The Oldest Trick

Opening Chapter
 In the journey's of...Dave Penhaligan

    It had been eighteen years since Dave Penhaligan had last set eyes on St Senara church. Eighteen long years since he saw his home village of Zennor through the back window of a police car. Dave walked round to the back of the church and smiled at the carving of a mermaid on the bench-end and could still just make out his and Kathy styles' initials. "I shouldn’t be surprised they’ve faded.", he thought out loud, "After all they've been there all of thirty years." The prison governor had told Dave he was a fool for returning to his roots. "People don’t forget so easily Penhaligan, you’ll always be a marked man." 'I don’t want them to forget.', thought Dave. 'I want them to remember and I’ll be there to help them.'

    As Dave approached the bar in the Tinners Arms a voice rang out from the direction of the fireplace, "They don’t serve jailbirds in here Penhaligan." Without turning Dave replied sarcastically, "That’s ok cause I don’t eat'em." There were muted chuckles around the inn but Dave’s tormentor’s angry glances soon stifled them. "What’ll it be?" Asked the landlord. "Just a lemonade please." answered Dave, "Oh and a packet of crisps."
    "So you’re Dave Penhaligan." said the landlord handing Dave his change, "I've heard quite a bit about you over the last few days."
    "All bad I hope." Replied Dave half grinning.
    "Oh mainly concerning your relationship with the Styles girl and your arrest and trial."
    "Yeah well you can’t be one for running with the pack otherwise you wouldn’t have served me."
    "I served you 'cause you were thirsty and I’m an publican, not a judge. I’ve run this pub for nigh on twelve years and never turned anybody away yet."
    "I’m grateful for your impartiality." Said Dave draining his glass, "Now I’m away to my uncles cottage, I need some kip thanks again."
    "Anytime son, anytime."

    Uncle Jethro had left the cottage to Dave and it had been empty for five years so Dave made a fire and set about clearing the place up when he sensed someone standing in the open doorway behind him, Dave spun around and faced a large man completely bald with deep-set ice blue eyes beneath father Christmas eyebrows. "Hello David." Growled the reverend, Ifor Davies. "You kept your promise then."
    "Yes, I kept my promise but I’ll only be staying in this god forsaken place as long as it takes to clear my name."
    "Eighteen years has done nothing to dampen your thirst for revenge then Davey?"
    "Not revenge Rev, justice! Surely even your guvnor, the almighty, wouldn’t deny me that." The reverend Davies handed him a metal cash box left in his trust by Dave’s uncle Jethro. "If you take my advice Davey you’ll take the old man's money and start afresh somewhere far away from here."
    "How is Kathy?" Enquired Dave as the reverend turned to leave. "They say the poor girl has made no improvement since that terrible night she went over the cliff, no one apart from her father really knows as she never leaves the house, what a shame, she was a lovely girl, but I don’t need to tell you that Davey, that’s why you and Jack were always scrapping over her."
    "That bastard Drago ruined her life and I took the rap for it thanks to her bloody father siding with him. Old man Styles always wanted Kathy to marry Drago, I was always beneath her in his eyes." The reverend looked down at his feet then back to Dave. "I never believed you would harm Kathy, but the law decided that you came across Kathy and Jack, strolling along Zennor Head and attacked them in a fit of jealousy. Leave it now Davey, you’ve served your time, put it behind you, goodnight."

    Dave tossed and turned all night and kept reliving the nightmare of the night on the cliff top. Why the bloody hell did he let her start for home on her own, why didn’t he go with her instead of being persuaded by his pals to have one for the road. He should have known by the way Drago was eyeing her all night that he’d try it on with her if she left alone. Why didn’t they believe him when he told them that by the time he’d gotten within yards, Drago was already trying to force her to kiss him even though she was screaming at him to stop. Why didn’t they believe him when he told how Drago spun Kathy around after she lashed out and pushed her over the cliff. 'Kathy, Kathy, Katheeeeee...!!!' Dave was wide awake bolt upright, his own voice echoing in his ears, sweat and tears forming rivulets down his cheeks. He eventually drifted back off to sleep and awaking bleary eyed around ten, became aware of another presence in the room. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he focused on a figure standing at the foot of the bed. The greasy haired yob was holding a garden fork above his head and aiming it like a spear at Dave’s chest. "I don’t need any gardening done today thanks." Said Dave gruffly, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Oh you are a funny man." Laughed grease ball mockingly, "You wont be so funny with this here fork stickin' outa your chest."
    "Well you do have a point there; in fact you have four points, get it? Four points? Never mind, I can see that your idea of a good laugh is a guy with a big red nose throwing a bucket of confetti into a crowd." Grease ball thought for a few seconds then giggled. Dave saw his opportunity in the lapse of Grease balls concentration and suddenly kicked the blanket up and over his unwanted visitors head and over the prongs of the fork. Grease ball thrashed about trying to extricate himself from the bedding, but Dave was already on his feet and dragging a drawer out of his bedside cabinet, smashing the mans shins, causing him to fall forward so that his face, still covered with the blanket, met with Dave’s knee. When Grease ball came round he was trussed up like the proverbial chicken, cursing and complaining that his legs were broken. "Who sent you?" quizzed Dave. "Bollocks." Was the reply from his prisoner. 
    "Ok we’ll try again." Said Dave as he applied pressure with the heal of his right foot on grease balls shin. "Aaaaaargh alright, alright  mister Drago sent me."
    "I thought as much, have you got transport?"
    "Yes!" cried grease ball, "Thats my van outside." After throwing the trussed up yob into the back of the van Dave set off for Jack Drago`s place. Stopping on the way to make a phone call from the payphone. Jack Drago’s was the most impressive house in Zennor, built in the eighteenth century, it boasted fifteen bedrooms and its own indoor swimming pool. As Dave arrived at the end of the long drive a portly grey haired man came out of the front door and ran to the side of the van. "Did you scare him away......." His voice trailed off.
    "Hello Jack, I’ve brought your boy back,  you Lilly livered shit! Why didn’t you do your own dirty work? What’s wrong, can you only attack defenceless women?"
    "I’m phoning the police!" Squealed Drago, turning to run back to the house, "You`ll be back inside by nightfall." Dave leapt from the van and caught Drago`s coat tail, "Come here you!" He growled through clenched teeth, "If I’m going back inside this time it will be for something I’ve done, not for something I’ve been fitted up for." Dave gestured toward the house, "Get in there scumbag! You wont be needing your albran today." Jack Drago was pushed through a large oak door into a spacious oak panelled drawing room, "Sit down fat stuff!" yelled Dave, "You are going to write a letter to Kathy’s father telling him what really happened on the night after the dance."
    "Yes, yes I will." Said Drago in a trembly voice as he slumped in the chair behind his desk. "I’ll, I’ll need my pad from the drawer."
    'I’ve let my temper cloud my judgement.' Thought Dave as he stared down the barrel of the revolver that Drago pulled from the drawer. "You’ve just fallen for the oldest trick in the book Penhaligan." laughed Drago. "Now lets see, you came here for revenge. I had to defend myself. You rushed me, and bang I had to shoot you, perfect. Now go on Penhaligan, rush me."
    "You want me to make it easy for you, coward." said Dave calmly, "You are brave when presented with easy prey aren’t you Drago? Easy prey like Kathy, at least that's what she seemed to you on that night after the dance. But she wasn’t easy prey was she Drago? She fought you off."
    "She wanted me!"
    "No she didn’t Jack, she was repulsed by you."
    "I could have given the stupid little bitch anything she wanted!" Screamed Drago. "Stupid bitch! Stupid, stupid bloody bitch!"
    "Why did you push her Jack?"
    "The stupid little bitch wouldn’t stop screaming!" Aanswered Drago, as if trying to justify his actions, "And when I turned to where you were, calling her name, well I knew you would be taking my place in the dock."
    "Well Jack this time you’ll be in the dock even if I’m not around to see you there." Although Dave didn’t hear the shot as he dived over Drago`s desk he certainly felt the searing pain in his right shoulder, but the pain seemed to ease when the police followed by the Reverend Ifor Davies rushed in through the oak door. As the police led the handcuffed Jack Drago away the reverend comforted Dave whilst they waited for the ambulance. "You’ll be alright Davey boy, good thing you rang me with your intentions before returning Drago`s messenger boy. I had all on keeping the police from rushing straight in when you marched Jack into the drawing room."
    "He fell for the oldest trick in the book." Said Dave through clenched teeth, trying to laugh.

To be continued....