by K Leitch
‘Oh and what am I supposed to be doing while you and Frank are off on a jolly to Croydon?’ Piped up Jay who had just come in?
‘Nice of you to join us Detective,’ said Carla sarcastically,’ feeling a bit the worse for wear are we?’ Jay had drunk a lot at Carla’s house the previous evening, probably because he had felt a bit like a spare penny. Frank had brought his latest girlfriend Claudia with him, a sweet faced woman with big brown eyes and a ready smile. Frank gave the impression of being totally smitten with her, but Carla knew from experience that Frank got board very quickly which was a real shame. Claudia seemed lovely; she hadn’t been fazed by meeting Frank’s friends, even chatting to Rosie and Harry before they had been sent to bed. She had joined in all the joking and teasing despite the fact that a lot of it was directed towards Frank and his love life, and was sensible enough to let the three of them talk shop whilst watching Crime Watch, just putting in the odd comment here and there without forcing her opinions on them. All in all a lovely girl and Carla thought Frank would be mad to treat her the same as all the other women that seemed to come and go in his life.
They had in fact had a lovely evening, it was just a shame that Gina, Jay’s wife, hadn’t been able to make it…it was obvious that he thought so too, he texted her about three times without hearing back and Carla was sure that was why he had hit the bottle so hard.
‘Not so loud please,’ groaned Jay holding his head, ‘does anyone have any painkillers…I am dying here.’
‘Oh you big baby,’ said Carla rummaging in her bag and producing a packet of Nurofen. ‘Here take a couple of these…and then I want you to check out Keith Mowbray’s Facebook page… have a look at his friends, see if we recognise anybody.’
Jay gave her a pathetic look and then slumped down on his desk.
‘Oh bloody hell, what a fucking lightweight… Mandy perhaps you could give Detective Travers a hand when you’ve finished going through those calls?’ Carla said exasperated.
Mandy just smirked and nodded.
‘Right then you all know what you’re doing, so let’s get on with it,’ said Carla collecting up her bag and her notes and heading for the door. Frank, after cuffing Jay playfully round the head and bellowing ‘SEE YOU LATER MATE’ into his wincing ears, followed her out.
CHAPTER 38 – MAGGIE
‘Oh what the fuck now?’ shouted Maggie to herself when the door bell rang for the third time! She had had to ward off two particularly devout Jehovah witnesses and a reformed criminal trying to sell her dusters already this morning. The first had taken a lot of patience and tact, the second twenty quid for a pack of six dusters and an ironing board cover that looked for all the world as if you could roast a chicken in it.
Maggie marched to the door prepared to repel all comers. She flung the door wide and then just stood and stared at the vision of loveliness that stood on her doorstep, surrounded by piles of ‘Louis Vuitton’ luggage.
Something slimy, wearing a startlingly bright purple suit, was getting out of the huge limousine behind her, his door being held open respectfully by a six foot lump of unresolved childhood issues, with the fists and eyebrows of a gorilla.
Slimy minced over, ‘Oh my god darling Fee Fee, you didn’t tell me what a beauty she was,’ he said in a very affected American accent. ‘Not a patch on you of course sweetness, but then who is?’ He turned to Maggie, ‘Hi I’m Jerry, I’m sure your Mother has told you all about me…’ he kissed the air on either side of Maggie’s face.
‘Well no actually she hasn’t,’ began Maggie, too late slimy had slithered passed her and was standing with his arm round the stunningly gorgeous woman, both were looking at her expectantly.
‘Well don’t just stand there with your mouth open in that unattractive way darling, come and give your mother a kiss,’ said Fiona Crabtree flinging her arms wide and nearly smothering slimy in the folds of her enormous full length mink coat.
‘Mother!’ said Maggie at last walking into her mother’s Chanel scented embrace. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were arriving today?’ she kissed her mother’s cheeks, and then went to pick up one of the cases that had been deposited on her doorstep, only to be stopped by a giant hand as the primate in a suit took it from her.
‘Allow me,’ he said in a surprisingly cultivated accent and with a wide smile that showed off Hollywood white teeth. He proceeded to take all four…no five suitcases into the hall and then stood aside as Fiona and Jerry walked past into the house.
‘Er…thank you…I’m sorry I didn’t get your name,’ Maggie said to the giant as she followed them in.
‘Oh that’s Tiny…he’s Jerry’s man,’ her mother called from the kitchen. ‘That will be all Tiny, perhaps you could wait in the car…um till we know what we’re doing,’ she finished vaguely.
‘Very good madam,’ said Tiny who gave Maggie a sort of little bow before going back outside to the car. Maggie felt like she had been transported into some sort of weird alternative dimension, she went through to the kitchen in a daze.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’ she asked again, taking over the making of the coffee from her mother who was pressing random buttons on the coffee machine in total confusion…so far she had ordered it to make her a coffeechockeechino.
‘I didn’t think I needed an appointment darling,’ said Fiona as she took off her enormous coat and stood helplessly looking round for somewhere to hang it. Jerry magically appeared and took it from her producing a covered hanger seemingly from thin air and rushing off presumably to save the precious coat from any accidental spills.
‘Well of course you don’t mother…it’s wonderful to see you…but I didn’t expect you for another three months, so you can see why I’m a little confused.’
‘Oh well if it’s inconvenient then of course we’ll find a hotel…’
‘No of course it’s not…I didn’t say that, it’s just a shock that’s all.’ Maggie brought the coffee over and sat down opposite her mother. ‘It is lovely to see you, you look wonderful, and I just love what you’ve done with your hair…’
‘Oh it’s just a touch of colour…Gino, my stylist thought my skin tone could take it so…’ said Fiona patting her hair.
‘Well it looks amazing…so youthful…in fact,’ she said suspiciously, looking closely at some tell tale puckering around her mother’s ears. ‘You are looking extremely youthful, what’s your secret?’
Fiona let out a little trill of feminine laughter, ‘Oh I guess I was just lucky when they were handing out genes…and of course darling you know I have a very strict skin and body regime, not to mention having a new and younger man in my life,’ she lowered her voice conspiratorially, ‘which let me tell you my darling has a lot going for it…if you get my drift.’
‘Ah, so that’s who Jerry is…I was wondering,’ muttered Maggie, trying to blot out an unwelcome image.
As if on cue Jerry came back in the room, and Maggie looked at him properly for the first time. Quite short, only just an inch or so taller than her mother, he had the look of an old 1950’s Hollywood star, all oiled back hair and thin moustache. His skin was the colour of burnt bacon which had the effect of making his teeth seem unnaturally white and his eyes very prominent. It was pretty hard to tell how old he was but she thought between fifty or sixty, which, as her mother was pushing seventy five made him a toy boy in anybody’s book.
‘I didn’t know where to put the bags so I’ve left them on the landing, hope that’s ok sweetie,’ he said to Maggie with a smile so dazzling Maggie almost reached for her sunglasses.
‘Of course Jerry, I’ll have to sort out the guest room…I don’t think the bed is even made up yet,’ she said talking to herself, ‘anyway do come and sit down and have a coffee,’ she went and got another cup, trying to gather her thoughts before sitting back down. What the fuck was her mother doing here…this was all she needed, as if her head wasn’t all over the place enough at the moment. Her mum could always be counted on to complic
ate things, and right now Maggie didn’t need any more complications in her life.
None of these thoughts were visible on her face as she came smiling back to the table with Jerry’s coffee.
‘So where have you come from mother…last I heard you were in New York?’ she asked.
‘Oh no darling that was ages ago…no we decided to treat ourselves to a little time in the Caribbean. Chubby Wilkox, you remember Chubby darling don’t you, my booker…you know, when I worked in Paris…wonky nose, enormous wart? Well he owns a gorgeous little place on St Lucia, absolutely wonderful, infinity pool, hot and cold running waiters serving us drinks day and night, what could be better. Anyway he said we could use it for a couple of weeks so that’s where we’ve been. Then we decided that since we’re coming here for the wedding, we might as well get here a bit earlier and give you a hand…so here we are at your disposal.’
Oh god no thought Maggie; her mother’s idea of helping was to criticize everything and shout orders, but she said, ‘Lovely…you do know though that everything is pretty much organised Mother…right down to the extra loos, so there’s nothing for you to do really, I wouldn’t want you to be bored.’
‘Nonsense darling, there’s bound to be something that you’ve forgotten,’ her mother said airily, ‘and anyway I haven’t even met Thomas yet…I mean I know I spoke to him on the phone but that’s hardly the same as having a proper conversation is it, so this will give me a chance to get to know him properly won’t it?’ She took a sip of coffee and added, ‘And there’s Jerry…you can get to know Jerry as well can’t you?’
Maggie smiled at Jerry who had been staring at Fiona with an adoring look on his face, hanging on her every word.
‘That’s true,’ said Maggie, ‘so where did you two lovebirds meet?’
‘Well,’ said Jerry eagerly, before Fiona could answer, ‘I sometimes help out a very dear friend of mine who happens to own ‘Tres Chic’…’ he paused and looked at Maggie letting that apparently important bit of information sink in.
Maggie, (all at sea) gave him a nod and a vague smile.
‘The magazine that was doing a spread on your mother’s house in Miami,’ he clarified, ‘he relies on me to dress the rooms, etc. and advise the clients on their wardrobe for the photos…all tasteful photographs you understand…nothing smutty or tacky and no interview…we don’t go in for all that celebrity exposé stuff at ‘Tres Chic’ magazine. We are more interested in the style, the feel of a place, but with your mother…’
‘Yes she doesn’t need to hear about all of that Jerry,’ said Fiona stopping Jerry mid flow, ‘although I must say darling they did a splendid job…the house looked amazing and I wore my Valentino which I’ve had so many compliments on so…’
‘Oh it’s simply fabulous on you sweetie,’ gushed Jerry, ‘but then you always look amazing my darling…doesn’t she Maggie?’
‘Absolutely,’ said Maggie, resigning herself to another self congratulating monologue from her mother.
‘Well anyway after the shoot, Jerry invited me to take a spot of supper with him and well we just hit it off,’ she broke off smiling at Jerry in a sickly way. ‘It’s not often Maggie that you meet someone that understands you so well that they seem to be able to anticipate your every need, before you even say it…but that’s what Jerry’s like. And the magazine liked the shoot so much that I’ve been asked to do the houses in Paris and London as well, so exciting…’
‘But Mother I didn’t think you still owned those houses…didn’t Daddy hang on to those in the divorce settlement. I seem to remember you shouting hysterically about it down the phone at me a few months ago…’ began Maggie.
Her mother waved her hand languidly, ‘Oh details darling, details…I’m sure your father won’t mind…especially if you were to ask him…’ she finished with a sly look at Maggie through her lashes.
‘Oh my god,’ gasped Maggie as the penny dropped, ‘that’s why you’re here isn’t it! Not to help with the wedding or get to know Thomas…you want me to get round Daddy for you.’
Jerry looked embarrassed but Fiona brazened it out. ‘Oh well why not darling, you always could wrap him round your little finger. Of course it would have been better if Ruthy could have done it…he could never refuse her anything…but she’s not here, so I’ll have to make do with you.’
Maggie gasped again at her barefaced cheek, but then her Mother looked at her with such pleading eyes, that Maggie forgot that her mother had spent three years training to be an actress before the modelling world discovered her, and that if her younger sister had been around she wouldn’t have seen hair nor hide of her mother apart from a brief visit at her wedding. She caved in.
‘Ok I’ll phone him…but why don’t you just ask him Mother, for crying out loud you two were married for over thirty years he would probably be fine with you doing your shoot…’
‘Ha!’ said Fiona dramatically, ‘that’s what you think. He’s moved some floozy in with him now, and he say’s she wouldn’t like magazine types roaming all over her house…bloody cheek… magazine types, she wouldn’t know a magazine type if she tripped over it. I doubt very much any magazine in their right mind would ever want HER appearing on their cover…’ she finished with a catty giggle.
Jerry nodded and sniffed his disapproval of the anonymous woman in question.
‘This is the first I’ve heard about Daddy moving someone in with him,’ said Maggie…‘what’s her name?’
‘Calls herself Sophie…something or other, some novelist I think…’ said her Mother vaguely. ‘Anyway he won’t let me do the shoot, and I’ve already told them I would do it…so he’s caused me a good deal of aggravation and embarrassment…and,’ Fiona’s face crumpled and she squeezed a couple of real tears onto her eyelashes fluttering them like mad, ‘uunnlleees yooou help mmeeee I doonn’t know whaat I’mmm going too doooo,’ she finished putting her head in her hands.
Jerry jumped into action, producing an enormous handkerchief the same violent colour as his suit and flapping it around in front of Fiona. ‘Oh sweetie darling…no no no…you will spoil your face, come on baby I’m sure that Maggie will help us, won’t you darling?’ he finished looking hard at Maggie over her mother’s head.
‘Well yes I suppose I could call him, but I’m not making any promises…I don’t see why he would change his mind if this Sophie is calling the shots…or even the shoots…get it shoots.’
Fiona and Jerry just looked blankly at her, Maggie shook her head, ‘Never mind…when is this shoot anyway?’
Jerry looked a bit sheepish, ‘The thirteenth,’ he said with a grimace.
‘The thirteenth…what of this month, well that’s…that’s in just over a week! Bloody hell Mother, talk about cutting it fine,’ Maggie said stunned at her mother’s complete lack of consideration for others. She heaved a sigh, why was she so surprised, this was what her mother did after all. ‘Well let’s get the guest room sorted out and then I’ll ring Daddy…but I wouldn’t hold your breath…I wouldn’t let you within ten miles with a camera if I was him,’ she muttered as she went to get some fresh linen.
CHAPTER 39 – TRACY
Tracy had spent the past few days going back and forth to the hospital visiting Nora. The two women had really hit it off; Tracy loved the older lady’s spirit, which she had managed to hold on to despite suffering abuse and neglect from her husband and her two children and Nora adored Tracy’s risqué sense of humour and complete lack of respect for authority.
Simon had been round to Nora’s house in her absence and fixed her washing line and seen to a couple of other jobs that he had spotted needed doing, which had left Nora speechless with gratitude and completely in love with him. He had spent an hour or so with her one evening trying to see if she could remember anything else about their ‘Goth’ visitor, he, like Tracy, was pretty convinced that this was the person that had broken into their home and left the headless fox in their kitchen.
Tracy had given all of the de
tails to Carla, who had passed it on to another policewoman.
‘I am so sorry Tracy,’ she had said, ‘but I am so snowed under with this murder investigation… Constable Perkins is a very competent officer, just give her all the details and she will look into it for you…sorry.’
Simon was a bit miffed, ‘Bloody hell Trace the amount of running around you do for her, you’d think she could make this a priority. I mean she must realize how freaked out you were by it…’
‘Oh I’m sure if she could she would sweetheart,’ Tracy had said trying to pacify him. ‘But I know she has been working round the clock almost to try and catch this nut job…and let’s face it that makes our fox incident look like small fry in comparison…anyway Constable Perkins was perfectly nice and she said they would look into it…so that’s all we can do for now.’
‘That may be all you can do, but I am going to keep my eyes open, I mean it’s not like you’d see a ‘Goth’ walking around the village everyday is it…and what’s more I am going to tell everyone I know to keep their eyes peeled as well, I intend to catch this nasty little bastard and teach him or her a lesson.’
Tracy had just rolled her eyes; there was no point in trying to dissuade him once he got a bee in his bonnet, and anyway he may actually be able to find who did it which, if she were being completely honest, would be a relief. Tracy had had a few sleepless nights worrying that whoever it was might come back again.