Behind a Closed Door (The Estate, Book 2)

by Mel Sherratt

  ‘I meant without Emily.’

  ‘Oh, I –’

  ‘How’s college?’

  ‘Hey, John,’ a loud voice boomed. Josie turned in time to spot Mr Neblin, before he disappeared behind the shelving. ‘Do you sell black bin liners? I’ve got a load of rubbish that needs shifting pretty sharpish.’

  The man behind the counter pointed to a shelf. ‘They’re the only ones we’ve got, Clive, above the envelopes. Will they do?’

  ‘They’ll have to do, especially if they get that stuck-up bitch from the housing office off my back.’

  Kelly giggled as Josie’s eye’s flicked to the ceiling.

  ‘I don’t know what her old man must think of her,’ Mr Neblin continued. ‘She must definitely wear the trousers in that househo– oh, it’s you.’

  Kelly shoved her face into a magazine in order to stop from roaring with laughter.

  ‘Yes, it’s me,’ said Josie. ‘Glad to hear you’re taking my advice, albeit a little late in the day.’

  As soon as he’d gone, Kelly finally gave in. ‘Did you see his face?’ she laughed. Then she snorted. ‘It was the colour of beetroot, he was so embarrassed.’

  Josie got out her purse. ‘I heard and saw everything that would shock me in my first year on this estate. Nothing gets to me now.’

  Kelly relaxed a little. Maybe she had judged Josie as well as the other way around. From her actions with the man and the rubbish, it was clear she couldn’t care less about his situation.

  ‘College has been great,’ she offered. ‘And I got a job at Miles’ factory.’

  ‘Well done you!’

  Kelly nodded and then smiled. Seeing Josie today had made her realise how much she had missed her calling in. She’d only been to see her three times since she’d moved into Clarence Avenue but she’d been the only female company she’d enjoyed for a long time – even if she was a housing officer.

  ‘I do my best,’ she replied. ‘Now, are you going to add a Kit-Kat to that stash of chocolate you’re buying so you can call round some time for a quick break?’

  Josie smiled. It had taken a while, but finally she was breaking down the barrier.

  Later that afternoon, Josie clock-watched from four o’clock onwards to ensure she left the office bang on five thirty, in order to beat most of the rush hour traffic. When she opened the front door to her home, she could hear noises coming from the kitchen. Unsure of what mood to expect from Stewart, she shrugged off her coat in a desperate attempt to gain more time.

  But she needn’t have worried. All was clear when she spotted the vase of her favourite flowers on the kitchen table. Propped up by the side of the lilies was a box of milk chocolates. She sniffed garlic in the air.

  ‘I’ve been shopping,’ Stewart informed her. ‘I thought we could open a bottle of red, too.’

  Josie frowned. Had he used psychic powers to read her mind last month?

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said when she still hadn’t moved moments later.

  ‘You accused me of having an affair,’ she spoke quietly.

  ‘That’s why I’m sorry.’

  ‘You said no one else would want me! Have you any idea how much that hurt?’

  Stewart urged her to take a seat. ‘I was in a lousy mood. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.’

  Josie sat down as Stewart poured her a glass of wine. As he moved to sit opposite her, she struggled to set her emotions straight. She wanted to feel relief that he was out of his dark mood, but she knew that it wouldn’t last. She wanted to be content in her home, loved by her husband, but she knew that she never would.

  She wanted to believe in Stewart, but something was telling her not to…

  After college on Wednesday evening, Kelly walked the ten minute journey home alone. She was so pleased that Emily had wanted to stay over at her nanny’s; Emily had been griping for most of the day and Kelly’s nerves felt ragged from trying to pacify her. She hadn’t been surprised – more faintly amused – to see that Emily had developed the Winterton stubborn streak at such an early age. Verbal battles and grumpiness had been the norm for the past couple of weeks. Emily had started to question when her daddy was coming home. For a child, Kelly assumed that the eight weeks Scott had been inside already must seem like eight years, and Emily’s questions were getting more demanding, and upsetting. Everything Kelly had suggested, Emily had given a negative answer in response.

  Halfway back, she decided to celebrate the opportunity of a night alone and grab a cheap bottle of wine. As she turned the corner onto Vincent Square, she found herself faced with a gang of teenagers. Two of them ran to block the shop doorway as she drew near.

  ‘Excuse me,’ she said, but they ignored her. After a quick dance in the doorway, Kelly pushed past them. The one who had the look of a serial killer followed her in. She walked down the first aisle, sensing his presence behind her. All at once, she imagined she could feel his breath on her neck. She wrapped a fist tightly around the handle of her bag.

  ‘Spare us a quid then, lovely lady,’ he said from behind.

  Kelly turned quickly, taking him by surprise, and he bumped into her. The smell of ale clung to his breath. She pushed him away aggressively.

  ‘Leave me alone!’

  ‘Ah, come on sweetheart,’ he lurched forward. ‘I’m only messing.’

  Kelly pushed past him again and marched to the front of the store, praying that he wouldn’t follow. By the time she’d paid for her goods, everything had gone quiet outside – until she stepped out of the door and saw the group reappear from behind the corner of the building.

  ‘What’ve you got in the bag, then?’ a small, plump lad queried.

  ‘Nothing that you’ll be allowed. Isn’t it past your bedtime?’

  The rest of the group laughed loudly but it didn’t do Kelly any favours.

  ‘Come on kids, let her past,’ the shopkeeper said, in a resigned tone. ‘Time you moved on to bother someone else.’

  ‘Fuck off, oldie,’ a girl with short red hair shouted, ‘or you’ll get a brick through your window.’

  When they didn’t move, Kelly had no choice but to push past them again. ‘Stuck up bitch,’ she heard one of them say, but she didn’t turn around to see who. The lad who had followed her into the shop started to circle around her on a pushbike, each time moving a little closer. Kelly quickened her pace. Luckily, he lost interest as she left them further behind with each step.

  A few minutes later, the panic inside her finally began to subside. Looking through the windows of the many houses she passed, Kelly saw family after family settled down for the night and wished she was safe at home too, getting a glass of wine down her neck as quickly as possible so that she could chill out.

  She was turning into Davy Road when she heard a noise. Serial killer skidded to a halt on the pavement in front of her. Kelly moved to the side but he followed her. She tried to double back but he was too quick.

  ‘Do you get a kick out of this type of thing or what?’ she asked, almost praying that someone would drive past in their car, but knowing full well that no one would stop to help her if they did. ‘Because I’m getting a little bit –’

  ‘Give me your bag, bitch.’

  ‘No, I bleeding won’t.’

  ‘GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING BAG!’

  Kelly clutched it to her chest. At the same time she noticed the sliver of steel in his hand. Instinctively, she moved backwards.

  The bike was thrown down onto the pavement. ‘Give it to me. NOW!’ he yelled.

  Kelly froze with fear. He slapped her face, grabbed her hair and pulled her nearer. ‘I’m not fucking messing this time.’

  She gave him the bag. He pushed her away and she lost her footing, landing on the pavement with a sickly thud. She looked up at him, half expecting to get his boot in her face, but he got back on his bike. In a flash, he was gone.

  Kelly began to retch. She managed to crawl to the kerbside where she threw up. Oh god, he had a knife. She could
have been killed, all for the sake of a few pounds. Tears streamed down her face when the fear of what could have happened replaced itself with the reality that it hadn’t. She tried to remember what was inside her bag. Luckily, her keys and her mobile phone were in her coat pocket. But wait – would he have her address? Kelly sobbed uncontrollably as she tried to recall if anything had her details written on it. She prayed there was nothing in her purse that would lead him to her.

  Then she ran.

  ‘Where were you?’ Jay asked, when Kelly broke down in his arms. He guided her into the living room and sat her down.

  ‘At the – the – the shops.’ Kelly sobbed as she clung on to him.

  ‘Jesus! Don’t you know it’s mad to go to The Square after dark? It’s not just the kids that –’

  ‘I – I thought I’d be okay. It wasn’t too late.’

  ‘Did you get a look at him?’

  ‘He was taller than me, really skinny, with horrible beady eyes. He had a black hoodie top… and a tattoo on his neck. Two boxing gloves, hanging down, tied together. And he stunk of booze.’

  Jay stiffened. ‘That’s Ian Newton. He went to juvie about a year ago for assault. I thought he was still locked up.’

  Kelly pulled away from him in a panic. ‘I’m not sure if he has my address! You – you don’t think he’ll come and find me again, do you?’

  Jay shook his head. ‘No, he’s a smack head. He’ll be after a quick fix. Your bag’s probably been thrown into someone’s garden by now.’

  ‘But he could have stabbed me, Jay, left me to bleed to death! He could have raped me. He could have done anything and I wouldn’t have been able to stop him with a knife pointing at me. Emily’s lost one parent for the time being, she could have lost both of them. How could I have been so stupid?’

  Jay pulled her into his arms again. ‘Hey, it’s over now. Seeing as I hadn’t finished my tea when you rang, do you fancy helping me with a takeaway? I could murder a chop-suey.’

  While Jay was gone, Kelly paced up and down the living room waiting for his return. Once she’d got home, she’d flew around in a panic, bolting the door behind her, checking all the windows were secure before shutting the curtains and sitting in the glow of the gas fire. It was only now that she dared put the light on – now that Jay had called round after she’d decided to ring him.

  She touched her cheek. The redness was fading but it still felt numb. Stupid, stupid, silly bitch, she cursed herself. Was she the only person brainless enough to assume she was safe to go out alone at night?

  When Jay returned, he had not one but two brown bags on his person. Kelly’s face momentarily broke into a smile when her fake Louis Vuitton was handed to her. She unzipped the compartment and checked inside. Her purse was still there and so was the ten pound note she’d shoved in earlier, still folded into four behind her gas instalment card.

  ‘Where did you get that?’ she asked.

  ‘I spotted Newton – or ‘The Newt’, as he prefers to be known as, stupid bastard – when I drove past the shops,’ said Jay. ‘After a little persuading, he told me where the bag was. Everything’s there, isn’t it?’

  ‘I think so. I can’t think of… what do you mean, after a little persuading?’ Kelly’s eyes bulged. ‘You hit him, didn’t you?’

  Jay shook his head. ‘Newton’s a pussy. He only goes for women. He didn’t put up much of a fight before coming clean.’

  ‘Much of a fight! You said you didn’t hit him!’

  ‘It was a figure of speech! And he hit you, didn’t he?’

  ‘A slap is a bit different than a thrashing.’

  ‘I didn’t do much to him, if that’s what you mean.’

  All thoughts of the danger Kelly had put herself in went out of the window. As she’d got to know Jay more over the past few weeks, she’d started to think that maybe he was different. She took a step away from him.

  ‘I want you to go,’ she said.

  ‘Don’t be daft.’ He moved past her and into the kitchen. ‘The last thing you need is to be on your own.’

  ‘Please, Jay. I’ve had a rough night. I want to be by myself.’

  ‘Even more reason for me to stay. I’ll keep you company while we eat. I’m not going to bite you.’

  Kelly stood rooted to the spot.

  Jay caught her eye. ‘There’s no need to look at me like that. I was only trying to help.’

  ‘I don’t need that kind of help!’

  ‘Yeah, you do. You don’t know who to trust at the moment.’

  Kelly stood silent again and he finally got the message. She followed him down the stairs, drawing across the bolts once he’d gone. She slid down the door onto the mat and sat with her head in her hands, Jay’s words ringing in her ears.

  She should never have taken this flat. She should have moved back in with her mum in Christopher Avenue. But no, Scott was only two months into his sentence and she’d been stupid enough to think that she could cope by herself. The phone call she’d had earlier from him had only added to her confusion. ‘I’ve signed the papers, babe,’ Scott had told her. ‘No more Patrick Street. I’ve done it for you – it’ll be different this time when I get back. You’ve got to trust me.’

  See it was there again, that word: ‘trust’. But how could Kelly trust anyone, let alone Scott? She wasn’t even sure if she wanted him to come and live in Clarence Avenue when he was released. Life would only go back to how it was before. Kelly knew he wouldn’t change his ways just to suit her. And to top it all, now she’d overreacted with Jay. Was her attempt at independence doomed?

  She pulled back her head and banged it on the door three times in quick succession. She knew she could never knock enough sense into her thick skull, but it made her feel better by trying.

  One thing was for sure, though. If Jay had spoken a word of truth tonight, it was that she didn’t know who to trust anymore. She had never felt so lonely in her life.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ‘Right, that’s the boring work questions out of the way,’ Josie said, as she signed off Kelly’s final support questionnaire. ‘Is there anything else you’d like to know or can I leave you in the capable hands of Miss Emily?’

  It was Wednesday morning, the third one the month of March had seen. Josie had been at Kelly’s flat for half an hour now, ensconced far too comfortably in Kelly’s settee. The rain lashing at the window gave her no incentive to move whatsoever. Phil and Holly were discussing fruit-shaped figures on daytime television. Emily was playing dressing up, running from room to room and strutting her stuff before running off again. This time she had clattered across the living room floor in a pair of Kelly’s high heels, wearing a stripy scarf around her neck like a feather boa and a belt that doubled as a hula hoop, which fell off twice before she got to them.

  ‘Very nice,’ Josie nodded her approval before Emily clicked-clacked off again. She turned back to Kelly who was in the middle of a yawn. ‘She’s so hard to keep up with, she always seems busy.’

  The yawn turned into a sigh and Kelly stretched her arms above her head. ‘Sometimes she’s the only person I speak to during the day. She keeps me sane … It’s been tough for me lately. I – I could really do with an ear, if you don’t mind?’

  ‘Go ahead,’ Josie said. ‘You know I was born to listen.’

  Kelly took a deep breath. ‘I was mugged a few nights ago and it scared the shit out of me.’

  ‘Mugged?’ Josie’s eyes searched Kelly’s body for injuries but there didn’t seem to be any. ‘Where did it happen? Were you hurt? Are you okay now?’

  ‘I’m not too bad,’ Kelly admitted. ‘It takes more than a slap on the face to bring me down. I was scared though.’ She began to unburden her tale.

  ‘I know Ian Newton,’ Josie broke in when Kelly mentioned his name. ‘Lives on Gordon Street – his parents have no control over him. I thought he was still in juvie.’

  ‘He’s just got out.’

  ‘Did you lose much?’

/>   Kelly stalled and then decided what the heck. ‘No, see, that’s the thing. When I got home, I rang Jay.’ Josie raised her eyebrows slightly. ‘I was petrified that Ian Newton knew my address. Jay went to get a takeaway and came back with my handbag and all of its contents, just like that. He must have picked a fight and I – I lost it with him.’

  ‘Jay’s usually the peacekeeper Kirkwell,’ Josie came to his defence. ‘He might use his reputation to gain control of a situation but I doubt that he would have used his fists unless he was provoked.’

  ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right,’ Kelly shrugged, feeling embarrassed as she remembered how she had reacted. After her outburst she’d gone to bed and woken up the next day in a better frame of mind. There was no way she would give up her flat. She’d just suffered a setback that night, and knowing that she’d been too hasty jumping to conclusions, she’d sent Jay a text message to apologise. Jay had made her suffer for two days until he’d sent one in return.

  ‘How do you feel about Scott coming out of prison?’ Josie dared to question. In recent conversations, just his name had been enough to shut down the barriers.

  But Kelly didn’t seem to mind this time. She pulled her legs up onto the settee and drew a cushion to her chest. ‘He thinks he’ll be out soon. I’ve only been to see him once, which was enough for me.’

  ‘How long have you been with him?’

  ‘He was my first real boyfriend. I met him when I was eighteen and then I was pregnant with Emily the year after.’

  Kelly paused but Josie said nothing to ensure the conversation kept going.

  ‘I’m a bit mixed up,’ Kelly continued. ‘I do miss him, but I don’t miss the lifestyle, the constant worrying – whether he’s coming home, whether he’s been arrested again, who’s knocking on the door next. I might have found it hard to start again by myself, but I’ve done it. I’m going to be earning some money soon – I start this Monday, by the way – and I’m going to college. Both of which Scott will go mad about.’

  ‘You mustn’t let him stop you doing anything,’ said Josie, feeling guilty as soon as the words came out. Stewart had stopped her from doing lots of things over the years. How could she sit here and preach?