Chapter 21 Mr. Johnson
Smart said ’Are you expecting anyone?’
He walked towards Eric who had slumped forward, Smart lifted his head by his hair. But Eric was out for the count, blood seeping through his shirt. Smart yanked his head downwards so he fell against his wounded arm and waved his gun at Peter.
Smart said ’Leave her.’ Peter grudgingly left Pat who was beginning to wake up.
He pulled Peter roughly by the arm, half dragging him to his feet and pushing him towards the front door and he pressed the gun hard into his back.
Smart said ’Move!’
As before the duo moved towards the front door.
Peter shouted, ‘Who’s there!’
Mr. Johnson! Next door!’
Smart moved towards the wall behind the door still pointing the gun towards Peter.
Smart said, ’You better open the door!’
Peter opened the door.
‘My wife and I have just come back from our holiday and our house has been broken into and someone has been living there and we want to use your phone to call the police’ Whoever it was has cut the telephone wires!’
Peter said, ’Where’s your wife?’
Mr. Johnson said, ’She’s waiting in the car!’
’Well it is a bit difficult at the moment.’
Mr. Johnson said, ’Hey! You’re not Mr. Todd. Where’s Mr. Todd?’
’He’s not well! My wife and I are looking after him. Mrs Todd, Barbara is in hospital, it’s some sort of bug going around.’
Mr Johnson said, ’Surely, I can use his telephone. I’m sure he wont mind! They have always treated us kindly.’
There was a terrific noise behind Peter. It was the trapdoor going backwards and forwards and the steps were doing the same. The noise threw Peter and Smart off their guard. Mr. Johnson was pushed aside and an armed policeman pushed the front door as hard as he could so it hit Smart back against the wall. Smart pulled the trigger and Peter winced with pain and he felt his left hand become sticky with blood. Two more policemen appeared from the lounge steps and Smart was overpowered and handcuffs applied.
Inspector Rothchild and one other policeman sat the handcuffed Smart on a wooden chair in the middle of the lounge. Eric Todd and Peter Ryan had their wounds bandaged and Pat Ryan was lying down on the sofa. Bill Monkton was still on the floor concussed his head is slightly elevated for comfort and Winona Monkton was tending both Pat and Bill alternatively.
D.I. Rothchild broke the silence.
The D.I. said ’We never knew about Smart, he always appeared to be a level headed person who joined the police force in 1977. He was promoted to sergeant in 1990, and was posted to this area in 1996 at his own request. He always posed as a good police officer and was highly trained and a member of the armed response team. He was, however showing signs of neglect and it was noted that he was investigating unwarranted trivialities, namely your activities and all came to light when Bill Monkton, the Neighbourhood Watch Road Warden for the whole district was asked to cover your area because of other members being absent through sickness. He was asked to keep an eye open on the Johnson’s property while they were away on holiday and whilst walking his rounds he noticed a glimmer of light coming from the house, so he reported the incident to us and we followed it up. How surprised we were when D.S. Smart emerged from the house. We decided not to take any action, but to see what would happen. Smart recognised Monkton that same night and decided to follow up with a telephone message to Mr. Todd informing him that Monkton was having an affair with his wife and sent Todd a video recording of Monkton leaving your house. Of course that was another serious mistake on Smart’s part, the apparatus used would have been Police issue for surveillance use with infra-red capabilities to allow a subject to be recognised clearly at night. No member of the public would have anything quite sophisticated as that, without paying a fortune for it! Somehow or other he managed to doctor the video to make it look as if he was coming out of Todd’s premises, when in fact he was coming from Mr. Johnson’s property.’
Eric said ’I never knew Smart at all, Jenny never mentioned any names, I suppose she was loyal to him up to a point. I don’t know why she bothered. It certainly didn’t do her any good!
D.I. said ’Of course we couldn’t prevent Smart from carrying out his revenge. Had we tried to arrest him earlier, there would be no proof. Obviously he would have been drummed out the police force and probably served a couple a years in prison, but then he would be out to start all over again, and we couldn’t let that happen! We had to make sure.’
Eric said ’Of course your right!’
D.I. said ’The ambulance should be along any moment now!’
Eric said ’How’s Barbara? I hope she is all right.’
The D.I. said ’She’s fine. Don’t worry! You will probably have the bed next to her!’
The sirens could be heard in the distance getting closer and closer.
The End
