Forcing down a cup of strong coffee, he grimaced at the lack of milk. Yet he couldn’t sit here agonising forever. For a start he needed supplies, and furthermore, had a yearning to visit Matt in the charity shop.
Maybe kill an hour at the Job Centre?
It would do no harm to look for a second job; lunchtimes, evenings, anything to fill the gaps between his early morning shifts at Sainsbury’s.
Except one hour blurred into three. If only he hadn’t allowed himself to get waylaid chatting with Matt, he might have arrived at the Job Centre a lot earlier. But with the next couple of hours gobbled up with job hunting, followed by shopping, it was late afternoon before he turned back.
Marching past the railway station, he noticed the time on the clock tower, shocked at how almost a whole day had disappeared.
Eventually he reached the house. Weighed down with groceries, he lowered the bag onto the pavement to find his key. But before he could draw another breath, his eyes stopped dead. For there lurking outside stood a familiar white Nissan in place of the camper van he had spotted earlier; if he remembered rightly, this belonged to her neighbour.
It seemed a lifetime ago since the old man had been carted off in an ambulance.
Once inside, desperate for a cup of tea, he knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until he had touched base with Maisie. So he tried once again dialling her workplace.
“I’m sorry but Maisie’s finished for today. She’s just left...”
His heart sank like a stone.
She must have knocked off early.
“Did you try calling earlier?”
“I did,” Joe murmured, “but don’t worry, I’ll ring again tomorrow.”
A sense of desolation folded around him like a cloud, and as if to add to his anxiety, he knew damn well there wasn’t a landline in the cottage.
Packing away his groceries, his thoughts raced wildly.
He could try her mobile again, but was it worth the risk?
With a deepening sigh, he pulled out his vaporiser. The touch of cool steel under his fingertips brought a pang of sadness. A gift from Jess, this was undeniably one of her kinder gestures. Yet the way she had behaved since left no room for regrets and right now, he was hankering for a smoke.
Drifting out onto the pavement, Joe pressed the button to release the fragrant vapour. For several seconds he inhaled deeply and it didn’t seem long before a shadow filled the doorway.
“Oh, it’s you,” a female voice rose. “Long time no see!”
Joe turned, and clocking the whale of a woman observing him, pressed a smile onto his face. “Hi there! Paula, isn’t it? How are things?”
“Alright,” she said, shuffling her way through the door to join him. “Can’t keep up with who’s living here no more. Old git upstairs is back but the Poles have gone and there’s some other foreign bloke living there now. So where’s yer mate gone?”
He folded away his vaporiser. “Maisie’s gone to live with Sam now, her new boyfriend. They’re staying in a house near Chichester.”
“Oh, I get it,” Paula smirked. “Wouldn’t happen to be that tall, dishy blonde fella I saw hanging around a few weeks ago?”
“That’ll be the one,” Joe said. Mood sinking, he kicked a stone on the ground.
“Got a flash car an’ all. I’m well jeal’ but I see everything from my flat...” A smile lit her eyes as she glanced at him. “I’m a bit of a people watcher, you know. Don’t s’pose yer wanna come up and have a butcher’s?”
In the end he saw no point refusing. Without her presence, Maisie’s flat seemed empty and soulless, and he couldn’t deny that the events of recent days had shaken him hollow.
“I’ve just split up with my girlfriend,” he mumbled.
After following her upstairs, it was a relief to offload to another human being, apart from Matt, whose crude laddish jokes had done little to ease his depression.
“Sit down,” Paula instructed gently. “I’ll make us a cup of tea. You look like you could do with one and you can tell me all about it.”
It was hard to explain his feelings. But from the very first spark at the Italian restaurant, to her unashamedly hunting him down while Maisie was away, he could see now just how calculating Jess had been. Casting her net, hooking him in.
What a fool.
“I was besotted,” he kept rambling. “Maisie did say she was a man-eater.”
Gazing around Paula’s flat, he felt a warm, oozing camaraderie. Contrary to his expectations, she had done it up nicely. Thick rugs covered the floor, her chairs squashy and inviting. Wind chimes and dream catchers dangled in her window, radiating sparkles of colour, and there were potted plants everywhere.
“I think I know who you mean now,” she nodded. “The only friend I’ve seen of Maisie’s is that blonde tart.”
“Mmm,” Joe sighed. Sipping his tea, he felt the last of his tension evaporate. “So what about you, what’s your situation? You’ve got a kid, haven’t you?”
And so her story unfolded. Being overweight had always been a disadvantage, but with low self-esteem, she was a magnet to a certain type of man: the sly and controlling sort. Falling pregnant to a small time drug dealer, Scott Stone, she thought she had landed on her feet. Engaged to be married and expecting a baby. Yet within months, Scott had revealed his cruel streak. Battering her senseless, kicking her whilst pregnant – as a result of which she ultimately ended up in hospital – he was charged with assault. So after a short spell living in a women’s hostel until Jade was born, Paula had moved to Bognor, determined to protect herself and her baby daughter.
“There’s some right bastards out there,” Joe said through clenched teeth.
“Yeah,” she finished. A shadow darkened her eyes. “He swore he’d hunt me down too, and I know I can be lairy at times but all I care about is my little ‘un...”
Boosted by her company, Joe lost track of time again. The evenings were light, the sun spreading a golden gleam over the walls, and before he knew it, she had dug out a big bottle of cider.
“Fancy something stronger than tea?” she teased, waving the bottle in front of him. “You don’t have to rush off, do ya?”
“Nah,” Joe sighed. Flicking a glance at his watch, he was surprised to discover it was nearly seven. But with little to entertain him, there seemed no point bolting back to Maisie’s flat. Less so if he couldn’t even contact her. “What do you usually get up to on a Wednesday night then?”
“Not a lot,” Paula grunted, “I was gonna go out on the pull, seeing as Jade’s at her auntie’s, but I’m not sure I can be arsed now. How about you?”
Joe gave a shrug, accepting a glass of cider.
At the same time, a distinct rumble reverberated from his belly, reminding him that he had barely eaten all day. He was gagging for a drink, but on the other hand, was it wise to get hammered on an empty stomach?
“Fuck it, let’s get a takeaway,” he muttered. “My treat.”
Her face lit up like she had won the lottery. Joe took a moment to observe her, feeling a surge of sympathy. The sad truth was that they were both survivors, but where he had moved forward with his life, thanks to Maisie, what did Paula have to fall back on other than handouts?
They ordered an Indian, and within half an hour it had been delivered to the house. Paula rushed downstairs to fetch it, leaving Joe in her flat. Moments later he heard her footsteps thumping back upstairs before a profusion of warm, spicy smells coiled around the door, teasing his senses. Light headed with hunger, not to mention the glass of cider he had consumed, he followed her into her kitchen to dish up.
“Thanks for this,” Paula beamed at him. “You’re a real decent bloke, you know. Wish there were more like you around.”
Joe lowered his eyes, feeling a flush creep up his neck. Despite her obesity and slovenly appearance, she had a nice smile. It shone from deep within her eyes, a balm to his bruised ego, and for the first time in a long while he was enjoying himself.
> “This looks great,” he said, disregarding her compliment, “and I’m starving. Where are we gonna eat it?”
“On our laps, of course,” she huffed, dragging a couple of trays off the top of her fridge. “We’re not in Buckingham bleeding Palace.”
Joe laughed, amused to wonder what Jess would think if she could see him now. Tucking into onion bhajis, followed by chicken korma, rice and daal, rolled into an enormous slab of naan bread, he no longer had to be on his best behaviour.
A far cry from tiptoeing around at her poncey dinner party.
However tantalising the food was, though, his appetite had diminished somewhat and he could barely manage half of it. He pressed his hand over his mouth and belched. Washed down with another pint of strong cider, he was beginning to feel a little drunk... though not as pissed as Paula.
Switching on the TV, she began howling with laughter at some comedy, but Joe wasn’t paying attention. Conscious of the time slipping by, he sensed a need to depart now, and much as he had loved getting to know her, he couldn’t hang around all night. The lure of Maisie’s flat was growing stronger, somewhere quiet where he could just chill and gather his thoughts.
“Need a hand clearing up?” he offered. “I’d best be on my way soon...”
“Aw, d’you have to go?” she sulked. “I’ll wash up later.”
“Yeah, sorry,” he said, “but I’ve got stuff to do and calls to make.”
She seemed reluctant to let him leave, though. Beady eyes pinned on him, there was no mistaking the leer creeping over her face. Shuddering to imagine where the night was leading, he took a deep breath, then struggled out of his arm chair.
The room spun, forcing him to grasp the table top. Paula too staggered to her feet. Swaying where she stood, she took another clumsy step towards him.
“Giz us a kiss then,” she slurred. “S’been a great evening...”
But in the moment she puckered up to him, she appeared to lose her balance. Joe grasped her waist to stop her falling but it was useless. His willowy frame was no match against her eighteen stone bulk. Buckling under her weight, they tumbled to the floor in a heap, taking the table and its contents down with them. Piles of boxes, DVDs and Jade’s toys went crashing to the ground. And all the while he was wrestling under Paula, she was rolling around, still hooting with laughter.
The rumpus went on for a few seconds. That was until the atmosphere shifted without warning.
First came the pounding of a fist on the door.
Next roared a voice; a more terrible sound than Joe could take in, and it exploded in his head like thunder.
“For God’s sake shut up in there, you accursed animals!”
Every muscle in his body froze but that voice... it chilled him to the core, drawing him unsteadily to his feet. Despite the chaos all around them, Paula too seemed to detect the tension.
“Whassup?” she breathed.
“Shit,” Joe whispered. “Who the fuck is that?”
Drawn to the door as if hypnotised, he couldn’t help himself. He had to check who was out there, regardless of the paralysing fear devouring him.
Flinging the door open, he gasped at the sight of the emaciated old man standing there. Haggard in the face he might be, those big puffed out cheeks he imagined wasted away, the lips slack and twisted.
“You,” he shuddered under his breath.
Joe’s courage crumbled like an avalanche. He knew he should run, but he could not move. Twenty years rolled back like a black mist revealing the face of a monster.
Mortimer.
Despite his heavily lined, tanned face, the rich gold hair framing it, and the beard, those were Mr. Mortimer’s eyes, and how they had changed. Hidden in a nest of wrinkles, they clung to his stare, crazed with hatred and skewering deep into his soul.
Chapter Sixty
If Joe had been thinking more clearly, he would have called the police there and then. But Joe wasn’t thinking clearly. He was in deep shock, and after consuming a considerable amount of cider, felt as if his brain had gone on strike.
Hand glued to the door handle, he slammed it shut; but the vision of his enemy left him petrified, his breath coming in laboured gasps.
Paula stared at him aghast. “You’re not scared of that old twat are you?”
“Shh,” Joe whispered. “H-he’s not who he says he is... Oh fuck. Oh shitting fucking hell.” His voice shook as he struggled to breath.
And all the while he was floundering, precious seconds ticked by. A creak on the stairs made him flinch, a scurry of footsteps. The slam of the front door followed, leaving a baleful echo.
“Whoever he is, sounds like he’s legging it,” Paula said tartly.
Finally her words triggered a response. Joe sprang towards the window, but a moment too late and just as the sound of an engine burst into life.
“Bollocks,” he spluttered.
Contrary to expectation however, it was not the white Nissan he saw belting up the avenue but the silver van from the previous night.
Cursing his slowness, he turned to Paula. “Who does that van belong to?”
“Guy who moved in downstairs,” she frowned.
“What guy?” Joe shouted in panic. “You said he was foreign but what’s he look like? Wouldn’t happen to be some big bastard would he?”
Shock sprung to her eyes as she staggered over to the window to join him.
“What’s going on, Joe? You’re starting to scare me.”
“Schiller,” he whimpered.
How was it possible he could have wound up in a house with his most feared enemies?
“There isn’t much time to explain, but that man next door...”
“Mr toss pot Lacey?” she drawled.
“His name is Mortimer,” Joe snarled, “and he’s a fucking nonce! Maisie and I met in a children’s home. Orchard Grange, an evil place...”
Paula’s face turned ashen. He would have said more, if it hadn’t been for the unexpected buzz of his mobile. A text.
Wrenching it from his pocket, he scrolled to his messages. Yet a cold suspicion ran its way through him before he had even read it.
Dear little Maisie, all alone and being watched, not a word to the police you scumbag or she dies in agony.
He stared at the screen, heart leaping in his throat, any last hope of nailing those bastards truly screwed. How could he ignore their warning? Deep in his mind, a horrific fear had been unravelling; that it wasn’t just Maisie’s phone contaminated with spyware.
Battling his inner turmoil, Joe spent the night with Paula for two reasons. His initial instinct was to run but one glance down the stairs drew his fearful gaze to the neighbouring flat. A strip of light shone under the door.
Schiller had tried to kill him once.
There was no telling if he was down there, crouched in waiting, but it was obvious that it would be safer to stay put... at least for now.
The second reason was for Paula’s benefit. After opening his heart to her, anyone could see how tense she had become, and now it was down to him to protect her. Satisfying her desires (as well as his own) allowed him time to think about his next move; a plan that would involve careful tactics.
It might have been necessity rather than want, but he was surprised by how good it was. Having never imagined anyone could compare to Jess, with her beautifully toned body, he savoured the warm folds of flesh pressed against him.
This was a real woman, and she certainly knew how to please.
Waking up next morning, he eyed her sleepily, her big thighs like cushions wrapped around him as they indulged in an early morning romp.
Eventually he got dressed and crept to the window. The sun hung suspended beneath a layer of filmy cloud, painting feathers of pink and flame orange across the sky. Such a beautiful sunrise would have soothed his soul, if it hadn’t been reflected in the silver panels of the van parked outside.
He expelled a gasp. “Looks like they’re back.”
And was t
hat a movement he glimpsed behind the glass?
Sure enough, a figure ballooned in the driver’s seat and he knew he was not alone. He felt the chill of another man’s stare even from the height of Paula’s window.
“I-I’ve got to get to London,” he stammered, “dunno how, though...”
As he backed away from the window, Paula took his place. Wrapped in a flowery satin robe, she tugged it tighter around her body.
“Maybe I can distract him,” she smiled saucily.
Joe frowned. “No, Paula, you can’t put yourself in danger.”
“Can’t I?” she taunted and turning to him with a lewd smile, slid back the folds of satin to expose her ample breasts. “Try me! I’ll go down and chat ‘im up a bit and while I’m out there, you can hop it.”
With a quaking sigh, he thought she had lost the plot. “You can’t be serious! Don’t get involved in this, Paula, those are dangerous fuckers.”
She shrugged off his warning, the gleam in her eyes growing brighter.
“You do know there’s a fire escape outside the kitchen, don’t ya?” she added. “All you gotta do is sneak down to the back garden and if yer fit enough to climb over the fence, them gardens in the next row of houses bring you out onto Longford road. It’s right opposite the station.”
At last he smiled back. Her face glowed with pride, and he could not resist throwing his arms around her.
“Thanks, Paula, you’re a diamond!” he laughed, smacking a kiss on her mouth. “But for God’s sake look out for yourself.”
Slipping into the kitchen, he felt his heart swell with the effort she had gone to, first by letting him stay over and now this... and with that thought came a stir of compassion as he wondered what advice he could offer her.
“Listen, Paula,” he murmured. “It sounds like you’ve had a shit life, but it doesn’t have to be this way. I was sleeping rough when Maisie found me but I still managed to get a job and turn my life around.”
“Yeah, right,” Paula said, rolling her eyes, “but it’s different for you. There ain’t no way I can get a job, ‘til Jade starts school. I’m on benefits and get me rent paid, but soon as you start work you lose all that. What’s more d’ya even know how much a child minder costs? Hundreds! Sad fact is, mate, I’m better off not working than working right now, and that’s how it’s gotta stay.”
Lethal Ties Page 35