Tracks

by Karen Woods

  ‘Oh, just do whatever it is you’re doing. I’ll stay here. I thought you loved me. I thought family came first. It doesn’t seem like it anymore. Just fuck off, Chris.’

  She stood in silence, her hands still in the cold water, now pink with the blood. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing here until a text alert brought her back to her senses. Tina tried to make sense of what she was reading.

  I’m still here bitch. Rot in jail, you had your chance.

  She felt a tightness in her chest, her vision closing in, she could feel a full-blown panic attack starting. The phone fell from her hands and landed on the floor as she started mumbling over and over. ‘No, no, no, no, no.’

  There was knock at the front door. Amelia had no idea what to do. No one but Tina had been round here since the time she’d seen the shadowed figure.

  ‘Let them take me!’ Tina yelled through to Amelia. ‘I don’t care anymore. I can’t take it, I just can’t take it,’ she sobbed.

  A voice came through the letterbox. ‘Tina, it’s me, Chris, open up.’ Amelia rummaged in Tina’s bag for the keys and ran to the door. She unlocked it with shaking hands, panicking.

  ‘Is she here?’

  ‘Yeah, she’s in there but she’s just been sat there for the last half hour talking to herself and I swear she’s hyperventilating. She’s not moved, Chris, I think she needs to go to the doctor’s. I had an uncle who done something like this and he got put in the bloody nut house.’

  ‘Just lock the door, will you, and shut up.’ He waited for her to go back into the living room and followed closely behind.

  Chris took one glance at Tina; he could see straight away that something wasn’t right. He rushed to her side and held her hands.

  ‘Babes, I’m here now. Are you alright? What’s happened, why are you like this?’

  Tears started to stream down Tina’s cheeks like someone had left the tap on. She turned to face him. ‘Chris, you’re my world and I love you with all my heart. I’m just mixed up in all this and I can’t get back out.’ She cradled her head in her hands, rocking, humming – a nursery rhyme that was barely a whisper. ‘It’s got to stop; I can’t do this anymore. It has to stop. I want it all to go away.’

  Amelia stood over them. ‘What’s happening? She’s scaring me.’

  Tina reached over and touched the side of her leg. ‘Go, love, go home. I’m not keeping you here anymore. Go home to your family.’

  Amelia backed towards the door, unsure whether it was a trap. She spoke in a small voice. ‘What, you don’t want the baby no more? I can go? If you let me go I promise I won’t say a word. I’ll just say I scarpered to get my head around being knocked up. Tell my dad I was that scared I did a bunk. If I’m lucky they’ll be so glad I’m home that they won’t kick me straight out again on my arse. But is that it? The baby’s mine now?’

  Tina screamed at the top of her voice to make her point. The walls shook. ‘Go home, get gone. Go and see your parents. Please leave me alone.’

  The teenager looked behind her at the keys hanging in the lock. She hesitated for a few seconds, then darted to the door. Her hands were shaking as she turned the key. She was free, she could go home and see her family. She ran and ran, never once looking back.

  Chris came to his senses first; he looked at the open door and panicked. He was involved in this too now and the police would be coming looking as soon as Amelia got home. He couldn’t believe she’d keep her word and keep her lip buttoned. He rushed out to look for her, looking first one way then the other, then sprinting down the street.

  Chris looked shattered as he walked back to the flat. The girl was quick, there was no sight nor sound of her. It was with a heavy heart that he walked back in through the front door.

  ‘Tina!’ he called. There was no reply. He shouted her name again, louder this time as he put his head round the living room door – it was empty. ‘Tina, where are you, love? Amelia has gone, we better get our story straight before the boys in blue come knocking. Fucking hell, the shit’s really going to hit the fan as soon as she breathes a word about where she’s been.’

  He checked the bedrooms, the bathroom. Nothing. Only the kitchen left. He tried the door. It was wedged shut. Using his shoulder, Chris battered the door and forced his way inside. He’d only been gone twenty minutes. What the hell had she done? He stood over his wife, panicking. Small white tablets were scattered about the floor, an empty pill bottle held in her hand.

  ‘Tina, Tina, love, it’s me, Chris. Wake up, what have you done?’ As he shook her an empty bottle of tablets rolled onto the floor. Beside it lay a bottle of brandy. Nothing left. ‘Tina, wake up. God, God. Come on, love, wake up. Please, open your eyes, don’t leave me, don’t you dare leave me.’ His hands were trembling as he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, they were properly shaking as he dialled the emergency services. ‘Hello, hello? Send an ambulance quick, it’s my wife, she’s taken tablets, please hurry up, she’s not moving, please, please hurry up.’ He sobbed his heart out as he gave the details to the voice on the other end of the phone.

  He stayed on the floor, cradling his wife’s inert body, kissing the top of her head. ‘Everything’s going to be alright, baby, just hang on in there, please. Tina, stay with me, stay with me.’ Tina didn’t move. Chris lay there on the lino floor and sobbed.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Kevin sat across the room from Clare studying every inch of her. He was turned on, he wanted her back, she was the love of his life. She just needed to remember that. All the bad shit between them was gone for him and his heart melted as he looked at her. She was his woman and he was going to try every trick in the book to win her heart back. He looked cleaner than he’d done in a long time. New trainers, new tracksuit, a fresh trim. He smelt half decent too. Ged watched his dad from the corner of his eye, it was clear what he was up to. He turned back to the TV. Best to pretend that he hadn’t clocked him. His old man had a game plan and it amused him to see him in action.

  ‘I’m thinking you can have a break from cooking tonight, Clare, and I’ll take us all out for a curry if you fancy it?’

  Clare looked at her ex and shook her head. She let out a laboured sigh – how many times did she have to knock the guy back?

  ‘Why would I even want to be seen in public with you? I’ve told you enough times, we’re done. I’m no longer that girl who sits about and waits for you. I’m immune to your charm and bullshit now.’

  ‘Come on, love, it’s a curry, not a fucking honeymoon in Mexico.’

  ‘Save your breath.’

  Ged covered his mouth with his sleeve and tried not to laugh. His mum could give as good as she got.

  Clare sat leafing through her magazine and trying to ignore Kevin, but he wasn’t giving up that easily. They didn’t call him Mr Smooth for nothing. It was Clare’s night off, her one night off, and all she wanted was a bit of peace and quiet. Feet up, chick flick, a few glasses of wine.

  ‘What if I get us a takeaway, then? We can bang a film on and have a family night just like we used to. We can cuddle up on the sofa if you’re feeling adventurous, just saying.’

  That was enough for Clare. ‘Family nights usually consisted of me sat here waiting for you for hours on end, while you were out with your mates or up to some dodgy deal. Are you forgetting that, Kevin?’

  ‘Fuck’s sake, Clare, can you not let sleeping dogs lie? That was years ago and, like I said, I’ve changed. Look at me, how can you resist this beautiful face?’ He delved into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash.

  ‘Here, take this and get us all a proper feed. There’s enough for a takeaway with plenty left for you to treat yourself. But straighten your face. I just want a curry with my family – is that too much to ask for?’

  Her eyes were open wide now. It was a good count, at least a couple of hundred quid. What she could do with tha
t. She shook her head – what was she even thinking?

  ‘Oh, I knew it wouldn’t be long before you started grafting again. Ged, ask him where he’s got his money from and see what he tells you because he never tells me the truth.’

  Ged looked over at Kevin. ‘Did you get that job then, Dad?’

  Kevin stuck his chest out like a champion pigeon. ‘I did, son. Only a few days a week, but it’s a start isn’t it?’

  Clare was taken aback. Shocked. She looked from Kevin to Ged and back to Kevin again. ‘What, you’re working now?’

  ‘I told you, Clare, this is the new me. Jail has broken my back this time and there is no way in this world that I’m going back there again. I’m on the straight and narrow now.’

  ‘Well, fuck a duck. I never thought I’d see the day. If you’re buying then I will have a curry. I’ll have a bottle of wine too if you’re flush.’

  Kevin rubbed his hands together and kicked off his trainers. He was back in the good books. ‘You can have two bottles if you want. You know that second one always makes you horny.’

  Ged covered his ears. ‘Wow, Dad, get a room or something. I don’t want to know stuff like that. Too much information.’

  Clare cracked a smile. ‘Better just get me the one then. The last thing I want is to land in bed with you. Been there and done that and got the bloody T-shirt.’

  ‘I’ll get two just in case you change your mind,’ he winked at her.

  Ged tutted and squirmed.

  Kevin stood up and grabbed his phone from the table. ‘I’ll ring for it and go and pick it up. I need to get some fags and that from the shop too. Clare, do you need any?’

  Bloody hell, this was a turn up for the books. The man never usually had a pot to piss in.

  ‘Twenty Lambert silver, please.’

  Ged wasn’t missing out on a treat if his dad was buying. ‘Will you get me some chocolate, surprise me with something. Nothing with raisins in though.’

  ‘Right. OK, write me a list of the stuff you need from the shop. Maybe a bit of bacon for a butty in the morning?’

  He was trying it on again but Clare couldn’t help but smile. The wall she’d built around her heart seemed to be caving in. Old habits die hard and all that. She’d given Sam the push; didn’t need the aggro from Ged after everything that had happened. Better to be on her own for a bit. It wasn’t like it had been serious anyway, if she was being honest. A booty call. No strings. A curry with Kev for old time’s sake wouldn’t do any harm – would it?

  Kevin rushed across Eastford Square, his head held high. This was his patch now and he’d fuck anyone up who dared to step on his turf. He spotted Frankie across the way and jerked his head at him. ‘Oi, word,’ he beckoned with his finger to a quiet corner. Frankie’s head was bowed. He was bricking it. Kevin grabbed him by the ear and pulled his face up, squeezing his cheeks.

  ‘The bruises are clearing up. It was what you deserved, though. Nobody has my boy over. You’re lucky I didn’t finish you off, you little ferret.’

  Frankie edged back. The guy was a nutter. He wasn’t a full deck. He’d already leathered him, and he wasn’t taking any chances on rubbing him up the wrong way again.

  ‘So, is it sorted then?’ Kevin had a hungry look in his eyes. ‘We’ll be sitting pretty soon enough. Fucking result that, thanks to you, we get the police to do our dirty work. Once you’ve delivered Mr Big to them, they won’t give a shit about who’s running this patch. I’ll get one of my mates to set up a supply line and we’ll be laughing. All you have to do is play your part. You sure he suspects nothing? Are you still on for the drop?’

  ‘Yes, I’m going there soon.’

  ‘Make sure you do. Once this prick is out of the picture, we can box it off together. Like I said, Frankie, this stays between me and you. Hand over the cash and make sure them muppets of yours are doing what they should be instead of fucking standing about talking. There’s a new sheriff in town and I won’t have any pricks taking the piss. I’m the man now.’

  Kevin went to slap Frankie on the shoulder and the kid flinched.

  Kevin laughed. ‘Jumpy, ain’t you?’

  ‘You said we could start again with a blank sheet.’ All of Frankie’s tough guy act had faded when faced with a man who’d been there, seen it and done it.

  ‘And, we can. Just go and meet the man and let’s get him out of the picture for good. This is my patch now, do you hear me, mine?’

  Frankie nodded his head, wanted to keep him onside. ‘Yeah, I’ve told the lads that they need to be on the ball too. Any fuck-ups and they pay, they know the script.’

  Kevin kept his voice low. ‘If my boy finds out about any of this, I’ll put you in a body bag. This is a cushy little number here and if you use your head you can earn a right few quid too. Under new management, tell them.’

  Frankie flinched as Kevin clapped his hand on his shoulder. ‘Give us the cash then. I’ll collect the rest of it tomorrow, just keep it safe and don’t let any of it go walkabouts. If the count’s low, you’re responsible for it, no excuses.’

  Kevin enjoyed the look of fear in Frankie’s eyes. A leopard never changes its spots and Kevin knew where there was fear, there was opportunity for a man like him.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Frankie was stressed, didn’t know if he was coming or going. His black jacket was zipped up tightly and his Nike cap pulled down low over his eyes. He checked his phone. It was nearly showtime. He was in this deep now – no way out. He had to see it through. He was a double-agent. A triple-agent if he counted Kevin Grey, too. He lifted his head as he spotted a silver car pull up in the layby. The headlights dipped then switched off; a sign that the guy was nearly ready for him. There wasn’t much traffic about and it was quiet, eerie. Frankie lit up and sat on the wall facing the bus stop waiting for his phone to ring. He watched the cars driving by in the distance and wished this nightmare was over. Maybe after all this had been sorted, he would get on his toes and go somewhere new, a place where nobody knew him. The world would be his oyster. The money he’d already earned would set him up for a few months. He could stay in a hotel, maybe even rent a caravan. In this game you could never predict what was around the corner and you always had to be prepared for the worst. Frankie had always been wise with his money so far, stashed it away for a rainy day. And now he had to admit, it was proper pissing down. It was time to move on; nobody would miss him anyway. His mobile started to ring and his heart sank. He tried to stay calm, deep breaths, long, deep breaths.

  Frankie jumped down from the wall and flicked his cigarette butt to the roadside. He approached the car with caution before opening the passenger door and climbing inside and trying to brazen it out.

  ‘You’re late. You should have been here at ten o’clock. I thought you wasn’t coming. Five minutes late you are, don’t make me wait again.’

  The man kept his head down. His black beanie hat was pulled down low.

  ‘Have you got the money?’

  ‘Yeah, count it if you want. It’s all there, every penny.’ Frankie handed it over like it was burning him.

  The man took the bundle of notes and rammed it into the glove box. He pulled out a packet of white powder and threw it over to Frankie.

  ‘Get that lot bagged up as soon as and get it over to Blackpool.’ Frankie held the drugs in his hands. They were shaking. He tried to steady them. The guy was talking to him but nothing he was saying was going in. It was like someone had turned the volume down in his ears. A mobile started ringing and he answered it, started talking. What was Frankie meant to do now? A few minutes passed. Frankie tapped him on the arm to get his attention. There was no way he was sitting about waiting for him to finish the call.

  ‘I’m gone. I’ll go and sort this and get it shipped out.’

  The man nodded his head, turned away and carried on with his conversation. Fra
nkie hoped that was the last conversation he’d have to have with him.

  Frankie slipped out of the car quickly and motored towards the fields nearby. He was sweating and his hands were clammy. His work here was done, and he wasn’t hanging around to get his collar felt too.

  It all happened so fast. The car was swarmed within seconds. Sirens, blue lights flashing, shouting, screaming. The driver’s door was flung open and the man was dragged out and pinned to the floor face down while two officers searched the car. He was going ballistic, shouting and screaming, but no one was listening. Watching over it all, the plain clothes officer stood tall with a wide smirk on his face, looking down at his captive.

  He kicked him sharply in the side. ‘Well, well, well. It doesn’t look like you’re having a good night, does it, Donny Knight?’

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Donny lifted his head as best he could, but still couldn’t see who was talking to him. But he recognised the voice.

  The copper dragged him up and held him over the bonnet with his face down while his colleagues slammed the silver cuffs around his wrists.

  ‘I’ve been watching you for months. Playing the good guy, Donny Knight, headteacher, saint and saver of lost souls. While all the time you’re lining your pocket. And it doesn’t stop there, does it? Bit of a reputation as a ladies’ man, I gather. Despite that lovely wife of yours thinking the sun shines out of your backside. I’ve told you to steer clear of my ex-girlfriend already. You like Melanie, don’t you, you bent fucker?’

  Donny couldn’t take in what the fuck was happening here. But he realised where he knew the voice from. It was the guy from the night when his car windows got done. He’d forgotten Melanie had said her ex was a copper, and a mental one at that.

  After everything that had happened, was this what was going to bring him down, he thought, a drink with a woman he didn’t even do anything with? He’d been so bloody careful to always keep out of the attention of the law. Hiding in plain sight, he called it. But now, one woman with a jealous copper for an ex and he was on the brink of losing everything.