Chapter 19 Bill Monkton
Bill said ’That was a wonderful meal, do you mind if I have another drink Eric?’
’Help yourself!’
’Anybody else want one!’ No one was interested.
Winona said ’Tea anyone!’
Everybody said yes.
Bill said ‘Peter what do you do as a politician?’
‘Well to be truthful not a lot at the moment as we are the opposition. I go to the House of Commons on occasions, but my work as an Architect takes up most of my time.’
’I could never do a job like that!’
’Why’s that?’
’I’m too honest!’
Winona said, ‘You will have to excuse my husband.’
Peter laughed out loud.
’That’s alright! I know when we chatted about your line of work before Bill it sounded like you were involved in something clandestine.’
Bill remarked ‘It’s supposed to be secret as I’m involved in surveillance, trying to catch villains doing what they do best, robbing other people.’
‘That sounds interesting! I suppose if something was wrong with Eric’s phone, you could put it right?’
’No! Not really, it’s not my area of expertise.’
Winona said, ‘You’ve fixed ours.’
Bill said ’That’s different.’
’Why?’
’Because it is! Oh leave it alone, will you.’
Bill was definitely irritated by Winona’s persistent questioning. There was an uneasy silence and then Pat said, ‘I’m a housewife! And that takes up all my spare time, what with invitations my dear husband makes at a moments notice to invite other Ministers to come to dinner in the same evening!’
Peter said, ’I’m ever hopeful that something will come of it.’
’Well it hasn’t yet and you’ve been doing it almost a year!’
Bill said, ’I would give up, if I were you! It doesn’t look too hopeful.’
Pat said, ’That’s what I keep telling him, but he will not listen! They are only coming for a free meal!’
Peter said, ’Perhaps I ought to resign.’
Pat said, ’No don’t do that dear. Being an idle politician suit’s you.’
Winona said, ‘I am a housewife as well! Not with the same complications as you, but I will say Bill can be a bit idle at times especially when I ask him to wash up!’
’Never!’
Peter said, ’You can’t win Bill! It’s no good arguing! Women always seem to be politically correct when it comes to laziness in a man!’
Eric appeared restless.
Bill said, ’Eric! What’s the matter?’
’I don’t know, it’s just a feeling and I wondered whether you would do me a favour, could you possibly look at my phone, I definitely heard a click when I picked it up, and I don’t think it was their switchboard, because the phone line is patched through direct to the ICU reception desk.’
’Okay, I’ll just go and get my kit, I keep a spare one in the boot of my car.’
Bill went out of the room and returned very quickly and took the phone apart. He looked puzzled.
‘I must say this looks rather suspicious, there are too many wires and yet I can’t see where some of them go to, do you mind if I change the cable, I have one already prepared, just needs fixing to the phone, it won’t take two ticks.’ He added ‘I think we will have to take it to pieces.’ He tries to pull the connecting telephone line away from the wall ‘Hello! It won’t come away!’ He traced the cable back along to the end to where it was fixed to the wall and saw a very fine optic line clipped invisibly up the wall into the ceiling.
’I need to go upstairs, there is definitely something wrong. I’ll plug my testing cable in and check your line.’ He Dialed his own testing line number ‘Yes it works okay.’
He walked up the eleven steps to the landing where the trapdoor was located and pressed the button on the wall and suddenly the trapdoor slid open and the steps descended until they reached the floor. He climbed up the steps and a light in the loft switched itself on. All four of them followed and stood at the foot of the ladder as Bill disappeared into the loft.
Peter said ’He seems to know his way around your house pretty well!’
Eric said ’Yes he’s been here many times before. I asked him to check my TV aerial, the wiring is like a trellis up there and he kindly sorted it all out and we do get a better reception now. He’s very handy friend to have, anything technical Bill’s your man. Yes it was only four or six weeks ago, the loft conversion was completed, so he was able to stand up and do the work in comfort. Barbara and I had been living with a fuzzy picture ever since we moved in and he fixed it for us! While they were waiting for Bill’s next statement Peter inquired into Eric’s work status.
‘Eric! What exactly do you do at work?’
I’m Co-Director of my Father-in-laws firm, we deal in plastics and cables. I’m in charge of the Plastic Division and also I finalize completion of contracts.’ Peter said, ‘Sounds very interesting.’
’It can be, but usually it isn’t.’
Bill poked his head out of the loft aperture. He said ’You want to come up here and look at this, I’ve never seen anything like it, whoever did this knew what he was doing, but I can’t see the reason for it, unless of course you have a complicated telephone system. No! You don’t, do you! Perhaps it was our mutual friend. He certainly knows his stuff!’
Eric climbed the ladder and they disappeared from sight. Peter decided not to go and went back into the lounge and sat down.
Pat said ’Do you think they will be safe up there?’
Winona said, ‘What do you mean by safe?’
Pat said, ’The flooring, is it safe for all three to be up there?’
Winona said, ‘I should think so, the ceiling isn’t bulging yet and it is a loft conversion, so it should be safe if we all go up there!’
The door bell rang and both women jumped with surprise.
Winona said, ‘Eric’s door bell will be the death of me, I must get Bill to have a look at it sometime.’
She went to the front door. She came back into the room followed by D S Smart, who was holding a gun.
D. S. Smart put the gun into his jacket pocket. He sat down and got out a packet of sweets and unwrapped one and flicked the wrapper onto the carpet.
Smart said, ’You can both sit down!’
Winona said ‘Do you mind!’ and pointed to the paper wrapper.
Smart said ’No! Not if you don’t!’
Winona said, ‘You have no manners!’
’None whatsoever! Enough of the time wasting, where are the others?’
‘In the loft!’
’Get them!’
She said, ‘Get them what!’
‘Just get them lady!’
She moved to the stairs and hesitatingly made her way to the landing and climbed the steps to the loft.
Smart followed Pat Ryan and holding his gun muzzle against Pat’s temple, he watched every move she made.
