AVENGE

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - SHANE SHAW

28.

SHANE SHAW

Patrick stepped out of his office. "You finished that Prius yet?"

Shane stood back from the bonnet. "Nearly. Just finishing off, boss."

"Good. You still want to learn the business side of running a garage?"

"Of course, boss."

"We've got a celebrity coming in soon. When he turns up I want you to bring him into the office and observe what I do and say. Apart from being able to fix their vehicles – a good mechanic should know how to treat their customers."

"Does that go for Mr Phillips also?"

"Especially for people like Mr Phillips. He may be a horrible person but he knows a lot of people. And those people know a lot of people. Word of mouth, Shane. That's what it's all about."

"Okay, boss. I'll get this finished then."

Patrick McPherson closed his door and sat back behind his desk.

Shane finished tightening the bolts on the engine block then fetched the new spark plugs from the workbench to his side. He screwed them in by hand until they would turn no more then connected the new HT leads. He stood up again and looked, with pride, at the work he'd done as he wiped his hands on the rag that had been hanging from his back pocket.

He walked round to the driver's side and reached in through the open window. He turned the key and listened to the engine purr. Not even a hint of a misfire remained. He switched the engine off and heard the unmistakeable sound of a Porsche Carrera pull up outside.

He walked to the entrance and admired the sleek lines of the supercar. This car would be faster than any of his friend's cars and that was without any enhancements. He saw Henry Morton get out. Shane didn't know him but had heard of him and sympathised with his loss. He still looked the same as when he'd saw him on the news.

Henry entered the garage. "Hello. I'm here to see Mr McPherson."

"Follow me please, sir," answered Shane. He walked to the office and opened the door. "In here please, sir."

Henry entered. "Thank you."

Shane closed the door and sat on a chair near the back of the office.

"I hope you don't mind, Mr Morton," said Patrick. "Shane is learning both sides of the business. He wants to open his own garage one day."

Henry looked at Shane again. "Of course not. Good luck, Shane. I hope you are successful."

"Thank you, sir."

"What can we do for you, Mr Morton? A service wasn't it?" said Patrick.

"Yes, Mr McPherson. You come highly recommended. You do service Porsche's?"

"We work on every make of car and only charge for the parts and labour."

"Isn't that how all garages work?"

"You'd think so wouldn't you. Some stick a standing charge on before they've even looked at the car. Plus, I guarantee we'll only do necessary work. If we spot something, we'll mention it to see if you want it done. We rely on word of mouth here."

"That's certainly how I found you. The garage I usually use has closed down."

"What type of service do you want?"

"What are the options?"

"We offer two types. The silver service includes a standard oil change, oil filter and vehicle check. The vehicle check is for making sure there are no serious faults which could result in a safety issue – like brakes and steering. We would let you know if your exhaust is corroded – that sort of thing. The silver service on a Porsche would start at one-hundred pounds. It would go up from there if the vehicle check shows up anything."

"How likely is that?"

"That depends on how you drive it, Mr Morton. How many miles has it done?"

"Around 30,000 miles, I think."

"Your clutch should still be good for another 20,000 miles then. If something like, let's say, the heat shields for the catalytic converter need replacing – that would be another two-hundred-and-fifty pounds."

"Okay. Let's go with the minimums."

"The silver service, as I said, is £100, plus. The gold service would be the same as the silver plus the brakes and coolant system would be changed – all filters would be included, not just the oil filter. The spark plugs would be changed. The cost would start from £350 and go up from there depending upon any other faults that may be found."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"The cost doesn't really bother me. It will cost whatever it'll cost. I just wanted to see you. Get a feel for your honesty – your expertise. It does sound like you know what you're doing."

"Thank you. I try my best."

"I'll come to you once a year for a full service. If you see anything that needs doing or will need doing before the next service, then fix it. You don't need to confirm it with me first. If I'm happy with your work, I'll keep coming back. When can you fit it in?"

"Next week."

"Good. Do you have a hire car? No, scrap that. I'll get someone to bring my other car. The MOT is due soon. Can you do that as well?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll see you next week. What day?"

"Hang on. I put the workbook away earlier." Patrick opened his safe and removed the workbook before closing and locking it again.

Henry had seen a gun in the safe and he frowned.

Patrick saw him. "Something wrong, Mr Morton?"

"No."

Patrick looked at his workbook. "Monday morning."

"Okay. I'll see you Monday." Henry stood up.

"Err – sir," said Shane.

Henry looked at him.

"Err. I just wanted to say sorry about your loss."

A brief, dark look crossed Henry's face. "Thank you, Shane. Are you a fan?"

"Sorry – no. I'd never heard of you before the news."

"Makes a change. A lot of people are after tickets normally. I've packed the shows in for now."

"Let me show you out," said Patrick.

"Thank you." Henry removed a card from his pocket. "If either of you need hypnotherapy – come and see me. Thank you for your concern." He gave the card to Patrick then left the office.

Patrick handed the card to Shane. "Wait here. I'll show you how to book a job in and how to create a job sheet after I've seen Mr Morton to his car."

Shane nodded and looked at the card. What's hypnotherapy, he thought.

Patrick paused in the doorway. "Shane." He unclipped his keychain from his belt." Can you put the workbook and accounts ledger in the safe for me?" He threw the keys to Shane.

"Of course, Mr McPherson."

Patrick left the office and Shane selected the safe key then picked up the black leather-bound ledger from Patrick's desk. He opened the safe and slid the ledger on top of other pieces of paperwork. He sighed as he saw Patrick's handgun lying to one side with two clips next to it.

What does he need a gun for? he thought.