What Goes Around

by Ann Bloxwich

  Ray liked women to suck him off after he’d fucked them, it got him clean and got him off at the same time. He screwed his face up as he came, gripping her hair to force himself further into her throat. Once he was fully spent, he zipped up his jeans and brushed his hair out of his face.

  ‘Not many women can make me come twice in an hour, but babe, you are something special,’ he said, wrapping his arms around her so he didn’t have to kiss her. He took no pleasure in tasting his own juices.

  He let her go abruptly, reached into the car for the vodka bottle and took a long drink, then climbed back into the car and waited for her to start the engine.

  ‘What shall we do now babe?’ he said. ‘You’ve paid for two hours, it’s only fair that you get your money’s worth. Are you hungry? Shall we go and get some lunch? You’ll have to treat me, I must have left my wallet at home.’

  She didn’t speak, just smiled at him before turning the car around and heading out of Wombourne Wood and back towards the main road.

  After a pleasant lunch in a little pub near Bridgnorth, Ray got his companion to drop him home. He waved as she drove away and walked towards the front door. He glanced up as he did so and noticed the French windows of his bedroom were open. He frowned; certain he had closed them. Michelle must have been snooping again, he thought angrily as he let himself into the house and raced up the stairs.

  He tried his bedroom door – locked, just as it had been when he went out. Shrugging, he unlocked it and went in. Nothing seemed to be out of place, although it would be difficult to tell. This was the one place Michelle wasn’t allowed, so it didn’t get cleaned unless Ray did it – and that was unlikely.

  The master bedroom was garish, painted red and black, with furniture to match. A magnificent four-poster bed took pride of place in the centre of the room, painted red and draped in black satin. Ray flicked through the contents of his vast wardrobe, which took up an entire wall, but found nothing he wanted to wear. Eventually, he picked up a rumpled shirt from the tangle of clothes on the floor and sniffed it. It wasn’t too bad, nothing a squirt of body spray wouldn’t sort out. Finding a pair of black jeans in a drawer, he threw them on the bed next to the shirt.

  Ray stripped and showered, smiling to himself as he recalled the morning’s activities. He wrapped one towel around his waist and another around his head, then padded back to his bedroom, sat on the bed and picked up the bundle of cash to count it. £200, not bad for a morning’s work. He checked his phone to see when his next appointment was, then got dressed.

  A loud crash from outside the window startled him, and Ray rushed over to the window in time to see someone running away from his car. The passenger-side window was smashed, and glass littered the gravel. With a roar of annoyance, he bolted down the stairs and ran outside, but there was no-one around. He strode back into the house and tried to phone Michelle, but it went straight to answerphone. He left a string of expletives on her voicemail, hung up and walked to the kitchen. There was a bottle of white wine in the fridge, so Ray opened it, took a large swig and left the bottle on the counter. He took his phone out again, pressed a few buttons and waited for the other person to answer. ‘Hi babe, I’ve had some car trouble. Could you come and pick me up instead? That’s great, I’ll give you an extra half hour free as compensation. Cheers.’

  When his lift arrived, Ray strolled out of the house with a big smile on his face and climbed into the car. He didn’t notice the front door wasn’t quite shut, nor did he notice the figure peering around the corner of the house at him.

  36

  ‘Morning boss, how was dinner the other night? It’s been so busy I forgot to ask,’ Dawn said, as she got out of her car the next morning. The temperature had dropped overnight, and everything was coated in a thin layer of frost, so the two of them walked slowly across the car park, hanging on to each other for fear of falling.

  ‘It was really good. I even managed to relax for a while. Dave says we can move in from tomorrow, but I think we’ll wait until the day after Boxing Day. Joel will be wanting decorations up in the new place if we move in before that, and I can’t be arsed with all that as well as everything else.’

  ‘Is he okay about spending Christmas with Dave and Carol?’

  ‘He’ll be fine. Dave’s house is massive, all the bedrooms have their own bathrooms, so he’ll be very comfortable. Dave and I are planning to move Joel’s furniture in on Boxing Day. We’ll take him along that morning, so he can tell us where he wants things. Carol’s been great, she’s hung his new curtains and has promised to help him unpack his stuff and put them away. She knows that Joel is likely to behave for her, and Jayne can get some peace to do the rest of the house.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see it,’ Dawn said. ‘It will be good for all of you to have more space.’

  ‘It will, and I hope it helps with his moods. We’re not bothered about us, we just want Joel to be happy. We’ve decided to keep the old house on and rent it out, the market’s not brilliant at the minute. There may also come a time when we can’t look after him for whatever reason, so we’ll hire live-in carers and move back into the house.’

  ‘There’s so much to think about,’ Dawn said. ‘I wouldn’t know where to start.’

  ‘Believe me, we’ve had to wing it sometimes. There are loads of books about raising children, but not many that deal with raising disabled ones.’

  They walked into the office together, Dawn headed for her desk and Alex his office. He was hoping to get as much of the paperwork done today, so they weren’t swamped when they came back in after Christmas. Every member of the team had been happy to come in the day after Boxing Day to help Alex out. They wanted this one solved as much as he did.

  He sat at his desk and worked steadily through the various tasks, occasionally stopping for tea or coffee. At one point he looked up to see a ham sandwich sitting on his desk. He’d been so engrossed in what he’d been doing that he hadn’t noticed anyone come in. By 2 p.m. he was starting to seize up, so he got up and stretched, wincing as his joints popped and cracked. He wandered out into the main body of the office and clapped his hands loudly to get everyone’s attention.

  ‘Okay folks let’s have a quick round-up. I’d normally wait until the evening briefing but I’m taking my wife out tonight, so want to get home at a reasonable hour. Gary, go and put the kettle on would you, we need a brew and it’s your turn.’

  Gary grumbled under his breath but went off towards the kitchen. Alex brought his team up to speed with where he was, then asked them all what progress they’d made.

  ‘We’re still waiting on some forensic results, we’ve not yet managed to pin down Ray Diamond for an interview, and we still need to find this elusive security man. Is that it, or is there anything else?’

  ‘Did you go and see Faz?’ Craig said.

  ‘No, I haven’t had time. Can you go and see him Craig? He may have the toxicology results back as well by now.’

  ‘Oh no, do I have to go, boss? Last time I went to the morgue, Faz put an ear in my pocket. It was my new Armani as well.’

  Alex laughed. ‘It was only a plastic ear. Faz would find himself struck off if he started putting real body parts in people’s pockets.’

  ‘Well, it looked real to me. I nearly shit my pants when I got home and took my jacket off. I’ve had it dry-cleaned twice and it still feels tainted.’ Craig shuddered at the memory of it.

  ‘I keep telling you not to wear expensive clothes to work, so it’s your own fault. Faz knows how to wind you up and he’ll continue to do it because he’s a sadistic bastard and enjoys your pain. Now, get going.’

  Gary came back, carrying a tray laden with mugs of various designs. Everyone took their own, leaving a white one with Boss written on it for Alex.

  ‘Can I drink my coffee first?’ Craig asked.

  ‘Fine, but ring Faz and tell him you’ll be there in a bit.’

  ‘Great, that will give him time to fin
d something really gruesome, like a bladder,’ Craig complained as he picked up the phone.

  ‘If he does, just pray that it’s an empty one,’ Alex joked. ‘Dawn, can you get a photo of that bracelet and see if one of Vicky Wilson’s friends can identify it?’

  ‘No problem. Laura Morrison’s house is nearest to me, so I’ll call round on my way home.’

  Craig put the phone down. ‘Boss, Faz says you’re to go and see him tomorrow instead, he’s busy with a new guest at the moment.’

  ‘Right, I’ll add that to my never-ending list,’ Alex said.

  ‘No joy on any of those witnesses,’ Mo said. ‘They didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and door-to-door hasn’t turned up anything.’

  ‘Les, have you got anything new?’

  ‘Apart from a bloody headache, no I haven’t. I’m starting to think that security man was a figment of everyone’s imagination. No-one can describe him, not in politically correct terms anyway, and no-one saw him leave. He has to be dodgy.’

  ‘Could he be a friend of Ray Diamond’s? We’ve asked everyone else apart from him, mainly because we haven’t been able to find him yet, and no-one seems to know where he is,’ Gary offered.

  Alex mulled it over for a moment. ‘That’s a possibility. Today we make locating Ray Diamond a priority. Find out when and where he’s working, and where he likes to go when he’s not. Honestly, it’s like trying to track down Lord Lucan!’

  As 6 p.m. approached, Alex called a briefing.

  ‘Has anyone had even a sniff of Ray Diamond?’

  He looked at the blank faces and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘This is getting us nowhere,’ he complained.

  ‘Boss, you look knackered. Why don’t you go home? You can get your head down for an hour before that gig tonight. I’ll stay and oversee things,’ Dawn offered.

  ‘I’m happy to stay as well,’ Les said. ‘Ruth’s at yoga and the kids are out with their mates, so I’ve got nothing better to do.’

  ‘Make that three,’ Mo volunteered.

  ‘Thank you, that would be good. I doubt you’ll hear anything, but let me know the minute you do.

  Craig and Gary, I’ll see you two in a couple of hours.’ He handed them their tickets for the club. ‘Save us a seat, we’ll be there as soon as Joel is sorted.’

  37

  The club was packed, and Alex and Jayne had to squeeze their way through to the front of the room, where Craig and Gary had saved a table to the side of the stage.

  ‘Christ, it’s mad in here, anyone would think it’s Christmas,’ Alex complained, as he narrowly avoided getting beer slopped on him by a drunken reveller. He pushed the drunk away and glared at him, but he didn’t notice. He was too busy singing along with the young man on the stage, who was doing a very respectable rendition of Wonderwall.

  Jayne laughed. ‘Well, it is a charity event, what did you expect?’ She crammed herself into the corner so she could talk to Jo and Deb. ‘Hey you two, you’re both looking fabulous tonight,’ she said, exchanging hugs with them.

  ‘You’re looking pretty hot yourself, sweetness,’ Deb said in a deep smoky voice, her eyes sparkling. She was a stunning woman, with shoulder-length dark brown hair accentuated by golden highlights. She was the same height as Craig but tended to tower over him due to her penchant for stilettos. Tonight, she wore over-the-knee black patent leather boots with steel-tipped heels, black leather trousers and a grey silk tank top. She reminded Alex of Laura Peel from The Avengers.

  ‘Wow, you look gorgeous, but you always do,’ Jo said, as she kissed Deb’s cheek. Jo had curled her long brown hair and it bounced around her shoulders. Her blue eyes shone with happiness.

  ‘Thank you honey, so do you,’ Deb purred. ‘I love your dress. Purple really suits you.’ She turned to Jayne. ‘Is that the same black jumpsuit you bought when we had our shopping day out at the retail outlet?’

  ‘Thank you, it is indeed. I bought it for Jo and Gary’s engagement party if you remember, but I couldn’t get into it. I was determined to shift that stone this year.’

  ‘Well, you look fabulous darling, especially with those killer heels,’ Deb said.

  Jo agreed. ‘You look amazing Jayne, well done.’

  ‘I just followed that plan that you gave me, I can’t believe how easy it was. I thought about putting Alex on it, but I don’t know what he’s eating at work, so it wouldn’t do any good.’

  ‘I’ve told Gary he needs to cut down on the junk. If his wedding suit doesn’t fit on the day, he’ll only have himself to blame,’ Jo said.

  Gary pushed a pint towards Alex. ‘I got you one in, boss, but I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to drink it for you.’

  Alex took a long pull on his pint. ‘You’d have found yourself on filing duty for a week if you had,’ he said, giving Gary a stern look.

  Gary’s face fell, and Alex started laughing. ‘I’m joking mate, but you can get the next round in for being cheeky.’

  Gary looked relieved. ‘Remind me never to play poker with you.’

  ‘Don’t tease him, boss, you know he’s easier to wind up than a cheap watch,’ Craig said, poking Gary in the ribs as he squeezed past and headed to the bar.

  ‘You can talk! You’re just as easy sometimes, especially if Faz is around,’ Alex noted.

  ‘I swear he targets me with his daft pranks. I should take him to a tribunal for harassment.’ Craig looked grim. ‘And you wonder why I don’t like going to the morgue.’

  Deb leaned forward and stroked Craig on the cheek. ‘As long as he doesn’t harass you sexually, darling – that’s my job,’ she purred, making him grin like a Cheshire cat.

  ‘Aw, Deb, I love the way you defend Craig but still manage to make it sound rude.’ Jo said, giggling.

  ‘Well, you know what they say, if you ever need an innuendo, I’m always happy to give you one,’ Deb winked.

  Craig leaned over towards Alex, a conspiratorial look on his face. ‘Right, while Gary’s out of earshot, I need to tell you about the stag do. It’s the first weekend in March. I’ve booked a couple of stretch limos to take us to Birmingham, we’re going to the Comedy Bar then onto a gentleman’s club. I’ve arranged for him to get a private lap dance as well, then we’ve got an overnight stay before the limo brings us home again the next day. Sound okay?’

  ‘Sounds great, let me know how much you want from me and I’ll sort it out.’

  ‘There’s fourteen going so far, but I’ve asked for final numbers by the end of January. I’ve paid deposits on everything but don’t worry about that as we can sort it out nearer the time.’

  Gary came back and set three pints of beer down on the table. He pulled a bottle of Prosecco out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Deb. She blew him a kiss, then went back into a huddle with Jo and Jayne.

  ‘There we go. What are they up to?’ he asked.

  ‘Hen weekend stuff. Trust me mate, you don’t want to know,’ Craig said, pulling a shocked face. ‘Whips and chains and other implements of torture – oh hang on, that’s for your honeymoon.’ He laughed, winking broadly at Gary.

  ‘Take no notice of him,’ Alex said, throwing Craig a stern look. ‘Craig was just telling me about your stag do. It sounds great.’

  ‘I know, he’s done me proud,’ Gary beamed. ‘I’m amazed though, I didn’t know so many of the lads liked fishing. I’m thinking of starting up an angling club, so we can make a regular thing of it.’

  Craig tried desperately not to laugh, and Alex was relieved when the lights dimmed at that point and the band came on.

  As Nowhere Fast churned out one song after another, Alex was pleased to see his friends were enjoying it as much as he was. The snippet he’d heard at their rehearsal didn’t do them justice, they really were talented. Craig and Gary nodded along to the music, clearly enjoying themselves as much as he was.

  Alex bought the next round, and just made it back to his seat a
s the band came back on for the second half. Dean Smith addressed the audience with a flushed face and a beaming smile.

  ‘Wow, what can I say? What a fantastic turnout! Thank you all for supporting Birmingham Children’s Hospital, it’s an excellent cause and Nowhere Fast are proud to do their bit. I’d like to thank our agent, John Jackson of Bulldog Promotions for arranging the event, and to the club for their warm hospitality. There are collection buckets all around the room, so please feel free to drop your change into them, even a few coppers will make a difference.’

  Dean paused for a moment before looking at Alex with a twinkle in his eye. ‘Speaking of coppers, we have some of west Midlands’ finest with us this evening, so these next few songs are for them. It’s not the sort of stuff we usually do, but never let it be said that we don’t listen to our audience. I hope you like our versions.’

  Dean saluted at Alex before launching into Get Back by The Beatles, followed by Back in the USSR.’

  Jayne blew Dean a kiss and he returned the gesture with a grin. Next, they turned their attention to Queen, much to Alex’s delight, and sang Death on Two Legs before finishing with Stone Cold Crazy. They received a standing ovation when they finished and did a couple of Sex Pistols numbers as an encore.

  When Dean came over to shake Alex’s hand at the end of the night, he was promptly mobbed by Jayne, Deb and Jo, and smothered with kisses and hugs. He thanked them all and gave them business cards, then rushed off to help his bandmates pack up the equipment.

  ‘I had a brilliant night,’ Jayne said. ‘We should do this more often, maybe just us girls next time. You guys have your roleplaying thing every week, it’s only fair that we have a regular meet-up.’

  ‘Hear, hear,’ agreed Deb. ‘Starting next week. Part one of the hen celebrations is next Thursday night, the 28th.’