Trodds Lane

by Nick Roteman

  They indeed turned off at the sign for Cobham and drove down the Byfleet Road, but instead of doing a right turn at the traffic lights, they mistakenly continued straight on, and had to turn down the next main road which was called Brooklands Road, and head back towards Weybridge town. As they approached the roundabout at Weybridge Station Rachel spotted a pub on their left and decided to stop there for lunch before tackling Mrs Alice Chandler.

  She drove into the ample car park of the Hand & Spear and parked up.

  Auburn frowned before looking over at Rachel.

  “Why have we stopped, surely Peter’s mother doesn’t live in a pub does she?”

  Rachel opened the car door and made to get out. “Lunchtime darling, come on, I promised you!”

  At the thought of food, Auburn was out the car and trotting off towards the pub entrance before Rachel had even locked the car.

  “Hey wait for me!” She called out in vain, as she ran to catch up.

  She managed to beat Auburn to the door and opened it for her but she hesitated. “You go first please Rachel,” she mumbled.

  The Hand & Spear pub had been fully refurbished a few years back, and was now very smart and up market, ready to cater for the local businessmen to meet and do business in. It was already almost full but luckily there was one small table free near the window and Rachel pointed it out, as she dashed ahead to bag it.

  Auburn joined her, instantly announcing before she had sat down, “I’m going to have a burger I think, cheese, bacon, and chips, and a coke please. A real coke not that diet stuff!”

  “Gosh ok, that was quick.” Rachel conceded, grabbing for the menu. “Let me have a quick look, and I’ll order for us. What a great place, bit up market for the likes of me, I’m more used to old wooden tables and sticky floors,” she tittered thinking of the many university pubs she normally frequented.

  Auburn pulled a face, “that’s not very hygienic, I wouldn’t like that. This looks nice and clean, are you ready yet I’m really hungry!”

  “Yup, think I’ll have Lancashire hotpot, mum used to make that for us.”

  As she stood up, Auburn thrust out her hand. “Here for the meal.”

  “No it’s on me, I did promise you lunch!”

  “Yes but it’s your car, your petrol, so it’s my contribution thank you! Take, take.” She insisted, waving her hand but averting her eyes.

  Rachel was about to protest but the smile had faded off Auburn’s face, this was important to her, so she gave in and thanked her instead.

  It was back to the roundabout, over the railway line and left into St.George’s Avenue, right into Egerton Road and first left into Egerton Close, and they were at their destination. There were just the three houses in the close and Alice Chandler’s was the one on the right side. It was an enormous 5 or maybe 6 bedroom mock Tudor style house, but nevertheless very stylish, and expensive, this being Weybridge, and a house on the slopes of the famous St.George’s Hill Estate no less added to its value.

  Rachel squeaked, “Oh my god,” as she stopped outside the property, parking up half on the verge, as the fancy wrought iron gates guarding the entrance to the driveway were firmly shut. She got out the car, and Auburn followed.

  “Suppose we have to ring the bell to be let in the drive, unless we look too scruffy!” she giggled, secretly wishing she had worn a dress instead of her faded jeans and high boots.

  Auburn on the other hand had dressed more appropriately for once, in a navy and white thick striped maxi dress, with oat coloured wedge sandals.

  “I’m not scruffy than you!”

  “Then you stand in front of me,” Rachel said pressing the intercom button, while Auburn stood at the gates staring through the bars rather forlornly up the driveway to the house.

  The intercom crackled into life. “Yes, who is it?” Came the response in a deep male voice.

  “Oh hello, yes, er, this is, Rachel Miller, I’m Peter’s flatmate, could we come in please?”

  “Why?”

  “Why? I’m worried about him, please if I could talk to Alice his mother, please...”

  With a short clicking sound, the gates unlocked and began to move apart briefly before stopping, leaving just enough room for her and Auburn to squeeze through. They crunched along the pebble driveway up to the front door, which opened as they reached it, and a tall good-looking man in his late thirties glared out at them.

  “You said you live with Pete?” he asked bluntly, his face a mask of expression.

  “Yes and...” Rachel began.

  “Well he’s not here you know, so what do you want, why are you here?”

  “Look can we come in please, we need to speak to his mother.” Rachel was becoming annoyed with this bloody man.

  “This is not good,” Auburn said as she began rocking slightly back and forth on her heels. “I don’t like this or this man!” she muttered under her breath.

  Tom glared at her, “What’s her problem?” he growled at Rachel.

  “You! She needs to go inside, before she starts to scream!”

  “Scream, what are you about, you bloody mad or something! Look Alice is out, I suggest you come back another time,” he replied as he began to disappear back inside closing the door, but he hesitated when Auburn let out an ear-piercing shriek, and before he could shut the door, Rachel had elbowed past him and was calling Auburn to follow.

  Tom gave in and stood aside for Auburn to pass.

  “Well come in then why don’t you. This way you two,” he said pushing past and leading the way. “Follow me, you can wait in here if you must, but she might be all day you know!”

  Rachel looked back at Auburn, and realised she was actually grinning.

  “Always works.” She whispered.

  “My goodness you little devil, well done,” Rachel mouthed back as they followed Tom into the elegant drawing room; definitely not the usual ‘front room’ she was accustomed to.

  “Just sit and wait alright, I might get you a cup of tea later if you’re quiet, and don’t move. Everything here is real and bloody expensive so sit quietly and don’t touch anything right!”

  “I have to have tea now!” Auburn warned, “Or I cannot help myself, I might have to scream again, I can’t help it, I’m special you know, and you will know!”

  “Alright tea, tea, just sit down both of you and don’t bloody move as I said, Christ!”

  As soon as he had left the room, Auburn was up again.

  “So what are we looking for, I love snooping. Shall I creep upstairs to the bedrooms, while you look around here?”

  Rachel was horrified. “What, no, God sit down!”

  She jumped to her feet and implored Auburn to just sit and wait for now, quite believing her capable of disappearing off upstairs. Emitting a sharp tutting sound, one of her favourable sounds, Auburn did as she asked, for the time being.

  Tom returned with a tray with three mugs of tea, and even a plate of biscuits, and plopped them down on the coffee table in front of the settee where Rachel sat, while Auburn had chosen one of the armchairs situated under a large bay window but facing towards her.

  Rachel glanced at the gaily-coloured mugs and was actually disappointed having half expected a silver tea service for such an exclusive area.

  Tom saw Rachel pull a face. “What, you expect a teapot and bone china cups, dream on darling, they’re reserved for the invited ones!” he growled back.

  He chose to sit on the other armchair and stared at Rachel. “So I know who you are, but who’s your little weird friend?” he said with a short nod in her direction.

  “I am not!” Auburn retorted leaning forward to grab a handful of biscuits before sitting back again in the armchair, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the wooden floor, she could feel his barely controlled anger and it
was unsettling and a little frightening, but it didn’t stop her stuffing her face with the biscuits.

  “Feisty too! So?”

  “So?”

  “So who are you and what do you want here, do I make myself clear? And cut out the witty responses!”

  Rachel attempted to explain. “As I already said, we are just worried as we haven’t heard from Pete and wanted to ask his mum if she knew where he was by any chance, that’s all we want to know, he is my flatmate you know.”

  “Couldn’t you just have bloody rung; I presume you’ve come all the way up from Bournemouth eh? Alice has got a lot on her mind at present and doesn’t need complications. So why don’t you just drink up and go yeah, leave her alone.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  Leaning forward in his chair he jutted out his chin and glared again at her. “Actually yeah I do, he’s gone away with some friends, a freebee. Didn’t say when he’d be back, but why not he’s only a bloody student. He should have told you, but he’s extremely immature like that and often doesn’t think about others, you know what bloody students are like!”

  “Rachel’s a student,” Auburn muttered under her breath.

  “Exactly, then she bloody knows what’s what, doesn’t she!”

  “Where’s he gone?” Auburn demanded. “I don’t believe you. What’s your name, why don’t you tell us? I really don’t like you.”

  “I couldn’t give a fuck whether you like me or not and he’s not my bloody son. I’m a close friend of Alice’s, and for the record my name is Tom, right!”

  “Tom Wright, I’ll remember that. Where do you live?”

  Tom shook his head from side to side in annoyance. “No stupid, my names not Tom Wright, Tom Phipps...Jesus you’re determined to wind me up, you’ll be sorry if you keep on like this!” His eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously. “I promise you you’ll regret this!”

  Rachel butted in this time desperate to defuse the situation. “I don’t like your tone there’s no need for that, we’re just concerned about Pete, he’s more than a flatmate he’s a really good friend of mine and Auburn’s, can’t you help us?”

  “Yes and I’m not at all stupid!” Auburn added. “You had better not be lying to us,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Or what? He growled back. “And anyway why should I. I couldn’t care less what either of you might think!”

  He got to his feet. “Time you two left I think. I don’t know when Alice is returning and I don’t want her bothered by a couple of hysterical women, time to go, now!”

  Rachel obeyed and stood up but Auburn remained seated, staring at a spot level with Tom’s stomach.

  Very calmly she warned him. “You must ask Alice to let us know immediately she hears from Peter, we need to know where he is, it’s important, very important to us.”

  Tom’s eyes narrowed his huge hands opened and closed rapidly making fists he seemed about to explode. Rachel could sense the mounting anger and was slightly in a panic not sure whether they should quickly leave.

  The turmoil inside of Tom was clearly apparent as he wrestled with his temper, but with a monumental effort he managed to control himself this time, and Rachel not realising she had been holding her breath, breathed a great sigh of relief. Breathing deeply with his chest heaving, he asked Auburn for her email address and he would let her know.

  “Write it down!” she said still very cross with him.

  Tom left the room and Rachel glanced at Auburn. “Well done you, god you’re so brave. I was really getting worried.” She whispered, really impressed.

  He soon returned with a small notepad and pencil and threw it hard at Auburn, who easily caught it. She scribbled down her email address and standing up put the pad carefully on the coffee table, grabbed another biscuit and slowly walked out the room. Rachel seeing her leaving quickly followed after her.

  “Thank you for the tea, Mr Phipps!”

  “Just get out!”

  They walked back down the pebbled drive this time arm in arm towards the gate.

  “Golly Auburn you were fantastic, I thought he was going to hit either you or me or both, he’s an animal, such pent up aggression. Weren’t you frightened at all, I was terrified you know?”

  “Bloody annoyed actually, but I’m used to people being nasty to me, I try to shut it out, but he, he was insufferable.” Almost wistfully she added, “I could have hit him you know, nearly did.”

  “Funnily enough I do believe you.”

  “I wouldn’t let him hurt you, I wouldn’t you know.”

  As they got back into the car, they heard the clunk followed by a click, as the gates shut and locked tight.

  Inside the car Rachel puffed out her cheeks and sat there for a moment, unable to do anything, trying to calm herself down but her mind was still in turmoil; that had been particularly nasty.

  “That was all so unnecessary,” she finally bleated out as a tear followed by another rolled down her face. Suddenly the floodgates opened and she bawled out her heart, crying and sniffing. Auburn sat there staring at the dashboard unable to understand what was happening and what she was supposed to do next. People were so difficult to understand. She was often driven to tears and the odd tantrum, but that was due to pure frustration at not getting either her way or her point of view across, as far as she was concerned they had won the day.

  “Why are you crying, I don’t understand Rachel, we have done all we could.”

  Rachel nodded and grabbing a tissue out of her bag blew her nose loudly.

  “Sorry, I’m just a bit worried about Peter, silly I know, he’s probably having fun and not thinking one bit about us.”

  Auburn nodded, although she could have shrugged her shoulders. Some people were so weird give her, her laptop any day. She couldn’t wait to get home and back onto the net, that she understood.

  At length Rachel calmed down and claimed to feel much better, but needed a drink before they set off for home.

  “Oh do we, I want to get home,” Auburn muttered, but was overruled.

  Rachel drove back to the A3 road but instead of taking the slipway down to it drove instead over the junction and into the town of Cobham. Suddenly she pulled up outside a Waitrose store on her left, and asked an elderly woman passer-by for the nearest pub. She told her there was one less than a mile away in the direction of Downside and pointed the way for them to go.

  They drove into the small car park, which was an integral part of the delightful and very sweet looking Plough Public House. Inside was cosy and warm and they were welcomed by a young and very pretty bar person. After a strong drink for Rachel, with a lemonade plus two packets of marmite crisps for Auburn, they set off on the long journey back to Bournemouth, arriving there just after 8pm; it had indeed been a long day.

  Just about the same time as they arrived in Bournemouth, finished for the day, and headed for the pier area where their house was, in the so called Main Square in Central Bournemouth life was just beginning.

  The Café, the focal point of the large semi pedestrianized square, was in full steam with almost all the outside tables occupied by an eclectic mix of young and old, all thoroughly enjoying the warm night air. At one of the tables, set on one side almost out of view from the main ensemble, sat three scruffy young men, their table almost totally covered in empty beer bottles. Two of them were probably in their late teens, early twenties, but the other was the youth that got away from Orla Gray outside the library.

  At around 10 o’clock and on duty Orla Gray passed through the square accompanied by her colleague, Neil Owens. They were making a visible presence, a necessary and possibly major part of their remit, to be clearly seen and reassure the public. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the youth, but walked on by so as not to alarm him. Orla and Neil were on a relatively early shi
ft this week, and 11am came and they clocked off.

  Outside their police station Orla stopped to say goodnight to Neil.

  “Oh not coming for a swift one in the Duck, just one?” Which was a reference to the Black Swan pub, a favourite haunt of the local off duty police, it being only a stone’s throw from HQ, and as an added bonus, the Landlord was ex-police, so understood there was a need to unwind sometimes and to protect the privacy of his clientele.

  Orla shook her head slowly, “Not tonight thanks, I’m just going to go back to Main Square, check on those louts that were drinking there.”

  Neil Owens looked quizzically at her. “But that’s in the wrong direction to your flat. Do you want some company?”

  “No, go on you go have a drink with the others, I’ll be ok. I’m just going to take another look, that’s all.”

  “You sure, I don’t mind coming?”

  “If there’s any trouble I’ll call the real police, promise...now bye, off you go have fun, I’ll be ok!”

  Orla made her way back to Main Square. She was fairly certain the youths would not leave the square until the early hours, they had nowhere else to go, and would be there or there about making a noise and a mess, as by now they would not only be drunk but bored.

  She kept to the shadows as much as possible as she approached the square. The Café had now closed for the night, and the square was almost deserted. She prayed she hadn’t got her timings wrong and just for once they had wondered off, but she needn’t have worried. There they were there their numbers now increased to six. Four of them were sitting on the wall behind the café, smoking and still drinking, while the other two were routing through the dustbins and picking out an empty beer bottle or two, which they then threw with gusto over the low wall behind the cafe into the garden below. She inched slightly closer so as to see them more clearly, and to note which one was the one she wanted. Suddenly a wine bottle flew into the square and shattered with a bang onto the flagstones, and yes the culprit was her little friend. She really ought to do something, but she desperately wanted to find out where that youth lived, so against her better judgment she disappeared back into the shadows and walked as quickly as she could to collect her car.