Gods and Monsters

IV

A400 Road, London

"Peggy..." Charlie slowly started, clearly wanting something from her. She felt like a parent who was quickly going to have to find a way of saying no to whatever their child was asking for.

"What is it, Charlie?" She would have much rather just had the radio playing at that moment. Some nice music to listen to would be perfect but although she didn't usually mind speaking to Charlie, today was just one of those days and after the nightmare of the last few weeks, she felt she was allowed one of them.

"I'm going to say something and it may make you mad but it's not as bad as it sounds, okay?"

Oh dear.

Charlie began fiddling with a button on his coat that even though it was only in her peripheral vision, was just adding to the long list of things that were annoying Peggy. Gosh, she thought. This must be what it's like to be Mike. Every single thing annoying you.

"So I never told you how I got the pub, did I? Charlie began, "Well about 9 months to a year ago, I was out in Mombasa in Kenya; a beautiful place, the crime rate is absolutely atrocious but that's beside the point. I'm playing a game of poker with a group of people, one local fella, a Jamaican man with his twin brother watching on, and a beautiful dancer who I had met a few days prior but that's another story."

Charlie had stopped fidgeting with his coat button and now was playing around with a pack of cards he had presumably found in one of the pockets. Peggy couldn't help but feel he was using them as a prop to aid his story.

"Basically, things got a little out of hand and the Jamaican said that he and his brother owned the deed to an old pub in London. Of course, I won the game and ended up winning this deed somehow. So whilst I thought that was all good and merry they sort of informed me that they had a stash of drugs they would require me to hold onto until they came to pick them up. No date, no time. Just hold onto them. Now usually, I would've said no but these men weren't exactly the sort you could just say no to."

Peggy's heart sunk as soon as she heard about the drugs. Even though he hadn't been too specific she knew Charlie meant the ones that she had stolen and now she knew of the circumstances around them she felt hugely guilty.

"So I seem to have misplaced them somewhere and as you've popped in a few times I was wondering if you may have seen a strange packet lying around somewhere?"

Peggy's mind was racing at a million miles per hour. On the one hand, she could own up, tell him it was her that stole them but then be forced to reveal her...predicament with the pills. On the other hand, she could keep quiet and hope for the best. The Jamaicans hadn't collected in over nine months so why would they suddenly turn up now? She chose the second option.

"I'm afraid not, Charlie. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm over though and let you know if I find anything." She continued looking ahead, too afraid to see what his expression was as she could see him looking at her out of the corner of her eye. Peggy promised herself that as soon as she could, she was going to bring the remaining drugs back and hide them once again, probably in a different cupboard so it would look like he had misplaced them. Problem solved. Charlie put the cards back in his pocket before reaching over to turn on the radio, some jazz song neither of them had heard but it was relaxing and that was exactly what they both needed now.

Continued in Part 5