Deceit

by KERRY BARNES

  It gripped her every time and raised her anger. She hated Kara, a woman she didn’t even know, but with every compliment that Joan paid her daughter, Lucy’s contempt for Kara increased. It reminded herself of how little she had, with no mother figure, no one proud of her, and the lack of a decent man to adore and cherish her and give her everything she wanted. She imagined that conceited look on Kara’s face, the confidence and smug attitude because she’d had it all. The jealous anger building up inside her was like a giant tidal wave that had the force to wreak havoc in its path, and she would too, if necessary.

  All the tablets that were there in packets and bottles, a whole cupboard full – it was a massive temptation. She could easily open a hundred capsules and pour them into a drink, and Joan would have been out of her miserable existence of constant pain; besides, she would be doing her a favour, wouldn’t she? For days, she contemplated ending the woman’s life. Many times, while Joan cried in pain, Lucy stood staring at that cabinet, eyeing up the pills and picturing Joan swallowing a long cold drink of iced tea with a concoction of medication, and her drifting off into a deep sleep, never to wake up.

  It was such a shame that she wasn’t there at her bedside when she’d died. She remembered her last words. ‘Sweetheart, you go and enjoy your party. I will be fine.’ She’d looked sprightly that day, not bent double in agony; even her face seemed to be glowing. Lucy had made her one last drink of her favourite iced tea and placed a mound of tablets on the bedside table and left. If Joan wanted to end it all, she had the means right there, an arm’s reach away.

  The beach party was a new experience for her. The fire, the barbecues, and the endless flow of drinks had Lucy in her element. She got drunk, took some ecstasy tablets, and was reluctant to leave because she was having the time of her life. She couldn’t remember the guy’s name, except that he was a real chunky handsome man in his late twenties, with broad shoulders and hair tied back in a ponytail. He was the central attraction, and some of the other girls there were fighting for his attention. But he’d been drawn to her English accent and wasn’t shy in coming forward.

  The beach party went on through the night, and then, as the crowd slowly drifted to their own homes, she was left alone with him. The drugs had kept them awake until the sun came up. He grabbed her arm and led her to an open-top jeep parked on the beach. He insisted she went back to his apartment, which she was only too delighted to do, hoping that he lived in some sophisticated pad where she could perhaps start a new life for herself. The sun, sea, and a handsome surfer – what could be more perfect? – except for the fact his apartment was essentially a wooden shack, and she soon realised he was a beach bum; nevertheless, the shag they’d had had been fulfilling.

  The following day, they slept for a few hours, and when they awoke, she realised that he wasn’t as handsome as she’d first thought. The drugs had blurred her vision and all she really remembered was his handsome face from the golden glow of the fire. But, in the cold light of day, he was pretty ordinary.

  She returned to Joan’s only to find her in bed in a very poor state, with incoherent mumblings and burning up a shocking fever. On the cabinet beside her bed was the empty glass and next to it was another glass half-full of what looked like a red berry drink. Joan pointed to it; Lucy took a few sips herself, trying to rid herself of a dry mouth from all the weekend drinking. She then helped Joan into a sitting position so that she could sip the rest.

  Joan’s thirst was still unquenched, so Lucy went to the kitchen and made an iced tea and placed it on the cabinet. The room was stifling hot, and she assumed that in her dazed state Joan had turned off the air conditioning. She was a little daft at times, due to the pain she was in, and she did things like put the sugar in the teapot. Lucy noticed the iced tea tumbler was empty and the tablets she’d left there seemed to have been disturbed. Some were on the floor and scattered under the bed, and some remained on the cabinet. Lucy wasn’t sure if Joan had knocked them over, trying to take them all, or had accidently moved them in her sleep.

  The next morning, Lucy got herself dressed and dawdled into Joan’s bedroom. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared. Joan was lying flat on her back with her mouth open and her skin unnaturally grey and yellow. Her eyes were wide open, cloudy, and lifeless. Lucy held her breath and observed Joan for any movement, but she was still; there was not even a gentle rhythmic motion of her chest. As she continued to gaze at the body, she wondered if she’d died in pain or just drifted off to sleep with the help of the tablets.

  Naturally, the coroner carried out a post-mortem examination, and on inspecting the enlarged liver and looking at her medical records, he determined that all the medication she was on had finally led to liver failure. He took samples but concluded there were no suspicious circumstances, and in so many cases where the patient is in severe chronic pain, a few extra tablets could easily lead to an overdose or possibly suicide.

  She was cremated within a week, and as much as Lucy wanted to stay in Australia and enjoy a new life, her visa had almost expired. She’d sold all of Joan’s belongings, packed up the gifts Joan had given her, and returned home. Now she’d tasted a small part of good, clean, and contented living, she wanted more of it. She wasn’t going to give up her ideal future that easily. She had now reached the point where she was convinced she deserved the life that Kara had, and nothing would stop her now.

  She would have told Kara that her mother had died. However, she realised that in not telling Kara, it would work to her advantage. She’d taken Joan’s pay as you go phone with her. The calls were costing her a fortune, but it was worth it to hear how frightened Kara was.

  A thought hit her. To achieve the life Kara had and one that Joan continually boasted about, she would have to get her head into gear. There would be no more pussyfooting around. Therefore, she had to entice Justin into her web of deceit – and then marry him fast – to secure everything she was working towards.

  Chapter 11

  Two days passed before Vic was allowed out of the hospital and back to prison. Julie, Kara, and Deni had collected goodies from the canteen: a few chocolate bars, Mr Kipling cakes, and crisps. They wanted to give her a small party, just the four of them. Colette tried to ingratiate herself into their company, by offering a small pouch of skunk and a bottle of homemade booze, otherwise known as prison hooch. Deni looked her up and down, as she stood in the doorway. ‘Brown-nosing are ya, Cole?’ She smirked.

  Colette tilted her head down and shuffled uncomfortably. ‘Nah, it ain’t like that. I thought I might be included.’ She looked at Kara. ‘Well, since I kinda helped you with the blanket and …’

  With a genuine smile, Kara nodded. ‘Yes, Cole, you did help me, didn’t you, and I’m grateful.’ She chuckled. ‘Deni, Cole nearly got put on report, trying to help me.’

  Deni relaxed her shoulders and stepped back for Colette to squeeze into the cell. ‘Okay, Cole, come in, love.’

  Kara noticed that Colette looked different. Her square shoulders and thick trunk were slimmer, and her close-cropped hair had grown; she even wore a dusting of mascara, which definitely improved her appearance. Kara didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to humiliate Colette.

  ‘Now, Cole, don’t you eat all the bleedin’ Snickers bars. I know they’re your favourite,’ said Deni, with an exaggerated rise of her eyebrow.

  Colette laughed coyly and pulled from her pockets three chocolate bars and slapped them on the bed. ‘I brought me own.’

  It was Julie who had to make a comment regarding Colette’s transformation not only in looks but personality; after all, Julie wasn’t the shyest of people and was as blunt as you like. ‘What are you after, Cole, a new fanny muncher?’

  Colette blushed crimson. ‘No, I ain’t into that anymore – I’m not gay.’

  ‘Who are you trying to impress, then?’ asked Julie, redoing her messy bun.

  ‘You’ll think me a fucking weirdo, if I tell ya, so leave it at that, eh?’ she repl
ied nervously, fiddling with her small plastic pouch of weed.

  ‘Nah, Cole, we won’t laugh, so, what’s going on?’ Julie was like a newspaper reporter, once she sensed a good story. Deni was also intrigued, but Kara felt it was none of her business.

  Slowly, Colette lifted her head and looked at Kara. ‘All right, I’ve been thinking. I ain’t done anything with my life, and to be fair, I never wanted to either, but I’ve watched Posh help out, even save Vic’s life, and then I got to thinking about myself. What do I ever do but talk about fighting and shit?’ They were all glued to her, waiting to hear the big reveal.

  ‘Well, I’ve been to the library—’

  ‘Cor, fuck me! Can you even read?’ squawked Julie.

  ‘See, I knew I should ’ave kept me mouth shut,’ retorted Colette, looking thoroughly fed up.

  Kara waved her hands and leaned forward. ‘No, carry on, Cole, Julie’s just jesting.’

  ‘Okay, so I thought I would try and better meself. If I ever get released, I got to thinking about me future, and, well, I’ve been reading about midwifery.’

  ‘What!’ screeched Deni, followed by a chuckle. ‘A bit fucking random,’ she scoffed.

  ‘You might think so, but, well, I’ve always wanted to be a midwife, ya see, before I got locked up in here, and I wish to God I’d studied it back then, ya know, when I lost me own baby.’

  Kara moved closer and placed a hand on Colette’s knee. ‘I never knew.’

  Colette shook her head. ‘Nah, well, there weren’t much to know. Ya see, I was about six months pregnant when I told the fucking screws I was in pain, but they locked me up anyway, and I miscarried on the fucking toilet. I couldn’t even reach the panic button, I was in that much pain.’

  Instantly, Kara placed her arms around Colette. ‘Oh my God, it must have been awful.’ She choked back the tears, feeling the woman’s grief.

  ‘Ahh, no worries, Kara, it was a long time ago now. Anyway, I just thought I should sort meself out. I need to give this shit up for starters.’ She held up the small packet. ‘And, well, do some studying and educate meself. I’ve lost a bit of weight, ’cos I was reading those health books, too.’

  Deni nodded, with an empathetic expression. ‘Aw, babe, I’m proud of ya.’

  ‘Another thing. I dunno if you’re up for it, Kara, but you know you can have a baby buddy, like a friend that helps with your baby? Well, if I study enough about that too, I thought you might wanna let me help. I mean, you’ll probably have Deni or Vic, but well, if they don’t fancy it, would you consider me?’

  A tear made its way down Kara’s face, and she looked at Deni, who nodded. ‘Sounds like a good idea to me, babe.’

  ‘Yeah, why not, Cole. I would love you to help me. I see how caring you can be when you aren’t putting on that hard act of yours. I remember when you tried to place that blanket around my shoulders and the look on your face. You were genuinely worried for me.’

  The serious conversation was stopped in its tracks. In the doorway, being held up by George, was Vic, whose complexion was pale and sickly.

  ‘Hey, ’ere she is,’ clapped Deni. ‘Move up, Julie. Let ya sister get comfy.’

  George would not normally assist a prisoner back to a cell, but he wanted to make sure she got back safely and wasn’t going to entrust Barbara because word had got around how she’d behaved when Vic was nearly on her deathbed.

  ‘Thanks, Gov,’ she said, as she gave him a sorrowful look. The wind had well and truly been taken out of her sails, and she appeared pathetically vulnerable. She was assigned a crutch because she was not allowed any pressure on that leg, not until the wound had healed properly.

  Carefully, she eased herself down and placed the crutch on the floor. A huge sigh left her mouth followed by a smile that looked as though it had taken a great deal of effort. ‘Posh, they said without you doing what you did, I would be dead now. I don’t remember much, and I ain’t spiritual or religious or shit like that, but I do remember feeling as though an angel had my back.’

  You could have heard a pin drop, as they all listened to the words leaving Vic’s mouth. This was serious. No one mocked or made light of it because it was big, hard Vic and she never said anything more than what needed to be said. To their surprise, her eyes shimmered, and the tears were about to tumble, but she quickly brushed them away.

  ‘’Ere, girl, get ya laughing gear around that,’ said Deni, handing Vic a cup of hot chocolate. She knew Vic would never want to be seen in public teary-eyed; she had a reputation to uphold.

  Vic swallowed hard and took the cup. Kara was flabbergasted because it was as if Vic was a completely different woman.

  ‘I owe you big-time, Kara. Ya do know that, don’t ya?’

  Kara shook her head. Her eyes were already moist. ‘No, Vic, that’s what friends are for. Besides, you are one tough cookie. You probably didn’t need my help.’

  Vic’s eyes remained fixed on Kara. A warm feeling engulfed Kara, as though she really was some kind of angel, and in her heart, she knew the older woman would always look out for her.

  * * *

  Two weeks later, much changed. Esme was shipped back to Durham Prison. George had no proof she’d attacked Vic, but while she was in sick bay, he turned over her cell and found enough gear and a knife to have her nicked. He didn’t like the idea of her in his prison. In his eyes, she was a psychopath, and she shouldn’t have been put into a mainstream prison in the first place.

  Luckily for them, Esme didn’t die from food poisoning. Their usual doctor was off sick and his replacement took over. Dr Miles had concluded fairly quickly that Esme had something more serious than an upset stomach. Esme was going downhill rapidly, and without the antibiotics and saline drip, she would have died.

  The news had spread like crabs at an orgy, and by the time it reached Deni, she was folding sheets with Julie in the steam room. Vivienne, the junkie, came with the gossip and left seconds later to spread the word, leaving both Deni and Julie with deep smiles on their faces.

  ‘Well, I’ll be buggered. Kara did give us a loaded gun.’ She laughed.

  Julie was gobsmacked. ‘I can’t wait to tell Posh.’

  Suddenly, Deni looked concerned. ‘No, don’t do that. You know what she’s like. It’ll worry the life outta her.’

  ‘But …’

  ‘No, Jue, she spent months worrying over that neighbour of hers. I don’t want her bothered, and trust me, she will be. I thought about it a while back, ya know. And I came to the conclusion that when she told us what to do with those bits of scabby chicken, she probably didn’t think we would.’

  ‘Well, that’s fucking mental and I thought she was brainy.’

  ‘She is, Jue, she’s just not used to thinking like us.’

  * * *

  Kara had a legal visit called at the last minute, all in preparation for her court case. As she anxiously waited in the cold, ugly square room, she ran her hands over her now protruding bump. She could feel her little girl moving and a wave of warmth covered her. She knew that all the time her baby was inside her, she was safe from the cruel world she would be exposed to.

  George appeared with his rosy-cheeked face and a gentle comforting expression. ‘Kara, your barrister is here.’ He stood aside and allowed the man to enter. Kara watched as he took confident strides towards the table. Stuart Venables was in his early forties, his short hair professionally styled. His unusually large round eyes were crystal blue and his cheeks had folds stretching down to his wide mouth that offered a generous smile. Kara noticed his exceptionally white teeth and wondered if they were veneers. His clean-shaven face had a soft glow from the perfumed shaving balm. She assumed he was a confident man; his upright and perfect appearance showed no signs of exhaustion from overworking. He could have been a salesman, judging by the ambition in his eyes and his enthusiastic, eager smile.

  Holding out his hand, his smile grew bigger and his eyes lit up. ‘Hi, Miss Bannon. I’m Stuart Venables, your barrister,
instructed by your solicitor, Mr Cumberbatch. How are you today?’

  Kara shook his hand and smiled, and yet, she felt her face redden. Maybe it was the way he looked at her so fondly that made her feel suddenly shy and self-conscious. ‘Hello, it’s lovely to meet you.’

  Stuart was surprised to hear her speak so softly with a pronounced accent. Yet, dressed in prison issues and with her hair in a ponytail, she could pass for one of the rougher inmates.

  ‘Okay, you don’t mind if I call you Kara, do you?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, please do, Stuart.’

  ‘Good, I like to get to know my clients before I represent them in court, and I think surnames are so formal.’

  She coyly smiled and looked at her lap, knowing she appeared scruffy.

  ‘Well, I would love to bring good news, Kara, but there seems to be an issue. This letter that you said you received, stating that Justin Fox asked you to vacate the property only a few days after he left, was quite frankly denied by his solicitor.’

  She looked up in amazement. ‘What! No, I did receive a letter. I know I did. I read it twice because I couldn’t believe he would do that to me, not Justin. I mean, he wouldn’t do that to anyone. He is a … I mean, he is a very kind-hearted man.’ She glanced across at Stuart’s face and then down at the table where his long, manicured fingers pushed a letter under her nose.

  ‘Apparently, this letter, here, is the only one he sent to Justin. In fact, it was for Justin to agree to before his solicitor posted it to you, which, by the way, he never did. Of course, slip-ups do happen, and his secretary may have posted it by mistake, but I very much doubt it. Please read it.’

  Kara scanned the letter. It was short and contained nothing like the harsh words she’d read just before she burned the house down. In fact, it was almost the opposite. She wondered if she was going mad, so she read it again.