Slow Burn (9 page)

Salim could hear the conversation around him, but it didn’t make much sense to him. In his mind he didn’t believe that this was a drugs hit by a rival gang. The shooter was a marksman, no doubt about that. He did believe that his number was up. He would become a statistic. Abdul Salim was to become one of the legions of dead teenage victims of the ever growing number of drug gangs. 

  “Put the memory stick into his pocket,” the man called Einstein said. His voice seemed distant now. Salim felt rough hands placing something into his top zip pocket. His vision cleared for a moment, and the face of his murderer appeared. The man was ugly to say the least. His features were broad and exaggerated, his forehead protruded. A sneer crossed his attacker`s face.

“Give this to Ashwan from me, and be sure to tell him that Mamood will die slowly, unless he follows these instructions to the letter.”

 “Wrap him up. He isn’t going to live long enough to tell anybody anything, thanks to you. We`ll dump him outside Ash`s house, as we planned.” Einstein moaned.

  Salim heard the words echoing in his mind as he felt himself being cocooned in plastic. His vision distorted as the layers built up. He was turned over and over, breathing became difficult, and then impossible. Salim died as many of his young customers had, helpless and alone in the darkness. 

  Ronald Theakston held his breath and tried to stay as still as he possibly could. He shuffled backwards against the fire door, and made himself as small as he could, praying that the men in the van wouldn’t turn around and see him. The doorway had been his home for the last three months, reasonably dry and faraway from the eyes of passersby. Ronald had been on the streets for as long as his alcohol-addled brain could remember, but it hadn’t always been that way. He was a veteran of the first Gulf War, a Royal Marine. Civilian life didn’t suit him and he drifted from one dead-end job to another, before finally falling off the wagon completely and drinking himself into oblivion whenever he could afford it. He was registered to a homeless shelter, but he rarely went there. The Social Security gave him the minimum allowance allowed, and he received a nominal pension from the Marines, which enabled him to stay drunk seven days a week, if he didn’t eat of course. He was drunk, tired, and very scared. It had been a long time since he had fired a gun, but he could recognise the deadly spitting sound of a silenced nine-millimetre pistol. There were three men by the looks of things, and two dead, at least. He`d heard the name, Einstein, and something about a message for Ashwan. Ronald closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.

CHAPTER Twelve

Sarah Bernstein/ school days

Sabah Barakat was in his last year of high school, and he couldn’t wait to leave. His family, who were originally from the United Arab Emirates, had high hopes for their eldest son, but their aspirations were not the same as Sabah`s. They had dreams of him reading law, becoming a solicitor or even a barrister. His mother talked incessantly about him becoming an eminent surgeon, despite the fact he had dropped biology as a science subject. He hated science. In fact, he hated studying completely. Sabah had dreams of his own, and he had already taken his first tentative steps into a life of crime. His friend Malik Shah was buying cannabis and acid tablets from some of his older cousins, and then making a huge profit selling them to the other students at school. If anyone needed drugs for the weekend, Malik and his sidekicks were the suppliers of choice. Sabah was making good money already, and he hadn’t finished his final exams yet. He could buy new trainers every week if he chose to, and his collection of gold bling was growing month on month. Being part of the supply chain had its benefits in other ways too, primarily of the female kind. The young girls on the periphery of the gang were drawn to the male members like moths to a flame. Sarah Bernstein was one of those unfortunate girls.

 Academically Sabah was gifted, but he had no interest in his studies. The only school activity that he enjoyed was the annual chess competition. He saw it as a mental boxing match, a chance to demonstrate his superior intellect. His father was a magician at the game, and he introduced his son to it at a very early age. Sabah was by far the best player in the school, and the summer saw him smash his way through the opposition to reach the semi-finals of the competition, without losing a single leg. The final was in his sights, and regaining his title as school champion looked a fore gone conclusion. Sabah sniggered when he saw who his next opponent was to be. Richard Bernstein stood in his way, the fat Jew-boy that they`d beaten to a pulp in the park a year before. He was also Sarah Bernstein`s brother, and Sabah knew her well, most of the gang did. Sabah couldn’t wait to play him. He was going to enjoy every minute of it, or so he thought.

Richard Bernstein and Sabah Barakat were twenty minutes into the first game of their semi-final, and things weren`t faring well for Sabah. Richard Bernstein had always done well in the open competition, but he was a year younger than Sabah, and being beaten by a younger pupil was embarrassing. There were teachers drifting around, watching and refereeing, and a small crowd of onlookers, seated at one end of the sports hall, sat and watched in silence. The hall was used for a multitude of events by the school, and it smelled of polish and bee`s wax. It had a stage at one end, used to show the schools theatrical productions. When not in use it had the headmaster`s podium on it, from where daily assemblies were directed. Sabah had used his strongest opening moves, but Richard Bernstein had a counter measure for everything that he tried. Sabah was in danger of losing a game, so he decided to apply a different tactic when the teacher`s backs were turned.

“How are the scars, Bernstein?” Sabah tilted his head to one side to gauge the impact of his words on the younger boy.

  Richard`s eyes flickered upward for a second as the verbal assault landed, but he was toughened by years of abuse and bullying by others, and he retreated into the safety of his mind. He moved a knight, trapping Sabah`s bishop, and rook in a fork. The move meant that Sabah had to sacrifice one to save the other. Richard ignored Sabah and stared hard at the board. Sabah shifted uncomfortably in his seat, disturbed by the lack of response from Richard, and by the position, he found himself in on the board.

  “You never grassed us up, did you?” Sabah sneered. He moved the rook begrudgingly, knowing that Richard was about to take his bishop. “Fucking good job or you would have been really sorry.” He leaned forward and whispered across the table. He slapped the palm of his hand on the desk as he spoke, and a slapping sound echoed across the sports hall.

  Richard captured Sabah`s bishop with his knight. His facial expression never altered. A teacher walked by them, alerted by the sudden slapping sound. He stopped to study the board. Both boys planned their next moves mentally in silence. Sabah made his move. The teacher tutted and shook his head as he walked away, indicating that it was a poor move. Sabah frowned and tried in vain to see his mistake, but he could not. He could feel anger rising in his belly. 

  “Check,” Richard said, moving his queen into an attacking position. Sabah had left his king exposed. Sabah twisted in his seat, and bit his lower lip in frustration. He glared at Richard but his opponent never took his eyes from the board. Sabah had such a mastery of the game that being outplayed was totally alien to him. His thought process was thrown out of kilter. 

  “Sarah is your little sister, right?” Sabah moved his king out of check. He stared at Richard, but Richard wouldn’t make eye contact. “She`s a real party girl.”

  Richard Bernstein concentrated on the board. He had Sabah on the ropes, and it felt good. For once in his life, he felt that he was his attackers` equal. Sabah had been there the day he had been attacked and slashed. There was no remorse, no apologies, no forgetting the incident. The bastard was still attacking him now, over a game of chess, and Richard was not going to be bullied out of the game. Not by one of his attackers. The chessboard was his domain, and he wouldn’t be intimidated there. 

  “She`s Malik`s bitch mostly, but he shares her around when she`s stoned.” Sabah had a twisted smile on his face as he spoke. He kept prodding, probing, looking for a chink in Richard`s mental armour, but none was forthcoming.

  “Check,” Richard didn’t flinch as he attacked Sabah`s pieces again. The words had sunk in, but he wasn’t really surprised if the truth was known. His parents suspected that his younger sister was `partying` with Malik and his crowd, but he doubted that they thought she was sexually active, and being `shared`, as Sabah had so eloquently described it. Sarah had changed dramatically as she reached adolescence. She had turned from a pretty, young girl into a sexy young woman in the space of a few months. Richard had seen the changes more than his family, because of his time in hospital. They couldn’t see what was under their noses. 

 “I had a dabble myself, and I can tell you that she is talented orally. You understand what I mean don`t you? Or are you still a virgin fat boy?” Sabah whispered the last sentence. He moved a pawn to block the attack, but Richard Bernstein was playing in a class above Sabah. His game had improved dramatically in the months that he was in hospital. “Most of the guys agree that she could suck the skin of a banana.”

  “Check-mate,” Richard swooped in and trapped Sabah`s king. Game over. Sabah`s face was a picture of confusion; he hadn’t seen the move coming. It`s one thing knowing that your being beaten, but another when the killer blow comes out of the blue.

  “Take the move back now, Bernstein,” Sabah hissed through clenched teeth. He leaned over the board aggressively, trying to intimidate his younger opponent. “Take the piece back or you`re dead when we get outside!”

  Richard sat back in his chair and raised his hand in the air to attract the attention of a teacher. He reached into his pocket with the other hand and took out a Wagon Wheel biscuit. He bit the wrapper from it with his teeth while he waited for the teacher to arrive.

 “I`m warning you, Bernstein! Keep your mouth shut!” Sabah couldn’t believe that Bernstein was being so blasé about his threats. He was going to teach him a lesson, one he had never forget. He was so angry that he couldn’t get his words out properly. 

 Richard looked through his tormentor as if he wasn’t there, and kept his hand up. He took two bites from the chocolate Wagon Wheel, and he munched on them while he studied the board.

 “I`m going to fuck you up, Bernstein, just you wait, fat boy!”

  “Yes, Bernstein?” a teacher approached. He wore a tweed jacket with stitched on elbow pads, and clenched an unlit pipe between his teeth. The pipe was never ignited until he was in the staffroom, but it was always there in the art teacher`s mouth.

  “Checkmate, Sir,” Richard said pointing to the board. Sabah`s face darkened with anger.

  “Yes, indeed it is. Well done, Bernstein, one game to you.” The teacher began to reposition the pieces ready to begin the next game. “Is everything alright, Sabah?” the teacher added, noting the anger on his face.

  “Sabah has just threatened me, Sir,” Richard added.

  “What?”

  “He threatened me, Sir, and tried to make me withdraw the final move. He said he would kill me, Sir.” Richard looked hard into Sabah`s dark eyes and took another bite from his snack. He chewed the chocolate snack noisily, allowing the mashed up contents of his mouth to be viewed by Sabah.

  “Is this true, Barakat?” The teacher asked, removing the pipe from his lips, and raising his eyebrows in surprise.

  “You`re dead, Bernstein,” Sabah leaned back and pointed two fingers at him, making an imaginary gun. “You`re sister`s a slut, and you`re a fat Jew-boy.” He reached out and slapped Richard`s biscuit out of his hand. For the first time Richard looked offended. He stood up and retrieved the Wagon Wheel from the floor, taking another bite from it. He screwed up his face and opened his mouth wide, taunting Sabah while the teacher had his back turned. 

  “Barakat!” The teacher was astounded by the venom in his pupil`s words. “You are disqualified from the tournament, and you`re suspended! You will report to the headmaster`s office tomorrow morning!”

  “Shove it!” Sabah stood up, knocking his chair backwards as he did so. He swiped the pieces from the board and scattered them across the wooden floor. Then he squared up to the shocked teacher. “Are you going to make me?”

  “He`s also one of the boys that attacked me in the park, Sir,” Richard said nonchalantly. The other teachers had gathered around, as had most of the spectators. The crowd fell silent at Richard`s revelation. Sabah turned toward him open mouthed. They were all convinced that they`d got away with Richard`s assault. It had been nearly a year since the police visited the school, looking for suspects. “My memory of it has come back. Sabah was one of the boys, and there were six others with him including Malik Shah and his cousins. Ashwan Pindar had the knife.”

  “I`m calling the police,” the art teacher said. He grabbed Sabah by the scruff of the neck, but he struggled wildly, breaking his grip. Sabah bolted from the room, kicking chairs over, and slamming the doors as he left.

  “You`re fucking dead, Bernstein!” Sabah`s voice echoed down the corridor as his footsteps faded.

  The remainder of the day went by in a whirl. The two detectives from the hospital quizzed him for an age. His father was there, as the responsible adult, and he remained silent throughout. Richard thought that he had seen a tear in his father`s eye, although it was gone as soon as it had appeared. The headmaster then had his turn, gathering the names of the attackers, and convincing himself that the accusations had substance. Suspending Asian pupils would be a potential PR disaster, if he got it wrong. Four hours later the inquisition had died down, and his shell-shocked parents drove him home in silence.