Gerry threw the take away container in the bin along with half of its contents. He wasn't hungry and he had remembered why he hated food that wasn't home cooked. Gerry sighed. He was thinking about his family for the umpteenth time since he was exiled from them. It was nothing he didn't deserve, after all he did put Gerry Junior's life in danger and because of that Strickland was killed. He had gone over that day so many times in his head it was like he was reliving it now.
He would never forget that moment when he had taken his grandson to the park as Paula needed to do some urgent shopping for a wedding she was attending and she refused to take her son with her as she knew she would never get anything done.
One minute he was happily watching his Grandson playing football with some of the older children there and then the next he turned his back for all of two seconds. All because some stupid woman asked him what the time was. He should have ignored her and made sure all his attention was on his grandson. But once again it was too late for should haves.
He would never forget how sick he felt when he saw little Gerry wasn't there. The pain the worry he went through especially when nobody in the crowed park claimed to have seen him.
He rang Paula instantly. That was the hardest thing, telling his daughter that her only son had disappeared. Surprisingly she was clam and didn't have a go at him It was amazing how families came together in times of crisis.
The police were very good; they got there straight away and shut down all the roads out of London. Unfortunately at the time it wasn't enough. Gerry went back to the station with officers as they wanted to interview him. He needed to tell them that this could be linked to the targeting he and the rest of UCOS had experienced by Scarby and his gang. He hadn't the heart to tell Paula that her son's disappearance may have been because of him.
"Gerry, there's a letter for you, it's come from upstairs, looks hand delivered" he remembered Brian telling him as he handed him the envelop. He opened it and his heart somersaulted before dropping down into his chest. It was a ransom note:
"We have your Grandson. Tell who you want and he will be no more, come alone tonight 11:30pm to the address below."
He read it out loud.
"You're not going alone" Brian said over Gerry's shoulder.
"Brian we have to do what he says, he has my grandson and he will be dammed if he takes him away from me" Gerry yelled.
Lighting his fifth cigarette of the evening Gerry but his thoughts to bed. For tonight at least. Because his stupidity Strickland had been killed. Because of his stupidity his grandson will grow up without his grandpa and probably will be traumatised for life.
It was no good. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing, Scarby needed to be locked up, he deserved that at least. What's more Gerry didn't care if his private investigation became public, he was going to his very best to help catch Scarby.