Read Online Rainstone Fall by Peter Helton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Peter Helton
Tags: Suspense
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pressed the talk button. ‘Honeysett.’
‘Listen carefully, Mr Honeysett.’ The voice sounded far away, like a long-distance call from the bad old days. It was too scratchy and faint to have much character beyond the tone of impatient arrogance, and sounded almost robotic. ‘We have got the boy, Louis. You do exactly as we tell you and he might just survive this.’
‘There’s no money,’ I protested. ‘The mother’s on the dole so you –’
‘Do shut up and listen. We don’t want a pissing thing from the mother. We just needed a kid. It’s you, shithead. We’re hiring you . Get it? The boy’s life is the fee we’re prepared to pay for your services. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s an offer not to be missed.’
I sat down heavily. Annis did so too, never taking her eyes off me. ‘I’m listening.’
‘I knew you would!’ said the triumphant voice. ‘You’re the caring type, by all accounts. And here’s the little job you’ll do for us. You know Barry Telfer?’
‘Know of him.’ One half of the delightful Telfer brothers. Heavyweight villains both of them, only brother Keith was doing time right now. ‘What about him?’
‘Know his house up Lansdown?’
‘The 1930s modernist pile?’
‘If you say so. Clear out his safe. It’s in his office upstairs.’
I jumped up with surprise and indignation. ‘You’re winding me up. You can’t be serious. I’m not a burglar.’
‘Oh yeah? That never stopped you before. You’ve got a reputation for getting in and out of interesting places, so just do it.’
All through this exchange Annis’s eyes burnt fiercely across the table at me. ‘How is the boy, Louis?’ I asked. ‘I want to know that he’s unharmed. At least let me speak to h—’
‘Shut the fuck up, Honeysett!’ the voice bellowed. ‘You don’t make any fucking demands ’cause you got fuck-all to bargain with. The boy’s just fine but if you fuck us about, if you as much as think of dropping this one on the pigs, we’ll fucking cut him into ribbons, that clear, arsehole?’
‘Crystal. Calm down. I’ll do it. There’s no need to harm the boy. Now, what am I likely to find in Telfer’s safe?’
‘You’ll see. Try Thursdays, he goes and plays cards at the Blathwayt Arms. And bring the lot, every sodding little thing you find, I don’t care if it’s old ticket stubs and snotty tissues. When you’ve pulled it off, we’ll know. We’ll be in touch. Sooner you get to work, sooner the boy gets home to mummy.’ The line went dead.
I let the receiver clatter on to the table. ‘They hung up. They said the boy was fine but they wouldn’t let me talk to him.’ I somehow felt that this, and every sodding little thing , was my fault, that somehow, through what I was, through who I was, I had made this happen.
Annis clearly read my mood. ‘What do they want us to do?’ she asked quietly. ‘Did I hear something about burglary?’ I noted the ‘us’ with relief.
‘You heard right. Nothing too strenuous though,’ I lied.
I quickly dialled Jill’s number before I had too much time to think about things. She answered immediately and I explained, tried to reassure her.
Her voice steadied. ‘I know I have no right to ask you to do anything criminal but I’ll ask you anyway. I’m his mother, I have to ask you. In fact I’m begging you.’
‘I already agreed to do it.’
‘Thank you, Mr Honeysett. You just have no idea –’
‘I think I probably have, actually. And don’t be so quick to thank me. If it wasn’t for me you and your son might not be in this situation. We’ll keep in close contact. But prepare yourself for a wait. It will be days, perhaps longer.’
‘I think I might call my sister now,’ she decided.
I terminated the call and repeated to Annis all I’d been told. ‘It shouldn’t be a huge problem,’ I concluded. ‘But it definitely puts us into Bigwood country.’
Chapter Seven
‘This is a seriously naff idea, Chris,’ was
‘Listen carefully, Mr Honeysett.’ The voice sounded far away, like a long-distance call from the bad old days. It was too scratchy and faint to have much character beyond the tone of impatient arrogance, and sounded almost robotic. ‘We have got the boy, Louis. You do exactly as we tell you and he might just survive this.’
‘There’s no money,’ I protested. ‘The mother’s on the dole so you –’
‘Do shut up and listen. We don’t want a pissing thing from the mother. We just needed a kid. It’s you, shithead. We’re hiring you . Get it? The boy’s life is the fee we’re prepared to pay for your services. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s an offer not to be missed.’
I sat down heavily. Annis did so too, never taking her eyes off me. ‘I’m listening.’
‘I knew you would!’ said the triumphant voice. ‘You’re the caring type, by all accounts. And here’s the little job you’ll do for us. You know Barry Telfer?’
‘Know of him.’ One half of the delightful Telfer brothers. Heavyweight villains both of them, only brother Keith was doing time right now. ‘What about him?’
‘Know his house up Lansdown?’
‘The 1930s modernist pile?’
‘If you say so. Clear out his safe. It’s in his office upstairs.’
I jumped up with surprise and indignation. ‘You’re winding me up. You can’t be serious. I’m not a burglar.’
‘Oh yeah? That never stopped you before. You’ve got a reputation for getting in and out of interesting places, so just do it.’
All through this exchange Annis’s eyes burnt fiercely across the table at me. ‘How is the boy, Louis?’ I asked. ‘I want to know that he’s unharmed. At least let me speak to h—’
‘Shut the fuck up, Honeysett!’ the voice bellowed. ‘You don’t make any fucking demands ’cause you got fuck-all to bargain with. The boy’s just fine but if you fuck us about, if you as much as think of dropping this one on the pigs, we’ll fucking cut him into ribbons, that clear, arsehole?’
‘Crystal. Calm down. I’ll do it. There’s no need to harm the boy. Now, what am I likely to find in Telfer’s safe?’
‘You’ll see. Try Thursdays, he goes and plays cards at the Blathwayt Arms. And bring the lot, every sodding little thing you find, I don’t care if it’s old ticket stubs and snotty tissues. When you’ve pulled it off, we’ll know. We’ll be in touch. Sooner you get to work, sooner the boy gets home to mummy.’ The line went dead.
I let the receiver clatter on to the table. ‘They hung up. They said the boy was fine but they wouldn’t let me talk to him.’ I somehow felt that this, and every sodding little thing , was my fault, that somehow, through what I was, through who I was, I had made this happen.
Annis clearly read my mood. ‘What do they want us to do?’ she asked quietly. ‘Did I hear something about burglary?’ I noted the ‘us’ with relief.
‘You heard right. Nothing too strenuous though,’ I lied.
I quickly dialled Jill’s number before I had too much time to think about things. She answered immediately and I explained, tried to reassure her.
Her voice steadied. ‘I know I have no right to ask you to do anything criminal but I’ll ask you anyway. I’m his mother, I have to ask you. In fact I’m begging you.’
‘I already agreed to do it.’
‘Thank you, Mr Honeysett. You just have no idea –’
‘I think I probably have, actually. And don’t be so quick to thank me. If it wasn’t for me you and your son might not be in this situation. We’ll keep in close contact. But prepare yourself for a wait. It will be days, perhaps longer.’
‘I think I might call my sister now,’ she decided.
I terminated the call and repeated to Annis all I’d been told. ‘It shouldn’t be a huge problem,’ I concluded. ‘But it definitely puts us into Bigwood country.’
Chapter Seven
‘This is a seriously naff idea, Chris,’ was
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