Kiss the Teddy: (Why Dont Yer?)

By Lyn D. Jackson

There had been six armed robberies in quick succession, carried out by two men in black wearing balaclavas, and they left no clues to their identity. They seemed to leave the bank and disappear into thin air: there was never a getaway car. Detective Chief Inspecto Bland and Sergeant Boyd were being pressured to do something, and do it now!
Then one night they robbed the local Dog Stadium, where Bland and his family were having a night out, and things began to change. Hovering in the background was a weird mother and son, she was in a wheelchair and they spent a lot of time in the local charity shop. The mother spent most of her time staring out of the window, watching the bank opposite..............

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: May 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468578904

Lyn D. Jackson

Lyn D Jackson was born in the Medway Valley in Kent and was brought up there during the war years. She still lives in Kent with her husband in the old medieval town of Faversham. She came to writing late in life after the children had married and left home and she had retired. This is her fifth book but the first one she has put forward for publication. Most of her stories are written for children and young adults and those of us who are still mentally nine years old and enjoy stories about dragons and dwarves and wizards. Her stories have the element of fantasy and adventure as she feels that we all need a little magic in our lives.

Book preview

Kiss The 

 Teddy

(why dont yer?)

Lyn D Jackson

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AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

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© 2012 Lyn D Jackson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 5/10/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7889-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7890-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter One   A Meeting at the Charity Shop

Chapter Two   The Journey Home

Chapter Three   A Visit to Big Harry

Chapter Four   Unwelcome Visitors

Chapter Five   Another Robbery

Chapter Six   Aunt Matilda’s Arrival

Chapter Seven   Dinner

Chapter Eight   A Visit to the Charity Shop

Chapter Nine   A Chink Of Light

Chapter Ten   All Things Come To Those Who Wait

Chapter Eleven   Everyone has gone to the dogs.

Chapter Twelve   And Then There Were None.

Chapter Thirteen   The Visit

Chapter Fourteen   Information Gathering

Chapter Fifteen   A Clash of The Titans

Chapter Sixteen   A Nice Little Earner

Chapter Seventeen   Interviews and Shopping

Chapter Eighteen   John Innis

Chapter Nineteen   Breakfast Plans

Chapter Twenty   First Blow

Chapter Twenty-One   Clemmy

Chapter Twenty-Two   We Meet Again

Chapter Twenty-Three   Confrontation

Chapter Twenty-Four   Big Harry’s Wrath

Chapter Twenty-Five   David and Seth

Chapter Twenty-Six   At Home With The Black Brothers

Chapter Twenty-Seven   Dinners With The Boys

Chapter Twenty-Eight   Bland And Boyd Meet Jimmy Gardner

Chapter Twenty-Nine   Kelly

Chapter Thirty   The Shooting

Chapter Thirty-One   The Silver Ghost.

Chapter Thirty-Two   The Black Brothers Decision.

Chapter Thirty-Three   Hospital Visit

Chapter Thirty-Four   The Wedding

Chapter Thirty-Five   The Morning After

Chapter Thirty- Six   One More Run

Chapter Thirty-Seven   Arthur

Chapter Thirty-Eight   Vinny Starts To Unravel

Chapter Thirty Thirty-Nine   Thursday

Chapter Forty   Inside the Bank

Chapter Forty-One   Friday

Chapter Forty-Two   Oh Happy Day

Chapter Forty-Three   It Was The Midnight Hour…………..

Chapter Forty- Four   Introducing Malcolm

Chapter Forty-Five   Big Harry’s Wife

Chapter Forty-Six   Conclusions

About the Author

Previous work by Lyn D. Jackson

A Very Grave Yarn

The Blood Soaked Trail of Franco De Angelo

Murder Most Beautiful

It Started With A Funeral

Children’s Stories

The Perilous Journey Home

The Evil Magic of the Blue Dragon Tree

For Annette

The Boys are back in town

L

Chapter One 

 A Meeting at the Charity Shop

Jean was busy sorting out and pricing books in a charity shop, she had come down to the shop with her friend Joyce, to give her a little help, as she was short-handed. She was pleased to do it, as Joyce had been very kind to her when she had first come to live in the neighbourhood.

She and Robert had been married two years now, and she had moved into his house and knew no one in the area. Joyce lived three houses down and had brought flowers and chocolates to welcome her when she and Robert arrived back from their honeymoon, they had been firm friends ever since.

Jean glanced over as she heard the doorbell jangle. A man came in pushing a woman in a wheelchair. He negotiated the wheelchair, with some difficulty, to the large frock section at the back of the shop.

All right Mummy, he said patting her hand. The woman grunted.

I can’t get you any further up there’s no room Mummy. Jean noticed that he had nearly knocked over two rails of dresses in his effort to get closer to the outsize section. She carried on sorting and pricing the books and placing them on a shelf at the end of the shop. Joyce came out with two cups of coffee, she handed one to Jean and they sat down on two fold up chairs behind the counter to enjoy a well-earned break.

I see Arsenic and Old Lace are in again, whispered Joyce.

Again, said Jean, do they often come in?

"Well the last couple of weeks they have been coming in almost every other day, they must be new to the area.

Really, said Jean.

"He’ll move her in a minute, he’ll push the chair back up the shop to the window, so she can look up and down the high street, while he picks out one dress at a time and brings them over for her to look at. All she ever does is grunt and they have never once bought anything. Jean looked out of the window, what was there to look at? Just the usual things, there was a grocers shop, the butchers, the bank, the pub and a garage on the corner. There was a seedy hotel next to the bank and that was all.

There he goes, said Joyce jabbing Jean in the ribs.

Look Mummy there’s not much room here, I’ll sit you by the window and bring things down for you to look at. The light is better there and you will be able to see what you are looking at. He forced the wheelchair down the gangway and placed her by the window facing out. He then went back and picked a dress off the rail and brought it over to her.

Look at this Mummy, such a pretty yellow and a little lacy collar, isn’t that nice?

She grunted.

All right Mummy I’ll look for something else. He went backwards and forwards a half a dozen times and the response was always the same, just a grunt. Joyce went back into the room at the back and Jean returned to her books.

Suddenly he called over,

Miss I say Miss, and he signalled to Jean and she went over.

"Can I help you Sir? She said.

Yes, he said, Mummy likes this dress.

I’m afraid it’s not in your mother’s size, said Jean, perhaps we could find her something else. The dress was pink in a size twelve and the short stocky woman in the chair was at least a size twenty-two. She resembled a short squat Greek wrestler with muscles to match, big arms, tolley bottle legs and huge shoulders. She had piercing blue eyes and her face shone like a rosy pink apple. The round face was framed by blond curls, which Jean suspected was a wig.

Look Mummy this nice lady is going to help us find a nice dress. Now how much have you got to spend? He tried to open her beaded purse but she clutched it to her chest.

Now come along Mummy. The nice lady can’t help us if you don’t tell her how much you have to spend. The woman screwed up her face like a sour lemon and opened her purse tipping the contents onto the counter. There were no notes, just silver and copper. The sum total was four pounds and fifty-nine pence.

Of course Mummy wouldn’t want to spend all that.

Jean suddenly thought of a hideous blue patterned dress in the back room. She and Joyce were going to put it in the ragbag to be taken away. It had been steamed and was hanging on a large anger behind the door. It looked as though it would fit a sumo wrestler. Perfect thought Jean and she went to fetch it. She carried it through the shop as though it was a wedding gown.

I thought that blue would suit someone so fair especially with your blue eyes, she said to the mother. The mother grunted, Jean looked at the son.

Mummy really likes it, he said, how much is it?

Two pounds, said Jean.

That’s too expensive, said the son, couldn’t you give us a discount?

I’ll have to ask, if you’ll excuse me for a moment. She went into the back room and told Joyce that they wanted a discount on two pounds. Joyce laughed,

You have to admire their nerve, she said, get what you can for it after all it was only going into the rag bag. Jean sighed and went back into the shop.

My supervisor says you may have thirty pence off.

Oh it’s still too much, said the son, she’s only a pensioner."

One pound fifty is my last offer, said Jean, after all its in a good cause, think of all those starving children in Africa.

Of course, of course, said the man, Mummy wouldn’t mind paying over the top for charity. Jean held her tongue. She put the dress in a bag and handed it to the mother. The son counted out one pound fifty in small change, mostly copper, keeping the silver, and then made Jean count it.

Wouldn’t like any mistakes, he said, we are honest folk.

Thank-you, said Jean.

Joyce came bustling out of the back room,

Jean I’ve got to close the shop, I’ve just had a call to go to another branch they have some kind of crisis, its really urgent. I’m so sorry, how will you get home?

Don’t worry I’ll walk, said Jean, its not far.

Oh no Mummy and I couldn’t allow that, especially after you were so kind to Mummy, we’ll give you a lift home, said the son sidling up to Jean.

Oh no, said Jean, its really quite all right, I wouldn’t like to put you out.

Its not putting us out, you live in that lovely mansion house just around the corner from us, please let us do this for you, Mummy will be so upset if we don’t. How can he tell thought Jean, she never says anything – just grunts.

They all went outside and Joyce locked up, the son got his mother into the back seat of the car surprisingly quickly considering her size. He folded the wheel chair and put it in the boot.

Sorry about this, whispered Joyce, as she got her car keys out of her bag, "I’m sure you’ll be alright with Arsenic and Old Lace. She then disappeared around the corner. Thanks a bunch thought Jean.

Chapter Two 

 The Journey Home

C ome along nice lady, said the son, holding the back door open so that Jean could sit next to his mother.

I don’t like people sitting next to me, he explained, it makes me nervous. June suddenly noticed that the mother had a huge Teddy sitting on her lap.

Oh poor Teddy, said the son, He’s been on his own all this time, everyone will have to give him a big kiss. Jean sat with her mouth open in disbelief. Like hell she thought.

You first Mummy, he said and Mummy kissed the Teddy.

Now Dennis is going to kiss Teddy, and he leaned over the front seat and kissed the Teddy.

Now the nice lady is going to kiss Teddy, and Mummy leaned the Teddy towards Jean.

Er………. stuttered Jean.

Mummy and Teddy are going to be really upset if the nice lady doesn’t kiss Teddy. Jean leaned forward and kissed the Teddy on the end of its nose. She prayed that no one that she knew was looking. It was the ugliest of bears, moth-eaten with a very long snout. She leaned back in her seat and said,

By the way my name is Jean.

Isn’t that nice Mummy, the nice lady has told us her name – Jean. It makes us feel like friends. My name is Dennis but Mummy calls me Denny, don’t you Mummy dear, he said and leaned over the back of the seat and tickled her under her chin. Mummy looked unimpressed.

Mummy’s name is Flora, now we are all good friends lets go home.

At last thought Jean, she was sure that she could have walked home by now. Denny kept up a constant chatter all the way home.

Oh look Mummy, see those little lambs in the field over there, and look at those pretty flowers in that garden, and Oh look at the little pigs on that notice board, we don’t eat pigs do we Mummy, cos’ pigs is human. Jean felt guilty that she had had a bacon roll earlier.

When they turned into Jean’s road she breathed a sigh of relief. They drove up the curved drive and stopped outside the front door.

Oh what a beautiful house, said Denny, Mummy would love to see inside, it would be such a treat for her, she gets so little now that she is old. Wouldn’t that be nice Mummy if our new friend Jean invited us in for a cup of tea and a look at her beautiful home.

Jean was now out of the car and trying to think of an excuse not to let these two horrors from the twilight zone into her home. She looked up the drive and her heart sang, her husband’s car appeared, his sergeant was driving him home.

Oh Denny, Flora look, she said, here comes my husband Detective Chief Inspector Robert Bland, I’m sure he would love to thank you for bringing me safely home. A shadow passed over Denny’s face and the constant evil smile disappeared.

I’m sorry Jean but I have just remembered that Mummy has a doctors appointment, his voice had changed entirely, instead of using the camp sing song voice he used to his mother, as though he was talking to a truculent small child, it sounded deeper, more mannish, normal in fact.

The drive was circular, you drove in one way and out the other. Just as Bland’s car was pulling up behind Denny and his mother, Denny shot off down the drive and out onto the road. Well thought Jean that’s a bit different from the kerb crawling fifteen miles an hour he had done bringing her home.

Bland stepped out of the car,

Good night Boyd, might see you later, if we decide to go.

Goodnight Sir, good night Mrs Bland, and he too shot off down the drive.

Who are your friends? They certainly left in a hurry.

I must say Robert, I am always pleased to see you, but never more than today. Let’s go inside an get a gin and tonic.

This early, said a surprised Bland, not that I’m complaining, I could do with a whisky. The Super is really chasing everybody over the two bank-robbers, who walk into the bank, armed to the teeth, wearing black and dark wool balaclavas that cover their faces, rob the bank, run out of the building and just disappear. There is never a getaway car, so where do they go? They have done seven now, all in this area. Bland threw his jacket and briefcase down on a chair and moved to the sideboard.

Ice and a slice Jean? he called out.

Of course, she said as she went upstairs, take it through to the garden and I’ll join you there. Bland took off his tie and undid the top button of his shirt.

That’s better, he said and poured the drinks and took them out onto the terrace. I was a lovely warm summer evening, the shadows were getting longer as the sun was gradually dropping in the sky.

Presently Jean joined him, she had showered and changed, it was really dusty at the charity shop.

Do you fancy going out tonight Jean, there’s a do at the local. Should be nice, it’s in aid of some charity or other.

Sounds okay, said Jean, so Bland called Boyd on his mobile and told him he was going. Boyd and his partner Amanda would pick them up later.

Now said Bland, handing Jean her drink, tell me about your new friends." Jean told Bland and he laughed when she told him about kissing the Teddy.

You know Robert, I felt there was something not right about them, I actually felt threatened.

Really, said Bland, what was the son like? Jean thought back.

"Well, he had a couple of days of growth, in fact I would say that he was