A Servant of the Company (12 page)

Ten days later he had his file on the Grimshaw outfit, and could now put together a plan to eradicate this appalling piece of humanity. This would be a test, not only for himself, but for other arms of the Organisation. Some time ago he had learned of a disgruntled ex-Army Warrant Officer highly skilled in explosives, and using his tried and trusted methods, had recruited him. So far there had been no need for his services and all the man had received was a generous retainer. That was about to change, his skills were going to be put to the test very soon.

He had called Bill and Ben on their mobile phone but it had been switched off. It would not be long before they did their daily check for any incoming calls, and he would hear from them, or rather Bill would phone. Ben was far too simple to be able to understand even the most basic of instructions he might give, so it was unlikely he would ever hear from him. Bill was not particularly bright, but what he lacked in intelligence, he made up for in animal cunning.

They lived in the same Council house originally occupied by their departed mother. Bill being the leader, was the organiser of anything that happened in the household. He cared for his brother as though he was a helpless child, which in a way he was. Helpless but on occasions extremely brutal. As jobbing joiners they were competent, Ben learning all his skills from his older brother. Although he was rather slow, he had a love of working with wood and had become the far better joiner.

Ben thrived on the praise his brother gave him, and followed Bill’s instructions carefully, always repeating them back to make sure he had got it right. Neither of them were married and their social lives were divided between the pub and Eastern Exotics, a massage parlour in the same street. Before Bill had taken Ben there for the first time, he had spoken to Lily, the manageress of the establishment, and asked her to look after Ben and he would always see her alright for money. Lily was in her mid forties with dyed blonde hair which had been badly permed. She dressed in a business fashion of white blouse, black skirt and sling back high heel shoes. Somehow her efforts were rather unfortunate as both the blouse and skirt were made for someone several sizes smaller than she was. The result projected her ample bosom against fiercely resisting buttons, which looked as they had no chance of holding back the bulging flesh. The mini skirt fitted in a similar fashion and she looked every inch the ex-hooker that she had been some years previously. The street had been her workplace, and she had serviced many of the older customers in the pub next door but two. She was always cheerful, but constantly aware there might be trouble around the corner. That had been her life, she had lost count of the number of times she had been beaten, robbed or raped by customers during her working life. Running the massage parlour was her retirement job, and she did it well. Customers like Bill helped when she received payment for seemingly doing very little. In his case it was to look after his brother when he came in for the first time. She had experienced most things in her working life, but Ben was something else. Showing him around the establishment, she had introduced him to the three girls who were working that night, but he had turned them all down. She sent them back to the lounge while she talked to Ben.

‘Don’t you like them Orientals love? I’ve got a West Indian coming on at nine if you want to see her, nice looking girl, big tits.’ She looked at him waiting for a response. None came. ‘Come on, there must be something you want, a big strong lad like you, good looking too.’ She had been warned by Bill that he might be a bit shy, but this was ridiculous. She had three beautiful Asians wearing only G strings and he hadn’t even bothered to look at them.

He was grinning, a particularly blank grin. It might have been pinned on with the possibility of dropping off at any minute. His hand moved to her shoulder and slowly moved down her back until reached her waist, and there it stayed as did the grin.

‘Don’t want any of them, they are not like you. You are beautiful, all curves and lovely.’ He was swaying as he spoke, his hand moving slowly on her back. ‘I want you, nobody else.’ His head moved from side to side like a clock pendulum.

‘Jesus Christ Ben, I run this place. Who’s going to collect the punters’ money and see that the girls are all right?’ It was a kinder Lily who spoke now, she was flattered, and she also had his brother’s money in her bra.

She must play this one carefully, Ben’s reputation as an inflictor of punishment was well known in the area, and she didn’t want any more scars on her body.

‘Tell you what Ben, how’s about you and me together after we close at midnight. We’ll have the place to ourselves. What about it?’ She stepped back from him so his hands fell by his sides. Looking at him now, he was totally helpless and dependent on her. As long as his brother’s hands continued to stuff money into her bra, Lily would take good care of Master Ben.

He was sorry she had moved, his hand on her was comforting, it relaxed him as nothing had ever done. ‘Can’t I just stay with you here, I’ll sit quietly when you have people come in, I won’t get in the way.’ He was stammering a little, words were difficult to get out when she looked at him. She was just so beautiful. He could barely remember his mother, but was certain she was just like Lily.

‘What about when we close?’ Lily was becoming confused, she had never had a conversation like this before. He seemed quite harmless despite his reputation, but she had to be guarded in what she said just in case. He was still playing the lost child, maybe that’s his true self, she thought. Why didn’t he get excited over the girls, most men were half out of their trousers when they came on the scene? It was all very odd. What did he want to do before midnight? She couldn’t bear the thought of him standing mooning over her. If he wanted sex, she would give it to him, and by God, he would remember it. She would use all her skills, after all it had been paid for.

Ben’s hand was back in place, her skin was warm and so soft he thought. He had never felt like this. Even the porno films that Bill watched hadn’t done it. He was feeling the first pains of true love and now he had found it, he was hers forever. ‘Just let me stay, I won’t get in the way, I can help you. I can make tea, or if you like, coffee. Anything you want.’ Desperation was setting in now, dreading being rejected by this wonderful woman. His life would never be the same again, he could feel it. There was something to get up for in the morning because he would see her each day. That was his only desire.

Now she was getting exasperated, but didn’t want to show it. This clown could put off some of the punters. They might think he was part of the protection of the establishment, one who might administer gratuitous violence on them for any slight misdemeanour. She kept thinking of the consequences of him hovering around. There again, he might be a deterrent to some of the young drunks who turned up about eleven p.m. shouting and carrying on until the girls got hold of them. ‘O.K. Mister, you’re on, you just sit there where I can keep an eye on you. Don’t go wandering where the girls are working or I’ll have to throw you out.’ She laughed as she looked at his huge frame. He was over six feet tall and heavily built with it. She could match him on build, but at five feet two inches, she was minute next to him. The idea of throwing him out amused her. She was beginning to see the light where Master Ben was concerned. He had fallen for her for whatever reason. She didn’t want to know the answer, just let big brother Bill keep popping the money into her bra and she would keep little brother amused.

Just before midnight Ben stood up gazing adoringly at Lily. ‘I’m sorry I have to go now, we are travelling up North on a job tomorrow so we’re going to bed early.’ His feet were shuffling like a schoolboy badly in need of the toilet. He could not remember a time that he had enjoyed so much. ‘Thank you for letting me stay, it’s been perfect.’ His feet still shuffled as he grinned inanely.

‘You’ve been a great help love, now you just go off home and get a good night’s sleep.’ She stretched up and kissed him. It was only a brief brush of her lips against his but it brought instant reaction from Ben. His face was crimson, he was grinning like Cheshire cat as he turned and fled from the Massage Parlour.

He ran to his front door, aching to tell Bill what a wonderful time he’d had but when Bill appeared, the words would not come out in a way anyone could understand. Bill was aware of all Ben’s moods, faults, likes and dislikes, he had to treat him not like a brother, but like a very kindly teacher with a backward pupil. It had not been easy, but he would give his life for his younger brother if he had to. The bond between them was as strong as could be. He had always been able to understand him when he had been over excited, but now, the excitement was in overdrive. He had been with all of the girls at the parlour and knew the sexy tricks they would have played on Ben. ‘Was it good old son?’ he asked, already knowing the answer, but not knowing the reason. ‘I’m so pleased I finally got you in there, will you be going back?’

‘It was wonderful, wonderful and I’m going back lots of times, Lily said I could.’ His arms were wrapped around himself as he moved his weight from one foot to the other. ‘And do you know, she didn’t charge me a thing.’

He was giggling loudly and continued giggling as he trotted upstairs to bed. He was a very happy man tonight.

Bill was relieved that his brother had finally conquered his fear and had got so much from the visit. He must thank Lily when he gave her the next payment. He would never know what went on that evening, Lily wouldn’t tell him for fear of losing extra income, and Ben was just too happy to even think it might be a little odd.

Now they had to prepare for a new job from the Boss, work didn’t come as frequently as it had with his last boss, but the pay was excellent. Get a call, get a plan, do it, make another call and then get the money in the post. Easy. Briefing down to the last detail. No guns ever, only workman’s tools to be used to inflict the required punishment. Those used were to be wrapped in plastic and disposed of at predetermined dump sites miles from the target area. Wearing surgical gloves would ensure that there were no finger prints if the tools were ever traced, which was unlikely.

This was going to be so very different from the Sheffield job. Like any other job, some were interesting and enjoyable, others were boring. The Sheffield job had been enjoyable, one of the better ones. It had been unusual too. Bill remembered every detail, from the time he had the van serviced, refuelled and all set for the journey the following morning. He’d had his instructions from the Boss, it was a piece of cake, no bother at all. Just a few hours work and he’d had five grand in the bank. Ben had enjoyed dealing with the scallywag, he was in his element when Bill gave him this sort of opportunity. There were two types of operation, talking and not talking and this time it was the former. The scruffy shaven headed youth had arrived at their van parked in a cul de sac, like a lamb to the slaughter. The Boss was great at sorting people out and the planning was superb, Bill couldn’t fault it. When he thought of the incident he had to laugh to himself. As soon as he had opened the back door of the van, the youth had just poked his head towards the black interior when Ben’s arms had appeared from within and pulled him inside. He went like a cork being fired from a bottle. As he started to shout and scream, Ben had silenced him quickly with a couple of well placed punches.

‘We don’t do listening, we only do talking, so shut up or I’ll cut your bloody tongue out. Think yourself lucky we are only doing talking, ‘cause if we were only doing listening you would be in real trouble. Once you’d finished talking, we would gag you, and then we’d probably break all the bones in your toes first. Very painful isn’t it Bill, yes very very painful. And that would just be for starters. Yes you are very lucky that we are doing talking tonight and not listening. Isn’t that right Bill?’ His words had come out slowly, each one carefully considered before it left his lips. He turned to his brother, feeling very proud of his little speech. This was a job like joinery and he was good at it.

The young man had not been lucky. The reason the brothers let him hear and recognise their voices was simple. There would be no living witnesses to what they were about to do.

Ben sat on the young man’s chest as Bill closed the van doors from the outside. ‘Rubber gloves Ben.’ It was a reminder to make sure there were no finger prints on the roll of wide heavy gauge tape which Ben would be using on the youth. He wouldn’t protest, Ben would see to that. He checked the street leading to the cul de sac, it was deserted. No witnesses to mess up this operation. Perfect, he thought, and slowly eased himself into the driving seat and set off to the place detailed in his instructions. The speedometer never going beyond 30 m.p.h. The route avoided the numerous CCTV cameras.

They had taken fifteen minutes to get to the lay-by, just as the plan had said. The wooden strips he had fitted to the side of the van advertised a Plumbing Company, the only contact was a false web address. Just enough to give the impression they were legitimate workmen and confuse anyone who might give the van a second glance. Before he returned home on the motorway, he would find a quiet spot to remove them.

‘Boots Ben.’ They had parked and fortunately there was no traffic about to see the two men changing into boots two sizes too big for them.

If anyone discovered footprints, they would give false clues about the wearers. Checking the road, Bill hauled the luckless individual from the back of the van.

‘Come on my beauty,’ he said as the struggling figure slid across the thick polythene covered van floor.