Tracks

by Karen Woods

  ‘No,’ she snapped. ‘I’ll tell you what I know shall I, so we can cut the crap.’ She took a deep breath and continued. ‘Amelia is tubbed. And,’ she paused, ‘let’s think who we know who can’t have children … erm, let me think.’ She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Tina. ‘You, is that correct?’

  Tina forced herself to stand tall and shrugged the comment off. ‘Don’t be silly, Rita, have you heard yourself? Now, move out of my way and stop talking shit.’

  Rita clenched her tobacco-stained teeth together and small balls of spittle sprayed from her mouth as she spoke. ‘Listen, I can make this easy for you or I can speak to the police the moment they step through that door and tell them where she is. I will you know, because I know you’ve got her. You want that baby she’s carrying, don’t you?’

  Tina couldn’t breathe. Rita stood waiting with her hands on her hips. ‘I want money, nothing major, just a couple of grand to help me sort out my finances. It will be our secret, easy really, isn’t it?’

  Tina started pacing as Rita continued. ‘I’ve been evicted from my house. I’ve been staying here at the school. Why do you think I’ve been opening up every day?’

  Tina looked out of the window and tears ran down her face. The game was up. ‘All I’ve ever wanted is a baby. Amelia could never look after a kid and she had nowhere else to turn. I’m giving her her life back.’

  Rita raised her voice. ‘But it’s not that simple, is it? It’s illegal for starters, Miss Fancy Pants. You can’t just take a baby when you feel like it. Imagine the police when I tell them what you’ve done. You’ll lose it all, you’ll be banged up in the nick for years. Think of the story in the papers – Teacher Turns Into Baby Stealer. You’re sick, you know that? Amelia’s parents are worried out of their brains and here’s you walking around the place without a care in the world. And you’re a cheeky cow if you ask me. I’ve seen the way you look at me as if I’m dirt, but in fact, it’s you who is the worthless one, isn’t it? You’re just a desperate woman doing whatever you want to get your own way and unless you make it worth my while, I won’t stand by and let it happen. No fucking way.’

  Tina eyeballed Rita. She had to up her game and stand up to her. ‘Don’t you dare speak to me like that. I’m a decent woman who works hard every day to have the life I do. It’s not my fault that you’ve lost your home, is it? Maybe stop buying all those bleeding scratchcards and sort your life out.’

  ‘Correct, it’s not your fault. But you can help me get it back. I want four grand. It’s quite a good price considering, but I’m not greedy. I won’t keeping coming back to the well. I just want to get my life back on track.’

  Tina knew she had her in a corner. But she needed time to think. Chris would go ballistic if he found out there was someone else who knew about what she’d done. Let alone knowing she’d caved in to a blackmailer. He’d make her come clean before the shit hit the fan. This was turning into a nightmare.

  ‘I’ll meet you later after work to talk about this. I have things to do now, so please, just get out of my way.’

  Rita stepped to one side and opened the door to let Tina go past. ‘Remember, four grand and your secret is safe with me. No funny business or I’ll be straight to the dibble and tell them everything that I know. I will, go on, test me.’

  Tina stormed out without a word.

  Rita smiled and rubbed her hands together. Today was going to be a good day after all.

  Donny sat at his desk staring blankly at his computer, the way he always seemed to when he had something lying heavy on his mind. He was in no mood for work today. He looked out of the window, his eyes following a black and white magpie that was jumping about in the car park. He saluted it and mumbled something under his breath. He’d always been superstitious, and he blamed his mother for bringing him up that way. Don’t walk under a ladder, don’t put new shoes on a table, don’t smash a mirror otherwise you get seven years bad luck, the list was endless. He spotted Frankie coming across the car park. Was he limping?

  Donny got up and walked over to the window to take a closer look. Yes, definitely limping. His black eye from the other day had barely healed and now he looked like he’d been in the ring.

  ‘Frankie, come straight up here and see me,’ Donny shouted from the top window

  The student kept his head down and carried on walking. Frankie had changed. Maybe it was the weed. He never sat and joked around with his classmates anymore, just kept himself to himself. Donny stayed by the window. He saw Ged’s dad sat in his car parked up across the road from the school. He was a shady one for sure, dodgy. Donny checked the clock and then hurried down the stairs to try and catch Frankie before he went into the rec room. He got there just in time.

  ‘Oi, Frankie, wait up. What’s up with your leg? I saw you limping. Have you fallen or something?’

  Frankie’s cap was pulled down low and he made no eye contact whatsoever. ‘Like you care. I fell off my bike last night. I’m just a bit bruised that’s all.’

  ‘You and me need to have one of our little talks. My office. Lunchtime.’

  Donny was about to add something when Tina came rushing up. ‘Can I use the office for my next meeting? I was going to use the side office, but it’s already booked out.’

  Donny replied to Tina as he watched Frankie slink off. He looked edgier than usual. ‘Yes, crack on. I’ve just seen Ged’s dad parked up outside, so he’ll be here in a minute. Try to have him in and out pronto. I don’t trust him in this school. Thieving fucker.’

  Tina rolled her eyes and looked round to check none of the students had heard the headteacher. Sometimes he forgot where he was. Donny slung his jacket over his shoulder. ‘I’m going to have a quick cig before the police come about Amelia. They’ll be here for a while and I will be gasping if I don’t get one now. I believe they want to speak to a few of the students again.’

  Tina swallowed hard but remained silent, not trusting herself to utter a word.

  Kevin sat down and faced Tina. He seemed confident, not afraid to open his mouth. He was unshaven and you could smell stale tobacco smoke on his clothing. He leant forward and clapped his hands over his knees. ‘Right, I’ll get to the point, shall I? I want my lad out of here and back in mainstream school. This place is fucked up, he’s not like these kids in here, he’s got a brain, he’s clever. I think he went off the rails a bit when I got put in prison but I’m home now and I’ll sort him out.’

  Tina twisted her pen in her hands. ‘Ged is doing fine here. And getting him back in mainstream school is something that doesn’t just happen overnight. We’ll have to wait until his grades are better and he’s more settled. I’m not sure if you’re aware, Mr Grey, of the incidents he’s been involved in. He’s trashed a classroom and assaulted another student. This is not the kind of behaviour that will get him back into his old school.’

  Kevin dismissed her last comment and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Nah, don’t give me any of that bullshit. The kids in this school are messed up in their heads. Ged’s not like that, he’s got a good head on him and I don’t want him mixing with these delinquents anymore. I’ve heard about some of the stuff that goes on in this school and it’s not right. Drugs, girls who’ll open their legs for anybody. Nah, I want my boy out of here.’

  Tina sat up and looked at Kevin thoughtfully. Was he for real? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. ‘I beg your pardon, Mr Grey, but this school has got a great Ofsted report. We change students’ lives here, so whatever you have heard isn’t right. We work hard to help every child that comes here. In all schools you have the same problems if you care to do your research.’

  Kevin stepped up a level. ‘Fuck research. I know what I can see. Ged won’t be coming back here. He’ll get a job or something if he can’t go back to normal school. He needs to make something of himself. I have few mates in the building trade who can hook him up with something
. That’s all he needs.’

  Tina opened her eyes wide. ‘I take it you work then?’ Kevin looked awkward and Tina smirked. ‘Is that the trade you’re in?’

  ‘Erm, no. I’m just sorting myself out and then I’ll find work. Anyway, it’s not about me, it’s about my boy.’

  ‘Ged needs to finish his exams. He needs good grades to get a decent job. If he stays here he’s got the best chance of sitting those exams and getting the kind of grades that will give him options in the future.’

  Kevin slammed his hand on the table causing the pieces of paper to go flying. ‘Are you on the same planet as me, love, or what? You’re not getting it, are you. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Ged is not coming back to this shithole of a school. I’ll find him work and sort him out. If he needs to take exams then I’ll bring him back for them, but apart from that over my dead body is he stepping foot through this door again. It’s simple as.’ He was going for gold.

  Tina took a few seconds to digest what he had said. ‘All I can say is that if you pull him out of education then you can expect to be fined and taken to court. You and your wife have a legal obligation to your son to make sure he goes to school. But, if that’s what you want to do then so be it. I have told you what the consequences are and if you want to end up in court then it’s up to you. Personally, I think going back to court and mixing with the justice system after you’ve just come out of jail won’t look too good for you, but, if you think you know the law better than me then my hands are tied.’

  Kevin laughed and got to his feet. ‘Do you really think the justice system bothers me? I’ve done more time in jail, love, than you’ve had hot dinners. I’ll do what I have to to protect my son. Second Chance, my arse. It’s like a young offenders’ school this is and not somewhere I want my lad to come.’

  Tina had heard enough and couldn’t wait to see the back of him. As Kevin made his way to the door she stood up and walked slowly behind him.

  ‘Goodbye then,’ Kevin muttered.

  Tina didn’t waste her breath replying, just stood watching him walk down the corridor towards the exit. ‘Fucking tosser,’ she muttered to herself. ‘And he has the cheek to call this school a waste of a space; he needs to look closer at himself that one does.’

  Chapter Thirty

  Tina stood waiting, stressed. The rain was pounding the pavements and dark grey clouds hung low from the sky like a dull blanket of despair. Rita should have been here ten minutes ago. Where the hell was she? Tina checked her watch again. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and was just about to make a call when she spotted the large figure trudging towards her. She backed into the shadows of the night and waited anxiously. The park was quiet tonight and there wasn’t a soul about. An eerie silence broken only by the sound of footsteps. She stepped out from the darkness. Rita smiled expectantly, standing with one hand on her hip. Her hood was pulled over her head, and a woolly scarf that had seen better days was wound round her neck so that only her eyes were clearly visible.

  ‘Bleeding hell, it’s chucking it down. I don’t know why we had to meet here, we could have just met near school, instead of me getting piss-wet through. Anyway, just give me the money and I’ll be off.’

  Tina’s eyes seemed different, vacant. She stepped closer to Rita. ‘Why are you such a nasty bitch? Amelia is in trouble and all you are thinking about is filling your pockets. How on earth do you sleep at night?’

  Rita backed off. ‘I don’t sleep because I have no home. I lie awake every night wondering where my next meal is coming from. I’ve not got the cushy desk job, nice house and husband to run back to like you. I’ve had to work my arse off all my life and still I’ve got nothing, I’ve lost it all. Do you know how it feels to have nothing?’

  ‘Like I said, if you spend all your money on scratchcards and God knows what else … Everyone knows you’re a gambler. You need to get some help. Every penny you have you spend on them daft bleeding cards that you’ll never win on. You need to get help, not just money for more.’

  Rita was taken back. ‘Sometimes I win. And who are you to dictate morals to me when you’ve taken a kid and locked her away. I’d rather be a gambler than a bleeding criminal. You’ve got a screw loose love, honest, you’re a lunatic.’

  Tina shoved her hand in her coat pocket and fumbled about.

  Rita stood waiting, growing impatient. ‘Just give me the money, will you, and I’ll be off. Honest, all I want is the cash and nobody will ever know about this. Call it our little secret. You’ll have helped me out so to speak so I’ll help you by keeping my gob shut.’

  Tina took a deep breath to steady her nerves but didn’t move.

  ‘Just give me the money, I’m not waiting about. I’m getting soaking wet stood here.’

  Tina still said nothing. It was as if she was in a trance.

  Rita shook her head and turned to walk away. She had to call her bluff. ‘Fuck it then, I’ll go to the police. I can’t be arsed with mind games. Why would you have me traipsing all the way here when you had no intention of giving me the cash. You’re out of order.’

  Tina’s hand stayed in her pocket and kept a tight hold of the knife she’d stashed in there. Could she use it? She marched after her blackmailer. She dragged at her coat and turned Rita to face her.

  ‘You’re evil you know. Rotten to the core you are. You’re not getting a penny from me. I can’t just pull four grand out of the air just like that. It will take time, you idiot. Who has thousands of quid just lying around in their bank account?’

  Rita stood with the rain pelting at her face. ‘I need the money. Come on, how long will it take for you to get it sorted? I’m a fair woman. Just give me something to tide me over. But the clock’s ticking. I won’t wait for ever.’

  The fight had left Tina. She pulled her hand from her pocket, empty, and sank to her knees looking up at the sky. She stared at the ground, despairing.

  ‘I can’t give you what you want. I’m up to my eyeballs in debt just like you are. I’ve borrowed just to get the flat set up. Please don’t tell anyone. I’ll find a way to see you right, but I can’t find four grand. Not now and no time soon.’

  Rita looked down at Tina and shook her head, spat at her before she started to walk away. She was humming something.

  ‘Hush little baby, don’t you cry …’

  It flipped a switch somewhere deep inside Tina. She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled after her. There was no way anyone was stopping her having this baby, not now she’d come this close. She gripped the knife again, not knowing what she was going to do it with it. Hurt Rita? Threaten her?

  But before she could decide, Rita turned round. Even in the gloom she could see the blade. She shoved Tina and the knife fell to the ground. Tina scrabbled madly in the grass looking for where it had fell.

  ‘Dozy cow. Did you think I’ve not had a knife waved at me before? I wouldn’t even peel my spuds with that. Now get out of here – and drop the tough bitch act. You’re a fucking liability. You’re a second-rate teacher at a crap school, helping kids because you can’t have your own – and you never will.’ She almost screamed the last words.

  Tina couldn’t find the knife but as Rita’s words hit home, she grabbed at a branch that was lying by the side of the path. Without thinking she lifted it above Rita’s head and smashed it into her skull. The attack from behind was so fast that Rita didn’t have a clue what had hit her. She dropped to the floor like a lead weight. Tina stood over her, pummelling the wood into her victim over and over until she stopped moving.

  It was only then that she seemed to come to her senses. She stepped back, shaking. What had she done? And even more pressingly, what was she going to do now? She had to move her. But how? She grabbed Rita’s ankles – she knew it would take all her strength, but desperation powered her on. Looking all around in case anyone else was out, she kept dragging her until she w
as out of sight and into the bushes. It was a struggle, the dead weight taking every ounce of her strength to move.

  ‘Look what you made me do, you stupid woman. You should have kept your nose out of my business and none of this would have happened. Look, look what you have made me do.’ Tina finally collapsed down next to Rita’s limp body and rocked backwards and forwards, lost in her own world. ‘Mummy’s going to sing you a lullaby,’ she sang under her breath.

  By the time Tina got to the flat she was exhausted and soaking wet, strands of hair plastered to the sides of her cheeks. Her eyes were red and vacant. Amelia didn’t know what to say when she opened the door to her. ‘Are you alright, Tina. You’re scaring me. Look at you, you’re shaking. What’s wrong?’

  Tina stood in the doorway, not rushing in like usual. ‘It’s all gone pear-shaped. I just wanted a baby. I didn’t want all this. Look at me now. I don’t recognise myself anymore. I’m lost. What can I do now I’ve gone too far?’

  Amelia grabbed Tina’s hand, her eyes wide open as she noticed the smears of blood. ‘What’s happened? You’re covered in blood. Look, it’s on your legs too. Tell me what’s happened. I’m scared.’

  Tina tried to wipe her legs. Then she smiled absently, stroking Amelia’s tummy with her cold, damp hand. ‘It’s fine, don’t you worry, everything is fine. I just knocked a dog down on the road. It was dead when I got to it. I’m in shock, I think. I need to wash my hands.’

  Tina scurried from the hall, still double-locking the door behind her on autopilot, and into the kitchen where she wet the white dishcloth and scrubbed at her body until her skin was raw. Her phone started ringing. She took a deep breath and answered the call.

  ‘Hiya, Chris, yeah I’m good. Are you coming over here? I’m thinking we could stay here tonight. Amelia needs a bit of company, she’s down in the dumps.’ Tina listened to her husband for a few seconds and her expression changed as her voice got louder, impatient.