The Fall Guy Ch. 02

"Damn it, the one person I trusted unconditionally turns out to be the person who put me away for seven years," I shouted angrily.

"Please sit down and calm yourself down, John," Helen said, "Now we've got to find out how to prove it and exactly who did murder Mary."

"Well, Bill did, I should imagine," I said.

"And what about his alibi? He had half a dozen people who told the police he was with them all that evening," Helen retorted.

"Well, if not him, who? A hired killer? Where the hell would Bill Simmons find one of them?"

"Look, there's only one person that we know who definitely did lie to the police. That waiter who said he saw you in Mary's hotel room. If you weren't there, then we know he lied to the police and in court. That's perjury, if we can find him and get him to tell the truth. Well, then, he must have seen who really killed Mary Simmons," Helen suggested.

"That's if he ever went near the hotel room that night," I observed.

"He must have, to have given the killer the chit that they put in your pocket," she replied.

"How will we find him anyway? I doubt he still works at the hotel," I asked.

"No, he doesn't. He drives a hire car for a living nowadays. Strange, that one, hotel waiters don't earn much. But he brought a brand new Mercedes about three months after you were convicted." Helen said with a smile on her face. "Oh, and he paid for it in cash!"

"You think that was his pay-off money? Seems a lot for lying in court. Hey, maybe he killed Mary?" I suggested, but immediately changed my mind. "No, I remember the little bugger in court. He was a bloody weakling!"

"How old was he?" Jenny suddenly asked.

"Buggered if I know. Seventeen, eighteen maybe; he was only a kid," I replied.

"He was twenty, but he looked a lot younger. He still looks like a teenager, now." Helen informed us.

"Just how Mary liked them then; maybe he was the bait that got Mary to the hotel room in the first place. He could have arranged all those hotel bookings as well if he was on the inside," Jenny suggested.

"What do you mean, just how Mary liked them?" Helen asked looking at Jenny.

Jenny - after looking at me to get the go ahead - told Helen about Mary's preference for younger men or really boys. For a few moments Helen thought, apparently digesting what Jenny had told her.

"No, I agree with John," Helen said, "he was and still is a bloody little weakling. Now the guy who used to be the night manager, he was a very questionable character. And it was strange that if he was on reception as he was supposed to have been that night. He never claimed to have seen you enter or leave the hotel. It could be that he murdered Mary and wanted to stay right out of the public eye."

"This is all speculation. I've been thinking for some time I needed a private talk with that Curtis guy who claimed to have delivered that Champagne," I said.

"I don't think that's a good idea, John. If you lose your temper with him, you could finish up back inside serving the full twelve years," Helen said. "Leave the little sod to me. I've got a couple of friends who are very interested in all this. But you're going to have to hold your temper and be civil to them."

"And just who are these friends of yours?" I asked. Helen had never mentioned anyone else interested in the case before.

"Now don't get mad, John, but one of them is Inspector Harris," she said with a contrite expression on her face.

"Harris!" I shouted angrily. "He's one of the buggers who got me sent down in the first place."

"John, take it easy. He was just doing his job," Helen said in an attempt to calm me down. "All the evidence pointed to you; you said that yourself. But Gary and Frank don't like the idea that someone took them for a ride. When I told them of my suspicions they got just as angry as you just did."

"But if he believed you why didn't he do something," I demanded.

"Oh, yeah, and who refused to see Inspector Harris in prison a few weeks back? Frank and Gary wanted to tell you what I've told you, but how did you put it? 'Tell the f-ing B's to f-off!' That's what the warden said your reply was and you wouldn't see me either."

"Whoops, yeah, I did say something similar," I admitted. "Maybe a bit more colourful. And I thought you were another damned reporter."

"So I gathered the other day. Anyway it was my idea that I try to approach you once you were released. Inspector Harris and Frank, his sergeant, have been looking into things and are trying to reopen the case. The trouble is they don't think they have anything to get your conviction quashed unless they can find the real murderer. They want your co-operation, but they don't need you going off and knocking anyone around."

"Well, I couldn't do anything if I wanted too, yet. I'd have to track that little shit, Curtis, down first."

"Inspector Harris would like to talk to you, before they talk to Curtis. Will you see them?" Helen asked.

"Do I have a choice?" I replied.

"No, not really. To be fair you shouldn't have spent so much energy on calling Gary all those names. He was doing his job and he held no malice against you," Helen pointed out.

I was beginning to think Helen was sweet on inspector Gary Harris. A shame she was a really nice looking woman. But surely Harris was a little on the old side for her.

Come on, Jenny was just a bit of fun for both of us, it wasn't going to be anything long term, and we both knew it.

I'm not sure how it happened then but, after Helen asked me if I'd meet with the police inspector, the subject of conversation change completely, to a discussion about the cottage. Which culminated in Jenny giving both of us a tour of the house and garden. You know I'd been there two days and hadn't even looked at the massive gardens.

Leading down the left side of the garden was a long rose arbour type tunnel covered in climbing roses. At the end of this tunnel was a little secret garden surrounded with box hedges, in the centre of which stood a wooden table and chairs.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Helen said, "my girls would love this."

"There's a swing on the other side of that tree over by the pond," Jenny informed us.

"God, you're lucky to have found a place like this, John," Helen said, as she ran over and sat on the swing.

"Well, don't just stand there," Jenny whispered to me, "go be a gentleman and give her a push on the swing."

"Jenny, are you trying to play matchmaker?" I asked as quietly as possible.

"Blimey, John, you've been staring at her like a cat who's spotted a mouse in the undergrowth all afternoon. Go on get your arse in gear," Jenny said, giving me a firm push in Helen's direction.

"How many children have you got?" I casually asked Helen as I gently pushed her on the swing.

"Two girls, six and eight," she replied.

"Who's looking after them? Hubby?" I asked still trying to sound like I was making casual conversation.

"No, my mother-in-law is; my husband and I are divorced, but my in-laws are a great help to me and the children."

I believe that all I could think of to say was, "Oh."

"My husband and my interests' sort-of separated. He took a little too much interest in his assistant and he didn't take too kindly to my interest in boxing."

"That doesn't sound very ladylike."

"Oh, it wasn't. I knocked him out cold and she ran naked from the hotel room. But I did enjoy the moment."

"Were there any unpleasant ramifications ... you know, with the police?"

"No, he'd have looked a real wimp standing in court and accusing his little woman of laying him out with one punch. I don't think the idiot ever took it seriously when I told him that my father had taught me to box and had insisted that I was proficient in Judo before he let me get into this business. You know some folks can turn very aggressive when they have their insurance claims rejected."

"So your father made sure you could defend yourself," I said smiling down at her. Somehow I couldn't picture Helen landing one on anybody who crossed her.

"When I need to," Helen said, turning in the swing so that I could see the smile on her face.

"Johnny, I think its time I made a move," Jenny called out, "My husband will be home from work before long. Goodnight. Hey, why don't you and Helen go out for a meal together?"

We both called out good night to Jenny as she walked back towards the cottage.

"I'm sorry about that. I think Jenny's a little on the pushy side," I said to Helen once Jenny was out of earshot.

"Well, I haven't eaten since breakfast," Helen said.

"But what about your children?"

"I told you my mother-in-law is at my house; she'll feed them and put them to bed. She does that quite often for me. You know, I work some very weird hours in this job. A quick meal in the local pub before I go home will save me having to pick up a take away."

Helen and I went to the local pub in her car, where I had another steak and she ate lasagne or something. After she left to go home to her family, I sat in a corner of the bar for the rest of the evening. Out of interest, I'm sure the little nymphomaniac behind the bar was trying to add me to the notches on her belt, but I ignored her.

End of Chapter two