Tainted Lives

by Mandasue Heller

  It finally snapped the day she went to May’s house to remind Claire that they were supposed to be collecting their prescriptions and would be too late for the chemist if she didn’t get a move on.

  Tara answered the door wearing the necklace that Dandi had given Sarah for her birthday – the necklace that had gone missing not long after she’d moved in with Claire.

  ‘Where did you get that?’ she demanded.

  ‘Maam!’ Tara yelled, running into the living room. ‘Sarah’s after me cross!’

  Following her in, Sarah pointed an accusing finger at her. ‘That’s mine!’

  ‘No, it ain’t,’ May said, standing between them, a threatening scowl on her face. ‘And don’t you be coming round here shouting at my kids, you stuck-up bitch!’

  ‘It’s my necklace,’ Sarah stood her ground. ‘I got it for my birthday and it went missing a few weeks ago. I want it back.’

  ‘Oi!’ May prodded Sarah’s chest with a rigid finger. ‘You’d best not be accusing my kid of nicking it, or I’ll break your fuckin’ neck for you! I bought that cross for her.’

  ‘Bullshit!’ Sarah hissed. ‘It’s mine.’

  ‘Well, it’s not no more. I bought it fair and square. It’s Tara’s now.’

  ‘Bought it off who?’ Sarah demanded. ‘Claire?’

  ‘Don’t blame me,’ Claire said. ‘It ain’t my fuckin’ fault if you can’t remember where you put things!’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Makka asked, coming in through the front door that Sarah had left open.

  ‘This cheeky bitch is accusin’ us of nicking her fuckin’ necklace,’ May told him. ‘Just ’cos our Tara’s got one like it!’

  ‘The one I give you?’ Makka said, frowning.

  ‘Yeah. She reckons it’s hers.’

  ‘Well, it ain’t.’ Makka turned on Sarah. ‘I give her that years ago.’

  ‘Thought you said you bought it?’ Sarah glared at May.

  ‘No, I never, you lying bitch!’

  Glaring at the three of them, Sarah turned and marched out. There was no point arguing with them. She wasn’t going to get anywhere. They professed to hate each other, but they would lie and fight to back each other up.

  ‘Sarah!’ Claire yelled after her from the doorway. ‘Where you going?’

  ‘To get my stuff,’ Sarah shouted back.

  ‘But, you can’t . . . You’ve got to get your prescription. They won’t give it me.’

  ‘Tough!’

  Throwing everything she had into a bin liner, Sarah walked out of Claire’s squat without a backward glance. With her head held high, she marched down the communal stairs and across the road to the next Crescent with just one thought in mind – to find an empty place on a block where Claire didn’t have mates.

  Ten minutes later, she had found one. She knew the ropes now. The council would give her the tenancy rather than go through the hassle of taking her to court to evict her. And now that she knew how to claim benefits, she would be fully legit by this time tomorrow.

  Free of Claire and her vile mates.

  All she needed to do was buy a new lock and break in. That was the tricky bit, but she was sure she could manage it. She just hoped that the hardware shop was still open.

  Pete Owens was visiting his Nan at the old people’s home in Hulme. The bus stopped right outside, so he could usually get in and out without being seen. But this day, she wanted him to go to the chemist’s to pick up her prescription and he couldn’t refuse.

  It was already growing dark, but he pulled his hood up anyway and hurried down the road, dreading bumping into Vinnie and being forced to make arrangements to meet up. He rarely saw him these days, and he was relieved, if truth be told. He had changed a lot since leaving Starlight, and knew he wouldn’t have tried half the things he had done if he’d had Vinnie sneering over his shoulder. College, for example.

  Pete’s project manager had got him onto a computer course, and he was doing really well. His tutors had said he was a dead cert for a distinction if he carried on the way he was going, and he had every intention of fulfilling their prophecy. He’d already decided to sign on for the second year. Then, when he had passed his finals, he would net himself a good job at some high-tech company and work his way up, earning enough to get himself a flash car and a really good pad by the time he was twenty. He had it all mapped out in his mind, and he really believed it was within his grasp – as long as he stayed away from the undesirables.

  Hurrying down the road with his gaze fixed firmly to the pavement now, Pete didn’t see the girl coming the other way and was shocked when he bumped into her, knocking the bin bag she was carrying out of her hands. He was already apologizing when he realized who it was.

  Sarah recognized him immediately, and her heart sank.

  They looked at each other for long, agonizing seconds. Finally Sarah said, ‘How are you?’

  ‘Fine,’ Pete said, glad that she’d broken the silence because now they could get the hellos over with and go about their business. ‘You?’

  ‘So-so.’ Bending down, she scooped up the things that had fallen from the bag. ‘I’m moving,’ she explained, seeing his gaze flick to it.

  ‘Oh, right. You don’t live round here, then?’

  ‘Yeah, but not from choice. I’ve been staying at Claire Wilson’s.’

  ‘Claire? I thought she was dead, or something.’

  ‘Might as well be.’

  ‘What happened to her?’ Pete was intrigued despite himself. ‘Did she ever have that baby?’

  ‘She lost that one,’ Sarah said with a hint of disapproval. ‘She’s had another since that, but they took it off her. And she’s expecting again now.’ Straightening up, she rolled her eyes. ‘That’s one of the reasons I’m moving out. I’ve had enough of her moaning and puking.’

  ‘Rather you than me.’ Pete grimaced. ‘Anyhow, look, I’d best get off. I’m, er, trying to avoid Vinnie, to be honest.’

  Blanching at the mention of Vinnie’s name, Sarah glanced around nervously. ‘He’s not round here, is he?’

  ‘Yeah, in the project.’ Pete motioned back the way she’d come with a nod. ‘Next to the barracks up Bonsall Street. Didn’t you know?’

  ‘No. I haven’t seen him since I left Starlight.’

  Pete peered at her questioningly. ‘Don’t think I’m being nosy, but what was it with you two? I mean, I know he’s supposed to be good-looking and that, but I didn’t think you’d be interested.’

  ‘I wasn’t!’ Sarah snorted. ‘That was the problem. He was, but it wasn’t happening. Not after what he did to Harry, anyway.’ Frowning now, she said, ‘Why did you do all that shit to him? He was really sweet, you know.’

  Blushing, Pete shoved his hands deep into his pockets and looked down at his feet. This was another of the reasons he’d been glad to cut off ties with Vinnie. Since moving to the Stretford project and being helped by the mentors there, he’d got involved in some of the special activities that they organized for younger kids, and there were lots who were just like Harry Shaw – disabled, dispossessed, and just plain disowned. He had learned a lot, and was more than a little ashamed of the way that he’d behaved in the past. But how could he explain this to Sarah without sounding insincere?

  ‘I’m really sorry about all that,’ he managed. ‘I’d never do it these days.’

  Watching him, his eyes downcast, his cheeks ablaze with shame, Sarah believed that he meant it.

  ‘I’m sure Harry would be glad to hear that,’ she said. ‘What happened to him, by the way? I didn’t hear from him after he was taken back that time. Was he all right?’

  Looking up, Pete frowned. ‘Didn’t you hear?’

  ‘What?’ Her voice was thick with dread. ‘He’s not dead? . . . Please don’t tell me he’s dead.’

  ‘No.’ Pete shook his head, his face grim. ‘But I bet he wished he was that night. He was attacked.’

  ‘Oh, my God!’ Sarah’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘What happened?
’

  ‘It was a bit after I left, so I’m not positive, but they reckon he was drugged and . . . you know.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyhow, he never went back. They took him somewhere else from the hospital. And Chambers was nicked straight after.’

  ‘Chambers!’ Sarah exclaimed angrily. ‘I fucking knew he’d get to Harry! I warned Dandi, the stupid bitch! God!’

  ‘He got eleven years.’

  ‘Good! What about Harry? Was he all right?’

  ‘Yeah. They reckon he didn’t remember anything – with getting spiked, and that.’

  ‘Well, that’s good, I suppose,’ Sarah murmured, exhaling loudly to relieve the tension. ‘Where did they send him?’

  Shrugging, Pete folded his arms. ‘Somewhere in London, I think. Dandi said that some couple were adopting him.’

  ‘I should get in touch. Do you still speak to Dandi?’

  ‘Not much.’ Pete blushed again, embarrassed to admit that he was one of the ‘uncool’ ones who had stayed in touch. ‘Now and then – just to let her know how college is going, and that.’

  ‘You’re in college?’

  ‘Yeah, computers. What about you? Are you working, or anything?’

  ‘No. I was, but I need to sort my own place out before I can get something else.’

  ‘You want to try college,’ Pete suggested. ‘You get a grant, and you’ll end up with qualifications.’

  ‘Nah.’ Sarah shook her head. ‘I don’t think me and the teachers would get on too well. I’ve had enough of rules. I just want to get into my flat and sort myself out.’

  ‘Have you locked yourself out?’

  ‘I haven’t got in yet.’ Sarah grinned sheepishly. ‘I was just going to buy a lock. They’re not hard to change, are they?’

  ‘Nah, it’s a doddle. It’s only a barrel and a couple of screws. I’ll do it for you, if you want?’

  ‘Yeah? That’d be great. Thanks.’

  ‘’S all right.’ Pete shrugged bashfully. ‘Not right now, though, ’cos I’m supposed to be fetching something for me Nan.’

  ‘Your Nan?’

  ‘Yeah, she lives in there.’ Pete thumbed towards the windows of the home to their left. ‘I don’t see her that much, but she gets me doing all sorts. Anyhow, this lock,’ he changed the subject. ‘An hour do you?’

  ‘Yeah, that’s great. I’ll wait in the launderette. Just come and get me when you’re ready.’

  ‘Okay. See you in a bit, then.’

  ‘Yeah, see you.’

  An hour later, Sarah took Pete to the flat that she had chosen. It was separated from the rest of the landing by the stairwell – which was precisely why she liked it. It was unnerving to live on the main run, where someone was always walking past day and night. In the corner like this, there was no reason for anyone to be outside your door unless they were calling there specifically.

  ‘You sure you want this one?’ Pete glanced nervously about. ‘You’re not gonna change your mind when I start ripping the lock out? Only I don’t want to get arrested for breaking and entering.’

  ‘I’m sure.’ Sarah took the new lock from her pocket. ‘You sure you can do it?’

  ‘Aw, come on!’ Drawing his head back, Pete mock-frowned as he pulled his Nan’s claw hammer from his pocket. ‘It might be rocket science to a bird, but it’s a piece of piss to a bloke.’

  Minutes later, they were inside. Putting the hammer down, Pete took out a screwdriver and set about changing the barrel.

  ‘How old is your Nan?’ Sarah asked, shivering in the cold, emptiness of the flat.

  ‘Seventy-eight. Why?’

  ‘Just wondering how come she’s got tools.’

  ‘They were my grandad’s. She only kept them so I could fix stuff for her.’

  ‘Don’t they have wardens for that?’

  ‘Yeah, but she likes to see me sweat. There you go.’ Stepping back, Pete handed her the keys.

  Slipping one into the lock, Sarah turned it and grinned. ‘Thanks. You don’t know how good it feels to know I won’t have to spend one more night with that bitch.’

  ‘No problem.’ Lighting a cigarette, Pete offered one to her. Taking it, she leaned towards him to get a light, leaving a faint trail of perfume behind. It stirred something in his gut. ‘What’s Claire doing these days, anyway?’ he asked. ‘Apart from getting knocked up.’

  Sarah sat down against the wall. ‘Being a junkie. She’ll be having a proper shit-fit today, ’cos I didn’t pick my script up for her.’

  ‘Eh?’ Pete sat facing her. ‘You’ve been getting prescriptions for her?’

  ‘Yeah. I had to tell her doctor I was a junkie so he’d give me all the usual shit, and I give it to her instead of rent.’

  ‘He believed you were a junkie?’ Pete was incredulous. ‘You don’t look anything like one.’

  ‘It don’t matter what you look like.’ Sarah exhaled noisily. ‘He isn’t exactly legal. He kind of trades the drugs for shags. Claire set it up so she does mine, but that’s her business.’

  They were quiet for a moment, their cigarettes glowing in the dark.

  ‘You know all that stuff Vinnie said that day,’ Pete said after a moment. ‘About your mum and a cat. Was it true?’

  ‘Mmmm.’

  ‘And that day when you caught us with Harry – would you really have stabbed Vinnie?’

  Sighing, Sarah said, ‘Yeah, probably. I was in a bit of a mess back then, and he was being such a prick that I could have easily taken it out on him if he’d pushed me.’

  ‘Lucky he didn’t, then,’ Pete said. ‘I reckon that’s when he started getting into you again, you know. He always had this funny look in his eye when he saw you after that.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Sarah chuckled. ‘It freaked me out. I didn’t even know he liked me, never mind fancied me.’

  ‘What did you tell him that day you left?’

  ‘That I’d think about chilling with him if he laid off Harry.’

  ‘Ah . . . no wonder he made us pack it in, then.’

  ‘Did he?’ Sarah asked, peering hard across the dark expanse to gauge whether Pete was telling the truth.

  ‘Yeah. It did my skull in at the time, ’cos one minute he’s getting us to kick Harry’s head, then the next he’s threatening to kick ours in if we so much as look at the kid wrong. It was weird, man.’

  ‘What about after Harry was brought back after he ran away? Did he start on him again after that?’

  ‘Not that I know of.’

  Sarah was glad. At least Harry had enjoyed some respite.

  Pete illuminated his watch, making his face glow a strange shade of green. Seeing it was almost nine-thirty, he pushed himself to his feet.

  ‘I’d best get going or I’ll miss my bus. They’re pretty laid-back at the project, but I’ve still got to be in by ten.’

  Sarah felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. She’d never have thought it possible, but she’d enjoyed talking to Pete and was almost reluctant to see him go. Apart from which, she had to admit to more than a passing fancy. He was much better-looking than she remembered, with his glossy black hair, his smoky grey eyes and his even, white teeth. She was surprised that she’d never noticed how cute he was. But then, she hadn’t bothered looking at any of the lads at Starlight.

  Getting up, she said, ‘Thanks for helping me out, I really appreciate it. You’ll have to come round for a brew sometime – when you’re visiting your Nan, or whatever. Do you think you’ll remember where it is?’

  ‘I reckon so.’ Pete gave her a shy grin. ‘Will you be all right on your own?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll be fine.’ Sarah opened the door. ‘See you then.’

  ‘Yeah, see you.’

  Pete visited Sarah the following week.

  Three months later, he moved in.

  PART THREE

  2003

  24

  Vinnie got out of the shower and strolled naked into the bedroom to get ready for the party he wasn’t looking forward to.r />
  At twenty-five, he was a big man – six-three, and a muscular fourteen stones. And he was exceptionally handsome, with strong, even features, thick, dark-blond hair, and killer blue eyes.

  Women loved him, couldn’t get enough of his bad-boy charms and satin-smooth tongue. And he loved them right back – in a woo-’em-and-screw-’em kind of way. But he hadn’t met one yet that was worthy of more.

  What a world it was: drugs, money, fast women, and faster cars. Every young man’s dream. And it was all his, thanks to Glen Noble – the biggest semi-legit gangster in Manchester: his boss, his friend – and the man whose latest woman Vinnie had met and conquered months before Glen ever laid eyes on her.

  Carina was a stripper when Vinnie met her, and he’d fancied her from the off – in a purely lustful sense. Tall and slim, with platinum-blonde hair, nice tits, and come-fuck-me brown eyes, she held his interest for all of two months before the inevitable boredom set in and he stopped returning her calls.

  That, Vinnie had thought, was the end of that. So he hadn’t been overjoyed to come back from a fortnight’s holiday some months later to find that Glen had met Carina and shacked up with her in his absence.

  It was a tricky situation because Glen was a dangerous man to cross. If he found out that he was living with one of Vinnie’s ex-shags – and that neither Vinnie nor Carina had seen fit to mention it before he’d got involved – he’d be murderous. Illogical, given that Vinnie hadn’t been around to warn him at the time, but Glen didn’t think like that. In their world, where loyalty and respect were everything, letting the boss man unwittingly slip one to your sloppy seconds was a cardinal sin.

  As soon as Vinnie saw Carina that day, he warned her with a look not to acknowledge him, and she was smart enough to catch on. But later, when they got a moment alone, she made it more than obvious that she was still interested, even going so far as to say that she would finish with Glen if that was the only thing stopping Vinnie from hooking up with her again. Vinnie told her she was crazy, spelling out exactly what would happen to them both if she dared let Glen know the score. Fortunately, she took the warning to heart. But it didn’t stop her trying to get it on with Vinnie whenever she got the chance, and he had to stay on his toes to avoid being caught out.