Hope Never Dies Read online

  Davies had parked even further down the lane than Kingsly and was deliberating with Reed and Slater as to why they were stopped in the middle of nowhere watching Kingsly who was doing nothing other than sitting in his car. It puzzled him, but he thought, time was on his side and he could wait all day if necessary. If he needed a pee then there was a convenient bush just outside the car.

  *

  Back at the foot of the mountain, Ned noted on both the map and an information board that there were two ways to the summit of the mountain. After consulting with Kim, they decided to take the left-hand footpath and return the other way making a circular tour. The contours on the map showed that the gradients were steeper this way that would be compensated on the return journey by an easier descent for which they would be grateful when they were feeling more tired. So, in glorious sunshine, dressed in tee-shirts, shorts, thick socks and boots and adorned with backpacks, sweaters and waterproofs they gallantly set off on the mission for the day. Inside Ned’s backpack was a smaller black bag and this took up much of the space.

  Ever since he was a child, Ned had a fascination for mountains and every time he saw one he felt that he had to climb it. When asked by his friends as to why he had this obsession, as they called it, he always replied, “Because it’s there” They crudely pointed out that an elephant’s arse was there and did he not have an obsession to climb that. It was his way of achieving that personal goal. He knew that Kim was a very active person and that she had a personal trainer. It amused them both when he told her that he had two, one for each foot. He had not really put Kim as a mountain climber or hiker and he had never told her about this particular hobby. During his previous visits to see her, they had occasionally had a day out to this part of the world and Kim was always impressed by the rugged scenery and sheer beauty of the area even though she told him that the part of China where she was raised, was quite mountainous. He hoped that there might be many more days like this. As they went through the kissing-gate, he tried to kiss her, telling her that it was an ancient English custom that a kiss should always be shared between couples whenever they passed through such a gate. Kim gave him one of her famous stares. They took in the marvellous views behind them, the village that seemed now to be fading away in the distance and the beautiful lake behind that as a blue backdrop to a lush green panorama. In front of them, the mountain, high and majestic showing steep escarpments, protruding rocks intermingles with the green of the rough pasture, that seemingly was impossible to climb but there was a small trickle of people who, like them, were enjoying the mountain. They smiled at each other and began the ascent.

  *

  A few minutes after they were out of Kingsly’s sight, a blue Mercedes pulled up behind him. Kingsly got out of his car and went to the passenger door of the Merc, which was opened for him. Neil Haslam looked very pale as though he had seen a ghost and Kingsly asked him if he had. What had given Haslam the fright of his life was seeing a BMW parked further down the lane with Davies and his two thugs sat in it. Should he tell Kingsly? He would have to think about this for awhile. He told Kingsly that he was not feeling too well these last few days because of the trauma of him being robbed and that he had not slept too well last night. Kingsly was not really interested in his health or his circumstances

  “Do you want to retrieve your money?” he asked.

  “Of course I do, you twat. Why else would I be out here” he replied very coarsely. Ignoring the insult Kingsly continued.

  “Your money has just gone up that mountain” he said pointing in the direction that Kim and Ned had disappeared. Haslam looked straight at Kingsly and said

  “I find all this very strange. Three days ago you were practically accusing me of stealing my own money, you had no interest in getting it back for me and any leads that you had, I had to supply them to you anyway. You have this sudden change of heart and can’t wait for me to get my money back. And now, you are practically telling me to go and get it myself. Is it self-service policing these days?”

  Kingsly was beginning to get a little agitated.

  “The only reason that I have involved you, and I am beginning to regret this now, is that I think you have a better chance to retrieve your money from White and Chen than I have. I have investigated their backgrounds and they are not career burglars, in fact, they appear to be up-standing citizens of their communities. They are no doubt regretting now that they did not come clean in the first place and may relish the opportunity to do so now with somebody other than a policeman.” Kingsly knew now that he had little to lose and he carried on, his speech quite deliberate.

  “I don’t know how they came to acquire the money. I would not have believed that they were capable of breaking into your offices, cracking a safe and stealing all the money. I would have tended to believe their innocence, had they not done a bunk. I do not believe that they broke into your offices and stole it and if that is so then, Mr Haslam, I could do you for perverting the course of justice and I probably will. So let’s get this thing tied up, finalised and recover the money”

  The threat of prosecution brought Haslam a little down to earth.

  “So what do you want me to do?”

  “You might consider following them and reasoning with them. I shall wait here for you.” He paused “Oh, by the way if you try to pull as fast one, I shall charge you with the theft of the money from your company.”

  Haslam got out of the car and glanced down the lane towards Davies. He knew that they were watching him but how did they know that he was going to be here. After all, they were here before him and so they could not have been following him. He wanted to tell Kingsly about them, mainly for his own protection and preservation. However, what if Davies and Kingsly were working on this together? Then Kingsly would know that Davies was there. Something did not add up. He stood outside the car thinking about this new situation. If he went up the mountain it was likely that Davies’ thugs would follow him and would likely cause him harm, possible in a permanent way should he have the money in his possession. But why would they do that? They are assuming that early next week he was going to hand the money over to them anyway. But am I? He thought. They’ve already done the damage with his wife and his assets. He thought that perhaps he should keep the money for himself. Yes, that is exactly what he would do. Even with this determination he still feared for his life. He would mention to Kingsly that he knew that Davies was following them. He knocked on the driver’s window and Kingsly opened it

  “Have you heard of a character by the name of Davies, who, I am led to believe is some sort of a gangster in Manchester” Kingsly looked at him blankly. The connection was not made instantly. Then he recalled that Alan Payne had said that Haslam was in Davies’ car and reported by Sam Futcher who tried to follow but lost them. Haslam obviously was unaware that his connection was known, otherwise he would not have mentioned it.

  “He is known to me. Why do you ask?”

  “Because he and two thugs of his are sat in a car further down the road”

  CHAPTER 26

  This was an unexpected development. They must have followed Haslam. Why? Because they did not trust him. This was what Kingsly wanted to establish whether or not these two were in the robbery together. His personal situation was becoming more complicated. Why would Davies be here today when the area was already teeming with Mancunians? He concluded that it was no coincidence

  “Mr Haslam, what exactly is your relationship with Davies?”

  Haslam wondered just how much he knew.

  “I’ve never met him before but most people in Manchester know of his notoriety”

  “I see. Then please answer me as to why he has followed you here?”

  “He was already here when I arrived.”

  “Are you sure of that?”

  “Of course I am” he replied tartly. Kingsly thought about the situation but a
t the moment, it was making no sense to him.

  “As I said, you had better go and retrieve your money. Go on before I find something serious to arrest you with”

  Haslam looked very disconsolately and set off up the pathway that led towards the mountain.

  *

  Davies, Slater and Reed were watching intently. Davies eventually said,

  “I didn’t expect to see that twat Haslam turn up here, and talking to the copper. What do you make of this, lads?” Reed answered first,

  “Someone had obviously tipped him off. It’s got to be the copper. How else would he have got here?” Slater agreed with him. Davies thought about the situation and the next move. He eventually said

  “They are working together and it’s no coincidence they are both here. Brian, you follow Haslam and see what occurs, Jimmy, you keep an eye on Kingsly. That won’t be too difficult as he is still sat in his car. Keep me informed.”

  Slater got out of the car and began to walk up the hill.

  *

  As Haslam walked away, Kingsly kept a watch on his rear view mirror and noticed Brian Slater walking up the lane towards the car. He slumped down in the seat to make himself less conspicuous. Slater, whilst ignoring him as he walked past his car, made a call back to his boss that Kingsly was still there, slumped in his seat. When Slater was at a safe distance in front of him, he left his car, went to his boot and pulled out a jacket. He donned it and followed Slater. He quickly calculated that he would be the fourth party hiking up the hill with the same intention. He was gratified to know that only he knew of the other three and this could be his advantage.

  *

  Hannah Beaumont and Howard Parker wasted no time in reaching the village of Coniston but they made the similar mistake as the others by entering the village and heading for the car park where they recognised no cars that they were expecting to see. The police patrol that spotted Kim and Ned’s car on the road to Coniston had followed them into the village. The constable in the passenger seat got out of his car and went over to Parker in the car park. Parker asked exasperatingly

  “Is there any other place that cars can park in the village?” The constable pointed out that there were two places, one by the lake and the other, an unofficial one was up the lane by the pub, which was used mostly by hikers climbing the southern part of the Langdales including the “Old Man” That had to be explained to Parker. He told the policeman to look around the lake and he would take the one past the pub. After giving him details of the cars, he shot back into his own and gave Hannah instructions as to where to go. Her dexterity at driving soon ensured that they were at their destination. As they parked, they observed the rented Ford Focus with the cluster of other cars and Kingsly’s Mondeo parked further down the track. There was no one in either car. They both got out surveying the area, and finding a sign at a junction where two paths diverged. They both showed the way to the top of the mountain but via different routes. There was no sign of anyone that they recognised on either path.

  *

  Haslam was reassured that he had taken the precaution of arming himself with a gun bought cheaply from some lowlife in Moss Side a few months previously. He may very well need it now to protect himself today although the mountain was somewhat congested with people, considering the remote location of it. He did not see which path Kim and Ned took and therefore took, purely by chance as it happened, the opposing footpath to Kim and Ned as he thought it would be easier to ascend as it was not as steep as the other one. The other reason for this choice was that there was some thicket growth. He spotted one of Davies’s thugs approaching him, too nonchalantly he thought, from the car parking area. His fears were vindicated, he would be attacked on the mountainside unless he took measures now. He knew that there was no way back, as both Kingsly and Davies were both theoretically were blocking his path. He continued and was able to hide in the thicket bushes as he watched Slater pass him. When he thought he was sufficiently far enough in front him, he emerged and this time he followed him up towards the mountain.

  CHAPTER 27

  Kim and Ned found climbing the hill quite hard going and despite their summer attire, they were perspiring. Kim was concerned for Ned, simply because of his age. He always said he was healthy and certainly looked in rude health although she knew that he had been quite ill the previous winter. She wondered just how much that illness had taken its toll on him. After all, he was no spring chicken. Ned, on the other hand was as pleased as punch that Kim had taken a penchant to hiking. He had always liked being in wild and desolate places and he knew he had the stamina for hikes such as these. The question he asked himself was, did Kim have that same amount of stamina. To make matters easier for her, he suggested regular short stops, which were gladly accepted by Kim, not so much because she needed to stop regularly but because she thought that Ned had to. And so it was that their walk up the “Old Man” of Coniston took quite a bit longer than expected.

  Whilst Kim came from a part of China that was blessed with mountainous scenery, which could equal if not better anything that Britain could offer, she was, nonetheless, an enthusiast of the diverse and beautiful scenery that her adopted country could offer. She marvelled at the views from up the hill, especially today with the sun gleaning on the hills to the north and east, emphasising the various shades of greens and browns stretched out all around her. Interrupting this entire colour were the beautiful sights of lakes and tarns, the occasional clusters of buildings and small villages, and to the south in the warm haze, the coastline where the water lapped on to the verdant landscape. It felt good to be alive on a day like this and even more so on such a beautiful mountain. Ned wanted to hold her hand but she was a little reluctant to do so, because of the age difference. She knew that he always wanted to hold her hand whenever they were out together, and would quite often sing that song from his beloved Beatles about wanting to hold her hand. With the summit in sight, they made one last effort to reach it without resting further and once there, they were quite surprised to see that they were not alone. In fact, it had the appearance of a hikers gathering place. That put pay to Ned’s dream of some more alfresco nookie. In reality, he knew it would not happen as there were too many imponderables for Kim’s liking, unlike the island on the lake. They settled on some rough grass and refreshed themselves with apples and bottled water, followed by a sunbathe in the warm sunshine and clean air.

  They still had to finalise the details of how they were going to exonerate themselves from the mess they were in, although, lying in the sunshine atop the mountain and in such wonderful surroundings, those troubles seemed so far away. Their discussions again explored all possibilities with Ned suggesting all manner of ways to extricate themselves from their predicament and Kim supplying both the legal and common sense answer to some of the wildest ideas. These ranged from walking into the police station and giving themselves up to the police, throwing themselves upon the mercy of the courts, to finding the man whose money it was and handing it back to him in the hope that he might not press charges, to leaving it anonymously in a place where the police could find it. They did not hold much hope for the rightful owner to acquit them of any wrong-doing. By the time they turned the corner to descend the path, which lay on top of a ridge, they had settled on leaving it anonymously at a police station in the dwindling hope that they might get away with it.

  They were in deep discussion so much that they did not the strange and ill-attired man coming the other way until it was really too late. He smiled a good morning to them as he passed them. This seemed to be customary amongst hikers. No sooner had he passed them, he turned around very quickly and grabbed Kim around the neck with one arm and used his other one to force her right arm up her back. Ned turned quickly to force this man off Kim but tripped as he lunged towards Kim, falling off the path and landing precariously near the edge of the ridge. He looked up and saw that he was holding a knife to Ki
m’s throat.

  Brian Slater could not believe his eyes as he walked up the mountain path. He was beginning to despair, curse himself and Haslam for having lost him. He knew that there was no other pathways leading from the mountain and Haslam could not have doubled back without him noticing. He had no other option that to continue until he encountered the Chinese girl and the old man. He had no doubt that this was the couple who now had his bosses’ money.

  “Don’t even think of trying anything or she gets this,” He said looking down at the knife. He saw sheer terror in Kim’s eyes and whilst she knew the rudiments of self-defence, her situation would prevent her from thinking straight.

  “Okay” said Ned. “I don’t know what you want but we haven’t got much of value up here. It seems a pretty strange place to mug anybody”

  “This isn’t any old mugging, mate. It’s a mugging with purpose and with the likelihood that neither of you will survive unless.” He paused

  “Unless what”

  “Unless we receive your fullest co-operation. Now you have something that belongs to an associate of ours, a Mr Haslam”

  “Never heard of him” Slater tightened his grip on Kim and pushed the tip of the knife into her neck.

  “Are you taking about a sum of money by any chance?”

  “I am”

  “Okay then. I did not know the name of your boss”

  Slater smiled at Ned’s mistake. Ned had to think very hard, made all that much harder by Kim’s appealing eyes. He could not read them, were they saying to give them what they wanted, or were they saying to resist all costs or was there just sheer panic there. He had to act quickly. If he gave what he wanted now, the chances were that they, at best, would simply be pushed off the ridge and survival chances would be very slim indeed. No, he had to negotiate a way off the mountain and this had to be the promise of the money to him. Perhaps that would be the best way of extricating themselves.