by Diane Ezzard
“What is it, Sophie?”
“It’s that Georgia. I tried to speak to her, but she’s just swerved me. She knows more than she’s letting on and I’m sure it was Randy who was responsible for shooting you. She’s definitely keeping things to herself, the way she scarpered as soon as I walked towards her. She had guilt written all over her face.”
“I’d like to keep an eye on her but I don’t want to involve you after last time with Randy. I’m not an idiot and I know he’s behind what happened to me.”
“It makes me angry to think he’s getting away with this so I want to help in any way I can.” I frowned.
“No, I couldn’t possibly ask you.”
“Please, Jack, it would be a pleasure to drive you whilst your shoulder’s still bad and you’re not fit to drive.”
“You’ve already done over and above what anyone else has done for me. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you.” My heart melted.
“Oh?” I smiled. Jack blushed.
“I wasn’t implying anything…”
“It’s okay, but I insist.” I saw he was embarrassed now, and I didn’t want to make things worse for him.
“I’ll be glad when I’m able to drive again. This whole business with my shoulder is taking so long.”
“You’re lucky to be alive, Jack and something good has come out of it.”
“Oh, and what’s that then?”
“You and I have got closer.” I grinned as I watched him squirm.
“I appreciate what you’re doing for me, Sophie.” His look was serious.
“Think nothing of it, I enjoy helping you.” We approached my car and climbed in. I put the key in the ignition.
“So, am I dropping you off at your office?” I asked Jack.
“Yes please.” He seemed to be thinking hard. We set off and listened to music on the radio.
“I’m surprised Randy wasn’t at the funeral,” I said.
“He’s like the Scarlet Pimpernel, that one. Perhaps, he wouldn’t have felt protected enough in a public area, too open for him.”
“Mmm.” I was deep in thought. “I always thought Alfie had a look of Randy.” Jack turned to me and raised his eyebrows.
“Really?” he nodded. We listened to some more music. As I approached Kay Gardens, Jack coughed. He turned the radio dial down and glanced over at me.
“So, driver, how do you fancy going clubbing tonight?” he asked. I was suspicious. I couldn’t believe Jack was asking me out on a date. The last place I expected him to take me was a nightclub. I frowned.
“I don’t mean to go in a nightclub necessarily, more to find out what our girl, Georgia is up to.” I laughed.
“Okay, count me in. I’ll pick you up later. Text me what time you want me there.” I dropped him off and kept playing over and over everything that had been said. I didn’t for one minute think Jack had any feelings for me. My heart yearned to be with him. I no longer thought about Charlie, thank goodness but I still had Jack’s mystery girlfriend, who he never spoke of, to contend with.
Chapter 26
GEORGIA
Travelling back from the funeral gave me time to do a lot of thinking. Randy had recently found out he was Alfie’s dad. Why would he not want to attend his own son’s funeral? If he had been sleeping with Mia, a fact I was less than pleased about, surely he’d want to pay respects to her, his son’s mother? If he wanted me in his life, then it was time for him to do some talking.
I got to the apartment, and he was sat watching daytime TV. I picked up the remote control and switched it off.
“Hey, what are you doing?” he shouted, then turned to me. His eyes were darting about all over. There was dried blood around his nostrils. He’d been snorting again.
“Aren’t you going to ask how the funeral went?” He gave me a filthy look. I thought he was going to spit at me. “There were a lot of people there. Alfie’s coffin was so small. You should have been there.” He began laughing uncontrollably. I frowned.
“I never met him and I didn’t want anything to do with that bitch.”
“You obviously wanted something to do with her at some point.”
“Leave it, Georgia. I’ve no time for this.” His head was flopping. I realised he was stoned, but I still wanted to say my piece.
“You might not want to talk about it but there’s plenty I want to know. How long had you been sleeping with her for?”
“Oh don’t be stupid, woman. It was sex we had when she started work. I wasn’t seeing her.”
“How can I believe you, Randy? You never tell the truth,” I shouted. My body tensed. He moved to pick the remote control back up and tried to switch the TV on again. I snatched it from him and hurled it across the room. “Oh no, you don’t. I want answers.” I put my hands on my hips.
“I’ve nothing to say to you.”
At that, I completely lost it. I started throwing any object that came into my path at the wall. In retaliation, Randy slapped me across the face as if that might knock some sense into me. He smacked me some more. I shook.
“Nothing to say to me, hey, we’ll see about that.” I stormed into the bedroom.
“What are you doing, Georgia?” I was banging around in the bedroom. I pulled out a couple of suitcases. I’d had enough of him keeping stuff from me. I would move out. I opened the wardrobes and began throwing my clothes in. I collected up my shoes and filled a whole case. I wasn’t thinking clearly. My nostrils flared.
Randy came into the room and tried to restrain me.
“Stop it, Georgia. There’s no need for this.”
“I’ve had enough, Randy. You never speak to me anymore. You keep things from me. We were supposed to be partners, but this isn’t working.”
“Whoa, slow down. Don’t be so hasty. Let’s work this out.” He grappled with me.
“No, I’ve had it up to here.” I raised my hand up to my head then I began to cry.
“Come here, Georgia. Sit down. Let’s talk about it now.” I couldn’t believe he hadn’t retaliated. It wasn’t like him. I wiped my eyes and sat down. I knew I didn’t want to go anywhere.
“You’ve become a stranger lately, Randy and I don’t like it.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve not been in a good place.”
“So what did Mia mean to you?”
“I told you, nothing. She was just a typical nosey bitch who wouldn’t shut up blabbing, and she needed bringing down a peg or two. Okay, so when she initially started working for us, we had sex but I just needed to make sure she was up for doing the job.”
“So did you arrange for her to have the accident?”
“I wanted to put the frighteners on her. I hate it if anyone gets too close to me or my business.”
“Other than me, you mean?”
“Other than you, of course.”
“I didn’t count on the fact she’d had a drink and I certainly didn’t know the kid was in the car. Yes, the car was rigged, but it wasn’t meant to kill them. I’d been putting the frighteners on her and I only wanted to scare her. You know that no one messes with me and gets away with it. She’d come to me to borrow money, and she was supposed to be turning tricks to pay off her debt but she never showed up.”
“So you killed your own son!”
“Stop it Georgia, you’re not listening to me. It wasn’t like that.” Randy put his head in his hands.
“Sometimes, you’re unbelievable. I could kill you for what you’ve done. I hate you, Randy Sharples.” My voice was going hoarse from shouting. I clenched and unclenched my fists. How could he have done something so stupid? I picked up the cases then decided to leave them by the front door. I would make my mind up later whether I would be leaving permanently. For now, I needed distance from Randy. I banged the door hard as I left.
I had no idea where I was going but I couldn’t stay near Randy at the moment. I wasn’t in control of my actions. I walked towards the Arndale Centre. I had a look around the market but my h
ead was all over. My body shook. I decided to go to the club and busy myself there. No one else had arrived yet, so I keyed in the alarm code and let myself in. It was in darkness when I arrived. I helped myself to a large gin and tonic and went and sat down in the office. I leaned back in the leather upholstered chair and put my feet up on the mahogany desk. I had to decide what I wanted in my life. I didn’t want to miss out on any of Randy’s money which meant I had to come to terms with what he had done. It wasn’t going to be easy.
I called one of my girlfriends to have a moan about Randy but I couldn’t tell anyone what happened. I could live with his mistakes but I doubted how loyal other people would be. I discussed his general behaviour and how it got on my nerves. I didn’t think most people had a clue how bad he was. He seemed able to snuff out a life without any conscience. He always justified his actions, but he’d come unstuck with Alfie’s death.
An hour later, Frankie and Al, two of the security team arrived. We had a chat with a couple of punters that kept trying to come in even though they were barred. Before long I was engrossed in the day-to-day problems and the running of the club. I was able to put thoughts of Randy to the back of my head, temporarily.
In the end, it turned out to be a busy night. Takings were better than they had been for a while. I was still smarting about what Randy had done. I stayed until the end of the evening. I wanted Randy to be asleep when I got in. I wasn’t ready for another confrontation yet and I certainly wasn’t ready to forgive him.
It was the early hours of the morning when I arrived back at the apartment. I had got my usual taxi across the city. Although it was only a short distance, I didn’t want to get mugged by any of the local hoodlums.
I pressed my key fob against the panel to let myself in and a strange sensation came over me. I shuddered. Call it a sixth sense but something didn’t feel right. I didn’t call out to Randy when I walked through the door as I expected him to be asleep. I walked into the lounge and was stopped dead in my tracks by the sight I saw.
“Aargh, no, no, no,” I screamed. My whole body shook. My hand trembled as I searched to pull my phone out of my bag. Still shaking, I dialled the emergency services and was asked which service I required on the third ring.
“Ambulance, quick,” the operator transferred the call.
“Emergency ambulance, can I take the address of the emergency.” I sobbed now and found it difficult to speak.
“24, Noble Gardens. It’s on the top floor. Be quick, I think he’s dead.”
“Can you tell me what’s happened?” the operator asked.
“He’s hung himself, oh my God, please hurry.” I put my hand over my mouth as I spoke.
“Okay, an ambulance has been dispatched as we speak but I’m going to stay on the line with you. Can I take your name?” the operator was very calm.
“It’s Georgia, I’m his fiancée,” I wailed.
“Okay Georgia, do you think you can cut him down?”
“No, no, no, I can’t do it.”
“I understand Georgia but I’d like you to cut him down so you can carry out CPR on him.”
“Oh no, I don’t know.” I continued to sob.
“Just see if there’s a pair of scissors or a knife to get him down.” I did as I was told. My body went into automatic pilot mode and I just listened to the instructions. I managed to saw through the rope with a kitchen knife and Randy’s body slumped to the floor. I screamed. I still shook.
“Are you there, Georgia? Can you put me on loudspeaker and I’ll tell you what you need to do and we’ll do this together.”
“I’m sure he must be dead. He’s not breathing.”
“Just follow my instructions. Can you lay him straight on the floor?”
“Okay. I’ve done that.”
“Place one hand on his forehead, tilt his head back and lift his chin with two fingers to open his airways.”
“Right,” I sniffled.
“Is he breathing or conscious?”
“No, no, he’s not,” I whimpered.
“Now, I want you to listen very carefully to me. Place the heel of one hand in the centre of his chest. Place your other hand on top of the first. Interlock your fingers and with straight arms, use the heel of your hand to push the breastbone down firmly and smoothly so the chest is pressed down between five and six centimetres then release. I’m going to count the chest compressions with you and we’ll do this until the paramedics arrive. They shouldn’t be too long now. As we speak, they’re already on your road.” I began doing the chest compressions and continued to follow instructions.
“Count along with me, Georgia, 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4.” My heart sank with relief as the door buzzer sounded and I rushed up to let the paramedics in. One of them quickly took over from me and the other one started asking me questions. I was in a daze.
Another paramedic arrived not long after and was joined by the police. I was taken into the bedroom and asked lots of questions. My head felt as though it would split open. There was no news coming through from the other room regarding Randy but I realised it must be bad news. I was scared to go back into the lounge. My brain had gone numb. I could no longer think straight. When the police asked me if I knew any reason why Randy might want to take his own life, I only mentioned he had been feeling low lately. I also said that he’d been doing drugs and drinking heavily so his mind could have been deranged from a cocktail of substances. Any other secrets Randy had would go to the grave. I would stay loyal to my man. Everyone thought bad enough about him. I didn’t want people thinking any worse of him.
Finally, the first paramedic came through and told me he was very sorry but he had pronounced Randy dead. I knew there was no chance for him as soon as I saw him hanging there. Having to do the CPR falsely raised my hopes, but it was all in vain. Randy was no more.
There were so many people milling around the apartment. It was too much for me. One of the paramedics asked if there was anyone I wanted to call but at the moment I couldn’t think of anyone other than Randy’s nephew, Harry. He needed to know and Randy still had relatives in St Lucia. They could wait until the morning to be told along with everyone else. Two more people arrived. It was that woman, Sophie. What was she doing here?
Chapter 27
SOPHIE
Jack and I hadn’t been sitting outside Georgia’s apartment very long before we realised something was wrong. She had only been inside for five minutes, and we were still contemplating what action to take next when one ambulance arrived then another and finally the police. It was an apartment block and it could have been any number of people they could have been attending to. However, a gut instinct inside me suspected they were going to Randy and Georgia’s place. We got out of the car when the police arrived. As luck would have it, Jack knew the officer in attendance, so we walked into the building with them.
I heard Georgia’s sobs as soon as the door was opened. One police officer was talking to her, and a paramedic held her hand, trying to calm her down. The police tried to dismiss us but not before we found out what happened. Randy had hung himself and Georgia had cut him down.
I couldn’t contemplate what that poor woman must be going through. I had to admit, what Randy had done was the last thing I expected. This would be big news throughout Manchester. Randy was one of the most notorious criminals around the area. It wouldn’t take long before the press got wind of this and they would be hounding Georgia for a story. I managed to get to speak to her briefly before we were shunted out of the door.
“Georgia, I am so sorry to hear what has happened. You must be in absolute bits. Can I get you a drink?”
“It’s okay, the policewoman has been looking after me.”
“If there’s anything I can do for you, you only have to ask.” Georgia looked at me. Her usual hard faced exterior had been cracked by the turn of events. I was about to walk out of the room and leave her with the police and paramedics when I had a thought. “I do grief counselling in a professional capaci
ty and I’d like to help if I can. You’re going to have a very difficult time, dealing with the press and the aftermath of what’s happened. I wouldn’t want to see you going through this on your own.” I passed her my business card.
She didn’t say anything. “There may be people around helping you now but when the dust settles and you’re on your own, it will get tougher.”
“Thanks, Sophie.” I didn’t like how Randy conducted his life but I had no gripes with Georgia. What had happened highlighted a softer side of Georgia and I much preferred it to the one who normally bit my head off. I doubted she would get in touch but it was worth a try.
Jack and I left the luxury apartment in silence. He had been in conversation with the police while I’d been talking to Georgia. We were both in shock. Jack shook his head as we made our way to the car. I pressed the remote control button to unlock the vehicle, and we climbed in.
“What a dreadful business and how awful for Georgia coming home and finding Randy like that.”
“Yes, I can’t imagine how horrific it was for her,” I said.
“So, what do you think happened to make Randy do that then?” Jack asked.
“I’ve no idea. Who knows what goes through someone’s mind to do something like that.” I shivered as I recalled the time I tried an attempt on my own life. I had taken an overdose, back in my teens as I saw it as the only way of escaping a violent boyfriend. It was a long time ago now, but it still affected me when I considered what might have been. On that occasion, I couldn’t see any other option than to want out of life.
We set off. The roads were quiet.
I was driving when Jack turned to me and said, “I had an interesting conversation with the police back there.”
“Oh?” I was curious.
“Apparently, they were near to arresting Randy over bringing illegal immigrants in.”
