BREAK ME FREE (19 page)

Serge sat at a small table in the corner of a quiet country pub. Placed in front of him sat a pint of glass painted in white tide marks that sat above a golden sea. His face spoke of a troubled mind, yet his lips didn’t move.

Serge flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Serge Guzun.”

“Depends on who’s talking.”

“Dave Bentham.”

“Fuck.” Serge lacked fight in his eyes and did not move.

Bentham slumped in a chair next to Serge.”You look like a worried man.”

“I feel like one.”

“Tanya, she OK? Where is she?”

“Fine. She’s fine.”

“Good.”

Serge necked the rest of his pint. “Look, I’m going to be father, you can’t send me down.”

“Tanya pregnant?”

“Yup.”

“I think I should buy you beer.”

Serge crossed his arms and shook his head. “A copper buying a round? That’s a first.”

“I’ve retired.”

“Really? I thought you’d die a copper.”

“Me too. In a different way that maybe you imagined.”

* * * *

Serge watched as Bentham stood at the bar. The memory of Bentham nursing a dying woman returned to his mind.

As Bentham sat back at the table, Serge leaned forward and asked, “The Indian-looking girl, she all right? She took quite a beating.”

“Rox, she’s my wife. She’s Persian, not Indian.”

“Your wife? And I thought I was punching above my weight.”

“Should see her now. She’s had to have plastic surgery and a new set of teeth. I bought her a new set of tits too.”

“Tits? Bought yourself a retirement present you mean.”

“I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the real ones, she wanted them.”

“Fuck off.”

Bentham felt the back of his neck. “Seriously
… I’m not complaining, though.”

“What about the bastard who beat her?”

“Norman, he is about to go to trial, facing serious time.”

“Good.”

* * * *

The sun had set and the table was littered with empty glasses. Bentham peeled a bar mat between his fingers. He glanced at Serge. “I hunted you down because I wanted closure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vladimir.”

“What about him.”

Bentham could see the tension on Serge’s face. He took a sip from his larger and licked the white foam from his lips.
“What did you do with him?”

“Look, how’s it matter, he’s dead. Let him rest.”

“If he’s dead, then where is the body?”

“In the container, where he died.”

Bentham shrugged. “We recovered his brother Igor … you made a right mess of him by the way.”

“Get to the point, quick.”

“Vladimir, he wasn’t there.”

“You’re not messing me around?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I was.”

The chair screeched across the stone floor as Serge stood from his chair. “I’ve got to get back.”

“You can’t, you’re clearly under the influence.”

“I have no choice.”

“Sorry, old habits die hard.” Bentham pulled his keys from his jacket pocket. Here, let me drive you back.”

A game show played on the television, but no one watched. Bruce searched the mantelpiece in the living room. Lifting a vase he peered inside and shook it.
“Anyone saw my keys?”

Beatrice had her arm around Tanya as they sat on the sofa. “No, just hurry up, so you can find Serge.”

“Don’t worry, I know exactly where he is.”

“How can you be so confident?”

“There is only one pub it twenty miles of here.”

“Just hurry up before he gets too drunk.”

“I can’t bloody walk, can I?”

Tanya let Max jump down from her lap as she stood from the sofa. She walked to the side board and searched through a drawer. Picking up a set of keys she tossed them to Bruce. “Take the Porsche.”

“You sure?”

“It will be quicker than the bloody tractor.”

“I promise to bring it back in one piece.”

Bruce stepped out of the house and used a torch to find his way across the dark farm yard. He shone the torch about the yard as he heard footsteps. A quick shake of his head, he continued his walk to the barn. Pulling open the barn door, he unlocked the car.

“Excuse me, that’s my car.”

The torch hit the floor, shrouding the barn in darkness.

* * * *

Tanya ran a hot bath. She heard a knock on the front door. Opening the bathroom door she heard Beatrice enter the hallway. “You got it, Bea?”

“Yes, don’t worry, I’ll get it. I bet bloody Bruce probably doesn’t know how to use the central locking.”

Tanya chuckled as she closed the door. In the steam filled room she lifted her top over her head. Her face was still covered when she heard Beatrice’s screams. Pulling her top back over her shoulder, Tanya opened the door to find Beatrice lying on the floor, holding her face.
Tanya covered her mouth to stop her screams.

Beatrice spotted Tanya and pointed to her bedroom.

“What do you mean?”

Smashing came from the kitchen
followed by a tortured howl from Max. Tanya then heard a voice from the past. “Tanya, you know I hate dogs.”

Tanya crawled across the floorboards towards Beatrice’s bedroom. A floorboard creaked and caused her to shriek.

“Not only do you look Hollywood, you act like those dumb bitches and run upstairs at the first sign of trouble.”

Tanya heard Vladimir’s running up the stairs. She climbed to her feet and ran into the bedroom. The door slammed shut and she drew the bolt locked. The door rattled as Vladimir tried to force his way through. “Come on Tanya, you don’t usually play this hard to get.”

Glancing about the room, Tanya desperately searched for the reason Beatrice told her to run inside. Her eyes then spotted Bessie, hanging proudly in her cabinet. Running to the case, Tanya pulled at the doors, but they were locked. “Shit.”

The bedroom door began to split as Vladimir began to make progress against the heavy oak door. Tanya closed her eyes and remembered Bruce peering into the vase on the mantel piece. She peered at the dresser table and saw a vase sitting in the centre. “Please be in there.” Picking it up, she tipped it into her hand. A small key fell into her grasp.

Gun in hand she loaded the cartridges and knelt behind the bed. Her maroon finger nail flipped the safety off. “Vlad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m pregnant.”

“So?” The door smashed open and Vladimir stepped inside.

“It’s yours.” Tanya fired Bessie. The shot ripped into Vladimir upper chest, sending him crashing back into corridor.

* * * *

The headlights lit up the front of the house and Serge spotted the open door of the house as Bentham pulled up outside. Serge ran into the house and spotted Beatrice holding her bloodied face, “Tanya, where is she?”

“Upstairs.”

“Tanya.” Serge darted up the stairs. He could hear Tanya’s sobs from the bedroom. Jumping over Vladimir’s body, he found Tanya crouched behind the bed. “Oh, God please tell me you’re all right?”

“Serge.”

“He hasn’t touched you has he?”

“No.”

“I thought I’d lost you both.”The two embraced. Serge didn’t want to let go. “I’ll be the husband you want me to be. And the father our child needs.”

“Did you say husband?”

“If you still want to marry me, that is?”

“Of course I still do.”

Serge took the gun from Tanya. “One last thing. I better make sure this time.”

* * * *

Bentham tended a dazed and confused Beatrice. He glanced up the stairs as Serge carefully walked Tanya down. “So is this the family you always wanted hey, Tanya?”

“What are you doing here
? Where is Bruce?”

Serge ran back up the stairs. “I’ll go and the get the gun again.”

“I’m here.” Bruce shuffled into the light from the darkness of the yard. “What’s happened?”

Bentham stood up and put a hand on Bruce’s. “The closing of a particularly
bad case.”

~ END ~