The Hole Story – Daniel 19

[For back story go here: Story so far at 27 July 2020 and more recent episodes.]

Flint had found being a ‘heavy’ to be a varied job over the past three years. Different tasks were set for you, some easy, some hard, some legal and some… not so. The current job would go down as one of the more bizarre in his professional life so far.

Go in disguise as an old man – even though no one will recognise you, but you’re less likely to cause suspicion entering the house. Let yourself in, pack a case for going away according to this list and get out of there. Oh and by the way someone might try and stop you. So look out. But don’t worry they’re not that bad.

Sat on the floor all of this had played out and he was now tasked with talking his way out of the front door again with the suitcase in tact. He reckoned this could be done, strange though it was, and at least the job had come with no explanation, and via a contact of a contact, so there were very few questions to which he would know the answer, leaving whoever this guy was in the dark and more likely just letting him go. More than likely. 

But for now things had gone even mare pear shaped as rather than subjecting him to an immediate interrogation, the man had taken a phone call and seemed to be sorting something else out with his caller.

“What can I do for you?” said Daniel, once he’d recognised the caller, but still keeping one eye on the man on the floor.

“Is this a difficult moment?” asked Sandra.

“Possibly,” said Daniel. “But go ahead anyway.”

“I was going to ask you a favour.”

“Right, OK. Possibly a bad time. Doubt if I’d be able to think straight.”

“Are you still ‘staking out your ex-wife’s house’?” asked Sandra, as lightly as she could.

“It’s erm, it’s gone a bit further than that,” said Daniel. “Look, let me sort something out over here and I’ll call you back. Probably later tonight, is that OK?”

“Later? Yeah, if that works for you.”

“I’m hoping it will,” said Daniel. “If it doesn’t you’ll be my first call from the police station. Is that OK?”

Sandra said it was and hung up.

“So…” said Daniel turning to the man on the floor.

“That your wife?” asked the man.

“Er… no.”

“Ex-wife?”

“No, I…”

“Only I get calls like that sometimes. ‘I’m on a job’, ‘I don’t care, just wanted to ask you something quickly’, ‘Yeah, but it’s a job and I’m busy I can’t…’ ‘What do you want for your tea?’ Drives me crazy.”

Daniel stared at the man for a full minute.

“Sorry, who are you?”

“Flint,” said Flint. “Well, obviously not my real name. I wouldn’t give you that would I? Given the circumstances and wotnot. But most people call me Flint. The man who ‘can do’.”

“‘Can do’ what? - Oh no, don’t worry, ‘can do’. Got it. You’re the man who ‘can do’. Why would my ex-wife hire you?”

“I thought you said that wasn’t your ex-wife?”

“It wasn’t, she…” Daniel refocussed. “What are you doing here? What’s in the case?”

Flint held up a list for Daniel to read. It was mainly clothes and a couple of toys.

“Who gave you this?” asked Daniel. 

“Not allowed to say,” replied Flint. “I have my contacts. That’s all.”

“Chrissy, did she give you this?”

“I know of no one by that name,” said Flint, basking in the truth of his comment.

Daniel felt the circumstances called for something a bit more serious. Despite the ongoing disco lights over the side boards he rooted around in a few drawers to find something which he told Flint ‘might jog your memory’ a little. Unfortunately he could only find a colander and some matching tea cups and saucers. He came back to where Flint was sitting.

“Look,” he said. “You are putting together what looks like a suitcase so my ex-wife can take my daughter away – possibly out of the country. You need to tell me where you’re taking that to.”

“Or you’ll put a saucepan on my head?” suggested Flint.

“Yes. Or worse.”

“I’m just taking this to a drop off,” said Flint. “That’s it. And that drop off will take it to someone else and so on until there’s no way of tracing anything or anyone.”

“Except there is…” said Daniel.

Being made redundant swiftly by a small company had its benefits. Or one particular benefit, thought Daniel. And that benefit right now was that he could track the still live work mobile phone via his own mobile phone as it travelled away in the case in the back of Flint’s car. Flint accepted it was no skin off his nose, that he’d feel the same if it was his daughter and he’d certainly feel the same if Daniel carried out his threat with the Welsh spoons.

Having tracked the case for a few moments, Daniel dialled up Sandra and they chatted as he drove home.