Furious Vinny takes the law into his own hands

AGAINST THE ODDS:Retribution, not winners, on his mind as he arrives at Leopardstown

As he reached the penthouse suites atop the main grandstand at Leopardstown, Vinny Fitzpatrick could hear the tinkle of glasses and laughter at the far end of the corridor.

For the umpteenth time since he arrived at the racecourse, he felt inside his trouser pocket for the knife.

There was, he knew, no turning back. He was armed to right a grievous wrong, and dangerous too because the manner of retribution would be bloody and far-reaching.

The target of his fury was Sir Roger “The Dodger” Winston, owner and chief executive of the high-flying London-based betting company, Winston’s, sponsors of the day’s racing at Leopardstown, and Boru Betting’s parent company.

Winston had crossed a line with Angie that was strictly out of bounds with the portly bus-driver and was about to pay for his dastardly deed. Nothing, or no one, would stop his gallop now.

Like Vinny, Winston was in his mid 50s. Unlike Vinny, he was tall, ruggedly handsome, and immensely powerful within the racing game – his highly public charity work had earned him a knighthood.

He was also a serial chaser of skirt, which explained his unforgivable actions in Boru Betting a fortnight ago that had almost wrecked Vinny’s marriage. It had taken a lot of courage from Angie to spill the beans on her boss, but she had been left with no choice when Vinny, after fearful soul-searching, had called a summit over tea and biscuits in the kitchen.

Roger The Dodger

Vinny had been in the pits of despair at the thought that his dashing wife, a head-turner in her mid-40s, may have indulged in an extra-marital act in her place of work with the stranger he now knew to be Roger The Dodger.

The truth, when revealed, hit Vinny like a sledgehammer. Between tears, Angie explained why she had been so cold towards her husband since the ill-fated rendezvous with wicked Winston.

She told how she had been surprised by Roger’s visit two weeks previously, and how his flirting, which she initially found amusing, had become more serious, and then quite sinister. In the back office, Winston’s advances had been bordering on the aggressive.

It was then Angie had lashed out, catching Winston in the groin area with a boot and threatening to report him to the gardaí.

After a sneering Winston left, vowing to “finish” Angie if she spoke a word about the incident, Angie, clearly flustered, had been astonished to find her husband in the shop, casually flicking through the Racing Post.

“I just clammed up. I was sure you’d seen Roger leave and that you would put two and two together and get six. I should have told you the truth but was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. I was scared of losing my job almost as much as losing my husband.

“I’m so, so sorry Vinny for putting you through all this,” she said, between sobs.

For his part, Vinny was hugely reassured as he’d half suspected the worst; that Angie had fallen for another man, one far more wealthy and influential that he was.

As the doubts were dispelled and he comforted his better half, Vinny’s relief that his marriage was in one piece morphed into resentment.

How dare Roger the Dodger play fast and loose with his wife? How dare he abuse his authority as the head honcho of Winston’s to inveigle his way into her place of work clearly hell-bent on monkey business? And how dare he threaten her with the sack should she speak up?