At eleven thirty, Kevin and his two sons had been sitting in their 4x4 on Thornton Gardens, making sure no one was watching them. Once they were sure everything was quiet, they drove onto the drive of number seven. The three men got out of the vehicle. Tyson cut the phone wires that ran down the side of the house and Lennox made his way round to the back and used his glasscutter to take out a panel from the back door. He reached in and turned the key from the inside.
Followed by his brother and father, he crept along the hall until he reached the door where the loud snoring was coming from. The three men walked into the room, Tyson found the light switch and clicked it.
The two figures in the bed failed to notice. Nothing stirred.
“Rise and fucking shine!” shouted Lennox and then gave a loud laugh.
The pair sat up, Elsie rubbing her eyes, Vernon reaching for the glasses he kept on the bedside table.
As the glasses had the immediate effect of bringing everything into focus, Vernon saw the three men, one holding a baseball bat and another with a sledgehammer resting over his shoulder.
“Who are you? What do you want? We don’t keep much money in the house, but you’re welcome to it. About four hundred pounds, I think.”
“Oh yeah, we’ll be taking that for sure. But it’s you two old fogies we want.”
After giving them time to get dressed, Elsie and Vernon were bundled into the boot of the 4x4, which had been backed up to the front door.
Just before he put down the boot, Kevin leaned forward in a way that threatened menace. “No funny business and no heroics if you know what’s good for you.”
The boot slammed, and everything went dark.
Chapter Thirty-One
BACK HOME
It felt good to be back in his home. Of course, everywhere Roger looked there were photographs to remind him of his beautiful daughter. Photos of her growing up, with her mum, her grandparents, her first pony, her first horse and lots of photos with her best friend, Sarah Parks. And of course, lots with her dad.
What do they say? A parent’s worst nightmare is to have to bury their own child.
He had to come to terms with the fact Julie was gone.
Maybe the next day would bring a little more relief. Maybe!
The next day he would go over to 39 Cheney Way and clear out the things he had there and hand back the keys. Kevin O’Connor might not get his comeupance in this lifetime, but Roger was sure when the time came he would get it in the next.
It was 11.42 p.m. when Roger walked upstairs and got ready for bed. He was usually in bed by eleven, but he wasn’t planning on going in to work the next day. In fact, if the deal with Clifton Engineering went through, and he had almost decided he would accept it, he would probably never go into work again. He would still take a couple of weeks before making the final decision, but his mind was virtually made up.
It hadn’t been easy, but by midnight, Roger had cleared his mind and was finally asleep. In his current state, he had forgotten about setting the alarm system. So at one-thirty, he wasn’t aware of the three figures hiding in the bushes to the rear of his house. And he didn’t hear the petrol being poured through the spout from the 20-litre army-green metal petrol can and into his front letter box.
After the contents of the first can had finished being poured through the letterbox, Kevin picked up the second can and walked round the house, pouring petrol on every window seal he came to. Tyson had cut a hole through the glass panel of the back door, large enough for the spout of his petrol can to deliver its contents onto the kitchen floor. Lennox had another can and was pouring petrol around the large conservatory.
Once all three were happy with their handiwork, Kevin pulled out three rags and poured petrol over them from the small amount he had kept back.
Almost together the three men set fire to the back door, the conservatory, and Kevin put his rag through the letterbox and watched as the flames took hold along the hallway where the petrol had travelled.
Keeping out of site in the hedges at the front of the house, the trio admired their handiwork.
After ten minutes, the whole house looked to be ablaze. Kevin sent Tyson round to the back of the house to make sure the occupant didn’t escape through the back door or conservatory.
Tyson carried one of the three baseball bats they had brought along. If by some miracle, Roger managed to escape the flames then he would be brought down with the bat and finished off.
Tyson was hoping he would escape and run his way. He loved hurting people. It always got his pulse racing.
Upstairs in his bedroom, Roger had woken up after hearing one of the the smoke detectors kick and then heard the loud bangs and crashes as items succumbed to the flames and either melted or exploded.
He cautiously opened the bedroom door and found the flames already creeping up the stairs and smoke restricting his view beyond about two metres.
He went back into the bedroom, took his dressing gown into the en-suite bathroom and put it in the bath and turned the cold-water tap of full power, making sure the water covered every part. Then he put it on over the pyjamas he was wearing and opened the door and made a dash along the hall to his daughter’s bedroom. Once inside he closed the door. Without hesitation, he opened her walk-in closet and pressed a button on
