“Andy? Do you know Andy?”
“Hold me back, Kate, or I’m going to slap some sense into her and that could take some time.” Kate stepped forward just in case Sarah meant it.
“Sarah is still understandably upset, because you’ve hoovered up the only crumb of happiness she had left,” said Kate, but Melanie just stared at her with a total lack of comprehension. “You and Andy getting together,” added Kate.
“Oh, right,” Melanie nodded and then shook her head. “But we’re not together.” Melanie was looking more confused than ever.
“You troll bitch from hell, you’ve dumped him already!” Sarah lurched at Melanie, but Kate quickly grabbed her arm, which in her still-unsteady state was enough to have Sarah pirouetting out of the way.
“He kept coming round to mine. I thought it was just a line when he said he was just checking that I was getting better, but when I made it clear that I liked him, he said he was in love with someone else and it was serious.”
“Serious,” repeated Sarah in a smug tone.
“I think he’s gay,” said Melanie.
“What? Do I look like a bloke?” Sarah glanced down at her chest and shrugged. Looking down did not help her spinning head.
“Are you sure she’s all right?” Melanie asked Kate, as she stepped a bit further back from Sarah. “Anyway, Andy must be gay to turn this down,” and she waved her hands up and down her body and did a little pout for good measure.” Sarah opened her mouth but Kate was quicker off the mark.
“Melanie, thanks for explaining, but I’m sure you’re very busy, just like we are,” and Kate started to walk Sarah towards the pub. Melanie waved after them and trotted off.
Sarah had decided that, since Melanie wasn’t seeing Andy, she could still work at the pub. So it was an interesting conversation between Sarah and Phil, where Sarah denied all knowledge of ever resigning and Phil shook his head a lot. Thankfully he hadn’t replaced her, so he was happy to have her resume her job once she’d sobered up.
Back at Sarah’s, Kate was sweeping up the post from the floor and Sarah was leaning against the wall waiting for the stairs to stop spinning, so that she could get on them. There was a knock on the door and Sarah reached out and opened it without thinking. The door was swung open hard and crashed into Sarah’s face, sending her reeling back against the wall. Shaun stepped inside and slammed the door shut.
“How convenient. The two people I hate most.”
“Don’t be an idiot…” started Kate.
“Have today off,” muttered Sarah, as she tried to work out which part of her face the blood was coming from.
“Shut up, both of you.” Shaun’s eyes were wide and staring and they darted between the two women. “Where’s my gear?”
“If you mean the otter, he’s helping police with their enquiries,” said Sarah.
Kate was desperately trying to think of a way to get to the door, but Shaun was in front of it and she doubted she could beat him to the back door, which she knew was locked. She started to edge her way down the hall and backed herself up to the hall table, where her bag was.
“You stupid bitch! Where’s the clown?” Shaun shouted.
“I’m looking at him!” both women said at once and Sarah went to high-five Kate, but Kate wasn’t playing. Shaun grabbed Sarah around the throat.
“Don’t get smart! That clown is my ticket out of here. It could have been our ticket out of here, if you hadn’t…”
“Come to my senses?”
“You’ll never get another man like me, Sarah.” Shaun’s tone softened momentarily.
“God, I hope not. Nobody could be that unlucky twice!” she croaked.
“There’s about two hundred thousand pounds worth of gear stuffed inside that clown. So, tell me where the fucking thing is?”
“He’s also helping the police with their enquiries. It must be like the Royal Variety Performance down there.” Sarah managed to squeeze the words out, but it was difficult as Shaun’s grip was tightening. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, but she didn’t feel as scared as she thought she should be, or as scared as Kate looked, for that matter.
“Let her go, Shaun!” shouted Kate, but he ignored her.
“You need to get the clown back, and quick.” Shaun was leaning close to Sarah’s face.
“Leave her alone,” Kate said, calmer this time. “Leave now, before I call the police.” Shaun started to laugh. It was a mocking snort. He kept hold of Sarah and turned to glare at Kate.
“You have no idea. I couldn’t give a crap about the police. I’ve screwed over some major dealers and, if I don’t get out of here, they’re gonna kill me.” He said it slowly, as if talking to a child.
“I really don’t care,” said Kate, equally patronisingly. Shaun lashed out quickly with his free hand and the force of the backhander across her cheek knocked Kate into the hall table, sending it toppling over, with its contents scattered on the floor and Kate on top of it. With Shaun distracted, Sarah kicked out and caught him in the stomach. He let go of her throat and doubled over. Sarah started bashing him around the head, but one well-aimed punch from Shaun had Sarah’s head ricocheting off the wall and she slumped to the floor. Shaun turned to Kate. She tried to shuffle backwards away from him, her head pounding and her ribs and wrist painful from the fall.
“You’ve got money! I want cards and PIN numbers now!” he shouted as he leaned over Kate with his fists clenched.
“Drop dead,” said Kate, her chest heaving. Shaun grabbed Kate by the throat and raised his fist to hit her again. Kate reached for the yellow object on the floor and, with all the power she could muster, she swung it at Shaun’s head and scored a direct hit. Shaun fell half on top of Kate and he lay still and silent.
“Shit! I’ve killed him,” Kate looked at the heavy object in her hand and tried to bring it into focus, “with a pineapple!” There was a groaning from near the door. “Sarah, are you okay?”
“I’ve been better. My head hurts. That wine really was the most awful shite.”
“I think I’ve killed Shaun.” Kate nudged Shaun’s body off her own and he didn’t respond. A trickle of blood slid from his hair down his face.
“On the bright side, I still have his insurance policy… but Andy is going to be mightily pissed off … if we dig up the patio again,” said Sarah in between gasps as the pain kicked in.
Kate reached for her mobile and realised that her hands were shaking to a comedic level. Sarah dragged herself up the hall towards Kate, who got a good look at her for the first time.
“Christ! Sarah, your nose!”
“I know, it’s Dad’s side of the family… they all have big noses.”
“Sarah, don’t be so flippant. This is serious,” said Kate, as she dialled 999 on her mobile and then winced as she tried to lift it to her ear with her right hand. Someone answered very efficiently on the second ring and offered her a choice. “Please can I have police and an ambulance? Can I do that?”
“And an undertaker,” said Sarah kicking Shaun’s body in the ribs. Shaun groaned. “Hold the undertaker, the arsehole’s still alive. Oh, hang on, I can remedy that,” and Sarah reached for the pineapple. Kate gave her a nudge and she dropped it. “Spoilsport!”
The paramedics and hospital staff were all lovely, but the long wait they had to endure was not. Sarah had to stay in overnight so that they could monitor her head injuries, but they kept repeating that it was just routine. The police took photos of both Sarah’s and Kate’s injuries and hovered about for most of the evening. Shaun was being kept in due to his head injury, too, and police were outside his room. They weren’t sure if that was for their protection or for his. The police were confident Shaun was going to get a hefty prison sentence, thanks to the now-lengthy list of evidence they had. They had been monitoring him in connection with a drugs’ ring for months.
After Kate’s arm was plastered in an unattractive orange cast and they had confirmed that she had bruised, but not brok
en, her ribs, she was able to sit at Sarah’s bedside, where she fell asleep. She was aware of someone talking to her and had to think for a moment before she remembered where she was.
“No wonder Tim wouldn’t sleep with you, your snoring is shocking,” grinned Sarah, as she ruffled Kate’s already dishevelled hair. Kate stretched one arm and yawned, and tried to release the tension in her neck. She looked at Sarah, whose face was a patchwork of purple and pink with a smattering of bloodied stitches for good measure. Sarah saw the look on Kate’s face, “I know my face probably looks like a dropped pie, but you don’t look so great yourself.”
“Thanks, that’s helpful.” Kate gingerly touched the swelling on her cheek with her good arm. “At least I have a bona fide excuse for my editor.” She raised her plaster to Sarah.
“Make yourself useful and track me down a coffee, will you? I’m thirstier than a marathon runner in the desert,” said Sarah.
As Kate stood at the coffee machine trying to work out how she was going to carry back two hot drinks, she heard a familiar voice close behind her.
“Shall I help you? They don’t have a burns unit here.” Kate turned round.
“Andy!” Kate gave him a hug and he kissed her lightly on her unbruised cheek.
“I’d love to see what you did to Shaun, if you say he came off worse.”
“It’s amazing how much damage you can do with a pineapple.”
“How is she?” Andy’s smile faded.
“It’s not as bad as it looks; they’ve been checking her every two hours. Come on, it’s just down here.”
The shock on Andy’s face was clear, but he did his best to hide it as he put the drinks down next to Sarah’s bed.
“Where’s Amy?” Sarah asked looking behind Andy.
“Breakfast club with Freya. Hello, how are you feeling?”
“Oh, sorry. Hi, yeah, I’m okay. Head’s a bit sore, but I’ve had worse hangovers than this.” Andy leant over and very tenderly kissed Sarah.
“I’m really sorry about Melanie. She got the wrong idea and I didn’t like to upset her, but I didn’t want to lose you and… it all got into a bit of a mess…” Andy ran a hand through his already untidy hair.
“You have my tea, Andy. I’m off to St Gaudentia’s. The walk and fresh air will do me good,” said Kate.
“Subtle, she ain’t,” grinned Sarah.
“Kate, before you go,” said Andy, “Tim rang for you last night, so I told him what happened and I’ve kept him updated with things. He’s a nice guy. He was dead worried about you. We’ve swapped mobile numbers.” Andy waved his mobile as if it now had a new celebrity status.
Chapter 30
Kate was right; the stroll to St Gaudentia’s was a pleasant one. There were a few fluffy white clouds moving slowly across the sky, but otherwise it was a warm morning, which held the promise of a bright, sunny day to come.
She made a brief call to Marcus, to let him know that she wouldn’t make it on set today. Marcus was already in a high state of drama, thanks to a call late the night before from Tim and he took a lot of convincing that Kate didn’t need to be admitted to St Gaudentia’s herself. When he was finally happy that the ruffian – Marcus’s term for Shaun, not Kate’s – was locked up and that none of her injuries was permanent, he at last let her go.
As Kate walked up the steps into the familiar building the receptionist did a double- take at Kate.
“I’m just visiting, if that’s okay?”
“Of course… it’s just that it’s a bit early.”
“Sorry,” Kate checked her watch; it was almost eight-thirty. “I’ll sit in the garden for a bit.”
“Would you like a drink?”
“Tea would be lovely, thanks,” said Kate and she headed through the building, out of the French doors, and onto the shaded patio.
After some time, Kate was woken by someone shaking her gently. The sun had moved and was now in her eyes; she had been asleep for a while.
“Thank goodness for that. The vultures were circling,” said Didi, “and your tea’s cold. Would you like another?” Kate blinked a few times.
“Hi, Didi, are you visiting me?” said Kate, feeling confused.
“Sort of. I came with a friend.” Didi stood up and kissed Kate on the forehead before she went inside. Kate tried to sit up on the bench, but it was not easy with one arm in plaster. She felt a strong arm ease her up straight as Tim sat down on the bench next to her, his face crinkled with concern.
“Hi. What are you two doing here?” Kate said, licking her lips and wishing she’d drunk the tea, although a toothbrush would be the best thing for her right now.
“Can you see two of me?” said Tim, alarmed.
“No, I meant you and Didi, you fool. I’m fine, really, I’m fine,” Kate grinned, which made her cheek twinge.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Okay,” said Kate, still trying to wake up. She waited expectantly as Tim shuffled along the bench and took her hand.
“Kate…”
“Yes,” she said slowly, trying to un-fog her sleepy mind.
“Right, I’m just going to say it. Christ it’s so much easier with a script. The thing is… I think you and me would be good together.” Kate instinctively inched back; this was not what she expected and all sorts of alarm bells were going off in her head. This was Timothy Calder! Why on earth would he say that? Especially as he’d already turned her down once. “Kate, did you hear me?” Tim was looking concerned by her reaction.
“This on-off thing with Lumina, is it definitely over?”
“That was over months ago. I agreed to keep up the pretence of a relationship and, in exchange, she promised not to wreck filming.”
“Okay, but what about Jackie?”
“Jackie?” Tim looked wrong-footed.
“Yes, Jackie. Who is she?”
“Look, everyone has a secret and this is mine.” Things flashed through Kate’s mind: hooker, drug-buddy, secret wife? The suspense was like waiting for the winner of a talent show to be announced.
“Tim, I need to know if she… I just need to know …” Kate said, feeling very tired of everything.
“Okay. Jackie is not a she.”
“Not a she?” said Kate waking up. “What then? A he-she, a lady boy? You read about it in the papers, but you never expect…” Tim interrupted her by gently placing a finger on her lips to stop her, his eyes wide with panic.
“No. Please stop jumping to conclusions.” He paused and started again. “Jackie is an eight-year-old boy.” This time, Kate’s eyebrows jumped so high they nearly left her forehead behind. “For Christ’s sake, please don’t even think anything until I’ve finished. Seriously, just listen.” Kate nodded, his finger still touching her lips.
“Jackie is an eight-year-old boy. I have kept this a secret for Jackie’s sake, and no one else’s. Jackie’s mother was called Donna. I met her at the first Agent X film premiere party. She got in as a waitress and then changed in the ladies’ loos halfway through the night. She was out to sleep with someone famous that night and I was the naïve, self-absorbed idiot that didn’t see it coming. We drank heavily and passed out in my hotel room. Nothing happened.” Kate’s eyes flickered at this. “Honestly, Kate, I was not capable of anything. But, seven months later, she threatened to go to the papers if I didn’t pay her a large lump sum and maintenance for the baby she was about to have. I wasn’t going to pay up because I knew I hadn’t slept with her, so my legal team demanded a paternity test. Before she had the baby Donna sold her story to a paper for a couple of grand, but it didn’t go too wide because they were worried about being sued. When she gave birth the test was negative, as expected. But what we didn’t know until he arrived was that he had Down’s syndrome.” Tim paused and took a deep breath. “God, this is hard. I’ve never had to tell anyone before.” Kate took Tim’s hand away from her mouth and held it tightly.
“Go on, carry on,” she said softly.
“D
onna called the baby Jack. She left hospital, facing a life in a one-bedroom, high-rise flat with a baby that needed special support. She had debts and my legal team were threatening to sue her and the newspaper who’d run the story. She had no family to speak of and no one to turn to. She was desperate.” Tim willed Kate to understand with his eyes, which were filling with tears. Kate felt hers doing the same.
“Donna fed Jack, put him on his face in his cot and covered him over. She wrote a note and then took an overdose. A social worker found them the next day. It was too late for Donna but, amazingly, Jack survived.” Tim wiped away a tear, “The lawyers told me to stay away, but I couldn’t get this little baby out of my mind. I went to the hospital to see him. He was so tiny and helpless. I told myself it would just be one visit. He went into foster care, just a temporary measure before he would be adopted and I kept track of him. I sent some money, a few toys, just to tide him over until he had a proper family. But it never happened; nobody wanted to adopt Jack.” Kate stifled a sob and Tim continued. “I kept in touch with his foster carers and became his kind of buddy. I see him whenever I can. If you could see the love in that kid’s eyes. I don’t have to care for him, but I do.”
“Why keep it so secret?”
“If the press got hold of it, it’s only Jackie who would get hurt. He’d discover things about his mother that no child should know. He would be thrown into the spotlight and it would destroy him. They would assume he was my son and then, when they discovered he wasn’t, no one would understand why I spend time with him. There would be all sorts of accusations. Trust me, this way is best. His foster parents think so, too.”
Kate had so many questions flying around in her head and one of the less-obvious ones popped out. “Why do you call him Jackie?”
“He’s obsessed with Jackie Stewart, the racing driver. He saw a TV documentary and he was hooked. From then on we’ve all had to call him Jackie.”
“So what does being his buddy entail?”
“We talk a lot on the phone and I see him when I can. I paid for him to have a heart operation he needed in America. He comes to the villa in Italy; that’s easiest as there are fewer paps. I took him and his foster mother there that time that you and Didi blew me out.” Kate retraced her memory and pieced together that the woman’s voice she’d heard call Tim must have been Jackie’s foster mother.
It Started at Sunset Cottage Page 35