Chapter Thirty-seven
Aware that s many aspects of modern living provided the means whereby individuals may be located, Ray decided to leave his cell phone at home, he disconnected the GPS device in his car and he made a maximum withdrawal from his bank account with his Visa card before he left town. He had to manage with cash, not daring to use plastic as that would show where he was to anyone who was looking for him for whatever reason. Lastly, he had to change his appearance. His normally short hair was easy to deal with; he bought – with cash so no one would know – hair dye so that his normally brown hair would be black. He had speed cop style reflector sun glasses and denim clothing helped him merge into a background of everyday look-alikes. He took a risk with the registration plates on his car but where he was going he could hide the car and not use it once he was settled. He was obliged to stay incognito and off the radar for exactly one month and two weeks before having to appear at Tonelli’s trial.
The drive to an obscure spot in the mountains took most of the day and the cabin he rented (again with cash) stood apart from the other little log houses that in season were rented by folks who wanted to hunt and fish or merely ride their bikes over the wild terrain. Using a false name and address when booking in with the rental company, Ray felt he was safe. All he had to do was wait. At first it was not easy. Every time he heard a vehicle start or stop he ran to the window of the cabin to ensure that it was not someone approaching him. However, after the first week he began to relax and enjoy his surroundings. He walked around the lake, he read books, even wrote a little. He had always wanted to write an autobiography. He knew it would be of little interest to anyone as he was a nobody but it was fun writing down his early memories of growing up and putting on paper some of his anxieties about his sexuality.
The days passed peacefully and Ray had changed his appearance still further by allowing is beard to grow and his time spent in the open meant the exposure to the elements gave him a color that was shades darker than the pale features of an office worker-cum-city-dweller. The regular exercise trimmed him down and put a fresh spring in his step. His only link with the outside world was small portable radio and it acted as his calendar. He began to feel anxious once more as the day of the court hearing approached but he remained confident that he was unrecognisable. With just one day to go, he drove back to the city and rather than go home he booked into a motel. From there he phoned Denis Bulstrode.
‘Just to let you know I am ready to go to court tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Thank God!’ Bulstrode replied. ‘We thought you had been kidnapped or killed by Tonelli’s men as you had disappeared. Where the hell have you been?’
‘Let’s just say I went to ground. I may yet have to use my hideaway, so I am not prepared to divulge its whereabouts to anyone,’ Ray replied. ‘See you in court tomorrow.’
His next act was to phone Joe and invite him round to his apartment. There was some truth in the adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’. During his stay at his hideout, Ray missed Joe’s companionship and was eager to get back with him. Joe seemed just as keen and he questioned Ray wanting to know why he had vanished.
‘Come round and I will explain, no point in wasting time on the phone, I have to be up early tomorrow for the Tonelli trial,’ Ray told Joe.
‘Man, am I pleased to see you?’ Ray said as he let Joe into the apartment.
‘Me likewise,’ Joe said as they fell into one another’s arms. They hurried to the bedroom and in seconds there was a muddle of pants and underwear around the tangle of ankles and feet and the only sound in the darkened room was that of heavy breathing and the odd groan. Flesh was pressed hard up against flesh and then a voice could be heard saying, ‘I missed you. Why did you go away?’
‘I had no choice; had I stayed he would have found me. Only now is it relatively safe for me to be here.’
‘Why are you so afraid of him?’
‘I know what he did. I am the only person who can tell the truth about him.’
There was a further spell of silence.
The trial did not last long. The video evidence coupled with Ray’s eye witness account made the proceedings a virtual open and shut case. Ray had maintained his changed appearance so that when he was confronted by a mass of photographers as he left the court room the pictures that appeared on TV and in the papers bore no resemblance to him once he got home and shaved his beard. A visit to the barber shop finalised the change but he could not hide the tan on his face or the new spring in his step.
The gang leader had accepted his fate as had his wayward son. With them both behind bars their erstwhile cohorts swapped their allegiance to other criminal fraternities and so Ray was safe to return to his work and old haunts.
‘All’s well that ends well!’ George said to Scott as they put aside this latest tale in their collection.
‘It certainly turned out OK for Ray, he was lucky. I would have thought that Tonelli would have got to him but it just goes to show that some crooks are not quite as powerful as they are made out to be.’ Scott observed.
‘It’s just a story!’ George said, ‘I doubt that there is any truth in it... just fiction.’
Aware that s many aspects of modern living provided the means whereby individuals may be located, Ray decided to leave his cell phone at home, he disconnected the GPS device in his car and he made a maximum withdrawal from his bank account with his Visa card before he left town. He had to manage with cash, not daring to use plastic as that would show where he was to anyone who was looking for him for whatever reason. Lastly, he had to change his appearance. His normally short hair was easy to deal with; he bought – with cash so no one would know – hair dye so that his normally brown hair would be black. He had speed cop style reflector sun glasses and denim clothing helped him merge into a background of everyday look-alikes. He took a risk with the registration plates on his car but where he was going he could hide the car and not use it once he was settled. He was obliged to stay incognito and off the radar for exactly one month and two weeks before having to appear at Tonelli’s trial.
The drive to an obscure spot in the mountains took most of the day and the cabin he rented (again with cash) stood apart from the other little log houses that in season were rented by folks who wanted to hunt and fish or merely ride their bikes over the wild terrain. Using a false name and address when booking in with the rental company, Ray felt he was safe. All he had to do was wait. At first it was not easy. Every time he heard a vehicle start or stop he ran to the window of the cabin to ensure that it was not someone approaching him. However, after the first week he began to relax and enjoy his surroundings. He walked around the lake, he read books, even wrote a little. He had always wanted to write an autobiography. He knew it would be of little interest to anyone as he was a nobody but it was fun writing down his early memories of growing up and putting on paper some of his anxieties about his sexuality.
The days passed peacefully and Ray had changed his appearance still further by allowing is beard to grow and his time spent in the open meant the exposure to the elements gave him a color that was shades darker than the pale features of an office worker-cum-city-dweller. The regular exercise trimmed him down and put a fresh spring in his step. His only link with the outside world was small portable radio and it acted as his calendar. He began to feel anxious once more as the day of the court hearing approached but he remained confident that he was unrecognisable. With just one day to go, he drove back to the city and rather than go home he booked into a motel. From there he phoned Denis Bulstrode.
‘Just to let you know I am ready to go to court tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Thank God!’ Bulstrode replied. ‘We thought you had been kidnapped or killed by Tonelli’s men as you had disappeared. Where the hell have you been?’
‘Let’s just say I went to ground. I may yet have to use my hideaway, so I am not prepared to divulge its whereabouts to anyone,’ Ray replied. ‘See you in court tomorrow.’
His next act was to phone Joe and invite him round to his apartment. There was some truth in the adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’. During his stay at his hideout, Ray missed Joe’s companionship and was eager to get back with him. Joe seemed just as keen and he questioned Ray wanting to know why he had vanished.
‘Come round and I will explain, no point in wasting time on the phone, I have to be up early tomorrow for the Tonelli trial,’ Ray told Joe.
‘Man, am I pleased to see you?’ Ray said as he let Joe into the apartment.
‘Me likewise,’ Joe said as they fell into one another’s arms. They hurried to the bedroom and in seconds there was a muddle of pants and underwear around the tangle of ankles and feet and the only sound in the darkened room was that of heavy breathing and the odd groan. Flesh was pressed hard up against flesh and then a voice could be heard saying, ‘I missed you. Why did you go away?’
‘I had no choice; had I stayed he would have found me. Only now is it relatively safe for me to be here.’
‘Why are you so afraid of him?’
‘I know what he did. I am the only person who can tell the truth about him.’
There was a further spell of silence.
The trial did not last long. The video evidence coupled with Ray’s eye witness account made the proceedings a virtual open and shut case. Ray had maintained his changed appearance so that when he was confronted by a mass of photographers as he left the court room the pictures that appeared on TV and in the papers bore no resemblance to him once he got home and shaved his beard. A visit to the barber shop finalised the change but he could not hide the tan on his face or the new spring in his step.
The gang leader had accepted his fate as had his wayward son. With them both behind bars their erstwhile cohorts swapped their allegiance to other criminal fraternities and so Ray was safe to return to his work and old haunts.
‘All’s well that ends well!’ George said to Scott as they put aside this latest tale in their collection.
‘It certainly turned out OK for Ray, he was lucky. I would have thought that Tonelli would have got to him but it just goes to show that some crooks are not quite as powerful as they are made out to be.’ Scott observed.
‘It’s just a story!’ George said, ‘I doubt that there is any truth in it... just fiction.’
























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Nick probably got tired of all the celebration on the "farm" in the country.... But you know those country boys







