Strikers Instinct (9 page)

Back in the present day, Nell broke into both their thoughts as she brought them two steaming mugs of tea.

“What's wrong with you two?” she asked. “You're both too quiet and in my experience that's always a sign of trouble!”

Both men grinned guiltily.

“No, we're not up to any mischief Nell,” Harry said, “we were just reminiscing.”

Nell raised her eyebrows theatrically. “Well I wish I had time to sit around dreaming all day,” she said “but someone has to try to get rid of all this dust. Those builders must have been the messiest men I have ever met!” she complained.

Luke grinned but knew she was only joking. Nell left to go back upstairs and Luke turned to Harry.

“You know Harry, that thug did us all a big favour all those years ago.” he said.

“Well I don't think Nell would agree with his methods but I think I know what you mean.” replied Harry with a grim smile.

Following the attack 14 years ago Nell had stayed on at the Linden house over Christmas and her visit was a great success. The day after Boxing Day Luke had to go back to work and he took Nell to one side.

“Nell, I have to go back to try to get ready for this big Year 2000 computer problem and I probably will be working around the clock for the next couple of weeks or so. It would be a big help to me if you could stay on a few days longer to keep an eye on Sue. The baby's not due for another month but I'd feel much happier knowing that you were here.”

Nell happily agreed to stay on a little longer. She was recovering quickly from her beating but she still hadn't a clue what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

She was also totally unaware that Luke and Harry had been putting wheels into motion behind her back. After Luke had spoke to the Estate Agent, his next appointment that day was with a solicitor – who was an old friend. The solicitor assured Luke that what he was proposing was quite straightforward and quickly drew up a simple document.

Luke had thanked his friend and had then driven to the hospital to meet Harry. They walked towards a side room where Harry had arranged for Jimmy Grimes to be placed. Harry spoke to the Sister on duty and she waved them on into the room. As soon as Jimmy saw who his visitors were he went pale and began to open his mouth to scream. Luke quickly held up his hand to calm him.

“Don't worry, if I was going to hurt you again then I would have done it by now.” he growled.

Harry quickly moved between them.

“We are here with a proposal.” he said calmly.

“You'd better both disappear quick before the police arrive!” Jimmy croaked.

“The police may well be paying you a visit later Jimmy,” continued Harry, “but they will only be coming to arrest you – Luke is in the clear.”

Jimmy looked confused and his eyes flicked from one man to the other.

“The police spoke to the men in the club last night and they all agreed that you attacked Luke and he was merely defending himself.” explained Harry. “However, we also have statements from several other people saying you attacked your wife on various occasions.”

Jimmy began to panic.

Luke took over. “So we aren't here to hurt you again – although I would love to do that – but to offer you a way out.”

There was silence for a few seconds. Jimmy cracked first.

“Go on – I'm listening – but you're wasting your time.” he whispered menacingly.

Luke moved threateningly towards the bed and Jimmy whimpered.

Harry held his hand up.

“OK – you both need to calm down. Jimmy you don't realise how much trouble you are in here so maybe you need to alter your attitude or perhaps I will slip out for a moment and leave you alone with Luke?”

Jimmy shook his head and Harry continued.

“We have a deal for you. Your house has been valued by an independent auditor and this is currently what it is worth.”

Harry held up a piece of paper to Jimmy who read the figure without comment.

“Your wife is willing to buy you out,” said Harry, “but her offer is only on the table for the next 10 minutes. In addition to agreeing to sell your house you will also agree to leave the area and never come back.”

“But my job, my mates.” croaked Jimmy.

“You never had any mates,” Harry went on, “just a few people who tolerated you. Now they know what kind of man you are they will walk the other way the next time they see you – or maybe they will do something worse. Plus – from today you have no job either.”

Jimmy's eyes widened.

“The man who runs the haulage company you work for is a patient of mine. I spoke to him this morning and it seems that he has no longer any need of your services.” Harry smiled happily. “So there you have it, no job, no friends – no hope!”

“Apart from this.” Luke spoke, holding up a piece of paper.

Harry took the paper and moved across to Jimmy. “This is a legal document saying that you agree to sell your half of the house to your wife and that you also agree to an uncontested divorce. If you sign this then as soon as you are well enough to leave the hospital you will receive a cheque and then you will leave the area – for good.”

“No chance!” Jimmy tried to shout.

“Then the other option is to bring in the Police.” Harry said calmly. “Whilst you are in prison Nell will sell the house and divorce you anyway so one way or another she will get what she wants. For some strange reason she wanted to give you a chance – but we prefer the other option.”

Both men made as to leave.

“Wait!” Jimmy begged. He tried to play for time whilst he thought of another option but it soon became obvious that he had none. He finally agreed to sign.

Harry opened the door and signalled to someone waiting outside and Jimmy began to panic in case he had been tricked. Two young doctors entered and stood silently at the side of the room. Harry presented the document and a pen to Jimmy – he signed with some difficulty and then both doctors added their signatures as witnesses before walking out.

Harry gave the document to Luke who folded it and put it into his pocket.

“Goodbye,” Harry said, “we won't be meeting again.”

“I wouldn't bet on it!” whispered Jimmy, “I'll get you both back one day – just you wait!”

Luke leaned over the bed and Jimmy began to shake.

“If I ever see you in this town again you won't need to visit the hospital – you will be going straight to the morgue.” he whispered into Jimmy's ear.

“What did you say to him?” asked Harry as they left the building.

“Just wished him well – why?” replied Luke.

“Nothing really – just looked like he didn't quite make it to the toilet in time.” remarked Harry.

After leaving the hospital they went their separate ways and Luke headed back towards the area where his mother lived. However, he didn't head straight to his mother's home but stopped in an adjoining street. He got out of his car and knocked on the door of a tidy, terraced house.

A friendly face appeared at the door.

“Hello Maggie.” Luke said quietly.

“Luke,” she screamed. “It's been a long time.” She greeted him with a massive hug. Luke tried to reply but he was smothered in her embrace.

Abruptly she stood back. “There's nothing wrong is there?” She examined his face for signs of bad news.

“No,” he said, “far from it, I just want to talk to your husband, is he in?”

Maggie's face clouded. “Aye, course he's in, he's nowhere else to go these days.”

“Bert!” she shouted, “looks like you have a visitor.”

Bert Knowles walked into the small hallway then stopped when he saw Luke. Both men seemed embarrassed and Maggie wondered what the hell was going on. As she looked from one man to the other it was Luke who broke the silence.

“Will it be OK to leave my big car outside your house Bert? Only I don't want the neighbours thinking you have posh friends!”

Bert paused for a second then broke into a huge grin and then he and Luke hugged fiercely. Maggie shook her head in amazement.

“Are you two thinking of running away together or something? I'll go and put the kettle on so you can smooch in peace!”

The men laughed and then walked into the sitting room. Both tried to apologise for the previous evening, then there was another embarrassed silence – it seemed that no-one knew what to say next.

Luke finally spoke up. “Look Bert, we can sit here all day saying who was right or wrong last night regarding what we said to each other but I think we just need to put it behind us and move on.”

Bert smiled wearily. “I've no problem with that but move on to what exactly? That was the whole point behind my frustration last night – people like me around here have nothing to move on to. I'm not getting at you again Luke but you live in a different world now.”

Luke seemed even more embarrassed. “I understand that Bert and I'm here to do something about it.” he said. “My dad would be outraged if he saw what had happened round here – and even more upset if he thought that I hadn't tried to do anything about it!”

“Don't beat yourself up about it Luke.” Bert replied. “You're just one man – none of this is your fault. This area has been going steadily downhill since the pit closed. We need new investment, new jobs but no one cares.”

“We have to start making up for lost time.” said Luke. “You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and I need to start remembering where I came from. I've been so wrapped up in work over the last few years that I've pushed everything to one side – well it's got to change.”

Luke then went on to explain what had happened since he left the club the previous evening – highlighting the fact that Jimmy Grimes had agreed to sell his house. What he hadn't told Jimmy was that Luke himself was going to buy the house from Nell and Jimmy. He first intended to buy the house just to speed up the process of getting rid of Jimmy – but then he spotted an opportunity. He went on to explain to Bert that he was going to renovate the house and then rent it out to someone from the area at a more than reasonable rent. He had a proposal for Bert.

“I want to set up a property company,” he explained, “we'll start small at first but hopefully we will grow into something big. I have been lucky enough to get some start-up cash and I'm hoping you will come in with me.”

Bert looked puzzled. “That's great news Luke but I don't see how I can help – I haven't got any money – if it wasn't for Maggie's cleaning job then we wouldn't survive.”

“No, no,” said Luke, “I'm sorry, I'm not making myself very clear. My wife Sue will run the finance side of the business – she's a genius at that kind of thing – and you will handle all the building and renovation.”

Bert's face brightened. “That sounds interesting – but where do you come in?”

Luke laughed. “That's easy – I keep going out to make the money we need to buy up the empty properties! I noticed there are loads of empty houses around here – and the banks are practically giving them away to get them off their hands. We buy them – you renovate them then we rent them out to local people but only at a rent rate that covers our costs – we aren't in this to make a big profit.”

“Are you serious Luke?” Bert asked eagerly.

“Never been more serious!” relied Luke with a laugh.

Bert suddenly went quiet and Luke could see that he was filling up.

“I hope Maggie doesn't come back in now you daft old fool!” Luke tried to joke.

Bert and Luke agreed in principle on everything Luke had proposed but Luke asked if Bert could be patient for a few more weeks until he had the Y2K problem out of the way. They agreed to meet again early in the next Millennium to firm up the details.

Luke then returned back to work and for the next few days he hardly left the office. Everyone in the world who had a computer seemed to be panicking and as the countdown began to the New Year the panic grew worse. For the first time in many years, Luke and many of his colleagues were not with their loved ones when midnight struck on New Year's Eve. They all waited with bated breath – and nothing happened – just as Luke had predicted.

They stayed around the office the following day to make sure there were no hidden surprises but it was agreed that most of them could go home that evening. Luke was one of the last to leave and he arrived home to find that Sue and Nell were still waiting up for him. He and Sue talked long into the night and the following morning they asked Nell to sit down and talk with them.

The outcome was that they asked Nell to stay on and become their housekeeper and nanny. Sue said she already felt like one of the family and she felt so much more comfortable when Nell was around. Luke said that she would have her own room and they would knock through into the next bedroom to create a bathroom for her. He also mentioned a proposed salary and holidays but Nell had made up her mind well before Luke started on the details. She couldn't wait to say yes. Once she had agreed then Luke gently explained that he and Harry had spoken to Jimmy and showed her the document he had signed. He also quietly explained that Jimmy had moved away from the area and would not be coming back.

Nell began to cry gently – “I will never, ever, forget what you have done for me.” she said simply.

14 years later she was still doing her best every single day to pay back the Lindens for their kindness. As Luke and Harry exchanged glances over their mugs of tea they realised just how perfectly Nell fitted into the Linden family.

Harry rose from his chair and began to walk towards the door.

“Leaving already?” asked Luke.

“Some of us have busy lives with jobs and other mundane problems,” said Harry, “we aren't all fortunate enough to be able to retire at 46!”

“I'm not retired,” sniffed Luke, “I'm just examining my options.”

They both laughed.

“Well,” replied Harry “whilst you are “examining your options” this afternoon, I will be dealing with a waiting room full of patients – so spare a thought for me.”

Luke pretended to commiserate with Harry but both of them knew that Harry loved his hectic lifestyle.

“Don't forget to hand that package to Sue – Ed would like to have a reply as soon as possible,” stated Harry “and the reply he wants is yes……”

Luke smiled, “Don't worry,” he said, “I'll make sure she gets it.”

Harry drove away and Luke returned to the kitchen shaking his head. If only Harry knew half of what Luke still had on his plate he would be very surprised – retired indeed – hah!

Luke jogged down to the swimming pool and quickly changed. He dived into the deep end and began to methodically swim up and down, lap after lap – aiming to swim for at least 30 minutes. He planned to add a minute each day until he reached his target of one hour. At the end of his swimming session he would then move into another hour of cardio-vascular exercises combined with Pilates and Yoga.

As he smoothly moved up and down the pool, Luke used the time to drift into an almost trance-like state. Ever since he began training with the professor and Alex many years ago in Oxford he had realised that certain types of exercise helped mentally as well as physically. Luke was in superb physical shape – probably better than most men twenty years his junior but his mind was fresh and keen as well. He could remain calm and focused in the most stressful of situations – many people commented that nothing seemed to upset him. Luke realised that this transformation from the angry, resentful young student he had been, had probably been one of his greatest achievements. However, he had also grown humble enough to know that he had many others to thank for his current mental – and physical well-being.

The professor and Alex had been his first tutors – mainly in Karate. He learned how to defend himself and also to attack if necessary but he also studied the various Katas – the almost dance-like movements that connected mind and body. He would block out the outside world and glide through the movements until he achieved almost near perfection – of course no true student would ever claim perfection. Before he left Oxford Luke had become a third Dan Black Belt – a serious student of the art.

Luke continued his training after leaving Oxford, mainly at a back-street Dojo in Manchester but he also began to explore other disciplines such as Aikido and Tae Kwon Do but Luke's real education began when he began to work overseas.

His work with Alex's brother meant that he had to visit various UK Embassies located around the world and Luke loved it. The only drawback was that he was away from Sue for a month at a time but as far as he was concerned – everything else was a bonus. First of all there was the salary. For the first time in his life Luke didn't have to worry about money, in fact he was actually managing to put some aside each month for the future. The next pleasant surprise was that he actually enjoyed each country he visited – no matter how grim they were supposed to be.

Luke took advantage of the trips to practise the local language – after a few years he could get by in most languages but he became fluent in a small number. The final bonus for Luke was that wherever he went he always found somewhere to train – usually with security staff but sometimes with the locals. The security staff were usually ex SAS or SBS veterans who nearly always made the wrong assessment about Luke when they first met him. Although he looked tall and fit they always assumed that he would be a computer geek and they only usually realised their mistake when they were flying through the air in the gym.

Gradually they had began to respect Luke and many friendships were born during the years that Luke spent touring the world. Eventually the senior figures in the embassy hierarchy began to encourage Luke to try extended forms of exercise – such as weapons training and advanced car driving. They reasoned that it was better all round if their overseas contract staff could look after themselves in the difficult diplomatic climate.

Luke went from strength to strength and began to be trusted with assignments in some of the more troubled parts of the world such as the Middle East and parts of the former Russian empire. Luke still did the basic IT work he was contracted to but occasionally he was exposed to some serious levels of information. Luke had signed the Official Secrets Act but he took everything in his stride and he soon became much in demand.

His popularity reflected well on the company he worked for and he quickly rose through the ranks to become a director. Finally – helped by Alex's father – Luke and his partner Toby bought out the other partners and the business was theirs. The contracts with the UK government continued as before and the new partnership thrived.

All went well until a couple of years ago when both Luke and Toby realised that it was all getting too much. Toby had an ultimatum from his wife – unless he spent more time at home he would soon be divorced. Luke didn't want that to happen to him and in addition – he had simply had enough of being away from home nearly all the time. They were both pondering what to do when they were approached by a large Global IT firm who wanted to buy them out. The amount of money they offered was staggering but there were also a few strings attached. However, after nearly two years of wrangling – they had managed to get the deal signed and now both Toby and Luke were wealthy men. However, part of the deal was that neither man would set up a similar IT company – anywhere in the world – for the next five years.

There had also been another small price to pay that neither Toby or the takeover company were aware of. The government didn't want to lose Luke – or his expertise. They insisted that both he and Toby had a seat on the board of the takeover company but they also wanted something more clandestine from Luke. In exchange for the government not raising any concerns over the takeover bid, they encouraged Luke to start up a small, secret enterprise that could be used to continue some of the work that Luke had been doing. This time there would be no travel – all the work would be done remotely.

The new company would work exclusively for the government and would mainly look into security concerns. There had to be complete secrecy and no apparent link to Luke Linden. Luke had no choice but to agree – if he didn't then the takeover bid would have fallen through. After taking advice from various sources he rented some offices in a run-down industrial estate about 15 miles from Wishton and set about transforming it into a discreet but impregnable operation. He assembled a small team of around 6 experts who would be based mainly at the office but could also work from home. The new company had a cover name of Album and on the face of it seemed to be concerned with Kitchen design and everything about it was very low key. The other occupants of the industrial estate hardly knew they were there.

The new company was now up and running and Luke rarely visited the office – he would either video-conference or he would meet up with some of the staff at different locations around the North West of England. At the moment things were going well and everyone wanted to keep it that way. At the very least it could be embarrassing if the company that had bought him out found he had broken one of the terms of the takeover deal. Even Sue didn't know about Album – and Luke intended to keep it that way.

Luke considered all these issues as he ploughed up and down the pool and he chuckled to himself when he thought back to Harry's earlier comment about Luke having an easy life these days. He did seem to have more time on his hands but he compared the situation to the appearance of a swan – on the surface the swan appeared to glide along without any effort but below the water his feet were kicking like crazy.

That's what Luke's life was like these days – though very few people knew about it. In addition to the new start up Information Technology company, Luke still owned the property company – and this had turned into a sizeable operation. Sue and Luke now owned dozens of properties and Luke insisted that all were rented out to local people who needed them. Bert had expanded the building side of the company and they now employed several men. Once again Luke insisted that they took on a number of unemployed local youths as apprentices and this arrangement was working very well.

There was also another part of Luke's hidden empire. A few years ago Sue's younger brother Rob had been in trouble with the police for stealing cars. He was well-educated but bored and had fallen in with the wrong company. The main problem probably was that Sue's father had died suddenly and Rob didn't seem to handle it too well. The only thing in life that he seemed interested in was cars. The next time Rob crossed the line he would be going to prison and Sue and her mother didn't know what to do. Luke suggested that he take Rob to one side and have a quiet word but Sue knew what that would mean so that wasn't an option.

Instead they came up with a plan to have Rob work at a local, old-style garage run by yet another Linden family friend – Bill Round. To Luke's great surprise, Rob and Bill became firm friends and when Bill had to slow down due to ill-health after a few years, Rob approached Luke for advice. Luke offered to lend Rob the money to buy Bill out but with a few strings attached. Sue and Luke would lend Rob the money but only to buy fifty per cent of the business. Sue would own the other half of the garage as a sleeping partner – just in case Rob was tempted to fall back into old ways. Rob grinned and agreed – they shook hands. Luke added another condition as an afterthought. Rob should offer Bill a part time managerial position – it would be a good deal for everyone. Once again Rob agreed and the business was up and running.

The new venture prospered and soon they had opened another garage across the other side of town. They catered for the more specialised vehicles and also provided a more friendly service than the larger chains of garages. In addition they opened another service dealing with tyres and exhausts – once again, the friendly touch proved to be a winner and all 3 workshops were constantly busy.

Indeed – Luke smiled to himself as he swam up and down – it was great to have so much time on his hands!