Roskov book 4, p.1
Roskov, Book 4, page 1
Ricky Roskov
Book 4
Copyright © Geoff Wolak
Written in August, 2021, from an idea first formed in 2006.
This book is a work of fiction, technically accurate in the detail of geographical locations, and the time period history.
Email the author: gwresearchb@aol.com
www.geoffwolakwriting.com
A busy man…
Trish called as I sat in the glass factory with a new glass customer to look after, a potentially big order. ‘You said in your last chat show that you’d not do an American film, yeah?’
‘Yes. Why?’ I asked.
‘Got three offers.’
I sighed out. ‘Someone is not paying attention. Just ignore them. But politely acknowledge the interest. You never know, some day we may have a use for them.’
‘And Michelle?’
‘I’m waiting a call.’
That call came at 8pm in the evening. ‘They’ll let me go from the hospital in the morning.’
‘I’ll come and pick you up, but … what have your decided to do, exactly?’
‘I want to get away for a while, so … can I get some of the money due to me?’
‘Of course, but it will take a few days to get into your bank. I can get you some cash, and then … what I would like you to do is to get on a plane to Sweden.’
‘I’ll do what you ask,’ she adamantly confirmed, and I was worried, like a father with an emotionally dependent daughter worried.
‘We’ll buy the plane tickets, and I have your passport and bank cards and cheque book from the police. But listen, I could get you a place in Leicester, or you could stay with me for a while, but … then the tabloids would suggest that I was taking advantage of you and they’d be making up stories, so … I want to avoid that.’
‘I understand.’
I had to wonder if she did understand. ‘What time in the morning?’
‘They said anytime, but then the Ward Sister suggested about 11am.’
‘Do you have meds, or any warnings from the doctors?’
‘No medication to take, just sore ribs and some bruises. I’m supposed to take it easy for a while.’
‘That you can do in Sweden, but the twins are away at the moment. I’ll see you around 10.30am in the morning. Do you have clothes?’
‘Just what I was wearing at the time.’
‘We’ll buy you some, the twins are your size, and they have hundreds of dresses. Have the police spoken to you?’
‘Last night, a long interview here in the hospital, they wrote it all down and I signed it with some solicitor lady present.’
‘Will they need to talk to you again?’
‘I told them to call you.’
‘And the trial and sentencing?’ I asked.
‘I don’t need to go they said.’
After the call, I recalled the number for Trish. ‘I’ll pick-up Michelle from the hospital tomorrow morning, but are you busy for a few days?’
‘Busy? No.’
‘Take Michelle to Sweden, have a look at the house and nightclub, but the twins are away for a few days more, just Rolf there, bit of a holiday for you – and you can bill me all the costs. Get two tickets today, you and Michelle to Stockholm, Stanstead or East Midlands.’
‘I’ll pack a bag.’
‘Let me know the airport and the time, book a flight from tomorrow afternoon maybe, after 3pm. No return ticket for Michelle yet.’
My next call was to Rolf. ‘The new model, Michelle, as well as Trish, they’ll fly to you tomorrow. Do you have any trips planned?’
‘No, but some work to do.’
‘Michelle needs a quiet room to sit in and someone to talk to, Trish will have a bit of a holiday.’
‘Does Michelle need a nurse?’
‘No, but a check-up might help, just bruised ribs. Do me a favour, buy a suitcase for her, and then some clothes, she’s the same size as the twins exactly.’
‘We have a spare suitcase, new, and the twins have packets of unused clothes, knickers and socks and … many things.’
‘Sort some for Michelle then, and … talk to her when you can. She’s OK, she hated her mother more than her father, the mother knew about the abuse.’
‘Dear god.’
‘So play at being the good surrogate father. Let the twins know she’s staying, but not the full story yet, we don’t want them upset on a photoshoot.’
‘Of course.’
‘Perhaps Henrick’s wife could pop in…’
‘There is a lady doctor next door, still quite young, I will ask her to pop in.’
‘Have someone give Trish and Michelle a tour of Stockholm,’ I suggested.
‘I know the man to do that.’
‘Anything happening at the Roskov Hotel?’
‘The sheep fence is making good progress, so they report, and the local government will improve our road so that it goes all the way across to our neighbour, a spur to the dive cave, already a newspaper article about the caves, much local interest.
‘The groundskeeper you met, he is still cleaning the beach and cutting down all small bushes to burn them, and the sewage people and builders have a machine that digs a narrow trench, so there are two trenches running down the slope now.
‘The builders have marked out with tape where each pool will be located, each villa, and they make a start on the wall blocking the pool view.
‘A daughter of the old man now lives in the villa full time, drinks and food for the workers and to assist – she sends me reports.’
‘And Jacqueline’s investment?’ I asked.
‘We have struck a deal, yes, letters between lawyers, but we will make for her a nice villa a short distance away from the others, to be called the Dupont Villa. Not a big place, and it will be rented out when she is not there, but she will stay there when she visits, a locked closet for her there.’
I told him, ‘In order for our hotel to have a good reputation … it needs more than just a room and a view, we need our hotel to have a few interesting features. We have the beach, we have the old gun, we have the golf, but we should also think of other things.
‘At the moment, when you stand on the roof and look down it looks very bare, and even with ten small villas it’s still a great deal of empty land. What about horses?’
‘There is a place, very close, tame horses for tourists, and up the hill is a trail, twenty kilometre or more.’
‘Could we have a small horse stables, and people riding horses on the beach at dawn?’
‘Ah, yes, that iconic image, riding in the water at dawn. I will arrange it with them, they are tourist-focused anyhow.’
‘I’ll think of other things, and can you get those evergreen trees, but already two metres tall, and plant them in rows, to break up the area?’
‘Yes, there is a place that sells all sorts, I will price them.’
‘And price up some glass, tinted blue, because there will always be a wind there, and around the pool area we want it wind free, so a wall of glass almost two metres high would help, say a thirty metre wall south and southwest.’
‘I will find out. You want this for winter guests?’
‘Not winter, but spring and autumn will see nice sunshine but stiff winds.’
‘Yes, which is one of the reasons the villa has a high wall,’ Rolf explained. ‘In winter the wind is so strong you cannot stand up.’
‘When that high wall is down, glass to one metre would be good. People can swim without a cold breeze.’
‘The pool can be heated,’ he told me. ‘Already there is a heater inside the pool pump, but not used.’
‘It only needs to be a little warmer, not a sauna,’ I pointed out.
‘Yes, coming on at 5am for two hours.’
‘Up near the cave, can we put a holiday home, beds for four men, a lock and key, and hand it to the Dive Federation - to make the divers comfy on the surface, some place to store gear.’
‘I can arrange that quickly, yes, and that Dive Federation man is talking to the architect and builders about what may be needed inside the cave, they are making drawings together.’
‘Good, some publicity ahead of time.’
‘Everyone in Corsica now knows about our hotel, and the diving,’ Rolf told me. ‘We should see some referral guests, word will spread.’
‘Nightclub OK?’
‘Busier than before, food and drink Wednesday and Thursday, groups of businessmen eating and drinking they reported.’
‘The cave, could we get a ladder, to help in the short-term?’ I asked.
‘A ladder would need to be fixed to the wall in several places, but I can ask them to look at that. At the moment they have a counter weight, 100kg, and when a man goes down the weight goes up, and vice versa.’
‘The builders will need a ladder when they start,’ I noted.
‘They aim to first fill in floor cracks with cement, then holes on the walls, then to make a flat base with metal bolts coming out, then the stairs. The stairs will be done first of course, for access.’
Michelle
At 9am I drove with Bonza to pick-up Michelle, and I did not want to do it alone for some reason; I worried greatly about Michelle and her current mental state.
At the hospital we met again the same Ward Sister, and I had borrowed one of my mother’s coats for Michelle. We found her in jeans and t-shirt, having had a shower, and the coat helped greatly – she would have been cold otherwise. The bruises on her face had been toned down with someone’s ma
The staff all wished us well, and we stopped to pose for snaps, soon to the car and driving off, talk of Sweden, the nightclub and the Rasmussen house.
Bonza dropped me at my house, my mother sat ready with some lunch, Michelle starving it seemed. My mother had a new jumper in a packet and Michelle tried it on, a good fit.
Trish called to finalise the flight, 5pm from East Midlands, and I would meet her there at 3pm.
After eating, Michelle felt better, and we sat with a cup of tea.
I began, ‘Good that you want to get away, bumping into your school friends would be a real pain.’
‘God, yes. I have some good friends, I’ll meet them somewhere, but I’m glad to be away from the place altogether.’
‘After you’ve recovered we’ll get you some model-industry study time and some work in Stockholm - it will keep your mind busy, and then there’s the London jewellery stills to do, then filming the movie in France. But what about your exams?’
‘I’d have to go back at sit three exams. June.’
‘Your school friends would be there, and staring at you…’
‘Well … yes.’
‘You can do them privately in Oxford, or here, a few places, same exam but with people that don’t know you. I can arrange that.’
‘Do that then, it’s just three exams, a few hours.’
‘Which exams will you sit?’
‘French, History, and Geography. I’ve already done the Geography practical and the field trips, the exam is the last 40%.’
‘You can practise your French on the film set, and read in the evenings.’
‘Hard to think of you as being nineteen,’ she noted.
‘I feel older, trust me, and feeling older by the day.’
Setting off at 2pm, we made it to East Midlands Airport in good time, a cup of coffee as we waited for Trish. She arrived with luggage, and she had a few handy items for Michelle – they were similar in size.
I stood with them as they checked in, being glanced at, a few ladies smiling at me, and at Security I waved goodbye to Trish and Michelle, wondering about Michelle and her mental state; she seemed to be in denial.
Back at home, I worked on the script, looking for ways to get the actors and crew together in the same place most often, to save time and money.
Rolf called at 6pm, Trish and Michelle now with him, the lady doctor to take a look at Michelle. Eva had called Trish and wanted to visit Stockholm, so I agreed to pay flights, and for Eva to work at the nightclub at a good rate.
The following day, at 2pm, Eva was with Rolf and chatting to Michelle about all the problems with the model industry, Rolf worried that Michelle might be put off.
I told him, ‘Eva will draw a comparison, between the nice Rasmussen agency and the rest of the agencies, and that’s a good thing. Did you talk to Michelle last night?’
‘Yes, and she seems fine, happy to be free and to be way from England and her parents.’
‘Do you check the emails each day now that Ingrid is away?’
‘Yes, I am quite the model agency manager this week,’ he quipped.
‘I was thinking, about the computer sales. Why don’t we create a general computer sales business, buy in bulk and have a shop front, but behind the shop front is a warehouse, secure, and the accounts software boys and the new rental company take computers from the warehouse when they sell a rental contract.
‘In the meantime we keep control, and we keep the computers secure, and when the three geeks have matured some and trust us more we join the two companies.’
‘A psychological approach to dealing with the three young men. Odd, but practical yes, and … keeping control of the computers would ease my mind as well, and my partners.’
‘I’ll look for premises and then a manager, a shop manager. Keep me updated on Michelle, and her state of mind, and … we need to find her somewhere to live. I think, after June, that she could stay in Corsica for a while, she speaks French.’
‘She would like it there, yes, but then she would have to fly to photoshoots, an added cost.’
‘Come September she can get an apartment in England somewhere, but not near me.’
‘Why … not near you?’
‘She may have a crush on me, and … it would be awkward.’
‘It would, yes. If she lived near Calais it would be quick and cheap to get to London, also from Paris. You … have no desire to give her a massage?’
‘What if we have fifty girls like her?’ I posed.
‘You would be very tired, yes, and getting no work done. But the staff would be happy.’
Dave Maurice called me that evening, just for a chat. He had split from his girlfriend, who had not bothered to try and contact him, and she had been seen with another man already.
‘Young, free and single,’ I commended. ‘You want a part in the movie?’
‘Yes, I’ll make time. Rentals are busy in the summer, June, July and August, but in reality we do better in June and September. October is still a good month here.’
‘May 1st is the kick-off date. If I get you some exposure, then you should get some work from it afterwards. The end credits will name you, stood in a pose, not just a small line on the screen.’
‘Sounds good. What would I do in the movie?’
‘I have an idea, a straight Interpol officer, Belgian, observing Claudia to get evidence to get her fired. He falls for her maybe.’
‘A … romance scene, with Claudia?’
‘You afraid?’ I teased.
‘Yes.’
I laughed. ‘No romance scene then. Book two weeks from say 5th of May, flights to Marseilles, we’ll pay you a modest amount, travel, and food and room is free.’
‘May 5th then, arm will be OK by then.’
‘No stunts for you, don’t worry.’
Thinking, I sent an email to Trish to send to Mercedes, a baby needed for the film, a baby with odd facial expressions of surprise; the kid would be surprised at seeing Claudia topless.
The Roskov sales machine
In the rain the next day, I visited the software training company, a group of eight local businessmen having lessons on spreadsheets.
The lady owner took me next door, and we peered through the windows of an empty unit. There were offices, a large downstairs area, a huge upstairs area, and there was plenty of parking nearby.
I told her, ‘Talk to the agents for this place, tell them I’m interested, a new computer business, computer sales. Find out if this trading estate allows that.’
‘I would think so, people driving in to buy and driving off. No residents here to complain.’
‘Then find me a computer shop manager, experienced.’
‘I know someone, but what salary?’
‘How much would he want?’
‘He makes good money, or he did before he was laid off, lives halfway to Birmingham but could commute easily, wife and kid. I’d say offer him thirty grand a year.’
‘Do so, and tell him I want to meet soon, but there are laws on advertising jobs fairly.’
‘Not if he has shares, so give him one share.’
‘That we could do, yes, tie him in.’ I nodded to myself.
Back inside I interrupted the class, asking if the men were making progress and then going right off topic with talk of Jenny Patrick and Jacqueline Dupont, some loud laughter echoing around the training room.
To one I said, ‘I’m going to open a computer rentals shop, next door. Instead of buying a computer you pay rent, and each year you get an upgrade and a new unit.’
‘I was about to buy thirty, networked,’ the man told me.
‘We’d not be ready for a month,’ I cautioned.
‘That timeline would fit, we’re re-fitting the building, second building will need sixty units.’
‘Then we could work a deal, yes, and include the network cards but not install the server.’
‘We have an expert lined up for that.’
‘Then talk to me again when you’re ready to buy, and you can have sex with Jenny Patrick.’
The men laughed.
‘My wife would kill me.’
Back in with the lady manager later I told her, ‘I want that unit next door double-fast, and your manager friend.’
‘Rental agent will be here in the morning.’
‘I’d want a two year lease. Ask for a price, then mention two years, then mention cash up front of three months at least. Beat them up on price. What do you pay for this?’
