The Reckless Engineer (The Reckless Engineer #1)

Chapter 3: Friday, October 15 - The Day of Arrest

Jeremy filled Harry in on the history of the relationships as he knew it as Harry negotiated the two-hour drive from the Barrett Stavers offices at 127 Fleet Street to the Guildford police station through London’s Friday evening traffic. Harry had chosen the company BMW for the long distance drive out of the City, leaving his Mercedes parked in the underground garage.

‘I lost touch with Jack shortly after I moved to London from Portsmouth,’ Jeremy concluded. ‘And I hardly knew Michelle at all.’

‘How does he know about our firm?’

‘Well, Jack helped me move. He’s a superb engineer and I asked for his help, in particular to move my workshop from my Portsmouth garage. He helped me pick out some new equipment for the lab and set up my lab with me.’

It had been a misty Saturday morning in late autumn when the movers had arrived at Jeremy’s apartment at 19 Moore Street in Kensington, South-West London. He had bought the two bedroom ground floor property, raised above the street level by a flight of seven stairs, twelve years ago with a deposit borrowed from Dad and had just reclaimed it from the tenants he had been renting it to. Jeremy had packed up his workshop in Portsmouth with Jack’s help the weekend before. Outside his flat they had loaded the equipment straight into the self-drive van from the movers’ lorry, alongside the new equipment that he had bought, as a dense fog descended upon them like thick grey wet blankets thrown off rooftops. They had driven over and set up the equipment in the new lab in Jeremy’s wing of the 4th floor offices of Barratt, Stavers & Associates.

Afterwards they had burst open a bottle of champagne in the office, Jeremy exultant with pride at the company and the laboratory he now owned. He had felt the light weight of responsibility on his shoulder even back then, but the chilled champagne had hit his palate and drenched his skin, intoxicating him with optimism and confidence. Luck had been with him thus far for Harry had given him a leg up by letting him have the office space for a fraction of its real worth. That evening Jeremy had taken Jack out to dinner and invited his friend to join the company as his partner.

‘We will make the perfect team together,’ he had urged.

‘Ah, man, you know I would if I could. But I hardly have enough time in the day to catch some sleep as it is,’ Jack had declined with a smile and a pat on his back.

A year and two months later that weighty hand on his shoulder was a ton heavier and had the grip of an ever tightening vice. Radio Silicon’s last contract had long been finished. He had to find a client soon, in this economy, before his savings and his credit line ran out, or he was going to have to let young Sean go. Thank God for Harry who was now covering Jeremy’s part of the rent and keeping him distracted from his often empty workdays. He knew, however, it could not go on like this for much longer. 

‘So Jack’s been up in our offices?’ Harry mused, crinkling his nose, trying to remember.

Jeremy rose out of his thoughts. ‘It was a weekend, Harry. No one else was in.’

‘Ah.’ Harry nodded.

They drove on. The grey asphalt cityscape was being replaced by the greenery of the approaching countryside. Jeremy rolled down a window and breathed in the fresh autumn air.

‘Did Jack ever confide in you about how he felt about the two women? Clearly he has continued the relationship with Michelle. But what’s happened to Sally?’

‘The weekend I moved to London Jack said he was “hooked” on Michelle. He mentioned she was a bit of a wild-cat in bed.’

Harry raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused, sideways glance.