by Diane Ezzard
“I will don’t worry about me.” Our eyes met, and I smiled.
I picked up my phone just as it pinged. I checked the screen, and it was showing a text from Mia. I read through it. I need to speak urgently. I have some info 4 u x. I didn’t reply by text, instead, I decided to phone her back.
“Hi Mia, I’ve just read your text. What’s up?”
“Oh hi, Sophie. I can’t speak now. Can we meet up later?”
“Sure, are you okay?”
“No, but I’ll tell you about it when I see you.” I rubbed the back of my neck. This didn’t sound good. We arranged a time, and I ended the call. I frowned. I didn’t know what to make of that. I looked at Jack and raised my hands and shoulders upwards. I told him I’d speak to him after meeting up with Mia.
I had a coup in that I managed to get Joe’s full name and address off Laura. So when I arrived at the coffee shop to meet Mia, later that day, I was feeling pleased with myself. I sat there waiting. I decided to grab myself a drink. There was no sign of Mia. I checked the time. We definitely agreed to meet at 6.30 but I sent a text asking if I’d got the time wrong. I didn’t get a text back. I became fidgety. I kept checking the screen. I tried to phone her but the ringing was continuous. Something wasn’t right. She’d been keen to speak earlier so I couldn’t understand her standing me up.
I made a decision to go to her address. I knew where she lived as I’d picked her up a couple of times. I arrived at her flat and pressed the buzzer to her building. I wasn’t expecting her to be there, so I was surprised when the front door clicked to let me in. I approached the flat’s front door and pressed the bell. The door opened and Mia’s mum stood there.
“Oh,” we both said in unison.
“I thought it was Mia,”
“No, my name’s Sophie. I was supposed to be meeting her, and she didn’t turn up so I thought I’d come over because she had something she wanted to tell me.” Mia’s mum frowned.
“Well, I don’t know what she’s playing at. She took Alfie out for his tea but that was ages ago and I haven’t heard from her since.”
I didn’t like the look of this. I hoped and prayed she hadn’t gone back drinking.
Mia’s mum, Debbie, offered me a coffee, and I accepted. I felt too restless to sit there waiting for it so I walked into the kitchen.
“I know I’m being cheeky, Debbie but Mia said she had information for me. Would you mind if I went in her bedroom and had a look?” Her body stiffened. She looked me over and appeared to be thinking. “You could come up and help me, only it may be important if we find any clues to where she is sooner rather than later.” She thought for a few moments.
“You go. Be my guest, love. It’s not my house. She didn’t mention anything to me though.”
I went to her bedroom. It was a typical young woman’s room. The walls had been painted lilac. She had colour-coordinated matching lilac duvet cover and curtains. The bed was adorned with purple and white cushions. There was artwork of ballerinas on one wall and ballet shoes on another. I wondered if Mia had been a dancer. There was a chest of drawers, bedside cupboard, bed and wardrobe and nothing else. I opened the drawers. They were filled with her lingerie and socks, nothing to interest me.
I checked the wardrobe. The clothes had been neatly put away. It was tidier than mine. I moved over to the bedside cupboard and opened the top drawer. There were some papers there. I also checked the rest of the cupboard and there was nothing to excite me, just a hairdryer and hairbrush. I decided to inspect the papers even though I felt guilty prying.
There was a letter from the council dated about a month back stating she was in arrears. It had a handwritten note on saying paid with yesterday’s date. There was a bank statement which I glanced through. A few weeks ago, Mia was overdrawn but in the last two weeks, there were a few large deposits. My heart sunk. Mia hadn’t mentioned anything. Could she have gone back working for Randy?
I was definitely going to say something to her. She might not forgive me for looking into her personal things. It was her own fault for being so inconsiderate and not getting in touch when she should have been meeting me. I went back to sit in the lounge with Debbie.
“No, nothing there,” I said. “I don’t have any idea what she wanted to speak to me about.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I wondered how much longer I should stay there. It was confusing. Another ten minutes passed, and the buzzer rang.
“Ah, there she is.” Debbie pressed to open the door without checking to see who was calling. A minute later the bell rang. I didn’t think it would be Mia as she would have used her own key. Debbie answered it and I stood in the hallway behind her. Two police officers stood there.
“Can we come in?” the policewoman asked. They introduced themselves and asked if we could all sit down. This looked bad.
“I’m sorry to have to do this Mrs North but there’s no easy way to tell you. Mia and her son have been involved in an accident. Her car went headlong into a tree. There was no other vehicle involved. They were both pronounced dead at the scene. They didn’t stand a chance.”
Both Debbie and I gasped. We put our hands over our mouths at the same time. I couldn’t take this in. Debbie began to cry. Her body trembled.
“What both of them are dead?”
“Yes, I’m so sorry, Mrs North,” the policewoman said. I moved across and took hold of Debbie’s hand and put my arm around her shoulder.
“Is there anyone you want us to call?” the policewoman asked.
“Yes, my sister, Nora.”
“Erm, Just before I do that, there is something else you ought to know. Obviously, we’ll know more after the post-mortem.”
“What, what is it?” Debbie was looking directly at the policewoman, so was I.
“Apparently, the officer who arrived at the scene first said he smelt alcohol.”
Debbie screamed and her tears became loud and heavy.
Chapter 21
SOPHIE
I stayed with Debbie for a short time. I couldn’t contemplate how she felt, losing a daughter and a grandson in an instant. The police were still there asking questions. Debbie’s sister Nora arrived. Debbie wanted to go to see the bodies so Nora volunteered to accompany her.
This was my cue to leave, and I promised to stay in touch. I told the police that Mia had suggested she had something she needed to tell me I also told them she seemed agitated. I had no idea what it might be about.
When I left Mia’s home I phoned Joyce and Jack. Both of them knew Mia well. They would be as upset as I was. I managed to hold it together whilst in company but now on my own, I couldn’t stop crying. I sat in my car for some time and let the tears flow.
The three of us agreed to meet up at mine. It was good for us to support each other. Joyce had known Mia the longest and got close to her trying to help her. An hour later, we were in my flat. I made us a hot drink and took it through to the lounge.
“And you’ve no idea what she wanted to talk to you about?” Jack asked.
“No, not at all.”
“It’s a horrible thing to ask but do you know if she’d been drinking?” Joyce asked.
“The police mentioned that she might have because they smelt alcohol at the scene.” I hoped for Debbie’s sake that she hadn’t. I felt it would be harder for Debbie to come to terms with if alcohol caused Mia and Alfie’s death.
“I don’t think she had gone back drinking. She was doing well and sounded so positive lately,” Jack said. I nodded in agreement.
We stayed chatting for a while I mentioned about seeing the bank statement with the arrears paid off. Joyce gave me a look but didn’t say anything. Jack raised his eyebrows.
“There was obviously something going on,” Jack said. Tears kept coming over me in waves.
“It’s such a waste of two lives,” I said. Joyce passed me a tissue. We would have to wait and see what the post-mortem revealed. The mood in the room was sombre. We talked about our mem
ories of Mia, then Jack and Joyce left together.
The following day I contacted Jack. I passed on Joe’s full name and address. He told me he’d not been able to get close to Randy.
“That guy is like the Scarlet Pimpernel. He keeps himself well protected. He has a security team looking after him that doesn’t like you to get anywhere near.”
“Don’t I know it. Please be careful, Jack. He’s a nasty piece of work. I wouldn’t want you to come to any harm.”
We ended the call after saying we’d see each other at the meeting later. When I put the phone down, I smiled. I liked how our friendship was progressing.
I was about to leave for my meeting that night. Getting into my little Fiat, I turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. I tried again. Not a sound. I sat there and counted to ten. This was all I needed right now. I decided to give it one last try and turned the key. Not a murmur. I banged my hand on the dashboard and shook my head.
I had to make a decision. Either call out the RAC and get them to have a look at it or if I set off now, I would still have time to get the bus to the meeting. I could do with a meeting especially after the news about Mia and Alfie. My car would have to wait. Clenching my teeth, I left the vehicle there and walked to the bus stop.
I arrived at the meeting looking windswept and flustered. Jack was there. His mind seemed elsewhere. As much as I wanted to go over and have a conversation with him, his demeanour said to me back off so I left it. I sat opposite him and glanced over occasionally. At one point our eyes met. I smiled at him. He smiled back. My body tingled and my cheeks felt warm.
The meeting was sombre with many people reflecting on their memories of Mia and how she had touched their lives. I spoke about the stress I felt because my car failed to start on the way. I also said how sad I was at the shock news of Mia and Alfie’s deaths.
I was amazed that my natural instinct wasn’t to have a drink but instead to get to a meeting. Something was working and rubbing off on me in a positive way. I got support from others, with favourable nods. A few of them came up to me at the end of the meeting, congratulating me on doing the right thing.
I cleared the cups off the table and took them in the kitchen. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see who it was. Jack stood there wearing his tan leather jacket and jeans.
“Hi, would you like a lift home, if you’ve got no transport?”
“Isn’t it out of your way?” My eyes were gleaming.
“It’s no problem honestly, anything to help a damsel in distress.” He smiled at me. My heart thumped. I hoped I wasn’t giving away my feelings. I nodded.
“That would be great, thanks.”
We left the building and walked over to his blue Vauxhall. He opened the door with his remote control and I climbed into the vehicle. “Are you sure you’re okay with taking me to Unsworth?”
“No, I’ll drop you off in Bury.” I looked at him. My eyes widened. He giggled. “I’m only joking. Course it’s okay.”
My cheeks burnt. Perhaps he was more good-humoured than I’d realised. We got in the car and set off. I cleared my throat. There was something I wanted to ask.
“So do you have a girlfriend, Jack?” I watched him and he took a sideways glance at me. He didn’t reply. “It’s just that if it was me, I wouldn’t be too happy about you giving other females a lift.” His smile disappeared. Oh dear, I’d annoyed him. Maybe I shouldn’t have pried.
At that moment his hands-free kit came through on loudspeaker. The loud ringtone made me jump. I looked at the screen which displayed the name. It said DS Rick Western.
“Rick, what can I do for you?”
“It’s more what I can do for you, buddy.”
“I’m all ears,” Jack said.
“We’ve had a tip-off. Randy’s lot are gunning for you.”
“Right,” Jack said slowly.
“I’d lie low for a while and stay out of his way if I was you.”
“Okay, Rick and thanks for the tip-off.”
“Anytime, mate, sorry I’ve got to go, busy night with criminals to catch and all that.”
“No problems and thanks again. Speak soon.” The call ended. I shifted in the seat and kept making sidelong glances at him.
“Those guys don’t mess about. Look what they did to my place.” Jack kept his eyes on his rearview mirror. We travelled along for some time. Jack’s mood had changed. He looked agitated and became wary. His head kept ducking and his eyes were constantly checking his rear-view mirror.
“Is everything alright?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Are you okay if I put my foot down?” I ran my fingers through my hair.
“Go for it,” I said.
“Time we got out of here. Hang on to your hats.” Within seconds we were careering round corners on two wheels, brakes screeching. My pulse increased. I wanted to scream, but I knew it wasn’t appropriate. My body went rigid. Then came a loud bang then a cracking sound as I realised something hit the metal of the vehicle. I screamed, shaking.
“What was that?”
“Get down, Sophie.” I didn’t need telling twice. I ducked my head down in the car. My teeth were grinding, and I clenched my jaw. The vehicle twisted and turned. I held on to the sides of the seat. I cried out for help. I heard another loud bang. I jumped. I glanced across at Jack. He looked scared but kept his eyes on the road. He looked behind. Thank goodness he was a good driver. We’d have no chance if it was me driving. Weaving again in and out of traffic, I peeped up and saw we were approaching traffic lights.
“Keep down,” Jack cried. I pulled my neck as I yanked my body back down below the window. Next thing I heard another bang and the sound of shattered glass. I yelled then looked over at Jack.
“Shit!” he cried. I screamed at the top of my voice. Blood spurted onto his jacket and splattered the window. The car travelled forward out of control. Jack’s body slumped backwards in the seat. I grabbed hold of the steering wheel and just missed an oncoming lorry who was sounding his horn continuously.
My hands were shaking as I pulled hard on the handbrake and wrenched it with all my might. The car went into a spin. There was nothing else I could do. I closed my eyes and prayed. The vehicle came to a stop. The seatbelt tugged on my skin. I looked at Jack. His face had gone chalk white. I screamed again. My body trembled. I had to think quickly. I was about to reach for my phone when I noticed people running towards our vehicle.
“Can you phone for an ambulance, he’s been shot,” I shouted through the windowless vehicle. I thought I might faint. I pulled at his jacket and tore at his shirt looking for the wound. The blood gushed out. It was warm and sticky on my hands. I felt sick, but I had to hold myself together for Jack’s sake.
It looked like a shoulder wound. Thinking fast, I took off my tights to use as a bandage. I knew to apply pressure to the area. I moved his body to lay it on the seat in the hope of slowing the blood flow. I kept my hands pressed firmly on the makeshift bandage and began to cry. I didn’t want Jack to die.
I heard the sirens and saw the blue flashing light approaching. Within minutes, the paramedics arrived, and they took over from me. They helped me out of the vehicle. My legs wobbled so much, I needed support to walk. A crowd of onlookers gathered. In no time at all, I was sat with Jack in the back of the ambulance. A man in a green uniform checked me over. I was okay but Jack looked in a bad way. We sped off towards the hospital. I took hold of Jack’s hand.
“You’re going to be okay, Jack, do you hear me?” I watched his face. For a second, I thought I saw his eyelid flicker, so I kept talking. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a pain but I care about you.” The blonde paramedic called Jenny gave me a smile. She was busy monitoring him.
Next thing, her colleague said, “ETA five minutes. Have the crash team ready.” I knew this was serious, and I went numb. I could tell he had lost a lot of blood in a short space of time. There was a syringe of something being injected into Jack’s arm. He was hooked onto a drip and
an oxygen mask put on his face.
“Are you okay, Jack?” Jenny said to him.
“Come on, Jack, hang on in there.”
The engine stopped. The doors of the vehicle opened and Jack was rushed out on a stretcher. There were white coated and green-uniformed men and women mingling around him. I followed behind them at pace.
I was asked to sit in the waiting room. I seemed to be there for an eternity. If I closed my eyes, I kept hearing the loud bang of the gun going off. The picture that kept coming in over and over was of Jack covered in blood. I knew the doctors would do everything within their capabilities for him now. I managed to get hold of his parent’s phone number by calling different people who knew him. They lived in Spain.
The line sounded very clear when I got through to them.
“Is that Mrs Ashton?”
“Yes, who’s that?”
“I’m a friend of Jack’s. I’m afraid I’ve got bad news for you.”
“Why what is it?”
“Are you sitting down?” I didn’t want her legs to buckle when I told her. “I’m afraid Jack’s been shot.” Silence at the other end.
“Mrs Ashton?” She shouted her husband.
“Gordon, Gordon, come here quickly,” and then back to me, “what happened, dear? What do you know? How bad is he?” She bombarded me with questions. I tried to calm her but then I had no assurances yet myself, just an overwhelming feeling of hope.
“We’ll get a flight over straightaway. If there’s any news can you phone me back?”
“Of course I will, Mrs Ashton and I’m so sorry.” I heard her tears, and it set me off. I ended the call and sat back down on the plastic chair. One or two of the people sat in the reception area looked at me with sadness on their faces. My head sank into my hands and I tried to slow my breathing down.
Calm down, girl, I said to myself. I then realised I needed to let my friends and family know what I had been involved in. I sent text messages, for now, telling them I’d phone later when I knew more. I didn’t want to be missing if Jack came round or there was any news. I shuddered. I couldn’t contemplate the unthinkable. I prayed some more.
