by K Leitch
Duncan burst out laughing, ‘Oh I’m sure Jools will sweetheart, but I think our darling little Matty would have preferred footie boots.’
Maggie shook her head at him, but she was afraid it was true. Her adorable first granddaughter Martha, might look like the most precious little princess with her dark curls and huge blue eyes, but she had already shown a keen preference for all things football, and would much rather be toddling around after Jukie and his ball than playing with the many dolls and prams that Maggie kept showering on her. True at eighteen months it was too early to tell, but Maggie strongly suspected that she would grow up to be a proper little tomboy.
‘Don’t you be too sure matey,’ Maggie said determinedly, ‘Jools and I will wear her down. You’ll see by the time she’s walking properly I’ll have her pirouetting all over the place in her ballet gear, or my name’s not Margot Philomena Fontaine Carmen Darcy Wendover.’
‘Hmm, but as I happen to know that your name isn’t Margot Philomena Fontaine Carmen Darcy Wendover darling,’ Duncan said pulling her into his arms and kissing her nose, ‘your vow, Maggie Agnes Crabtree, means nothing…does it?’
Maggie laughed and slapped him on the arm, ‘Trust me to fall in love with such a know it all…’ she broke off as the front door bell rang.
It was Carla and the kids. Maggie welcomed them all in, trying to catch Carla’s eye to see if she wanted to chat but she seemed really distracted and in a hurry. Just pushing the children in through the door and shouting her thanks to Maggie before getting straight back into her car. It was obvious though that she’d been crying and there was more to this than needing some time alone with James. Maggie made a note to call her friend in the morning…something was very wrong, Maggie knew the signs.
The interview with Brody Jones, the potential nanny, didn’t go too well either. She turned up exactly on time, a rather large woman with dark hair that was pulled back from her face so tightly that Maggie was surprised she could crack a smile. In actual fact she didn’t crack a smile, not even when Jukie told her his funniest joke (what’s white and if it fell from a tree it would hurt you…a fridge). Not even when baby Martha turned bright red and noisily filled her nappy in the centre of the room, and not even when Bertha wandered in with a hair removal waxing strip still stuck to her top lip. So Maggie and Dom both agreed that she really wouldn’t suit their family. If there was one thing that you needed when living in the Wendover residence, it was a good sense of humour…so the search would continue until the perfect nanny was found, which was proving a harder task that any of them had anticipated.
CHAPTER 16 - CARLA
She sat in the darkened room, a glass of wine in her hand as she watched James pack an overnight bag. Carla felt numb with grief.
James had finally admitted everything; although at first he had been completely blindsided when Carla had told him (quite calmly at that point) how his secret had been uncovered.
‘Can you imagine how I felt James?’ she had asked him through gritted teeth, ‘with Mandy and Frank watching over my shoulder…my husband…my husband kissing another woman, walking arm in arm into a restaurant with another woman…’
‘I’m so sorry Carla…’ James had stuttered, ‘I wouldn’t have hurt you for the world…I love you…’
He had got no further, all Carla’s pent up rage had taken over at that point and she’d flown at him…shouting and crying, her fists flying, desperately trying to vent her hurt and anger.
‘Don’t you say that! Don’t you dare tell me you love me…how could you…how could you…to do this to us…US!’ she’d finished on a scream and then slumped down into a chair at the kitchen table exhausted by her rage.
James, gathering himself together, pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. He’d tried to take her hands but she’d pulled away, hatred in her red rimmed eyes as she looked at him.
‘Carla,’ he’d begun again after a moment, ‘I’m so, so sorry…no, no,’ he’d held up a hand as Carla opened her mouth to speak. ‘Please…I know I may not deserve it…but please hear me out,’ he’d pleaded. Carla had slumped back in her chair, her head down, so he’d continued. ‘I am so very sorry…but you have to believe me, it meant nothing…it just happened. I’ve been so lonely…you’re never here these days, and I know that’s no excuse… but she was interested in me…and she seemed to like my company…’
‘So you thought that was a good enough reason to destroy our marriage did you?’ Carla had said wearily, defeated. ‘Seventeen years of marriage James…thrown away because you were feeling a bit lonely and you needed your ego stroked.’ She’d got up and walked over to the fridge, opened the door and took out a bottle of wine. She grabbed herself a glass and came back to the table.
‘It wasn’t like that,’ James began again, ‘I didn’t plan for any of this to happen…’
‘Is it over?’ Carla had asked with a sneer as she’d poured herself a huge glass of wine.
James had hesitated just a second too long.
‘Oh my God you’re still seeing her aren’t you?’ Carla had exclaimed her anger igniting again, ‘who is she? Is she someone you work with?’ James had just sighed and looked shifty, ‘Ha! I don’t believe it… it’s your new secretary isn’t it? Bloody hell James talk about clichés…you couldn’t even be original could you?’ she’d finished with a disgusted shake of her head.
‘Carla it meant nothing…and yes it is over, as of now! I know I have got a lot of making up to do, but please…please darling, don’t destroy everything that we have just because of one stupid mistake that meant nothing to me…. Think about the kids…’
‘OH I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU WERE GOING TO REMEMBER THEM,’ Carla had bellowed furiously, ‘let’s get one thing straight here James,’ she’d said, coming round to his side of the table and pointing a finger in his face. ‘I won’t be breaking anything…you’ve already done that, you did it the moment you put your grubby little hands on whatshername…Grace…yeh that was it wasn’t it, Grace. I remember you talking about her now… how well she’s doing…how much more efficient she is than poor old Mavis…oh God, some fucking detective I am…I didn’t see this coming…I just didn’t see this at all…’ Carla had dissolved into tears again pushing James away from her angrily when he would have tried to hold her to him.
‘Please Carla,’ James pleaded again his own face wet with tears, ‘please forgive me…I know I’ve let you down…’
‘LET ME DOWN!’ Carla had screamed, beyond any sort of rational thought now, ‘YOU’VE BETRAYED ME JAMES…YOU’VE BETRAYED US. THERE’S NO COMING BACK FROM THIS YOU STUPID BASTARD, CAN’T YOU SEE THAT…WE’RE OVER, DONE, FINISHED…YOU STUPID, STUPID BASTARD.’
‘No, no…don’t say that Carla,’ James had cried once again trying to take her hands, ‘we can get past this darling, I know we can if you will just forgive…’
‘NO!’ Carla turned on him again, seething rage coming from every pore, ‘I won’t ever forgive you James…you’ve broken us…you…you’ve done this.’
At that point James had started to feel a bit indignant. Surely Carla had to see that this wasn’t all his fault, he’d be buggered if he was going to take the blame for everything. ‘That’s not fair Carla…have you wondered why I was so lonely eh? Maybe because my wife the “oh so high and mighty detective inspector” was never here. Oh no you don’t like it when the tables are turned do you DI Right?’ he’d continued angrily, as Carla had tried to walk out of the kitchen. James had grabbed her by the arms and held her in front of him forcing her to listen to him.
‘I’ve been asking you for months now to consider early retirement, you promised me after what happened last year…but it’s like we don’t matter, me and the kids…nothing’s as important as your precious job. We NEVER see you Carla…I never see you…when was the last time we went out as a family…when was the last time we made love…’
Carla had glared at him, ‘Don’t you dare,’ she’d growled, ‘don’t you dare make t
his my fault. You’ve… Been… Fucking…Your…Secretary… James…I’ve just been doing my job, the same job I’ve had since the day we met. You knew the score, you knew I’d never…’
‘Oh here we go again,’ James had shouted walking away from her, ‘change the bloody record Carla. Wonderful Carla, worked her way up to DI from a lowly WPC, an example to us all. Shame she doesn’t know where her own kids are from one minute to the next, shame she doesn’t know one end of a cooker from the other, shame the only time she goes into the fridge is to get out another bottle of wine…’
‘SHUT UP!’ Carla had screamed hysterically, ‘JUST SHUT UP JAMES…AND GET OUT, I WANT YOU OUT…NOW!’
James, realising that she had been pushed too far had dropped his hands to his side and nodded his head.
‘If that’s what you want,’ he had said quietly, ‘I’ll go to Mum’s…if you’re sure.’
Carla, tears streaming down her face had been unable to do more than nod her head, before turning away from him.
Which was why she was sitting here in the dark kitchen, watching the love of her life walk away.
‘Carla?’ she looked up to see James, silhouetted in the door frame his bag on the floor at his feet.
‘I’m going then,’ he said.
Carla nodded again, he heaved a sigh, picked up his bag and headed for the door.
‘James!’ her voice stopped him in his tracks, he turned and looked back into the dark kitchen hopefully.
‘Leave your key on the side,’ Carla said without looking up, as she poured herself another glass of wine.
James’s hopes sank and he struggled for a moment with his keyring before throwing the key into the dish by the door and going out into the night closing the door behind him.
Carla sat in the kitchen with her glass of wine, the silence of the empty house closing in all around her. Her lovely home, her cosy life, her happy family had been turned to dust.
She began to whimper, rocking backwards and forwards in her seat. Soon her cries turned into sobs until she was wailing and moaning with the excruciating pain of it all…the unmistakable pain of a heart breaking.
CHAPTER 17
‘So it’d only be for a week or so…just so I can get a picture of the little thugs,’ Flora was saying to Jim Pickles who lived next door, ‘and if you think about it, it would be good for you as well Jim, I mean who knows who their next target will be. If we can get them put away we’ll all sleep safer in our beds won’t we?’
Jim glowered at her from under his bushy eyebrows. He didn’t like Flora Metcalf and it went against the grain for him to do her any favours. She was the worst sort of neighbour in his opinion, oh she’d shown an interest when they were fighting the property developers all right, when she’d wanted them to all stand firm together but since she’d got what she’d wanted she’d reverted to type. She never had a kind word to say about anyone and he’d heard the rumours about her anyway, how she’d been asked to resign from the school because apparently she hit a couple of the students with a ruler…ha, he could just imagine her doing that too nasty spiteful old woman. Always had something to complain about she did, his Russian vine was hanging into her garden…he shouldn’t be burning rubbish on a Sunday…his bin was attracting foxes. On and on it went and now she had the cheek to come round here begging favours, thinking he could be bought with a plate of poxy home-made scones and some sob story about some kids bothering her. Well he hadn’t heard any of the noises she’d described, or seen any kids hanging about the place, she’d probably made it all up to get some poor buggers into trouble…pah! He wouldn’t put anything passed the vindictive old cow, he’d seen many a neighbour taking an ear bashing from her, he knew her type, never happy unless they’re complaining about something.
‘I’m sorry Flora but me minds made up, I don’t lend stuff on principle you see…always leads to trouble, that’s been my experience anyway,’ he said eventually starting to retreat back inside his hallway.
‘But I would take really good care of it,’ Flora said before he could get inside and close the door. ‘Please Jim…I need to get some sort of evidence or the police won’t take me seriously…’
‘Ain’t you got a camera or somat?’ Jim asked still shaking his head, ‘you could wait until you ‘eard them coming and take a few snaps couldn’t you…’
Flora thought for a moment, ‘Well I’ve got my old polaroid I suppose, but I don’t even know if they still sell the film for that anymore, it’s all digital now isn’t it…’
‘Well there you go then,’ Jim said not really listening, ‘just make sure you have it beside you, and you can catch the little buggers in the act…now I really have to go now, there’s this program on the telly I’ve been waiting to watch. Thanks for the scones, that’s right neighbourly of you.’ And with that Jim shut the door on her.
Flora glared at the closed door… well she shouldn’t have expected anything else, she thought angrily shaking her head, as she slowly made her way back round to her own house. Obviously the silly old man had decided to bear a grudge. Anyway maybe he was right, she might be able to get a picture with her old Polaroid camera…if she could just catch their faces then she’d know who she was dealing with wouldn’t she?
Jim Pickles did a bit of thinking as he watched old Flora Metcalf make her painful way back home. She may be a cantankerous old biddy, but if she was right and there were some nasty little bullies scaring the shit out of her, then maybe he should be trying to do something to help her. Not that he was going to lend her his precious camera…not bloody likely…but there was no reason he couldn’t set the camera up in his back bedroom so that it was pointing towards Flora’s back garden, then if anything did happen he’d have the little buggers banged to rights.
How to set it up was his biggest problem, he wasn’t at all technically minded and had only bought the camera because his son Colin had persuaded him to get it to record his grandson Max, who was becoming a leading light in the local football team.
He went through to the living room and found his mobile and pressed Colin’s number.
‘Oh hi son…yeh no problem, I just wondered if you might be able to help me wiv somat….’
Ten minutes later, Jim fixed himself a coffee and settled down to watch yet another re-run of Columbo on the telly. Colin had had some really good suggestions for his surveillance plans and despite the fact that he and his family were in the middle of packing for a two month holiday to Australia, he had said he would come round later to help him set it all up. Jim smiled with satisfaction, now that he’d decided to do this he was really looking forward to it, couldn’t wait to get started in fact, it would be just the thing to keep him occupied while Colin and the kids were away. He wasn’t going to mention anything to old Flora though…no he’d wait until he had something. He couldn’t wait to see her climb down from her high horse, she’d have to be grateful then wouldn’t she, when he showed her the footage that would incriminate her tormentors, ha…that would be a sight to see. Not that he really expected to catch anything on his camera of course, but it was going to be fun trying, just like being a real life Columbo.
CHAPTER 18
Lucinda finished her call and sat down on the shabby little couch in her rented room staring at her phone in wonder. Ever since she had fled her home six weeks earlier it had felt like someone had been watching over her. Of course luck had been on her side even before she’d finally made the break, first she’d won the money and then, more luck as Trevor had to go away on business for a couple of days. Which gave her enough time to find a sweet little car that was being sold by a lovely elderly woman, who was more than happy to let Lucinda keep it parked on her drive until she was ready to take it away. Bit by bit she’d loaded up the little car with all that she would need for Katy and herself, so that when the fateful day arrived she could just simply walk away with no more than her handbag and Katy in her buggy…just as if they were going shopping. Which is in fact exactly what had happened�
��of course it hadn’t all been plain sailing…not by a long way.
Two days before she made her escape Trevor had given her a few reminders of why she needed to get away.
He’d been out drinking with his faithful henchman Howard and another couple of his mates and hadn’t come home until the early hours. Lucinda had been woken by the sounds of someone crashing about in the kitchen. After her initial panic, she realised that it was Trevor and his friends and so settled back down to try and get back to sleep.
A few minutes later however, Trevor began shouting up to her.
‘LUCINDA…LUCINDA, WAKE UP YOU STUPID MARE…LUCE,’ he continued bellowing up at her until Lucinda, worrying that he was going to wake Katy, got out of bed and made her way downstairs.
All the lights were on in the kitchen and Lucinda could see a very frustrated Trevor banging about opening and closing cupboard doors, obviously looking for something.
Two men she’d never seen before were sitting at the kitchen table laughing and heckling him as he looked through each cupboard.
‘It’s fucking obvious you never make the coffee Trevor mate,’ one of them taunted him, ‘he needs the little wife to show ‘im round the kitchen,’ he added to his companion, who burped loudly, and said
‘Yeh, I bet ‘e doesn’t even know how to switch on that fancy coffee machine.’
Trevor’s smile was a little forced, ‘Yeh well, my skills are more in the bedroom department if you know what I mean,’ he said grabbing hold of his crotch in a lewd way.
That was when he spotted Lucinda hovering nervously in the door way, and glowered at her.
