by Tony McHale
“No - I saw his bank statements.” Charlie went on to explain how he’d discovered the two thousand a month that Jed was paying her. He also explained how Banaszak had told him about his mother finding out her husband had fathered a child or children to someone else.
“I put two and two together and here I am,” said Charlie simply as if they were talking about the price of bread. “I am right, aren’t I?” he continued.
“Yeah.” Farrah saw no point in lying. Charlie was on the money and they both knew it.
“So is Aaron my father’s?”
“And Belinda,” confirmed Farrah.
“Jesus ...!”
He’d assumed this was the case for sometime, but hearing it out loud and from the source that definitely should know, it was still a shock.
Farrah continued making the drinks, waiting to see what would happen next.
“How did my mother find out?”
“After Belinda died ... I was upset. Your mother caught Jed comforting me. He managed to persuade her that’s all he was doing. We’d actually stopped seeing each other years before, but Caroline was still suspicious.”
Charlie hurt for his mother … all those years and he wasn’t even there.
“I wanted children,” she admitted. “Who was I going to have children with in Beck le Street? Let’s face it, I wasn’t spoilt for choice.”
“You could have left, gone somewhere else.”
“We’re not all like you Charlie. Everyone here has thought of leaving, but how many have ever done it? We’re all too scared. It’s safe here. We’re safe here. We don’t want to leave ... not really.”
“So instead you just destroyed my parents marriage.”
“That’s not how it was. I was young ... impressionable when your father came onto me. There was never an intention of having children ... they were an after thought. When I realised it was going nowhere, I wanted something from it. I wanted to have something of my own. Your mother need never have found out.”
“But she did find out.”
“She did what you did, started digging, but she couldn’t find anything. His name wasn’t on the birth certificates, she didn’t think to look at the bank statements, or if she did she couldn’t work it out.”
“So what happened?”
“Belinda was always your father’s favourite ...”
“Well I know I certainly wasn’t.”
“He was never keen on Aaron either. I don’t think he could handle boys.”
“Tell me.”
“After Belinda’s funeral it was like he was angry with him. It was like he wished Aaron had died, not Belinda.”
“My mother saw this?”
“She might have done, but I don’t think so. It was what happened next that made her see what was going on.
“Which was?”
“For both of their seventh birthdays Jed had bought them each a St Christopher. He’d said something about ‘keeping them safe on their travels through life’ ... you know one of them sayings.”
“Sentimental for Jed.” commented Charlie.
“I told them both they were from their father, he’d left them for them ...”
“They’d asked who their dad was?” Charlie suddenly needed details.
“Yeah ... but I’d said he was no longer in my life, I’d lost touch with him ... didn’t know where he was ... so the chances were they’d never see him again. I was never sure how they felt about it, but neither of them ever mentioned it again. All I know is Aaron never wore his St Christopher, whilst Belinda wore hers all the time. It was still on her when they discovered her body. When they fished her out of the river, it was still on her. The funeral director gave me it back to me ... along with a cheap ring she always wore ...”
Charlie saw Farrah instinctively feel the ring she had on her little finger.
“ And I gave the St Christopher back to Jed. I thought he should have something of hers and as he’d given it to her in the first place ....
“And he was her father,” Charlie said virtually inaudibly.
“Stupid of me ... I should have just kept it. He’d never have thought about it, but I did what I thought was the right thing.”
“What happened?”
“At Belinda’s funeral, the church was packed ... a fourteen-year-old’s funeral ... I don’t know how I did it ...”
“My dad did something ... didn’t he?”
“Just before the committal Jed walks up to the coffin and lays the St Christopher on it. Caroline wondered what the hell was going on, but she couldn’t ask him there and then ... but I saw her face ... everyone saw her face. Anybody who didn’t know about me and Jed … would have known then ... “
“Everyone knew but my mum.”
“No. I don’t know who knew. Nobody ever said anything. I told them I’d got pregnant on holiday romances and everyone seemed to believe it.”
“But Aaron knew about the St Christopher ...”
“If I’d have thought for one minute he’d do something like that, I’d have never have given him it ...”
“So then what happened?”
“After Belinda’s death Aaron became depressed. He felt he was responsible. He should have walked her home that night, she was his younger sister, he should have looked after her and he didn’t. So when he saw the St Christopher that depression in him turned to anger … He went down to The Black Dog and had it out with Jed. Asked him straight if he was his father. There was some sort of scene ... I’m not sure what was said, but Caroline got involved.”
“So that’s when she found out.”
“Yes.”
“What did she say to you?”
“She just said ... She didn’t blame me. She realised it had all been over years ago ... and she said ... she’d always wanted another child ... That’s what hurt her the most ... She had no one ... You’d left ... Jed was always difficult and if she’d had another child, she’d have had someone. But he wouldn’t ... he refused to have more children. She was angry with him.”
“So when you said everything was all right between my parents ...”
“I was lying. I just couldn’t tell you Charlie. I was to blame as much as anyone ...”
“Are you lying about what my mum said to you? Are you lying about that?”
“No.”
“She wasn’t angry with you?”
“No ...”
“Did you get the gun that night and shoot her ...”
“No ... I swear it Charlie ... I swear it. She knew how old I must have been when Jed came on to me ... It was him she was angry with!”
“The night she died ...”
“It was just as I told you. There was a tension, but I thought it was sorting itself.”
“But it wasn’t ... and I’m back to where I started.”
Farrah looked at Charlie. She knew what he was thinking.
* * * * *
Ten minutes later Charlie was heading down into the village with his two lights illuminating the dark road. On the journey he saw no one. The village was bathed in silence as if it knew a storm was about to be unleashed.
For Charlie the time had come to confront his father. If he did kill his mother, then tonight was the night he would make that confession ... one way or another.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Georgie had gone to bed. They’d talked about the encounter with Charlie. Cassie had asked him what he was going to do about it and Georgie had replied: “Nothing. He’s my father. It’s not his fault he didn’t know I was his son.”
This was a huge turn around for Georgie and Cassie wondered what had brought it about. Georgie soon made it clear. As he headed out of the kitchen on his crutches he spoke without stopping or without looking at his m
other.
“I never want to see anything like that again.”
“Like what?”
“In The Field. ‘An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.’”
And with that he headed for the bathroom. Cassie had no idea he was quoting Gandhi, she just knew seeing Tyler pummel a defenceless man half to death had had a profound effect on her son. He certainly wasn’t going to say anything to Tyler about Charlie. Charlie was a man they’d ridiculed for saving the two youths who had robbed Jenny Pearson. At the time Georgie had agreed, but seeing the brutality of a community that is its own judge, jury and executioner Georgie realised that it was one step away from anarchy. In The Field he’d lost total respect for the man who he’d called ‘father’ all these years and Cassie wasn’t sure whether it would ever come back.
When Tyler arrived home he was in that drunken state where he believed he wasn’t drunk enough. He’d spent the night in The Black Dog, people wanting to examine his battered fists, whilst telling him he’d done the right thing. Amos had crossed the line and what happened in The Field needed to be done. Tyler nodded and agreed with them and kept drinking in the vain attempt to block out Amos’s eyes staring back at him as his face became more and more unrecognisable.
Half way through the evening Lucas arrived direct from the hospital. Amos was being kept in over night for observation. Old Atkinson, who hadn’t been at The Field earlier, was silent when he heard the news. A few people commented by saying he’d got off lightly, which encouraged Lucas to ask Old Atkinson what he thought. Atkinson took a mouthful of beer, drank it back, then looked at Lucas for some time before eventually speaking. “I had a teacher that once said ‘civilisation is built on democracy and democracy is built on trust.’ If you don’t trust the people you have elected, then democracy turns to anarchy. When anarchy reigns – nobody is safe.”
Lucas listened not understanding a word he was saying. So Old Atkinson tried to make it clearer. “We’ve gone too far … we behave like a pack of wolves that can turn on each other at any moment.” He coughed some phlegm from his throat then continued, “Careful son, make sure you’re not next.”
Lucas wasn’t bright enough to realise what he was being told. Of the other people who heard Old Atkinson a number agreed with him, but which of them would dare to march side by side with the old man? At the same time that a lot of the people in the pub thought Lucas had had a lucky escape. A lot of them believed Lucas was just as much in the wrong as Amos. He was there, he went along with accepting the journalist’s cash, but because it was perceived by some people that Amos was the leader and Lucas would just do anything Amos told him, then he wasn’t guilty in the same way. Lucas knew something was making him feel uncomfortable, but he wasn’t sure what.
Unbeknown to anyone Tyler had rung the hospital and asked how Amos was. Because he wasn’t ‘family’ all they were able to tell him was that he was ‘quite poorly, but comfortable.’
So Tyler kept drinking, but couldn’t get drunk.
When he arrived back home the first thing he did was reach for the bottle of Metaxa, which they bought on their holiday to Corfu. He poured himself a hefty measure and didn’t even offer Cassie one.
“How was the night?” she asked.
“Shit.”
“That good.”
“Lucas turned up. I should have put him in The Field. If I’d have given him a beating nobody would have known the difference, including him.”
Tyler took a large mouthful of the Greek spirit and pulled a face as he swallowed.
“Who was there ... in The Black Dog?”
“The usual crowd.”
“Not Charlie Ashton then?”
For the first time since arriving home, at the mention of Charlie’s name Tyler looked at her directly.
“Charlie wasn’t there?” Cassie persisted.
“No. Charlie Ashton will never be seen in Beck le Street again, unless he’s he’s had a lobotomy.”
“You’re wrong. He’s back.”
“What you going on about? “
“I saw him today.”
“You’re having me on.”
“No.”
“You saw fucking Charlie Ashton … to-fucking-day?”
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“Georgie dropped his phone … in The Field, we went back to find it and there he was …”
“In The Field?” Tyler knew he’d been so focused on Amos that Charlie could have been there on the front line and he might not have noticed.
“No – on the track.”
“What was he doing there?
“I don’t know.”
“Did you speak to him?” There was a worried tone about Tyler’s question.
“Yeah.”
“What did you say?”
“I asked him what he was doing back. He just said he wasn’t going to let things lie.”
“What does that mean?”
“You know what it means. He’s going to keep on digging. He wants to know who killed his mother.”
“Don’t we all.”
“But what’s he going to turn up in process? Eh?”
Tyler just looked at her. She was entering uncharted territory and they both knew it. Tyler remained silent.
“There were four of you there that night Tyler … just four of you.”
“No one’s going to say anything.”
“You sure about that?”
Tyler wasn’t sure and his face said as much.
“How bad is Amos?” continued Cassie. “How ill is he?”
“Not sure … they’re not saying.”
“People will say all sorts if they think they’re going to die.”
“He’s not going to die!” said Tyler slightly raising his voice.
“I said if he thinks he is. Look what happened to his old man. And that’s what’ll be going round his head.”
“What you saying?”
“I’m saying,” Cassie spoke with a quiet emphasis, “if Charlie Ashton gets to him, then he could give him the whole story. My guess is Charlie watched you beat three shades out of him today. He’ll know Amos is vulnerable. And he’ll know you’re hardly going to be his best mate at the moment.”
“That night … had nothing to do with his mother.”
“You don’t know that Tyler …”
“It hadn’t … nothing!”
“Okay ….he doesn’t know that. And Amos could mention it, just to get back at you.”
“Then he’ll go down as well.”
“Do you think that’ll worry him … especially if he thinks he’s dying?”
“Jed never said owt about him being back.”
“I don’t think he knows. Charlie’s not staying with him.”
“Where’s he staying?”
“Moor Cottage.”
“He told you?”
“Yeah … he told me.”
“I don’t get it. If he’s going to tell you where he’s staying, why doesn’t he stay with Jed … at The Black Dog.”
“Because he trusts me. He thought I wouldn’t tell you, but he thought wrong. Go sort him out Tyler. Put this to bed for good.”
Tyler finished his cheap Greek brandy, picked up his shotgun and a box of shells and left.
* * * * *
When Cassie came into Georgie’s room he was fast asleep. She liked to watch him sleeping. Was it the only time he appeared truly peaceful? She thought so. This was his haven, his room, his bed. This is where he felt totally safe. His bedroom, in their cottage in Beck le Street, far away from the other world. She gently stroked his hair and whispered, “It’s okay … It’ll all be okay now.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
At
The Black Dog Charlie let himself in with the key his dad had given him when he was there before. He came in quietly through the back way and into the bar area, half expecting to see his father taking a last sip of his nightcap. But the place was quiet. After the last drinker had left the pub, Jed always turned the overhead lights off and even if there was a lock-in it was conducted in this covert style dimmed light.
Charlie made his way quietly upstairs, carefully avoiding the fifth tread, remembering from his teenage years that it always creaked. On the landing he looked for a tell tale light issuing from his father’s bedroom, but there was none. Should he wake him up, have it out with him there and then? After all that’s why he was there. If Georgie had already told Tyler he was back in Beck le Street, then Tyler would already be planning how to get to him. But waking his father in the middle of the night and accusing him of killing his mum, didn’t seem the best way forward.
As he stood and contemplated what to do he heard a familiar sound from the ‘office.’ It was the sound of an incoming e-mail. Who was sending his dad e-mails in the middle of the night? Charlie made his way into the ‘office’ and could see the symbol telling him the machine had received ‘mail.’
Charlie approached the computer and clicked on Outlook. Up came his dad’s e-mail account. Charlie noticed straight away that the e-mail was from Farrah Gregory. Was she trying to warn Jed what she’d told Charlie?
Charlie’s hand cradled the mouse that was next to the computer and clicked open the e-mail. He started to read it.
Hi Aaron just wishing you were here. I’ve had a strange night talking to Charlie Ashton. He left after his mother’s funeral, but now he’s back. He needed to talk to me. One day, when you’re home from your travels, I’ll tell you all about it. It’s all very complicated, but you will have to know. Really missing you … look tell me where you’ll be, then I can send you some money, so you can ring. I really just need to hear your voice. Love you as always Mum xxx
Charlie read the e-mail over again, trying to figure out why it had been sent to his father’s computer. Just a mistake maybe. Or was there something else?
