Payback

by Gemma Rogers

  ‘How did you get on with the search for Hayley?’ Mum asked, putting the dessert bowls to one side.

  ‘Not bad actually. I went to Bicester last week, I found Hayley’s parents.’

  Mum gawped at me. ‘Really? How are they?’

  ‘Jackie’s fine, looks as glamourous as ever, but Alan’s got dementia.’

  ‘Oh dear. And what about Hayley? How’s she?’

  ‘They haven’t seen her since 1997. They left because Hayley got pregnant. Moved her out of the area, so she could start afresh, but she ran away.’

  Mum’s hands flew to her mouth and she pulled her chair in tighter to the table. ‘That’s awful, the poor girl.’

  ‘I know, it’s so sad. We’ve all been looking for her, but it’s like she never existed.’ Mum shook her head, saying it was every parent’s worst nightmare.

  ‘We had Sue and Jim over for dinner last night. I cooked a shepherd’s pie, it was nice. They’re very low, bless them, obviously. We’ve convinced them to come away with us. Your dad’s always wanted to do Christmas in a log cabin. It’ll be hard for them this year, no children left to visit, no grandchildren. Of course, you’re welcome too, love’

  I nodded, my smile stretched tightly across my face. It didn’t sound like the most inviting Christmas invitation. ‘Maybe, we’ll see what happens.’

  ‘I guess you’ll be spending it with that fella. You need to bring him round, I’d like to meet him,’ Dad said as I got up to clear the plates.

  I shrugged and with that he took his cue and disappeared into the front room, eyes heavy and belly full.

  It wasn’t until later, when I was helping Mum put the plates away, that she spoke of when I was young.

  ‘It was so nice when you were fourteen, fifteen. Finally, a group of friends that you got on with. That Robyn was a bit rough around the edges, but the rest were nice kids from nice families.’

  I snorted. Mum was such a snob and if Robyn could hear her, she’d be spouting obscenities. ‘Yeah, they were a nice bunch.’

  ‘Gareth was smitten with you; we could all see it. Sue and I always hoped you’d get together one day.’

  ‘I think he was the one that got Hayley pregnant.’ I felt a sharp twist in my chest saying it aloud.

  ‘I don’t see how, love.’

  I frowned, surely, I didn’t have to explain to Mum how babies were made. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, Sue told me that Gareth couldn’t have children. He’d been trying with Lisa for ages apparently. They went to the doctors and a specialist; Sue and Jim were devastated as they hoped so desperately to have grandchildren. Awful, isn’t it.’

  ‘But I thought he had a son with her, I saw him at the funeral.’

  ‘No, no, she already had him when they met. That boy isn’t Gareth’s, although he took him on as if he was. His real father has never even seen him.’

  ‘Well, if Gareth didn’t get Hayley pregnant, who did?’

  ‘Your guess is as good as mine, love,’ Mum said, wiping down the surfaces.

  34

  October 2018

  The office was cold on Monday and I layered my shirt with a jumper and a jacket. The board covering the gap was good at keeping most of the elements out, but the chilly breeze still managed to whistle through. The glaziers would be coming on Tuesday as the pane was a bespoke size and had our logo running across the top like a watermark. Still, it was an impressive turnaround by the glaziers and the insurers, so I couldn’t complain. I whacked the heating up as high as it would go. Everyone gawped at the damage as they came in and we had a quick team meeting once the tea was made so I could update them.

  I assumed it would be busy as we were closed on Saturday and I wasn’t wrong. Before I got on with work, I emailed over the footage gathered from the camera to Detective Wren. The camera was triggered by motion, so recorded snippets whenever there was any activity outside. There were over forty small files and I added a note about the voice recording down the phone, which I now believed was Gareth. Once that was done, I began my usual Monday-morning calls to all the homeowners to deliver their weekly update. Minutes after finishing my last call as I was about to get up and make tea, Mrs Davidson popped in.

  ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you,’ I said, presenting my best smile and inviting Mrs Davidson into my office as Hope rounded the desk.

  ‘Oh no, what’s happened?’ Mrs Davidson’s mouth gaped, awaiting bad news.

  ‘Nothing, you’ll have a missed call from me that’s all. Everything is going fine. The survey came back with no major structural concerns. The buyers are happy, so it’s ticking along. I like to make sure all our homeowners are up to date on a weekly basis. There’s nothing worse than being out of the loop.’

  Mrs Davidson lowered herself onto the chair. I sat too so I wouldn’t be towering over her.

  ‘Wonderful news. I wanted to come in and tell you we’re going on a little break. We’ve decided to move in with my sister until the house is sold. She’s in Cornwall, so it’ll be like a holiday for us. I’ve arranged the movers to come in on Friday to pack everything and they’re going to put it in storage. The house will be empty, but you have a set of keys if you need access. I’ll only be at the end of the phone.’ She smiled and clapped her hands together, excited by the prospect of leaving 32 Park Lane.

  ‘That will be perfect. And don’t worry, between Whites and Howells solicitors we’ll see the sale through.’ I promised. It wasn’t something I normally did as you could never tell what would happen with a chain. Sometimes buyers would pull out at short notice because of the tiniest detail. Or people changed their minds for whatever reason and decided not to sell after all. However, I was determined to see the sale of that house through to the end. I wanted it to be someone else’s problem.

  ‘It’s the end of an era. I’ve been in that house since 1997.’

  I shivered, so the Davidsons had bought the house through my dad all those years ago. It was their house we sneaked in to for the evening. I felt my cheeks flush, embarrassed at my wanton behaviour back then. I didn’t even think about whose property it was, only that I had access to the keys. ‘That’s a long time,’ I eventually acknowledged.

  Mrs Davidson was keen to hear all about the window incident, so I gave her the same story I told Dad. The same story I told the staff later that morning. Only Frank knew more, and I darted him a warning look to keep quiet. He didn’t bat an eyelid, more concerned with how my foot was. I’d put on smart trousers, but I had to wear my soft boots over the bandage. It wasn’t exactly chic, but at least I was there.

  I didn’t ring Robyn until the evening, once everyone had gone home for the day and I’d eaten beans on toast to fill the hole. I couldn’t be bothered to cook anything. That was the beauty of living alone; I could do what I wanted, whenever I wanted. Robyn answered on the fifth ring.

  ‘Hiya.’ She sounded gloomy.

  ‘Hi, how’s things?’

  ‘Shit. That bitch fired me after I got arrested at work. She was looking for an excuse anyway.’

  ‘God I’m sorry, Robyn, that sucks.’

  ‘Yep, but I’ll find something soon enough. I’ve applied to be a blood courier, think I’d enjoy that, whizzing around on my motorbike.’ Now that did sound like the perfect job for Robyn.

  ‘I wanted to ask you a bit of a personal question, Robyn.’ My palms hot.

  ‘Shoot.’

  ‘When you “did it” with James, did it all go to plan?’

  Robyn snorted. ‘It was hideous, he struggled to get it up. I kept giggling because I was nervous, which probably didn’t help. It was cringeworthy and even now I struggle to look the guy squarely in the eye. Finally, we managed to get going, it was like building flatpack furniture.’

  I laughed out loud, trying to match James back then to the James of today. Thankfully he’d moved on since then. ‘Was he with you all the time we were in the house?’

  ‘Yeah, don’t you remember? We all stood outside didn
’t we, waiting to leave, then we realised Gareth and Hayley weren’t there. Why do you ask, Soph?’

  ‘I’m not sure, it’s a theory I’m working on, but I don’t want to say anything until I’ve got more information.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ Robyn said flatly and that was the best thing about her. If it was Becca, she’d be pleading with me to tell her more, as would I with someone else. Robyn didn’t give a shit about that stuff. She hadn’t changed a bit.

  She explained that the police had dropped the charges once her alibi with Chloe and another friend had been confirmed. Which made it all the more frustrating that she’d lost her job. I wished her well and I said I’d be in touch when I had more news and I hoped to meet them both soon.

  So, if James had been with Robyn all the time, he couldn’t have snuck down to have sex with Hayley. Although, there was nothing to say Hayley got pregnant that night. It could have been before, or after.

  The rest of the week whizzed by. The glaziers fitted the new pane and the office looked as good as new. James had kept his distance, giving me the time, I’d asked for. Detective Wren called to say the footage didn’t really show anything useful, as we’d expected, but he had been in touch with Hertfordshire police and they were now searching CCTV in the area on the night of Gareth’s accident for whom he had spent his last few hours with. Wren had also written up the cards, rat and calls as harassment and linked the report with the one filed for criminal damage.

  His next step was to speak to Becca to hopefully clarify the connection with the arson attack on her car. There was still no sign of Hayley, but he said he’d made inroads there. I was relieved it was being taken seriously.

  Work was busy and I’d been stuck in the office resting my foot whilst the others were out on viewings and new instructions. I’d had four people list their properties because of recommendations from Mrs Davidson and the leaflets brought in another two. The team pulled together, and we worked long hours all week. By the time Friday came, Gary had two sales and Lucy and Hope had one each. I had nothing in the fridge for dinner so suggested a trip to the local Indian restaurant to save me having to go to the shops. I was pleasantly surprised when everyone agreed to join to me at short notice.

  Beth came along for a starter as her boyfriend was taking her to the cinema, mainly because Gary ribbed her about being under the thumb.

  ‘Oh, piss off, he’s had tickets for the Halloween remake booked all week and I can’t be bothered with the row it’ll cause,’ she hissed in her defence as she got up to leave.

  ‘Bloody hell, what number remake are they on now?’ I asked.

  ‘No idea! I’m just going for an easy life.’ Beth laughed.

  ‘Ignore Gary, it’s fine, thanks for coming, Beth. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday,’ I said, patting her arm.

  The five of us continued drinking until the early evening, our tablecloth stained with wine, beer, curry and the vivid orange mango chutney. Gary and Frank had a heated debate on Brexit, with Gary a fierce Remainer, who was going to London the following day to march in protest. Supporting the campaign for a ‘people’s vote’. I zoned out, instead listening to Lucy and Hope talk about how gorgeous Princess Eugenie’s wedding dress was last week.

  Frank was the first to leave and stumbled out of the door, after a few too many Cobras, into the cool night air to zigzag his way home.

  ‘I need the loo,’ Hope announced to the table.

  Lucy rolled her eyes and took her by the arm to the ladies. Hope had consumed a bottle of wine to herself. Every time we went out, she seemed to drink more and more.

  Gary moved around the table and wedged me in to the corner, slurring his words. ‘I worry about you, living above the office. All by yourself.’ The smell of hops emanated from his lips. My stomach churned in response and I leant back, shoulders against the partition separating us from the next table.

  ‘You don’t need to worry, Gary, I’m perfectly safe,’ I said, eyeing the door to the ladies’ toilet.

  Gary put his forearm across the table as I shuffled further into the corner, telling myself I had no reason to be intimidated. It was just Gary and he’d had too much to drink. ‘But I do worry. I’d look after you better than that James,’ he said, placing his hands flat on the table as though laying his soul bare.

  My insides squirmed and I smiled tightly. His words took me by surprise. Had I missed some signals over the past few weeks? ‘Thanks, Gary, but I really don’t need looking after, by anyone.’ At six years younger than me, I should be flattered he found me attractive, but this kind of attention was the last thing I needed on top of everything else.

  Thankfully Hope and Lucy were almost at the table, back from the toilets.

  ‘I’m going to head out.’ Gary said, grabbing his coat and stalking out of the restaurant.

  ‘What the hell was that about?’ Lucy asked, downing the last of her wine.

  ‘Can we have the bill please,’ I said to the waiter clearing our table. He nodded and walked away. Hope sat with her head in her hands, eyes rolling. ‘Nothing. He’s pissed that’s all,’ I replied.

  Lucy shrugged. ‘Thanks for the meal.’

  ‘You’re most welcome. Congrats on the sale!’ I said, now wanting to get home.

  I stayed in the restaurant with Lucy and Hope until their taxi arrived and headed into the night.

  The restaurant was only round the corner, but alone, outside in the dark, I felt vulnerable. My foot had almost healed, but not so much I’d be able to run without tearing open the wound. I was still limping. It was past eleven and the roads were dead, no one was around, and the tapping of my low heels echoed on the pavement. Announcing my return. What if someone was waiting for me?

  35

  October 2018

  I didn’t like the front entrance to the flat. The back of the office was dark with virtually no street lighting and lots of bins and places to hide. It was even quieter than the front. I never saw anyone. Most of the time, it was my imagination that scared me the most, one too many horror films as a teenager. When I moved out of my parents’ and lived alone, I no long watched them.

  It wasn’t even late, barely nine o’clock, but the sun had set two hours ago. I held my keys as I walked, listening out for noises but only managing to freak myself out. Could whoever had been targeting us be waiting for me to stroll by, ready to jump out?

  As I neared my front door a cat darted from behind the industrial bins, shrouded in darkness, and I swore loudly. My heart thundered in my chest and my hands shook so much I struggled to get the key in the door, fearing someone was coming up behind me, but when I turned, no one was hiding in the shadows.

  Gary had gone home, maybe somewhat embarrassed at what he had said. Work and pleasure should never be mixed, it always ended in tears. Luckily it wasn’t an issue as the only thing I found attractive about Gary was his work ethic. I still felt a little unsettled about what had gone on at the restaurant but that might have been down to the cards I found in his desk.

  There had been an absence of messages, cards or texts since last weekend. Was the whole thing over? Would Hayley stop now? I hadn’t heard from James, which was strange. I’d asked him for space, but I thought he’d have been in touch by now. I switched my phone off to stop myself from texting him. Never text drunk was one rule I always stuck to. I climbed into bed. Gary would be mortified in the morning for sure, knowing he’d have to face me. To say it would be awkward was an understatement.

  As it happened, the conversation was over fast. Like pulling a plaster off. Gary came and found me making tea early in the morning soon after we opened. He stood in the doorway, his large frame filling the space.

  ‘I’m sorry about last night.’ His cheeks were a muddy red and he gave a slight shake of the head.

  I chuckled awkwardly, instantly relieved. ‘Don’t worry about it. We were all pretty drunk and, anyway, I don’t allow any of my employees to dip their pen in the company ink. It’s not good for business
and nine times out of ten, it ends badly. That goes for me too.’ I gave him a tight smile, hoping I’d given the message loud and clear that I wasn’t interested.

  ‘Understood. Again, I’m sorry for the way I behaved.’ Gary left the kitchen, his apology delivered.

  Hope arrived half an hour late and looked dishevelled and green around the gills. She was very apologetic and did call ahead to say she’d slept through her alarm. When she did arrive, I considered sending her home but decided against it, what signal did that give to my team? That it was okay to show up late because of a hangover? I did however make her a strong coffee and had a lunch delivered from the bakers. I wasn’t completely heartless.

  ‘I feel awful. I’m never drinking again,’ she wailed, pulling her hair out of her ponytail and letting it cascade around her shoulders. It was so dark, almost black. It couldn’t be natural, although it suited her.

  The office was empty, it was almost one and I was getting ready to shut for the day.

  ‘Hair of the dog?’ suggested Gary, winking at me.

  Hope hung her head. ‘No thanks!’

  ‘Perhaps try to pace yourself next time, and you need to eat more, you’re like a whippet,’ I said, remembering Hope pushing her curry around her plate last night while the rest of us shovelled it in.

  ‘Maybe. Anyway, how’s that bloke you’re seeing?’ she asked, changing the subject. Gary started packing his desk, head bowed like he wasn’t listening.

  ‘I don’t know, I haven’t seen him all week.’

  ‘Ah, he seemed nice. You should ring him.’ Hope gingerly put her coat on, it was like watching her in slow motion.

  I wished everyone a good weekend and locked up the office, checking all the machines were off and the alarm was set.

  I composed a text to James, a simple ‘hi, how are you?’ but four hours later I sat alone in front of the television still with no response. It seemed odd. To distract me, I watched a movie I’d had on my Netflix list for ages, but I couldn’t concentrate on it long enough to absorb the plot. Instead looking at my phone every couple of minutes to see if James had responded.