CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The banqueting suite was full to capacity; Distinguished guests from the world of banking had descended on the beautifully laid venue, drinking champagne and cocktails while waiters buzzed around with huge silver trays of canapés. A classical quartet was busy playing the String Sextet No. 1 in B Flat Major in the corner.
To the side of the stage, images were flashed of Miss Trevor as she was prior to the attack, while another showed the schizophrenia society’s promotional video on a constant loop.
The banquet heralded a new beginning for Jack Mayes and Harry’s supposedly long suffering wife Suzy. They were in the midst of it, nodding to words of sympathy and closure. Jack was being congratulated in the same breath for his handling of the crisis at the bank and certain luminaries were commenting on his tenacity to steer the bank to greatness.
All feelings for Harry were put aside, both politically and personally, for the benefit of the hosts. He did have friends amongst them but it was completely taboo to talk about him, even for the good that he had done during his tenure.
The music died down and Jack took his cue to walk onto the stage and address the thrilled audience.
Suzy gave him a wink as he walked up the steps taking the microphone in his hand to start his speech. He took in the view from his vantage point at carefully viewed the throng of people who had stopped all polite conversation to hear what he had to say.
A beautiful venue indeed, he thought.
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to you all. Before I start I would like to congratulate Suzy for her hard won efforts with the whole banqueting arrangements, doesn’t it look superb?”
Jack roused the audience into a huge clapping spectacle whilst Suzy stood there wiping a tear from her eye at the well wishers sentiments.
“Thank you Suzy, and now onto a more solemn note. I am sure we have all discussed it amongst ourselves tonight and many have known Miss Trevor personally for a long while now and we give our thanks to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh for their superb efforts throughout. I’m sure you would all like to raise your glasses to them for performing such a wonderful job. I hope she lives a long and fruitful life.”
Another round of applause rang out after the toast. Jack was certainly lapping up the atmosphere.
At the entrance to Tooley Street however, a red Jaguar rolled down the tarmac towards the venue. Vic could see several burly guards standing court at the entrance.
“Dave, they look pretty big and we haven’t got Kelvin. Looks like we need to pull out the shooters.”
Dave nodded his head. He was big but it was no match, there were six of them, maybe more inside, he wasn’t sure. Driving the car past the entrance, he pulled up thirty yards further along the road. All of the guests were inside enjoying the occasion it seemed.
Harry was still in his patient’s gown but wore a robe over the top of it as he shuffled behind the three men making their way to the entrance. The guards had noticed them but couldn’t quite make out the figure behind.
Inside, the evening was in full swing…
“You must already be aware of the news that the Mr Rowlandson escaped earlier this morning. I just wanted to assure everyone that he will be apprehended soon. He cannot be left to roam the streets to carry out anymore vile acts upon the general public. The police are combing the area looking for him and he will be back behind four walls shortly, I am sure of that!”
The guests’ mixed feelings took a few moments to turn into further applause but it was obvious no one knew how to react to this announcement. They had finally followed Suzy’s cue as she watched Jack with sheer admiration, clapping her hands furiously to rouse the crowd.
One more speech to wrap up the proceedings thought Jack and they could get on with the evening in style. His next one would be controversial too as Suzy motioned for him to get on with the announcement of their engagement once her divorce from Harry was finalised.
Jack began to speak but a commotion in the doorway caught his eye.
“Not so fast fellas! if I was you I would back away into that corner unless you figure you have a chance, but be my guest I feel like inflicting violence on someone tonight” shouted Vic.
He was pointing a gun at the biggest bouncer in a gesture for him to move; the guard knew he wasn’t kidding.
“Lads, back away, I think he means business. You won’t get away with this” He looked at Vic in a menacing way but Vic laughed it off … they were small fish in a big pond.
Moving into the room, Vic continued on behalf of Jack, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have one more person in tonight, I don’t think he’s on the guest list but I’m sure there is enough food and drink to cater for him, marvelous spread I must say!”
Harry stepped through the doorway, dragging himself along. It was obvious he was in pain but he had a speech of his own to make. They wouldn’t like it but they would be forced to listen anyway.
There were gasps and cries in abundance as the slow moving figure made his way to the stage followed by AJ, also brandishing a gun. A number of guests discreetly dialed 999 as the show unfolded, whispering their predicament over the line.
For once in his life Jack was speechless but he still held the microphone and attempted to calm the frightened guests.
“Well, well! Look who it is, our esteemed fugitive, Mr Harry Rowlandson. How nice of you to come. I’m surprised you made it this far but I am sure the police will be here any minute now to cart you back to the lunatic asylum where you rightly belong.”
Harry couldn’t see Suzy, she had melted into the crowd through fear. She couldn’t believe that he would have the balls to even venture here.
Harry eyed the guests who looked back upon him with various feelings of disgust, terror and, ironically, laughter from a few individuals.
Harry looked dreadful as he walked painfully up the steps to address the guests who were backing away in fear. AJ motioned to Jack with his gun to hand over the microphone.
Looking into Jack’s eyes with sheer contempt, Harry grabbed the microphone. It was a summing up of the hurt and destruction Jack had reaped on his luckless colleague.
“Ladies and gentleman, I am Harry Rowlandson.”
It was plain to see who he was but he looked so different to the smart, cultivated individual they used to know.
He looked over at Jack once more.
“Jack, oh my friend Jack! Come to think of it where’s Suzy?”
He scanned the guests as best he could, but there was no sign of her, she couldn’t face him or his fearful gaze.
“So, you all think I am mad do you?”
There was a pause but no one answered the question. Jack was shaking his head as if embarrassed by this pathetic figure.
“Inside my head is planted a device. Jack here used it to communicate words of hate to make me think I was mad!”
He sounded like he was drunk and he found it hard to continue his speech, it was sapping his energy.
Jack shouted. “A device! Preposterous, you’re quite mad! What a funny story, let’s all clap for Harry.”
No one clapped and it was left to AJ to gesture Jack to silence.
“Jack and Suzy conspired to have my assistant murdered and myself locked up for the rest of my life.”
Jack was shaking his head and laughing, he knew that AJ wouldn’t shoot him with so many witnesses.
“They even sent Dr Nick Hancox in to finish me off, but unfortunately for Jack and Suzy, I’m still here to tell the tale.”
Vic was halfway through the doorway keeping the guards silent when he heard the distant sound of police sirens.
“AJ, time to go!”
Harry watched AJ slowly walk away. “Sorry Harry, time to go.” And gave him a look of sympathy before leaving the room.
Jack took his opportunity and slammed his fist into the side of Harry’s already frail body. Harry let out a huge agonizing scream and slumped to the ground as Jack grabbed the microphone to continue his rant. People in the crowd started screaming themselves as the horrific spectacle unfolded before their very eyes.
Outside, Vic and his gang had already leapt into the Jaguar and drove off at high speed to avoid the filth, it was a close call indeed.
Slicking back his hair, Jack pulled the microphone to his mouth. “You bloody fool Harry; listen everyone, the ramblings of a madman!”
The crowd was whipped into a frenzy by now and a multitude of suits and cocktail dresses milled about like headless chickens.
“Everyone, please keep calm, the police are outside now, let’s all stay calm, I have an announcement!”
The guests, against their better judgments were persuaded to stay and listen as they watched Harry writhe in agony on the floor in front of them.
“I had a private security firm track Harry down. They thought he would head for home and they were right. They eventually brought him here, a sick stunt I know. The guns were fake, it was all a bizarre act but I wanted you all to know how thoroughly mental Harry was to remove any doubt in your minds. The police are just arriving now … hello officers.”
Everyone just stared in sheer disbelief at such a cruel stunt but it looked like no one was going home, there might be something more to see.
The police lights were flashing outside and several Met officers were striding in to take charge of the situation.
Harry couldn’t quite believe it, it had been a trick all along!. Humiliation, just as he thought. He just wanted to die right now.
Looking into the crowd, he saw a familiar set of eyes peering back at him. She had managed to claw her way through the crowd and stared back at him with not a single feeling of compassion left inside of her.
Harry rolled over onto his side and started to sob. He now knew Vic must have murdered Becky and Dr Clarke after all.
“Officers take this madman away. It’s Harry Rowlandson, look at the state of him, I am surprised he made it out of the institution in the first place, he’s pathetic!”
Jack was smiling at the officers and back at him. He knew Harry wouldn’t last a single month at the centre in his condition.
The police officer walked up the steps and towards Harry. It seemed like a lifetime to him. He couldn’t take much more of this and to add to it, he could hear Jack’s laughter over the loudspeaker as the guests started clapping at his arrest.
Harry was pulled upright to sit on the floor and he laid out his hands for the handcuffs that would surely follow.
The officer took off his hat and looked at Harry with the utmost humility. “Are you ok, Mr Rowlandson?”
“What do you think officer? Does he look alright to you? Arrest him for God’s sake!” shouted Jack.
The man stood up and motioned towards Jack. In one swift move, he had Jack twisted around with his arms behind his back and handcuffs snapped quickly into place.
“Jack Mayes, I’m arresting you on two counts of murder and attempted murder. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”
Jack shouted back at the arresting officer. “This is a complete outrage, you’ve got the wrong man for Christ’s sake, he’s sitting right there in front of you!, are you blind?”
The officer snapped back. “Quiet down Sir, we’ve had a tip off about the whole operation and Miss Rebecca Trevor has made a statement denying Harry’s involvement in her attempted murder.”
Slowly but surely. the sunshine came flooding back into Harry’s life as it dawned on him that Vic had kept to his word after all. He could sense a glimmer of hope invade his being and that maybe, just maybe, things might just turn out right again.
“Thank you Vic,” he murmured to himself.
The guests were as astonished over the events as Harry was and what started as a slow round of applause turned into a chorus of hands as they all stared at the man who had been through sheer hell at the hands of Jack and Suzy.
It came slowly at first but a few of the guests made their way over to Harry and helped to lift him up and back down into the crowd below. It was a sheer moment of pure emotion and Harry found he couldn’t hold himself back anymore and began to sob wildy.
Bob Austin was the first to speak, “Blimey Harry, you look a mess.” and began to smile.
The all consuming feeling started others crying too and Harry found his virtual shell of pain and suffering quickly rise up and away from him. He had travelled to the sheer depths of hell and back and he now stood tall to shake the hands of everyone around him.
Jack could see his throne crumble to dust before his very eyes as the police dragged him away, he was still screaming his innocence as he walked past the sickening scene of an elated Harry amongst his friends once more.
Suzy was nowhere to be seen. She had tried to slip out of a side door but had only managed to make it a few yards before she was bundled to the floor by an officer.