by Anne Lown
“Are you all right?” Jenny was concerned, more for Jason’s ego than his well-being. It must have hurt to be defeated so easily.
Jason grunted back in reply. “What did he want?”
“The fag butts. Took me a moment to think as he was going through my pockets, so I gave them to him.”
“What, all of them?”
“No, I think one fell out, but he won’t know that.”
She used another clean tissue to fish around in her jacket pocket, coming up trumps with a small piece of the joint. She held it up to show him. There was still a chance of linking someone other than Scott to being in the woods the evening before. Maybe this would prove it.
Chapter Eleven
The back gate clanged open on the side of the house. Jenny followed Jason through the garden and then into the kitchen. Her heartbeat had slowed on the return journey, though her legs were still weak from shock. She placed her hand on the back of a kitchen chair and dragged it out from under the table, the scraping sound on the tiled floor grating on her nerves.
Now sitting, she looked up at Jason. She’d expected he’d be busy putting the kettle on and getting cups from the draining board, but he wasn’t. He stood in front of her with his hands in his trouser pockets, staring at the table.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and sighed. “Nothing.”
He turned away and got on with the task of getting them both a hot drink. If he wasn’t going to tell her, she wasn’t going to ask. She’d learnt the hard way not to chase after him. He didn’t do well with people crowding his emotional space, and she’d had it with trying to understand. She shuffled her arms out of her now unzipped jacket and let it slide down behind her, then slumped against the seat back.
Jason placed a hot drink in front of her and sat in the chair opposite. He hunched his shoulders and leant on the table with his forearms, not saying a word. Jenny waited. There was no point talking until he did, however long that took. She sipped at the scalding liquid, then placed the cup back where it was.
“Sorry,” he said.
She sat up, her brow furrowed. “What? Why?”
He shrugged. “We were mugged, and I didn’t stop it.”
“There were two of them.”
He turned away, his lips still pressed tight.
Now it was Jenny’s turn to sigh. What could he have done? Whichever one he’d tackled, the other one would’ve come after her.
“Do you think they were the killers?”
Jenny shook her head. “No. I think they were the campers and they were trying to cover their tracks.”
“So, what are you going to do with the fag end?”
She thought for a moment and breathed out a long, slow breath through her nose. “I’m not sure. I might still give it to George.”
Jason nodded and picked up his drink, sipping it slowly.
It shouldn’t have been a predicament of what to do, but somehow Jenny wasn’t quite ready to rush down to the police station and hand over her find. She knew it would be considered withholding vital evidence and could cause her trouble, but her loyalty was to Scott, and right now he needed her.
“I still want to find them. They must know something, or why go to so much bother to get back a few used butts? I’ll only know what that is if I can get them to talk.”
“So you’re going to make a trade?”
“If I have to.”
There was also Pete. She should talk to him again, find out what really happened down in the clearing when he was disturbed. He was never a man to make himself appear bad in the eyes of other people, so there could be details he’d left out. He’d said the campers were dressed in fancy costumes, one like an alien—that had to be the same person who’d gone into Carmie’s shop.
Now Jenny had a loose plan of action, her mind drifted back to the evening before, or rather, Les Mack in particular. The man was the opposite of Scott in that he never drank. She snorted.
Yeah, he’s too into preening himself for that.
That was a mean way to put it. The man was a keep-fit fanatic and watched what he put into his body. The effort seemed to be working because he looked great. The thought of him getting intimate with her brought a glow to her face. Jenny brushed her fingers against her cheek, the burn of blood at the surface. She dipped her head, letting her hair fall forward to hide behind in case Jason noticed.
He sat quietly. “You know I still like you, that is if it really is all over between you and Scott.”
Jenny jerked her head up. He gazed at her from across the table. All coherent thoughts momentarily disappeared at being caught off guard thinking about another man. The statement came as a shock. She hadn’t been expecting him to be so direct, especially with what he’d been doing after she’d left the pub. If she hadn’t known better, she might’ve taken the words at face value and believed what he’d just said.
“What about the other woman you were with?”
“You mean Click and Colette?”
Jenny couldn’t believe what he’d just called her, it seemed derogatory. “That’s so cruel.”
“It’s what that Harvey calls her. She heard him say it at the pub before he left. He’s not such a great bloke. I feel sorry for her.”
“Why’d they break up?”
Jason shrugged, then scooped up the cups and placed them in the sink. He went towards the hallway, taking her by the hand when he passed by and leading her to the living room. “Come inside.”
He rummaged through his music collection and placed a vinyl on the turntable.
“How about this for romantic?” he asked, walking toward her and taking her in his arms. Slowly his body swayed, catching against hers and moving her with him.
The fragrant aroma from his long-sleeved t-shirt mingled with the smell of his warm skin. At first Jenny tried to resist, but he didn’t let her go. Contra to her better judgement, she lay her head upon his shoulder, melting into him and enjoying the feel of his body touching hers. It was comforting. Something she’d been missing for quite some time. She slid her arms around his waist, stroking the muscles of his back.
The rhythm of the music dictated their motion, the hypnotic melody like nectar to her mind. Her feet followed his until they were at the sofa, where Jason guided her onto the soft cushions, his body accompanying hers. In time with the music, they kissed slow and deep. The passion she felt for him grew with every lingering movement of his hands. Being swept along, she felt a safety in his embrace. If only this moment could last forever.
She tried to dismiss all thoughts from her mind and allowed herself to be led in the direction he wanted to go. After all, Jason wanted her for himself, he still liked her and wanted to take things further if everything was over with Scott. He slipped his hand inside her top, sliding it over her skin and tugging at the clasp on her bra to undo it.
What the hell am I doing?
Jenny stopped kissing. Hadn’t he just had a one-night stand with Colette?
Click and Colette, he’d called her.
Jenny didn’t know the woman, but she was savvy enough to be aware of how a person treated those around them. What was the age-old saying? Listen to how someone speaks of others and that’s how they speak of you. The thought made her uneasy. She could imagine Jason telling the men in the pub how he’d pulled her and got his way. They’d be elbowing each other and slapping him on the back, congratulating him on being a ladies’ man.
Jenny shifted away, her face turning to the side as his lips sought her mouth.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to do this.”
“Shush, it’s all right,” he said, clearly trying to lure her back into the moment.
“No, really, I don’t.”
Jenny manoeuvred her hands onto his chest and did her best to push him away.
“Is it something I’ve done?” Jason looked down at her, frowning.
She grimaced, trying to
put some distance between them. “I’m sorry. I’m so confused.”
He sat up on the sofa, watching her tug her clothes straight. “I really like you,” he said. “Take your time if you need to.”
Jenny stared at him. Had he changed over the last six months? She stood. “I’d better go home.”
“Let me escort you.”
“No,” she said, the word spat from her mouth. She turned away, no longer wanting to see his face. Jenny walked through to the kitchen and grabbed her jacket from where she’d left it on the chair. She was grateful he hadn’t followed her out, that was the last thing she needed. If she didn’t get her head straight, she’d be no good to Scott at all.
Chapter Twelve
After a stressful weekend, Monday morning brought its own issues. Changes had been happening at work in a shake-up to cut down on the number of full-time staff members. Ill health retirement was on offer to those who could get it, and the numbers leaving the business were growing. Jenny was not one of those who would pursue that avenue, but it meant the chance of eventually moving to a full-time duty was getting slimmer.
Adam, her colleague, was the bearer of bad news when she arrived at their sorting frames. He’d been briefed in an early morning meeting that the walks were being adjusted to lengthen them and there was nothing that could be done about it. Each one still needed to be completed within the five and a half hours allocated to them, they just had to fit in a bit more, that was all. With Jenny being on a rural route, it meant taking on part of another village or some more outlying delivery points that would take a similar amount of time to see to.
Jenny loaded mailbags into the van while Adam made sure they had everything they needed for the day. Once her york was empty, she turned to push the empty trolley back onto the main floor of Bishop Mail Centre and caught sight of Les through the double doors. He was early for his shift. She called to Adam at the front of the van that she was going to use the toilet before they left, but really, she wanted to see if she could bump into Les on purpose.
“Hey, good-looking, what you doing here?” His broad smile lit up his face and extended to his eyes.
“Waiting for you, of course.” She tried to appear witty to deflect the truth.
“Sure you were,” he said, winking at her.
Jenny’s knees wobbled, causing her concern. She could hardly walk away gracefully with legs like jelly. She tried to seem confident. “I’ve got to go out, but I’d like to catch up later, that’s if you’re free?”
“Always find time for you.”
That was how specific it got with him. Jenny couldn’t work out if he was just flirting with her or if he meant it. Les was well-known for being evasive and never answering a question with a straight answer, so it was hard for her to gauge what the response really meant.
“Hey, Jen, we’d better go.”
It was Adam. He was standing by the double doors and nodded towards the van. She returned her attention to Les and shrugged before following her colleague to get on with her job. The motor was running by the time she got back to the work’s vehicle car park. She opened the passenger door and got in, aware of her partner staring at her.
“I’d keep your distance from that one if I were you, I’ve heard he’s trouble.”
She flipped her hair with her hand in annoyance. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
Adam returned his attention to the windscreen and pulled out from their parking space. “That’s not what I heard.”
The journey to Chapel End was slowed by the need to be at a few specific postboxes to make a collection on the route. Each one had a barcode inside the pillar box door that needed to be scanned within a certain time frame. This was recorded and logged into the computer system, so anything not within the time scale was flagged to be a discrepancy.
Jenny was the one to collect the mail, so Adam could keep the engine idling. Before she closed the door, she replaced the small square metal tab to signify the next day for a collection. There was no longer a duty for a member of staff to drive around just doing this job, it was now something handed off to the walking postmen.
By the time they got to Chapel End, Adam was getting antsy. “I’ve got a meeting with my son’s school teacher at the end of the shift, so look lively, won’t you?”
Jenny nodded. It was the first time he’d mentioned his home life in all the months they’d worked together. “I’ll get my skates on,” she said, giving him a cheeky smile.
“Good girl.”
Jenny got on with her job, striding between each house trying to get ahead of time. She was too busy to think of anything other than work until she found herself standing outside Martin’s home, the one he shared with his parents. Not that there was anything odd about that. Many a family member returned to the family nest, or never moved out in the first place. Rents were way too high in this part of the country, and the chance of getting on the housing ladder seemed virtually impossible for a lot of young people. Not that Martin was young anymore, he was older than she was.
She rubbed her clammy hands on her trouser legs. If she’d only had letters for them, she would’ve shoved them through the letterbox and scarpered, but it was a parcel. She blew out a breath and flitted her gaze around the street, nausea rising from her stomach. She would’ve left it with a neighbour if she didn’t need to leave a Sorry We Missed You card.
Jenny pressed the doorbell, then stepped back to gain some distance. Her heartbeat raced. She rubbed her hands again and tried to stand firm.
Slowly the door cracked open, and Martin peered out.
“I’ve got a special delivery for you. Can you sign for it, please?” She held up the parcel, a padded jiffy bag with something square and solid inside.
He slipped his arm through the crack in the door, his hand reaching out to grab it. She watched his fingers coming closer so held the parcel nearer to him, but to her shock, he passed it by and wrapped them around her wrist. Jenny’s body flinched with his tightening grip, the parcel dropping to the floor with a quiet thud. She twisted her arm in a bid to break free, but he was too strong. Just then the door swung open, and she was greeted with the sight of him in his underpants.
“Get off!”
“Get me those diaries,” he said through gritted teeth.
He was dragging her towards the house. Jenny grabbed hold of the doorframe with her free hand in a bid to prevent him pulling her inside. Her tense leg muscles locked, aiding her feet in her endeavour to force herself away, but she was getting nowhere. She could feel the blood drain from her face and a cold sweat pepper her skin; she was sure she was going to faint.
“Help!”
Jenny darted her gaze around the street, but there was no one to come to her aid, she would have to save herself. She released one foot from the doorstep and drew it behind her before swinging it forward in the direction of his body. Her foot gathered speed on the rise, and her shin slammed into the front of his boxer shorts. Martin screamed, letting go of her wrist due to both his hands grabbing his privates, and he collapsed in his hallway.
She picked up the scanner that’d fallen in the commotion and ran, leaving the parcel where it’d landed. Glancing back, she could see him bent over and on his knees. At a far enough distance she stopped, her body trembling. She put her hand up to her mouth, her fingers bouncing lightly against her lips. Now what? She might’ve won this round, but he was going to come after her again, that was for sure.
What the hell’s in those diaries?
It had to be something important for him to be so blatantly abusive towards her. When her racing heartbeat slowed, she noticed the pain in her forearm. He really didn’t care about hurting her. She would have to be more careful from now on because he didn’t appear likely to give up.
Adam was waiting for her upon her return to the van. “Who rattled your chain?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Jenny turned her face away to hide the few tears that’d escaped. She picked up her ne
xt mailbag and slung the strap over her head so it crossed her body. While it was full it was the easiest way for her to carry it. She strode off, trying to show more confidence than she felt. At least she’d be able to have a quick chat with Carmie at the charity shop and arrange for a longer one after work.
Now in the high street, she found the grill on the charity shop rolled down. Her friend must’ve locked up and gone home early. Jenny ruminated for the rest of the route, thinking over the events of the weekend and her incident with Martin. With no one to talk to, her mind leapt to numerous conclusions, each one more farcical than the rest. At that moment she felt isolated and alone.
Again, Adam was waiting by the van at her last delivery point. He was ready to go, already jumping into the driving seat and starting the engine. “So glad we made a bit of time, I won’t be rushing to the school after all.”
Silence filled the return journey. Back at the mail centre, Jenny performed her duty automatically. Adam hadn’t pried further into why she seemed upset, and she was grateful. Now back inside, she put her work jacket in her locker ready for the next shift. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice the man sauntering towards her until he spoke.
“Hey, hun, what you doing?”
Jenny glanced along the walkway. Les beamed at her with his glorious pearly white teeth. He knew he looked good and was not afraid to flirt. Heat crept into her face, creating an instant reaction. Jenny lifted her hand to brush her hair forward as she dipped her head.
“No need to be shy about it, I know you like me.” Les stared, and her blush deepened. “How about we chat about it over a coffee?”
She was about to make an excuse and put him off, but she really did need someone to talk to. Jenny closed her locker door and removed the key. “All right, but let’s sit on our own.”
“Why you so upset?”
“Am I?” Jenny tried to feign her normal self.
“Sure you are. Come on, tell me about it. Who’s got your goat?”
The hot plastic cup from the vending machine felt good, her hands lightly touching it to warm them. Sitting opposite him, she found it hard to meet his gaze and felt stupid now she was safely back at work. She took a deep breath then slowly exhaled.