Deceit

by KERRY BARNES

  A sudden feeling of unease shrouded Vic. ‘Look, Rocky, Lucy is dangerous. You know that and so do I. If you threaten her with the police, it will have her running, and you’ll never get your money. It will certainly have the Ol’ Bill delving into your affairs and they will find something.’

  ‘Vic, I ain’t gonna call the police, and I bet ya bottom dollar that she won’t let Justin do it either. I mean, she’s a muppet at times, but she’s the best manipulator I know. Why do you think I had her on me books for so long? Well, not anymore. I will have her inside or buried, ’cos she’s taken a serious liberty with me.’

  ‘Maybe it wasn’t the best of ideas to confront them both in here. It’s all a bit messy.’

  ‘Ahh, see, that’s why I did it. I wanted to provoke a reaction. I know Lucy will be panicking now. In fact, she’ll be shitting herself, and that’s how I want her. Let’s just see what she does next.’

  Vic was still feeling uneasy, as if the devil himself was watching. ‘Do you think Lucy killed Kara’s muvver?’

  The officer called out, ‘Visiting time is over.’

  ‘Without a doubt, but I will get my money, and she’ll get her comeuppance. I still can’t get my head around Justin leaving Kara for that nutter Lucy Lou. He’s no bleedin’ idea, not a fucking scooby, unless there’s more to him than just a wealthy businessman. But my guess is that he’s a gormless prick who’s been sucked in by her.’

  Vic tried to muster a smile, but her heart was still heavy.

  * * *

  Justin was so angry, he marched ahead, leaving Lucy scurrying behind him. Entering the car and slamming the driver’s door, he smashed his hands hard on the steering wheel. Lucy had crept into the car, wondering how she could put a massive spin on events to exonerate her past history and blag her way out of this one. There was no way she could have predicted what she’d just witnessed inside Larkview. It was a fucking disaster, a monumental fuck-up.

  After a few deep breaths, he turned to Lucy. ‘What the fuck was that all about, in there?’ His words were slow and precise. She saw the burning in his eyes, as if they could fire lasers at her.

  ‘I have absolutely no fucking idea. But I told you he was full of lies.’ She tried to keep eye contact; it was her feeble attempt at getting him to believe her.

  He grabbed her wrist; not a great sign, she thought.

  ‘You may take me for a fool, but don’t you fucking dare expect me to believe that you are so estranged from the man. You’d better start talking, or, by Christ, I will fucking use everything I have to make you talk.’ He gulped back air and she could see the anger in his eyes. ‘My daughter’s future is on the line here, so you’d better tell me what the hell he was on about.’ When she didn’t immediately respond, Justin shouted, ‘Well, go on, I’m all ears.’

  Her pulse raced, her mouth went dry, and she was sure, if she didn’t come up with an explanation soon, he would hurt her. ‘I told you he is stalking me and will stop at nothing to get me.’

  She was drained and surrendered. As she slumped her shoulders and sighed, Justin’s anger softened slightly. ‘Tell me, Lucy.’

  ‘There’s absolutely nothing to tell except, right now, Justin, I have lost faith in all men. Carl, my foster dad, you, and a string of others along the way, have all used, abused, and treated me like a piece of shit. It’s like a constant repeat of history. I’ve never been believed, ever, and now you’re the same, the one man I truly love. Instead, you believe a man who stole my virginity, stalked me, and beat me, and for what, eh? All because he wants me.’

  Without another word, she got out of the car and marched away, leaving Justin more confused than ever. He hated Carl with a passion and for more reasons than before. Seeing him comforting Kara was the last straw, and now he himself was taking it out on Lucy. He ran after her, grabbing her by the arm and spinning her around, to find her face tear-stained and shiny. She looked so lost and vulnerable.

  ‘Stop, Lucy, I’m sorry. Look, let’s go home and talk about this. I think we need to call the police and get this bastard locked up once and for all.’ The rain lashed down, and in an instant, Lucy was drenched; her make-up ran down her cheeks and her hair stuck to her face. She didn’t move.

  Justin tugged her arm. ‘Come on, Lucy, I’m soaked. Let’s get back in the car.’

  She remained almost immobilised. ‘You go on. I need time alone.’

  ‘What? Don’t be stupid, come on, get in the damn car.’

  She shrugged him off. ‘No, Justin, leave me alone!’

  ‘Lucy, listen. I’m sorry for doubting you. I’m just confused and a little upset. I’m sorry, really sorry. Now, will you get in the car?’ He let go of her arm and pulled his jacket closer and lifted his collar. The rain was soaking him through to the skin, and yet Lucy just stood motionless and seemingly preoccupied.

  ‘You go, Justin – I’ll meet you at home.’

  He looked down the road to the car and then back at his wife, who was now acting very peculiarly. ‘Wait here,’ he said. With a resigned sigh, he returned to the car to retrieve her handbag. Before handing it over to her, he said, ‘You’re acting stupidly. If you won’t get in the car, then I’ll leave you to find your own way home.’

  She took the handbag and nodded. ‘I just want to be alone, Justin. I’ll see you back at the house. I’ll get a cab.’

  The surface water was now like a stream as it made its way along the kerb.

  A crack of thunder made him jump, and Lucy, unexpectedly, began to sprint away.

  ‘Lucy!’ he called after her, but she didn’t stop.

  He pulled open the driver’s door and hopped in. His hands were shaking as he placed the key in the ignition. Trying to set off was impossible. The inside was full of condensation, and it took several minutes for the interior to clear. He cursed and bashed the steering wheel again. By the time he could see enough to pull away, Lucy had vanished.

  The rain stopped as suddenly as it started, and the sky was bright blue. He looked at the main prison gates and then ahead. Kara, the woman he loved so much, was inside and also in a relationship with the man who had raped his wife. His anger and frustration were climbing to a dangerous pitch, so much so, that he had to take a few deep breaths to concentrate.

  That’s when he saw the bastard.

  Carl, with his broad shoulders and arrogant gait, looked as if he hadn’t a care in the world; it was the final insult of the day and it needed sorting. With his heart racing and his head about to explode, Justin visualised Carl rocking his child, kissing Kara, and then mocking him, laughing in his face. That man had raped his wife and was muscling in on his Kara. The veins popped out from his neck, as the blood rampaged around his body. He couldn’t stand it.

  Something inside his mind took control of his actions. It was as unexplainable as it was scary. Somehow, his foot hit the accelerator, and in a blind fury, he tore along the road and mounted the pavement.

  Carl heard the roaring of the engine and instinctively threw himself against the fence out of the way of the speeding car. But he didn’t manage to escape entirely; the bumper of the car drove his legs into a metal post. The shock left him numb as he hit the ground in a crumpled mess. Both legs had taken the hit and his trousers were completely covered with blood. So much so, that it was gushing from Carl’s legs and joining the rivulets from the recent storm into a nearby drain.

  A few other visitors had witnessed the scene and ran to help Carl. He was now slumped on the floor, lying in an unnatural position. Surprisingly, he was still conscious, and the agony was creeping in as the shock was wearing off. He stared at Justin who was doing likewise at him through the windscreen, in total disbelief at what he’d just done.

  Justin couldn’t believe he had done this. Him. What the hell had he been thinking? He jumped from the car and pulled away the people who were now gathered around the injured man. The terrified look on Carl’s face was something he knew would live with him forever.

  He shook his head.
‘What have I done?’

  The blood loss and pain were too much for Carl and he lost consciousness.

  Justin could hear sirens in the background and stared on in disbelief, with his hands over his mouth. The onlookers glared at him, each mumbling under their breath. The ambulance pulled up at the roadside and the paramedics moved him away, as they hurried to see to Carl. Placing his neck in a brace and carefully lifting him onto the stretcher, they put him inside the ambulance. One paramedic came out and tapped Justin on the arm, totally oblivious that Justin was responsible for the incident. He said, ‘Do you know this man?’

  Justin couldn’t speak; he just nodded.

  ‘Sir, would you like to come with us?’

  He nodded again and followed the paramedic inside the ambulance. The doors were closing just as a police car pulled up.

  ‘We can’t wait. Nigel, put the blue lights on.’

  Nigel didn’t waste time and they sped away.

  The other paramedic cut away the blood-soaked trousers, revealing a gruesome sight. Two compound fractures. Both shins were gaping through the broken skin. Justin gulped back the vomit that instantly rose to the back of his throat. The paramedic placed heavy compressions around the wounds to stop the blood.

  The horrendous sight didn’t stop Justin from staring. He had to see what he’d done; he had to take responsibility. And he needed to feel the guilt, as if in some way it would exonerate him.

  Within minutes, they’d arrived at the hospital. The paramedic asked the name of the injured man. Justin could only answer, ‘Carl.’

  ‘And his surname?’

  ‘I, er, don’t know.’

  The paramedic seeing to Carl gave him a frown and stopped what he was doing. ‘You are a friend of this man, aren’t you?’

  ‘I, um, well, I know him, that’s all.’

  An alarm bleeped from the heart monitor, and Justin was almost shoved out of the ambulance, as they hurried to get the injured man inside the hospital. Two doctors appeared and wheeled him into surgery with Justin on their heels.

  He was all alone in the corridor, which was quiet and eerie; the smell of the hospital hit him, and he sank down on one of the plastic chairs that was mounted to the wall.

  Holding his head in his hands, he felt his eyes burning, ready to cry. Then he heard voices, and as he looked up, two police officers, one a sergeant, along with the paramedic, were standing in front of him.

  ‘Sir, what’s your name?’

  Justin rubbed his face. ‘Justin Fox.’

  ‘Is your car a black BMW, registration FOX 132?’

  He nodded.

  ‘Did you run down a man on High Down Road?’

  Justin got to his feet. ‘I, er … yes, but it was an accident, I didn’t mean to.’ His mind was going into overtime, as the reality of the consequences hit him. ‘I was going to give him a lift, and for some reason, my foot slipped on the accelerator and I mounted the pavement … I never meant to hit him.’

  The grey-haired sergeant who was busily writing notes in his book stopped what he was doing and looked up with a raised eyebrow. ‘But the paramedic said you didn’t know your friend’s surname.’

  Justin shuffled from one foot to the other and looked at the floor. ‘I, er, haven’t known him very long, but his first name is Carl.’

  ‘Right, Mr Fox, will you accompany me to the station? I think you need to make a statement.’

  ‘Yes, of course, but please can I wait to see if Carl is okay? I mean, I feel dreadful.’

  The sergeant looked at the paramedic.

  ‘I think they must be friends. He wanted to join him in the ambulance.’

  Sitting down, the sergeant indicated for Justin to do the same. He took all the details and then said, ‘We’ll be in touch, after we’ve interviewed the injured man.’

  Justin could feel his palms sticky with sweat, as he watched the two officers walk away, knowing that once they spoke with Carl, he would find himself in prison. Why, why, why, did he do it?

  Chapter 20

  Justin paced the floor for an hour, going over and over what he’d done. What on earth had pushed him to try to kill the man? The stress of the last few months could be a reason, but one thing he was sure about was he would say he was sorry to the man he almost killed. A doctor appeared in the corridor. ‘Are you friends with Carl Meadows?’ He was dressed in green scrubs, and his hair was still in a net, tied tightly back. His black eyebrows were prominent against his pale skin, and his features were so sharp, they looked almost spiteful. Justin straightened himself and nodded.

  ‘We have taken him to Harvard Ward. Perhaps you would let his family know? Only, he mumbled something about his phone being lost. I would suggest you return in a few hours, when he should be up to talking to you.’

  Justin felt his hands trembling, as he nodded again. The hospital canteen was slowly emptying. Only a few people remained, some still in their hospital gowns, each dragging around an attached drip on wheels. After two cups of coffee, and reading through the newspapers, he peered up at the clock. It was seven o’clock. Where had the time gone? He brushed himself down, swallowed hard, and went in search of Harvard Ward.

  Finding the ward was a feat in itself, but eventually, he stood outside the double doors, reluctant to go in. After all, what was he going to say? After a few deep breaths, he wandered through and found Carl, just off the nurses’ bay, on the left, in a single room. He was looking extremely well for a man who had just had his legs reshaped. Tentatively, he entered the room and stood at the end of the bed.

  ‘Pour us a drink of water, will ya?’ asked Carl, coldly.

  Justin searched the room and found a sink with elbow taps, and on the cabinet, next to the bed, there was a plastic cup. He hurriedly filled it, almost spilling the contents, as he handed it to Carl.

  After a few large gulps, Carl coughed. ‘Fucking anaesthetic dried me throat up.’

  Justin pulled over a chair and warily sat down. ‘Look, this is madness. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me …’

  Carl let out a laugh. ‘Oh, I see. Ya don’t want me to press charges. Ya want me to say it was an accident?’ He placed the cup back on the cabinet.

  Justin shook his head and looked to the floor. ‘Of course not. I came to apologise. I just wanted you to know, I feel really bad, and … well, I don’t know what else to say, and no, I will not talk you out of pressing charges. Jesus, I deserve all I get. For fuck’s sake, I could never forgive myself, if you couldn’t walk again.’

  ‘Are you angry ’cos you really believed I raped Lucy or was it because I’m seeing Kara?’

  Justin looked up and rubbed his face. ‘The truth … probably both.’

  ‘Well, Justin, you’re one stupid fucker. I didn’t rape Lucy, and as for Kara, you threw her away. I mean, let’s be honest and have a man-to-man chat now. You want both women. Why you would want Lucy over Kara is still a bleeding mystery to me, but one man’s love is another man’s poison.’

  A frown spread its way across Justin’s face. ‘You mean one man’s meat is another man’s poison.’

  Carl grinned. ‘Everything has to be correct with you, don’t it, college boy? No, I mean love, not meat. I bet you’re even wondering what Kara sees in me? I know what I am, Justin, a little rough around the edges, and yeah, I have a shady past, but I’ve good intentions. See, that’s where me and you, me old son, are so different. You are educated, ya speak well, ya look clean, yet ya can’t see the wood for the trees.’

  Justin looked Carl over. The man must be superhuman. There he was, sitting up after a serious operation, cocky and carefree – not quiet, timid, and afraid, as he would have been.

  ‘Why would Lucy say you raped her? Because that is a serious accusation and I just cannot imagine anyone making that up.’

  Carl smirked. ‘No, you’re right. It’s hard to imagine any genuine, sane person saying that, but ya see, Justin, Lucy ain’t fucking normal, by any stretch of the imagination. She�
��s a first-class manipulator, a right evil bitch.’

  Like a coiled spring, Justin jumped up from his seat. ‘Now, hold on a minute, Carl—’

  No sooner had he got those words out than Carl put his hands up. ‘No, Justin, you hold on a fucking minute. Lucy is a dangerous woman, and before you run to her fucking defence, go and get a piece of paper and a pen. I’m gonna give you an address. You go and speak to the man that lives there, and he will tell you exactly who you’re married to.’

  ‘What? Who?’

  ‘Her father, Les, a good man. Well, he was until Lucy drove him around the bend.’

  ‘Her foster father?’

  Carl laughed. ‘So, she spun you that one as well, did she? No, Justin, her real father. Lucy was never fostered.’

  As if a cold chill swept through him, Justin felt his legs go weak, and he stumbled back against the chair, allowing himself to sit down. ‘No, surely, you have it all wrong?’

  ‘That’s how I met Lucy. Her father worked for me. Such a good, honest, and kind fella, I owed him a huge favour, ’cos he saved me life. I was taking a right good kicking from five geezers trying to rob me, when Les came from nowhere and saved me. But he took a nasty knife wound in the process. So, I gave him a job as a bouncer. Believe me, I know for a fact, he ain’t her foster father, he’s the real deal. But, hey, listen, if you don’t believe me, go and see him. He will tell you the truth, and when he does, I want you to come and see me because I can guarantee you’ll want to.’

  Justin pulled his mobile from his pocket and asked for Lucy’s father’s address, which he tapped into his phone. He walked to the door and looked back. ‘Did you really get that ring from Lucy?’

  Carl gave Justin a sad and almost sympathetic expression. ‘Yes, the truth is, Justin, Lucy owes me a lot of money, and she gave it in part payment.’

  ‘Money for what?’

  ‘She stole twenty thousand pounds from my safe and buggered off to Australia.’

  ‘Australia? Are you sure?’

  The pain was starting to set in and Carl winced. ‘Yeah, she rented one of me flats. A letter arrived, which I opened when I was cleaning her flat, and it was the receipt for the airline ticket.’