Schemer

by Kimberley Chambers

  The young dark-haired barmaid smiled at Barry. He had been in a few evenings recently and, unlike most of her other punters, was always generous in offering her a drink. ‘A bottle of Bud, is it?’ she asked.

  Barry grinned. ‘Nah, I fancy something different tonight. Give us a bottle of champagne, sweetheart.’ Barry laughed. ‘I’m in the mood for celebrating.’

  By nine p.m., Stephanie had become rather hysterical and Pam knew she couldn’t hold her secret piece of knowledge back much longer. ‘Come and sit down, darling,’ she said sadly, as Steph trawled through the Yellow Pages to try to find out phone numbers of local hospitals.

  ‘I can’t fucking sit down. I’ve got to do something.’

  ‘Sssh. The kids probably aren’t asleep yet. You don’t want to worry them, do you?’ Pam said, sensibly. It was less than half an hour since she had tucked the poor little mites up in bed and Pam was positive that Dannielle had sensed that something was amiss when she had asked if she was ‘still going to be a bridesmaid next week?’

  Deflated, Stephanie sat down on the armchair opposite her mother. She had been trying to call Tammy all evening to ask her advice. Her best friend’s sister was a policewoman and Stephanie was sure that she could be of some help, if only Tammy would switch her bloody phone on.

  ‘Who’s that you’re trying to phone – Tammy again?’ Pam asked.

  Stephanie nodded. ‘She’s taken Richard back to the airport, Mum. She rarely has her mobile on when she isn’t at work, but she did say she would call me once she’d dropped him off. Look, I’m sick of waiting for people to switch their fucking phones on. I don’t care if the Old Bill laugh at me. I’m gonna ring ’em now, Mum.’

  As Stephanie began dialling 999, Pam snatched the phone out of her daughter’s hand.

  ‘What you doing?’ Steph yelled.

  Knowing that awful time had come when she had to break Stephanie’s heart, Pam urged her to sit down again.

  ‘What’s a matter?’ Steph asked, fearfully.

  Pam sat next to her daughter on the sofa, and with tears in her eyes said the sentence she had been dreading disclosing. ‘I’m so sorry, Steph, but I think Wayne might have run off with our Angela.’

  Letting out one almighty scream, Stephanie grabbed the framed photo of her and Wayne off the wall and threw it across the room. Aware of the sound of breaking glass, she then sank to her knees and sobbed like a baby.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Stephanie felt like a zombie when Tammy arrived the following morning. She had been unable to sleep a wink and had spent all night tossing, turning, and crying. The more she thought about it, Wayne being with Angela just didn’t ring true. Her partner had always hated her sister, ever since their teenage fling, so why would he suddenly run away with her?

  ‘I’m so sorry you couldn’t get hold of me last night, mate. I was going to ring you after I’d dropped Richard off, but my battery went dead. What’s been happening? Have you rung the police yet?’ Tammy asked, sitting next to Stephanie on the sofa.

  ‘Come on kids, let’s go and play in the garden,’ Pam suggested to her grandchildren. They knew something was wrong. Dannielle had been crying earlier, and Pam wanted to shield them from the awful truth for as long as she could.

  ‘Me wan weeties,’ Tyler screamed, pummelling his little fists against the carpet in temper as Pam tried to lift him up.

  ‘Walk ’em down the shops and get them some sweets, Mum. Take the money out of my purse.’

  When the front door slammed, Steph breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘So, have you rung the police?’ Tammy asked again.

  ‘I rang them about an hour ago and they said that they would send someone round, but they haven’t yet. They asked where Wayne had been and when I said he had been out on his stag night, I’m sure they were laughing at me.’

  ‘What about Angie? Have you got an address for her yet?’ Tammy asked. Steph had told her on the phone what Barry had said to Pam.

  ‘No. My mum’s been trying to ring her all morning, but Angie’s phone is still switched off. We don’t have an address for her or a home number, but Mum reckons the police will be able to trace her because she must have registered her mobile phone at her new address. What about your sister, Tam? Can’t you ring her and see if she can help us? I’m at my wits’ end, I really am.’

  Tammy’s sister and brother-in-law were both in the police force, but had recently moved to Colchester. ‘Worse comes to the worst, I’ll give my sister a bell, but I doubt that she will be able to do much, mate, as she is working at a station out in Essex now. See what the Old Bill say when they come round, but I don’t believe for a minute that your Wayne would run off with Angela. I reckon Barry’s got something to do with his disappearance, you mark my words.’

  Steph put her distraught head in her hands. ‘But why would Barry have agreed to come to the wedding if he hated Wayne’s guts? And why would he turn up round here yesterday and be so helpful and nice?’

  ‘Because he is bloody clever, Steph. I never liked Barry Franklin that much, even when we were at school, and I wouldn’t trust the bastard as far as I could throw him now.’

  ‘You never said you didn’t like him at school,’ Stephanie replied. Her mind was all over the place and she really didn’t know what to think any more. Her mum seemed to think that the sun shone out of Barry’s arse, and she was rarely ever wrong about anyone.

  After buying the children a bag of goodies, Pam stopped at the nearest phone box. ‘Hold Tyler’s hand and go and play on that bit of green with him,’ she ordered Dannielle and Aidan. Pam rang Cathy first, explained what had happened, and was relieved when her friend said that she was on her way over. Pam then rang Linda and explained Wayne’s disappearance to her.

  ‘I’m gonna kill that fucking Angela. Don’t you dare have no more to do with her after this, sis. I think me and Keith should come over. Steph will need her family around her.’

  ‘OK,’ Pam said. She ended the call, then tried Angela again. She was surprised when her daughter actually answered. ‘Where the hell is Wayne?’ Pam screamed psychotically.

  ‘How the hell should I know where Wayne is? I take it you’ve heard that he came to my club, then?’

  ‘This ain’t funny, Angela, so don’t you dare lie to me. If Wayne is there with you, you have to tell me now because Stephanie has just called the police.’

  ‘Called the police! What the fuck you on about, Mum? Wayne ain’t with me. I saw him at the club, briefly, and that was it.’

  Pam sighed. Her youngest daughter had always been an extremely convincing liar, and Pam could never tell if she was pulling a fast one or not. ‘If you are telling the truth, Angie – and with your track record, I very much doubt it – then you’d best get yourself round to your sister’s house and tell her and the police exactly what happened.’

  ‘What do you mean, what happened? All I did was go to work, felt ill, and came back home. Yes, Wayne was there on his stag do, but I barely spoke to the bloke for more than five minutes.’

  With the pips going, Pam quickly stuffed some more coins into the slot. ‘Barry said you chatted to Wayne for ages, and he said that you and Wayne disappeared at the same time. Wayne’s missing, Angela. He hasn’t been seen since he was at your club – so for once, just tell me the bastard truth.’

  ‘I am telling the bastard truth! I tell you what, Mother. You get Barry shit-stirring Franklin round Steph’s, and me and Roxy will drive straight over. I’ve been sick as a pig for the past twenty-four hours and I’ve only just dragged meself out of bed. You call the Old Bill back and tell ’em I’m on my way round now, and don’t forget to ring Barry an’ all. I refuse to be accused of something I ain’t done, Mum. It’s bang out of order.’

  Pam was stunned when Angela slammed the phone down on her. For once, it seemed like her youngest daughter might actually be telling the truth.

  Stephanie was furious when firstly Cathy, then Linda and Keith turned up. She knew p
eople were only there to support her, but with her life and wedding seemingly in tatters, she really wasn’t in the mood to be talking to anyone. Steph followed her mother into the kitchen. ‘Can’t you get rid of everyone, Mum? I only want you and Tammy here.’

  Pam tried to hold Steph in her arms, but was pushed away.

  ‘Just get off me, Mum. All I want is Wayne back, not to be treated like a fucking child.’

  Pam sighed. She hadn’t yet told her that both Barry and Angela were also on their way round, but she knew she had to soon. ‘Look, people are only here because they love you so much. I rang Cath and Lin when I was out, and I rang Barry, Angela, and the police again. They’ll all be here soon, and the quicker the better if you ask me. Wayne needs to be found, love, and after speaking to Angela, I truly believe she’s in the dark about his disappearance as well.’

  ‘What did the bitch say? You know she’s always been the liar of all liars,’ Stephanie screamed.

  ‘Your sister swears blind that she spotted Wayne at the club, spoke to him briefly, then felt ill and went home, alone. She’s bringing her flatmate, Roxy, round here with her. You haven’t met Roxy yet, but I have and, surprisingly, she is a really decent girl. Angie was fuming when I told her what Barry had said, so that’s why I rang him. The police are coming round at five to take statements off the whole lot of ’em. I know it’s stressful for you, darling, but the quicker we find out what’s really happened to Wayne, the better, eh?’

  Wondering if she was having a bad dream, Stephanie picked up a saucepan and began banging herself over the head with it to see if she would wake up.

  ‘Stop it! What you doing?’ Pam shrieked, grabbing the handle out of her daughter’s hand.

  Bursting into tears, Stephanie sank to her knees. ‘I think I’m going off my head, Mum. I honestly don’t know what I’m doing.’

  Barry Franklin was in a rather buoyant mood as he drove towards Stephanie’s house. He was amazed that Wayne hadn’t been found yet, but thrilled that he could now shove the final nail in his old pal’s coffin. As the current number one song, D:Ream’s ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, came on the radio, Barry cranked the volume up and laughed as he joined in with the lyrics. Things most certainly weren’t going to get better for Wayne Jackman, because Barry was about to make sure they became decidedly worse.

  Linda was livid as Angela strolled into the lounge with the attitude from hell. ‘Don’t be giving it the large, Ange. Don’t you realize that your sister’s in bits? You selfish bloody cow,’ she shouted.

  ‘Calm down, Lin. Let me get you a beer, eh?’ Keith said, squeezing his partner’s hand.

  ‘I don’t want a fucking beer. I want to tell this no-good, conniving little bitch her fortune,’ Linda yelled, as all four foot of her lunged at her neice.

  ‘Stop it. Just bloody well stop it,’ Pam shouted, as Dannielle and Tyler both started to scream.

  ‘Can I have a cuddle, Mum?’ Aidan said, holding his arms out to Angela.

  About to say no, Angela remembered she had Roxy standing by her side, so instead gave her son a false motherly hug.

  Feeling a bit awkward, Cathy stood up. ‘I’ll put the kettle on. Who wants tea and who wants coffee?’

  Before anybody had a chance to reply, the doorbell rang and Pam dashed off to answer it. ‘Do come in, officers. My daughter is in the living room,’ she said nervously.

  Stephanie felt incredibly edgy as she stared at the uniformed man and woman. Their presence made Wayne’s disappearance seem all the more real somehow. ‘Take the kids upstairs with Cath, Mum. You and Keith go with them as well, Lin,’ Steph ordered.

  ‘I don’t want to go, Mummy. I want to stay here with you. Where’s Daddy? Has he died?’ Dannielle asked, clinging to her mother’s leg.

  Stephanie held her daughter’s head in her hands and kissed her on the nose. ‘Daddy’s not dead. He’s just got lost somewhere and the police have come to see us to help us find him. Now you be a good girl and go upstairs with Nanny while Mummy talks to them, OK?’

  Pam ushered the three children out of the room. ‘Just shout if you need me.’

  As Linda walked out behind Keith and Cathy, she prodded the male officer in the arm. ‘And don’t be believing anything that lying little mare tells you,’ she said, pointing at Angela.

  Roxy squeezed her friend’s hand. ‘Just take no notice.’

  Angela sensibly smiled at the two police officers. She was far too clever to retaliate.

  ‘Do you want to start questioning us now? Or shall we wait for Barry Franklin to arrive? Barry was with Wayne the night he went missing,’ Stephanie explained.

  ‘I’d wait for Barry. Bet he knows more than anybody else does,’ Tammy stated abruptly.

  Stephanie glared at her friend as if to urge her to shut up. Tammy shouldn’t start insinuating that Barry had done something to Wayne in front of the police until they had some kind of proof at least. ‘That’s probably Barry now. Go and answer it, Tam,’ Stephanie said when the doorbell rang.

  Dressed in a trendy tan leather jacket, matching tan shoes and faded jeans, Barry Franklin strolled into the lounge and shook both police officers’ hands.

  ‘What they doing here?’ Stephanie asked horrified, as she spotted Cooksie and Potter bowl into the room behind Barry.

  ‘Well, seeing as they were both with us the other evening, I thought the police might want to speak to them as well. I also rang Lee, but I couldn’t get hold of him,’ Barry replied.

  ‘Right, let’s get started. Firstly, we need a description of what Mr Jackman was wearing on the evening in question, and also the names of any places you might have visited,’ the female officer said to Barry.

  While Barry, Potter and Cooksie filled the police in with details, Stephanie furtively glanced at her sister. Her mum was positive that for once Angela was telling the truth, but Stephanie wasn’t quite so sure. Angela was sly and manipulative, and Steph had always been under the impression that her sister had held a grudge over her relationship with Wayne.

  Angela smirked as she heard the policewoman ask Barry if Wayne had been chatting any girls up. ‘Do you mind if I say something, please?’ Angie asked, putting her hand up as though she was still at primary school.

  The policewoman turned to her. ‘Not at all. Any help to find Mr Jackman would be much appreciated.’

  ‘I spoke to Jacko – sorry, I mean Wayne. Jacko’s his nickname, and I had a rather in-depth chat with him, actually. He was telling me how skint he was and how he regretted asking my sister to marry him, as he now couldn’t afford to give her the wedding that she had dreamed of.’

  Unable to control her fury, Stephanie leapt up and pointed her finger in her sister’s face. ‘You are one twisted, nasty piece of work, Angela Crouch. You’ve always been jealous of me and Wayne having such a comfortable lifestyle, and no one will believe your vicious lies, so why bother telling them?’

  When Roxy and Tammy both jumped up, Barry quickly moved to calm things down.

  ‘Bundle,’ Cooksie shouted, nudging Potter. Potter laughed, but then quickly reverted to serious again when he clocked the policeman glare at him and Cooksie.

  ‘Just calm down, Stephanie. Angela isn’t lying. Me, Cooksie and Potter can vouch for that,’ Barry said softly.

  ‘Wayne isn’t skint. We’ve got a wonderful lifetstyle,’ Stephanie insisted.

  Glaring at Barry, Tammy pushed him out of the way and held Stephanie in her arms. ‘They’re not lying, Steph. Wayne did have money problems, babe.’

  Stephanie was not only furious, but also mortified. How come everybody else knew about Wayne’s financial difficulties, yet she didn’t? It was her who was meant to be getting married to him, so why had he spoken to every other bastard about it, but not her? Feeling like a complete and utter fool, Stephanie flopped onto the armchair in despair.

  ‘Would somebody like to tell us about Mr Jackman’s financial affairs?’ the policeman asked. He had his pen and his notebook in his hand and
was raring to go.

  ‘Jacko was telling us that he’d sort of lost everything, weren’t he, Potter? He took us out for a curry a few weeks back and spilt his guts. He reckoned he was up to his neck in it and was scraping the bottom of the barrel. He was proper upset, though, because he adored Steph and was worried about letting her down,’ Cooksie said, honestly.

  When everybody else started chipping in about the state of Wayne’s finances, Stephanie felt that her head was about to explode. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? You of all people, I thought I could trust, Tam,’ she screamed at her lifelong best friend.

  ‘I didn’t tell you because Wayne begged me not to. He loves you so much, Steph, and he was so worried about not being able to buy you the salon that he had promised you. I thought it was just a temporary blip for him; I didn’t realize he had told anybody else, mate. He was going to tell you after the wedding, and if he hadn’t, I swear I would have. Nobody wanted to spoil your big day for you, Steph, including me,’ Tammy explained, breaking down in tears herself.

  As Angela watched both her sister and Tammy cry, she felt nothing but happiness within. Deciding to put the boot in even further, Angela knew she had to first put on an act because Roxy was with her.

  ‘Are you OK, Ange?’ Roxy asked, as the tears began to drip down Angela’s cheeks.

  ‘No, not really. I feel I should tell the police about my relationship with Wayne all them years ago. Say he don’t get found, then they start pointing the finger at me,’ Angela whispered in her friend’s ear.

  Roxy shrugged. She didn’t really see the need to tell the police about that yet, but she didn’t want her flatmate to worry over it. ‘Well, if you think you should, then you tell them,’ she said supportively.

  ‘I think there is something I should tell you, officers. It’s probably not important, but I feel if Wayne isn’t found soon and you dig deeper with your enquiries, you may start to look at me in a suspicious manner for not saying anything.’