Deceit

by KERRY BARNES

  ‘That’s enough, Lucy. Will you stop going on? You act as though you hate the woman. You don’t even know her. In fact, let’s be brutally honest here, she should be the one hating you, but she hasn’t even said a word, not a phone call, a letter, nothing.’

  Jumping from her kitchen chair, Lucy flew into a rage. ‘How dare you! That fucking bitch burned the house down, to spite you. She never loved you, but she couldn’t bear to see you with me. Strutting around like she owned the pla—’ She stopped dead, her eyes wide as saucers. ‘Well, that’s what I imagine, anyway …’ Her voice trailed off into a pathetic whisper.

  Smashing the coffee cup into the sink, Justin stormed past Lucy and headed for the door. ‘I’m off to see my lawyer. I’ll be back after work, when, hopefully, you have calmed down.’

  When Justin used his reasonable voice it made Lucy want to punch him in the mouth. The door slammed shut, and she waited until she heard his car pull away before she searched at the back of the cereal cupboard for her bottle of brandy. Pouring a large measure into her coffee, she sat back and allowed her daily fix to soothe her mind. Unexpectedly, her secret phone rang. Normally, she would have it turned off, if Justin was around. The number was withheld. She knew exactly who it was and sadistically grinned.

  * * *

  Justin had calmed down by the time he reached Lucas Lane’s law firm. Taking a deep breath, he opened the car door and took long strides towards the offices. Lucas had been a long-term friend of Justin’s; they had been to school together and stayed in contact over the years.

  Sitting on a high-backed executive chair behind a long mahogany desk, Lucas grinned. He still had a round baby face with smooth shiny skin and waves of fair hair, but married life coupled with good food had piled the pounds on him. ‘Come in, come in, Justin, good to see you, buddy. How are things?’

  ‘Well, I would love to say things are grand, but I think I’m living with one hormonal pain in the arse.’

  Leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands together, Lucas protruded his lower lip. ‘Justin, you don’t have to be with her. Look, I get that you want to be a good father and not let your baby down, but you can still be that. My dad, as you know, left when I was young, but I saw him every other weekend, and he is still in my life. We go deep-sea fishing every month. You should come along, on one of our trips.’

  With a full smile, Justin chuckled. ‘I get seasick. Now, if you said a footy match, then I’m there, but fishing, nah, it’s not my cup of tea.’ He stared up at the pictures adorning the wall, all of which were family photos enlarged and put on canvas, many with Lucas and his father.

  ‘Justin, I have to tell you something as a friend. I had a call from Alan Cumberbatch.’ Justin tilted his head. The name meant nothing to him.

  ‘He’s a solicitor … on Kara’s case.’ He waited for Justin to absorb the information and gauge whether or not he was interested.

  ‘What did he say? Will she get released or will she have to serve a sentence? Christ, I feel so sorry for her.’ He ran his hands through his hair that was now in need of a trim. Justin had let himself go recently.

  ‘He wants a copy of the letter I was supposed to have sent her.’

  ‘What letter?’ asked Justin, now bemused.

  ‘Apparently, Kara claimed that when she received a letter from me stating that she had to get out of the house by the end of the week, she lost her mind. The news tipped her over the edge, and so that was the reason she burned the house down.’

  Shaking his head, as if he’d just woken from a nightmare, Justin said, ‘But I never said she had to get out.’

  ‘No, exactly, and I never wrote that either. I sent you a copy of the letter, and I have one here.’ He leaned forward and picked up the letter that lay on the desk in front of him. ‘It clearly says that all you would like for now is a valuation done for future reference.’

  Justin took the letter and read it. ‘Yes, it says nothing about her having to leave. I guess she misread it or something, I don’t know. Besides that, I had already changed my mind. I thought after you sent me that copy, it would be a bit too soon, and so I was going to tell her to leave it for a few months, and then, well, there was no house to value.’

  ‘Yes, exactly, Justin, and by the way, I never sent the letter.’ Lucas huffed and rolled his eyes. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to say this. Why? I mean, Kara is such a lovely woman, a stunner, sweet, a girl-next-door type, if you know what I mean.’

  Justin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. ‘I hate myself, I really do. I don’t condone what Kara did, obviously; but I wish I could turn the clock back.’ He breathed out through his nose, annoyed with himself.

  Lucas knew Justin was being honest, and he felt for the man. Kara had certainly been a catch, and for years, they were like two newlyweds. He’d envied Justin because although he loved his own wife, she did nag and moan and had let herself go. In comparison to Kara, who was the same age, his wife looked ten years older. But it was a joke among the lads, the friends who had shared a regular drink or a round of golf, that Justin and Kara were like Posh and Becks.

  ‘Are you going to court, because you may be subpoenaed? Cumberbatch gave me the court date.’ He scribbled it down on a piece of notepaper, turned it to face Justin, and then neatly rearranged his pens. ‘Here, take it. I think you may be wise to go, or you may never forgive yourself.’ He looked down at the desk and sighed heavily. ‘She doesn’t belong in there, Justin. I know you are with this Lucy bird now, but Kara has no one. Her mum is in Australia, so who does she have?’ He paused and looked at the despair on Justin’s face and quickly said, ‘Sorry. Really, it’s none of my business.’

  ‘No, no, Lucas, you’re right. I’ve been a first-class shit. I feel so bad. I haven’t even sent her a letter. I just can’t imagine what she’s going through. She wouldn’t even raise her voice. They’ll eat her alive …’ His voice cracked, and he coughed, but Lucas saw his eyes fill up and his face redden.

  ‘There’s no time like the present. Write to her, go to court, let her know you still care, and this Lucy, what does she think about it all? I mean, she must feel terrible, mustn’t she?’

  Justin rubbed the palms of his hands over his eyes and gave a sarcastic laugh. ‘No, she doesn’t, and for some reason, hormones or pregnancy, she’s hateful towards Kara. She doesn’t even know her. I stormed out this morning, after listening to her moaning.’

  He got up to leave, folding the note in his jacket pocket. ‘It’s good to see you, Lucas. I’ll be in touch.’

  With a generous smile, which turned his eyes down at the corners, Lucas stood up. ‘Call in, any time. We’ll go for a drink, and remember, you don’t have to stay with Lucy, unless of course you’ve fallen for her.’

  With a screwed-up face, Justin replied, ‘No! Er … I mean, not like, well … like I loved Kara.’

  Lucas corrected him. ‘You mean “love”. I know you still love Kara.’

  The drive back was filled with mixed emotions. Of course, he still loved Kara, but in constantly pushing her to the back of his mind, it was eating away at him. At the same time, he also felt sorry for Lucy because he was well aware that he was comparing both of them on a daily basis; not that he would ever admit it, but that was the case, even down to the way Lucy walked, talked, and ate her food. She was not serene and sweet like Kara; she was harder and cold at times. The main thing that bothered him was she was reluctant to talk about her past. He had to accept her reason for not doing this was because she’d had such a hard time.

  * * *

  Looking at the clock with less than clear eyes, Lucy wondered if Justin would be home soon or had gone off to work straight from the lawyer’s office. She knew she would have to be in bed before he smelled the drink on her breath. It was a regular thing; if he was at home and she was in the main bedroom sleeping, then he would leave her there and sleep in the spare room.

  A sudden rapping at the door shook her out of her contemplation. She guessed it
wasn’t Justin because he had a key. She pulled her dressing gown tighter around her waist, ensuring her burgeoning breasts were covered, before she swung open the door. To her horror, it wasn’t the postman or any delivery driver but Carl, standing cocksure and leaning against the doorframe. He gave her his trademark smirk and casually walked past her into the living room.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing ’ere? Justin will be back any minute. You need to leave.’

  He was silent, looking her up and down, but still wearing that confident grin. ‘Nice, Lou Lou.’ He moved towards her, and in a flash, he pulled her dressing gown open. ‘Well, well, look at you, all fat and pregnant.’ With a quick squeeze of her breast, he laughed. ‘I think I like a bit of baby bump.’ He slid the dressing gown off her shoulders, leaving her shocked and naked and wondering why she hadn’t fought him off.

  ‘You owe me,’ he said, as he grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her close. He slid his other hand between her legs.

  She tried to push him away. ‘Fuck off, Carl. This body ain’t yours to cop a feel whenever you please, so get out!’ She bent down to pick up her dressing gown but was beaten to it.

  With one swift move, he retrieved it and held it up for her to slide her arms into. ‘I said, Lou Lou, you fucking owe me, and until your debt is paid, I think I’ll take whatever I want.’

  She relaxed her shoulders and looked up at the ceiling. ‘Hurry up, then, and then do one.’

  With that, he looked down at her body. ‘Nah, you know how I like it clean, fresh, and smelling of fucking roses.’

  Lucy laughed. ‘Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I have a dirty great bump in front and Justin likes my fanny just the way it is, thank you, so, fuck off, Carl.’

  She watched as he paced the floor, scratching his head. He was still bloody handsome, but everything was different now. The days of turning tricks and giving out freebies were long gone.

  ‘You know what I do to people when they mug me off, don’t ya, Lou Lou?’ His voice became cold and hostile.

  ‘Listen, Carl, that money, yeah, I took it, and I didn’t mug you off because if I’d wanted to really take the piss, I would have taken every fucking last fifty-pound note from your safe. But I never did. I only took twenty grand, as payment.’

  ‘Ha, payment, you say? Well, as I see it, I didn’t owe you fuck-all, and you, Lou Lou, went snooping around, helping yaself. The funny thing is, I would have given you money had you done the right and proper thing and actually asked!’

  She slumped down on the sofa. ‘Yeah, ’course ya would, Carl. Don’t give me that. I worked hard for you. You made a bleedin’ mint, and what did I get, eh? A poxy flat and a fucking dose of clap.’

  In a fit of rage, he snatched her arm, dragging her off the sofa. ‘You, my little Lou Lou, left me in the fucking lurch. You were supposed to be sucking off a cunting toff in Farnborough Park by the name of Judge Herman, a real shyster, while me men were doing over his mansion, but not you. No, you packed ya bags, stole me money, and fucked off to Australia.’

  Lucy’s eyes widened.

  ‘Didn’t think I knew that bit, did ya? I know a lot more than you think, including what poxy lies you feed people.’ He narrowed his eyes and nodded his head. ‘But here’s the thing, see. I have enough on you to have you put away for a very long time, so I think you need to listen, my little sugar plum.’ With a sarcastic grin and a quick jerk of his head, he let her go.

  Her heart was pounding, and her mouth felt like she was sucking on talcum powder. But she liked to think she was a good bullshitter. ‘You know fuck-all, Carl.’

  ‘Try me, darlin’. So, unless you want to see the inside of a prison or my fucking basement, you will do as I say.’

  She swallowed hard. ‘Like what?’ Her confidence was gone, and she was now shitting hot bricks.

  ‘For starters, let me remind you, I know everything you do. The scam with the lawyer. Yeah, I taught you well, but you, in your stubborn and know-it-all way, went behind my back. You played the mistress, which, we both know, you do very well. While the stupid fucker was tied up and blindfolded, you went and helped yaself to his wife’s jewellery. What a complete idiot! That man was my next customer, and you may think you were clever in grabbing a few pieces of tomfoolery, but he had half a fucking million pounds in that house. Between me and you, we could have had it right off, but we didn’t, did we? You made a huge mistake and his wife went to the Ol’ Bill. I have photos of you leaving that house. That lawyer’s wife is the daughter of the local MP, so you could easily have found yourself in very hot water. That, my little toffee-apple, is just one example. And the list goes on.’

  She stared with her mouth open. Once again, she had underestimated Carl.

  ‘Well, now I have your attention, I’ll go and leave you to think about things, but I’ll be in touch, so be a good girl. Your little college boy is probably very green behind the ears, and my guess is, he has no idea who you really are, does he?’

  ‘In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not that person anymore.’

  With a look that said ‘dream on’, he replied, ‘Lucy Lou Lou, you, my darling, are delusional, but I have to give it to ya, you really are a good act, and I’ve never met a woman that can change her colours like a chameleon better than you. I bet you could even pass a lie detector test because you obviously believe the shit that spews from your gob. You, my sweetness, are the best pathological liar this side of the fucking Thames!’

  With her body now trembling, Lucy bit her tongue, to stop the hurl of abuse that was itching to escape from her mouth. However, she had to be calm and play it cool. Carl could be so reckless and unpredictable that she really didn’t want to wind him up now. As the door slammed shut, she took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders, and bowed her head. What did he want from her? Surely not just the money she owed? Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be above board or simple.

  She shuddered and thought back to her old way of life, the life she wanted to escape from. Carl, her father, the firm – they were all out for what they could get. But, to be fair, she had been too: she’d been a very successful money-maker.

  * * *

  It began not long after Carl had dropped her like a hot brick, well, so she’d believed at the time. Really, he’d left her wanting more, after pushing her as far as he could. She went back to finding fun in her own way, enjoying a good drink, the odd drug she could get her hands on, and comfort in the arms of anyone who wanted her.

  She’d just turned seventeen when the first package arrived; it was a small parcel with her name on it. She hadn’t expected anything for her birthday because all she ever got from her father was a pat on the back and a grubby card. The last one had even had “congratulations on passing your test” instead of “happy birthday”; that showed her how little interest he had in his only daughter. The parcel though was exciting; it was wrapped in pink foiled paper with a fluffy shiny oversized bow as big as the box itself. It was there on the dining-room table. ‘Is that for me?’ she’d asked her father.

  Standing in his black trousers and white shirt, undone at the waist, her father, nodded. ‘Yep.’

  ‘Oh, wow, thanks, Dad,’ she said, excitedly.

  He undid the cufflinks and turned to face her. ‘It ain’t from me.’ His face was sallow, tired from being on the door all night at the club owned by Carl. ‘It’s from the club.’

  He pulled his shirt off and headed up the stairs to bed. The house was silent, cold, and far from the atmosphere she should have expected on her seventeenth birthday. She made herself a cup of tea while glancing over at the pink box. Slowly, to savour the moment, she sat down and fingered the parcel, looking at all the neat folds and how the foil changed colour in the morning light. After carefully removing the bow, she set it aside to keep it as a memento.

  She gasped as she unwrapped the gift. Clearly labelled on the black leather box inside was the Rolex logo. Her heart skipped a beat, as she opened the lid, to find inside a beautiful ladies�
� watch with a diamond-edged front. She stared in disbelief at the alluring gift, and then she chuckled, thinking how it would look against her cheap off-the-peg clothes, which were faded from the wash. On second thoughts, with that on her wrist, she could wear anything and look dead classy. Quickly, she fastened it and paraded up and down, admiring in the mirror how exquisite it looked.

  The second present came the next day. She’d been given gift vouchers to use at a high-end fashion store in Knightsbridge. She wasted no time in hurrying off to scan the racks of clothes. Never before had she tortured herself by going in and wandering around. That day, however, she spent three hours trying everything on and struggled to carry the bags home. She really didn’t give much thought to the gift giver; her father had thrown the envelope enclosing the vouchers at her, and with a miserable face, he’d said that the present was from the club. She didn’t question it, in case he snatched it back.

  The third gift arrived, but this time by delivery; it was a black full-length leather coat and it fitted like a glove. But that was not all. She also received a large bottle of very expensive perfume, and once again, there were vouchers, but this time, they were redeemable at a luxury beautician store.

  She remembered looking in the mirror at herself – the new woman – dressed in a fitted woollen dress, black high-heeled shoes, and her face made up to look like a celebrity. Up to that point, she’d never really known how attractive she was. Now, she knew: there stood a stunning beauty, a young lady of class and sexy as hell.

  Yet at seventeen, how could she have guessed it was a ploy? It was a masterstroke by Carl, the deceitful bastard. That evening, her father didn’t go to work. She had cooked his dinner, as she normally did, and once they’d finished, he wiped his mouth, leaned back on the chair, and said, ‘You’d better get yourself dolled up, girl. Carl’s on his way. He wants to take you out.’ Then, he sighed, shook his head, and walked away.