The Butterfly Wheel

THE BUTTERFLY WHEEL Keith Short The Butterfly Wheel Copyright ©2023 Keith Short The moral right of the author has been asserted in accordance with The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any medium, whether electronic, internet or otherwise without the prior permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, locations, and names occurring in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or are the property of their respective owners and are used fictionally. Any resemblances to actual events, locations, or persons (living or dead) are entirely coincidental and are not intended by the author. All trademarks and trade names are used in a fictitious manner and are in no way endorsed by or an endorsement of their respective owners. Editing by: Fiction Feedback. Formatting by: Polgarus Studios Cover design by: Books Covered Published by: Kindle Direct Publishing ISBN CONTENTS PART 1: THE WILD BUNCH CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 PART 2: SUSPICIOUS MINDS CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 PART 3: THE GANG OF THREE CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 CHAPTER 24 CHAPTER 25 CHAPTER 26 CHAPTER 27 CHAPTER 28 CHAPTER 29 CHAPTER 30 CHAPTER 31 CHAPTER 32 CHAPTER 33 PART 4: THE DIRTY DOZEN CHAPTER 34 CHAPTER 35 CHAPTER 36 CHAPTER 37 CHAPTER 38 CHAPTER 39 CHAPTER 40 CHAPTER 41 CHAPTER 42 CHAPTER 43 CHAPTER 44 CHAPTER 45 CHAPTER 46 CHAPTER 47 CHAPTER 48 CHAPTER 49 Also by Keith Short PART 1: THE WILD BUNCH CHAPTER 1 May The wild beasts glistened in the sunlight. His heart racing with anticipation, Jake Vickers stroked the back of his charger and savoured the sound of its gentle purring. At last, he was going to ride with the pack, take his rightful place among his peers and show them what he could do. One final glance at the others, one deft twist of the wrist and the early morning peace around Montpellier Gardens was shattered. Birds flew upwards, passers-by stopped to look, nearby children stopped playing. It was a gorgeous machine. Sleek electric blue fairings, twin exhausts that would shoot at the sun, silver-chrome shining mirrors of metal cradling the engine at its pumping heart. The other riders cheered and took to their bikes. Jake throttled down the engine and turned towards Everly. ‘What do you think then, Ev? Sex on two wheels if you ask me.’ ‘I can see you prefer it to me. But don’t forget, you’ve only just passed your Cat A and you’re nowhere near as experienced as they are.’ ‘Don’t worry, Everly, we’ll look after him,’ Dick Cardwell shouted, before pulling his helmet over his head and starting his own bike. The rest of the pack followed suit. The deafening roar from five revving motorbikes was soon attracting strollers on the far side of the park, passengers on the double-decker buses and probably half of Cheltenham. The bikes cruised towards the gates with Jake at the back of the group. One by one, they nipped into the traffic which was slowly making its way along the Promenade. Dangerous animals merging with the docile herd. Jake was last to go. Take it easy, he thought he heard Everly shout above the noise of the engine. He waved his arm high in the air in response. But didn’t look back. Everly Boyd waved at the riders as they set off on their excursion through the Gloucestershire countryside, grateful they’d left the park before the police arrived. ‘Goodbye, Jake,’ she said under her breath. ‘Come back safely, you lovely man.’ The bikes were gone and the petrol fumes with them. The ringing in her ears would soon stop. As if a picture postcard of Montpellier Gardens had magically sprung to life, Sunday in the park returned to normal. Welcome to Regency Cheltenham. The temperature was rising, the park becoming busy. The paths would soon be teeming with families and the first of the picnickers were already setting up around her. A brass band started playing in the distance. Everly removed her cardigan and tied it round her waist. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she checked each of the temporary awnings that had been set up to function as cafes, bars and galleries for local art and photographic societies. There she is. Fiona was waving from the outdoor seating area. Everly waved back and threaded her way across the grass towards her. It had been just over four months since Fiona had introduced her to Jake. She smiled to herself at the thought of the Butterleigh Insurance New Year’s Eve bash, her first opportunity to mix socially since she’d reluctantly landed in this part of the world to start work at GCHQ. He’d been the life and soul of the party that evening. Flitting between women at the bar like a bee moves between flowers. A player, a charmer, a womaniser. That’s how they all saw him and he made no effort to disguise it. Yet, to her, he was an opportunity. He was just perfect. And now she was his number one, the woman he took to the cinema or the theatre and social functions like birthday parties and celebratory meals. But there was always a number two and a number three. She never saw them but she heard about them and had to make sure they never lasted long enough to be a threat. Yet she was in a good place with Jake. Back to her old self and determined not to dwell on the traumas of the past year. ‘Hi, Fee.’ She kissed her friend on the cheek and slung her cardigan over the back of the patio chair. Fiona lit a cigarette, tilted her head back and blew the smoke upwards. ‘I’ve taken the