Taxi, JJ Lacey [good novels to read in english TXT] 📗

and Mary had bought a five-acre block out at Byford, which had a nice big house on it. The house was set back from the road, with a big shed on the grounds to park his truck in. I had moved their furniture out there for them and told him I envied the space he now had.  He had gone owner-driver with Harvey, pulling trailers for the same firm he had worked for, they were still doing the same run as they did before, but now they owned the prime mover, and got paid to pull the firm's freezer trailers. He was away the very same days, which meant I could still see Mary on Wednesdays, though she did not have to be quiet anymore when I shagged her. The nearest neighbour was at least five acres away, and they would not hear her moans of pleaser from there.  I was pleased Duncan was doing well, and now with his own truck, he could do other work, in between his main earning work.

 

Their main work was still the run with the road train freezer, which they loaded on Tuesday mornings, and then left at midday to drive day and night, up the inland road to Port Headland. Then it was back down the coast road, delivering as they went to return Friday evening.  They had the next three days off, but if there was work on offer, one or both of them would do it, witch Mary said they did quite often.

 

"While one of them is away alone, the other always looks after the other's wife," she had said it with a big grin, meaning Harvey was still coming around to shag her.  I would have been around myself more often, but he was home on Mondays and could be home anytime on Fridays, along with Wednesdays these were my relative quiet days. These days I would mostly deliver furniture or other household goods bought in shops, the taxi firm had contracts with that we would deliver at the cost of taxi fares.

 

Tuesdays and Thursdays, I was always very busy on both days, delivering Avon cosmetics all over the city, from the railway goods station.  We had to push the speed limits; to get back to the station, to pick another load until all the goods were gone. Having a fixed price per box for the job, meaning the more you delivered the more you could earn.

 

On Tuesday on my second run back to the station, I picked up a full load for Armadale and Kelmscott. I had never had this run before, and I had two drops to deliver on my estate.  I had one delivery that was two roads up the hill from my road, and as the house was in line with mine, I could look along the drive of the houses below. I was carrying the boxes down the drive and could see across the road to my drive. There were three taxies parked in the drive. I had one more delivery on this estate, and that was on the road above this one.

 

So I decided as it was eleven-thirty, I would stop at home for a cup of tea with Janet and her friends. Before carrying on with the rest of my deliveries and trying to get another load.  When I did arrive at my home, there was only my taxi parked on the drive.  When I entered the house, I could hear water running in the bathroom; it stopped as I went into the hallway, so I called out.

 

"Janet are you there Love," and her startled face peeked around the bathroom doorframe, and her shocked voice said.

 

"What are you doing home at this time?" she asked rather abruptly, wrapping a towel around her wet body.

 

"Just popped in for a cup of tea, what are you doing?" I asked and it was a silly question, seeing she was soaking wet and had just come out of the shower.

 

"I got sweaty sat in the car, so came home for a quick shower," she answered, but did not mention she had had two other taxi drivers here with her.  As all the taxies were the same colour, you could not tell one from another, unless you could see their fleet number. Which I did not, and at the time I had thought the two were other lady drivers, just here for coffee.

 

Now I was suspicious, whenever we had sex Janet would always have a shower after, that could not be the reason for the shower. She would not, would she; not with two men.  I made the tea as she dressed, and as we sat drinking, I said.

 

"This is the first time I've had Kelmscott and Armadale deliveries bet I don't get them again, have you had a busy day love, or have you been sitting around?"

 

"Been quite busy all morning, only been here five minutes before you came," she said looking up from her cup and smiling at me.

 

Well, that was a bloody lie, it had taken fifteen minutes, for me to do the deliveries, from the time I saw the taxis. Then it was another five minutes, for me to drive down from the top of the hill before I got to our house.  How long had they been there, before I actually saw them?  I was suspicious now, but I could not accuse her not without proof. How was I going to do that, without knowing who the drivers were that were driving the cabs?

 

It haunted me for the rest of the day, and then as I was coming home at five, I had an idea and wondered if the taxi controller would have the answer.  We had eight taxi's operating the Kelmscott and Armadale ranks, midday lunchtime was normally quiet, but it still had to be covered, so at least four cabs had to operate at a time, if you wanted a break, you asked if you could then the controller booked you off if there were enough cabs for cover still out.

 

I dropped into the depot and checked out the morning's log, two other cabs booked off at ten thirty, for an hour's break at the same time as Janet booked off.  Sid Mercer and Frank Jennings were the other two. Sid was a big well-built Scotsmen, six-foot odd and loud-mouthed, a big bully of a man, always intimidating people.  Hardly any of the other drivers liked him, except for Frank Jennings. If Sid was arguing with someone, Frank would be standing behind him, egging Sid on and throwing insolates, at the other person.

 

No, it could not be them, Janet like most of us was not fond of the pair at all, no, I must be completely off track, but whom did the two taxis belong.  Later in the evening, I was on the Armadale rank when Frank pulled onto it, I had a good look at him but then dismissed the thought, but it still niggled me in the morning, and Justin asked as I drove him to the airport.

 

"You alright mate you don't seem to be yourself this morning, something worrying you."  I had driven Justin to the airport, every morning five days a week for almost three years now. We had got to like one another and had great discussions on many subjects.  He had been in the Australian army for ten years, while I had been in the British Navy for seven. We had swopped tales of what we had done in the service, as he had been in the Australian Army special service.

 

He had specialized in covert operations, as part of an intelligence-gathering group. He now worked for a security company, not as a security guard, but as a technician setting up security systems, for big mining companies and surveillance in prisons.

 

I had been in the Navy for two years, before becoming a clearance diver, and assigned to the Special Boat Squadron, or SBS.  We were, in fact, a rapid response, commando group, trained to attack by stealth, from the sea in small boats or as frogmen.  Although I had never fired in anger, I trained in all manner of weaponry, and of course unarmed combat, which Justin and I had in common.  Even being that friendly how could I tell him, I thought my wife was shagging two blokes at once?

 

"You could say that Justin, but I can't burden you with my worries," I said hoping he would not press me, to admit I thought my wife was being unfaithful.

 

"Don't be daft mate we're buddies aren't we, if it's sensitive I'll keep it to myself, but if I can help in any way I will, but if I don't know I can't know if I can help."  I completely understood what he meant, but I could not see what he could do to help me solve the riddle of, who owned the two taxies.

 

"I think my wife is playing around and is driving me crazy. I think she is bringing him home to do it, I have not actually caught her with him, but I saw a strange car parked in my drive from a distance. When I got there it had gone, but she didn't admit to anyone being there at the time." I told Justin just as I was pulling into the airport drop off and loading bay, as I was talking, Justin had listened to my troubles, in complete silence but then said.

 

"When you pick me up tomorrow, I might have something for you, if you want to know and catch her in the act," he said getting out of the car and packing up his satchel with his tools in.  I watched him walk away into the airport lounge, not knowing what he could have for me, then I got back to my days work, but it was still on my mind.  When I went around to Mary's, for our Wednesday afternoon playtime, she enjoyed it immensely, grunting and groaning, as I shagged her mercilessly, while I thought of Janet and whoever it was, in my bedroom shagging.

 

Then I thought what Mary would say if I told her of my suspicions, 'you can't blame her, your fucking me aren't you!'  Mary knew who Duncan was shagging, but I didn't know who Janet was being shagged by if of course, she was. Until I could prove she was not, I would work on the assumption; at least one man was fucking her.  The other driver might be just a lookout, but I did not believe that. If I had been the other man, I wouldn't just stand by, not when a good looking woman, like Janet had her legs open. In the morning I was at Justin's fifteen minutes early, I was so eager to find out what he had for me.

 

"Good I'd hoped you'd come early," he said when he opened the door and beckoned me in.  "What do you think this is John?" he asked, holding up and an old radio.

 

"An old fifties Bakelite radio Justin, my dad had one in the front room."

 

Taking the back off the radio Justin smiled saying, "this is a small video camera, and it has a camera lens disguised as a tuning knob. A motion sensor switches on the camera, and the miniature tape lasts two hours. Put it in the bedroom, where it can video the bed, it has a thirty-second delay when you set it, so get out of the bedroom fast."

 

"When the door opens again, whatever happens in there will be on the tape. Here is a videotape adapter case to put the miniature tape in, so you can play it on your normal video player.  If you capture anything you want as evidence, I will put it on a full-size tape for you. Be warned to transfer the tape, I'll be watching it to editing it, and to be honest with you John, I love watching blue movies. So if you