The Mark

by Heather Burnside

  ‘OK. So, two cars?’ asked Clare, and this time Maddy could detect a hint of scepticism in her voice.

  ‘Yes, but it might be the same person.’

  ‘Look, Maddy, don’t you think you’re getting a bit carried away?’ Clare said. ‘I mean, how many times has this happened?’

  ‘Twice. Well, twice with the second car and once with the first. But he could have been there other times for all I know.’

  ‘Um, are you sure it isn’t somebody looking for Aaron?’

  ‘No! Why would it be?’

  ‘Well, it just seems strange that these things have started happening since he came on the scene, that’s all. Do you think he could have a jealous ex-girlfriend still sniffing around?’

  ‘Not that I know of,’ said Maddy, becoming defensive.

  Suddenly Maddy felt annoyed. She knew she couldn’t expect Clare’s sympathy after she had stood her up, but why did she always seem to pick any opportunity to have a go at Aaron? Maddy couldn’t see any point in continuing the call with Clare in this frame of mind. She’d had enough of being patronised in the last two days and it was obvious Clare thought that she was either losing it or that she’d brought these troubles on herself.

  ‘Look, Clare, I’ll have to go,’ she said. ‘I’ve got a lot of work to do. Like I said, I’m really sorry. But I’ve got a lot on my plate at the moment.’

  She put down the receiver without waiting for Clare’s response, then took a few deep breaths and tried to steady her rapidly beating heart. But she couldn’t calm down. Anxious thoughts were flitting through her head. Clare’s anger. The graffiti. Rebecca’s problems at school. Her work situation. And the thought that a stranger could be watching her even now. Full of hatred and malice, and plotting against her.

  It was impossible to feel calm with everything that was going on. Her heart was still hammering inside her chest and her muscles felt as taut as piano wire. She thought again about ringing Aaron but decided against it. He had enough going on in his life. The last thing he needed was an emotional call from an overwrought girlfriend. Then she thought about the present he had given her, and his words kept playing over in her head. Take some. It’ll make you feel better.

  She tried to resist but, eventually, when her troubled thoughts refused to go away, she capitulated. Maybe, just a little bit. As long as I don’t make a habit of it, what harm can it do? She recalled again how good the coke made her feel and this time she gave in to temptation.

  36

  By the time Maddy picked Rebecca up from school she was feeling much calmer. Despite the bad start to the day, she had managed to make a lot of progress with her work. It was early when she arrived so she waited in the car until it got nearer to home time. As she sat there she did a lot of thinking.

  There was no point worrying about the graffiti, which was gone now anyway. She couldn’t do anything about it and she hoped she’d forget about it with time. Neither could she do much about Clare, other than give her time to calm down and then make a concerted effort to be on time in future. But she could do something about her daughter. Maybe she had been neglecting her a bit lately. She’d got so carried away with all the attention from Aaron that she had overlooked her daughter’s needs and, as she thought about it, she felt a little ashamed.

  So Maddy decided that this evening she would lavish attention on Rebecca. She was going to her dad’s for the weekend so Maddy would make the most of the few hours she had before Andy came to collect her. Then perhaps Rebecca would go to her father’s in a better frame of mind and tell him what a good time they had had rather than telling fibs about Aaron.

  She also decided that when Andy came to drop her off on Sunday she would try to build a few bridges with him. After all, it was in Rebecca’s best interests that they all got along well together. She’d suggest that he took a weekend off while she did something special with Becky. He deserved it after his mother’s recent health scare and it would give her more opportunity to give her daughter some much-needed attention.

  Perhaps she’d suggest to Aaron that the three of them went somewhere together; possibly Blackpool or a theme park. Rebecca would like that and it would give her and Aaron a chance to bond a bit more. She’d run it by Aaron first, just to be on the safe side, although she was sure he’d be thrilled at the idea.

  Rebecca looked a little morose when she walked out of the school gates but Maddy tried not to let it worry her, knowing that her daughter would soon cheer up once she knew what she had planned.

  ‘Hi, love, have you had a nice day?’ she asked, and Rebecca mumbled a reply that Maddy didn’t quite catch.

  They soon reached home and Rebecca’s cursory glance at the front door told Maddy that she hadn’t forgotten about the nasty word that had been there that morning. Thankfully it was now gone and Rebecca didn’t mention it.

  Maddy waited until they got inside before she told Rebecca her plans for the evening. ‘When you’re ready we’ll do some baking,’ she said. ‘I thought we’d start with your favourite, cheese and onion pie. Then, once we’ve finished that we can make some jam tarts.’

  ‘Really?’ asked Rebecca, her face lighting up.

  ‘Yes, really,’ laughed Maddy. ‘We can have a jam tart each after tea and then you can take the rest with you to your dad’s.’

  ‘Brilliant,’ said Rebecca. She had already removed her coat and shoes. ‘Can we start now?’

  ‘Yes, course we can,’ said Maddy, smiling. ‘But let’s wash our hands first.’

  *

  By the time Andy arrived to pick Rebecca up she was full of smiles. She dashed to the door with Maddy as soon as the doorbell rang, clutching a plastic container full of jam tarts.

  ‘Look, Daddy, look what I’ve made,’ she said, removing the lid from the container and holding it out for him to examine. ‘Can we have some when we get to yours?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, course you can,’ he said, smiling. ‘They look scrummy.’ He looked at Maddy, the smile still on his face, and she smiled back at him. ‘See you Sunday after tea,’ he said.

  ‘OK, see you then,’ said Maddy. ‘Have a good time, Becky,’ she added, hugging her daughter and kissing the top of her head before Rebecca pulled away and headed down the drive with her dad.

  Maddy shut the door with a smile. The jam tarts seemed to have done the trick and she could see that Andy was impressed. She was relieved that he seemed to have mellowed towards her. The last thing she needed was to be at odds with Andy.

  Once they were gone she went to get showered and changed. Then she’d reapply her make-up. She was expecting Aaron to arrive later and she wanted to look her best.

  Two hours passed and Maddy was ready, an opened bottle of red on the kitchen worktop awaiting his arrival. It wasn’t long before she heard the doorbell ring for the second time that evening and she rushed to answer it. She was pleased to see Aaron on her doorstep, looking as handsome as ever and wearing a lovely smile, his hair glistening in the light that streamed out of the hallway.

  He held out the bottle of red wine that he was clutching, then leant towards her and planted a kiss on her lips. ‘You look gorgeous,’ he said.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Maddy, pleased that she’d chosen her sexy black top with her jeans.

  Maddy didn’t tell Aaron about the graffiti and instead, once they were settled with a glass of wine each, she decided to broach the subject of taking Rebecca to Blackpool the following weekend.

  ‘I was thinking,’ she began, her forefinger tracing a line along the side of his face as she spoke. ‘Why don’t we have Becky next weekend? We could have a lovely time, maybe go to Blackpool or somewhere else if you fancy. It would give you a chance to get to know her a bit better. And, if I’m honest, I haven’t been spending as much time with her lately as I should.’

  His face seemed to darken momentarily before he replied, ‘Yes, that sounds good.’

  ‘What do you fancy? Blackpool? Or somewhere else?’ she asked.

  ‘No
, Blackpool’s fine,’ he said. ‘In fact, if we’ve got her for the whole weekend, why don’t we take her to the zoo as well?’

  ‘Yeah. That would be great,’ she said. Then she bent towards him and gave him an appreciative kiss. ‘I’ll let Andy know when he brings Becky back on Sunday. I’m sure he’ll be fine about it, but I thought I’d run it by you first to make sure you’re OK with the idea.’

  ‘Yes, fine,’ he said. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

  Maddy shrugged then Aaron pulled her nearer to him. ‘Listen, anywhere is fine for me. As long as I’m in your company, I don’t care.’

  ‘Aw, you’re so sweet,’ she said.

  Maddy was now snuggled up to Aaron on the sofa, her back resting on his chest with his left arm draped round her breasts, and she couldn’t see the pained expression on his face or read the thoughts running through his mind.

  37

  It was the following Saturday. Aaron had suggested using his car to take Maddy and Rebecca to Blackpool on the Saturday and Chester Zoo on the Sunday, knowing Maddy would be pleased at his offer to drive. He had just arrived at Maddy’s home and parked his car up.

  When Maddy answered the door she looked ravishing, her hair loosely tied up, just the way he liked it. She had jeans on and a fitted top that hugged her curves. How he wished it could have been just the two of them.

  If it weren’t for the kid he’d have had Maddy upstairs before she knew it. As he pictured her hair falling out of its clasp and hanging loosely round her shoulders while he thrust deep inside her, a smile crossed his lips.

  ‘You’re looking pleased with yourself,’ Maddy commented.

  ‘I always am when I see you,’ he teased as he leant in for a kiss.

  Maddy pulled away. ‘I’m nearly ready, just a few more things to put in the bag before we set off.’

  Aaron laughed. ‘We’re only going to Blackpool, not on an Arctic expedition.’

  ‘I know but I always like to pack a few snacks and things. You never know when they might come in handy. I’ve already packed the swimming costumes and towels. I hope you’ve got yours.’

  Aaron rolled his eyes as she gazed back at him. ‘Hey, that’s what it’s like when you’ve got children,’ said Maddy. ‘You might have your own one day, and then you’ll understand.’

  Aaron just smiled in response, but his smile was forced. There was no way he was having kids. It was bad enough having Rebecca in tow. He didn’t need any more. They were nothing but parasites, and these days they were all bloody spoilt and got too much of their own way. As far as he was concerned children were just an inconvenience and they should learn their place, just as he’d had to do when he was a kid.

  ‘I won’t be long,’ Maddy continued. ‘Have a sit down while you’re waiting. Becky’s in there watching TV. I’m just going in the kitchen for something.’

  She led him to the living room and then carried on through to the kitchen. Rebecca was occupying a seat in the middle of the sofa so he opted for an armchair.

  ‘Hi, you all right?’ he said as he plonked himself down.

  Rebecca looked up at him but didn’t smile. ‘Yes, thanks,’ she said, turning quickly back to face the TV screen.

  Aaron assumed that she wasn’t pleased at having him in the house. After all, he’d put her in her place last time he’d seen her and she wouldn’t have liked that. This kid was obviously used to getting her own way. Well, there was no way she’d get it with him.

  ‘You could have fooled me,’ he said. ‘What’s with the miserable face?’

  ‘I’m not miserable,’ said Rebecca, without looking at him, her voice whiney and annoying.

  Aaron got up out of his seat and walked across to her. He saw her flinch as he sat down by her side, and she shuffled further across the sofa. He held out his hand, roughly cupping her chin, his handsome face clouded with menace. ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you!’ he snapped, pulling her chin round to face him.

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fright. ‘That’s more like it,’ he said. ‘Right, now, for starters, let’s have less of the attitude.’

  ‘I’m not giving you attitude,’ said Rebecca, trying to pull away.

  ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you,’ Aaron snapped, roughly pulling her chin till her eyes were again facing his. He could see the fear on the child’s face and was glad that he was now getting through to her. ‘Secondly, stop ignoring me. And thirdly, me and your mum have gone to a lot of fuckin’ trouble to make this weekend nice for you so the least you can do is show some gratitude. So put a fuckin’ smile on your face and stop being so miserable.’

  Aaron could hear Maddy walking through to the living room so he quickly let go of Rebecca’s chin and sat back in his seat, replacing his sneer with an amiable grin.

  ‘Right, I’m ready,’ Maddy said.

  ‘Great stuff. Let’s go, then,’ said Aaron, flashing Rebecca a warning look before her mother drew close enough to notice.

  The child responded by getting up from the sofa, running over to her mother and enthusiastically hugging her. ‘Come on, then, Mum,’ she said.

  Aaron smiled smugly. At least the kid knew how to do as she was told. There was no way he was going to let her ruin things for Maddy. Bloody kids; they were a pain. Especially spoilt kids.

  Once he and Maddy were together properly the kid would have to learn to do as she was told, and when that time came he’d let her know that he wasn’t going to let their lives be ruled by a kid.

  *

  ‘Ooh, look at that one,’ said Rebecca, pointing to a small monkey that was pinching food from another one, then quickly scampering through the trees to escape.

  Maddy and Aaron laughed as they caught the bemused expression on the face of the other monkey. What made it even funnier was the fact that the smaller monkey had now got away with the same trick twice.

  It was Sunday and they were at Chester Zoo. Maddy was happy to see Rebecca enjoying herself so much. They’d already had a fabulous time at Blackpool the day before, going on the rides and in the Sandcastle Waterpark before collecting shells on the beach. Then they’d gone back to the Midland, just so she could show Rebecca the lovely hotel where Aaron was staying. Rebecca had been suitably impressed, gazing in awe at the beautiful surroundings.

  And now they were enjoying the delights of Chester Zoo. Aaron had been fabulous throughout the entire weekend, apart from having to nip out on Saturday evening to tend to some business. He’d bought them sweet treats and patiently taken them wherever they’d wanted to go. Nothing had been too much trouble for him, from running them around in his car to joining in with all the rides and other amusements. In fact, he’d seemed to enjoy the rides just as much as Rebecca, if not more.

  As Maddy watched Rebecca squeal in glee at the antics of the monkeys she turned and smiled at Aaron, who returned her smile. The weekend had been perfect and she couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier. Andy had always been so stuffy when it came to funfairs and the like, not like Aaron, who threw himself right into the action.

  By the time they were on their way home Maddy was on a high and even Rebecca seemed much happier. Although she’d been a bit moody at the start of the weekend, she’d soon cheered up once they’d set off for Blackpool. Aaron had been wonderful and had even insisted on paying for everything. Although Maddy had politely protested, she was actually relieved because she couldn’t afford to let her bank account go any further into the red.

  At last, things seemed to be going right for Maddy. She’d had a run of bad luck lately but maybe all that was finally at an end.

  38

  Andy was having a busy day at work. He was a sales manager for a manufacturing company in Trafford Park. He’d spent the morning in meetings, first with senior management then with his own sales team. The meetings with senior management were always a bit tense. He’d sit there, trying to defend himself and his team, while the company directors fired questions at him about sales figures and performanc
e.

  Having got all that out of the way, he was currently trying to catch up with his emails. He’d only just started scrolling through them when his phone rang.

  ‘I’ve got a Mrs Scott on the phone for you,’ announced his secretary.

  Andy didn’t immediately recognise the name but, nevertheless, he asked his secretary to put her through.

  ‘Mr Chambers,’ came the confident voice on the other end of the line. ‘It’s Mrs Scott from Hope Street primary.’

  Now he knew who she was: the head teacher at Rebecca’s school. A feeling of dread came over him as he realised there must be something very wrong for her to ring him at work. And why wasn’t she ringing Maddy? She was listed with school as the first point of contact.

  As if anticipating his thoughts, Mrs Scott quickly added, ‘Nothing to worry too much about, Mr Chambers. I just thought it best to have a word with you, that’s all.’ Then she paused, as if thinking carefully about which words to choose, before she carried on speaking. ‘Rebecca’s teacher, Miss Lazenby, has been speaking to me about your daughter. It seems that she’s not quite herself lately.’

  ‘How do you mean?’ asked Andy, immediately becoming concerned.

  ‘She’s been a bit withdrawn, not taking part in activities and choosing to sit alone at break times rather than mix with the other children.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Andy, unsure how else to respond.

  ‘Like I say, we don’t want to worry you too much but, according to Miss Lazenby, Rebecca has always been so enthusiastic and upbeat in the past. I wondered if you might know whether something could be troubling her?’

  Andy knew that Rebecca had been upset about her mother’s boyfriend swearing in front of her but there was no way he was going to share that information. He didn’t want the school to think they were a dysfunctional family.

  He hesitated before replying, ‘No, nothing that I can think of.’