The Mark

by Heather Burnside

  Mrs Scott picked up on his hesitation. ‘Are you sure, Mr Chambers? Anything at all?’ she asked.

  ‘No. Nothing,’ he said.

  ‘Very well. Miss Lazenby has already spoken to Rebecca’s mother about it a week or so ago and she couldn’t think of anything either. According to Miss Lazenby things haven’t changed much with Rebecca since then. She also had concerns about lateness, but I believe that’s all sorted out now.’

  ‘Lateness? You mean Becky’s arriving late for school?’

  ‘No, it’s more a case of Rebecca’s mother arriving late to collect her,’ said the head teacher. When Andy didn’t respond she added, ‘But, like I say, that seems to have been resolved now. And I wouldn’t worry about your daughter’s lack of participation. I’m sure it’s something and nothing. Children can sometimes get like that at Rebecca’s age. It will probably blow over, but I just felt that we should inform you in case you might be aware of anything.’

  ‘No, sorry. But thank you for letting me know,’ said Andy.

  ‘Not a problem, Mr Chambers. We’ll keep an eye on Rebecca for the time being and let you know if things don’t improve.’

  ‘Yes, please, if you would. Thank you.’

  By the time Andy had finished the call, he wasn’t just concerned; he was furious. If Maddy had known about this for over a week then why the hell hadn’t she said anything? He was Rebecca’s father and had a right to know these things. And why the hell was she arriving late to collect Rebecca from school? It was bad enough that she kept her waiting when she was at his house. But late for school as well? It was ridiculous!

  His fury soon turned into worry. It bothered him that his daughter had become withdrawn and he couldn’t help thinking that it might have something to do with her mother’s latest boyfriend. He recalled how troubled Rebecca had seemed about Aaron swearing. What if there was more going on that he didn’t know about?

  He switched his attention back to his emails, trying to take his mind off the worrying call while he focused on work. But it wasn’t forgotten. As soon as he arrived home he was determined to give Maddy a ring and find out just what the hell had been going on.

  *

  Maddy had also been hard at work all morning and had just taken a brief lunch break. Before going back to her computer she took a quick look out of the living-room window, a habit she had got into lately. It was there, again. The same red car.

  Curious, she went to the front door and took a few steps down the drive. Then nerves got to her. Should she go and see what the driver wanted or should she leave things? Maybe she should inform the police. But what would she tell them? She didn’t really have much to go on, apart from the fact that a strange car was parked outside, and she didn’t want to be accused of wasting police time.

  For a few moments she was undecided but then she finally resolved to challenge the driver, despite her nerves. It was the only way she would put her mind at ease, but she’d make sure she locked her front door first.

  She turned back, grabbed her keys from the hall and stepped back onto the drive. She was locking the front door when she heard the sound of an engine starting up. She quickly spun round and dashed down the drive, but the driver was turning the car round ready to drive off. By the time she got to the gate the car had shot off up the road at speed, the tyres screeching noisily. She tried to read the number plate but was perturbed to find that it had been blanked out.

  How strange! thought Maddy as she walked back to her door. Why was the driver so eager to get away as soon as she started walking down the drive? Why weren’t his number plates visible? And why did he take the trouble of turning the car round? There was only one reason she could think of for the latter. If he’d driven past her house instead she would have seen him.

  Once she was indoors she realised how much the incident had shaken her. There was no doubt in her mind now that she was being watched.

  Maddy was so worried that there was no way she could go back to her work. She needed to confide in someone. But who? Andy was a no-no. He didn’t feature in her life now except where Rebecca was concerned, and he wouldn’t want Rebecca staying there if Maddy had a stalker. And she couldn’t ring Clare while things were still so bad between them. Maybe she should ring her parents. But then she decided against it. They were in their sixties and it wouldn’t be fair to worry them.

  That left only one person. Aaron. Although she had still only been with him for a little less than three months she felt close enough to confide in him. The only thing that had stopped her before was that she hadn’t wanted him to think her foolish, but now she felt that it had gone beyond that stage. There was no doubt in her mind that something sinister was going on, and he was the only person left who she could confide in.

  Aaron didn’t answer the phone straight away so she kept ringing and eventually he took her call. She explained briefly what had happened, trying to stay calm. But as soon as she spoke her voice quivered.

  ‘I don’t know what to do, Aaron,’ she said. ‘What if they come back?’

  ‘It’s all right. Lock all the doors and try not to worry. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

  He ended the call, quite abruptly, Maddy thought. But then she realised that he would have wanted to be with her as soon as possible. He had seemed concerned while he was on the phone and she was glad she had rung him. Now she just had to wait.

  Maddy was so anxious that the time waiting for Aaron seemed to last forever. While she waited she was constantly on her feet, looking out of the window and repeatedly checking that all the doors and windows were locked. Eventually he arrived.

  ‘Oh, Aaron, thank God you’re here,’ she said, hugging him when she answered the door, and trying to hold back the tears. She didn’t want him to think she was hysterical.

  ‘OK, no worries,’ he said. ‘Let’s get you sat down and then you can tell me exactly what’s been going on.’

  For a few minutes Maddy detailed what had been happening over the previous weeks, starting with the sightings of cars, then the graffiti and then this latest sighting when the driver had hurried off.

  ‘Jesus, Maddy! Why didn’t you tell me?’ he said, his face full of concern.

  ‘Well, I thought I was being paranoid at first when I saw the cars. Then, when the graffiti happened, I didn’t really want to tell you. I was worried that you might think I’d done something to deserve it.’

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ he said.

  ‘I know. I know… But when that happened today I knew it wasn’t just me being paranoid. And I needed to tell someone.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad you told me,’ he said, pulling her towards him.

  Maddy pulled back and gazed into his eyes. ‘I’m worried, Aaron. What if they do something to hurt me or, worse still, what if they harm Becky?’

  He broke away from her and went to get something out of his pocket. ‘Here,’ he said, handing her a lighted spliff and lighting another for himself. ‘Have a few drags of that. It’ll calm you down.’

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘Just dope.’

  ‘Oh, I’m not sure I should, Aaron.’

  He laughed. ‘It’s only dope. You’ve been taking cocaine for the last few weeks and that hasn’t harmed you, has it? So a bit of weed isn’t gonna kill you. In fact, it’ll make you feel a lot better. Look at you,’ he said, taking hold of her free hand. ‘You’re shaking like a leaf.’

  He had such a convincing way about him that Maddy found herself doing as he suggested. And he was right: she did feel calmer after a few drags. Then she passed it back to Aaron. She wasn’t really that keen on smoking.

  ‘Right, now that you’ve calmed down a bit,’ he said, ‘I think that what you need to do is to ring the police. Open the windows before they get here though. No one’s gonna get in while I’m here, and I don’t want the police smelling dope.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know. What if they think I’m imagining it?’

  ‘OK, then don’t tell them a
bout the cars, just the graffiti. It’s vandalism, Maddy. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.’

  Maddy was conscious of the fact that she’d let herself get overly worked up. Now that she was calmer, she tried to take a more reasoned approach.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘How are they going to prove it, let alone find the culprits, especially now I’ve cleaned it all off? No, I think I’ll leave it for now. But if anything else happens I’ll get in contact with them.’

  She felt herself shudder as she thought about the possibility of other incidents. Then she gazed into Aaron’s eyes. ‘Thank God I’ve got you, Aaron. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now,’ she said, with a tremble in her voice.

  ‘Come here,’ he said, putting his spliff down, then taking her in his arms and stroking her back. ‘Try not to worry. Hopefully, nothing else will happen. But keep your doors and windows locked once I’m gone to be on the safe side.’

  She spent the rest of the afternoon in the reassuring company of Aaron, who also offered to go with her to collect Rebecca from school. As they sat in Maddy’s living room waiting for school to finish, she found herself voicing her worries again. Maddy knew she was going over and over the same ground, but she couldn’t help it. Worry and fear had invaded her brain.

  But when the phone rang it soon shifted her thoughts onto other matters. It was Andy. And he didn’t sound pleased.

  39

  Andy came straight to the point when he heard Maddy answer the phone. He wasn’t in the mood for niceties. ‘I’ve had a call today from Becky’s head teacher,’ he said to Maddy. ‘Apparently the school are concerned about Becky being withdrawn.’

  ‘Aaaah… right,’ said Maddy. ‘Yes, I know about it.’

  ‘I know you know. In fact, you’ve known for a bloody week!’ he said, incensed. ‘So why didn’t you bother to tell me, Maddy?’

  ‘I didn’t see the need to.’

  ‘Oh, didn’t you? I’m her bloody father, for Christ’s sake. And the school obviously thought I needed to know otherwise they wouldn’t have rung me at work.’

  ‘There was no need for them to ring you at work. They’d already told me about it.’

  ‘Oh, yes, and what exactly have you done about it? Apart from arriving late to collect Becky from school umpteen times.’

  ‘Now, hang on a minute. I don’t have to justify my actions to you. I had a couple of days where I was so busy with work that I lost track of the time, that’s all. It won’t happen again.’

  Andy knew that was nonsense. As far as he knew, there had never been a time in the past when Maddy had been late to collect Rebecca, no matter how much work she had on. So why now? He thought he knew the answer to that one; it was since she had been seeing this latest guy, and it was clear to him that Rebecca had been shuffled down Maddy’s list of priorities.

  ‘Well, the school obviously have little faith in you, seeing as how they felt the need to contact me at work,’ he said. ‘Just try putting yourself in my shoes, Maddy. How do you think I bloody well felt when the school headmistress rang me at work to tell me something you should already have shared with me?’

  ‘Welcome to the club, Andy,’ she said, sarcastically. ‘It’s called being a parent. I often have to break off from work to tend to Becky but, unlike you, I accept that it’s all part and parcel of my responsibilities.’

  ‘You’re missing the point,’ he seethed. ‘If you had been looking after Becky properly then there would have been no need for the school to ring me.’

  ‘How dare you?’ she yelled. ‘I have always done my best for Becky.’

  ‘Have you? Is that why you can’t be bothered to pick her up on time and why you seem to prefer the company of your latest foul-mouthed lover rather than your daughter?’

  ‘That was a lie, and you know it! Aaron would never swear in front of Becky. You’re just getting on your high horse because your work life has been interrupted,’ she said.

  Andy realised that things were getting a bit out of hand, and hurling insults at his ex-wife wasn’t really getting him anywhere. He took a deep breath, his tone calmer when he responded. ‘No. I’m not, Maddy,’ he said. ‘I’m actually really concerned for our daughter. I think it’s more than coincidence that all these things have started since you let this stranger into your life. Are you sure you’re up to the job of looking after our daughter?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she snapped.

  ‘Well, if things get much worse, Maddy, then you will leave me with no alternative but to reassess the custody arrangements.’

  ‘Oh, get lost, Andy,’ she said before hanging up the phone.

  Andy stared at his phone, incredulous. How dared she end the call? He was tempted to ring her back but knew it wouldn’t get him anywhere. For a few moments he reflected on the situation. Perhaps he had got a bit carried away. But who wouldn’t in his position? It was hard having to stand by and watch while another man stepped into his daughter’s life. That was bad enough, but to find out that his daughter’s behaviour was being affected really riled him. He hadn’t meant to threaten her with custody but the way things were going, if Maddy didn’t make some improvements, he might have to think about going down that route.

  He tried to calm himself down, knowing that if he was to get to the bottom of things he needed Maddy’s cooperation. At the end of the day, his daughter’s welfare was his first concern. He didn’t like the sound of this Aaron character at all, but he knew that creating a rift with his ex-wife would only make matters worse. So he would have to bide his time and then see if he could find a way to repair the damage that was obviously being done by this negative influence in Maddy’s life.

  *

  Two days later Andy received another phone call at work but this time he knew who the caller was.

  ‘Clare,’ he said, surprised. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘Hi, Andy. I’m sorry to call you at work,’ she said, sounding a bit apprehensive. ‘It was the only way I could think of to get hold of you. I didn’t know where you’d moved to but I remembered the name of your firm so I rang to see if they would put me through to you.’

  Andy became curious. It was clear to him that Clare had put a lot of thought into making this call and he wondered why. ‘That’s OK,’ he said. ‘What’s the problem?’

  ‘It’s a bit too… delicate to discuss on the phone. I think it’s best if we arrange to meet so we can discuss it properly,’ she said. ‘When are you free?’

  They arranged a mutually convenient time when they could meet at a coffee shop in the city centre after they had both finished work. But Andy was still curious. Before Clare had chance to hang up, he asked, ‘Can you give me a clue what it’s about?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It’s about Maddy. I don’t want to worry you, but I’m really concerned. Like I say, it’s best if I tell you when we meet. Then you can decide if I’m overreacting or if there really is a problem.’

  Once Clare hung up, Andy was left staring at his phone, his forehead forming deep furrows as he thought about her words. She had said she didn’t want to worry him but a part of him still cared about his ex-wife and he needed to protect his daughter and right now he felt powerless.

  40

  Crystal pulled up outside her parents’ home in the battered old Fiesta that she’d recently acquired. She was dressed for work in a short skirt and a see-through top but she’d slung a coat over the top so her parents couldn’t see what she was wearing. She didn’t want to arouse their suspicion; they still believed her story that she worked in a nightclub, and their reaction to that had been bad enough.

  She looked at her daughter, Candice, sitting across from her in her second-hand booster seat. ‘Right, sweetheart. Here we are,’ she said.

  Candice stuck her bottom lip out and Crystal could tell the tears would soon follow. ‘Don’t wanna go,’ she said.

  ‘Come on, Candice, love. Nanny and Grandad will have lots of nice treats for you
.’

  ‘Don’t care. Want to stay with Mummy.’

  As Crystal had predicted, Candice began to cry, her tears accompanied by a loud piercing wail. How she hated having to leave her, especially when they’d had such a lovely day. After picking her up from nursery she’d taken her to the park and then they’d returned home and done some painting, using a set of paints she’d picked up from the pound shop, before Crystal had given Candice her tea.

  Crystal got out of the car and went round to the passenger side, undoing Candice’s booster seat. It was a tricky operation. The clip on one side didn’t work so she’d had to secure it in place with some string, which she’d fed through the buckle and underneath the seat and then tied it at the back. The knot took some undoing and whilst she clawed at it with her nails, the sound of Candice’s loud shrieks penetrated her eardrums.

  She lifted her daughter out while Candice struggled to break free. Her parents were already at the door before she had chance to knock and she was relieved to part with her screeching daughter.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ll soon cheer her up,’ said Crystal’s father, holding out a bar of chocolate to tempt Candice.

  ‘OK, thanks. I’ll see you in the morning,’ said Crystal, giving Candice a quick peck on the cheek before she got back inside her car.

  Crystal was desperate to escape her daughter’s anguished cries. She knew that the longer she prolonged her departure, the more upset Candice would become. It was always awful having to leave her like this. She should be the one to put Candice to bed; to read her a bedtime story and tuck her in before giving her a goodnight kiss.

  But she knew she had no choice in the matter. Crystal needed the money and she knew of no other way to get hold of the large amount of cash it took to feed her and Gilly’s drug habit, as well as keeping her and her daughter housed, fed and clothed.

  Crystal hated this life and what it had done to her, and the effect it was having on her daughter. She often dreamt of a better life. A life where she didn’t have to sell her body to strangers. Where she didn’t have to feed the perversions of sick and depraved men. Where she wasn’t worried every time she took on a new client in case he abused and beat her. And a life where she could be with her daughter properly, and she, Gilly and Candice could be just like a normal family.