by DaNeo Duran
Once the strings had been stretched and retuned Johnny had nothing more to do than test the sound.
Not considering his housemates peace he plugged his best lead into the amp. With back and middle pickups selected Johnny’s fingers numbed by petrifying anticipation played a fifth fret a chord sounding as sharp as glass. Blowing a relieving sigh he rolled the tone back to warm the sound a touch.
Stu bounded through the door but stopped dead.
‘Wow, she looks incredible’
Johnny still trembling gave his mate a hug. ‘Thanks Stu, for all your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.’
‘What d’you think of the sound?’
‘I’m just relieved it works. I was just about the crank the gain and test the back pickup.’
‘Go on then.’
Johnny soon had the instrument howling.
‘I can’t knock it – the sound’s clinically perfect I just somehow remember it being somehow – more remarkable. I’m not feeling it sing to me.’
Monday 11th June 1984
Dwight stood up and moved to the window hearing the approaching Lotus snarl. It paused on the drive waiting for the electric garage door. He considered such a low car shouldn’t need the door to rise fully. He imagined lining up his Ram in four-wheel-drive and rolling straight over it.
Then he wondered how Linda could afford to keep such an expensive, impractical vehicle given how badly her business had been performing; not that she said much to him about it. He waved at her.
She flashed a wave less smiley than the one he seen her just give Joan the neighbour. It confirmed again that he couldn’t take her for granted. He’d thought his bulk and charm would win her; that is until their first big argument days earlier. Still she’d accepted his flowers and hadn’t ditched him.
He went to the garage to greet her not knowing what to feel. When the car door opened he expected to see the same yards of supple leg that had left that morning. But instead of sky-high heels, modest court shoes touched down above which beige linen trousers hung.
‘Hi Sexy,’ he said though it no longer seemed appropriate.
‘Thought you’d have gone back to yours for the week,’ she said.
‘Not yet.’ But I guess you hoped I would.
He started thinking he’d dreamt her leaving for work that morning looking like a teenager on her way to a disco but guessed the holdall she fetched from the car would contain her tarty outfit.
He wondered whether she’d done it for fun, purely for money or whether the poor woman thought she could use her body to save her business.
The idea of her with some puny nerd filled him with revulsion, and perversely, arousal. Knowing her as he knew women, the speed she’d dropped her morals hadn’t surprised him.
Despite her now uninspiring outfit part of him wanted to throw her over the Lotus and nail her to it. But, that wouldn’t do; apparently she didn’t like it rough. Total rubbish. Okay her ex-boyfriend might have taken things a little too far but Linda clearly loved macho men and dominance comes with the territory.
‘What you looking at Dwight?’
You, you little tart. ’Only the most beautiful woman I’ve seen all day.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘So you haven’t been out then?’
‘Don’t be so modest and yes, I’ve had a few odd jobs.’
‘Why you still here?’
‘I wanted to be nice to you.’ He kissed her cheek not wanting to think where her lips had been.
‘You can be nice after I’ve showered,’ she said leading the way into the apartment he set the shower running.
‘I’ll do your back.’
‘What’s gotten into you?’ Linda said stepping into the bathroom in just a towel.
‘Like I said. I’m a nice guy.’
‘Well I’ll be fine thanks.’
‘Okay,’ Dwight said backing out.
In the bedroom he saw the pile of clothes she’d stripped off and the holdall. Inside he found the dress and the heels she’d left in but nothing much else. No lingerie. Had the tramp left it behind as a reminder to her customer? He kicked the pile of clothes on the carpet: same lingerie she’d left in. He stared towards the bathroom perplexed.
Outside in the living area he found a Chinese takeaway menu and picked up the wall phone.
Soon he looked up from dolloping noodles onto plates to see Linda fresh from the shower with no makeup in comfy cotton shorts and T-shirt.
‘Wow, did you cook all this?’ she asked.
He searched her face for signs of sarcasm but found only good humour.
‘But of course. Madam deserves the best,’ he said taking the plates to the dining table.
She thanked him and he joined her pouring the first of the evening’s glasses of wine. ‘How was work?’
For a change she talked so Dwight asked more questions and learned selling her silly Lotus had in fact crossed her mind.
‘The only hope I’ve got is to keep my last remaining bands and hope The USed Wonz get straight back from England after their second album.’
‘What if they record a rubbish album?’
‘They won’t. They know how much is at stake and have had enough ups and downs to fill a few more albums. Still, they need a hit.’
‘That’d be great for you Linda.’
‘Bigger venues for sure.’
‘Meaning you’d make bigger profits but for no extra work.’
‘Proportionately, but I was thinking of them.’
‘Of course,’ Dwight said. ‘Are Little Spirit still doing well?’
‘Tremendously. Why?’
‘You said The USed Wonz are connected.’
‘Did I?’
‘I’m sure you said they’re part of the same record label.’
‘What you getting at?’
‘Obviously I’m no expert but wouldn’t it make more sense for this USed Wonz lot to stay in England and have hits there; on the back of Little Spirit’s success?’
Linda stayed quiet for an uncomfortable moment. ‘Like I say, I just have to hope they get back over here fast.’
Dwight exhaled. ‘Indeed.’
She’d cleared her plate. When Dwight finished he stood taking the plates to the sink.
She looked at him. ‘Are you staying the night?’
‘I’ll get out your hair. Unless …’
Tuesday 12th June 1984
Linda dressed more conservatively than the previous morning. Through a fuzzy hangover she felt Dwight’s eyes on her and wondered whether what she wore mattered at all to him.
‘Will you be here when I get back?’
He jumped out of bed. ‘I’ll go back to mine tonight. I’ve got a few jobs on today.’
Like a typical man he showered, dressed and ate breakfast before she’d finished doing her makeup.
* * *
Linda pulled into her office car park. Getting out the summer breeze caught her hair. She tucked it behind her ear and jogged up the steps to her unit with keys at the ready. She stopped short.
The door stood open.
Fiona had the spare key but she shouldn’t be in yet, plus she wouldn’t have left the door open.
‘Hello?’ she said gingerly stepping into the corridor. No response came from either the office straight ahead or bathroom to her left. Just a creepy hush.
A shiver of fright rippled through her when to her right she saw the burglar alarm console flashing. Her fingers reset the code before she realised the alarm hadn’t sounded.
Rooted to the spot she stared down the corridor as images filled her mind of the office beyond being ransacked or the perpetrator still being in there.
Forcing down rising nausea she made to walk on but heard a man’s yell from down the stairs.
She turned and seconds later a slick black-haired man appeared at her office door. She recognised him from the office beneath hers but didn’t know his name.
‘What’s going on?’ he demanded.
&
nbsp; ‘What?’
He thrust his hands forward gesturing her to explain.
Words stuck in her throat.
Angrily barging past her, he turned left and crashed into her bathroom.
‘Arrrrrgh,’ he said for the second time in sixty seconds.
Linda snapped to it and saw the disaster he had.
‘Where’s the mains tap; stopcock whatever you call it?’ he said flapping.
Linda strode into the room, water swamping her peep-toe shoes. Squatting she reached behind the sink and twisted the tap shutting off the supply of water to her unit and the toilet currently spewing pints from its cistern onto the floor.
The tap closed suddenly. A fingernail snapped as she lost her balance.
‘We need to get this water out of here,’ the man shouted. ‘It’s peeing all over our new computers.’
Linda sat in an inch of water, devastated.
‘Mops,’ he said not offering his hand.
‘Of course.’
Drenched from the floor she led the way to the corridor’s broom cupboard.
‘The carpet’s soaking didn’t you realise?’ the man barked snatching a yard brush from her.
Linda looked down. No, she hadn’t noticed.
Having swept as much of the flood out the door as possible she apologised to the man who’d relaxed and kindly checked for intruders.
‘Looks like you forgot to lock up last night,’ he said on his way back to his own office.
Linda thought she heard his thoughts sarcastically wishing her good luck with an insurance claim.
Alone for a couple of hours Linda kicked her shoes off positioning them in the sunlight of the back window. Dropping her trousers she hung them out hoping the linen would dry quickly.
Behind her desk she filed her broken nail whilst deciding who to ring first. She chose the alarm company who said they’d send an engineer to check why the alarm hadn’t sounded. Next she rang the police but she didn’t know what sort of crime to report. The office itself looked untouched and there hadn’t technically been a break-in. Finally she rang Dwight at his place.
‘Linda,’ he laughed hearing her voice.
Given he’d told her he had jobs to go to she hadn’t expected him to answer. His laughing at her nearly caused her to hang up. ‘What’s so funny?’
‘You, you don’t sound yourself.’
‘That’s because I don’t feel myself,’ she said feeling ridiculous in little more than her underwear. ‘Some pipe or other needs fixing it’s flooded my bathroom and the downstairs office.’
‘Jeez Linda, I’m pretty booked up today.’
‘Fine, the police will be here before long. I’ll call a plumber—’
‘Just hang on, let me grab some tools I’ll be there in a sec. What’s the address again?’
After the phone went down she buried her face in her hands where she stayed for ages until the phone rang.
‘Lake: All Stars—’
‘Linda what’s up?’
‘Johnny?’
‘Of course. You sound sad.’
‘All I said was—’
‘Yeah, and you sounded – sound sad. What’s wrong?’
She told him what had happened.
‘I’m coming over.’
‘What? You can’t you’re gigging tonight.’
‘We’re not so far away now. I can fly in and out.’
‘You petrified of flying.’
‘You need a friend.’
‘I’ll be in more than just my underwear by the time you get here.’
Linda listened to the pause on the line.
Johnny said, ‘I suppose if you’re making jokes I can assume you’re alright.’
She sighed. ‘I’m fine, it’s just a shock and yet another thing to deal with.’
‘I was ringing to say we had another good T-shirt night. Come and see us we could use the money to pay for a flight.’
‘That’s sweet but I can’t leave the office right now. Listen, hang on a second.’ She faced Dwight who’d appeared.
‘Ha, what happened to you?’ he said banging a toolbox on her desk.
‘I’m not in the mood,’ she said holding the receiver from her face.
‘Sorry,’ he grunted.
To the phone she said. ‘I’ve got to dash … thank you … you too … I’ll see you soon bye.’
‘Who was that?’ Dwight asked.
‘Johnny.’
‘Who?’
‘Johnny Won, from The USed Wonz.’
‘Yeah, what’s with all the fluffy talk?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘Nothing, he’s just a client.’
‘I meant with the flood.’
‘Oh.’
Linda walked and Dwight followed her rising and falling butt cheeks into the bathroom. ‘Apparently it’s all over the computers downstairs.
‘Doubt it. It won’t have gone beyond their bathroom. Probably. Right, let’s get the window open. The warm breeze with evaporate this in no time.’
Linda cursed herself for not thinking of something so obvious.
He looked her up and down. ‘You got any other clothes?’
‘No, why?’
‘I was thinking we should pay downstairs a visit before cops show. Make sure they’re not setting you up for damage that hasn’t happened.’
‘Thanks Dwight.’ She smiled.
He reached behind the toilet. ‘Pipe’s come away.’
‘How, why?’
‘Probably just one of those things,’ he said shaking his head.
Linda let him get on with the repair job. In her office she climbed back into her wet trousers.
After he’d finished the job Linda let Dwight lead the way downstairs. The double sized unit opened into a reception area with a male bathroom to the right and female one to the left where the water would have run.
‘Can I help you?’ a lady behind reception asked.
‘Anyone in here right now?’ he asked pointing to the ladies.
Not waiting for any more than a no, he shoved through the door. Linda followed him into the empty facility.
‘Floor’s still wet,’ she said but Dwight ignored her looking at ceiling.
Backing out he ploughed on to the main office without looking at the receptionist who jumped out her seat.
‘This’ll only take a moment,’ Linda told her.
In the office the same black haired man charged forward demanding explanation.
Dwight said nothing, just searched the ceiling for signs of water damage. Linda looked up. Certainly some water had come through but none near the computers or people who continued working at them unperturbed.
‘Excuse me,’ the man said again.
‘Is this the extent of flooding in this room?’
‘Yes, but the ladies bathroom—’
‘I’ve seen it. Why d’you tell this lady it was pissing all over your computers?’
‘Well it would’ve if I hadn’t stopped it.’
Linda kept quiet.
‘Well it’s fixed now. Your computers are fine. Come on Linda.’
Linda jumped loving his dominance.
‘Thanks for that,’ she said following him out wanting to put her arms round him. She realised she’d never felt so fondly of him. ‘Will you stay for the police?’
He pulled a face. ‘Alright.’
Dwight jogged upstairs to gather his tools and soon the police arrived.
Linda greeted a solitary thirty-something woman getting out the patrol vehicle.
‘Ms Lake?’
‘Call me Linda.’
‘Officer Deveraux.’
They shook hands and by the time they reached the upper office Dwight looked ready to leave. Officer Deveraux kept him waiting whilst Linda brought her up to speed.
‘In your professional opinion,’ she asked Dwight, ‘could the pipe have burst because someone tampered with it?’
‘Are you saying there’s no chance it’s been tampered with?’
He shrugged. ‘I can’t say. I still think it’s coincidence.’
When he couldn’t help with anything else she let him go.
‘I’m interested to know why the alarm failed,’ she said. ‘Forensics will be along to fingerprint the place which might explain that and why the pipe burst.’
Twenty minutes after Officer Deveraux left and the alarm technician arrived. He looked at the outside box after finding nothing wrong with the electrics in the office. When he came down his ladder he told Linda the wire connecting the bell with power had disconnected. He gave no explanation other than to say it should have been tested when she took over the lease. Twenty minutes after he left, forensics arrived to dust for prints.
Their guy found nothing untoward but said prints in wet bathrooms never last long. He couldn’t suggest anything other than bad luck regarding the burst pipe. Dwight’s repair of it had involved heaving and manipulation which would have destroyed any clues anyway.
He left and soon Fiona arrived by which time Linda’s clothes and most of the bathroom had dried.
Fiona swore she hadn’t returned after hours with her spare key and asked, ‘Can you actually remember locking up when you left last night?’
‘I think so, yes.’
‘Because I can’t remember locking my door when I left for work; not for certain anyway.’
‘I know what you mean.’
‘What’s happening about the water damage?’
‘The building manager’s reported it to the insurance company who’ll assess costs and blame, which might fall to me. I can’t prove I locked up. No forced entry might mean no claim.’ Linda rubbed her face. ‘I’ll probably be held responsible given there’s no sign of break in.’
* * *
Johnny rang back later that afternoon.
‘Hang on,’ he said, ‘the unlocked door isn’t relevant.’
‘It is, there was no break in.’ Linda wanted to slap the desk.
‘What if you’d found the door locked this morning – you said Dwight claimed the pipe would have burst anyway?’
She thought for a moment. ‘I guess if the door had been locked the insurance would fix it.’
‘There you go. You’ve got Dwight’s opinion written in the police report. Nobody including forensics have reason to suspect the pipe had been sabotaged.’
Wednesday 25th March 1981
Johnny had been invited to a second Wednesday poker night. This time Geoff would be there intent on relieving Charles, one of the regular players, of his money.
At the foot of the building Johnny mentally prepared himself and shrugged off his emotions. After climbing the stairs he looked around the room he’d visited the previous week. He couldn’t see Geoff so instead made small talk with the unsuspecting Charles.
