As Sick As Our Secrets

by Diane Ezzard

  A short time passed, and I heard footsteps coming up the corridor. I looked up. It was Joyce. Before long, a few others arrived who I knew from the meetings.

  Finally, a nurse came out and approached me.

  “Are you his girlfriend?” she asked. I glanced at Joyce. I didn’t want to lie, but I wanted to know how Jack was.

  “Yes she is,” said Joyce.

  “You’d better come with me then.” She rushed off with me in hot pursuit.

  Chapter 22

  SOPHIE

  “You were with him when the incident happened weren’t you?”

  “Yes, that’s right, I was.”

  “The police are going to want to talk to you.”

  “Yes, I’ve spoken to someone briefly.” She touched my arm.

  “He’s a very lucky man.”

  “Is he going to be alright?”

  “Hopefully, he’s through the worst but we’ll be monitoring him closely for infection.”

  “Can I see him?”

  “Yes, I’ll just check with the doctor. He’s heavily sedated at the moment and he’ll be in pain for some time.” She went into the ICU to check then came out and got me gowned up.

  I held Jack’s hand for ages. He slept, but I stayed with him. It gave me time to think. This was too much to take after Mia’s recent death. I let Pauline, Charlie’s mum, know about Jack being shot as he was working on her behalf when this happened.

  She came to the hospital. She vowed she would pay for the best care to aid Jack’s recovery. I left the hospital when Jack’s parents arrived. I said I would come back later. I returned that evening to see him looking a thousand times better than when I left. He sat up in bed with his shoulder bandaged up. He even had a joke with his dad. He seemed pleased to see me and was more concerned with how I was.

  I asked if there was anything he wanted me to bring in the following day.

  “Just you,” was his reply. My cheeks began to tingle. Our eyes met. I wanted to put my arms around him and hug him. Instead, I bounced from foot to foot, looking down.

  “Your mum and dad are nice, aren’t they?” Jack nodded and smiled.

  Over the next few days, I went to the hospital each night after work. He had lots of visitors, mainly friends form the meetings.

  “Two to a bed,” the nurse kept insisting. There were always about half a dozen people having to take it in turns to sit with him.

  The following evening I arrived at the hospital just before seven. I stood in the doorway to the ward and looked over at where he lay. My face, neck and ears felt impossibly hot. Shuffling my feet, I grimaced.

  A stunning blonde sat at his bedside holding his hand. They looked very affectionate. She stroked his hand. Her body was very close to his. It seemed very intimate. Oh no, that must be his girlfriend. I’d presumed he wasn’t seeing anyone. I was ready to do an about turn and leg it when I saw Jack had noticed me. He beckoned me over to his bed. My face was still tingling. I avoided eye contact. I felt out of place. I moved from leg to leg and kept looking away.

  “It’s okay, I’m just leaving. It’s your turn.” The woman got up to leave. She had a figure to die for. Nausea descended on me. Jack had a big grin on his face. Even though I felt like the other woman, Jack obviously didn’t look at me romantically otherwise he wouldn’t have been so amused.

  He didn’t speak about his girlfriend and I didn’t ask. I felt deflated. I walked around with my shoulders drooping. I had to accept he wasn’t the one for me.

  He was kept in hospital for a few more weeks. He needed a number of operations on his shoulder and was booked in for physio. He was fortunate it was his right shoulder, and he was left-handed. After meeting his girlfriend, I wanted to stay away from the hospital but I couldn’t help myself. I still visited him regularly out of concern and because I cared about his welfare. I was trying to come to terms with the fact we would never be more than just good friends. I was gutted.

  He probably joked about me to his girlfriend. His parents stayed until he was out of hospital. When they returned to Spain, Joyce volunteered to do his washing for him until he could manage it himself. She liked to mother him. I thought his girlfriend should be doing it but wisely kept my opinions to myself.

  When he came out, he ignored the doctors’ orders and went straight back to work. I told him I would do what I could to help the case, but he insisted on visiting Joe Donoghue, now he was up and about. Later that day I was at home listening to the local radio and the news came on Charlie had been arrested. Holding my breath, I gulped. What might Charlie tell the police about his contact with me? From hearing the news of Charlie’s arrest, I kept expecting a visit from the police but nothing happened. It was too much to expect they wouldn’t want to speak to me again. I was still on police bail for harbouring him. I hadn’t spoken to Charlie for some time. I wondered if Laura had. I phoned her.

  “I’ve heard the news about Charlie. How are you?”

  “I was with him when they caught him.”

  “Oh dear, what does that mean for you?”

  “I’m in the same boat as you. I was arrested as an accessory.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It was horrible, Sophie. They kept me in ages asking me questions.” I knew how awful that felt. I told her about Jack but she already knew.

  My life had become very busy all of a sudden. I’d offered to keep an eye on Jack’s office as well as everything else and kept in touch with Mia’s mum. I was tidying up Jack’s office one lunchtime for him when he came barging through the door.

  “Oh, glad you’re still here,” he said. I smiled as I finished dusting the desk. “I’ve got news,” he continued. I could tell from his body language he was keen to tell me.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s definitely not Joe Donoghue.”

  “Oh,” I said, eager to hear more.

  “His feet are massive, he takes a size thirteen, and he wasn’t even in the country when Cassie’s death took place.”

  “So where does that leave us?”

  “It’s back to Charlie and Randy as the main suspects.”

  “Do you ever feel you’re going round in circles?” I asked.

  “All the time,” he said.

  “It’s strange how the police haven’t charged Charlie with the murder?

  “They can only keep him a certain length of time before they charge him. They mustn’t have enough evidence against him.” Jack said.

  “Oh and I’ve heard from Mia’s mum. There’s going to be an inquest. The family should be able to arrange a funeral for Mia and Alfie after that.”

  “The sooner it gets sorted for her the better.”

  “Yes and she’s going to arrange a joint funeral,” I said.

  “What Mia’s poor mum must be going through, I can’t imagine,” he said.

  “No, oh and talking of family, I won’t be here tomorrow, I’m going to see Dad.” I no longer called around every day to Dad’s now he was well. In fact, I knew he was much better because he got annoyed with me doing things for him these days.

  “Oh, that’s a shame. I’ve got used to having you around the place,” Jack smiled and I grinned like a Cheshire cat. “How is your dad doing, by the way?”

  “He’s great. He’s even back dancing.”

  “Good for him.”

  I called at Dad’s the following day. We complimented each other on how well we both looked. He told me he now had a lady friend called Margaret. They’d met at one of his tea dances and they’d been out on a couple of dates already. He said they planned to go on a picnic the next day.

  “Oh that sounds nice, Dad, Where are you going, anywhere nice?

  “Rochdale.”

  “Rochdale!” I exclaimed. “I can think of nicer places to take a lady.”

  “What do you mean? It’s lovely over the tops at Ashworth Valley and we’ll call in Owd Betts pub on the way home.”

  “Don’t go getting her drunk now, Dad.” I win
ked at him. It amazed me how much better things were now with my family. Even me and Steph were speaking and being civil with each other.

  I got a call from Laura a few days later. She sounded upbeat.

  “Guess what,” she said, “Charlie’s been released and they’re not charging me.”

  “Oh, that’s great news, Laura.”

  “Have you heard from the police yet?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Oh and we’ve some other news.”

  “Yes?”

  “Charlie and I are moving in together.” I thought what a quick worker he was and didn’t know what to make of that news. My stomach stirred. Was that indigestion or did I feel uncomfortable with Laura’s information?

  I said, “I hope everything goes well for the two of you. Will Charlie get his old job back?”

  “We don’t know yet.”

  After our conversation ended, I was left with the thought that the only suspect left, if the police now believed Charlie’s innocence, was Randy. I thought to myself, if that was the case, then I’d leave the investigation up to the experts. I knew better than to get involved again.

  A couple of days later, I got home from work late. There were two envelopes on the mat. I opened them both. One was a letter to renew my home insurance. I raised my eyebrows. It seemed pointless renewing. I’d had all that damage and hadn’t claimed a thing. I almost had enough money saved to buy a new carpet. It would take a while longer before I could afford a new television. I put the letter to one side.

  I opened the other envelope and read through it. It was from the police, telling me they would not be proceeding with charges against me so I no longer needed to attend at the police station for bail. I was so relieved. I breathed in, sucking in the air, then out again. The heavy load I had been carrying magically fell away. Until it disappeared I hadn’t realised how much stress it caused me. I was free, and it felt good. Another thing struck me. Throughout this time, having a drink hadn’t entered my head once. Something was rubbing off on me and I liked it.

  I phoned both Joyce and Jack to let them know. They had both become a big part of my support network. There were other friends and family to tell, like Dad and Steph and my friend Angela. It was nice to know there were people in my life that cared about me. They were genuinely pleased with my news. Aaron and Liam decided we needed to go out for a curry to celebrate.

  Two weeks passed by without any dramas. Jack had to attend hospital for his shoulder. He was still in pain with it and it made him grumpy. I tried to stay away from him but couldn’t help myself. Even if he wasn’t there, I found myself going to his office and doing his filing or cleaning. I hope he appreciates this, I thought to myself as I mopped his floor.

  The phone rang, and I answered it. It was a woman chasing up her invoice. Apparently, she hadn’t been charged yet for the work Jack did for her a couple of months back. I wondered what Kelly, the student, was doing. That was supposed to be her job. If it was up to me, I’d sack her, but Jack was too soft to do that.

  The following evening I received a text from Laura asking if I was free. I sent a reply saying I was. She phoned me straightaway. All I heard when I answered was sobbing.

  “Laura, Laura, are you there?”

  “Yes, sniff, yes, sorry.”

  “What’s the matter, Laura?”

  “It’s Charlie, sniff.”

  “Why, what’s happened?”

  “He’s attacked me,” she sobbed. Heat flushed through my body.

  “No,” I replied. I felt numb. Poor Laura.

  “Can you come round, Sophie?” I paused as I took in the question. I didn’t want to, but Laura cried out for help.

  “Okay, where are you?” She gave me the address, and I got my coat. I was outside their shared home within fifteen minutes. My stomach churned as I anticipated what might happen next. I knocked and took a big gulp. I heard footsteps approaching from the inside. Laura opened the door. She’d stopped crying. Mascara ran down her bruised face. Her lip was cut.

  “Is it safe to come in?” I asked. She nodded.

  “Where is he?” I whispered. She hunched her shoulders and shook her head.

  I followed her into the lounge and the shock of the devastation hit me. The furniture was upturned. There was broken crockery, and the floor was littered with books and food.

  “My goodness, what happened?”

  “He turned on me. He asked me if I believed he was innocent and I didn’t reply straight away. Of course, I believe he’s innocent. I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t but he just completely lost the plot. He wouldn’t listen to reason.”

  “Has he ever done anything like this to you before?”

  “No, never and I don’t ever want to see this side of him again.” She sat on the sofa with her head in her hands.

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “I’m leaving. It’s made me realise maybe there was some truth to what Cassie said.” I too had been taken in by Charlie. Suddenly, I felt a cold chill in the room. As if in slow motion, I watched Laura’s eyes widen in terror as she stared at the door behind me. I turned my head to follow the direction of her eyes and nearly jumped out of my skin. Charlie stood in the doorway with his arms folded. He had a look of evil on his face.

  “Well, well, look who we have here. Sophie’s come to the rescue.” His features contorted as he spat out, “You pair of bitches.” I moved from the chair I was sitting on towards Laura. I was afraid of what he might do next. He picked up a chair and threw it in our direction. We both screamed, and each moved to a separate corner of the room. He was still in the doorway blocking our exit. Laura snatched up a vase and lurched forward to hit him with it but Charlie was too quick for her and grabbed her arm. They wrestled together. I looked around the lounge for something to use as a weapon. I picked up another vase and hurled it at him. I shook. He lost his balance, and I grabbed Laura’s hand.

  “Come on Laura, run.” We made it to the front door. Charlie was in pursuit. I was in front of her. She turned and kicked him and we managed to get a few seconds on him. We ran towards my car. Charlie was still too close. My eyes darted around as I searched for a weapon. I picked up the branch of a tree and whacked him with it. I pressed the remote control on my vehicle.

  “Get in, Laura,” I screamed.

  Charlie was on top of me. He punched me in the face. I saw stars. Laura was about to get in the car but then saw my predicament and came to my rescue. She began kicking and punching Charlie. I did the same, and he went down. We made our move and managed to jump in the vehicle. My hands shook as I turned the key in the ignition. I started the engine just as Charlie put his hand on the roof of the car. I put my foot on the accelerator, revved up and sped off.

  Chapter 23

  RANDY

  I sat in the office in the back of the nightclub. I thought when I bought the place it would be great for laundering money. The way things were going, it ate into the profits from my other businesses. The escort agency was flourishing, and I was still making a packet from the security business but it wasn’t like it was ten years ago. Everyone muscled in these days. Any old Arthur Daley thought he could make a few bob and set up massage parlours and security agencies nowadays. It had got very competitive and some of my team were getting greedy, wanting more money for their services. There needed to be a shake-up.

  I looked at the figures that had been prepared for me. I made no secret of the fact I was no accountant. If this place didn’t buck up soon, it would have to go. It was a shame because I fancied myself as something of a DJ and enjoyed the sounds. Getting in the lap dancers helped but there was pressure from the Force sniffing around, checking up for drugs.

  This club had to be as squeaky clean as I could make it if I wanted to hang onto it. I opened the top locked drawer of the desk and took out a packet containing white powder. I laid it down on the surface and rolled up a paper. I closed one nostril and sniffed up through the other. The hit was immediate. Aa
ah, that felt better.

  I’d made a huge mistake recently. I’d got into a property scam that had gone tits up. I was set to lose a lot of money and I mean a lot. I wasn’t sure if I could ride it out with my other businesses. It was a worry. It wasn’t easy running my empire, and I needed time out. I’d been over to see Tosser Tanner tonight, one of the security team. He’d made a balls-up of his trigger practice with the new tool he’d been given and shot himself in the foot. What an idiot. I had to laugh. If these guys had brains, they’d be dangerous.

  Woz was back in my good books as he had come up trumps finding a young teenager who could burgle houses for us. The young lad trained up a group of ten to twelve-year-olds to do the grafting. They could get through open windows and were so nimble, plus no one suspected them. It wasn’t bringing in a fortune yet but every little counted the way things were at the moment.

  Someone knocked on my locked office door.

  “Who is it?” I shouted, frowning.

  “It’s me, Georgia.” I smiled and rose from the black leather chair to let her in. She immediately spied my supply.

  “Shares?” she said.

  “Help yourself,” I replied, then I watched as she slinked her perfectly formed body over to the desk. Perfect at my expense, of course. It cost me a few bob for her boob and bum jobs but then eyeing her up now I thought it was money well spent.

  After she took a hit, I beckoned her over and patted my knee. She sauntered across the room and sat on my lap.

  “I’ve got a little present for you,” I said. I kissed her then pushed her away. I walked over to the safe hidden behind the health and safety certificate on display. She watched me with interest as I keyed in the code. I kept looking around. You can never be too careful. I took out a tiny box and threw it over to her.

  “There you go, cop a load of that.” Georgia smiled at me with curiosity. She had beautiful features and her confidently applied makeup, although heavy, made her hard to resist. I watched as she slowly opened the box. The beaming delight on her face made the trouble I had gone to get the ring seem worthwhile, either that or I was going soft in my old age.