Zodiac's toy, John Jones [nonfiction book recommendations .txt] 📗

an aura of positivity, like you could unload all your secrets onto them and they would be perfectly safe. Give them your bank details and your money would not be touched. Give them the keys to your car, your house, as opposed to people who were the exact opposite. The second you see them for the first time, you know you would not trust them even to tell you the correct time, but this man smiled at her. His agitation diffused, his warmth radiating over her.

"Tell you what," he said, "come to my office, we'll discuss things. Pay and whatnot, then you can show Jeremy here the ropes maybe. He's still learning". The youth at reception looked like he was on work experience. He smiled humbly.

Leanne nodded, and followed the man as he walked towards a flight of stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 20

 

Ray had a small flame of anxiety flickering inside him. He had decided to ask Lee to replace his phone, and he guessed he would. It all depended to Lee's mood, which he found to be pleasant when he went into his flat and saw him munching on toast.

"Ray, what you been up to?"

"They put me on a zero hours contract in work, so it means I need to keep my phone on me all the time. See the thing is..." Lee nodded.

"Someone, some bone-head broke it," Lee said, smiling, "...and now you want me to buy you a new one".

"Well, see..."

"Alright, in fact, I've got myself a bit of work for some loan shark that Blotto's mates with, just reminding people to pay up, that kind of thing. I'm working on that this afternoon. Why don't you tag along? I'll buy you a phone while we're out".

Ray wanted to say: 'No thanks Lee, if you could just give me the money, I'll get it myself', but instead he just nodded. So they wound up, and found themselves out on the streets while Lee read the piece of paper he had been given with the names and addresses.

"Just along here," he said, walking along a road which sloped down with identikit accommodation lining both sides.

"Student flats," said Ray, looking around. They finally found the correct place and Lee banged on the door. He banged on it again and a dozy looking long haired teenager answered. Clearly his sleep had been disturbed.

"Wha..?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Rachel Ward," said Lee. The youth continued looking at him for a few moments, the clockwork in his brain gearing up.

"Hang on," then the youth vanished upstairs and Lee could hear voices, then a stomping down the stairs. Rachel appeared, with gothy black hair and make-up. Lee spoke before she had a chance.

"Gary has asked me to remind you you are overdue on your payments, so I'm going to need some kind of deposit". Rachel went on a diatribe of her financial situation and the whys and wherefores of being a poor student, all the while Lee just sighed and stood there looking around. Ray was behind, hands jammed in pockets.

"...then it's three weeks until I get my student loan I'll pay it back then". Lee wondered about this. Would Gary give her the three weeks?

"Hold on," he said, then rang Gary, who answered after four rings. Lee told him about Rachel and Gary said:

"Don't fall for any of that. She's a bad payer. I mean, she does usually pay up in the end but she always waits until my patience is at breaking point and I'm about to send the boys round to get what's owed, so, I'll give the three weeks to pay it back in full but take something from her. A deposit or something. Thirty quid. Alright".

"Okay," Lee put the phone back in his pocket.

"He'll give you the three weeks until you get your loan and then he wants it back in full, but until then he wants a little sweetener, just so you don't forget. Thirty quid".

"Thirty quid! No way I can't afford..."

"Well you better get it, because I'm going nowhere," Lee said, pointing to the ground.

"I'm staying right here. Go and get it off your mates. I don't care where you get it from, I'm not going back to Gary without it". Rachel could see he was serious, then vanished from view. There were raised voices from within, a slammed door, more shouting. Eventually she reappeared and shoved the money in his hand and closed the door.

"Thanks," Lee said, "fucking little bitch". He shook his head and smiled. "Alright, who's next on this list?"

They walked along the road, Ray wondering whether to mention his phone, but Lee veered away down a side-street.

"This way. Harvey Stewart. Computer nut. Owes five hundred quid. Guess he probably won't hand it over". Ray stopped and looked at the generic houses lining both sides.

“That’s strange,” he said, more to himself. In the living room window of every house along that street, there were identical ornaments of a rearing bull.

“Every house has got the same ornament,” Lee saw them and frowned.

“Weird,” he said, “that salesman’s probably getting a nice bonus”.

It was a fairly long road and they simply looked at them as they passed by.

"What will you do if he starts being awkward?" Ray asked, as they emerged from the street.

"Well, it wouldn't be very wise of them not to pay up. You know me Ray. If you owed me money, what do you think would happen if you didn't pay me back? I wouldn't be too pleased would I? So if any of these fuckers start trying it on, well it won't be in their best interest".

They practically walked around two miles, past a recreation ground, past a nursing home, past several pubs and shops to get to the PC repair shop. They entered and found no customers inside, just an elderly man sitting fiddling on a phone behind the counter. It looked like he was playing a game on it. He didn't look up until Lee was at the counter, and even then he didn't say anything.

"I'm looking for Harvey Stewart". The man looked to the door at the back.

"Harvey," he shouted, and went back to his game.

Harvey appeared. A stocky, disheveled man who looked like he slept in the attic, and the expression on his face was that of irritation. However his expression changed when Lee said:

"I've got a message from Gary". Harvey quickly came out to the front and gestured for them to go outside.

On one section of the wall behind the long counter there were refurbished mobile phones.

"Here you go," said Lee to Ray, taking out fifty pounds from his wallet.

"Get yourself a new phone, and if it costs less then keep the change". Lee and Harvey went outside, and the game-player looked at Ray.

Parked in a bay outside there was a grey Lexus which Harvey leaned against.

"Listen, I've got the money, I just can't access it at the moment".

"Oh really, I'll just tell Gary shall I? and he'll be alright with that. You're behind on your payments so either you pay up or I'm going to need some kind of deposit, something to keep the bossman happy".

"Look I'll pay up, I just need more time to get at it".

"Gary's sent me to remind you of your dues, so I'm not gonna go back to him and say he gave me nothing, but he said he'll pay and I believed him. Give me a deposit, give me something. Is there nothing in that shop worth anything? Computers, phones..."

"Not from the shop, the boss will kill me if I take anything from there. If I took a pen he would know about it. He notices...well sorry but I've got nothing to give you".

"You really think I'm leaving here with nothing?”

"I can't afford to pay, so just tell him I'll have his money soon," then he walked back towards the shop.

"Is this your car?" said Lee, looking inside. Jutting out from under a back seat there was a tablet.

"Is that your tablet? That'll do nicely. Get that out".

"Look, that tablet is my son’s. He plays his games on that".

"Does it look like I care? You'll get it back when you pay up".

"Look, no, it's not mine". Lee sighed and stepped across, he blocked the shop doorway and pointed at the car.

"Get. Me. That. Fucking. Tablet".

"Look...I..I.." then Harvey's shoulders slumped, resigned to the fact that Lee was going nowhere. He took the car keys from his pocket and went about getting the tablet. He handed it to Lee. Ray left the shop and came across.

"Tell Gary I'll pay as soon as I can,” said Harvey. “Scorpio wants me to pay up as well".

Ray glanced at him, frowning.

"What?” said Lee, “anyway, don't make me come back here and take more stuff from your shop. Your boss will be fucking easy compared to me, okay?". Ray and Lee walked away.

"We're actually not too far from home," Lee said, "Let me drop this off, then I'll call Blotto for the next job".

Lee called Blotto and was soon in his van driving to the job. Ray stayed behind, trying to fathom out his phone.

 

Shane made his way across the car-park, surprised at how he felt after having a new drink in his local pub. 'Nucleic acid' was on trial offer and it was rather potent, but his years of drinking had created a barrier to inebriation, one that melted the more he drank, and this acid melted it down more so than other drinks. He could down pint after pint and only feel twinges of drunkenness, but this speeded up the process. Although he was only slightly intoxicated, he was sober enough to walk home telling himself to be careful with that new drink.

He made his way inside and up to the corridor where he heard coughing coming from Victor's flat, and decided to go in.

"Vic," he said, "The pub have got this new drink..."

Victor was on his knees in the bathroom. Blood was dotted on the floor and around his mouth. He also was clutching a green scouring pad and was rubbing his chest, trying to remove the crab, but to no avail. His skin was red raw.

"It won't come off. It won't fucking come off," he said as he coughed up more blood. His face was ashen, and he was breathing heavily, continuing to scrub his chest.

"You alright?" Shane asked, just looking at him. He didn't receive an answer, but then left and went to find Ray or Lee.

He found Ray sitting on his sofa frowning at the new phone. He showed Shane, who stepped forward and looked at the screen.

"It's got loads of stuff on it," said Ray, "there's even a torch," Ray put the torch on and shone it at Shane who scrunched his eyes. He switched it off.

"I think something's wrong with Vic", he said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.

"He's trying to get that crab off his chest and he's coughing blood". Ray just nodded, still looking at the phone.

"It's got internet as well," he said, gradually getting to his feet.

"Has it?" said Shane, and they slowly made their into Victor's flat, both looking at the phone.

Victor was still scrubbing away. Rivulets of blood running from parts of his chest.

"Ray," he said, looking up, breathing as though he had just finished exercising. He pointed to his chest.

"Still got my crab. Isn't it great?" He pressed his hand on it as if for protection. Shane looked confused, even in his stupor.

"Thought you wanted to get rid of it," he said.

"No!" he shouted, "It's mine. I like it. I want to keep it". He threw down the scourer and coughed up more blood.

"I think he's sick" Shane said. Ray stared at him for a while.

"I reckon he needs a doctor or hospital," said Ray. More blood streamed from Victor's mouth and he collapsed to the side, shivering as though he was cold.

"Think I'll call an ambulance," Ray said. "I'll use me new phone". Ray called and was told an ambulance was on its