Ugly Duckling

by Malcolm Allen

  'Hello D.I Dick, how nice to see you.'

  It was Wheeler, the drunk that had caused Sonia's accident and death.

  'Gary Wheeler' John snarled 'I wish I could say the same about you!'

  'Now, Now Dick, don't be so anti! You wouldn't want the general public seeing you arguing with an invalid would you?' Wheeler had his customary slimy grin.

  'Invalid my arse, we both know you're a fake' retorted John.

  'I've not been out of this chair since that tragic day, I can’t walk any more' Wheeler feigned a weak, helpless man.

  'Don't give me that crap! Maybe not out in public but we both know you can walk, and as soon as I get the proof that'll be good bye benefits!'

  'D.I Dick! How could you be so nasty to me after all I was the last one to see your lovely wife alive.'

  John could feel the anger building but knew he could do nothing about it, not in such a public place. 'The reason for that, you little bastard, is because you caused the accident that killed her!'

  Wheeler gave John a hound dog type of look 'And that accident left me like this, no compensation is ever enough when you've had your legs taken away. And the nightmares of you're wife dying and being unable to move to help her, I wonder how long it took for your unborn child to die?' another slimy grin spread across Wheelers face.

  Rage now filled John and he could feel his fist clenching, it was an action Wheeler quickly noticed. Reversing his chair out of Johns reach,

  'Anyway, enough of this banter' he said 'I just wanted to mention Jenni to you.'

  'What about Jenni?' Johns rage had subsided to just anger now.

  'I just wanted to tell you that she isn't what she seems, however, you don't need to worry about it, you probably won’t see her again after tonight' Wheeler started to drive off in his buggy.

  'What do you mean? Why won’t I see her after tonight? Wheeler!'

  Wheeler continued on his way waving one hand in the air 'Bye, Bye D.I Dick.'

  John wanted to go after him, but thought better of it, if he had caught him he was likely to tip him out of the bloody chair just to prove he could walk, but that wouldn't have looked very good on the front page of the newspapers. He took a few deep breaths and started back to the Laughing pig and Liz.

  ***

  Jenni was joining in the conversation with the others while they waited for John to arrive. She knew Ian, and Liz introduced Jane, Leon and Greg,

  'So you used to work with Liz' Jenni was saying to Greg

  'Yes, we had some great times together over the years' he replied

  'Oh?' Jenni's imagination was working overtime 'Where you lovers?'

  They all laughed and Jenni felt animosity growing towards them all for it.

  'No Jenni' Greg explained 'we were just work colleagues. She's not my type, if you know what I mean, no woman is.'

  'Oh, you mean you're gay! Well that might appeal to some women, maybe they see you as a challenge' she turned her gaze to Liz 'Liz, We should do Coffee sometime, give me your number and I'll call you.'

  Liz was quite taken aback by this sudden show of affection towards her but handed Jenni her number, not expecting to hear from her.

  'John! There you are I was beginning to get worried.' Liz moved on the bench seat allowing John space to sit next to her. Jenni watched.

  'Are you ok J.D? You look a bit pissed off.'

  'I'm fine Ian, just ran into that slime ball Gary Wheeler that's all.' Phil put a pint down in front of John which he quickly grasped and took a large gulp.

  'Don't forget we've got to go out J.D' Ian reminded him

  'Yeh I know, its fine. He really pisses me off, going on about how he was the last to see Sonia. He was the bastard that killed her, I'll fucking have him one day!'

  Jenni listened to all this with interest, realising who Wheeler was to John, then her concentration was shattered.

  'How does he know you?' John was looking straight at Jenni; the others all turned their heads towards her waiting for the answer.

  Jenni ignored them and aimed her gaze at John 'John. I need to have a quick word with you in private, then I'll leave you all to get on with Liz's birthday, I don't want to gate crash, But Liz I will call you for that coffee, hope you have a really great Birthday.' she stood and held out her hand for John 'can we just go over to another table'

  John took her hand and walked with her to the other side of the bar, well away from prying ears, where they sat at a vacant table. Jenni looked at John and smiled, it was the smile that she had given him the first time they met, the one that reminded him so much of Sonia and like that first time there were tears in her eyes.

  'John, I've got to tell you something, I don't want you to interrupt, just listen and I don't want you to Judge me, please just remember who I am now, not who I was.' John nodded his agreement. 'Years ago, when I was at college, before I received my trust fund I was broke. And I mean really broke, I had to get food that had gone out of date from the waste bins of supermarkets, I couldn't afford clothes and my tuition fees were building up. To cut a long story short in order to survive I only had one thing to sell, myself.'

  'You went on the game?' John interrupted. Jenni held a finger to his lips and continued.

  'Yes. I'm afraid I took to prostitution, I was quite good at it, made quite a lot of money.'

  'I bet you did' John meant to think the words to himself but actually said them out loud, much to Jenni's annoyance; she glared at John but continued.

  'John it wasn't something I wanted to do, it was survival, but there was a man. Wheeler, he said if I wanted he could get me a better type of client, instead of using my own bedsit it would be hotel rooms and champagne with a much greater income. So I did, for a while, and I did earn some very good money, Wheeler provided the clients and only took 50% of my income, which was good compared to others I was told. But then he kept giving me more and more clients, so many that I didn't have time to study, and I was so tired that I really wanted some time just to sleep, but all Wheeler did was offer me pills to keep me going, which I refused by the way, but then just in time I think, my trust fund came through, I didn't have to work any more, so I told Wheeler I was stopping. He was furious at the time, it meant he was loosing a very good income and he would have to find another girl for his clients, he kept badgering me to carry on but I said No! I didn't need him or his filthy work any more. The only way I could stop him was to leave the area, so I left college and moved as far from the area as I thought I needed. Everything was fine until recently when Wheeler found me, it’s been years since then but he recognised me and followed me home. Now he keeps pestering me to go back to work, as he puts it. He keeps telling me I was the best and I shouldn't be selfish, it was his income as well and now he doesn't have any money but I could help him, but I'm not going to, I don't want to return to that type of work and I have no need to now, my fund is more than enough for me to live on without being a sex worker. ‘Jenni’s eyes were filling with even more tears now. 'So here's the worst bit' she took a deep breath 'John I can’t see you for a while, I need to go away for a few days, just to get my head straightened out, I don't want you to get involved. Not yet anyway, I want you to respect me and allow me a few days’, that's all. And if I need help then I'll ask you for it, I promise.' she paused and looked at John 'Do you feel badly about me? Will you still want to see me?'

  'Of course I will, things that happened in the past are exactly that, they happened in the past. Are you sure you don't want me to sort out Wheeler? I'd really enjoy it.'

  Jenni let out a weak tearful laugh 'No John, Give me a few days, that's all. Now you go back to your friends and I'll call you soon. Bye John.' She stood and kissed John gently before leaving. John waited a few moments absorbing what he had been told before returning to Liz and the others.

  'Everything OK J.D' Ian asked

  'I'll tell you later,' turning to Liz he took from his pocket a CD still in the bag and handed it to Liz 'Here you are Liz. Happy birthday, so
rry didn't have time to wrap it' he winked.

  'Thanks John, you shouldn't have' Liz took the bag and removed the CD; it was an album by “The Boscombe Downbeats” called “Tonight”. 'Oh' Liz had a look of disappointment on her face 'That's lovely, Thank you.'

  'Ian told me you wanted it so I hope it’s the right one'

  Ian looked at the CD then John with some confusion 'I told you what J.D?'

  'This album for Liz. You told me this morning in the text.'

  'I don't think I did J.D. I've never heard of them!'

  'You said in the text L.P 2night!' John was quite annoyed at Ian's denial. The rest, including Liz burst out laughing.

  'J.D. That's L.P, Laughing Pig. 2nite, tonight.'

  John blushed at his own stupidity, 'Come on We'd better get to this club, you've got work to do.'

  Ian, still laughing, got up and left with John to go to the Straight Round the Bend Club.

  Chapter 33

  Before the morning briefing John and Ian were comparing notes with some of the others that had visited clubs and pubs the previous night, nobody had come up with anything new and they were all left wondering how Roger Green could remain so anonymous.

  'It's as if he doesn't exist' Ian commented 'Nobody recognises him or even knows the name, even the press release turned up nothing.'

  'But we know he does exist Ian, DNA doesn't lie. We know he was in America, there was a fire and although he was presumed dead he somehow escaped the fire and arrived back here. Somebody somewhere must know him.'

  'Perhaps J.D he was badly disfigured in the fire so now he wears a mask. You know like that bloke out of the phantom of the opera!' Ian looked please with himself for coming up with the theory, John just looked. 'OK perhaps not like him, but maybe he doesn't look like the photo any more'

  John considered this statement in his usual way, expressionless with blank eyes. 'It’s a possibility, if he got badly burnt in the fire, would he have been in hospital in the U.S? Maybe had some cosmetic surgery? He didn't seem to like his family, after all he killed his own Dad, so perhaps he saw it as a way to change identity.' thoughtfully he pulled a cigarette from his desk draw and sucked on it, unlit. 'Ask the Americans to check it out, they might not have considered that.' he replaced the cigarette back into the draw, 'you could be on to something. We'd better start this briefing and let the team get on with their work.'

  It was a quick briefing just covering old ground. The enthusiasm that had been so obviously present on previous days was beginning to wane, they desperately needed a breakthrough and after the meeting John returned to his office, scanning the files again, looking for anything that might have been missed, just then there was a knock at the door and Greg walked in followed by Ian.

  'Hello Guy’s just came to say cheerio before I shoot back up to Glasgow.'

  'That was a short visit, how’s it all going up there?' Asked Ian.

  'Really well thanks Ian, the works great and the lab has to be one of the most modern I've seen, we've got every piece of equipment you could think of, Its like working on CSI Miami.'

  John looked at Greg talking but wasn't really listening to him when suddenly he stood up and shook Greg's hand 'That's fantastic Greg, have a seat. You're a gay boy aren’t you?'

  Greg sat and looked at John, he knew he wasn't trying to be offensive it was just his way 'I'm Gay yes' came the reply.

  'Did you have a look at the picture of Roger Green' John handed a picture to him 'Can you remember seeing him anywhere?'

  Greg studied the picture closely for a few moments then shook his head, 'No Sorry Guys, I don't think I've ever seen him before.'

  'Take a closer look, its possible that he was disfigured in some way so he may now have scars on his face, try to imagine what he would look like then.'

  Again Greg studied the pictures; he had worked with Liz for a long time and had seen all sorts of burns and disfigurements to people in that time, so picturing scars on someone’s face was easier for him than most other people. After a while he again shook his head, 'there's something about the eyes, they look familiar somehow, but no I've never met him.'

  'Greg?' Ian put coffee down for all three of them having been to the machine in the main office. 'Where were the most popular places to hang out, I don't mean the brash commercial Clubs, I'm thinking more of the low key private type places.'

  Greg thought for a moment, 'well there was one place, it's known as the Queens Parlour it's just a house really but all of the rooms have been decorated as different styles of Queens Lounge, there's Elizabeth Parlour and Victoria Parlour you get the idea, it was just a place for people to meet and have a quiet drink and chat, no bed's or anything like that just comfy seats and coffee tables, but some of us used to meet there, it was just a bit more discreet than the noisy clubs'

  'I've never heard of it' John looked at Ian 'Have you?'

  'As I said its very discreet, no signs or anything and no loud music from the outside it looks like a normal house' Greg felt a little uncomfortable giving John and Ian this information, the Queens Parlour had been kept secret for a long time and he didn't want to be responsible for publicising the fact that it existed. 'I'll give you the address, but promise me you won’t go screeching around there with the blues and two's. It’s a very respectable place.'

  'Don't worry Greg' Ian said 'All we're interested in is solving these murders. Maybe there's someone there that recognises Roger.'

  Greg wrote the address on a piece of paper and handed it to Ian, of the two that sat in front of him he trusted Ian the most, then he said his farewells and left on his way to say goodbye to Liz.

  'That could be useful' Ian said studying the address

  'Yeh, nice bloke, Greg, Shame he's gone up to Scotland' John actually sounded genuine with his comment which took Ian by surprise.

  'You weren't saying that when you thought he was shagging Liz' Ian handed the paper to John.

  'Ian don't be stupid. He's gay, I always knew there was nothing between him and Liz' John had a smirk on his face which gave away his deceit. 'This afternoon we'll go up to this Queens Parlour place, perhaps get a nice cup of tea and crumpets, what do you think?'

  'I doubt that J.D. I doubt that very much.'

  Chapter 34

  Liz slid the draw shut on another one of her people and switched her CD machine on; “Tonight” by “The Boscombe Downbeats” came on. Amazingly, to Liz, it was really quite good a cross between Frank Sinatra and Queen Liz thought, they were a local band but Liz felt sure they were going to make it. Singing alone to one of the tracks “Body of Joy” she noticed someone standing in the doorway.

  'Greg! Come in.'

  Greg donned a white lab coat the same as he had done for many years and entered the lab. 'Hi Liz, how's it going.'

  'Good thanks, I was so pleased to see you last night, I can’t thank you enough for coming.'

  'No problem, Liz. After all you are the only woman apart from my Mum I love.'

  'Ahh, thanks Greg, it’s nice to be loved by somebody, even if it’s platonic.'

  'Well if I'd have been straight who knows' cheekily Greg patted Liz on the bottom.

  'You would have to join the queue.' Liz laughed at the thought of men queuing up for her 'I have to battle my way past possible suitors every night you know!'

  'Yes I know, but you're only interested in one.' Greg knew the long saga of Liz's unrequited love. 'I've just been to see him, just to say goodbye.'

  'That was nice of you, are you going already?' Liz pointed Greg in the direction of the Kitchen 'Fancy a cup of tea, No biscuits I'm afraid, we never seem to get them now you've left.'

  'I'm glad I was useful for something' smiling he flicked the switch down on the kettle and put the tea bags into the cups. 'I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, early, so I thought I'd come round and say all my goodbyes today'

  'I wish you could stay longer, I miss our little chats' she finished making the tea and handed a cup to Greg, they went through to Liz's
office,

  'And I wish you’d come up to Glasgow, we would work as equals and the lab there is ultra modern it's got everything you said you always wanted,'

  'Except John.' Liz wanted to go to Glasgow, she wanted to continue working with Greg, they were a great partnership, but she couldn't leave John and she felt she was at last getting closer to him.

  'Liz, you can’t run you're whole life around a man you may never get, there's plenty more fish as they say. He seems pretty taken with that other girl at the moment.'

  Liz smiled, remembering her conversation the day before with John 'perhaps not as taken as you think, and something tells me he's going to need me quite soon.'

  'Well if you ever change your mind just pick up the phone and call me.' Greg finished his tea. Liz's phone rang

  'Hello Elizabeth Collingsworth' she answered 'Oh hello how nice of you to call' she paused listening to the caller 'yes that would be lovely, I'll see you later then.' she hung up the phone 'it would seem I'm going for coffee in the other woman's den' Greg looked questionably at Liz ‘That was Jenni, she's invited me over to her place later for coffee. Perhaps she's going to surrender and withdraw her claim on John.'

  'Do you really think so?' Greg looked doubtful

  'No of course not, its just some game she's playing, probably wants to gloat over the latest sexual position she and John managed to get themselves into, but I'm not one to shy away from a challenge. It should be interesting.'

  'And if I know you Liz you'll find some way to turn it to your advantage. But don’t go getting into any fights, I'd hate you to be tearing each others hair out.' Greg Stood 'I'll probably be in the pub tonight for a quick one if you happen to be around.'

  Liz's phone sounded again. 'I'll see you there' Liz mouthed as she answered.