Stellman’s Plant Hire had been in Grantley for twenty years. It was the first time George had ever been in there and he stood uncertainly among the debris of lawnmowers and wallpaper strippers. A young man came up and smiled at him.

‘What can I do you for?’

‘I beg your pardon?’ George’s voice was timid once more.

‘A joke, mate.’ The boy stared at George and shrugged. ‘What can I do for you, sir?’ He tacked the ‘sir’ on the end at the last second.

‘I . . . er . . . want to lift an engine out of a car. A friend of mine is going to put a new engine into my car, you see.’ George’s voice trailed off. He should have prepared what he was going to say.

The boy was all the business now.

‘I see. You want the Haltrac.’ Seeing George’s confusion, he grinned. ‘The small block and tackle. It will lift about a ton, but it’s lightweight. Not like the old ones of years ago. You just set it up and Bob’s your uncle. Manual lift, the lot. How long would you want it for?’

George smiled now. This was easier than he’d thought.

‘Oh, a couple of days at most.’

‘All right. I’d have it for the week, though. If it pisses down with rain then you won’t be doing much. It’s cheaper that way anyhow. It’s eight quid a day, but only sixteen quid for the week. Plus VAT of course. Mustn’t forget Maggie’s curse, must we?’

George was overwhelmed. The boy could sell, that much was obvious. But at that moment George would have paid any amount for the tool in question, and in fact was shocked that it was so cheap.

‘Whatever you think is best. Can I take it now?’

‘’Course you can.’

The boy began to make out the paperwork and George paid him in cash. He left, the Haltrac held firmly in his hands. He drove back home feeling quite lighthearted.

Once indoors he began the serious work of the day. First he opened the loft hatch and, after cleaning it thoroughly, placed it on his bed. No need to make everything dirty. He hated mess of any kind. Then he brought the block and tackle up the stairs. He walked up the stainless steel, safety conscious steps that led to the square hole in the ceiling of the landing and began phase two of his operation.