us what it was about just told us to move back to the other side of the bridge if we wanted to continue fishing.”
“You sure it weren't them who took the bag?” asks Steve.
“No, I watched them all the time; they walked up the bank and looked out to sea for about half an hour before getting back in their car. Then they drove and parked behind some bushes whilst they ate their sandwiches and they just sat and waited looking at us more, than towards the beach.”
“Did you see the three on bikes?”
“Cheesey saw them better than me when he went for a pee, by the time he came back to the car and told me I could hardly make them out they were so far away. If the Old Bill hadn't parked behind the bushes and been more interested in us they would have seen them.”
“You saw them as well?” Steve snaps quickly at Dippa.
“Yeah, just about; riding along the seawall.”
After a while the Old Bill drove back up the track towards us and stopped saying we could go back to where we were fishing as the panic was over. When they got about a quarter of a mile away the blue light came back on and they raced up the road. We thought we'd better stay where we were for a while in case they came back.”
“Why didn't you go after the three on the bikes then?” asks Steve angrily.
“We had no reason to think they had taken it, until we went back to get it. I never saw them go near it and assumed they were just riding past, well the Old Bill were there watching.” replies Dippa defensively.
There seemed to be a ring of truth in what Dippa was telling him. Dippa's attention appears to be on watching the police rather than the bag of money and in that short amount of time the money had gone; “And you were watching the police instead of our investment.” answers Steve with resignation; “Was that one of the cyclists that you stopped later?”
“Couldn’t tell as they were so far away but I got the impression it was two fellas and a girl.” replies Dippa with a thoughtful look on his face as he remembers the cyclists.
“And you stopped him when he was on his own near the town, what happened to the other two, do they live between where you stopped him and The Towers?” asks Steve.
“You could be right there though it was hours later he could have been anywhere, I’ll go have a look round after breakfast.”
“See you in a few hours then.” Steve orders.
“Yeah, sure.” says Dippa as he turns away and opening the door he steps out into the large hall. Shutting the door quietly behind him he stands for a moment, deep in thought. Straightening his jacket he looks at himself in a large mirror that is fixed to the wall. Appearing to like what he sees he goes out the front door to get his breakfast.

“We have to go to work.” shouts Nicola from the kitchen as she makes her breakfast of bacon, egg and toast.
“What for?” laughs Stef from where he is lying on the couch; “I’m ill need the day off.”
“Come on, we agreed last night to carry on as normal.” says Nicola from the doorway of the kitchen. She is dressed in her nurse’s uniform and apart from breakfast she is ready for work.
“You are the keen one, anyway you like your job I hate mine.” answers Stef with a trace of anger in his voice.
“But we agreed last night.” Nicola replies her anger rising.
“Yeah well, that was last night it’s morning now and I ain’t going.”
Nicola looks at Stef, knowing that tone of voice she knows it is pointless to argue and goes back into the kitchen to finish cooking her breakfast.
Stef reaches for the remote control and turns the television on; it is early and all he can find is news programmes or cartoons. In agitation he turns it off and thinks about what he is going to do today. Looking at their old television set he smiles at the thought of surprising Nicola with the High Definition television that she wants. His car badly needs renewing and he decides that he will have a look around the second hand car dealers as well.
Nicola walks into the front room carrying a large tray containing her breakfast, sitting down in the armchair she puts her cup of tea on to the little table and after giving Stef a strange look starts to eat.
“Where’s mine then?” Stef asks in an indignant voice.
Nicola looks at him as she slowly chews a mouthful of bacon, making Stef wait before she answers; “You