Wednesday 7 August 2013

The Bike Ride


After the heat of the past three weeks it was a relief to wake up to cooler weather and cloudier skies on the morning of the bike ride. They all kept the weekend free for the bike ride, 6 friends from school who barely saw each other these days due to work and family but the annual ride along the coastal path was sacred. It had been tradition for 12 years now, although ever year there seemed to be less distance covered before they decamped at the local pub for a pint or two and a good old chat about the good old days.
Gina nearly hadn’t made it this year, having had her bike stolen just two weeks before, but with money from her dad and a dip into her savings she’d managed to buy a new one just in time.
When the sun shone it was hot, but for most of the day it hid lazily behind the clouds and the sea breeze kept them cool and made it pleasant. Ant was up front leading the way, Chris just behind him and Stu behind him, they always got a little competitive on the bikes. Gina, Lisa and Mel were bringing up the rear. Suddenly Gina slammed on her breaks. She’d seen something by the side of the tracks and had to go back to see if it was what she thought it was.

The sun poked its head out from behind a cloud as she got off her bike and walked back 5 metres or so. The two other girls had also stopped and were calling ahead to the boys to wait a moment while almost simultaneously asking Gina what was wrong.

Gina looked, Gina gasped, Gina put her hand over her mouth and Gina went a shade of grey. If she’d seen her reaction in film she’d have said it was clichéd, but she'd just discovered it was a natural reaction.
The man she was looking at was a good deal greyer than she was. A mottled collection of greys, 50 shades if you will. 50 shades of dead.
By now the sun had gone back to bed and the others were around her. Each gasping in their own way as they saw the corpse that had caught Gina’s attention.
‘Is he dead?’ Asked Stu superfluously.
The others ignored his redundant question.
‘How long’s he been there?’ It was a better question from Lisa but again it met with silence.
‘Do you think he was murdered?’ It was Stu again with the question and this time all he got was shrugs and murmurs.
It was Mel who dialled the police much to Ant’s chagrin, his phone had no signal so he couldn’t do it, but he was old fashioned and believed it should be the males who did that kind of thing.
The cops questioned them all and they each gave the same story, satisfying the police that they were just innocent passers by. The coppers said they could go home but the group hung around, interested to watch the police work and try to discover what had happened.
The police were combing the area, the pathologist combing the body and Ant was combing his hair. Then a policeman appeared carrying a bike with a buckled front wheel.
5 of the gang were secretly disappointed that this was no more than a biking accident, no murder mystery, no John Rebus, no witness statements. But Gina had a little smile on her face.
When she’d reported her bike stolen the police had said there was not a very big chance that they would ever find it, but they just had. 

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