Wise Eyed Open - by Arun D Ellis - a compendium edition incorporating 'Helter Skelter', 'Power Grab' & 'Rust' - books 7, 8, & 9 in the series

Pigs



The police car pulled up outside the Seascape B&B.

The two men inside the car had worked as a team for a fair while, were of an age, both with young children.

Despite the similarities, they were as different as chalk and cheese. For one thing, Ken Jackson's marriage was more stable not least because he resisted the urge to mess around with the women PCs, something Tony Williams seemed unable, or unwilling, to do.

"You gonna do the talking?" asked Ken of Tony, the driver.

Tony sat back, affecting surprise, "Come off it, Ken, why me?"

"How can I put this? Oh yeah, 'cause I did the last one, Tony, that's why."

Tony frowned, creating lines on his perfectly sculpted 'cheeky chappy' face where none should be, "I don't remember that."

"Yeah you do," said Ken, this was an established rigmarole, "it's your turn, fucker."

Tony sighed, unclipped his seat belt and they exited the car together, "Well, I'm just saying, if it gets tricky you'd better back me up."

"It won't get tricky," said Ken.

"You know what I mean," said Tony, "you know I don't like this part of the job."

"No one does, but we've all got to take our turn."

Tony sighed again as he opened the small iron gate and they made their way to the front door.

He tried one last time, "What say I do the next one?"

"No," said Ken, knocking on the door, "you're doing this one."

"I'll do the next two?"

The door opened.

Ken had barely a moment to register a short round woman, tired looking, mid to late 30s possibly, faded hair, before a low to the ground, extremely pugnacious, dog of indiscriminate breeding dashed out, and commenced barking wildly up at them.

"Caesar!" shouted woman, flapping her hands in a shoo gesture, "In, go on, in."

The dog ignored her commands and continued to bark, all four paws coming off the ground on each bark and all the while suspiciously eying up the intruders.

"IN!" This last instruction was a lung busting shout and was accompanied with more shooing. Finally the woman chased the dog into a room on the right of the hallway and shut the door.

"Miss Simpson?"

Without waiting for a response, Tony continued, "May we come in?"

"Why? What's happened? Is it Kerry?"

"Er, no," said Ken.

No Kerry had been mentioned as far as he was aware, he edged past her into the front room expecting she would follow and when she did as he'd hoped he indicated the settee. "But I think you should sit down."

He'd estimated her weight at 13 to15 stone and there was no way he wanted to be lifting her up from the floor if she collapsed on them; it had happened before and he'd nearly put his back out that time.

She sat, hands trembling in her lap. She was responding to their grim faces, Ken knew, this was what usually happened. He waited for Tony to take up the story, no way was he doing this one.

"Tell me what's happened...."

Tony did his best to look miserable, it was a trick he'd tried before, in similar circumstances and it seemed to work.

"Well, what is it? Why are you here?"

Tony coughed and looked towards Ken, subtly guiding her attention away from him. Ken winced slightly, 'Well played you bastard,' he thought.

"Well?" pressed the woman, now looking straight at Ken.

He dipped his head a little, "I'm very sorry, but we have some very bad news about your parents."

"Mum and Dad? What do you mean? Are they alright?" She half-rose from the chair then sank back at the expression on his face.

"Is there anyone who could come over and sit with you?" Ken was not just playing for time, he genuinely thought she should have someone with her.

She shook her head, muttering something about Kerry being only a phone call away.

Ken threw a dark look at Tony and then took the bull by the horns, "I'm sorry to have to tell you that your parents are dead. It appears they took their own lives."

She stared at him for a second, eyes widening as the words sank in, then she groaned, "Oh my god."

"I'm very sorry," said Ken. He indicated with his head for Tony to get in the kitchen, a cup of tea would surely help the situation.

"How? When? Are you sure?"

"I'm afraid so," said Tony. He was always quite happy to take part after the initial words had been spoken, liked to use his easy charm to get them past the worst.

A tall, slim, young woman entered the room.

Both men blinked. Is this Kerry? Why hadn't Miss Simpson mentioned her as being in the building?

Whoever she was, Tony straightened; this one was worthy of his charm offensive.

The new entrant addressed the tearful, shuddering wobble of a woman on the settee with an air of authority, "Is everything alright, Stacey?"

Ken frowned; he wasn't sure about Stacey being the name in front of the Miss Simpson he'd been given, but couldn't recall anything else to put in its place.

"It's my mum and dad," wailed Stacey, her voice thick with tears, "they said" she pointed accusingly at Ken and Tony, "they said they're...they're dead."

"I'm so sorry, Miss Simpson," said Ken to Stacey, "it would appear that they managed to get hold of some tablets before they were taken to prison."

"Prison?" Stacey was horrified on top of her obvious grief, "What are you talking about?"

Ken gave Tony a look; surely the woman had been expecting prison? They were bound to be found guilty and refusing a room to a 'Mr & Mr' was a cast iron, guaranteed, done and dusted custodial sentence in today's world, albeit the length of the sentence had been a bit steep.

"I'm Miss Simpson," said the new arrival, "what's this all about?"

"Oh, thank the lord," said Stacey, her tears drying in an instant, "it's a mistake. You're not talking about my parents at all."

Ken's mouth fell open, they had royally cocked up. He turned to face the woman he now knew to be Miss Simpson, the woman to whom they should have brought the tragic news.

She had made the connections and had paled visibly.

"Miss Simpson, I am sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, however...."

"Oh my god, Rosemary" Stacey leapt up and put her arms out to her employer's daughter, for that was the relationship. The double shock appeared to affect her badly and she continued in broken voice, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe."

"What happened to my parents?" demanded Rosemary.

Stacey fell to the floor, gasping for air and pulling at her throat.

Rosemary appeared sublimely unaware, asking again in an icy tone, "What about my parents?"

Tony looked at Stacey, rolling around on the floor, gasping for breath, her tongue hanging out and her face going a beautiful shade of crimson.

He looked at Rosemary, clearly getting angrier by the second.

He looked at Ken, clearly floundering, no help there.

He looked back at Stacey and did the first thing that came into his head; he grabbed the vase of flowers off the coffee table and tossed them, and the liquid therein contained, into Stacey's face.

It had the desired effect for she instantly stopped dying on them.

Ken stared at him, open mouthed. Rosemary, eyes now wide, teeth bared in a feral snarl, lunged at him, grabbing the lapels of his jacket.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MUM AND DAD?"

Ken gulped. Rosemary released him and turned on Tony, screaming into his face, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MUM AND DAD?"

Tony reacted in an instant, reflexes honed by hours of self-imposed training, "TASER! TASER! TASER!" Rosemary shot backwards across the hallway, knocking open the door to the room opposite. Caesar, no longer confined, bounded out of the room, threw himself on his now shuddering, prostrate mistress, then turned to face Tony, baring his teeth and letting out a low mean growl before charging.

"SHIT!" yelled Tony. He pressed the switch on the Taser but he'd used all the battery up in the one assault on Rosemary. He climbed onto the coffee table.

"You fucking bastards!" shrieked Stacey, launching herself at Ken's throat.

He fell backwards, Stacey on top of him. She had him in an iron grip with hands made strong through hours of manual labour. He struggled to escape her grasp, to wriggle free from beneath her. He was aware his tongue was swelling and protruding from his mouth as she squeezed ever tighter.

Caesar, now in a state of hysterical confusion and unable to get near Tony, turned, barked, charged and sank his teeth into Stacey's upended bottom. Her eyes bulged, she screamed and released her grip on Ken's throat, standing up shakily and staggering towards the kitchen, Caesar dangling from one of her ample cheeks.

"Quick," yelled Tony, stepping off the coffee table and giving Ken a hand up, "let's get the fuck out of here."

They sprinted down the short path, hurdled the gate and flung themselves into the car. Tony locked the doors and revved madly, careening down the road like the devil was in pursuit. In the rear view mirror he could see Caesar giving chase, barking insanely, spittle flying from his jaws as he went.

Hope you have a nice week

Cheers

Arun