Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
Chapter one.
It was just another day at the office for Tim, well more like a night at the office as Tim was a cleaner and most of his work was cleaning offices, after hours. Tim was thirty two years old and single, he was average hight and had shoulder length hair, which he knew what no longer fashionable. He worked for a cleaning contractor, cleaning eight levels of a multi story building in the financial sector of town. In fact all eight levels were occupied by the same financial management company, Octopus Financial Services.
Tim was brought up by left wing hippies so his opinion of the professional classes was not all that good. But he tried to be polite and not let it show if he came in contact with any of the people who worked in the building. Luckily for the most part they were long gone when his working day started. Much to Tim’s surprise some of the people working in the building did not fit the profile of spoilt rich brats, in fact some were quite nice. Well nice enough to acknowledge Tim’s existence and thank him for his work.
Glen the CEO of the company was one of the nice guys and often when working late would make a cup of tea for Tim and John, Tim’s co-worker. Three very different people, Gen came from a wealthy family, went to the best schools, he was around Tim’s age, very polished and confidant, very much a product of his education and upbringing. John was the complete opposite, brought up by a signal mother in complete poverty, he was a few years younger than Tim and sometimes could be a bit angary with the world. Tim’s up bringing was some where in the middle of those two, but the three of them would forget all that for a few moments over a cup of tea. The conversation ranged from movies, music to sport and women, and sometimes, the meaning of life.
This night was much like the night before and the night before that, cleaning dust from desks, computers etc, vacuuming, emptying waist bins, there was a rhythm to it, clean one office and move on. It was just after twelve, John was cleaning the bathroom and Tim was about to clean the board room but he found Glen in there working on a presentation. The board room was a bit like a fish tank, with glass walls on two sides and floor to ceiling windows on another side. The end wall had what looked like a large TV screen on it and there was a long table in the middle taking up most of the room. The chairs were plush office style on wheels and were positioned around the table. There were two glass door one at each end of the room.
“Sorry mate I’ll come back later,” said Tim.
“I want be long,” replied Glen.
Gen looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders so Tim said nothing more and moved on to the next room. The room next to the board room was a bit of a secret room, it was an observation room. There was a one way screen which enabled any one in the room to watch and listen to what was happening in the board room. From the board room side it looked like there was a large TV on the wall but it was actually one way class. Very few people known of this room, only Glen plus a few other high up executives and Tim, well the room had to be cleaned and Glen trusted him.
After vacuuming the room Tim wiped down the desk top and then cleaned the glass. Before and after cleaning a room Tim was required to take a photo to prove to his employers that he was doing his job. Tim found this to be very insulting and hated having to do it. He took a photo of the finished room and was about to move on to the next room when he saw, though the one way screen, four men walk into the board room. They had Glen’s executive assistant, Glenda by the arm and one had a gun in his hand and all four did not look like financial planers.
Glen glanced at the one way screen before one of the men pointed the gun at him.
Tim looked though the one way screen and felt completely helpless as he did not have a mobile phone with him as it was another one of those things his employer would not allow. There was no phone in the secrete room so all he could do was watch and listen. He then realised that he had a camera so he turned it to video and pressed the record button before placing it in front of the one way screen.
One of the men pushed Glenda onto the seat next to Glen who tried to reassure her by taking her hand.
As Tim looked on he recognised one of the men, he was the Deputy Police Commissioner. One of the other men looked familiar but Tim could not place him. He was an older man, bald with tattoos on one arm, he was wearing a cheap suit that looked well used and was holding the gun.
Glen was sitting at the head of the board room table with a lap top computer in front of him, the Deputy Police Commissioner sat down to one side of him while the man with the gun got another chair, pushed Glenda to one side and sat to Glen’s other side. A third man stood behind Glen holding the back of his chair and he looked like some sort of bikie, leather jacket, tattoos, the lot, not the sort of person you would like to run into in a dark ally. The fourth man stood in the doorway keeping an eye on the hall way, he also looked like some sort of bikie.
“How are you Glen?” said the man with the gun.
“Not to bad,” replied Glen, then adding “how are you?”
“We want our Money,” said the Deputy Police Commissioner.
“It’s all locked up in long term investments,” replied Glen.
“I don’t care,” said the man with the gun, and then added “you need to find it.”
“We also need all records of our dealing to disappear,” said the Deputy Police Commissioner.
“Don’t worry the only records are in this lap top,” replied Glen, then adding, “I never wanted to be involved in this, you forced me.”
“Don’t be like that, Glen, you know we would never hurt Glenda here” said the man with the gun.
“Come on Glen, there must be something you can do to get our money,” said the Deputy Police Commissioner
“If I can get you this money, will you leave me alone?, replied Glen.
“Of course we will,” said the man with the gun.
The Deputy Police Commissioner handed Glen a piece of paper and said, “transfer the money to this account Glen, that’s a good boy.”
Glen typed on the lap top for a few minutes and then said, “there it’s done.”
The Deputy Police Commissioner played around with his mobile phone and then nodded at the man with the gun.
“Well done Glen, that wasn’t hard” said the man with the gun.
He then stood up and took a silencer out of his jacket pocket and started screwing it on to his gun.
“Hang on, there is no need for that I’ve done what you wanted, I want talk,” said Gen.
The Deputy Police Commissioner and the other man moved away while the man with the gun pointed it at Glen.
Glen seemed resolved to his fate and just sat there looking straight at the one way screen.
Tim looked on from the secret room unable to do anything, he thought about making a noise to create a distraction but it all became a bit academic as the man with the gun pulled the trigger.
Glen slumped back in his chair, motionless, he then turned the gun on Glenda, who tried to run but only got a few metres. Tim could not believe what he was seeing, the cold blooded murder of Glen and Glenda right in front of him. Before he had time to take it in he saw John walk into the board room from the second door.
“Sorry Glen,” said John, before he realised what he was looking at. The man with the gun took a shot at John but missed as John turned and ran out the door and down the corridor. The two bikie types ran after him while the man with the gun and the Deputy Police Commissioner ran in the opposite direction in an attempt to cut him of. There were only three ways out of this building, two fire escapes and the lift and John knew the building well. John ran down the fire escape with the bikies in pursuit, as he ran past the door to the next level he pushed it open but then kept running down the fire escape. The fire doors had a self closing mechanism that worked quite slowly so by the time the bikies got to the next level down the door was still closing, so they went on to that level.
John continued down the fire escape for a few more levels, ending up on level twelve. This level was all open plan type offices with many places to hide if needed but he was heading for the lifts. Before he pushed the button to call the life he saw that one of the lifts were moving so he headed for the second fire escape. By their nature fire escape stair wells amplify sound so John opened the door very slowly and listened for any sound of movement. It was all quite so he headed down the fire escape knowing that this stair well had an exit just near the building security’s front desk.
As he ran down the fire escape John started to question his plan to go to security as who ever was in that lift might be waiting so he decided to go all the way down the fire escape which would take him out the rear of the building into the staff car park. This door was alarmed so as soon as John opened it there would be an alarm. This could be a good thing but it could also be a bad thing. John stood at the door for a few moments, took a breath and opened it but he did not go out into the car park, he ran back but the stairs to level one and hid just behind the door so he could listen. After a few minutes a security guard arrived but he had one of the Bikies with him who was talking on his mobile phone.
“The alarm on the rear fire door has gone off so he must be in the car park somewhere,” said the bikie.
With everyone off chancing John, Tim came out of the secrete room and went into the board room. Glen’s dead body was still sitting at the head of the table and Glenda was lying on the floor which made Tim feel very uncomfortable. Having cleaned this room hundreds of time over the years Tim knew there was a spare lap top in the cupboard at the back of the room. He took the lap top from in front of Glen’s body and replaced it with the spare from the cupboard, opening it up so as to make it look like nothing had changed. He then took Glen’s lap top back to the secrete room and waited.
After about ten minutes the man with the gun and the Deputy Police Commissioner came back into the board room. The man with the gun was on his mobile phone.
“Have a look around the car park but don’t take to much time as he might have called the cops,” said the man with the gun.
“We better get rid of this,” said the Deputy Police Commissioner as he picked up the lap top computer from in front of Glen’s body.
“It needs to be destroyed,” replied the man with the gun.
“I’ll take care of it,” said the Deputy Police Commissioner.
The Deputy Police Commissioner looked around the room checking that there was nothing that could lead back to them before they both left.
As they walked out of the board room the Deputy Police Commissioner noticed Tim’s cleaning trolley behind the receptionist’s desk, opposite to the board room.
“Was that there before,” asked the Deputy Police Commissioner as he pointed at the trolley.
“I don’t know,” replied the man with the gun, and then added, “what does it matter?”
“Look down there,” said the Deputy Police Commissioner as he pointed down the corridor. He then added, “there are two trolleys, that means two cleaners,”
“Lets get out of here, we’ll deal with them later,” said the man with the gun.
Tim waited a few minutes before venturing out of the secrete room and making his way towards the lift where he heard the lift door close. He ran back to the secrete room, got the camera and the lap top and then went to the executive assistance office. He placed the lap top in a padded post bag, addressed it to Sarah, his old girl friend. He took the SD card out of the camera and placed it in his wallet and replaced it with one he got from some stock the executive assistant kept in one of the draws of her desk. He then headed down the fire escape to level two and the mail room, where he left the padded post bag in the ‘mail out’ box. While there he got the keys to one of the pool cars.
Tim continued down the fire escape and as he pasted level one a voice call out, “Tim,” it was John.
“What is going on?” asked John.
“Oh it’s good to see you, I thought they had got you,” replied Tim.
“What is going on?” asked John again.
“Buggered if I know, I was cleaning the secrete room and saw it all, they killed Glen and Glenda right in front of me,” replied Tim. He then added, “one of them was the Deputy Police Commissioner, did you recognise the one that shot at you?”
“Yer, he’s that crime boss, Big Willy Jones,” said John.
“Your right, I couldn’t place him,” replied Tim. and then added, “Let’s get out of here.”
“They must have security in their pocket as when I opened the alarmed door about fifteen minutes ago the guard showed up with one of the bikies,” said John.
“I’ve got the keys to one of the pool cars as I came by train today,” said Tim. He then added, “hang on where are we going?
“My place,” replied John.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” said Tim.
“I have to move my family,” replied John.
“Of course, but we will need to be quick, they might look for use there,” said Tim. He then added, “I’ll follow you.”
They both made their way to level one and the back alarmed door, opening it they then ran to the cars, got in and drove of into the night.
John’s home was about half an hours drive but at this time of night there was very little traffic so they were making good time. A few minutes before getting to John’s place they got separated at a set of traffic lights, when Tim stoped for a red right turn light. Once the road was clear Tim turned against the red but he was now about a minute behind John.
As Tim turned into John’s street he could see a car with its tail lights on parked outside John’s house and another car was turning left at the end of the street. Tim turned his head tight off and continued down the road, as he got closer he could see that the driver’s door of John’s car was open. He pulled up next to John’s car only to see him lying across the front seat, he got out and checked on him but he was dead from gun shots.
People started coming out of their houses to investigate the gun shots so Tim got in the car and drove of. After he turned into the next street he stopped next to a four wheel drive ute, and through his mobile phone into the back of the it.
He then drove into the city to a night club which he new from news reports of the year that Big Willy Jones owned. He parked just up the road from the club and waited, the club looked closed but there were some cars parked out side. After about half and hour two people came out, one of them was Big Willy Jones. They drove of so Tim followed them, without turning on his head lights and he kept a good distance back. They drove a few km’s and parked in a side street, Tim parked just up the road. Big Willy Jones got out of the car and went into a house while the other person stayed with the car, just standing next to the car smoking a cigarette.
Tim looked around in a skip bin in the front yard of a house under going reservations and found a good size bit of three by two timber and some rope that was being used to hold down a tarp over the skip bin. He then made his way down the road keeping low behind the parked cars till he got opposite the house that Big Willy Jones was in. His driver was standing on the passenger side of the car leaning on the front of the car facing the house with his back to Tim.
Tim walked slowly and as quietly as he could across road till he got near Big Willy Jones’s Car, he then ran for the last few metres. Swinging the three by two as hard as he could, he hit Big Willy Jones’s driver in the head. The driver fell to the ground but tried to get back up, Tim hit him again. The driver got a gun out from under his jacket but Tim hit him again with the three by two which made him drop the gun. Tim picked the gun up and pointed it at the driver and said, “get on the ground.”
Tim through the rope at the driver and said, “tire your feet together.”
Once the driver had done that Tim added, “take your jacket and shirt off.”
“Now roll over face down hands behind your back,” said Tim.
Still with the gun in his hand he picked up the other end of the rope with his left hand and looped it around the Drivers hands. He then put the gun down and tired his hands together, he grabbed the Drivers shirt and tired it around his head as a gag.
“Now you just lay there like a good guy, I want be long,” said Tim.
Tim walked towards the house, the front door was open and the hall light was on. Tim made his way into the house trying to be as quite as he could, he could hear noises from one of the rooms so he headed in that direction. He looked into the room and saw Big Willy Jones engaging in some rumpy pumpy.
“Well, well, what do we have here,” said Tim as he pointed the gun at Big Willy Jones.
Big Willy looked at his gun on the table next to the bed.
“Don’t even think about,” said Tim, he then added, “I can see why your called Big Willy.”
“Who are you?” asked Willy.
“I’m the man with some video of you killing Glen and Glenda earlier tonight and I suspect you or one of you henchmen killed my friend John. Now my inclination is to kill you here and now but I’m not going to lower myself to your level so I’m here to do a deal,” said Tim.
“You’re a dead man,” replied Big Willy.
“How did you get to be a Crime Boss with so few brains, do you want to die here tonight?” asked Tim.
“I’ll get you,” replied Big Willy.
“Oh for goodness sack, hey darling, tear that sheet, into strips,” said Tim while waving the gun at her.
“You want last a day,” said Big Willy.
“If any thing happens to me the video will be sent to the Police, Polititions, the media, you name it,” said Tim, he then added, “if you say another word I kill you here and now.”
The women had torn about four strips of the sheet when Tim said, “that’s enough, now tire him up, feet first and make sure their tight.”
The woman tired Big Willy’s feet together.
“Now tire his hands and then your feet,” said Tim.
Once she had finished Tim put the gun down and tired the woman’s hands together.
“Now remember just forget I exist and all will be well, if something happens to me the video will be released, if you try to harm me the video will be released,” said Tim.
Tim left the house, checked on the Driver as he left, took the magazine out of the gun, checking that there was no round up the spout. He wiped the gun and through it into the car, he through the magazine down the drain and walked back to the car.
He then drove to his former girl friend place where he parked in the street. She lived near a railway station so it was not out of the ordinary for unfamiliar cars to be parked in the street. It was around five in the morning so he tried to get a bit of sleep but he did not succeed.
Just a few hours ago life was very ordinary but now he found himself in a hell of a mess. His mind was spinning with, ‘what should he do?’ ‘who should he trust?’ His good friend John was dead as was Glen and Glenda and a crime boss was after him, can it get any worse he asked himself? It was now just on six in the morning so he turned the cars radio on to hear the news and thing got worse. One of the news stories was about how the Police were seeking a cleaner for the murder of two staff members a large financial company as well as one of his co-workers, the report warned that he was armed and dangers.
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