by Jacqui Rose
As Franny slammed the door, Vaughn looked at Shannon. ‘I’m sorry about her.’
‘Nasty cow, I don’t know how you put up with her.’
‘Me neither, and you know something, Shannon, I ain’t going to put up with her any longer.’
Whereupon, Vaughn followed Franny out of the room.
Shannon felt edgy. Agitated. Itchy. That was the problem with crack. The high never lasted any time at all and the low felt so bad all she wanted to do was get high again. Sometimes, sleeping directly after the buzz helped, but on this occasion it hadn’t, and Shannon didn’t know if she could cope with the way she was feeling for very much longer.
Looking at Alfie still asleep on the couch, she smiled. He was nice, but he wasn’t as nice as Vaughn. Vaughn was special. He was her friend and she hoped that one day she could show him how much that meant to her.
Rubbing her face and feeling like it was crawling with ants, she wondered when Vaughn would get back. Shannon began to pace the room. She looked down again at Alfie who was snoring loudly. Nervously biting on her lip, a thought crossed her mind.
But then he’d been so good to her and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but she supposed, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford it. And maybe he wouldn’t mind; after all he’d been willing to help her before, so why not now? And she was sure that he wouldn’t want her to feel the way she was; she could always pay him back, couldn’t she?
Two minutes later and having talked herself into it, Shannon bent down by Alfie’s side, whispering his name. ‘Alf? Alf? You awake, mate?’ There was no response. She could see he was bang asleep. Then, as carefully as she could, Shannon began to slip her hand down the front pocket of Alfie’s jeans, feeling gently with her fingers, not wanting to wake him up.
She smiled as she pulled out a five-pound note, but knowing it was far from enough, Shannon cautiously went into Alfie’s other pocket. Touching what felt like a wad of notes, eagerly, Shannon gripped them, slowly pulling them out, checking every few seconds to make sure that Alfie was still asleep.
But she frowned, disappointed when she saw that instead of it being a roll of twenty-pound notes as she’d first thought, it was actually several pieces of paper … Letters in fact. The same letters that Alfie had accused her of leaving for him.
With her interest now swelling, Shannon gave Alfie another quick glance before sitting on the wooden floor to read the letters. She unfolded the first one, then the second, shaking her head as she went on to read the third and fourth. They were all poems. Creepy poems. She shuddered, a chill coming over her. No wonder Alfie had been so freaked out by them.
Going to put them back, Shannon’s hand hovered over Alfie’s pocket as she saw him beginning to stir. She held her breath, terrified he was going to wake up, but seeing him settle back down again, as quickly and gently as she could, Shannon began to slip the letters back into his pocket.
She screamed as Alfie suddenly grabbed her arm. He sat up, bleary-eyed. He stared at her, his voice full of hostility when he spoke.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
Shannon’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m … I’m sorry, I was just …’
Alfie interrupted as his gaze rested on the letters that Shannon held in her hand. Anger surged across his face. ‘What are you doing with those … Answer me!’ He bellowed the last part of his sentence.
Shaking, Shannon said, ‘I was putting them back. I was just …’ She stopped as shame rushed over her.
‘You were what?’
‘I was just looking for some money and I’m sorry, Alf, I didn’t want to rob from you, you’ve been so good to me, but I began to cluck, and I couldn’t stand it any longer.’
Still glaring, Alfie snapped, ‘Okay, but then what are you doing with those? Have you read them?’
Thinking it was pointless to attempt to lie at this stage, Shannon nodded her head sullenly. ‘Yeah, and they’re pretty weird. Who are they from?’
Dropping hold of Shannon’s arm, Alfie shrugged. ‘There was this guy, a long time ago … I got him put away.’
Wide-eyed, Shannon said, ‘You’re a grass?’
Alfie gave her a small smile. ‘Not exactly, but the point is, he’s out now and, well …’
It was Shannon’s turn to interrupt. ‘He wants to do you some damage?’
Closing his eyes just for a moment, Alfie nodded, sounding breathless as he said, ‘I think so.’
‘You scared?’
Certainly not wanting to admit how he felt to Shannon, Alfie pulled a face. ‘Me? No! What do you take me for? Of course not.’
Shannon sniffed, the effects of the crack low making her shake. ‘You look it.’
Needing to shut down the conversation, Alfie, not particularly unkindly said, ‘Well I ain’t, and anyway, don’t change the subject. I want to know why you thought it was okay to nick from me.’
‘I never thought it was okay, it’s just that I feel so shit.’
Alfie sighed, feeling not too clever himself. Whatever kind of coke Charlie had given him, well it was certainly stronger than what he normally took. He looked at Shannon. How could he be angry with her? Not that it made it all right for her to steal from him when he was asleep, but the least he could do was give her a break.
‘Look, you’re out of order, but I’m not angry, just a bit disappointed that’s all. Here, take this twenty, and I ain’t giving you any more – not so you can feed your habit anyway … Come on, I need to go home for some sleep and you can’t stay here. How did you get in by the way?’
‘With Vaughn, and that snotty bird was here too.’
Alfie frowned. ‘Who are you talking about?’
‘Franny.’
Alfie laughed. ‘Oi! Watch your mouth, that’s my snotty bird you’re talking about.’
Smiling shyly, Shannon took the twenty that Alfie was handing her. ‘Well more fool you, mate!’
Outside in the street, Shannon watched Alfie walk away. She liked him a lot. He was kind and funny, so she had no idea how he’d ended up with Franny. What he saw in her was beyond her. She was a prime bitch. No doubt about it.
She sighed. Thinking about Franny made her think about Bree. How did they know each other anyway? When she’d known Bree, she’d never mentioned anything about Franny, though she did suppose it was a while since they’d spoken, and even back then, Bree had always seemed secretive.
Frowning, Shannon pulled out her phone and pressed dial, knowing that someone else would be interested to hear about the events of the night. Not only that, but they’d probably have all the answers.
15
Franny cursed Vaughn. She was angry, and she could feel it in every cell of her body. She had no idea what the hell Vaughn was up to with that girl, but what she did know was she looked like trouble, and having her sniffing around the club, well that just wasn’t an option.
It was bad enough they had to deal with Charlie. Even once Alfie was gone, they had to try to come to some kind of compromise. Certainly, at the moment they couldn’t afford to pay what he was wanting, especially as she was forking out for Bree. She already knew that word had got out about the attack on the club with some of the clients wanting to cancel their membership, so having a girl looking like she’d stepped out of a crack house lying in their staff room wasn’t going to help matters.
The problem was, she’d taken her eye off the ball thanks to Bree’s constant demands, though hopefully, now that Alfie had decided to take a break, life would get a lot easier.
All the running around and looking over her shoulder had become a strain, and with Vaughn on her back, it was getting risky. With any hope, Vaughn would eventually decide to join Alfie abroad as he had done in the past, though perhaps that was just wishful thinking on her part.
Sighing, she pulled up outside Bree’s house. Apart from anything else she knew she needed to get more rest. She was tired, and it was certainly making her irritable. Though the one good thing was she’d been able to
get Mia’s nappies. Whilst Alfie was sleeping off whatever he’d indulged in, she’d been able to pop home and get some money before running in to the late-night supermarket. The truth was, Alfie couldn’t go away soon enough.
Inside the flat, Franny, having thrown her keys and jacket onto the side, unlocked the bedroom door. A wave of exhaustion hit her as she longingly glanced at the bed. ‘Hey, I’ve got the nappies you wanted.’
‘Thanks – I appreciate you going for them, and I’m sorry I forgot to tell you before. You look tired. Come and sit down.’ Bree smiled as she stood holding Mia in her arms.
Taking up the offer, Franny sat down on the bed, lying back and sinking deep into the pillows, but the minute she did, Bree, still holding Mia, charged for the door, slamming it closed behind her before quickly turning the key and locking Franny in.
Bree breathed deeply, closing her eyes partly in relief and partly in fear. She spoke through the door, her voice shaking slightly. ‘I’m sorry, Franny, I never wanted to do this to you, but I just can’t go on like this.’
Furiously, Franny, having jumped up from the bed, hammered on the door. ‘You’re making a big mistake, Bree – just open the fucking door, and then we can forget all about this.’
‘But we won’t forget it, will we? If I let you out now, you’ll only lock me in again, and who knows for how long this time?’
With a hiss, Franny snapped, ‘I’ve already told you: Alfie is going away. He’ll be gone soon so all you needed to do was have a bit of patience. It’s me who’s had the hard time – you’ve had it easy.’
Walking across the room and placing Mia on her changing mat, Bree was shaking. She shouted back at Franny, ‘But that’s the thing, Franny. I’ve had patience, don’t you see? And when I didn’t, when I just wanted to get out for a bit, what did you do? You locked me in the bedroom. Don’t you see how wrong that is?’
Hitting the door with her fist, Franny seethed, ‘I took you for a drive, didn’t I? Even after you went against me. I still took you out.’
‘Listen to what you’re saying, Franny – it’s crazy.’
‘Crazy? This was all for your own good, all of it. None of this was about me. The only thing I didn’t want to happen was for Alfie to find out, because then something would happen to me. Why is that so hard for you to understand?’
Bree’s eyes filled with tears, guilt running through her. ‘It’s not, but like I said before, this isn’t normal. It’s wrong, Franny.’
‘Well it’s a good job I didn’t say it was wrong when you wanted me to help you get away from Alfie, isn’t it? I’ve spent thousands on you and for what? Thanks for nothing, Bree.’
Turning her back on the door, Bree, not wanting to be drawn into any more conversation, saw Franny’s car keys lying on the side. She immediately grabbed them before rushing across to the small kitchen off the lounge to grab Mia’s tin of formula milk. Her thoughts raced as she grabbed what she could. Biscuits and crisps, a few cans of Coke, a loaf of bread, before pulling open a drawer to where the plastic bags were kept, and throwing the collected items inside a bag. What else did she need? Think. She had to think. Blankets, she had to get Mia’s blankets. Quickly turning around to get them, Bree froze.
‘Who did you think you were messing with, Bree? You should’ve known better than that.’
Bree could hardly breathe as she stared into Franny’s cold and angry face.
‘How … how did you get out?’
Franny laughed, harsh and bitterly. ‘Didn’t you listen to anything I said about my childhood, about my father? I was turning locks before you could even ride a bike.’
‘Stay away from me, Franny.’
Franny tilted her head to one side. ‘Why does it have to be like this? We were friends, Bree, and now look, you’re telling me to keep away.’
‘Just let me go, okay? Let me walk away with Mia and whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility. No one will ever know you’ve been involved.’
Franny’s tone was disconcerting. ‘It’s not as simple as that though, is it?’
‘It can be. It can be whatever we want it to be.’
Franny’s eyes narrowed. ‘And what about Mia? Are you just going to walk away and take her out of my life forever?’
Bree shook her head. ‘No, no of course not. You can see her anytime you want.’
‘The minute you leave this flat, both you and I know you’ll change your mind.’
Feeling uncomfortable, Bree, still holding Franny’s car keys, went to walk out of the tiny kitchen, pushing past Franny. ‘I wouldn’t do that to you, but believe what you like. I’m not going to live like this any longer.’
Following her through to the lounge where Mia was still happily lying on the changing mat, Franny snapped angrily, ‘You’re going to ruin everything. All you have to do is wait a bit longer.’
Feeling a renewed strength, Bree spoke firmly. ‘No, I’m sorry, Franny, but I ain’t listening to you anymore. This has to stop, now. So here’s how it’s going to go: I’m going to take your car, but I’ll let you know where I’m going to leave it, and I promise I’ll be in touch.’
‘Look, just stop being stupid. You haven’t got anywhere to go. You can’t just go out in the middle of the night with Mia.’
‘Anywhere is better than here.’
‘You’re being ridiculous, Bree. You sound like a spoilt child. Just give me my keys back!’ Franny snatched towards Bree, who pulled away her hand and raised her arm, dangling the keys high in the air. Franny lunged towards them, and as she did so, Bree took a step back, but she stumbled. Her arms began to flail, her face paling as she tried but failed to reach for the banister, unable to stop herself from falling backwards down the open staircase. She screamed Franny’s name as she fell, but Franny was frozen to the spot. In shock she couldn’t move, let alone answer.
There was a loud thump and a bang, then nothing but silence.
Horrified, Franny stared down the stairs at Bree’s body lying sprawled and broken, her arms twisted, her legs bent, her eyes staring wide open. Then snapping herself out of the trance, Franny ran down the stairs, kneeling by Bree, speaking quietly. ‘Bree? Bree, honey? Bree, wake up, darlin’. It’s okay, you’ve just had a nasty fall. Bree?’ There was no response and desperately, Franny put her ear against Bree’s chest before feeling for a pulse. Nothing. Gently, she lifted Bree’s head up, but it lolled back like a broken doll’s. ‘Bree, come on! Come on! Don’t do this to me. Please, baby, wake up.’
As Franny spoke, she looked at her own hands. They were covered in blood. Scrambling away from Bree’s body, she pressed herself against the wall, breathing heavily, wiping her hands on the carpet in the small downstairs hallway of the maisonette.
In shock, Franny closed her eyes, but the image of Bree was still there in her mind. Hearing Mia begin to cry, she opened them, but going to stand up, a sense of nausea engulfed her. She swallowed hard, trying to steady herself, then took a deep breath before trying to get up again.
Mia’s cry got louder before it turned into a scream. Forcing herself to get up, Franny unsteadily began to walk up the stairs. Speaking more to herself than Mia, she said, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here. It’s going to be all right.’
Scooping Mia up, Franny gently bounced her up and down. She walked past the top of the stairs, looking down, hoping that somehow Bree’s body wouldn’t be there. Somehow the events of the last ten minutes hadn’t happened.
She glanced around, her eyes darting wildly. She had to pull herself together. She would be no good to herself let alone Mia if she crumbled, and besides, she was a Doyle and being weak wasn’t the way she’d been brought up. There was nothing she could do for Bree now, but she could still help Mia.
Quickly, Franny grabbed Mia’s coat, putting it on her and placing her in the baby seat. Her heart raced as she worked out what she was going to do. There was money in the club, and her passport was there as well, and okay, she didn’t have one for Mia, but she knew peo
ple who could sort that out, and she knew people who could get her out of the country safely. She just had to hurry. Time certainly wasn’t on her side.
Rushing down the stairs as she carried Mia, and stepping over Bree’s body, Franny raced for the front door. She opened it.
‘What are you doing here?’
Vaughn stared at Franny as she began to push the door closed, but with the baby in one hand and with Vaughn’s strength, she was no match for him as he pushed it easily open.
‘I could ask you the same thing. I followed you because I wanted to know …’ He stopped. Stared. Looked at Bree lying motionless on the floor before his gaze went to Franny, and to her jeans smeared with blood.
‘Vaughn, it ain’t how it looks.’
‘I don’t think even you can come up with a decent explanation. What the fuck have you done?’
‘It was an accident.’
Not answering, Vaughn’s eyes went from Franny to Mia. ‘Whose baby is that?’ He glanced down again at Bree, his mind beginning to race, beginning to piece it all together.
Franny spoke matter-of-factly, her breathing staggered. ‘My friend’s.’
Vaughn shook his head, his tone disbelieving. ‘No. That’s Bree’s baby, ain’t it? Which means … Oh my God, that’s Alfie’s baby. This is why all the cover-up. All the secrets.’
Suddenly, Franny lashed out, kneeing Vaughn hard in the balls. Taken by surprise, he cried out, doubling over in pain and giving Franny the split-second opportunity to run out of the door and into the communal hallway before heading outside.
She jumped into in her car, her eyes focused on the front door as she strapped Mia in but a moment later, she saw Vaughn rushing out. He threw himself against the car, bashing on the window furiously. ‘Stop the fucking car, Franny!’
‘No chance!’
Reversing wildly, Franny saw Vaughn’s car in the rear-view mirror. She put her foot on the accelerator and crashed into it, hoping the damage would slow him down. The next moment, Franny sped off into the night.
Under a pile of jackets in the boot of Vaughn’s Range Rover, Shannon was startled awake. Wanting to know what the bang had been, she cautiously sat up, just high enough to peer through the crack of the boot cover to see a car speed off before catching a glimpse of Vaughn charging towards the 4x4.