Consequences

Consequences
Jake Budby leant against the wall, glancing at the exclusive jewellers shop close by, his next target. His left hand in the pocket of the casual black coat grasping a spherical device that was essential to a successful hit. Jake had been a petty criminal and prolific burglar since he was a teenager. Well known to the police, Jake has turned his hand to just about every crime short of murder. With few friends, Jake has always been a loner and struggles to communicate with women in particular. Of average height and build Jake has never been anything special, save a remarkable degree of cunning.
Things are different now that Jake has his device, stolen from a large farm house nine months ago. Jake stole it from the unlocked safe as it looked important though he had no idea then of what it could do. He soon learned how to use it and has made good use of it since. Now Jake has a special power, and knows it.
Jake can see into the shop and must time the hit for just before closing when they are preparing to put expensive items into locked storage. Jake sees the window display being unlocked and seizes the moment. Jake ignores a cold nervous sweat to cross the pedestrian walkway pulling the device from his coat with his left had. Reaching the jewellers shop door with his right hand he opens the door while lifting the device in his left hand to his forehead to shield his face from CCTV cameras. Making sure the door is closed, Jake takes two paces further into the shop and activates his time freezing device.
Taking the device away from his face Jake quickly surveys the shop which he had previously studied from outside the shop window. Everything is frozen in time, completely frozen. On the right is a well dressed middle aged woman caught in the process of moving several expensive watches on a display. Jake knew little of expensive watches but moved quickly behind the smartly dressed woman and removed the black Hublot and black and gold Bvlgari watches, he knew these would make a good return. Thanking the frozen well dressed woman, Jake now moved to the other side of the shop where an older man in an expensive suit is working with a young woman who is also smartly dressed. Jake moved behind the counter but found the older man barring his way. Punching the oblivious man unnecessarily in the stomach and pushing him aside, Jake removes a number of expensive pieces of jewellery and his hit is now complete.
Jake turns to the young woman and steps closer to her frozen features to study them for a moment. He places a hand under her blouse. “I think you and I are going to meet again.” Seeing the young woman’s bag under a chair, Jake quickly riffles through and notes the address on her driving licence, which he replaces. Moving to the shop door Jake opens it with one hand and switches the device off with the other. The older man suddenly collapses to the ground coughing and groaning. The others panic fearing another heart attack. No one notices the door close.
**********
Detective Inspector Tenby is a tall strongly built man who has an energy that contrasts with his sallow face, possibly the result of many years heavy smoking. Tenby sits at his desk looking at the Jewellers shop CCTV footage for the fifth time and pauses the image of a man with his hand high over his face just before the recording becomes white static for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. In the man’s hand is a metallic object. It’s the second time he has seen the object and the third case he has been given recently which are almost identical. Two are jeweller’s shops the other is an antique shop specialising in gold and silver items. Inside help is suspected in all three cases, but Tenby speculates on the odds for one thief having intimate inside contacts for three seemingly unrelated burglaries. Still, it’s difficult to see how else it can be done and he will only know the answer to that when he brings in his suspect.
Tenby bellows across the room, “Is Lewis back from town yet?” “He’s on his way back” says a voice vaguely. Tenby rises from his chair and collects his cigarettes, “I want to see him straight away,” and goes outside for his seventh or eighth fag break of the day. “Well Lewis, have you got anything interesting for me?” “Yes, I think we have a good image of our suspect, it’ll just take a few moments to upload the images?” As soon as DI Tenby had looked at the images of his suspect for a few minutes he leans back on his black office chair, smiled and said “that’ll do nicely.”
Barely noticing the nameplate for Chief Superintendant Beresford, Tenby knocks and pauses before walking in. “Come in John, I hope you’ve got good news for me” said Beresford looking at Tendy over his half rim glasses. “Yes sir! I’d like you to take a look at this regarding the jeweller’s shop burglary.” He hands a printed image of his suspect. “A good full face image taken from an HD CCTV system. Appears he was observing the jewellers shop in the reflected glass and didn’t realise how close he was to the CCTV camera.” “Good Work John. What do you intend to do now?” “I want to put the image on ‘Crimestoppers’ as soon as possible and get the case onto regional news.” “Excellent, let me know of any names that come up as I want to be kept in the loop on this one John.” “Yes sir.”
**********
Tenby was given a slot to be broadcast on the local news 5 days later and put his team to re-checking the facts on the case. He decided not to mention that no obvious sign of forced entry is known, that nobody saw anything and no alarms had been tripped. He would keep to the need to apprehend the suspect for questioning in regard to the one burglary for which he had a good image. Tenby surmised that once in custody all will be revealed. Tenby was sure that there were other incidents and had his team interrogate the police PND and PNC databases for similar cases. Nothing has come up so far although details of some quite strange cases were being exchanged between members of the team, including the case of a wife accusing a husband of rape even though she cannot remember the incident and he claims to have been asleep at the time.
Tenby recorded the interview two days before the broadcast’s transmission slot and was sure that he would be able to put a name to his suspect. Tenby arranged for his team to be working in the hours following the broadcast and sat with them to watch the broadcast. “Settle down” Tenby bellowed as a chorus of shouts and cheers rose around the open plan office when Tenby first appeared on the regional news broadcast. The news item lasted only a few minutes and the time seemed to go too quickly. The Crimestoppers free phone number and a direct number to the Incident room had been given out. Tenby was pleased to see the CCTV image of his suspect was displayed for quite a while and was sure someone must recognise him.
A silent hush now hung over the room and the earlier tension returned. Tenby had a van and several cars at his disposal and would use the provisions of PACE to search the premises of his suspect. All they can do is to wait for that break-through call. A few minutes passes and then the phone rings; an officer answers it. A long discussion takes place. Lots of questions: name and address, friends, associates, their contacts, addresses, known haunts or hiding places and questions about how the caller knew the suspect. Meanwhile a colleague input the name given to the police databases revealing a known petty criminal with lots of form for burglary but not for high-end retailers. Not the fit Tenby was looking for. Another call a few minutes later providing a different name that is also an unlikely match to his suspect and is much too tall. Information comes to the incident room from Crimestoppers and the first name comes up again, this time the source is himself a petty thief and burglar and confides that they had previously ‘done some houses over’ together but had fallen out nine months ago. The source asked for a reward and immunity from prosecution. Tenby is called to another incoming call. The officer holds a hand across the receiver to tell the DI that the caller has named the same person and claims to be his brother but they had not spoken for years after a fall out. “Is he sure it’s him?” Tenby asks. “Oh yes, he’s absolutely certain it’s his brother.” Tenby calls the Chief Super who has decided to work late as he wanted to stay close to this case. Tenby outlines the intel received; same name three times and same address twice. Tenby slams phone down and is very annoyed. “Gather tonight’s intel and pass it to me straight away.” Tenby says to his Sergeant in a threatening tone. “The Chief Super is coming with us and wants to give the papers the once over before the go ahead to arrest our suspect and search the address.” Tenby returns after 30 minutes with the chief superintendant and clasps his hands together as he speaks “ok boys and girls, let’s go,” he orders.
**********
Jake had a routine of not getting out of bed till midday and there was rarely much activity after that. Today however, Jake had left his one bedroom upper floor flat in the afternoon to get tobacco, beer, snacks and Cola. Jake doesn’t cook and usually lives off takeaways and ready meals.
Jake had ordered a pizza and sat down to watch television and eat the pizza straight from the box. Jake didn’t do any washing up until he had fully exhausted his supply of china and cutlery. Jake looked down to confirm his freshly lit roll-up was within reach of his place on the sofa. Next to the over flowing ashtray on the coffee table were several used mugs, an assortment of papers that no longer seemed important and which are now covered with bits of tobacco and brown ring marks from mugs. On its side is an empty 2 litre plastic drinks bottle next to a newly opened bottle of cola with its cap already lost amongst the debris on the floor.
Jake intended to watch television until he had finished eating then watch a film with a few beers but he was in for a shock. Jake had eaten much of his pizza when he was struck by the images of the Jewellers shop he had burgled and his attention was suddenly focused on the early evening regional news. Feeling excited by the thought that something he had done had made the news, Jake was filled with a sense of self importance and listened intently. Then, as he watched the interview between a crime correspondent and Detective Inspector Tenby, he saw an image he recognised as his own appear on the left side of the screen while the detective described known attributes of his prime suspect. Jake’s mouth was wide open though he did not notice and for a moment Jake too was frozen as if caught by his own device. Jake started sweating profusely and his skin was cold and clammy. He felt sick and in blind panic could only utter a series of disjointed expletive’s. “Fuck me! How did they get that picture?” Jake stood up, his hands on his head, but quickly sat down again. Jake stood up again and started pacing around the room and with his hands glued to his head shouted “fucking hell, what am I going to do?” Then started hitting his own head. “Think! Think!” Jake was paralysed with paranoia and fear. For an hour Jake could do little more that repeatedly sit, then pace, then go to window to see if anyone is watching from the dark outside.
Jake then remembered that he had a collection of expensive items he had not fenced, all of which would incriminate him. If confronted by the police he could activate his device, yes, that’s it! He could get away Jake reasoned. Jake Gathered a black holdall and placed in it some cloths, the unfenced items and £700 or so pounds he had in cash. Jake made furtive looks out of several windows, turned the bedroom light back on and left the flat clutching the device in his left hand.
Jake went down the concrete stairs and out across the concrete clothes hanging area to the rear then past the row of garages towards the canal. The canal towpath was only a few minutes away and would enable him to travel miles without using roads. Moving quickly Jake was alternately speed walking then jogging in a way that would have been comical in other circumstances. Turning right past a run down car repair garage, then turned left and gave a loud expletive as two figures one in pink and the other in blue/grey rushed towards him. Jake staggered back dropping the device clutched in his left pocket as two joggers gave him a wide birth and jogged on though they kept nervously looking back at him. Jake gave out a nervous laugh, got to his feet and moved forward again then turned right as he approached the tow path to see a large dark figure raise a right arm and had enough time to see something glint then nothing!
Eighteen minutes later Tenby and his team arrive to discover three fire crews with one attending a blaze. In only a few minutes they discover its the flat of his prime suspect and several hours later it is confirmed nobody was in the flat.
**********
Jake was groaning quietly as he started to come round, and was then gripped by a sudden intense pain that coursed through his head as awareness of the world around him increased. He became aware he could only move his head. “Can you hear me Mr Budby?” Jake became aware of a cultured and menacingly icy, calculated voice. “Who are you?” Jake tried to force his eyes open and was seized by more pain. He could make out three figures about six feet away. “Mr Budby, I need to ask you a few questions?” A man offers a glass of water and Jake drinks it greedily then cough’s.
He could now focus on the three tall men; two wearing white disposable boiler suits and blue rubber gloves and in the middle, a man smartly dressed, expensively dressed. “What do you want?” Said Jake who struggled in vain against his restraint then looked down to see he had been cling filmed to a black office chair, Blood soaked on the inside of his partly bandaged head. Jake screamed in realisation and the chair started to move. Paralysed with fear, Jake started hyperventilating as a boiler suited man steps forward to Jake’s left to steady the chair.
Now alert Jake realises he is in what must be an old wooden barn. “You need to concentrate Mr Budby and answer my questions. Who have you told about this?” The smartly dressed man holds a bright metal object up in his hands. Jake recognises his device and says, “N-n-no-one.” Jake struggles to speak through his terror. The smartly dressed man steps closer and leans forward for impact. “Who else knows about this?” “N-no one, I-I told you, no one e-else knows.” The smartly dressed man looks at the man steadying the chair then steps back. Jake looks at the man and starts to mouth wordlessly then hears a loud sound to the right and a searing pain in his right arm as the other boiler suited man fires a nail into his arm from a cordless nail gun. Jake lets out a series of short loud sounds as more cling film is wrapped on his right arm to contain any bleeding. “Mr Budby, it is going to be much easier and less painful for you if you simply tell me what I need to know.” The three men notice Jake’s black trousers are wet and urine starts to gather in a pool around the chair. “It is very important that you tell me who else knows about what you stole from me Mr Budby?” “P-please, I told you already, I t-told no one about my device. I kept it s-secret. It’s yours, keep it. I don’t want it. Please, let me go.” “You really do not know what you had, do you?” Said the smart man rhetorically. “This was never designed for thieves and opportunists like you Mr Budby. This, ‘device’ as you ignorantly call it, was designed for much more.” The smartly dressed man leans forward again. “Did you know it records all its activities? No, I did not think so,” as the smart man answers his own question. “I have seen every pillaged building and every rape you committed using this device, your every foul disgusting misdeed.” “W-what are you going to do?” “Did no one tell you? With great power comes great responsibility.” A brief pause. “You stole what was not yours to take and put everything at risk. I cannot allow that.”
The smartly dressed man steps back and silently looks at the other two. Both close in on each side of the chair and turn it 180 degrees. In front of Jake about 20 feet away is an old thick rope with a noose about two feet off the ground. Jake screams and in terrified juddering breaths begs for his life. “It is no use” says the icily calm voice of the smartly dressed man as Jake is wheeled steadily closer to the rope. “As the quote goes Mr Budby, ‘to every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.’ For you Mr Budby, a fitting end to a miserable life.” The rope is placed over Jake’s head and the two boiler suited men step back as Jake struggles weakly. All will and strength already drained away. One of the two men steps to a metal electrical box hanging from a black rubber cable which is connected to a winch. On it is one red button and one green button. The other man leans against a wooden post and lights a cigarette, which looks odd in his blue rubber gloved hand. Jake has lost the power of speech and is mumbling as if in prayer. The green button is pressed.