Trodds Lane

by Nick Roteman

  “Sod you!” he screamed at the phone. “Just fuck off will you!”

  The phone stopped and Freddy exhaled with relief. He was not in the mood to talk to anybody; he hurt and was feeling very sorry for himself.

  His silence lasted only another two minutes, before Lady Gaga began singing to him.

  “God I have to change my ring tone!” he cursed.

  He searched about him; he could clearly hear the damn phone but couldn’t see it, so tired and exhausted he left it to ring. It stopped but shortly it began to beep, a text had been received.

  “Oh for goodness sakes!” he yelled as he slowly and painfully got back to his feet to find his dear phone. It was in his coat pocket, which he had tossed by the front door.

  The text was from Tom saying he was so worried about him, and desperate to talk, and to please ring him as soon as possible. He ignored the request, and tossed his phone onto the other couch and fell back onto his.

  He slept again for some time before being rudely awoken, this time by someone knocking insistently on his front door.

  The knocking failed to stop, so he was forced to struggle to his feet and shuffle off to the front door.

  He opened it ready to tell whoever was there to fuck off, but at the sight of Tom standing there, he faltered, his heart started to race.

  “Can I come in, I’ve been so worried...”

  Freddy sighed but stood his ground.

  “Please Freddy, we need to talk, I need to explain.”

  Freddy moved slightly to one side, “Just for a minute, I feel like crap, thanks.”

  Tom attempted to put his arm around him to help him, but he shook it off.

  “I can walk better on my own, just go into the living room.”

  “Look I know you’ll not forgive me, but I just wanted to see how you are.” Tom began. Freddy was about to interrupt but Tom held up one huge hand.

  “Please let me have my say, then if you wish I’ll just go.”

  Freddy dropped down onto the couch, “Go on, I’m listening.”

  “I can’t take back what happened, though I wish I hadn’t been so rough...”

  “Rough that’s a good one!” Freddy exclaimed shaking his head.

  “I can’t justify it, you get me so horny, and with the drink...I’m so sorry, I can’t say anymore...”

  “Ok well you’ve said it, so thank you, now please I think that’s it, don’t you?”

  “No!” Tom moaned. “Don’t say that. Look you get better and let me take you out for a really good meal,” he put his hands up. “Just a meal, like the old days, lots of talk that’s all. Will you do that for me?” he said and it appeared he was almost begging.

  “We’ll see.” Freddy answered, with a brief nod of his head. “Yes we used to have fun, perhaps a meal when I’m better.” He conceded after a pause.

  Freddy was exhausted, pulling up his legs to his chest he lay down on the couch. “I need to sleep Tom, yeah, see yourself out will you!” he muttered.

  “Also about the police, I really am innocent.” Tom began explaining. “Sorry I had to involve you but it was the quickest way to get the police off my back, they’ve got it in for me.”

  Freddy with a pained expression and eyes shut nodded his head slightly.

  “I won’t forget that Freddy.”

  The front door banged and a second later the living room door flew back on its hinges and Auburn bounced in with Rachel on her heels.

  “It’s done Tom no problem.” Freddy assured him.

  “What’s done, why are you here?” Auburn yelled at Tom as she stopped dead in her tracks, making Rachel following behind fall into her.

  “It has nothing to do with you, you slag.” Tom growled. “I was worried about Freddy here!”

  He stood there towering over her menacingly.

  “You need to go I think,” Rachel warned him coming out from Auburn’s shadow. “And I don’t think there’s any need to swear, just leave us please.”

  Auburn gingerly took two steps backwards managing to tuck in safely behind Rachel, who was bravely standing her ground staring straight at Tom.

  “Yeah!” Auburn agreed from her point of safety.

  “You’re not wanted in here, go!” she growled, daring to actually stare at him.

  Tom took a step making Rachel involuntarily flinch, but instead he leant towards Freddy to give him a peck on the cheek but he pulled away, putting up a hand in a sort of, stop or goodbye way.

  He pushed past them heading out but whispered to Auburn, “You’ll be sorry, I’ll have you for this you little shit!”

  He had only called to make sure Freddy would say nothing and keep his mouth shut, bumping into the girls had been a bonus; he still needed to teach that Auburn a lesson.

  He had hoped she would be there, he needed to frighten her to the point where she would no longer be any trouble. She deserved a good kicking, but that would be too obvious and would lead straight back to him. It would have to be a game of minds, confuse her and she would retreat into her shell, he had done some reading on autism and how unstable their minds could become with the right trigger. If he could trigger one of her episodes then no one would believe anything she came up with, but it would be so much easier just to beat her up, if only he thought.

  Now that he had left Auburn rushed to Freddy’s side and jumping onto the couch next to him impulsively threw her arms around him, making him squeal in pain.

  “Ooh sorry, but you must promise us you won’t go out with him again. He’s evil, he really is. Oh it’s good to have you back, can I come home now?”

  Freddy untangled himself from her and smiled trying to make light of things as he struggled to sit up. “He’s not as bad as you both think. He did come to apologise, you know he doesn’t mean what he does, it’s just him.”

  Rachel joined them kneeling down by his feet. “How are you babe, you really need to chill with him, Auburn has a point he’s not right in the head, he’s dangerous.”

  “Look it was probably partially my fault, anyway it won’t happen again, and as I said he did come all this way to apologise, he didn’t have to, yeah? So lets forget it.”

  Auburn frowned. “He came to make sure you didn’t change your alibi. Why did you say he was with you I don’t understand Freddy, why?” she questioned.

  “I know he didn’t do anything to that guy.” Freddy tried to explain. “The easiest way was to give him an alibi, I trust him Aub, well on something like that anyway. I know what you think of him but it’s not in his nature.”

  Auburn thought for a minute before getting up off the couch. “Ok, I’m glad you are home I’ve missed being here.”

  “But Moira has been a saint,” Rachel added, glancing up at Freddy. “She probably saved your worthless life, you owe her big time mister when you’re better!”

  “I know and I will, promise.”

  “She’s been good to me too looking after me.” Auburn said. She glanced over at Rachel who had also got back to her feet. “Come on tea time. Come with me to the kitchen I need to ask you, well I’ll explain in the kitchen it’s private, come on.” She said.

  Rachel smiled at Freddy. “She’s a gem, I love her. How you really feeling, you look awful you know, do you want a drink?”

  “I’m good actually, just need to rest. Tea actually I’d love a cup cheers!”

  Rachel joined Auburn in the kitchen. “I’m still to be convinced about Tom’s innocence, and I’m also worried about Freddy. A young man has been brutally beaten to death it could easily have been Freddy.” She shivered. “Somehow we have to be vigilant and keep a watchful eye on him for his own good, next time he might not be so lucky.”

  “There mustn’t be a next time with that evil man!” Auburn agreed.

  Anyway t
hose morbid thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind as Auburn couldn’t wait to recount exactly what had happened last night with her and Oli and why she had walked off into the night. Rachel listened intently to her story without interrupting, although she was desperate to. Finally she had finished.

  “Oh Aub darling, you can’t just leap on a man.”

  “Even if I like him?”

  “No, not just because you like him!”

  “Why not, they say a picture paints a thousand words, so why not a deed?”

  “Let me take Freddy his tea, and if you will listen I will try and explain where you went wrong, ok.”

  “I didn’t go wrong,” Auburn muttered as Rachel left the kitchen with his tea. Freddy was fast asleep, so she put it gently on the coffee table and tiptoed back out.

  “But.” Auburn answered as soon as Rachel re-entered the kitchen. “I did everything right, it was him.” She sniffed her clothes. “Poo I need a shower!”

  “Yes you do, but tea first, shower, and then a lesson in getting your man!”

  Auburn corrected her. “I’ve got my man, he just needs to know that and give me a good seeing to!”

  “Aub, your language please!”

  Tom decided he might as well stay down in Bournemouth for a few days and rang Alice to say business was going so well and he would have to stay on until next weekend.

  “Just promise me you’re not seeing that Natalie person?”

  “I promise, I will keep well away, you have my promise darling, I don’t wish to ever meet her again.”

  That night Tom walked down to his local pub on the corner of Trodds Lane. The Owl and Parrot was a genuine sawdust and spit public house, and in many a way unchanged since when it was first built in the 1930s. Except that back then there would have been three bars to accommodate the different social classes. Now the entire downstairs of the pub was one huge odd shaped room. In one corner was a billiard table and two noisy and constantly flashing gambling machines, The middle ground was full of cheap wooden effect tables and hard chairs, and in the other corner nearest the window, sat the ‘boys’, the local thieves and villains of the area and Tom’s mates. It was a shabby place in desperate need of a refurbishment, but it was close to his flat, the beer was cheap, and the landlord knew when to shut his ears and keep his nose out of things.

  Tonight the usual group of suspects, Darren, Wayne and Steve were sat in the corner, listening to Jerry Malone sounding off about the state of the economy, bloody Italians holding us to ransom, and the bloody price of diesel fuel; in fact just a normal evening down at the pub.

  These men were the best of the local conmen and scam merchants, although Wayne actually had a real job, well part time, as a bailiff. He was old school, ‘pay up now or I’ll bloody break your legs’ was his mantra - a true professional.

  But these were Tom’s friends, and he had done work for all of them, anything from counterfeit documents, dummy official forms and testimonials, all bogus, to fly sheets and advertising merchandise; he could turn his hand to anything that would make him a tidy profit. It did him no harm and earnt him a ‘cash in hand’ wage, that Revenue & Customs could not touch. It also allowed him the use of each of their particular talents, should the need arise, and it might well very soon now.

  The only thing he never spoke about was his taste for young men, as far as they were concerned he was one of the lads, he’d kill anyone who’d dare tell on him. He bought a round and settled down on a barstool. After the initial derogatory comments, that were part and parcel of being one of the lads, Tom spun a couple of yarns about two of his latest conquests. He had them all laughing and cheering when he related the tale about his sandwich with two beautiful youngsters (not mentioning they had been boys), and one running off before he gave the other a right pounding, as he called it. The guys listened in awe and loved it, never once questioning whether any of his stories had a grain of truth in them, they really didn’t care, it was just what real men discussed.

  Darren bought the next round and afterwards moved around to sit next to Tom.

  “Hey need a job done, you free?” he asked.

  “No problem, what you need?”

  “Hey you two talking work, I need some documents amended if you know what I mean eh!” Steve commented. “Can you do mine too Tommy?”

  “Yup, let me call by tomorrow. Shall I come to you Darren and you join us too Steve, yeah?”

  Steve nodded.

  “Make it about 9, that ok?” Darren asked back.

  A few more rounds were consumed, and it was Tom’s turn once more. He bought a fresh round and siting back down announced to all. “This rounds for Big Jim lest we forget, yeah!”

  “To Big Jim yeah. God bless him, a true friend!” They all shouted in unison.

  “Any news on who done it?” Wayne questioned.

  Silence and a few shakes of the head; no one had heard any more about his death.

  As the group had fallen silent, Tom glanced about him before leaning in to the others and whispering. “I need a favour sorted, if you get my meaning guys.”

  “You done us enough favours, what you want done?” Darren asked him.

  “Yeah I’m about if you need me too,” Wayne added.

  Tom recounted his problem with Natalie, and told them how he had dumped her, because he did not trust her, and how she was now stalking him, and worse had even turned up on the doorstep of a girlfriend of his who had nothing to do with him, and had threatened her.

  “She knows things, you get my meaning,” he was getting into his story now. “And she’s stupid enough to tell the police a bloody pack of lies. I don’t want them coming round and snooping, they could find anything, you got my meaning. It could affect us all she needs sorting.”

  Darren nodded, and glanced over at Steve, who nodded back at him.

  “Yeah give us the address tomorrow, and me and Steve will visit her.” Darren answered for them both.

  “How far do you want us to go Tommy?” Steve chipped in.

  “Be my guests; just let me have an alibi before you go see her.”

  Darren and Steve laughed, and Tom clapped his hands.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was now Wednesday of the following week and time for her to go back to work. She had been staying at home since Freddy returned on Saturday to nurse him, but he said he was alright now, even though he wasn’t, but he had had more than enough of her fussing around him. He knew she meant well but the flat was too small for both of them cooped up night and day. She was keen to return to the library and see Oli. She hadn’t given up on him, she just needed to somehow talk to him she supposed, but just talking straight to him was so difficult. It had been easy when they were talking over lunch, because they were discussing important issues in general, and she could concentrate on her sandwiches rather than look at him.

  Then she came up with a brainwave. Some time ago, last year or maybe even earlier, she had had a boyfriend, and they used to communicate by email. That was the answer, she would compose an email that would interest, no, intrigue him, that’s what men liked, so she had been told, and then he would give her what she craved, sex. At least with an email she had the time to think before writing anything.

  She was alone all that morning busy on her library computer. Oli did pass by her office once during the morning; he slowed but appeared to hesitate before walking past. She would have loved to have shouted out a witty one-liner or even just a friendly ‘hello’ but the moment passed long before she had thought of anything to say.

  She had to redeem herself, because she was feeling that somehow she had done something wrong although she was uncertain exactly what, even after having endured that long lecture from Rachel. She liked Oli and he liked her, so she had been told, so what was the problem in taking this to the next level and just havin
g sex- hard, long and uncomplicated? Just the thought of that made her all hot and bothered; it was impossible for her to concentrate on her work, she must come up with something soon.

  At lunchtime she decided to eat her sandwich outside, Oli had gone out to lunch so she was alone to think. Gobbling it down she went in, this was it, time to do her email. What should she write that was the big problem? Still she was in a public library if she couldn’t find inspiration in here, well there was no hope for her.

  Poetry, that always went down well. It was forever being used in advertising slogans, and in greeting cards, that was it she would go over to the poetry section and find a suitable poem.

  She pulled a few books off the shelves and flicked through the pages but there were just so many to choose from. Most of the poems went, in fact flew, right over her head and meant absolutely nothing to her, it was like a foreign language, so how could she possibly use any of them? She was getting annoyed; this was stupid, she stomped off and walked around to another set of shelves. Finding herself in the children’s section she stopped. After a couple of books with silly stories that just wouldn’t do, she picked up the one. The lyrics were rhyming, and as she read them part of the sentiment made sense she was so excited. Borrowing the book she scuttled back to her computer, and entering her personal code logged onto the internet. After rewriting her email at least four times, an intense feeling of satisfaction came upon her and grinning madly she pressed the send button. She could hardly wait, how long would it be until he burst into her room and...

  Ping! An email, popped up on her screen, with her name.

  How could a personal email have found her she thought as she opened it. It was an horrific email, leaving little unsaid about what would certainly befall her if she persisted in getting in the way, and causing any further trouble. She was to keep away from Alice and certainly from Tom himself, stop meddling in things that did not concern her or face the consequences.

  As she sat there and re-read the email, the words suddenly began to mix on the screen and slowly disappear in front of her eyes. She couldn’t believe it. Tom had obviously sent a virus as an attachment and it had literally eaten its own words. She was fascinated by that, marvelling at his brilliance, and actually wishing she could ask him about it. As for the contents, she was unimpressed, and certainly not about to give in over a few threats. In fact she had become more determined than ever in finding out the truth about Peter, and what Tom was up to with his mother.