Chapter 26

Doug's mother met him outside the prison gate. Even though when he graduated from borstal to adult prison and had been transferred south so that she could visit him she had not done so. The journey home appears to have been in silence since the following conversation was picked up by the recorder once they got home.

"I think you know why I did not visit you in prison, Douglas. The same reason that I divorced your father. What you were convicted of was disgusting and inexcusable. The only reason that I have brought you home today is that you are my son and I feel responsible for you. However I expect you to find yourself a job and somewhere to live within three weeks. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mother."

"The other thing is that I have a maid, Cindy, who comes in every morning Monday to Friday. She is out of bounds. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, mother."

"Right. You may use the phone but I don't expect you to hog it."

"No, mother."

"Well you can go to your room now. I'll see you for supper in the kitchen at half past seven."

"Yes, mother."

Over supper there was some desultory conversation and then Doug went back to his room having been told that breakfast was at half past eight.

After breakfast he went out to meet his probation officer and to visit the labour exchange. Before he left he met Cindy and said good morning to her. She was in her thirties and reasonably pretty. Married, Doug noted. He also noted that she had a neat, petite figure. What he could not see was that she was firmly muscled.

His probation officer was firm and friendly. He was to report to the police station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He was to be at home between six in the evening and six in the morning. He was to meet the probation officer every Friday at eleven and report on what he had been doing for the week.

Doug undertook to obey his instructions but inwardly seethed. He might just as well still have been in prison.

He went next to the labour exchange. With his educational background he wanted to find something better than labouring. The man at the labour exchange warned him that with his background he might find that difficult. Nevertheless Doug left with six possible jobs to apply for.

Finally, he went to an estate agent that specialised in letting property. He left with two addresses and telephone numbers. Neither was in a smart area. In the first place he would be unable to pay the rent and secondly the landlord would be less likely, he hoped, to ask for a reference.

He went home completely unaware that his movements had been watched from beginning to end.

He spent the afternoon telephoning about the possible jobs. He was completely honest about having been in prison as he did not want to waste time going to an interview only to be turned down for that reason. When asked what he had been convicted for he laughingly assured his prospective employer that it was not for fraud or theft. He got away with it. He finished the afternoon with two interviews arranged for the following day. One was as a warehouseman with the possibility of promotion in the near future. The other was an office assistant with an insurance broker, again with the possibility of promotion to office manager within two years. Doug was not too worried about that. He reckoned to be moving to join his father in eighteen months' time.

His mother told him she was out for dinner that evening and that he would find cold meat and salad in the fridge. As soon as she left he picked up the telephone and dialled a number from his diary.

"Hallo?"

"Reg?"

"Yeah!"

"Doug. I got out yesterday."

"Great. Where're you calling from?"

"My mother's home near Godalming."

"Where's that?"

"Surrey. Where are you?"

"Southwark."

"Where's that?"

"South London."

"OK. You promised me a fuck fest when I got out. Are you still on?"

"Sure. When can you make it?"

"I'm not sure. I've got a six to six bloody curfew."

"Got a car?"

"No."

"Right. They never ring up to check after seven. They have to go home to the missus. The morning checks they mostly miss. Can't be fished to get up early. See what time your bloke rings for a week and then ring me again. I'll pick you up and then get you back again before your mother wakes up."

"You're a star, Reg."

"I am. See you, mate."

Chris Baker now had Reg's telephone number and a week in hand. He discovered that Reg ran a pub that fronted for a brothel. He rang his contact in the Surrey Police. He was rung later by an Inspector Roy Lamb from the Metropolitan Police.

After brief pleasantries Mr Lamb asked, "How did you obtain this information, Mr Baker, and why? It's hardly necessary to go and find a curfew breaker in a brothel when a visit to his house would confirm that he had skipped."

"In answer to your first question, Mr Lamb, I have, as I'm sure you will have guessed, my means."

There was a chuckle from the other end. "Go on."

"As to why, the young man in question was convicted for sexual assault and for having sex with an under age girl. There were a number of other minor charges thrown in. Rumour has it that he is unreformed so I suspect that Reg is setting up little girls for him again. There is a lot more but I suspect that that is enough for you to do something about him."

"It is, Mr Baker. It is indeed. We know friend Reg of old. Much of the prostitution business is done off the premises. They merely pick up their johns there but he has got special facilities for special guests and every now and then we raid the place. Reg is never on the premises on those occasions, denies that he had any direct knowledge or dealings and swears that the girls themselves are responsible for who they take where. We know he's lying but we've never been able to break him or the girls."

"Crafty bugger!"

"Correct. Well, Mr Baker, if you can find out when this party is going to be we'll join it."

"Thank you. Do you want me to tail the car from here?"

"No thanks. We'll deal with that."

In the course of that week Doug started work with the insurance brokers and moved into his new accommodation. That caused Chris some minor trouble as he had to tap the new telephone. Cindy removed the bugs in his mother's house but not before there was a recording of an incident the day before Doug started work.

He came upon her cleaning the bathroom and started to chat her up. She cut him short.

"Don't try any of that on me, Mr Allardyce. I'm married and your mother has told me of your past so just leave me alone to get on with my work, please."

"Oh, come on, Cindy. We could have some fun. Nobody need ever know. You're very pretty."

He reached out and stroked her arm. The next moment his arm was forced painfully up behind his back and his head was down the lavatory. Cindy flushed it and then released him. She stood back watching him.

"Have I made myself clear, Mr Allardyce?" She tossed him a hand towel. He dried his head. While doing so he pondered retaliating but it was clear that Cindy knew how to look after herself. He wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valour. He said nothing and left the room.