by LP Lovell
He does not deserve to be behind bars because of my disgusting excuse for a mother. I will never understand her hatred of Harry. It seems so irrational, so unfounded, but then, she is a drunk. I know better than most that alcohol can mess you up, but after that many years, it must fundamentally change a person. She’s delusional. There’s a small part of me that pities her. She’s so alone in the world. No-one cares if she lives or dies, and that is a terrible thing for anyone to experience. She wasn’t always this bitter person, but she allowed her grief to control her until she became this person. She failed in her number one duty, to be a mother, and now she has stooped so low as to want to harm her own son. There is no redemption for someone like her, only bitter, twisted loneliness. I pity her at the same time as I hate her. If you want to crash and burn, that’s fine, but you don’t take the people you love, or at least once loved, down with you.
Claudia places a cigarette between her lips and lights it. The end burns a bright cherry red. The smell of cigarette smoke usually makes me gag, but weirdly I’m fine with it today. I feel like my former fears are…not erased, but muted. It’s as though telling Theo has somehow given them less power.
She turns to me, a tight smile on her lips. “I’m here to protect those secrets of yours. Don’t look so worried. I told you, I don’t care what your secrets are. I don’t give a shit if you’re an axe murderer dear. I just want to win - at any and all cost.” She flashes me her brilliant white smile framed with her blood red painted lips.
I nod. “Well as you know, Theo knows, and if I have to use my secrets I will, but I’m not about to spill my guts to a court room of people all for the deluded ramblings of a drunk woman, who cannot even be found.”
“Theo told me that I am to get your brother out at any cost Miss Parker.” She smirks. “When a man like Theodore Ellis says ‘at any cost’, it makes me fucking happy.” She smiles. “Never seen that boy so twisted up.” She adds absentmindedly.
“Shall we go in?” I ask, changing the subject. I like Claudia, and if she can get Harry out of this I’ll be indebted to her, but the woman has a nose for secrets. I don’t like that she’s already uncovered some of mine.
She smiles. “After you.” She drops her cigarette and stamps it out with the toe of her very expensive looking shoes.
The police station is drab, with the usual dodgy suspects hanging around the waiting area. A tired looking police officer takes us through a side door and into a room. There’s a mirror on one wall and a plain wooden table with four chairs against the other wall.
“If you take a seat, Detective Brown and Detective Mason will be with you shortly.” The older police officer tells us. He turns and leaves, closing the door behind him.
“Well he seems like a fella who loves his job.” Claudia remarks.
I huff a laugh. She may be one of the best solicitors in the business, but she has this edge to her that’s so very un-solicitor like.
We both sit on the side of the table that’s facing the door. A few minutes later the same two detectives who came and arrested Harry walk through the door.
I know it’s irrational but I hate them. I don’t even know them, but I hate them because they hauled my brother away in handcuffs.
“Miss Parker. Thank you for coming to see us.” The woman says. She’s wearing a god-awful grey suit and has a greying bob. Her younger male colleague says nothing, just sits down across from Claudia. He places a small device on the table. “You don’t mind if we record this interview. It’s standard procedure.” She isn’t asking me, she’s telling me. I mean, do I have a choice? I nod anyway.
“This is Detective Brown and Detective Mason interviewing Miss Lilly Parker in relation to case number 36542.” She smiles at me and I want to punch her in the face. “Miss Parker can you confirm that you are the sister of Mr Harry Parker?”
“Yes, I am.”
“And you are aware of the kidnapping charges that have been brought against Mr. Parker?” She says. Her face is expressionless.
“Really?” I snap.
Claudia grasps my forearm under the table and squeezes. “My client is very distressed by her brother’s situation, which she is well aware of, yes.”
PC Plain says nothing, just watches me. The woman is seriously getting on my nerves. “We need to ask you some questions Miss Parker.”
I sigh. “That’s why I’m here, is it not?”
“Miss Parker, were you kidnapped by your brother eight years ago?” Jesus, she’s straight in there.
“No.” I say.
Claudia leans over and whispers in my ear. “I don’t have to tell you that you don’t have to answer anything.” I nod.
“But you did leave the custody of your mother.”
I glance at Claudia. If I say yes here then Harry may be held accountable regardless of the situation. “No comment.”
“You were in the custody of your brother from the age of fourteen were you not?”
“No comment.” I repeat. Jesus, it’s just the same question re-worded. How stupid does she think I am?
“Tell me Miss Parker, if you and your brother were to run from your family home, what would the reason for that be?” She tilts her head to the side.
“My mother is a chronic alcoholic, and she always has been. Which not only makes her a shitty mother, but it means that you have nothing. We both know that the testimony of such a person won’t stand up in court.”
“The accusations against your brother are very serious.” The male detective finally speaks up.
“I am aware.” I say acerbically. “I’m also aware that they are brought against him by a woman who drinks half a bottle of vodka before you even get out of bed in the morning.” I growl. I’m losing patience fast.
“Tell me. Have you tracked down Ms Simmons?” Claudia intercepts.
“No. We are still looking for her.” The woman presses her lips together.
“So what you are telling me, is that it is the word of a woman with a criminal record and several drunk and disorderly charges, against the word of a solicitor and a businessman. I should mention that neither have any prior convictions. You have arrested my client without anything to hold him.” Claudia smiles…like a shark. “This entire situation is a farce. You have no grounds or evidence to hold Mr Parker. This case is a joke, it won’t even make it to trial.” She sneers. “You have. No. Case.”
“Perhaps, but if I have no case, then why is Miss Parker being so evasive?” The woman says.
“Miss Parker has come into the station of her own free will.” Claudia replies.
The detective says nothing, just holds Claudia’s hard stare. The atmosphere in the room feels tense. My eyes flick back and forth between them. It’s like watching two big cats face off against each other. I glance at the other detective. He seems just as uncomfortable as I am.
“If that’s all, my client is now leaving.” Claudia says coolly.
“We will need you to make a statement. I know you want to help your brother.” The woman says in a voice that just pisses me off.
I stand and push my chair back. I lean over the desk so my eyes are level with the gnarly woman’s.
“I want to see my brother.” I snap.
“We can hold your brother for up to forty eight hours. That means we still have twelve hours. He will then be…”
“Yeah, I went to law school, I know how it works.”
“Then you know you can’t see him.” The guy adds.
I want so shove my erect middle finger in his face. These cops are fucking dicks.
Claudia and I leave the interview room before I follow the urge to start making offensive gestures. I make a statement. It’s half a page long.
Claudia follows me to the car. “Well, that was interesting.” She says as she pulls her packet of cigarettes from her bag. “You realise you’re making it look as though you have something to hide. If you give them extenuating circumstances then they may let him off. If they dig deep they’re goi
ng to find the evidence they need to prove that you and your brother have been living in Bournemouth since you were fourteen. Ergo, not at your mother’s home in Kent.”
“I don’t have anything to hide, but they’re looking to hang him. If I admit that he and I left my mother’s home together, then they are going to arrest him. They don’t care about circumstances. Plus, I neither confirmed nor denied their allegation.”
She inhales a long drag of her cigarette. I can tell she’s unhappy with the situation, and she may think I’m not helping Harry, but she doesn’t know what I know. I’m protecting him as best I can. I can only hope that it works. “Well, this won’t make it to court. There is one thing though…”
“What?”
“If your mother comes back then she may have more evidence. As long as she’s MIA then it’s the word of a disappearing drunk against yours and your brother’s. The case will get thrown out. You need to tell Theo to make sure she stays gone.” She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Get him to put security on it.” Security? What the hell? Theo has security?
I stash that comment away for later, I’m not going to get into this with her. “Okay. Thanks for your help, Claudia.” I say as I turn away from her. I open the car door and climb up into the huge Range Rover.
I just sit for a while. Guilt eats at me. I can’t stand the thought of Harry in a cell. I hate that I can’t help him. I hate that those detectives are judging him, treating him like a criminal when he is anything but. It’s so unjust that he’s being punished like this.
He must feel so alone in there. I bite the inside of my cheek as tears threaten. Harry is my weak spot. I would sooner be in that cell than have to think of him in there.
My phone rings. The screen lights up with Molly’s name. “Hey.” I say quietly.
“Where are you?” She asks.
“I’ve just come out of the police station.”
“Oh shit. You okay?” She asks quietly.
“Yeah, I think so.” I’m okay. I’m sad, but I’m okay. I will get Harry out of these sham charges, one way or the other.
“You want to meet for coffee or something? I can meet you at Costa, by the office.” She says.
“Sure, I could use a distraction. See you in ten?”
“Leaving now.” She sing songs down the phone to me. I need to speak to Molly, she gets it. She loves Harry like a brother. She also knows a lot about our situation. Not all of it, but most of it.
I pull the Range Rover up outside Costa. There’s nowhere to park and I am not walking bloody miles. If I had a normal sized car I might get away with it.
I pull my phone out of my bag and dial Theo’s number. He picks up on the second ring. “Hey, sugar.” I didn’t think I could smile after that trip to the station, but his voice has my lips twitching.
“Hey. So I have a question for you?” I say teasingly.
“Hmm, what?” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“If I were to get a ticket in your car, would you be mad?”
“Seriously?” He laughs.
“Hey, I am deadly serious. I’m wearing heels!”
He laughs a lot. “You are something else. Yeah, it’s fine baby. I’ll pay the ticket to save your precious feet.” He mocks.
“I’m not worried about my feet, it’s the shoes. These are Manolo’s!”
“You say that like I know what that means.” He drawls.
“It means they are very pretty.” I say haughtily.
He snorts. “I’ll save the shoes, if…you wear them when I fuck you later.” He says in that husky tone. Damn his voice is so hot. I think I might actually be blushing. Consider me officially distracted.
“Deal!” I say a little breathily.
He lets out a low raspy chuckle and my skin tingles with goose bumps. Jesus, I need to get a grip.
“I have to go. I’m meeting Molly.”
“I’ll see you later sugar.” His voice is laced with sex. Oh god, I’m too hot. I start fanning myself.
“Arsehole.” I grumble. I hear him laughing as I pull the phone away from my ear and hang up. I shriek when I spot someone stood at the window. Oh fuck, it’s just Molly.
I open the door. “You scared the fucking shit out of me!”
She has her arms crossed, an eyebrow cocked, and a smirk plastered all over her model perfect face. “Why were you fanning yourself?”
“I was hot.” I say with a ‘duh’ expression on my face.
“Uh huh. Talking to Theo by any chance?” Her smile gets wider.
“Maybe.”
“Driving his car, talking to him on the phone, and clearly having a conversation that’s getting you all hot and bothered…” Her smile widens. “Does this mean?”
I sigh and roll my eyes. “Let’s go get coffee.” She squeals and throws her arms around me. Oh god.
We sit in a booth near the window. I like to people watch. I wrap my hands around the mochachino in front of me as Molly strips off her coat and slides into the booth opposite me. She flicks her long blonde hair over her shoulder. I’ve always been jealous of her poker straight golden locks. She always manages to look so groomed, even when she’s just rolled out of bed. I don’t, even after I have spent half an hour trying to tame my curls. She’s wearing a dark grey jumper dress that clings to her slim figure, and her seriously hot thigh high boots. Molly has a wardrobe most celebrities would kill for, and looks like some kind of catwalk model most of the time.
“Okay, so first off, Harry. How was the interview at the police station?” She asks.
I study a spot on the table. “Difficult. They want me to give them a valid reason for Harry taking me, which of course I have, but in the eyes of the law he still broke the law. I can’t imagine a jury sentencing him, but if I keep my mouth shut, then they have no proof of the kidnapping.” I glance up at her. “At the moment I’m denying any knowledge. It’s mine and Harry’s word against that fucking drunk bitch. They have no case.” I say adamantly. “Theo’s solicitor Claudia has been great, she’s scary though.”
She cocks an eyebrow at me. “Of course she is, she’s Theo’s solicitor. I know you live under a rock, Miss ‘who the hell is Theodore Ellis’, but trust me when I say Theo used to have quite the reputation. He would need a good solicitor.”
“Really?” I can’t imagine Theo like that. Or maybe I can. I’ve seen his temper. He’s gotten into fist fights over me several times. He just seems too…laid back for that shit.
“Oh yeah, he was a proper bad boy, just… driving an Aston Martin and wearing a ten grand suit.” She giggles. “He was always in trouble for fighting. I think he got arrested for possession once.”
“Drugs?!” I shriek. What the hell?
“It was a few years back. Other than his drinking and fucking, he hasn’t done anything naughty in a while.” She tries to reassure me. “Or at least, he hasn’t been caught anyway.”
I decide to stash this information as well, isn’t today proving enlightening. How much do I really know about Theo? Not a lot. I’ve been too consumed with running away from him to actually stop and get to know him. I know he doesn’t do drugs. I’ve spent way too much time with him. I would know.
“Anyway, when are they releasing Harry?” She asks.
“He should get bail tomorrow.” I smile wide. I cannot wait to see him again.
“That’s great Lill’s, and you’re right. No jury will sentence him. At least if he gets bail then you guys can work it all out, in case it does go to trial.” I nod.
There’s a moment of silence where neither of us says anything. I glance out the window at the grey London street. People wrap their coats around themselves as they walk. Red and gold leaves blow across their path violently. The lack of greenery marks the end of summer. I hate winter. I hate the bleakness of it all. Winter in the city can sometimes seem somewhat apocalyptic.
“So, spill.” Molly says, snapping me out of my daze. I stare at her blankly. Her attention is solely focused on me, as though I’m
about to feed her something vital. “Theo.” She hints.
“I wondered how long it would take you.” I mumble.
“Come on, put me out of my misery.” She whines. I smile at her. Girl is so bloody nosy.
“You were right. Theo is it, the one, whatever you and your romantic little head want to call it.”
She grins as she squeals. “I love being right.” She says with a little fist pump. “So, tell me all, was the make-up sex epic?” She raises an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes. “It’s Theo. Any form of sex is epic.”
“True that.” She nods. “So what about the whole baby thing?” Her smile disappears, her expression becoming tense.
I frown. I don’t have a fucking clue. All I know is that I love him. I don’t know how it will work, but we will find a way.
“We haven’t really worked it out.” I take a deep breath and meet her blue eyes. “I just know that I love him. He has stood by me through everything. He never falters, Molly.” I take a sip of the hot chocolate and coffee combination. “I told him everything.” I say quietly.
She coughs as she obviously inhales her coffee. “Everything, everything?” She splutters. Well Molly doesn’t know everything. In fact, Theo knows more than her. I never let Molly have the details. It’s not that she can’t handle it, but she wears her heart on her sleeve. She loves too hard and cares too much. I love her for it, but information like this would weigh heavily on her. I’ve known her my whole life, and she would never indicate the burden, but she’s just too…good. There are some things in life that you don’t like to taint with darkness, Molly is one of them. She has this purity about her that is so rare. She is good to the very core, and in my world, that is such a precious trait.
When I was five, I remember staying at Molly’s house after my dad died. Our dad’s worked together, so our families were close. Molly’s mum would look after Harry and I as best she could whilst our mother ensued on her downward spiral. I would sleep in Molly’s bed and cry. She would just hold me tight. She used to tell me that my daddy was an angel now. Even back then at the tender age of five, my faith in anything good had been broken, ripped from me with the death of my father. Throughout my entire life Molly has been there, her light balancing out my dark. I never wanted her to see the full extent of my nightmare world. As we got older, she put the pieces together, I would tell her snippets, but not the whole story. I never told her about the trafficking. That sort of shit can break a person. Don’t get me wrong, Molly is one tough cookie, she’s no wall flower, but she just cares too deeply. She would hurt for me, and I never wanted that. She has always accepted my closed off nature, offering her unending support, but never demanding anything. The fact that I have told Theo obviously shocks the shit out of her.
