No Fireworks – Bentley 30

 

[For back story go here: Story so far at 17 Sept 2020 and mainly this one.]

[Relevant back story also in embedded links.]

Bentley sat on the edge of the bed, looking as worried as he had five hours ago.

"We can't just stay here, Granddad," said Natalie. "Really. They'll chuck us out soon because they want to close this wing of the hotel and we haven't booked for any more nights. I don’t think we can argue this is an essential stay…”

“It is essential," muttered Bentley. "They're after me."

"Who?"

"Aston, Jaggers, everyone."

"It's just a ring," said Natalie.

"It's more than that," said Bentley. "Got to be more than that, even if we don't know what it is now, it is. If we stay here, – still, quietly – nothing will go off."

Natalie hadn't been able to move Bentley in any way, physically or mentally since that first night. Standing alone, listening to the knocking he’d finally given up and gone to bed without turning the electricity back on. There was half a chance the knocking had stopped at some point during the night but Bentley hadn't been awake to appreciate that and consequently he was pretty much certain that it had gone on all night, possibly becoming more persistent, maybe even to the point of the door rattling and him being afraid that the door would come off its hinges and fall flat, letting in whatever horrors lurked outside.

Natalie had tried to make light of it and even wondered if it was a Halloween prank. The customer service person (whom Bentley thanked for not being a cash machine) played up the city's reputation for hauntings but this hadn't gone down well with the old man. Of all the rooms in all the cheapo hotels in all the town, he had to get the one within a ghoul.

"So what are we going to do today?" said Natalie – as she remembered herself saying to no avail yesterday.

"Nothing," snapped Bentley. "Too dangerous. They have guns." And then he added, with horror dawning: “And they might have my cat!"

"So we should definitely do something," persisted Natalie, "Even if that thing is getting out of here and going home to make sure the cat's OK. Just being here is a bit of a damp squib."

Bentley tried to refocus his thoughts. A game of what if, he thought. A game of what if as in what if there were no barriers, no restrictions, no stopping me from what I needed to do? What would I do right now to try and make things better? What would be my next move? Immediately following this he found himself trying to think what would be Aston's next move as well, although that pretty much amounted to letting down the tyres on Natalie's car and storming down the door of either the hotel room or his flat at home or both and running amuck inside. He successfully silenced that follow up thought.

"There was a man called Fred. Fred Thimble."

"Great name," observed Natalie.

"He was a small guy," said Bentley. "He wasn't with anyone but he knew everything. Everything. If something was going down you had to talk to Thimble. And if he knew he'd tell you. No fee, no debt, no return favour. If he thought you should know he'd tell you."

"And you want to speak with him?"

Bentley nodded. "If he's still here. He's the one we want. He'd know if there was something around here for us. And he'd remember Lawrence an' all.”

“So where do we find him?”

“Signal box. He worked in the signal box down one end of the station.”

“He won’t still be there though will he?”

“Who knows?” Said Bentley. “He was a young lad. If he’s not there then someone might know where he is. I can’t imagine he’ll have gone far. Not with him knowing everyone around here – and most of what’s going on up and down the line.”

Natalie was a little wary about going out in search of Thimble but it was something to do and right now she go after anything to get Bentley to move on. She knew it wouldn’t be easy – they were both in the wrong place for the lockdown, but since they were here now they should try and make the best of it and get home as fast as they could.

“OK. Let’s get on with it,” said Natalie. “Pack up, get in the car, find the station and ask some questions. See where we get to.”

“Not going anywhere,” muttered Bentley. “They’re after me.”

“And right now,” said Natalie, “They know exactly where you are.”