Desperate times call for desperate measures. And there was a time when Alistair was very, very desperate. With Matt prowling the Stables on the pretext of hiring Anisha, shameful moments that Alistair had buried deep in his memory are now rushing back to the surface.
While going through a low point in 2005, Alistair returned to gambling after an initial flutter the year before. This time around, when the debts started to mount Alistair kept playing. He was addicted and couldn’t stop. Before he came clean, he owed approximately £100,000 and £60,000 of that was to Matt Crawford. The rest was on credit cards.
As well as playing online, Alistair was making appearances at poker tables despite his losing streak. Matt had the inside track on the local poker-playing fraternity. He had a word with those who held IOUs from Alistair and paid them off so the only person that Alistair owed was Matt.
Unable to say no
Matt now had a qualified vet at his command. First, he asked Alistair to take a look at one of his racehorses, Hassett Harrier, which had sore tendons. Alistair was reluctant to come in over the vet that Matt usually used but, unable to say no, he prescribed the animal anti-inflammatories.
The next time Matt contacted Alistair, Hassett Harrier was ready to race. Was there something Alistair could do to improve his chances of winning? Alistair was shocked by the question and point blank refused but Matt insisted he took some time to give it some thought.
Meanwhile, life at the Stables was strained. Shula had suspicions that Alistair was gambling but when she confronted him, he denied it. This made Shula think – with all of his unexplained absences – that Alistair must be having an affair and no longer loved her. The couple’s arguments grew and grew to the point where Alistair moved out.
Eventually, Alistair crumbled under Matt’s pressure. There was something he could do to help Hassett Harrier run faster. It wouldn’t harm the horse but nevertheless was entirely illegal. He took a litre of blood from Hassett Harrier, extracted the red blood cells which he then re-injected into the horse close to the day of the race. Hassett Harrier came second and Matt took £5,000 off Alistair’s debt.
The turning point for Alistair came when Matt approached him with another request. Hassett Harrier had gone lame and needed rest. Matt wasn’t prepared to pay for the recuperation so he asked Alistair to end the horse’s life. The animal wasn’t in distress, it would have been completely unethical to put it down. Alistair said no, Matt offered to write off his debt, still Alistair said no.
Road to recovery
It was Kenton who convinced Alistair to talk to Shula, even though Alistair thought Shula hated him and that their marriage was over. Coming clean to Shula was the start of Alistair’s road to recovery. They re-mortgaged in order to pay off all of his remaining debt and Alistair went to Gamblers Anonymous. Finally, Matt no longer had any power over him.
Now, more than 10 years on, Alistair had hoped this dangerous piece of his past was consigned to history. But with Matt twigging that Anisha is unaware of it all, it is firmly back in the present. Is it only a matter of time before Matt spills the beans on Alistair? And what would Anisha do if she was to find out?
