Follow Me Follow You

by Laura E. James

  From inside the room, she pushed the door to, switched off the recording app on her phone, and dialled the police. She had no idea if Tommy had orchestrated the terrible accident, but he had confessed to theft, and Victoria had documentary evidence to support that.

  After a few moments of speaking to the local station, she closed Seth in the living room, and returned to the kitchen. Chris acknowledged her, but Tommy was too involved with Rick to pay her any attention. She crossed the floor and fell in next to Chris. ‘Are you okay?’ she whispered, reaching for his hand. His fingers recoiled at her touch. She questioned him with a frown.

  ‘Not now,’ he said, folding his arms.

  She respected his wishes, and withdrew into the grand hall, giving herself space to consider her predicament. The police had requested she visited the station in the morning, with the evidence to support her claim. They explained the case would be assigned to the Fraud Team, to whom she would hand over all the information, including a statement and authorisation to access the bank accounts. She was expected to explain how the books worked and why and how Tommy had been stealing. They also required a statement from the employer – Chris. Once the investigator had collected all the information, they would arrest Tommy and interview him. It could take months.

  It was the correct path to follow, Victoria knew that, but it didn’t solve their current problem. She re-entered the kitchen, and swooped to the annexe end.

  Chris loosened his collar, stood erect and raised his hands. ‘I’ve heard enough,’ he boomed. ‘Rick, you don’t have to take this crap from Tommy.’

  Victoria opened the fire door and waved for Rick to go through. ‘Seth’s asleep in the living room. He’ll be glad of your company when he wakes.’

  ‘I’m not asleep.’

  Victoria whirled round at the sound of Seth’s voice. He stood, small, vulnerable and wide-eyed, taking in the scene before him. ‘Go back to the living room,’ she said. ‘Please.’ She turned as she heard a chair scrape along the floor.

  Tommy was on his feet, large and menacing. ‘Do as your mummy says, you stupid little boy, before I knock you there myself.’

  Before Victoria moved, Rick was in the kitchen, squaring up to Tommy, a man twice his size, three times as powerful. Immediately, Chris was backing Rick up.

  ‘Don’t talk to my brother like that.’ Rick pressed his fingers into Tommy’s chest. ‘He’s not stupid.’ He jerked forward, scoring a flinch from the big man. ‘And don’t you ever threaten him or go near him again. Got it?’ He held eye contact until he removed his hands. ‘You’re the stupid one, you filthy piece of shit.’

  The contempt on Rick’s face told them all he wanted nothing further to do with Tommy. Without another word, he entered the annexe, put an arm across Seth’s shoulders, and marched him down the hall.

  ‘You said shit.’

  Victoria closed the door. Brother? The simple word with its intricate implications, choked her.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chris moved in on Tommy. ‘If Rick hasn’t made it clear, I will. There’s nothing here for you.’

  Tommy pushed him away and leered at Victoria. ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ He looked at Chris. ‘Did you think telling Rick would shift me? No chance. I like it here. The money’s easy, and from what you’ve told me, so’s Vicky. What more could I want? Besides, aren’t you forgetting something? The world doesn’t know about Lacey, yet. One bleat and you’re history. The media will be over you like gonorrhoea.’ His malicious laugh rebounded off the walls. ‘What an apt word.’ He returned to his chair, linked his fingers, and stretched his arms along the table.

  Chris stepped back and rested against the counter. ‘Do it.’ He fished his mobile from his top pocket and offered it to Tommy. ‘Use my account.’ From the corner of his eye, he saw Victoria start. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I’ve no career left to destroy. They all go on about my best film, my most amazing stunt, their favourite character. It’s like I’m dead already.’

  ‘You’d let Rick suffer the humiliation?’ Tommy knocked back the phone.

  ‘Rick’s told me everything. He wanted to move to England.’

  ‘Of course he’s going to say that to you.’

  ‘And he’s not ashamed of who his mother was.’

  ‘He’s thirteen! What does he know?’ Tommy swung round.

  ‘He understands compassion, and loyalty.’ Chris pointed at Tommy. ‘Something you haven’t mastered.’

  ‘Oh, that’s rich coming from you, you thieving bastard. Until you walked into the studio, Lacey and I were having a great time.’

  ‘You were never an item.’ Chris raised his palms to the ceiling.

  ‘Oh, we so were.’ Tommy left his chair and approached Victoria. ‘You know, don’t you?’

  ‘Are you and he … Is that what you meant when you said you’d keep him occupied?’ Chris swiped his hand through the air and turned away. ‘Unbelievable.’

  ‘Of course we’re not together,’ Victoria said. ‘He’s a repulsive, vile, dishonest man. Why would I be with him?’

  ‘Vicky. You’ve hurt my feelings.’

  Chris shot round to find Tommy laughing in Victoria’s face, but she was holding her ground. He needed an explanation before paranoia set in. ‘Tell me what’s going on,’ he said.

  Tommy shifted his attention to Chris. ‘Me and Lacey had something before you showed up. She kept it casual, but once you were on the scene, the sex stopped altogether.’ He paused, and smoothed his finger over his chin. ‘But on the day she died, she came to me. In the ranch. She was … anxious. She led me into my room and asked me to hold her. It was easy to think we were together again.

  ‘I thought she must have rowed with you, but it turned out she was scared your latest stunt would kill you. She didn’t know how much more she could take. The stress was making her ill. What if something happened to you? Who’d take care of the boys? Protect her?’ Tommy broke off and spent a few seconds in silence, as if he was taking stock. ‘I comforted her. Told her I’d never leave, no matter what. She thanked me, and said I should change my name from Stone to Rock, because that’s what I was for her. When I told her she made me as hard as a rock, she kissed me. I thought I’d see how far I could take it.’ His tongue passed over his lips. ‘It was far enough to make her come. I kissed her everywhere.’ He smirked. ‘And then I did the same with my hands. I’d not lost my touch.’ He inspected his fingers. ‘She returned the favour. The heat of her mouth sent me right over the edge. I thought we were back on. I thought she was going to let me in, properly, but she panicked, pulled her dress on and went running to you.’ He poked at Chris. ‘You received the full benefit of my warm-up, you bastard. Lacey’s guilty conscience, I expect. She left her shoes in my room.’ He laughed. ‘And her bra. I’ve still got it.’

  With his muscles tensed and his heart pounding, Chris roared and charged at Tommy, sending him hurtling backwards. ‘Feel the full benefit of this, you lying shit.’ He balled his fist, drew back his arm and unleashed two years of fury on the man to whom he’d entrusted his family. He connected with Tommy’s jaw. There was a satisfying thwack.

  Tommy responded with a hard shove to Chris’s gut, knocking the breath from him. ‘Deal with it, Frampton. Like I’ve dealt with sleeping with an infected woman.’

  ‘You call this dealt with?’ Victoria stepped between the men.

  Chris reacted by pulling her away. He cringed with the pain in his stomach. ‘Stay out of this, Victoria.’ The whole time, he remained focused on Tommy, waiting for his next move.

  ‘But I’m involved,’ Victoria said. ‘More than you know.’

  For a fleeting moment Chris took his eyes off Tommy and looked at Victoria. ‘Do I want to hear this?’ He switched back to Tommy, whose low brow was compressing his face into a solid block of suspicion. For now, the fight appea
red to have left him. Chris stood down and retreated to the table. ‘Go on,’ he said to Victoria.

  ‘I have information on Tommy that could see him locked up for a very long time.’

  Tommy took a threatening stride towards her.

  ‘You want to add assault to your list of crimes?’ Victoria folded her arms in a display of defiance, and after a few seconds of posturing, Tommy withdrew.

  ‘You’ve got nothing on me,’ he said. ‘I was bigging myself up with all that stuff. Impress you into bed. Like I did with Lacey.’

  Chris jammed his jaws together, refusing to be provoked by the comment. He indicated for Victoria to continue.

  ‘He’s been in jail,’ she said.

  ‘What are you on about, you stupid woman?’ Tommy waved his hand and shook his head, switching his concentration to the contents of the fridge. ‘You’ve got no beer.’

  ‘Before he went to Hollywood, Tommy was a financial adviser.’

  ‘You’ve got that wrong.’ Tommy continued searching for a drink.

  ‘I have, haven’t I? It was Max Cooper wasn’t it?’

  Chris watched the interaction. Tommy was statue-still, with one hand on the open fridge door, and the other gripping onto the kitchen counter. ‘Max Cooper?’ Chris repeated.

  Tommy’s knuckles blanched.

  ‘That’s his original name. He changed it when he left prison. He was in for embezzlement. He stole thousands of pounds from his clients.’ Victoria’s eyes widened, as Chris looked at her.

  Tommy slammed the door shut and spun on his heels. ‘I never told you that.’

  ‘No, but you admitted you’d stolen from Chris. You bragged about the Ducati.’

  ‘We covered this. I was talking you into sleeping with me. You and I had something.’

  Chris heard the derision in Victoria’s laugh. The mock smile on her face displayed the repulsion she was feeling. She detested Tommy. Chris had misread the earlier signs and jumped to conclusions that were so far off the mark, he’d miss if he kicked himself. Victoria was a clever woman. Everything she did had a purpose. A reason. He’d been too consumed with guilt and jealousy to realise she was working to a plan. ‘Dream on, Stone, or Cooper, or whoever the hell you are.’

  ‘I have no idea who Max Cooper is.’ Tommy wiped his thumb across his forehead, and looked at Victoria. ‘She’s a nutcase. Good God, Frampton. You know how to pick them.’ He turned to leave. ‘You’re welcome to her.’

  Victoria took a pace towards Chris and held out her hand. ‘He’s been stealing from you for years. I’ve informed the police.’

  Chris studied her expression. It relayed apprehension, as if there was more to what she was saying. At some point she must have accessed his accounts, that much was obvious, but if that was all she was concerned about, she needed to know it was okay. He took her fingers and drew her to his side. ‘How much?’

  ‘Rough estimate? Two hundred thousand.’

  He dropped Victoria’s hand. ‘How much?’ He gawped at Tommy. ‘Why? I’d have given it to you if you’d asked.’

  Tommy crossed into the hallway. ‘Would you have given me Lacey?’ His hostile eyes were trained on Chris, who held his stare.

  ‘I shared my home, my boys, my money … hell, Tommy, I shared my life with you. Why weren’t you content? Why did you steal?’

  ‘You stole Lacey.’ Tommy returned to the kitchen and stood toe-to-toe with Chris. ‘A couple of hundred thousand makes us equal, I’d say.’

  ‘You’re putting a price on her?’ Chris sidestepped, placing himself in front of Victoria. She was standing by the fire door to the annexe. Aware the situation could flare at any moment, Chris’s priority was to keep the others safe. Tommy was a hulk of a man. The more distance Chris could put between the parties, the better. He headed for the hall.

  ‘Running away?’ Tommy scoffed.

  ‘Nope. Going to check on my new motorbike.’ Chris marched to the front door. He knew the sight of the Ducati would fill him with horror – there was a chance it would trigger a flashback, but threatening Tommy’s pride and joy was the only way he could think of to entice him from the castle. He hoped that once he was out, Victoria would shut the door and bolt it from the inside. Please let Tommy follow me.

  Chris steeled himself and advanced towards the bike. Fighting the breathlessness, he reached out a hand and touched the leather seat. His fingers were trembling. He pressed them into the black padding, locking his arm, hoping it was enough to stop the shaking. As he forced himself to view the machine, he saw the key. Tommy had left it in the ignition. Stirring into action, Chris whipped it out and shoved it into his pocket. A second later, Tommy ran across the gravel.

  ‘Get your hands off.’ He shoved Chris away, grabbed the helmet from the handlebars and took a possessive stance. ‘This is mine.’

  Chris shrugged. ‘You’re welcome to it if it means you’ll piss off.’

  As the men exchanged scowls, there was a long silence, broken only by the sound of the front door closing.

  Thank goodness, Chris thought, waiting to hear the bolt slam into place. It’s me and him now. The stones shifting under light footsteps took him by surprise. ‘Go back inside,’ he said to Victoria. ‘And lock the door.’

  Victoria shook her head. ‘He’s not getting away with what he’s done. The police have the evidence and the Fraud Team’s already investigating him.’

  There was a delicate tremor to her voice. Her words weren’t delivered in her usual confident manner. Thankfully, there was nothing in Tommy’s expression to suggest he’d picked up on Victoria’s diffidence. She needed backup. ‘Go on,’ Chris said. ‘Tell him how much shit he’s in.’

  ‘You were careless, Tommy. Your trail was easy to follow.’

  ‘I could have programmed a bloody satnav and Frampton wouldn’t have found it.’ Tommy searched and patted his jacket, then glowered at Chris. ‘Key.’

  Chris reached into his pocket and clenched his fist around the cold metal. His instinct was to hurl it at Tommy and tell him to eff off out of it, but Victoria stopped him.

  ‘Think for a minute,’ she whispered. ‘Make sure you have everything you want from him.’

  Victoria had made it clear she was as keen as Chris to rid the place of Tommy, so she wouldn’t stop the process without good reason. After a moment of silent reflection, Chris nodded.

  There was only one thing he wanted from Tommy. Closure.

  He relaxed his fist and let the key fall back into his pocket. First he had to reclaim his home. ‘I want my house back,’ he said.

  Tommy rooted around the inside of his jacket, produced a bunch of multi-coloured keys, and chucked them at Chris’s feet. ‘You can have them. I’m not coming back here.’ He held out his hand.

  Chris picked up Tommy’s set, turned to Victoria, and in a low voice asked, ‘How long until the police get here?’

  Victoria shielded her face from Tommy. ‘They’re not coming. I have to take the documents to them. But he doesn’t know that.’ She returned to her original position.

  ‘Give me the sodding key.’ Tommy thrust his hand further forward, his irritation and desperation noticeably building. He was blinking in quick succession, licking his lips, and looking around, as if expecting to be ambushed. Or arrested.

  Something to play upon, Chris thought. ‘So. Jail? Was it good for you?’

  ‘Fuck off and give me the key.’ Tommy was as white as the Portland stone of the castle. ‘I’ll be gone in sixty seconds.’ He whooshed his arm through the air. ‘I’ve got enough of your money to start again, and I’ll make more. Might screw a rich widow this time.’

  ‘The police are onto you,’ Victoria said. ‘They’ll be here any minute.’ She raised a questioning brow at Chris. ‘Do you have everything?’

  It had been over two yea
rs since he’d acted, but he had to pull this scene off if he was going to settle his mind and put his worst fear to bed.

  Not the best choice of words.

  He plucked out the bike key from his pocket, and dangled it between his thumb and finger. ‘I’ll give you the advantage.’

  ‘Don’t bother. I’ll be out of the country in seconds anyway.’ Tommy caressed the red bodywork of the Ducati. ‘It’s the fastest, sexiest ride I know. I doubt even a quickie from Vicky would get me as stiff as this does.’ He rubbed his crotch and sniggered. ‘Now give me the fucking key, Frampton, before I tell the world your sordid little secret.’

  He’d used that threat once too often. It held no sway with Chris. The news would break sooner or later. The only person it appeared to bother was Tommy, which led Chris to his final question.

  He sucked in his lips and took a deep breath. He needed to know. Once and for all.

  ‘Did you have sex with my wife?’

  Tommy banged his hands together. ‘Which bit about kissing her everywhere don’t you get? So, I didn’t fuck her, but there was plenty of sweating, and moaning and coming. I’d say that was sex.’ He stressed each word, as if he was talking to an idiot. ‘But if oral doesn’t count, I can tell you we had a shitload of full-on fun when I first met her.’

  Before Chris had time to react, Victoria grabbed his hand and encased it firmly in both of hers. It brought him back from the edge of his darkest place.

  ‘That’s why he’s not broken the story,’ Victoria said. ‘His wounded ego won’t let him.’ She dropped Chris’s hand, wheeled round on the gravel, and confronted Tommy. ‘You won’t risk having your name linked with Lacey’s, will you? Nobody would want you then, would they?’ She’d used his own words against him.

  A resounding ‘Ha!’ echoed around the courtyard, as Tommy closed in on Victoria.

  ‘I’ve got no worries in that department, Vicky. I know how much you wanted me.’ He dragged his heavy-booted feet through the stones on his way back to the bike and leaned against the machine, his arms folded and his ankles crossed. ‘First off, if you remember, I was giving Chris a chance to come clean. Rick was owed the truth.’ Tommy paused and his eyes flicked to the castle housing the boy. ‘And then you came along, Little Miss Easy.’ He winked at Victoria, and scanned her from head-to-toe.