by Jade Winters
Chapter Forty
Astrid arranged for a small barbeque, to help take Callie’s mind off things. She wasn’t coping well after Lexi’s death. The truth was that, Astrid should have left by now, but staying was the only thing stopping Callie from falling apart. Likewise, Astrid was in a daze herself, trying to figure out where she went from here. With no story to cover, she couldn’t stay in Grasmere indefinitely. She had a living to make and jobs weren’t exactly aplenty for a population of a thousand people.
As Elaine didn’t have a barbecue, Astrid had to improvise in setting one up. She used four bricks to make a base in which she put the charcoal and then she placed a wire mesh on top of it. Finally, she topped the structure with another layer of brick so it gave some height for her to put the skewers on. Thankfully everything was available at a local shop, so she didn’t have to leave Callie for long by going into town.
‘How do you like it?’ Astrid said, admiring her work after it was done.
‘Let’s see if it works,’ Callie said as Astrid tried to light up the charcoal.
‘If the charcoal doesn’t light, that’s not my problem,’ Elaine said holding her hands up.
‘It’ll work.’ Astrid concentrated on fanning the flames.
‘I can always get you a hairdryer. That would probably light it faster,’ Elaine said, smirking.
Astrid rolled her eyes.
‘Okay. Since you’re lighting the barbeque, I’ll get the drinks,’ Callie said and disappeared inside.
Astrid watched Elaine fussing with the paper plates on the table. She’d noticed slight changes in Elaine’s behaviour since Astrid had got together with Callie. She seemed to be talking less and less to her, to the point of almost ignoring her. Astrid had dismissed it as something her over imaginative brain had conjured up, but today she was convinced. Should she ask Callie if there was a problem? She didn’t know Elaine well enough to confront her outright. But thought if there really was an issue it should be resolved. Otherwise it will be awkward with Callie and I being a ...
But Astrid didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence in her mind. Callie came through the back door, bottles of beer in both hands and Elaine ran over to help her. Astrid would find time later to ask her, but she still tried to rack her brains, rethinking all that had happened the week before. Was there anything she did that could have annoyed Elaine?
Astrid walked over to where Callie and Elaine were setting up a small table for the drinks and grabbed a beer.
‘See, I told you I’d get it started.’
‘This smells great,’ Callie said as Astrid put the first batch of meat on. She tried to sound upbeat but Astrid could detect the sadness in her voice. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Callie suddenly stepped forward, held Astrid by the waist and pulled her close, kissing her deeply. It was sudden and unexpected for Astrid. Callie didn’t strike her as a person who liked public displays of affection. Not that she was complaining. Instead Astrid wrapped her arms around Callie’s neck.
‘Gee, get a room, why don’t you?’ Elaine suddenly said.
‘We will, later,’ Astrid quipped, not letting Callie go.
‘I’m serious. Cut it out,’ Elaine said in a serious tone.
Callie frowned. ‘Is there a problem?’
‘Oh, forget it.’ Elaine’s face flushed but her eyes remained angry. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’
‘Try me.’ Astrid released her and Callie walked over to Elaine. Kneeling down beside her, she said, ‘Laney, what’s the matter?’
Elaine lowered her tone to barely a whisper. ‘Nothing. Ignore me.’
‘No, I won’t,’ Callie insisted. ‘Now tell me what’s wrong.’
Elaine stifled a sob. ‘It’s you two.’
‘What about us?’
‘You’re going to move away, aren’t you? To be with Astrid.’
Callie opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She shut it then opened it again. ‘Laney.’
‘Just admit it.’ Her voice rose an octave.
Callie looked to Astrid. With two pairs of eyes on her, Astrid felt nailed to the spot.
‘I think we’ve got a long way to go before anyone’s moving anywhere,’ Astrid finally said.
She felt a stab to her heart when Callie nodded in agreement.
Astrid turned the meat on the barbeque. The whole thing had been a bad idea. It was too soon. Everything was too unstable. Lexi’s sudden death had shown how life could change in an instant for anyone. Maybe it was the thought of regrets that made Astrid feel thoroughly disappointed that Callie hadn’t contradicted her.
Chapter Forty-One
Keri had done what her father wanted. Yet there was no joy or jubilation. Just that sinking feeling you got when you did something totally against your morals. There was no going back though. No undoing what she had done. She had exposed herself. Astrid knew exactly the sort of person she was. And she used the word person, loosely. She had officially aligned herself with her father.
Keri couldn’t even turn to Helen. How could she look that woman in the eye and tell her what she had done? That she had threatened to expose an innocent person to save her father? Helen had been understanding about his corruption but Keri didn’t think she would be so forgiving about this.
Astrid’s notes and photos were spread over the floor. Keri supposed she’d better burn them and wipe the flash drive clean in case she misplaced it. Then it was time to pack and leave. She’d decided not to tell Helen she was going. Once she felt emotionally ready, she would write to her. Explain as best she could, why she had abandoned her.
A light tap at the door had Keri scrambling on her hands and knees, sweeping the papers up in both hands. ‘Hang on, Elaine, won’t be a minute,’ she called out.
The door handle turned.
‘Hang on, I said—’
‘I haven’t got all day to be standing around in a cold corridor.’ The voice preceded the woman.
Keri threw the papers under the bed then quickly straightened. She couldn’t hide the shock in her voice. ‘Mum! What the hell are you doing here?’
Her mother frowned over her choice of words. ‘Is that the only welcome I’m going to get?’
‘Sorry.’ Keri brushed herself down as she walked over to her mother. She kissed the side of Maggie’s cheek. ‘Um sit down wherever you like,’
‘The bed seems the obvious option.’
Keri frowned. This was a turn up for the books. Her mother showing up out of the blue didn’t make sense.
‘Can I get you something to drink?’
Her mother lowered herself onto the bed and folded her hands on her lap. ‘This isn’t a social call, Keri.’
‘It’s not? Oh my God, is it Dad?’ Maggie sounded so serious, which could only mean one thing. Her dad must be ill. It was something she hadn’t even contemplated.
Maggie gave a small shake of her head. ‘No. Nothing’s happened to him, unfortunately. But it is to do with him.’
‘Oh come on, Mum, I don’t want to be dragged into your affairs.’ She leant forward slightly.
Maggie drew a white hanky from her bag and gently pressed it against her forehead. ‘No? But you don’t mind getting caught up in his?’
‘I don’t—’
‘Shut up, Keri,’ her voice rose an octave, ‘It’s better to say nothing than lie. Didn’t I always tell you that?’
Keri nodded.
‘You’ve put me in a very awkward position.’
Keri’s face creased in confusion. ‘What have I done? I haven’t seen you in weeks.’
‘No but you’re here—’
‘Following…’ Noting her mother’s warning glare, Keri changed course. ‘Okay so supposing you tell me what I’ve been doing then I won’t have to lie.’
‘You’ve been cleaning up your father’s mess, haven’t you?’
What was the point of lying to her? She knew her mother wouldn’t leave if she didn’t come clean. Lying over the phone
was one thing. Doing it to her face was another matter altogether.
‘All right, so he asked me to do him a little favour.’
‘You call covering up his corruption a little favour?’
Keri scratched her head in confusion. ‘How do you know?’ she asked, finally finding her voice.
‘Because Astrid told me.’
What the hell is she talking about? How can she know Astrid? ‘Astrid? You know Astrid?’
‘Of course I do. Where do you think she’s been getting her information about your father from?’
Chapter Forty-Two
Callie couldn’t sleep that night; the excessive alcohol had affected her. It had left her feeling uneasy all night and finally in the early hours of the morning she threw up, which gave her some relief and a few hours of sleep. Astrid, on the other hand, slept the whole night through.
Callie gave in around seven o’clock. She sat in the kitchen and drank several cups of coffee in quick succession. Not only couldn’t she stop thinking about Lexi, she was worried about Astrid too. She had been on edge ever since Elaine’s sudden outburst. Being put on the spot about their relationship made them both uncomfortable.
Elaine was obviously worried about losing their friendship, but Callie couldn’t live her life walking on egg shells around her. She poured yet another cup of coffee.
The flap of the letter box caused Callie to jump. She walked into the hallway, and scooped up the mail. One in particular caught her attention.
‘What’s the matter?’
Astrid stood in the bedroom doorway.
Callie was silent for a moment, curiously gazing at the letter she held in her hand. Knowing what was inside, yet afraid to open it in case her mother rejected her. Taking a long, deep breath her gaze shifted from the letter to Astrid. ‘It’s from the prison.’
‘Are you going to open it?’ Astrid asked.
Callie’s hands were unsteady. Since she had written to her mother, her mind had been in a continuous state of anxiety about her response. Now the letter had arrived, her courage deserted her. ‘I can’t. What if she doesn’t want to see me?’
‘Well you’re not going to know if you don’t open it.’
‘You do it.’
Astrid hesitated for a moment then took the envelope from her. Gingerly her fingers tore at the sealed flap and she removed two sheets of paper from inside. As her eyes scanned the page, Astrid’s face remained expressionless. Finally, she looked up at Callie.
‘What did she say?’ Ever cautious, Callie could only conclude one thing. ‘She doesn’t want to see me does she?’
The look Astrid gave her was long and guarded. When she spoke, her voice was calm and composed. ‘Wrong. The opposite actually.’
‘She wants to see me?’
‘Very much. This is the visiting order. She said she’s been waiting for the day that you would find her.’
‘Does she say why she didn’t contact me?’
Astrid held the letter out to her. ‘Here, it’s personal. I’ll leave you alone to read it.’
‘You’re not—’
Astrid shook her head. ‘I’m not leaving. I’ll only be in the bedroom. I need to check up on a few things anyway.’
Callie took the letter back and sat in her favourite snug chair. It helped to be somewhere she felt secure and familiar. She opened the letter and slowly read the words her mother had penned for her. She could feel the sadness and torment behind each line. The way the pressure of the pen went deeper the more emotional it became. Her mother was alive and she should have been happy. So why wasn’t she? Callie continued to read.
The first section of the letter spoke of her happiness that Callie had reached out to her. That it had seemed like an eternity being away from her only daughter. Then the neat and tidy writing suddenly changed to an untidy scrawl as she chronicled her life in prison. There was a brief out pouring of grief about the loss of Callie and how she had tried to come to terms with life without her and the hope of one day seeing her again. As Callie read, tears flowed down her cheeks. Her mother’s pain emanated from the page. She was repentant for her past, without actually discussing the event that had led to her imprisonment. The letter ended ambiguously.
I have so much to tell you, Callie. Whether you want to see me again after that, is up to you. But you need to know the truth.
When Callie finished reading she shut her eyes. Was her mother referring to the death of her brother? Or could there be more?
She reread the letter a few more times before folding it and laying it on the coffee table. The visiting order was for the following afternoon at 2pm. The more she thought about it the more she was looking forward to it. It wouldn’t be easy, she knew that, but it was a step forward to putting the past behind her. Exactly where it belonged.
A moment later, Callie entered the bedroom and found Astrid sitting on the bottom of the bed, her eyes trained on her laptop screen. Her forehead creased in frustration. In her hand she held a pen, which she tapped against her bottom lip.
‘You okay?’
Astrid dropped the pen and turned to her. ‘Yeah. What about you?’
Callie shrugged. ‘So so. I’m going to see her tomorrow. So we’ll see.’
Astrid held out her hand and Callie went to her. ‘I think you should see the latest news.’
Callie’s gaze drifted to Astrid’s computer screen. She gasped when she read the headline. ‘Teacher held in connection with murdered teenager.’
‘Jesus Christ, Astrid. They’ve arrested Luke. I can’t believe it.’
Astrid shot her a look that had to do more with personal feelings than professional ones. ‘See, just goes to show even I can be wrong about a person. Thank God I didn’t go to the police throwing false accusations around about Robert.’
‘What a bastard.’ Callie peered closer to the screen. ‘An absolute bastard. And to think I defended him. But why would he hurt her. I don’t understand.’
‘Maybe finding out she was pregnant was the final straw and he was scared his reputation would be ruined.’
Callie looked at her incredulously. ‘What, he’d rather be known as a murderer than somebody’s father. It doesn’t make sense.’
Astrid took the computer from her, closed its lid and put it on the floor. ‘Come on, don’t even try to put yourself in his shoes. Who knows why people do crazy things. Even I believed he was innocent.’
‘But you weren’t that heartless to print it. Because you had no proof,’ she said dryly.
‘Nope.’
Callie straddled Astrid’s lap. ‘And because you’re a good person, unlike Keri.’
‘You think?’
‘I know.’ Callie pushed Astrid back by the shoulders until she was flat on the bed. Was it wrong, she wondered, to be thinking about sex when a friend had died? When she asked Astrid her thoughts, Astrid smiled wryly.
‘Let’s put it this way. If everyone stopped having sex when loved ones died, humanity would be finished. People die every day. We owe it to ourselves to live each day to the fullest. Our time will come soon enough.’
Callie couldn’t help but agree. As sad as she felt, she yearned for normality. It was something that she had been wanting since she could remember.
Astrid wrapped her arms around Callie’s waist. ‘So tell me. What rewards do good people get?’
‘Anything they want,’ Callie said opening her shirt.
Astrid’s eyes lit up with pleasure. ‘Anything?’
With a slight sigh, Callie let her shirt fall to the floor.
Astrid reached for her and pulled her down on top of her. One kiss ignited a string of them. ‘In that case ….’
Chapter Forty-Three
Instead of being in Manchester, where Keri had planned to be by now, she was sat on the sofa in Helen’s living room. Apart from a mumbled hello, Keri hadn’t spoken another word. Typical of Helen, she hadn’t pressed her to talk. Instead she busied herself in the kitchen tidying up. Keri could he
ar the sound of plates being loaded into the dishwasher. The tap running. Then the low whistle of the kettle boiling. Coffee was not what Keri needed. It was a stiff drink. Preferably several of them.
The leaded grey sky outside wasn’t exactly helping her mood either. Keri doubted anything could. But that didn’t mean she needed to talk about what had taken place only hours ago. For what seemed an age, Keri’s mind was in turmoil. It was unimaginable to think her mother was the one responsible for bringing her father down. She knew Maggie hated Lloyd but exposing him this way was beyond the pale. If Keri was being honest it was a tactic she thought her mother didn’t have the courage to perform.
Clambering onto her feet, Keri crossed the room and drew the curtains closed.
‘You can’t block the world out forever.’
Helen’s voice caused her to jump. Keri hadn’t heard her come in. Turning slowly, Keri said, ‘The weather’s making me feel worse.’
Helen tapped her heart. ‘Nothing external can affect this, unless you let it.’
‘Not even finding out that your own mother is trying to destroy your father?’
Helen gestured for Keri to join her on the sofa. ‘How can I say this without being offensive?’
Keri observed the woman sitting beside her, grateful for having someone who would tell her as it was instead of sugar coating it. It was guidance she needed more than anything else.
‘Just say it. I can’t be shocked any more than I already am.’
‘Okay. This unhealthy attachment you have to your father is going to be your downfall. The worst thing is that you can’t even see it.’
‘I think I can.’
‘No. No you can’t Keri. Your father is a corrupt son of a bitch and because your mum wants to put a stop to it, she’s the bad guy in all of this.’
