Page 41
Maybe things were slotting into place. Finally.
The road opened ahead of him, the tight grid of Hartswick giving way to wider stretches of tarmac bordered by dry stone walls and scrubby grass. The land rolled out, climbing gently towards the moors, that muted green-brown expanse stretching under a pale morning sky. Low cloud still clung to the higher ground, dragging shadows across the slopes; the air holding that early chill that hadn’t quite burned off yet. And as he turned off towards the industrial estate, the road dipped as it followed the line of the River Hart.
Jake tightened his grip on the wheel as he drove alongside it. Because he neared that stretch. The path running beside it. The other end of the Fell Edge woodland cut-through. The place people still talked about in hushed voices, even now. But he kept on driving. Focused on something else. On the money. Where he could take Harrison. Show him a bit more of what Yorkshire offered. Get to the coast. Whitby. Fish and chips by the sea. Or maybe a night out in Leeds. Live band. Hotel.
A night to…relax into things.
Before he knew it, the industrial estate rose ahead, breaking the line of the landscape with steel and concrete. Big, squat buildings. Corrugated roofs. Fences and gates and stacked pallets, humming with noise even this early. Machinery running, forklifts transferring loads, metal clanging in the distance. Jake followed the signs to the unit number Levenson had given him.
It was bigger than he’d expected.
The warehouse stretched wide; the roofline running long and shallow, sheets of corrugated metal dulled by years of weather. The scaffolding was already up along one elevation. Three lifts high, toe boards in, ladders tied off properly. Decent setup. Vans ringed the place, most of them liveried. Names Jake didn’t recognise. He checked the contact number on the side of the van. Hull, maybe?
He killed the engine, grabbed his tool bag, and stepped out into the clatter of metal, shouted voices, the grind and whine of kit already in use. Proper site. Proper pace. Above him, the wind skimmed across the roofline, and beyond that was the steady thrum of a helicopter, circling out past the estate. Jake glanced up, watching it hover over the hills.
“Whitton?”
Jake dragged his attention back down to the ground and the bloke coming towards him. Late fifties, hard hat, high-vis, clipboard tucked under his arm. Jake would guess the Levenson of the Levenson and Son who’d called him. Son would be somewhere on the scaffolding, no doubt.
Jake shook his hand. “Aye, Jake.”
“Thanks for getting here so early. You might save our bacon.”
“Long as it’s Yorkshire grass-fed.”
Levenson slapped him on the shoulder. “That it is. Right, we’ve got a strip started, but we’re losing time on the deck. Water’s got under the felt, boards are soft in places. I need it opened up, checked, and re-sheeted before we even think about closing it back in.”
Jake glanced up at the roof. “How far through are you?”
“Should’ve been halfway done by now.” Levenson grimaced. “We started opening it up last week. Thought it were a simple leak. Then every sheet we lifted found another problem underneath. Been chasing the thing ever since.”
Jake nodded, scanning the roof. “What we on? Corrugated over purlins?”
“S’right. Metal sheets off, underlay’s shot, some of the ply’s gone. We got lads pulling it back now.”
Jake slung his bag higher on his shoulder. “Sound. Where d’you want me?”
“Up top with Roman and Scotty. They’ll set you on. Watch your step, though. Couple of soft spots still marked.”
Jake gave a quick nod and started towards the scaffold. “Oi, one sec,” he called back.
Levenson raised his chin. “Hm?”
“Where d’you get my name from?”
“Local man.”
“Figured. Who?”
Levenson adjusted his hard hat. “Some bloke from the old steelworks. He dropped off some stuff yesterday and got chatting to the lad. Said if I wanted someone who knew the area, I needed you.”
Jake frowned. “Get a name?”
“Why? They wrong?”
“No.” Jake scratched the back of his neck. “Just checking who needs a pint.”
“I’ll buy you one, you get us done on time.”
