Behind a Closed Door (The Estate, Book 2)

by Mel Sherratt

  Josie stood rooted to the spot long after James had gone. She ran a finger over his name on the card. There might not be anything in it, and she might not want to go out with another man so soon after separating from Stewart but it was certainly nice to be asked to join him.

  A huge grin erupted across her face as she went into the house.

  The following morning, Kelly flung open a wardrobe door and dumped the remainder of Scott’s belongings on to their bed. It had been a few days since he’d left and, after badgering him with text messages telling him to pick up his things, he’d finally agreed to call round. If she packed all his stuff now, at least he wouldn’t have to stay there longer than was necessary. And she knew it would be show time over the money. Even though she wasn’t surprised he hadn’t come back for it – she realised now that he was using the flat as a safe place to keep it – she knew he’d want it eventually. But she wanted answers first.

  She pulled out a drawer and sat down on the edge of the bed next to it all. Tears pricked her eyes again. Pants and socks were one thing but what else would he want to take with him? The television? The fridge, the microwave, the settees; even the bed she was sitting on Scott had provided. She wouldn’t put it past him right now to make things as awkward as possible – even though she knew Anne-Marie would probably have it all too.

  Emily chose her moment to bring out the devil. She wouldn’t eat her breakfast and the cereal in her bowl ended up in a clutter on the floor. Then she refused to eat the toast that she’d wanted instead. Kelly nibbled her bottom lip to stop from yelling at her.

  Scott knocked on the door less than an hour later. He bounded past her and up the stairs, leaving a sheepish-looking Jay standing on the doorstep.

  ‘Thought I’d come as the peacekeeper,’ he forced a smile.

  Kelly forced a smile too as she held open the door. They could hear Scott banging drawers and opening wardrobe doors from where they were standing.

  ‘I don’t know what he’s doing up there,’ she said. ‘I’ve already packed up his things.’

  They went upstairs into the living room.

  ‘Do you want to show Jay your new books, Emily?’ Kelly asked. She wanted her out of the room for a moment so she could talk to him.

  As Emily raced off, Jay sat down on the settee. ‘I’m sorry, Kel,’ he said, looking troubled. ‘I wouldn’t have said a word if I thought you didn’t know what was going on.’

  Kelly sat down too. ‘I’m glad you did tell me,’ she admitted. ‘I wish it had been earlier.’

  ‘I never did it for my own purposes.’

  ‘I realise that now. It was just such a shock, but I’ll get over it.’ Kelly placed her hand over his and then drew it away, surprised by the intensity of their touch.

  ‘Of course you will,’ Jay replied. ‘You’re one of life’s fighters.’

  ‘Why do you stick with him, Jay?’

  The question had plagued Kelly for some time now. Jay seemed nothing like Scott and certainly nothing resembling the reputation of his brothers. It didn’t make sense. She wondered if he knew about the money.

  ‘Jay, did you know anything about –’

  ‘I want to watch Pingu!’ Emily rushed back in with a DVD instead of the book she’d been asked to fetch. She pushed herself onto Jay’s knee. ‘Pingu… Pingu… Pingu. Can I, Mummy?’

  The door opened and Scott came into the room.

  ‘Daddy, where are you living now?’ Emily chirped.

  ‘Nowhere that you need to worry your head about, Em.’

  ‘Can I come and see you?’

  ‘Maybe when I’ve settled in.’

  ‘When will that be?’

  Kelly hid a smirk as her little girl played detective for her. Without being prompted, Emily asked him all the questions she wanted to know.

  ‘Mummy says –’

  ‘Mummy says lots of things, Emily,’ Scott cut in. ‘It doesn’t mean they’re all true.’

  Kelly’s eyes bore into Scott’s. ‘I’m not the liar in this family,’ she said.

  His look was cold but she held his stare. Eventually, his eyes moved around the room.

  ‘Take what you want,’ Kelly motioned with a flick of her wrist. ‘If you want to deprive your child, that is.’

  ‘I don’t need any stuff.’

  ‘Yeah, of course,’ Kelly acknowledged. ‘You’ve got it all at Anne-Marie’s house. I suppose you kitted that out as well. What did you do, steal one and get one for me?’

  Scott ignored her.

  ‘Where does she live?’

  ‘What’s it got to do with you?’

  ‘I obviously need somewhere to send your giro on to.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’m changing my address as soon as I get out of this dump.’

  ‘Come on, guys. Give the arguing a break, hmm?’ Jay nodded his chin towards Emily, even though she seemed oblivious to anything other than the antics of the penguins.

  Kelly turned towards Jay. ‘He started it.’

  Jay sighed. ‘I can pick your giro up, if you like.’

  Scott nodded. ‘I can see I’m not wanted here.’ Before he got to the door, he turned back. ‘Don’t think you’re getting a penny of maintenance out of me.’

  Kelly gasped in disbelief. ‘She’s your daughter, too!’

  ‘What’s maintenance?’ Emily asked Jay. Jay shushed her.

  ‘Your point being?’ said Scott.

  ‘You’re a creep, a pathetic loser! You’d use Emily to get back at me?’

  ‘I’m just saying, don’t come running to me when you haven’t got a penny to your name.’

  ‘I managed when you were sent down!’ Kelly paused, lowering her voice. ‘I can manage again. And you haven’t given me any money since you got out.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have come back at all,’ Scott retaliated. ‘It would have saved me a load of bother if I hadn’t.’

  Kelly pointed a finger at him. ‘You came back because you thought I’d be the pushover you left behind.’

  ‘No, I –’

  ‘Come on, youth, let’s go.’ Jay put Emily on to the floor. ‘I’ll see you on Thursday, Kelly.’

  Scott was already out of the flat when Kelly and Jay reached the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘Call me later,’ Jay insisted. ‘I’m here if you need me.’

  Funny, thought Kelly, that’s what Josie had said, Sally too. Altogether it made Kelly realise that she didn’t have to be alone. She had friends she could turn to, friends that cared about her wellbeing. It was such a wonderful feeling. But right now wasn’t the time to keep contact with Jay. Emotions were running high.

  ‘No strings attached,’ Jay added into the silence.

  Kelly watched him walk away, her heart hurting to see him so wounded. She pushed her hands deep into the pockets of her jeans to stop them reaching out to him. She wanted to hug him but knew he’d read more into it than he should. She might not let him go either.

  As she was shutting the door, Scott reappeared. ‘Now Jay’s out of the way, I’ll get what I really came for.’ He pushed past her and ran back up the stairs.

  Kelly quickly followed him. When she reached the landing, she knew he’d be in Emily’s room. It was show time. She stood in the doorway with her arms folded.

  ‘Looking for something?’ she asked.

  Scott threw a pile of Emily’s toys across the room. ‘You know bloody well what I’m after. Where the fuck’s my money?’

  ‘Tell me where it came from and I’ll tell you where it is.’

  Scott took a step towards her. ‘Don’t fuck me about. Where is it?’

  ‘What did you do to get it?’

  ‘That’s none of your business.’

  ‘You must have done something major to get that much. You said you’d changed your ways.’

  ‘I had it before I went inside, remember?’

  ‘Yeah, when I was still weak and vulnerable Kelly.’

  In an instant, Scott pushed her up against the wall. His
face inches from hers, he clasped her chin tightly with his right hand. Her arms flailed as his pressure intensified. Scott’s eyes locked with hers and, for the first time ever, she saw what everyone else saw. Scott Johnstone, the good for nothing, the thief – not fit to be scraped off the bottom of her shoes. But she also saw Scott Johnstone the maniac, who could really hurt her if he wanted to.

  ‘Get. Off. Me!’

  Kelly tried to push him away but he was too strong. He held her there with the weight of his torso.

  ‘You think you’re the only one who’s changed since I’ve been inside? You’re not and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut about what’s in the bag. If I hear anyone’ – he squeezed Kelly’s chin harder – ‘anyone talking about it, I’ll rip your fucking head off. Do you hear me?’

  Kelly felt tears burning her eyes. She knew she shouldn’t cry and give away her weakness but she didn’t know how to stop. She nodded slightly and Scott released his grip.

  ‘Right, then. I’ll ask you again, where’s the bag?’

  ‘Under the sink in the kitchen.’

  Scott swiped the back of his hand across her face. Crying out in pain, Kelly dropped to her knees.

  ‘Good answer,’ he said as he left the room.

  Kelly gasped for air. She cradled her cheek as she fought to gain her composure.

  ‘Mummy, what’ve you done with my toys?’ Emily wailed from behind her. She picked up a doll that had landed on its head in the corner of the room.

  ‘I tripped over the box and everything fell out,’ Kelly fibbed, knowing that if Emily had been older the logic of the lie wouldn’t have worked. She stood up quickly. Through the window, she could see Jay sitting in his car, saw him check his watch before glancing upwards. Kelly moved back quickly. She didn’t want him to see her. This was nothing to do with him, this was her fault.

  Scott appeared in the doorway again, holding the bag. ‘I’ve put it inside another bag. I’ll tell Jay it’s stuff for Emily.’ He sneered at her. ‘Now keep your nose out of my business or next time you’ll find out exactly how much I’ve changed. That was for starters. If –’

  ‘Everything okay up there?’ Jay shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll be down in a sec,’ Scott shouted back. Then he glared at Kelly. ‘See you around, babe. And remember,’ he tapped the side of his nose, ‘keep this out in future.’

  As soon as he’d gone, Kelly ran down the stairs and locked the door. She slammed the bolts across top and bottom. Sure that she was safe, she sat down on the stairs and stared ahead at the brick wall. She wanted to bang her head against it to rid herself of all the frustration.

  What the hell had gone on between them during the last ten minutes? She’d thought he’d leave her alone now that she knew about the money but her plan had backfired. And now he had the upper hand, he would use it against her.

  Soft footsteps and tiny legs enveloping her body alerted her to Emily’s presence.

  ‘Mummy, I love you,’ she whispered as she cuddled into Kelly’s back.

  Kelly pulled her around to sit on her lap. ‘I love you too, monster.’ Through her pain and tears, she smiled. If there was one thing guaranteed to make a parent cheerful again, it was the love of a child. Kelly would protect Emily from anything and anyone, even if that included her father, so if staying safe meant keeping her mouth shut about the money, then she would play ball.

  What she needed to do now was to concentrate on a life without Scott Johnstone. Now that he wouldn’t be there to stop her following her dreams, making a future for her and Emily, she could do as she pleased. And that meant talking to Josie.

  Josie, meanwhile, was up to her ears in paperwork. She’d been updating her case files all morning. Now she was catching up with her emails. She scanned down the list of new ones to see if there was anything demanding her immediate attention, praying that everything could wait until another day.

  Suddenly her eyes caught a benefit officer’s name. Philip Matson was the subject heading. She opened the email right away. It could mean only one thing: they had a new address for him after his recent eviction. Now she could get on with his re-charge for the water damage.

  As she read, Josie gasped and her hand shot to her mouth. She glanced around the office quickly to see if anyone had noticed her reaction but everyone was going about as they were before. She read the email again, thinking there must be some mistake. But she’d known that particular benefits officer for years now. Between them they had a great reputation for tying up lots of outstanding debts. Josie knew that she wouldn’t be wrong. She just didn’t want to believe what she was reading – because the new address she had for Philip Matson was somewhere that she had visited recently. It was where she had collected and dropped off Debbie when they’d been out for her birthday meal.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  As soon as Kelly opened her eyes the next day, she got out of bed on a mission. Papers, pens and files were spread over the living room carpet. All the thoughts swirling around in her head were written down and being worked out, if only to keep Scott away from her mind. So far she had some kind of business plan, an advertising leaflet and a price list – none of which may be viable, but she had tried. She’d drawn a huge idea for a logo, so that Emily could be kept busy colouring it in. Kelly smiled as she watched her daughter, absorbed in what she was doing, tongue sticking out as she concentrated. Two hours later, they were sat in the reception area of Mitchell Housing Association.

  ‘Kelly, Emily! Hello,’ Josie greeted her in the reception. ‘To what do I owe this pleasure?’

  Kelly’s look was comical. ‘Your hair!’ she cried with wide eyes. ‘It looks amazing!’

  Josie ran her fingers over it again, still not used to the reaction that it got.

  ‘You should have told me that I looked like a scarecrow,’ she teased. ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘Oh, I do. It’s taken years off…’

  Josie grinned. ‘It’s okay. Everyone’s put their foot in it, but I don’t mind. I feel like a different person.’

  They sat down in an interview cubicle. Emily was engrossed in a box of toys in the reception area.

  ‘How are you anyway?’ Josie asked, wondering if Kelly would want to talk about Scott yet.

  ‘Okay, I suppose.’

  Kelly looked a little awkward as she spoke so Josie didn’t push the matter. ‘Is this a social call or a business one?’ she asked instead. ‘I can return the favour and make you a cup of coffee, but it won’t be the same.’

  Kelly emptied the contents of her carrier bag on the desk. ‘I’ve been thinking about what you said, about the business.’ A look of panic crossed her face. ‘I’m not too late, am I?’

  Josie shook her head, pleased that her earlier seeds had been fertilised.

  Kelly slid the file across to Josie.

  ‘Office Options?’ Josie raised her eyebrows. ‘What a brilliant name.’ She flicked through the pages in silence, every now and then catching Kelly’s intense stare.

  Kelly’s hands felt clammy. It was like being back at school again, hoping for a good mark for an essay.

  ‘Wow,’ Josie exclaimed once she’d gone through every page. ‘You’ve obviously thought things through.’

  Kelly nodded. ‘I needed something else to concentrate on. Scott’s gone for good. I reckon he’s moved in with that Anne-Marie, not that I care. All I’m bothered about is Emily.’ Through the glassed-walls, she eyed her daughter sitting cross-legged on the floor, happily playing with an abacus. ‘I don’t want it to affect her.’

  Josie nodded knowingly. A lot of her tenants were single parents; a lot of their children had been tearaways by the time they hit their teens.

  She reached across the table and squeezed Kelly’s hand. ‘Emily’s a good girl because you’ve brought her up right. If parents stay together but are always arguing, I think it does more harm than good. She settled in well when Scott left before.’

&n
bsp; ‘I know, but I don’t want him to forget her.’

  Josie snorted. ‘And you think that’s a bad thing?’

  ‘Honestly?’ Kelly sighed long and loud. ‘I don’t know. I do think she should see her dad but, on the other hand, I don’t want him to use her to get at me. I’ll have to play things by ear until everything’s settled down.’

  ‘You’ll work it out,’ Josie assured her. ‘You’re one of life’s fighters.’

  Kelly gasped. That was exactly what Jay had said. Were her friends telepathic? Or were they simply looking out for her? She felt that warm feeling rise in her stomach again.

  Josie got up as she spotted one of the workmen standing at the reception desk. ‘Wait here.’

  She was gone less than two minutes. When she came back into the room, she jangled a huge set of keys. ‘The keys to your future. Would you be able to leave Emily at your mum’s a bit earlier this afternoon? I have a few things to do first but then I can show you what I mean.’

  For the first time in a long while, Kelly felt optimistic. ‘Thanks,’ she said sincerely. ‘I couldn’t have done all this without you.’

  Josie batted the comment away with her hand. ‘I’m sure you could.’

  ‘No, seriously, I couldn’t. You and me, we come from different backgrounds, yet, in some ways, you were right before, we’re exactly the same. You didn’t have to help me. I know what people think of me.’

  ‘No,’ Josie corrected her. ‘You have a preconceived idea of what people think of you. That’s different. In my line of work, I never judge a book by its cover. And with you, my girl, I’m following through until I get to The End.’

  While there weren’t many people in the office, Josie took the opportunity to grab a coffee and sit down with some case files. Something had been bugging her since she’d received the email about Philip Matson’s address. She logged on to the computer system and opened her electronic calendar. Then she wrote a list of all the tenant support calls she’d carried out over the last few months. Next she opened Debbie’s calendar and wrote down the dates she’d been along to visits with her. Then she began to cross reference them. She had to be sure before she decided what to do next.