Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

PRESENT DAY: EARLY HOURS

T he quiet village of Stonesend and its neighbouring hamlet, Longbridge, were mostly in darkness, aside from the warm glow of the moon that enshrouded them, but Needles was too hyped up to sleep.

Chelsea's win had excited him, and then that fucking vigilante had gone and ruined everything. Standing up for a Paki, of all people. It made his blood boil. It was no good. He needed to get it out of his system and knew exactly how. Needles' joyriding had been driving the locals mad for some months. Needles couldn't care less about them. He was angry and needed to get it out of his system.

The Vigilante was exhausted. The adrenalin was pumping through his veins, and his head was still buzzing from earlier.

He would have been thrilled to know that Sajid had thought him Superman. He'd felt far from Superman when he'd climbed from the coach. The sweat bead on his forehead had been a stark reminder of his vulnerability. His trembling hands had eventually stilled, and the frantic rhythm of his heart eased. But he had acted decisively and without hesitation.

The law, often sluggish and bureaucratic, had failed to act swiftly. So, he'd stepped in, fuelled by duty and a sense of injustice.

Looking back, he acknowledged the thrill that had surged through him – the adrenalin, the purpose. Now he had begun, he knew he couldn't stop. Tonight, he would sleep well, knowing he'd put an injustice to rights.

Down the road in Longbridge, Leigh wasn't surprised when the sound of the trail bike broke Will's guttural snores. She saw his eyes snap open. ‘It's one o'clock,' she said wearily.

It was too hot to close the window, and Leigh did not feel that having it open made much difference. The air was still and stifling.

‘I swear I'll kill the bugger,' yelled Will, jumping from the bed.

The trail bike roared, heading their way again, and Leigh turned on the bedside lamp. ‘Be careful, Will. You know what they're like,' she said nervously. Her hair had rearranged itself during the past few hours and now stood on end like a soldier standing to attention, waiting for Will's next command.

He hurriedly pulled his trousers over his pyjama bottoms and a jumper over his top. ‘Enough is enough. Racing through here in the evening is one thing, but I'll be buggered if I'll listen to the little sod at night too.'

The bike thundered past, and Leigh covered her ears before hurrying to the window.

‘Hale's out there,' she said, seeing her next-door neighbour's large frame lit up by their security light. Leigh felt her confidence rise at his presence. If Will had to go outside, he wouldn't be alone.

The rider had roared past the houses on his circuit and apparently hadn't even noticed Hale standing in the street.

‘Right,' said Will, pulling on his trainers and grabbing the torch from the bedside cabinet.

Leigh hurried down the stairs behind him. When they opened the front door, they saw several neighbours standing in the street.

‘What the hell is he playing at?' asked Hale. His torch blinded Leigh briefly, but then he lowered it, and she was shocked that he was in his pyjamas. She'd only ever seen him in a suit on his way to and from work, so seeing him in his striped nightwear felt like an invasion of privacy.

‘I've had enough of this,' he complained. ‘No licence plate and no silencer, and he's most likely not insured, and what's the bloody police doing?'

‘Sod all,' replied Will. ‘I've reported the little bugger three times.'

Leigh stood at the front door, listening to their conversation and praying they wouldn't do anything silly. Everyone knew what some of those lads who lived at Ludbrook Grove estate were capable of. The last thing she wanted was their car floured, the house egged, or something worse.

‘Wait here,' said Hale. ‘I've got an idea.'

The rumbling of the trail bike was getting nearer. Leigh edged back into her hallway. Hale returned with a long ladder, and Leigh stared in surprise. The bike was getting closer, and Leigh's heart was thumping like crazy. What were they going to do? Surely, they weren't planning on knocking him off the bike. What if he got injured? There'd be hell to pay.

‘I think we should call the police,' she said. ‘It's safer that way.'

Will turned on her. ‘If you've got nothing more useful to offer, keep quiet.'

Leigh stepped back and watched Will help Hale position the ladder across the road. The roar of the trail bike was growing nearer, and the noise seemed to vibrate in Leigh's head.

‘You block him with the ladder,' said Will. ‘Then when he turns back, I'll follow him in my car and see where he goes.'

‘No, Will,' cried Leigh. ‘Don't go to Ludbrook Grove estate.'

‘I'm not stupid. Stop nagging me.'

Then, the helmet-less rider was close to them. The brightness of the torches must have temporarily blinded him because, for a split second, he swerved, and Leigh gasped. What if he fell and injured his head? As he drew closer and saw the ladder, Leigh thought she saw his eyes turn wild and fierce. The screech of brakes made Leigh's teeth tingle. She was reminded of that scene in the film The Great Escape when Steve McQueen tries to jump the wire fence, but of course, this wasn't Steve McQueen but some ruffian from Ludbrook Grove.

Hale aimed his phone at him and took a photo. Leigh thought, He won't forget your face in a hurry. She stepped further back into her hallway.

After several attempts to get past them, the rider turned and roared off, deliberately scraping Hale's car as he did.

Will in his own car accelerated and followed the bike.

‘I got a photo.' Hale grinned, holding his phone up so Leigh could see. ‘Let's wait for Will, and then we'll get the police here.'

Leigh could barely breathe. She'd heard all sorts about the families that lived at Ludbrook Grove. What if Will got beaten up? It seemed a lifetime before she saw Will's car turn the corner.

‘I lost the bugger,' he said. ‘He shot down an alleyway near Ludbrook Grove. I couldn't get the car down there, but he's from the estate. I'm phoning DS Beth Harper,' he snarled, marching into the house.

‘You can't phone her now, Will,' protested Leigh, hurrying after him. ‘It's one in the morning. Shouldn't you phone the police station?'

‘What and be fobbed off again? I don't see why she shouldn't be awake too,' argued Hale. ‘These yobs are harassing and tormenting us daily because they can get away with it. They've damaged my car as well.'

‘Stonesend station covers all the surrounding villages, not just sodding Stonesend,' agreed Will. ‘I think we should phone Beth Harper, not some night sergeant.'

‘He saw your faces,' Leigh said, the tremble evident in her voice.

‘Who gives a shit?' said Hale arrogantly.

You don't know what they're like at Ludbrook Grove , thought Leigh. You've only lived here a few months.

‘What's the point in the police if they do bugger all?' said Will. ‘If you ask me, it's time for the public to take the law into their own hands.'

‘I couldn't agree more,' said Hale.

‘You don't have her number, Will,' Leigh argued.

‘She's on the village WhatsApp group.' Will grinned.

Leigh didn't see the point in arguing as Will was already tapping Beth's phone number into his mobile.