Irene led a straight life until she was thirty. She went from high school to a well-paid but mind-numbing assembly-line job that lasted until the car plants closed. Her husband was one of the lucky ones who got transferred to a plant in another town, but after a couple of years he stopped coming home on weekends, then stopped coming home at all.
The second half of Irene’s life had been a personal version of Locksley’s downward spiral. Drugs, depression and four years in prison after setting up a business selling stolen car parts.
Now Irene was out on parole, and on Wednesday afternoons the tattooed sixty-year-old went to Locksley Library & Learning Centre for Ardagh Hood’s Computer & Device Repair course.
‘Laptops and phones and stuff are hard to fix because each one is different,’ Robin explained, as one of the rescued Captain Cash computers started up on a workbench between himself and Irene. ‘But desktops are modular. So, now I’ve plugged in the display card from that other machine, hopefully …’
The screen flickered with a Windows logo, as Ardagh approached.
‘Your boy knows his stuff,’ Irene told Ardagh cheerfully.
‘Our house has been full of computers and junk since Robin was born,’ Ardagh explained. ‘He’s always had a knack with them, though right now he’s supposed to be sat at the back writing an essay explaining why he can’t behave himself at school.’
‘Oh dear,’ Irene said, giving Robin a cheeky wink as he tapped settings to make the graphics card work at full resolution. ‘He’s been a great help.’
Robin studied his dad’s body language and decided that he didn’t really mind him helping with the class.
‘So, the machine is running. What are your next steps?’ Ardagh asked Irene.
‘Ensure the previous owner hasn’t left any private data on the system, then run a burn-in program for a few hours to make sure it’s stable,’ Irene said.
Ardagh gave his pupil a smile. ‘You’ve been paying attention, Irene.’
As Ardagh said this a beautiful woman in too much make-up and designer heels stepped into the IT classroom.
‘Ardagh, could we have a little chat?’
Robin had never seen her before, but reckoned it had to be Mel. She’d been parachuted in to manage Locksley’s Library & Learning Centre and his dad often moaned that his youthful boss was inexperienced, incompetent and connected to Guy Gisborne.
As Robin watched Irene check the repaired computer for any personal files, he kept one eye on his dad, who was talking to his boss on the other side of the classroom’s glass partition.
The conversation between Ardagh and Mel started off friendly, but after a couple of minutes Robin got worried, seeing his dad slump against the glass with a reddened face and dabbing sweat off his brow.
‘Just gonna check on my dad,’ Robin told Irene, stepping away from the bench.
As Robin got close enough to the classroom door to hear, Ardagh put a clammy hand against the glass.
‘This is insane,’ Ardagh was saying. ‘Getting rid of me makes no sense.’
‘Mr Hood, you know Locksley City runs a competitive re-bidding process for all adult education programmes.’
‘How can you teach beginners computing with an online course?’ Ardagh said. ‘That’s like trying to teach soccer to kids who haven’t learned to walk yet.’
‘Mr Hood, the matter has been decided!’
‘I wasn’t even consulted,’ Ardagh complained. ‘I was teaching here when you were at infant school.’
The learning-centre classrooms were set around an indoor courtyard, with seating, leaflet racks and an information desk. It was usually a silent space, so at least twenty people could hear Ardagh and Mel arguing.
‘You’re set in your ways,’ Mel said firmly. ‘The new online curriculum will offer a wider range of courses and big cost savings …’
Ardagh tutted and shook his head. ‘You only got this job because your mother is one of Guy Gisborne’s crooked friends.’
Robin worried about his dad losing his job, but felt proud that he was sticking up for himself.
‘Mr Hood, your allegation is ludicrous, and I feel threatened by your behaviour,’ Mel snapped. ‘Please leave the premises and consider yourself suspended pending a disciplinary review.’
Robin noticed the library security officer striding in. A huge fellow in a puffy jacket, who looked like he’d walked into a shop that sold big gold rings and bought the lot.
‘Oh, look, another Gisborne crony,’ Ardagh said loudly, as he eyed the officer. ‘Why bother paying your thugs, when Gisborne can get them cushy jobs on a Locksley City wage? Who’ll replace me – a drug runner or a loan shark?’
The guard moved fast, pulling a baton off his belt and wobbling a magazine rack as he charged towards Ardagh.
Robin’s stomach flipped as the guard effortlessly bounced his dad against the glass partition and held the tip of his baton against his throat.
‘Leave my dad alone,’ Robin shouted, acting on instinct as he charged out of the classroom.
The guard eyeballed Ardagh and spoke menacingly. ‘You step back in this building, you’ll be parting company with teeth. And watch that mouth of yours. Gotta be a fool, disrespecting Mr Gisborne in this town.’
‘I’m leaving,’ Ardagh said, holding up his hands as Mel made a kick-him-out gesture to the guard. ‘I just need my bag and keys from the classroom.’
‘People who insult Mr Gisborne get to walk home,’ the guard grunted, then used his baton to point at a fire exit. ‘Shift!’
Robin had been so fixated on his dad, he hadn’t noticed the students from the computer repair course coming out behind to watch the action. They made Robin jump as he turned around, then he ducked back into the classroom, grabbing his school bag and his dad’s backpack.
‘Look after your dad,’ Irene told Robin fondly. ‘He’s one of the good guys.’
A couple of other pupils said something similar.
Robin felt scared and queasy as he sprinted after his dad. He ran awkwardly with the backpack clutched to his chest, and caught up with him in the staff car park at the back of the building. There were no witnesses out here, so the guard had delivered parting gifts with his baton and boot.
Robin found his dad on the ground, clutching his hip and close to tears. He felt as much anger as sympathy towards his father.
‘Why don’t we load up the car and get out of this crummy town?’ Robin growled.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ Ardagh said determinedly, as his son offered a hand up. ‘Locksley is my home.’