Trodds Lane

by Nick Roteman

  The answers all lay with Tom, if she could get on his computer she was certain all would be revealed. Her chin was set, her mind firmly made up but she would required an accomplice to assist her, and not Freddy, she couldn’t trust him especially going up against the likes of Tom.

  Towards the end of the day Oli finally had a chance to catch up on his paperwork and began going through his daily emails.

  He had reached Auburn’s. He opened it, read it, re-read it and still was unsure if she was mocking him or apologising in some strange way unique to her. It read:

  Can we fix it - yes we can!

  Time to get busy, such a lot to do

  Aub and Oli have so much fun

  Working together - they get the job done

  Can we fix it - yes we can!

  Please come out for a meal again, you can chose the restaurant, you can pay too.

  Oli leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head and chuckled loudly. How could anyone stay mad with someone so weird yet so wonderful?

  That Saturday Auburn was left on her own. Freddy had accepted an invitation to stay at a mate’s flat to recuperate, and after checking with Auburn that it was alright to leave her, he called a taxi and departed. From the taxi he rang Rachel and begged her to keep an eye on her. She had just finished speaking to him when her doorbell rang. She opened the door to find DS Ash standing there.

  “May I come in?”

  Rachel nodded and took her into the living room.

  “This is just a follow up to our previous conversation concerning the whereabouts of Mr Peter Chandler.”

  Rachel smiled, “You’ve found him?” She asked expectantly.

  “We spoke to Mrs Chandler and she tells us he is working out in Brazil, we have no reason to doubt her, I just thought you should know, if you don’t already.”

  “Brazil!” she exclaimed, “Why would he be there and not tell me, and what about his place here?” She asked opening her hands in disbelief. “It doesn’t make sense officer, I’m sorry but it’s just not right.”

  “And I’m sorry Miss Miller I can’t tell you anything else, but as far as we are concerned he is alive and well. He might be miles away from where he should be but that’s a personal matter, so perhaps you should take that up with his mother direct, yes!”

  Rachel showed the officer out and seconds later with her bag and coat to hand she rushed down to Freddy’s flat and knocked on the door.

  After a snatched lunch together they walked to Auburn’s car and set off for Weybridge to see Alice Chandler.

  “And you sure Tom won’t be there this time, he really frightens me?”

  Auburn nodded, “I’m sure.” She wasn’t but she had to get inside Alice’s house.

  On their journey down, they discussed their plan of action.

  “So how are we going to do this?” Rachel asked.

  “I thought as you obviously live with Pete you could engage her in conversation. You do know her, are you friends?”

  With a short shake of her head, allowing her long thick hair to swirl about her face like a clip from a shampoo advert, Rachel explained, “No actually we’ve never met, but obviously Pete has told her all about me, and probably embellished the story making me out to be some kind of trollop or a junkie, I know him!”

  “Good she’ll be pleased to see you then.”

  “Well possible not...”

  “You just talk, like you do, and nosy old me will use my sleuthing skills to find his computer.” She assured her.

  Rachel sniggered, “Just like that, so easy!”

  “Yes...”

  “God I hope you’re right, just remember the last time it was terrifying I couldn’t go through that again!”

  “No, but he won’t be there I promise. You just talk to her, allow me do the rest.”

  Rachel was astounded at the apparent change in Auburn, she sounded so assured and positive.

  They had reached the Close, without Auburn once having to study the map or check with Rachel, and she parked up outside the house.

  The gates were open this time so they walked arm in arm up to the imposing front door and Rachel taking a deep breath pulled the bell cord.

  As the door slowly opened, Rachel held her breath praying he had not miraculously managed to return home before them.

  A pretty woman, dressed in skinny jeans with a plain pink coloured t-shirt and bare footed smiled at them from the doorway.

  “Hello, can I help you?” she asked sweetly.

  “Oh hello Mrs Chandler, my name is Rachel, Rachel Miller I share a house with Peter...”

  “Yes and I am Jennifer Auburn Grimley,” Auburn stated as she took a step forward and held out her hand, her eyes cast downwards as ever.

  Alice smiled at both of them, shook Auburn’s hand and warmly ushered them inside leading the way into her drawing room.

  “Please sit down. It’s so good to put a face to a name Rachel, Peter has told me all about you of course! I’m sorry we haven’t met before.”

  “Rachel laughed, “That’s what I was afraid of!”

  “Ooh nothing like that. Now how about tea?”

  Both nodded.

  Sat down again with the tea poured, it was time to ask why they were here.

  “So what brings you both down here, you know Peter is away, yes of course you do, silly me, forget that...”

  Rachel began her rehearsed preamble, and continued with a monologue that just droned on and on. Rachel did try to catch Auburn’s eye but she was staring out the window lost in her own thoughts. Actually she was wondering why there were no biscuits, surely everyone liked biscuits, and wrapped up in that important thought had temporarily forgotten her part in their plan.

  Rachel attempted to bring her into her conversation. “Auburn met Peter a few times, and you liked him, didn’t you...?”

  Auburn’s eyes narrowed as they swept the room taking in Rachel, before reverting to staring out the window.

  “She doesn’t talk much to strangers, it’s nothing personal...” she assured Alice who had turned to look at Auburn expectantly.

  “And she also lives with you and Peter?” Alice said.

  “In the flat downstairs with Freddy.” Auburn muttered.

  “Oh I see, and are you a couple?”

  Auburn gave a short laugh. “I don’t think so, he’s one of them!”

  Alice looked over at Rachel, “They’re cousins she means.”

  “I see.”

  Rachel was beginning to run out of things to say, when Auburn stood up.

  “I need the toilet, please, I do.” She assured Alice.

  Alice smiled and stood up, “I’ll point the way, it’s easy to get lost in this house.”

  “I’m good with directions, not stupid you know.” She said coolly.

  “Auburn let Alice show you the way, yeah?” Rachel warned, praying this was not about to be the beginning of an incident.

  Alice led Auburn out into the hallway and pointed the way to the nearest toilet.

  She watched Auburn walking with her strange gait slowly down the hall, then satisfied returned to the drawing room.

  “Sorry about that Mrs Chandler, Auburn’s a bit special, as she’d love to tell you.”

  “Oh my dear don’t worry, we all have our little ways.” She said kindly. “More tea?”

  Auburn stopped once she was sure Alice had left her and retraced her steps. Gently she opened each of the many doors that seemed to come off this long hallway, obviously a super highway of a hall, she giggled to herself as she quickly looked into each room before moving on. The last room off to the left, which meant it would overlook the driveway from the right hand side, was what she was searching for, the study.

  The
focal point of the well-proportioned room was the magnificent red leather topped mahogany partners desk positioned under the bay window. The late afternoon sunlight flooding through the leaded windows fell directly onto its highly polished surface, making it appear to glow, almost with pride she thought to herself. She rushed over to admire it, it brought back happy memories of her time spent along the coast from when she was living in Brighton, but that episode had not ended well, this would not go the same way, she was determined about that.

  There was nothing on the desk so she speedily went through the drawers on both sides but it was not there.

  Back in the drawing room, Rachel was beginning to falter and run out of things to say, praying Auburn would return soon.

  “Do you think she is alright, not lost,” Alice said with a grin.

  “Oh no, no, she never rushes, if you know what I mean, she’s fine.”

  “More tea Rachel?”

  “Umm no thank you, that was lovely, really lovely, what was it?”

  “Builder’s tea, as Tom puts it, Sainsbury’s cheapest actually,” she laughed.

  “Oh well it was really nice, yes...nice.”

  At last, the drawing room door opened and in she popped, not looking at either of them, but there was a definite grin on her face. She nodded to the floor as she passed by Rachel and retook her seat under the window.

  “I left my medicine, in the car, perhaps we should go now?” Auburn suddenly announced as soon as she had sat down.

  “Oh, oh yes,” Rachel agreed, desperate to be away. “We’ve taken up enough of your time Alice, but thank you and if you could get his email address for me, I’d love to speak to him, thank again.”

  Rachel could hardly wait until they were safely inside the car.

  “So, tell, tell!” She questioned eyes wide open in excitement.

  “I have it, all I need...” Auburn calmly answered, as with a flourish she pulled out a tiny memory stick, less than an inch in length, from under her dress.

  “Where dare I ask did that come from?” Rachel said with a grin.

  “In my knickers, where else would be safe!”

  “Well go on...”

  “I found the study and I found his laptop, hidden in an antique chest. I’ve taken a backup of his whole system.” Auburn answered.

  “And?”

  “Once we are home it won’t take me too long to break into his system, see what’s really there. It’s all here!” she confirmed, waving the memory stick in the air.

  “Yes but won’t it be password protected or something?”

  Auburn tutted, “Yes of course, but you are talking to me you know. I’ll soon break into his system alright.” She answered confidently. “Now please let me concentrate, I want to go home, I’m famished.” She added starting the car. “No biscuits; what sort of tea is that without biscuits, honestly!” she muttered under her breath as they drove off.

  Rachel was about to offer a witty repost but Auburn had switched off and was happily humming that tuneless song of hers under her breath, so she sat back in her seat and relaxed, allowing her to drive them home.

  It had been a funny old day, although that sounded more like the opening to a story, but it had. At least they had accomplished their objective and she had every confidence in Auburn’s ability to break into Tom’s system, as she had intimated. She still didn’t believe the story about Pete and Brazil, but also she couldn’t see why his mother would be lying; she really didn’t know what to think right now.

  As she sat there half drifting off to sleep, she did have to agree that Auburn had many a hidden talent, for instance one being her driving, it was coming on really well, and with that thought she actually drifted off, leaving Auburn to navigate the long journey back to Bournemouth on her own.

  Once back inside their house, Auburn said a brief goodbye and rushed off to her flat, she couldn’t wait to get to her bedroom and her computer.

  It took her two hours of intense workings to find a way around his password, but she succeeded, as she was confident she would. She went straight to his photo library and clicked onto it. What came up even surprised her. She scrolled through one photo after another all following a familiar theme.

  To say that Auburn was shocked by the pictures she had just uncovered would have been too precise a reaction, using feelings she did not possess. No the word to best describe her reaction would be mesmerised; she just flicked through the photo gallery and coming to the end, flicked through them all once more.

  “Bloody bollocks!” she squawked, “I have to show Rachel these!”

  She hated swearing but ‘bollocks’ was such a funny word that she often used it.

  “Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks!” she happily shouted out as she trotted up the stairs to the flat above, carefully carrying her laptop. It was often complicated for her to walk up stairs and carry something at the same time, so as her laptop was too precious to drop, she carried it like a baby in both hands.

  Rachel let her in and she showed her the pictures which visibly shocked poor Rachel who was quite unprepared for this and gasped in horror, covering her face with her hands, as she half glanced at the images. The pictures were shocking, showing a series of young men in their late teens early twenties, naked being their starting point. Some of their set positions were repulsive and best left undefined. But the biggest shock was reserved for the sight of two pictures of Pete and worse still a picture of Freddy, not only naked but bending over for the camera leaving nothing to the imagination.

  Rachel was so shocked she was unable to speak for a while. She just kept shaking her head and mumbling Oh God, over and over again.

  Auburn for once wisely said nothing, although she actually thought the picture of Freddy was especially funny. It was on the tip of her tongue to comment on the size of his scrotum, and to ask Rachel if the size of Freddy’s was normal, as she was so inexperienced with male anatomy, but luckily she reframed.

  They went into the kitchen and Rachel made a mug of strong tea for herself and a hot chocolate for Auburn, who seemed to her quite unfazed by these horrific pictures, perhaps there was some advantage after all to having a low human response.

  Rachel downed her tea and poured herself another; she felt slightly better.

  “Auburn I just don’t know what to say about those pictures, except please take them away. I’m in shock, they are disgusting.”

  Auburn shrugged her shoulders. “Ok, but what will that achieve?”

  “No you’re right of course, we must face facts. I can’t think straight not tonight, can we say nothing more about these pictures tonight and perhaps meet up tomorrow, say after my lectures and your work. Come up here when you’re ready, I’ll do some supper for us, and we can decide what we should do. Is that ok?”

  “Ok,” Auburn answered, although she felt slightly disappointed as she stood up to leave. “I’ll go now, have things to do before bed anyway!” she added with a sly grin, but it was more a grin of conscience than automated response.

  These facial expressions she often used were more akin to punctuation marks and although she had learnt them all, she often used the incorrect one; they didn’t make a whole lot of sense anyway as far as she was concerned, surely words were more than enough.

  Chapter Seventeen

  With work finished for the day Auburn all but ran back from the library, she had after all waited a whole long day for a decision from Rachel.

  She quickly changed out of her dress into jeans and a t-shirt, the easiest clothes for her to wear, just a zip with which to contend.

  She banged loudly on Rachel’s door but there was no response from within. She banged again and again but still nothing. Annoyed, in fact extremely annoyed, she stomped off back down to her flat.

  Now what, why was Rachel so late home this was very important?
She walked into the living room and after searching through her CDs put on one of her favourites, and turned up the volume; let all know she was not amused!

  King Crimson blasted out from the sound system, filling every niche and cranny in the room with heavy rock. She jumped onto one of the couches and lay down, kicking her feet in time to the beat. This was more like it; she loved her rock music. None of these current modern bands for her, they just didn’t get it, it had to be the music of the 70s and 80s for her, and at full volume .Her head swum and after a few tracks, she happily fell asleep.

  She awoke and blinked hard to clear her head. The room was in pitch darkness and eerily silent. What time was it she wondered, was she too late for Rachel now? Questions, questions, popping into her mind, but no answers.

  She sat up, shook her head and slid off the couch, and walking very carefully to the door flicked on the overhead light. She glanced at her digital watch and was shocked; it read 7.10. Well no wonder her tummy was rumbling. Eat or see Rachel which to do first, then she suddenly remembered she said she was going to do supper for them both.

  She reached Rachel’s door in the blink of an eye, spurred on by the thought of food, and knocked loudly several times but again there was still no reply.

  This was intolerable, she had promised her supper, one did not joke about food!

  She sank down on her haunches, before sitting on the ground, her back resting against the door, the steam suddenly spent. She sat there for an age, until a spark relighted inside of her and hunger took charge. She slowly got back to her feet and feeling quite dejected walked back down the stairs to her flat. People always let her down, typical, in fact why was she so surprised, they were all the same, even Rachel who she had started to trust; people were just so difficult to get along with. She would have something to eat and log onto the net, see what was happening in the real world, sod Rachel, sod all of them, who needs people!