Diamonds Underground - Chapter 2

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Diamonds Underground

 

Chapter 2

 

Stuck In A Hole 

 

Raindrops fell earthwards where Hyman lay . He looked up from the doorway near In Parnell Street moaning and groaning with uncomfortable pain . In his heart he held a contempt  of what had happened to him . The reality of a new day hit between the eyes as he aroused form a cold nights sleep on the concrete . Early morning workers passed by on their way to catch a bust to their workplace . Rain fell softly upon his head as he shivered and coughed . He got up on his feet and thought , I’ve definitely have to find a better place to sleep . He felt hungry but remembered his wallet was empty . He knew no one and with no friends or family he wandered around thinking what to do next . His detective abilities were kicking in but he in a strange town he felt lost . The shops were still closed so he kept walking around thinking , not knowing where to go , just killing time . He made a report to the Garda and they filed it away . They Garda brought out a book of mug shots but there was no one there who looked like the redhead maid who had also taken all his plastic bank cards . He walked out of the Garda station and crossed over the road without looking . Next thing he knew he woke up in a hospital bed with the smell of bacon and eggs wafting in the air .It smelt good enough to eat . Hyman was up on his feet in a day or two and after a few days rest and decent food the doctors at hospital were happy with his condition and were in the process of discharging him from their care .

On the last day of his stay at the hospital Hyman was walking around the ward . From the corner of his eye he saw young female patient with red hair being taken on a trolley bed by the wards man along the corridor . He only saw her for  second but he knew it was the girl who had robbed him and rushed out from the ward along the corridor screaming ,

‘Stop , that’s her ,she’s the thief . Stop “’

When he reached the patient the wards man covered her face with a blanket and said .

‘Sorry , it’s too late for all that , She’s dead .Heroin overdose. I’m taking her to the morgue .”

Hyman uncovered her face and looked at her and saw it was her . Them said

“What a sad looking thing she is . Probably still in her teens.”

“Too many young ones on the drugs these days .“

The wards man replied .

“Does she have any family ? “

“ No one knows who she is . After forensics have completed their investigations , she’s to be processed for cremation . Another lonely exit from this life. “

“Did she have any belongings with her ?“

“All she had was a needle in her arm , She was found down by the river there on a dark night with no one around . We get at least one the same as her every week now mostly runaways or illegals . The streets are becoming more like a waste ground for the unloved , unknown and unwanted ones . Sad cases all of them ”

The sister on duty called Hyman who turned and made his way back along the corridor to her.

“Good morning sister. ”

He said .

“Good morning Hyman . How are you feeling?”

“A little better this morning.“’ He replied .

She said m

“That’s good , After the nurse checks your vital signs, you can have a shower and get dressed . Your discharge papers have been processed and you’re free to go Good luck Hyman and remember to look both ways before you cross the road next time . ”

She walked away and Hyman returned to his bed and lay there looking up at the ceiling thinking . He had been well fed and felt much better after a few days rest .

Later that morning Hyman was back on the street trying to get his head together with his unfinished project to discover Ireland . The first thing he had to do was get some funds from his bank and find another place to stay .

By the time he got to the bank it was late in the day and the banks were closed . He  inserted his card into the automatic teller machine that swallowed his card . He couldn’t believe it . There he stood on a Friday evening with no way of accessing his money , no where to stay and no one who could help him .’

He had some spare change still in his pocket so his last move was to make some  phone calls to some old friends in London and ask for help . Every one he rang had the same hiss in their voice .

“I’d like to help you out old chap but things are little tough at the moment .”

All of the people he rang had a similar response . They sounded off with a venomous word of goodbye like a rattlesnake with a forked tongue ready to strike .

Hyman knew now who his real friends were . There was no one who offered any help in his need  , He was out of sight and out of mind . It funny how friends can become strangers . There was nothing more he could do until Monday when the banks would reopen . So now he had to find some place to sleep for the next few nights .  He walked along the pavement , deep in thought until the sound of a car horn alerted him to the fact he was only half focused on what he was doing .

Hyman once again had almost crossed the street without looking . He jumped back on to the pavement and took a deep breath. He looked up at the sky ‘

“God help me .“ He said .

A clock nearby struck midnight and Hyman realised that he had been walking around aimlessly for hours . He walked along Oliver Plunket Street towards the City Hall with no idea where he was going or what he was going to do .He stood still for a moment when a red haired girl walked past , He shook his head and thought and muttered to himself ,  “No , I don’t believe in ghosts.”

Suddenly a man walking past . He stopped and said

“Are you all right ?”

“Well actually,  I’m no sure .“ Hyman replied .

A few drunks stumbled along on the other side of the street .

“Is there anything I can do to help you” The gentleman asked.’

‘Well I’m wet walking around in the rain watching traffic lights change for hours .I;ve no place to sleep tonight . I’ve been robbed and I’m cold and so far my holiday to discover Ireland has been one walk through the streets of hell . “ Hyman replied .

The stranger looked closely at Hyman and  said ,

“Listen now , things are not always what they seem .Maybe I can offer you an alternative .”

“ I’m listening “ Hyman said .

T he stranger pointed up the road and said ,

“Look now , if  you go down there to the traffic lights, turn left and there you’ll find a shelter run by St Vincent De Paul . They’ll take care of you . Good luck .“

Then he walked down under the lamplight . Hyman watched him get into a sportscar and drive away . He uttered out 

’‘Thank you for your help .”

The rain came down in buckets as Hyman splashed along through puddles in the direction he was told to go but was confused and went the wrong way and ended up standing in front of this old derelict building . He thought at first it was Vinnies refuge but after closer inspection he discovered  it was the Irish Rail Office . He stood there gazing through the wire fence at this very old building . It looked as if it had been  abandoned for years .  Then he thought to himself , well at least its some shelter out of the rain . As walked round the fence looking for a way in, the rain pelted down ever harder . He found a hole and squeezed through and wandered across the spare ground to the building . It looked as if it was scheduled to be demolished but in any case no one was around and it was the only place worth checking in to so he went to see if he could get inside . Under the light of the moon he came to a reddish coloured door . There was a sign above the handle with an arrow pointing upwards it said , “Lift Handle Up”

As he lifted the handle the door opened and Hyman walked inside a dark and damp room that had once been an office  . All the light switches and sockets had been ripped out of the wal . Along a hallway there were other empty rooms . Outside the rain lashed down and Hyman was glad to be inside where it was dry .

He sat down in the corner on cold concrete content with the shelter over his head . After a while he got up and began to check out the rest of the interior of the old building . Guided by the moonlight through the windows he went from room to room . He found a large room where he stretched out on the floor whispering  I hope there are no rats here in this place and soon drifted off to sleep .

A bright torchlight awoke Hyman from his sleep . It shone into his eyes and blinded him . A rough voice  asked ,

‘What are you doing in here ?”

 “ Come again ?”

Hyman replied .

‘Do you realise you’re trespassing ?”

The rough voice said.

Hyman thought , who have I here . The police ,security or someone else . The he replied to the man with the torchlight

“Oh isn’t it a funny thing . I was following the directions I was given from a gentleman on the street who told me about a St Vincent De Paul shelter and I just lost my way and ended up here by mistake. “

The man with the torch shone it around the room checking here and there before it was flicked off . Hyman saw the figure of a man wearing overalls . He came closer to Hyman and said ,’

“You’re English “

Hyman responded ,

‘You’re Irish “

“It look’s as if some stray cat’s dragged you in here .“

He said and Hyman answered,

“I don’t quite follow you .“

 

The heavy set fella with curly hair squatted down eye to eye with Hyman and said .

“You’re homeless and a long way from home. So what’s going on . Are you on drugs or is someone after you ? ”

 

“Well you wouldn’t believe me if I told you but here’s what has happened .“

Hyman told the story so far of his holiday to discover Ireland . It took about twenty minutes and once he had finished the big fella in front of him lit up a cigarette and handed one to Hyman . The next thing he moved over an old desk from the corner of the room to the middle . He up on top of it stood there reaching up his arms to the ceiling then he pulled himself up through a hole and disappeared for a few moments.

Hyman got up off the floor as the torchlight shone down from the ceiling into his eyes and the big fella climbed back down from the hole in the ceiling to the desk and then back down to the ground . He looked at Hyman and asked for some identification but all Hyman had to offer was the explanation of how the redhead had stolen everything from his wallet . There was a few moments of tension as the guy walked around .

He came over to Hyman and said

“Listen go off and find yourself a life .”

Hyman gave him a nod and replied

“Thanks for the smoke “ then he walked away . The fella shone the torch at the door and called out

“By the way I don’t ever want to see you back here again.” ‘

Hyman walked away to where he had come in through the fence . The rain had eased off  and he felt something suspicious was going on back there where he had just been .  He kept on walking along the road making sure to remember the places around him as he wanted to return there later on to satisfy his curiosity. 

 As Hyman walked past the fire station . There was nobody on the street but him and the whole town looked asleep  . He felt that familiar old feeling inside again and smelt a scent of something going on there in that old building . .He knew he had to go back and investigate that . He laughed and though how funny it was to be thrown into this situation . It hit him like a bolt of lightening . He had stumbled onto something big . His detective instincts were never wrong . Something very fishy was going on here . The way that  fella inspected the roof space indicated he was hiding something up there . Something worth checking out .Hyman was thinking to himself looks like we’re back in business again whatever it was , stolen property , weapons , drugs , smuggled alcohol , who knows  but I will find out .

He walked around for a while until the town clock struck eight . A few alarms were going off in pubs and shops .

“It’s a crime the things people do .“

He remembered cases in the past he had come across .

It was Saturday morning and  a stream of people passed by on the pavements including , policemen , religious clergy and school aged students in  sports gear carrying hurling bats .  A few good morning greetings were exchanged and Hymabn.  

Hyman was beginning to feel at home  .

 

End Of Chapter Two

 

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/diamonds-underground-chapter-3

Link to chapter 3

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