Just Another Day
By Steven Clark
Text copyright © 2013 Steven Clark
All Rights reserved
To my wonderful wife, Olwen and my children Paul and Christine
Thank you – for just being you
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Just another day – Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Just another day – Prologue
Dave Watkins was an ordinary copper. A family man with a gorgeous wife and a couple of boisterous ten year old girls.
He’d been in the police on the Docks at Liverpool for about eight years and even though the normal routine could be a bit boring, he enjoyed the excitement and thrill of the chase when things kicked off every now and then.
‘Little bit of action Davey keeps the blood flowing; keeps you on your toes lad.’ He could hear the words of his old sergeant drifting through his mind as he had difficulty keeping his eyes open. Coming towards the end of another long night shift he was thankful that it had been a quiet night. He was knackered after twelve long hours and looking forward to the warmth of his bed.
The world could wake up now, he didn’t give a toss if he was honest; he was off duty in a little while. Every one else could get up for work; he was off to bed.
The sound of the lorry revving its engine as it made its way towards the gate made him look at his watch. 20 minutes left. He stepped out of his gate house to take the exit pass. He recognised Joe, the old timer driving the wagon. Time for a bit of banter before the off.
‘How’s that shite team of yours then?’
Dave was moving to the front of the wagon to check the registration details were correct on the pass. No problem. Got the right date? Yeah, everything ok with this one.
He saw the dark figure in the passenger seat. No one he recognised. Probably just another driver getting a lift home off Joe.
‘Mornin mate’ said Dave as he turned back to speak to Joe.
He was unusually quiet. No toothy grin or fag hanging out of his mouth. Dave stood transfixed as he stared up at the driver. It was a cold morning, yet he could see a trickle of sweat running from under Joe’s dirty old cap running down his cheek.
‘OK Joe, just a quick look in the wagon before you go eh.’
Dave said no more and moved round the front of the wagon again to the passenger side. He was looking up at the passenger trying to gauge a reaction. This bloke certainly wasn’t sweating. Calm as you like.
‘What’s the problem officer?’
‘No problem, just a routine check’ said Dave as he pulled the door open.
He didn’t know it yet, but he was about to become acquainted with Luke Johnson, a violent career criminal out of prison on licence. Violent criminal doesn’t cut it really; try sadistic, violent, evil bastard; and you might just get a flavour of Joe’s unwanted passenger. The door opened fully.
‘You just made the biggest fuckin mistake of your life mate.’
Dave followed the gaze of Johnson as his eyes lowered. His knees began to sag as he stared into the barrels of the sawn off shotgun no more than three feet from his face. He saw the finger begin to tighten on the trigger.
This was definitely not just another day.
Chapter 1
Just another day. Another day, another dollar.
It’s quite strange; stupid really, the inane things that you say to yourself when you’re tired or bored or both. Another day, another dock gate, another night shift nearly finished. Yes!
‘Thank you Lord, I’m absolutely knackered.’
Dave Watkins had been a Dock policeman for just over eight years having left the Army as a 26 year old father of two angelic cherubs, Susie and Sophie. Angelic was how the twins described themselves whenever they wanted their own way, which, being kids, was most of the time anyway.
He fell for it every time when they double teamed him with their fluttering eyes and sparkling smile.
‘Dad, do you really love us; I mean, really, really love us’ was how it usually started and they would plonk themselves, one on each knee, quickly followed by their loving request for new trainers, skirts, I-pads or whatever. Inevitably he grinned; shrugged his shoulders, looked at his gorgeous wife of twelve years, Mandy, who smiled that knowing smile, gently shook her head at how her hubby was about to be persuaded by her loving children. She’d seen this little scenario many times before and went off to make a fresh cup of tea.
She turned to see her girls sitting on dad’s knee. He was lapping it up and so was she. They were a loving family who spent as much time together as Dave’s shifts would allow. They were good kids who were growing up far too fast. It never ceased to amaze her how a couple of ten year olds could be so worldly wise and manipulative. They could twist their father round their little fingers, no problem whatsoever, and she knew she was just as guilty of indulging them as their father.
She didn’t mind really, there was nothing more important in life than loving family and her family were certainly loving, just look at those two working him over!
Suddenly, the spell was broken with the shouts of ‘thanks Dad,’ and, ‘love you loads,’ as Susie bounded off his knee and up the stairs in a flash.
‘Yeah. Me too Dad; you’re the best,’ followed by a hug and a big sloppy kiss on the cheek as Sophie followed hot on the heels of her sister just in time to catch the next episode of whatever teenage show they were watching this week.
He revelled in the fact that his two girls were inseparable and did everything together. They were both alike in lots of ways; but quite different in others. Sophie, when she grew up, was definitely going to be a politician as she had an opinion about all things and expressed it often; usually instantly and always loudly. Susie was no less determined and spirited, but tended to play the mediator. You could almost see the cogs whirring in her brain as she considered all the options before venturing her views. She was the one who would always pour ‘oil on troubled water’ in an effort to take things down a level; Sophie; well, she liked nothing more than to throw a gallon of petrol on the fire; really warmed up the debate she did. Chalk and cheese. Whoever had decided that little metaphor definitely had Sophie and Susie in mind.
They had an uncanny way of seeming to know what the other was thinking and it was quite frightening at times listening to them finishing each others sentences. God help their boyfriends in years to come!
Dave laughed quietly to himself as Mandy approached with a hot cup of tea. ‘You just can’t resist them can you love. They do it every time.’
There was no anger or malice in her words. There hardly ever were. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, as she constantly told him, and he didn’t need much reminding.
As he looked at her, he knew why he was such a happy man. If there ever was such a thing as soul mates or fate, then this was definitely it. No question. There was absolutely no doubt that his kids had inherited all the genes on their mothers’ side. All the good ones at any rate; the ones that go into making witty, clever, loving and understanding people.