Chapter 18 Looking For Trouble
Luigi Stefan, the Godfather, decided it was about time to bring reinforcements and another six of his men were summoned to England, just to make sure that things ran smoothly. He wasn’t sure whether Charlie was going to behave, although the way he had acted when Luigi had informed him of what went on during his enforced two weeks imprisonment was hardly the look or action of a disappointed man. Charlie was happy that his mother had got away and therefore would be a constant ally that he could depend upon should the occasion arise.
Five days later a convoy of three cars came winding up the driveway, because of the noise of more than the usual visitor’s one vehicle Charlie looked out of his bedroom window. It was six am. He managed to say ‘What on earth is going on!’ when his bedroom door burst open and two of Luigi’s most trusted henchman ran in and scooped Charlie from his window vigil and frog-marched him down the stairs. Charlie thought he was going to see his father, but instead he was taken down to the cellars, although this room was at the end of a long corridor which led to a room that jutted out from the house.
He was brutally shoved in the back and he just could not stop himself from falling on top of a huddled object that was hidden under a blanket. The object screamed in pain. Charlie blinked, trying to get used to the blackness of the room, for the windows had been boarded up. He was only in this room last week and it had been nicely decorated. It looked over the rear garden but now it was a dungeon of a room and it was very cold as he was still in his pyjamas. He took the blanket off the shape beneath and found to his dismay his mother, gagged and bound hands and feet. She was wearing camouflage jacket and trousers and a woollen balaclava was near her head. Charlie quickly removed the tape from her mouth and untied her hands and feet. Martha Stefan leapt to her feet and walked up and down trying to get the circulation up and running. She told Charlie to get up off the bed as she needed the mattress for their protection. Charlie was slightly perplexed and he thought his mother had gone out of phase and he remonstrated the facts that they were locked in a room with no way out. Martha ignored her son and took from her pocket a small metal lever, which after a bit of manipulation turned into quite a large lever and she began to jemmy away the board in front of the window. Luckily for Martha when she was caught trying to release her son, she was apprehended, but not searched, just crudely tied up and slung into this room. At last daylight greeted them as the board half fell and she just managed to stop it falling completely. From another pocket she retrieved what looked like two pairs of laces and draped them round the iron bars that she had seen the workmen cement in two days ago. She lit one end of the lace and ran to where Charlie was holding the mattress and hid behind it. It was a big bang, and debris seemed to slam into the mattress and around each of the unprotected walls of the room. Charlie lowered the mattress and looked in disbelief as the bars and the wall had completely disappeared and freedom beckoned. ‘Are you just going to stand there?’ said Martha, ‘or are you coming with me?’ Charlie ran after his mother shouting ‘Where we are going?’ ‘Just follow me and be quiet!’ ‘It’s alright for you, I’ve got no shoes on and the shrubbery is hard!’ ‘Stop whining, just get a move on, someone is waiting with a car to drive us away out of here!’
The black car was waiting, the engine running, the doors open. The driver was nervous, although the vehicle was hidden from the house and had gained access by following the three cars through the gates. Getting out was going to be a bit more difficult and the driver was thinking very hard on how it was he had been persuaded to do this. He wasn’t looking for a job and he had a lot on his mind and he was trying to keep a low profile as he himself was being hunted and somebody out there wanted to kill him. Suddenly he heard and saw some bushes move and he rubbed his eyes at what he was seeing, a woman in camouflage uniform followed by someone in pyjamas. Martha walked to the car and the man in pyjamas was limping slightly. Martha opened the boot and retrieved a bag and told Charlie to get inside. ‘Why?’ said, Charlie. ‘Just do what I say and be a good boy!’ Charlie reluctantly climbed into the boot. Martha walked to some bushes and came out looking quite different, clad in a pretty dress and coat and hat with a shopping bag. She slung the bag into the boot and shut and locked it. She got into the back of the car. ‘Right driver let’s go shopping!’ The driver was about to put his foot down and attempt to crash the gates. Martha who read his mind pacified the nervous driver to brave it out as she had her own plans for getting out. The car stopped in front of the gates. She got out of the car quickly and walked to the small office where two men were always on duty to make sure that no unauthorized person got in and no-one left without permission. Martha showed the men something and as they leaned forward, she squirted something in their faces and both fell on the floor. She pressed a button and the iron gates opened and the driver drove quickly through the open gates and stopped. Martha pressed the button again and the gates closed behind her as she walked to the car. ‘Now my dear Roland give the pedal a bit of welly!’ Roland needed no persuasion and drove quickly away, but as soon as he reached the main road he drove at the correct speed limit. At the next wooded lay-by they stopped and allowed Charlie to sit in the car! They drove in silence along the road until Roland looked into mirror and saw Charlie and screeched to a halt. Roland turned ‘YOU!’ Cars who were following them hooted and a loud mouthed youth called them something quite rude. Roland drove on and eventually managed to stop in a lay-by.
Roland turned ‘YOU! If I’d known it was you I was saving, I wouldn’t have agreed to do this.’
Martha said, ‘Obviously you two know each other!’
‘This, this person!’ Roland spluttered, ‘had me tied up in a warehouse and was going to kill me!’
‘Is this true?’ Martha intervened.
‘Yes, it’s true, it’s only because he was dating Jo, I mean to say he was dating Jo.’ Charlie repeated.
‘No! You’re wrong there, I was asked to take her out by your father, but he got the wrong idea too. She kissed me goodbye to say how much she had enjoyed the evening and if only there were more gentlemen like me around and of course your dad’s bully boys were there and must have reported back to him that I had overstepped the mark and that’s when you, Charlie boy stepped in and mucked up my evening and threw me out of my flat window.’
‘No! Not me,’ said Charlie. ‘It was nothing to do with me! I came along later.’ ‘I suppose you sent the boys round for me to take a boat ride!’ ‘No! Wrong again’ said, Charlie. ‘Honest, nothing to do with me.’
‘Anyway!’ said Martha. ‘You’re still in one piece and you’re safe with us.’
‘For how long!’ Roland muttered.
Chapter 19 Luigi’s Bad Day
Luigi Stefan rang the bell on his desk that would summon his men. Six came running in, and the office being somewhat full of cabinets and machinery, it was a little over crowded.
‘What have you done with my idiot son?’ One man shuffled forward. The tops of his legs were hard pressed against the desk.
‘We’ve taken him downstairs to one of the rooms!’
‘I trust you didn’t put him in the same room as his mother.’
‘Well!’
‘Oh don’t tell me you have.’
‘Well! Yes – you didn’t stipulate which room you wanted him placed.’ ‘You better go and see if they are still there.’ Three of the men ran out of the door and their steps could be heard cluttering down the hard concrete steps to the rooms in the basement. They approached the door and listened, they heard voices and were relieved to know their prisoners were still in the room. They opened the door and rushed in.
The blast caught them full on and they disappeared out through the opening where the door had been. The whole place seemed to shake and dust and debris were flying around and one piece of concrete hit one of the men in the face and he went out like a light with blood pouring from a deep gash. The noise was so deafening that it brought two other men from upstairs, who rushed into the room to view the rear end of Charlie in pyjamas disappearing through the bushes and trees. They began to walk towards the hole in the wall to follow, when there was a creaking noise and a crack appeared in the ceiling and it began to crumble and fall, small pieces at first and then large chunks. They did backward steps towards the opening, but were too late and both men were knocked out as the rest of the room collapsed.
A bad day for Luigi – three of his men killed and two very badly injured. Well, it was only two men killed by falling concrete. He shot the third man for being so stupid for putting Charlie in the same room as his mother. The police, a fire engine and an ambulance were called. Four men were taken away by ambulance and the fifth man taken away beforehand by another member of Luigi’s outfit to be dumped somewhere.
The police seemed to be satisfied that it was an accident as a discharged Calor Gas Bottle had been found amongst the debris of concrete, and the Inspector thought it unlikely that the damage would be associated with dynamite. He was informed that the room was to be demolished as weaknesses were found in the concrete and it was just unfortunate that four of Luigi’s friends were helping that day to clear some valuable objects when someone lit a cigarette to have a break from the job and somehow ignited the Calor Gas Bottle. Half a cigarette and a spent match was found under the concrete. Everything had been stage managed to look like an accident and a nod from the Fire Chief on site proved to be what had happened. The Fire Chief would write a report and send a copy to the police and a copy to the owner for insurance purposes should he want to claim.