The Fenton Saga: Never Say Goodbye / There Was No Body.

by Colin Griffiths

  Mickey couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. He tried to object. He muttered some words that didn't make sense. Mickey was afraid. Bill stood, incensed like a madman. His body shook, his fist clenched.

  Your son’s wife! You’re going to let him get away with that? Asked the voice in his head, the voice of his father, whom he had pushed down the stairs all those years ago and left him to die.

  Mickey was just about to protest. As he was beginning to get his words right, the fist hit him in the jaw, followed by another punch full on the nose. He didn't see it coming. As he fell to the floor, he wasn't sure which came first, the pain, or the feeling of his nose splattering across his face.

  It had been pure instinct to Bill. His fist flew fast. He had lost none of his speed. He hadn't really known he was going to hit Mickey. It was the voice in his head that had told him, the voice of his dear father who had raped and abused him all those years ago and had made him the man that he now was.

  Wendy let out a shriek as Mickey hit the floor, immediately wishing she hadn't. She put a hand over her mouth like a naughty child. Katy got up and rapidly grabbed Wendy’s arm, not sure whether she was supporting herself or the girl beside her. She just needed to do it. This reaction shocked Katy. She had seen Bill angry before. She had even seen him knock out a guy with one punch. But this was different. This was like he was possessed. It scared her. Feeling wet between her legs she realised she had wet herself. The girls grabbed each other in fright as Mickey hit the floor. Bill drew his foot back and kicked Mickey in the head as hard as he could. The noise made a sickening sound, and for a moment it looked as if Mickey’s head was going to leave his body. The force of the kicked rocked his head in an unnatural way. There was no further movement from Mickey. There was no noise. The girls stood, huddled together, for the moment friends, needing each other’s support.

  Bill told the girls to sit down, they did as they were told, sitting on the seventies sofa. Bill looked at the lifeless body lying on the floor. He nudged it with his foot. He was content that Mickey would no longer bother them. Blood started to pool on the floor from the smashed nose. Bill went over to the sofa, put his hand around Wendy’s face, stroking her hair, touching her lips. Wendy sat scared, but knew she had to keep herself together. Katy just looked on. Wendy didn’t speak or move, nor did she try to move Bills hand. She just sat and stared him full in the eye, her lips quivering. She tried to stop the trembling, but realised she had no control. At that particular moment she thought she was going to die. Bill caressed her face. He hadn’t really noticed her beauty when she first walked in, but now he could see it, a hidden beauty. When you saw such a beauty like no other, he realised his son Daniel, had done all right for himself. A bit younger that what he had imagined, but very tasty.

  ‘If anyone’s shagging this bitch it’s me.’ he said.

  ‘I don’t fuck on the first date,’ Wendy replied, not believing those words actually came out of her mouth. They sounded clear and confident, but inside she was shivering with fear. She felt as if it was someone else who had spoken those words, while she moved her mouth in time. For a stupid moment she thought about a ventriloquist. Why? She didn't know.

  Bill smiled, somewhat shocked. ‘A feisty one, uh. I like feisty.’ He bent down and kissed her. Wendy almost recoiled at the smell of his breath, but she resisted. He stood back up and rubbed his groin.

  ‘Maybe Daniel and I can have a threesome.’ he said, laughing rather a bit too loud.

  He picked up a cigarette and lit it, blowing a thick plume of smoke in her face.

  Wendy recoiled in horror, Oh my God! He thinks I'm Becky. This is Todd’s dad.

  She shivered. She couldn't tell him who she was. She would have to play along with it. She mustn’t make him angrier. She knew the full history of Bill Fenton. Todd had told her everything, from the visits to Marie Rose, to Bill leaving his wife and killing a young lad. Todd had told her about the time he had spent in jail. She also knew at this moment no one would be looking for him, as he had been freed.

  ‘Take your clothes off.’ Bill said.

  ‘No.’ she shuddered.

  ‘Take them off.’

  ‘No.’

  Bill dropped to his knees in front of Wendy. They were now nose to nose. His breath made her want to vomit. She stared into his eyes defiantly. Show him you’re not scared, if you look away, he’ll know you’re scared.

  Bill fumbled in his pocket for his flick knife. He took it out, and opened the blade. The swish of it made Wendy jump. Now it was the blade on which her eyes were transfixed. She thought of her mum. She thought of Todd. She thought of her dad. Where the fuck did that one come from?

  ‘I’ll say this once, and only once.’ Bill said, ‘The next choice you make could be the difference between life and death.’ He coughed. Spit was on his chin. He wiped his chin with the back of his hand, looked at his hand and wiped it on his trousers. He was having fun.

  Katy still sat beside Wendy, more scared then she had ever been. She didn’t want to be part of any murder, any kidnapping. She wanted it to all go away like some bad dream. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was paralysed with fear.

  ‘Now I want you to take your clothes off, all of them. I’ll stand back and I promise I won’t touch you. I can't have you wearing those clothes. I need them.’ The knife was an inch from her face.

  Wendy bit her lip until it hurt, tears rolled down her face. She hadn’t meant to cry, but she had no control over these tears.

  ‘What will I wear?’ she said. A small speck of blood appeared on her bottom lip.

  Bill stood, withdrawing the knife, he still held it in his hand with the blade open.

  ‘Good point.’ he said. ‘Can’t have you sitting around all naked, can we? Katy!’ he shouted.

  Katy came out of her trance. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

  ‘Yes Bill?’ she stammered.

  ‘Get in the bedroom, and get her some of that garbage that you left.’

  Katy stood up. You’re such a good dresser, she thought wishing she hadn’t even thought it. She went into the bedroom, and came out with a sweater and jeans. She handed them to Bill.

  ‘Shoes!’ he said.

  Katy went back and returned with some trainers.

  ‘Now fucking change!’ he said as he tossed the clothes to Wendy.

  ‘Can you look away, please.’ she asked, trying to be respectful, rather than demanding. He told Katy to get a towel, which she did and held it as Wendy changed. The girls exchanged faint smiles as she changed. She's scared. Wendy thought, realising that she had to befriend her and get Katy on her side. That was maybe her only chance, their only chance. The jumper smelled, and the jeans were too big, but that was the least of her problems for now; she looked at the grubby sweaty trainers. How she dreaded putting them on her feet.

  ‘No shoes yet,’ said Bill, ‘sit on the floor in front of the radiator’

  Wendy did as she was told. Bill pulled her hands in front of her, cable-tying them together.

  ‘Lie down.’ he told her.

  She did so. With a number of cable-ties he fastened one foot to the radiator pipe. He sat Wendy up, so that she now sat beside the radiator, her leg bound to it, and her hands tied in front of her. He knelt beside Wendy, the knife in his hand. She wanted to say goodbye to everyone she loved. One leg was still free. If I'm going to die here, I’m going to give a hell of a kick before I go.

  ‘Again, this is the most important choice you’ll have to make,’ he smiled, ‘and you know, keep making the right choices and you’ll soon be home with Daniel.’

  Somehow she didn’t believe it and it was Todd she wanted. Todd and her mum, where did that feeling of her dad come from?

  ‘I'm going to cut your leg a little, not a lot, but it will hurt. It will not be dangerous, nor will it leave any damage. Do you understand?’

  Wendy nodded. Bill had cut her leg, even before she nodded, just above the ankle, a two inch long cut, just deep
enough to draw blood. Wendy bit her lip drawing more blood from where she had bitten it earlier. Be brave, be strong and don’t cry. A single tear streamed down her face. Bill then got hold of Wendy’s clothes and smothered her blood into the top and jeans which she had worn when she entered the flat. There wasn't a lot of blood, but it was enough for what he wanted. He threw the clothes into the corner.

  ‘Wasn’t so bad, was it?’ he said.

  He told Katy to clean up the cut. Katy did as she was told, using some tissue from the toilet. When she had finished, she asked Bill, ‘What do we do now?’ her voice shaking in fear.

  ‘You and me, my little scruff bag, are going to fuck like rabbits. We’ll show Miss Prim here what she’s missing!’

  That was the last thing Katy wanted, but knew she had to go along. She was just as frightened as Wendy. It had all gone wrong. Bill had lied. It was never meant to be like this. She thought of her choices and realised there weren’t any.

  For the next twenty minutes, Wendy mostly closed her eyes and tried to drown out the noises. The lovers were making out on the settee and she had to cut it out of her mind. If she looked the other way, all she could see was the lifeless body of her kidnapper. I hope he isn’t dead, she thought. She sat there, eyes tightly closed trying to think of nice things, but the thoughts wouldn't come. She squeezed her eyes as tight as she could, as if somehow that would shut out the noise as well. With closed eyes she waited. In her mind she could see Todd. Oh how she wished he would visit his wardrobe. The wardrobe would help him, that’s what he always told her. The wardrobe could see things.

  Chapter 12

  It was knocking on for 6.30, when Daniel had made his way home. The effects of the beer were prominent, but in a nice way. Having had more beer then he intended with his kid brother, he was thinking how he enjoyed it and how they must do it more often. It had been a good day. He had met the Chief Inspector of the Gwent Constabulary, Simon Goldstone. A brilliant name for a Chief Inspector Daniel had thought, like something out of an action movie. The inspector had been thinking of investing in a company, up north that specialised in solar panels.

  ‘Solar is the future,’ the inspector had said. Daniel advised him against it and said he should keep his money nicely tucked away in that Swiss account, pointing out that the future was orange. The inspector didn’t quite get that.

  Chief Inspector Simon Goldstone was a betting man, having a few contacts in the horse racing industry. He had given Daniel a tip, a horse called ‘Morning Glory’ in the 1.15 at Doncaster. Daniel had put £20 on it, and the horse romped home at 4-1, netting him a £100. He had become good friends with the Chief and respected him for becoming the youngest Chief Inspector in the Gwent force’s history at the age of forty six. Now into his third year as Inspector, he had been initially concerned about his dealings with Daniel. While tax avoidance wasn't illegal, it was certainly unethical for a Chief Inspector to avoid his taxes; not paying his share to the treasury. The assurances Daniel had given, made it quite clear that everything would remain on the quiet. He greatly admired Daniel, thinking he would make a fine police officer or politician.

  Daniel and the Chief Inspector met quite regularly in a Newport Bar for afternoon drinks, along with a Sergeant Tracy Bates, a one-time Olympian at the age of seventeen. She had been a keen cyclist, and that was her chosen sport. Alas, the medals had eluded her, and it was apparent that, although she was a fine athlete, she was never destined to go to the top. She joined the force at the age of twenty. Tracey was a redhead, extremely pretty with boobs that always seemed to arrive before her. She had been a sergeant for four months now, gaining promotion just before her twenty sixth birthday. Daniel was pretty sure that Tracy had slept her way to the top. And why not, he had thought, with tits like hers. I certainly would have. What Daniel didn’t know was that Tracy had earned her promotion the conventional way, through hard work and dedication, the only person she was interested in sleeping with was Daniel.

  Yes, it had been a good day, with an early finish from work. Daniel wasn't office based. He did his business from home, and visited his clients at their chosen venue, which very often was 5 star extravagance. A few pints with Todd a nice, but concerned chat with his kid brother. Spending some time with his mum and now, a bit later than expected, due to one or two extra pints of John Smiths, he was strolling home to Becky. His lovely Becky oh, and a £100 up he thought. Yes, it had been a good day.

  That was about to change. He had texted Becky to say he was on his way home. She had moaned about being hungry as she was waiting for him to come home, so that they could eat together. Now it was late and she didn’t feel like cooking anything, so she texted that she was betting he had eaten at his mum’s and wasn’t hungry. Daniel answered the text, saying he was hungry and telling Becky to get her glad rags on and he would take her out for something to eat. Becky kind of knew that he would do that. She could read him like a book. She was already changed and ready.

  Becky was from Devon, having met Daniel at a festival a few years back. The distance between them, while not too great, the road system being such as it was. It could take half a day to get out of Devon, so the travelling had become an obstacle. Finally, Becky made the decision to move to Ashbourne with Daniel, only he had to ask her. After three months of dropping hints he did ask and she had never looked back. She loved Ashbourne and they would regularly go back and visit her family. Whilst enjoying the glorious sights of Devon, it was a win win situation, she thought.

  About half way through the ten minute walk from his mother’s house to his own, his phone jingled. He presumed it was Becky texting, asking where he was. Patience had never been her strong point. He laughed to himself as he went to look at his phone, he took the phone out of his pocket; flipped the case, the Blackberry told him it was a picture message.

  Chapter 13

  Bill had finished his bit of rough and tumble as he called it. Katy was in the bathroom, having a much needed wash. She had slept with Bill many times in the past, to keep him sweet, or in exchange for some dope or E. Sometimes she had even enjoyed it, but today it had disgusted her, making out like that. In front of a stranger tied to the radiator, and probably a dead body in the form of Mickey, her supposed boyfriend.

  Her feelings for Mickey weren't strong, but she certainly didn’t want to see him dead, in this case, literally to see him dead. She thought Bill had changed. He used to be fun, but since they had gone down the road of kidnap, he had changed. She wanted out. Just get out of the apartment, phone the police, tell them about Mickey. Okay, they would probably arrest her for her part in the kidnap, but she would tell them it was all Bill’s idea and if she didn’t go through with it, he had threatened to kill her. That would work. She could tell them how she escaped and phoned the police straight away to save Wendy and maybe Mickey. If he was still alive, although he hadn't moved since Bill had knocked him senseless. She would be a hero, she told herself and the more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed. She smiled to herself. She liked this thought. It was clever. Her head was buzzing now. Oh, how she would love a smoke. She got dressed.

  ‘I’ll just tell him, let him know I'm popping home to get some stuff.’ and run for it. Why would he think that was strange? It happened all the time. I am going to be a hero, she told herself. She smiled to herself. She grew confident. It would all turn out right in the end.

  Bill approached Wendy with a big grin on his face, ‘Did you enjoy that?’ he asked, ‘that could be you.’

  The thought disgusted her. Her face was tear-stained and she needed a wee. The clothes she wore smelt. She smelt. Bill untied her, told her to go and sit on the sofa. She did as she was told, right to where the bit of rough and tumble had just taken place. She wandered over gingerly. Bill pushed her on to the sofa, his strong hands on her chest, forced her to gasp. For a moment Bill felt one of her small breasts. He liked that, copping a feel when it wasn't expected. Wendy sat, falling onto the sofa, hoping beyond hope that she wasn
't sitting in anything that they had just produced. She felt sick again and really thought she was going to vomit, but somehow she kept it down. She had remembered the name of the building she was in, Sandfield Point. If she could get to the phone and just text either Daniel or Todd that name, they would Google it, and come to rescue her. All she would need was five seconds and two words, or perhaps get Katy to do it. She seemed scared now, but she had Bill’s trust. If she could just get Katy to send a text, then everything would be okay.

  Bill was looking through Wendy’s iPhone which he had taken from her when she first arrived at the flat. He was looking through the list of contacts and made an ‘ah’ sound when he came across what he was looking for. He then turned to the pile of clothes that Wendy had earlier been forced to remove, now splattered with bits of her blood, which had dried a deep crimson on her clothes. Bill took a photo, examined it.

  ‘Yep, that will do.’ he said, aloud.

  He typed the following words in the text box ‘Do you recognise these, Daniel?’ Then sent the picture and message to his son.

  Katy came out of the bathroom, saw Wendy was now untied and sitting on the sofa, which she thought was a good thing.

  Bill had his back to her. He seemed to be fiddling with a phone, as if he was taking a photo. She smiled at Wendy, and Wendy swore that Becky had winked at her. Maybe there is a ray of hope. Wendy smiled back, but it came out more of a grimace. Katy licked her lips. Her hands were sweating. She wiped them on her jeans. She rolled her tongue round the inside of her mouth. I must not sound nervous, this could work. She took a deep breath.

  ‘I'm just going to pop home to get some more clothes.’ she said, then added ‘do you want me to get you anything, my sex bomb?’ She liked that. She thought that was good. She felt more confident now. Soon she would be a hero, and as the brain sometimes works in strange ways, she imagined that when the hero bit had worn off, she would take up acting.