Damaged Goods

by Helen Black

  Lilly jumped to her feet.

  ‘Sit,’ the boss barked. ‘I’ll give them to you later.’

  ‘There could be something important,’ said Lilly.

  ‘Believe me, there is nothing more important than my sanity, which can only be preserved by you finishing your paperwork.’

  Lilly opened her mouth to argue.

  ‘I’m a woman on the edge, Valentine, so don’t push me.’

  Lilly knew she was beaten and went back to the forms.

  An eternity later, Sheila came down with a handful of yellow slips. Each note set out who had called and at what time and had a small space for a comment such as ‘will try again after three’, but Sheila kept everyone entertained with her own colourful interpretations of what had been said. ‘Rude wanker said he’d top himself if he doesn’t win his case. Good luck I say,’ was not unheard of, so Lilly simply laughed when she read: ‘Jack somebody – weird Scottish accent – wants a word on the bland case.’

  She dialled his number. ‘Jack, it’s Lilly, what’s up?’

  ‘Jesus, woman, I called you hours ago, where’ve you been?’

  Lilly glanced ruefully around her room. ‘Don’t ask.’

  ‘Okay, I won’t, but you need to know Kelsey’s legged it,’ he said.

  Lilly gasped. ‘What?’

  ‘It’s a total disaster. She smashed a second-floor window and got through it,’ he said.

  Lilly had to sit down, she couldn’t believe this. ‘She jumped from the second floor! She must have broken her neck.’

  ‘You’d think so, but she chucked two duvets out before her to soften the fall.’

  Lilly paused for a second to let it sink in. ‘Where do you think she’s gone?’

  ‘I was going to ask you the same question. Looks like we underestimated wee Kelsey.’

  * * *

  When Lilly explained what had happened, Rupinder didn’t argue as Lilly dashed out of the office. Even she knew not to step into the path of a hurricane.

  Lilly drove without caution straight to The Bushes, where Miriam was waiting.

  ‘Has she been in touch?’ asked Lilly.

  ‘What makes you think that?’ replied Miriam.

  ‘I don’t know. These young people tell you things, they trust you,’ said Lilly.

  Miriam shook her head so wildly her braids danced round like the snakes of Medusa. ‘You’re wrong. They don’t tell me anything. I have no idea when they’re feeling desperate or when they’re taking drugs.’

  Lilly reached out to touch Miriam’s arm but she pushed it away.

  ‘They don’t trust me at all or I’d be able to stop them doing terrible things to themselves,’ Miriam shouted.

  ‘Listen,’ whispered Lilly in an attempt to calm her friend and restore the equilibrium, ‘not everyone wants to talk about their feelings or their problems, but when these kids do want to talk you’re always here for them. Always.’

  She reached out to Miriam who, this time, accepted a comforting squeeze.

  Miriam’s eyes glinted with tears. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘since Lewis died I always think the worst.’

  Lilly said nothing. The tragic death of her friend’s son almost never came up, and when it did Lilly felt she should simply listen. What platitudes could she offer anyway? ‘Don’t worry.’ ‘It could be worse.’ The truth was it could not be worse. Lewis’s suicide was shocking, painful and unfathomable. Lilly couldn’t imagine how Miriam must feel or how she managed to keep going every day, and she wouldn’t patronise her by saying that she could.

  When Miriam had gathered herself and wiped her eyes she went straight back to business. ‘We’ve got to find her before the police or they’ll revoke her bail without a second thought.’

  ‘They’ll probably revoke it anyway,’ said Lilly.

  ‘Not when we explain the circumstances.’

  Lilly wondered how she was supposed to explain a dive through a second-storey window but could see now was not the time to argue with Miriam.

  ‘You’re right,’ said Lilly, ‘but where on earth could she have gone?’

  Things were right on track for Max Hardy. The girl was well under his grubby thumb, pretty much gagging for her starring role. They sometimes got stage-fright at the last minute but a small bag of something usually helped the proceedings along. The trick was to give them just enough to make them sparkle but not so much that things got messy.

  Barrows had paid double. Max had known he would, the sick bastard. It was more money than Max had ever seen in one hit, and although Max had to admit he’d dipped into the pot a few times he reckoned he still had enough for a plane ticket to freedom. He’d planned to take a little back-up cash with him but now he’d have to hit the ground running. No sweat, a man with his talent wouldn’t let anything get in his way.

  He parked his BMW and walked up the stairwell to Gracie’s flat. Like always, he checked the nosy bat at number 62 wasn’t twitching her curtains, then ripped the police tape from the door of number 58. For a split second he wondered if the council had changed the lock, but no, his old key slid in just fine. By the time they finally got round to it he’d be long gone.

  Everything felt so familiar. He could almost see Grace sitting at the kitchen table, smoking fag after fag.

  ‘Get on with it,’ she’d say as he traipsed through to the living room, tripod over his shoulder.

  He couldn’t pinpoint precisely when things between them had changed, when her face had hardened and she began to turn away.

  It wasn’t the first one. Then she just shook her head. ‘It’s not right, Maxi, she’s the same age as Kelsey.’ But the lure of a ton and the promise that it was a one-off arrangement had overcome her barely felt objections, and the film was made.

  By the third or fourth time Gracie started whining. ‘What if we get caught? It’s my place so I’ll be the one to go down.’

  He’d plied her with plenty of brown, which kept the wheels oiled. Using her place had been perfect. The police could never trace the films back to him and the girls were well-behaved with Gracie there, the family set-up reassuring them that all was well. They’d assumed she wouldn’t let things get out of control.

  When Barrows got involved she’d got stressed and begged him to stop, literally begged him. On her skinny knees, tears pouring down her cheeks.

  ‘I don’t want my babies to get mixed up in this. Not with him. Please, Maxi, please.’

  When he still hadn’t listened she’d changed, started keeping secrets, making plans to get away. Then she’d got herself clean and he knew he’d have to take serious action. Stupid bitch.

  This was the last time. It was over. If only Gracie had waited.

  Max was startled from his reverie by his mobile. A text had come through, no doubt from the girl or Barrows, who were both keen to meet up. Max continued to erect his tripod until the bleep began to scratch his brain.

  When he pressed the keys and read the message he gasped at what he saw.

  I KNOW WOT UR DOING N IM GONNA STOP U. K

  He reread it twice, took a deep breath and punched in a number.

  ‘Charlene, baby, I need you to do me a favour.’

  ‘Does she know where her sisters were placed?’ asked Lilly.

  Miriam shook her head.

  ‘Could she have found out?’ said Lilly.

  ‘No chance. Kelsey and her sisters were close so we had to keep it a secret to stop her going round there. The foster carers demanded a closed placement,’ said Miriam.

  ‘I don’t suppose they wanted a suspected murderer turning up on their doorstep,’ said Lilly.

  Miriam narrowed her eyes. ‘She didn’t kill anybody.’

  Lilly put her hands up in surrender. ‘Let’s not argue, let’s just try and find her. Get the number and we can at least call the foster family.’

  ‘It’s locked in my office,’ said Miriam, but then stopped in her tracks when she saw the door clearly ajar.

  She pushed it ope
n and both women saw the chaos inside. Drawers were open, files of paper spewed across the floor.

  ‘Shit,’ said Lilly.

  Charlene was nervous as she waited for Max. She’d mucked the whole thing up and was afraid of his reaction.

  She’d sneaked into Miriam’s office and jemmied the filing cabinet without a hitch. Christ, her dad had taught her how to do that when she was still in nappies. She did it quickly and quietly and would have left with what Max had asked for undetected if she hadn’t panicked. But she’d heard Miriam and the solicitor talking and had been startled not so much by their proximity as by the singularity of Miriam’s voice.

  She wasn’t so much talking as wailing. ‘They don’t trust me at all or I’d be able to stop them …’ Then she mentioned someone called Lewis or Lois and the sound was so guttural, so full of pain, that Charlene had been frightened and had dropped an entire drawer of papers onto the floor. Terrified, she’d rifled through them like a burglar and ran as soon as she found her spoils.

  It was only a matter of time before Miriam discovered what had happened.

  ‘Useless, that’s what you are,’ her mother had always said, and she’d been right.

  Charlene’s heart hammered in her chest when she saw Max’s BMW turn into the lane. He pulled alongside her, his arm outstretched through the open window.

  ‘Why do you want it?’ Charlene asked, ignoring his open palm.

  Max sighed and killed the engine. ‘You haven’t got it, have you?’

  Charlene puffed out her chest. ‘Yes I have. I ain’t useless.’

  He smiled but Charlene could feel his anger.

  ‘I just wondered why you want it. I mean, I could get into a lot of trouble and everything.’

  He got out of the car and towered over her. He was still smiling but for the first time Charlene felt scared of him. Before she had been afraid of disappointing him but now she was just afraid.

  ‘When they find out what I’ve done I’m in for it,’ she gabbled. ‘I don’t want to be involved in nothing dodgy.’

  ‘How will they find out? I’ll just read it and you put it back,’ said Max.

  Charlene thought back to the mess she had left in the office. She decided it wasn’t an image to share with Max, he seemed pissed off enough as it was. She fished in her bag for the file.

  ‘Good girl,’ he said, his eyes darting across the page.

  ‘You wouldn’t hurt anybody, would you, Max?’ asked Charlene, her voice small.

  He didn’t answer, didn’t have to. Charlene could see very well what he was capable of and was just glad it wasn’t her in the firing line.

  At last he handed back the file and winked. ‘Go home, baby, and put this back before anyone notices. I’ll call you when we’re ready for the shoot.’

  ‘Is anything missing?’ asked Lilly.

  Miriam crouched on the floor and swept her hand through the blanket of papers. ‘It’s impossible to say.’

  ‘The address where Kelsey’s sisters are staying?’

  ‘Like I just said, I can’t possibly tell,’ Miriam snapped as she rummaged through the scattered documents.

  Lilly scanned the room. It was a tip but the cabinet had been opened neatly. Someone had been after information.

  ‘We have to assume this is Kelsey’s doing and that she has the address,’ she said.

  Miriam pulled herself to her feet. ‘We can’t assume any such thing. Anybody could have done this.’

  Lilly counted to five and willed herself to remain patient. ‘It’s too coincidental and I don’t believe in coincidence.’

  ‘She couldn’t have got into the unit without someone seeing her,’ said Miriam.

  ‘Why not? Someone did that only feet from where we were standing and we didn’t see anything. For goodness’ sake, Miriam, we can debate this for another hour, or get ourselves over there and pick Kelsey up before the police do.’

  Miriam nodded and reached for the phone.

  ‘Hi, John, it’s Miriam Zander. Could I have the address where the Brand kids are staying? … I know, I know, but I can’t put my hand to it … yes, I’ll do the filing tomorrow.’

  Miriam scribbled down the address and handed it to Lilly.

  Forty minutes later Lilly pulled into the drive of a pleasant but rambling farmhouse just outside Aylesbury. Two red setters bounded towards the car, wagging their tails in furious delight.

  A woman in her late forties with cropped hair and flawless skin appeared in the porch. She ushered her dogs back inside with a playful smack on their rumps and smiled at her visitors, but her body language remained guarded.

  ‘Mrs Barton, I’m from social services,’ said Miriam, and handed over her identification.

  The woman lifted her spectacles, which hung around her neck on a gold chain, and perched them on the end of her nose. ‘It’s Miss Barton, but do come in.’

  Lilly and Miriam followed her through to a stone kitchen hung with photographs, artwork, calendars and timetables. Yellow Post-it notes formed a second frame to the door, providing information on everything from the number of the local vet, a recipe for mushroom soup and the six times table.

  The dogs lay in a soft tangle in an oversized basket next to the Aga, and around a solid table that stretched the entire length of the room sat three little girls giggling and playing snap.

  Lilly smiled at the girls. Though they still resembled their eldest sister they had evidently spent much of their time with Miss Barton outside and their skin glowed. They had put on weight but their limbs were firmer, their bodies more limber in their shorts and T-shirts. It was shocking how a few paltry weeks of good diet and exercise could transform these children so spectacularly.

  ‘Actually, we haven’t come to see the girls,’ said Miriam. ‘We’ve come about Kelsey.’

  Miss Barton pursed her lips and turned to her charges. ‘Run along upstairs, girls.’

  The children groaned and Miss Barton chuckled indulgently. ‘You can put the telly on for a bit.’

  The children ran out of the room cheering and Miss Barton turned to Miriam. ‘You’d better tell me what’s going on.’

  ‘There’s nothing to be concerned about,’ said Miriam.

  Miss Barton rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t give me any bullshit.’

  Lilly hid a smile. Kelsey’s sisters were in good hands. ‘Has she been here?’

  Miss Barton raised an eyebrow. ‘How could she? She’s in prison, no?’

  ‘She was transferred to secure accommodation this morning and, unfortunately,’ Miriam swallowed, ‘she’s absconded.’

  ‘But she doesn’t have this address,’ said Miss Barton.

  ‘There’s been a break-in, and it may be nothing –’ Miriam’s voice tailed off.

  ‘But there’s a possibility Kelsey knows where her sisters are,’ said Lilly.

  ‘I knew it,’ said Miss Barton. ‘As soon as that man came here asking about her I knew something was up.’

  Lilly and Miriam spoke as one. ‘What man?’

  ‘I don’t know. He said he was a friend of the family.’

  Lilly’s heart pounded. ‘Young black guy, shaved head?’

  Miss Barton nodded. ‘Yes. I didn’t let him in, of course.’

  She looked from Miriam to Lilly, trying to assess what was happening. ‘Do I need to worry about this man?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Lilly simply.

  ‘I’m sure he means no harm to you or the girls,’ said Miriam.

  Miss Barton cocked her eye at Lilly, who she seemed to trust. Lilly couldn’t abuse that.

  ‘I’m sorry, but he’s a violent man,’ she said. ‘Until we find him and Kelsey, I can’t say with any certainty that you’re safe.’

  Miriam sighed. ‘Well done, girl, another placement broken down.’

  Lilly spun on her heels to face her. ‘He attacked me.’

  The two women glared at each other until Miss Barton broke the silence. ‘I’ll pack some things and take the girls to my sister’s f
or a few days. That should give the police sufficient time to pick both Kelsey and her friend up.’ She gave a pointed look over her glasses. ‘You have informed the police about this break-in, I assume.’

  Max headed home. Kelsey hadn’t gone to her sisters’. In fact, the look on the posh cow’s face when she opened the door told him Kelsey had no idea where they were plotted.

  He didn’t like the sound of her text. Something had changed, the tone was defiant. He needed to find her, to put her back on track, but he couldn’t think where she was hiding. She’d never really had any friends, spent her time helping Grace with the babies. Maybe she’d met someone inside who’d steered her to a safe place.

  He needed to think, but his best brain-work came at the end of a pipe and all his rocks were at home out of temptation’s way. Although he congratulated himself on his iron willpower he regretted having to drive over twenty miles for a fix.

  Lilly called Jack.

  ‘This is Jack McNally, ’fraid I can’t pick up …’

  She gulped back her relief. ‘Jack, it’s Lilly. Someone broke in at The Bushes and took the Brand kids’ address. We’re over there now and Kelsey hasn’t been here but it looks like Max Hardy has. Call me when you get this.’

  Miriam was still refusing to look directly at Lilly. ‘I can’t believe you’ve called in the police.’

  ‘What else can we do?’ Lilly was exasperated. ‘Anyhow, I’d rather they find her than Max. If he catches up with her, breaking bail will be the least of her worries.’

  Miriam mumbled something that may have been a grudging acceptance. Or maybe not. At that moment Lilly didn’t care.

  ‘We know what he’s capable of and we know he’s gone to a lot of trouble to find her.’

  ‘You don’t think he trashed my office, do you?’ asked Miriam.

  ‘I doubt he did it himself. Probably got one of the kids to do it for him,’ said Lilly.

  ‘Which one would get involved with something like this?’ asked Miriam.

  They answered as one. ‘Charlene.’

  ‘I swear I’ll throttle that girl,’ said Miriam.

  ‘Never mind that, we need to put our heads together here,’ said Lilly. ‘Where has Kelsey gone?’