Get Docherty

'I want that bastard, Benny, and when I get my hands on him I'll break his thieving little fingers.'
'What shall I do boss, park up in his street and wait for him to turn up?'
'No, he'll keep well clear for a while, now he knows we're looking for him. Get yourself round to that mate of his, Smithy, and see if he's holed up at his place.'
'If he's there boss, shall I give him a good seeing-to?'
'That pleasure will be all mine Benny. If he's there, get a grip of him and bring him here. I want him all to myself for a while. Docherty and I have things to discuss.'
'If he's not there boss, what shall I do?'
'Find him, that's what you'll do. I have a meeting with Kashani this afternoon and by the time it's over I'll expect you to have found him and brought him back here. I want him in the back office, tied to a chair and shitting himself by five o'clock. Is that clear?'
'Yes boss,' replied Benny with absolute uncertainty, 'I'll do my best.'

Benny could mix it with anyone. He was six foot two and seventeen stones and had spent most of his thirty seven years bruising his knuckles on other people's anatomies. He wasn't afraid of anybody.....except Jed Makepiece that is. Makepiece was something else. Manic and utterly ruthless. Benny had seen what Makepiece could do when he'd lost it. He was a wild animal driven by forces outside accepted human behaviour. Benny went in search of Docherty in fear of the consequences of failure.

The S Class pulled up some yards short of Smithy's house and Benny switched off the engine. The house was a semi-detached council property on a run down estate in Batley and a car like this stood out like a sore thumb.  He knew he couldn't stay here long without being clocked, so he decided to give it ten minutes or so before making a move. Benny knew this area well. He'd been born and brought up at the other end of the estate and he remembered Smithy from their school days. They'd both done time in Armley.

Benny knew Smithy would probably be at work at this time of the afternoon, so if Docherty was hiding out here he would most likely be on his own in the house. He decided the bold approach was his best option and opened his door to step out onto the pavement. As he did so, a police car swept past him and pulled up outside Smithy's house. Benny stayed put.

The young family liaison WPC climbed out of the car, locked it and approached the front door. Five seconds later the door opened and she disappeared inside without conversation of any kind. She had clearly been expected. This was a complication, and complications were not Benny's strong suit. He took out his phone and speed dialled his boss.

'Wait 'till she's gone you dim wit, that's what you do. It's obvious there's someone in there, so when the copper's gone you force your way in and do whatever's necessary. Have you got that?'

Benny got it, and waited.

Fifteen minutes later the WPC emerged from the house and headed back towards her car. As she did so, Smithy appeared on the front step and watched her drive away before retreating inside and closing his front door. Benny left his comfort zone and headed towards the house, building up a head of steam with every step.

The front door burst open with such ferocity that Jenny Smith screamed loudly from the sofa ten feet away. Smithy rushed into the room from the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks at the formidable sight of Benny Gunson standing there with clenched fists and a look on his face designed to instil maximum fear. Jenny clutched at the blanket lying beside her on the sofa and held it to her chest as if it would afford some sort of protection. Smithy stood stock still, lost for words, trying desperately to gather his wits.

Benny softened his stance, sat down next to Jenny and smiled at her. 'Don't worry love. There's nothing to be afraid of. I just want the answer to one simple question. Is Docherty here?'

'No he bloody well isn't Benny,' blurted Smithy as he moved to sit at the other side of Jenny and slide a protective arm around her shoulder, 'why the hell should he be here?'

'I didn't ask you Smithy,' Benny growled. 'Sit over there while I have a little chat with your missus.' The fact that Smithy clearly knew this intruder and immediately did as he was told increased Jenny's anxiety considerably.

'So, if I searched your house love, I'd be wasting my time would I?' he asked of Jenny, looking menacingly straight into her eyes.
'Help yourself,' replied Jenny with as much defiance as she could muster, 'there's nobody here but me and Robert.'
'OK, so which one of you is going to tell me where I can find him?'
'He's at home as far as I know, said Smithy, trying to draw Benny's attention away from his wife.
Benny stared at Smithy witheringly. 'I don't have all day to mess about Smithy, so you either tell me where he is or I'll start to get very angry, especially with this little lady sitting next to me.'
'We don't know where he is,' protested Jenny as tears began filling her reddened eyes, why should we know where he is?'

Benny paused for a moment, now finally convinced that they didn't know Docherty's whereabouts. 'Right Smithy, get him on his mobile; now.'
Smithy stared at him with a sudden realisation that there were limits on what he could do to protect his mate.

'I don't know his mobile number Benny. I don't think he even has one.'
Benny slid his hand into his jacket pocket and produced a large pearl handled flick knife. He pressed the release button and pointed the long frightening blade in the direction of Jenny's face.

Smithy pulled his mobile from the back pocket of his 501s and held it up. 'OK Benny, I'll give him a ring, for Christ's sake put that blade away.'
'Dial the number and hand the phone to your good lady here. She'll speak to Docherty's good lady, as I'm sure they're the very best of friends and she will explain that their presence is urgently required. I always find that the ladies have a far better understanding of the importance of cooperation in such matters.'
Smithy did exactly as he was told.

Meg listened to Jenny for some time without interruption, blood slowly rising into her face. By the end of their conversation, she had transformed into a volcano on the verge of eruption. Pete Docherty sat in his armchair observing his wife's chameleon like transformation with increasing anxiety. He was just on the verge of heading for the nearest safe haven when the the mobile flew across the room, thudded into the wall and clattered onto the floor in several component parts. Meg slowly rotated in her husband's direction, like heavy ordnance setting new coordinates, and an X rated monologue ensued which provided free live entertainment to the neighbours for a full five minutes. Shell shocked and humiliated, Docherty went in search of the van keys and within minutes they were on their way to Smithy's house in stony silence.

Docherty pulled up outside Smithy's house and switched off the engine.
'You know what will happen when we go in there don't you?' he said to Meg with genuine apprehension. 'That gorilla will give me another thumping. Is that what you want Meg?'
'Of course it isn't you stupid man, but you know as well as I do that if we don't go in there, poor innocent Jenny will be hurt; and all because of you Peter Docherty. Now for the first time in your life, be a man and face up to the consequences of your actions. Don't you think Jenny has enough to cope with just now, without being caught up in all this?'

Docherty suddenly had a thought and shoved his arm down the side of his seat, pulling out a tyre lever.
'And you can put that back where you found it Peter. I'll deal with Makepiece's gorilla. Just leave him to me.'

Meg banged on the front door with as much bravado as she could muster and Smithy let them in with a look of absolute defeat. Jenny was sitting where they'd last left her, on the sofa, with Benny still by her side.

'There, you see, I knew that the ladies would resolve our little problem Smithy, what did I tell you?' Benny grinned at the sight of Docherty and rose from the sofa, towering over him. 'Just the man we're looking for Peter. Now be a good boy and come with me. Mr Makepiece wants a word with you about some lost property of his.'

Meg stepped fearlessly between the two and stared upwards, straight into Benny's barbed wire nostril hair.

'You might frighten people for a living you brainless thug, but you don't frighten me. My husband will come with you if that's what you want, and he will sort things out with that gangster that you work for. While that's taking place, I will be speaking to Detective Sergeant Oldroyd down at Dewsbury Police Station, describing everything that's happened here. If Peter gets back home with so much as a hair on his head out of place I will make absolutely sure that Oldroyd is knocking on your door before bed time.'

Benny was nonplussed. Nobody had ever spoken to him like that before and certainly not a woman. His brain couldn't quite work out the consequences of what had just been said. Unsure quite what to do next, he brushed past Meg and aimed his fiercest possible glare at Docherty.
'Right Docherty, my car's outside.'

The two men disappeared through the front door and Meg slumped down onto the sofa beside Jenny, her hands shaking. The two embraced while Smithy, standing by the front window, watched his mate climb reluctantly into the Merc. He took his phone from his back pocket and searched Google for the phone number of Dewsbury Police station, something he never thought he would ever do.

* * *

Oldroyd and Annie had stopped at Greggs, just up the road from the nick, for coffee and a sausage roll each; one vegan and one full strength. Oldroyd had just settled into his desk and ripped the bag down the centre revealing his luke-warm prize, when the switchboard put the call through. He cursed quietly as he picked up the receiver.

Annie, quietly sipping her coffee whilst reading a note left on her desk, sensed something about his entire demeanour on the phone that attracted her attention. A sudden stillness, an intensity of interest at whatever was being said to him. She looked across as he slowly turned towards her mid- conversation, with a look of suppressed excitement on his face.
'Give me the address love, and we'll be with you in twenty minutes.'

Oldroyd dropped the phone onto its cradle, tore the address from his note pad and waved it triumphantly above his head, like Neville Chamberlain returning from Munich.
'Well they say everything comes to him who waits Annie. You won't believe who that was.'
'Camelot, telling you you've won the roll over?'
'No, it was Meg Docherty asking for our help.'

By the time they reached Smithy's house, Oldroyd had sausage roll pastry flakes all down his shirt and jacket, on his trousers and even on the dash board. Annie pulled into the kerb behind Docherty's Citroen van and he stepped out onto the pavement, brushing himself down frantically with greasy hands.
'Bloody hell,' he muttered audibly, 'absolutely gorgeous, but they need handling with care.'
'Bit like me then sarge.' grinned Annie as she stepped onto the pavement beside him.'

* * *

'That wife of yours has more balls than you have Docherty.' Benny suddenly blurted out. 'Quite a woman that one.'
'And she always means what she says.' Docherty responded. 'She'll be talking to Oldroyd right now, telling him exactly what's going on.'
'It'll make no difference to Jed.' Benny scoffed. 'Jed Makepiece is bullet proof.'

As the Merc pulled up at traffic lights in the town centre, a cyclist shot down the outside of the waiting vehicles and pulled directly across in front of Benny at the head of the queue. Slightly miffed by this, he responded by gently nudging the cyclist's rear wheel with his front bumper. The pugnacious lycra- clad warrior turned and hurled obscenities at the Merc, so Benny upgraded from a nudge to a shunt; causing the cyclist and his bike to part company. The inevitable outcome of this confrontation was sealed when the cyclist picked himself up, came alongside and spat at Benny through his open window. Benny calmly put the Merc into park, applied the handbrake and dismounted.

A small group of onlookers watched with mounting excitement as the big driver from the Merc pummelled the skinny cyclist into unconsciousness, leaving him and his carbon fibre velocipede spread-eagled across the central reservation. What the onlookers didn't catch on their i-phones though, was Peter Docherty quietly sliding out onto the pavement and disappearing inside a crowded 70% off sale at Dorothy Perkins.

* * *

'I'm sorry boss, but the little bugger did a runner in the town centre. Just jumped out at the lights and legged it.'
'For Christ's sake Benny, can't you get anything right? How come you didn't have the doors locked so he couldn't get out?'
'Well, he came easily enough boss. His missus told him to come with me and get things sorted , so I had no idea he'd do a runner. I was busy whacking a cyclist at the traffic lights and when I got back in the car he'd gone.'

Makepiece paused for a second to digest what he'd just heard and then continued the interrogation, with knitted eyebrows.

'His missus told him to come with you and you whacked a cyclist at the traffic lights in the town centre?'
'Yes, she told him to get things sorted with you and then she said she was going to ring the coppers and tell them what was happening. She said if he came home with so much as a hair out of place, the coppers would be round before bedtime.'

'So let me get this straight Benny,' growled Makepiece, his fists beginning to clench. 'Docherty has done a runner from my car, his wife has rung the coppers and told them what's happening and you've whacked a cyclist in the town centre, where it will have been recorded on CCTV?'

As Benny carefully considered these words, a huge haymaker of a punch emerged unannounced from nowhere and rendered him unconscious for a considerable period of time. Makepiece left his hapless henchman spark out on the office floor, switched off the lights and went home.