Tortured Minds

by Colin Griffiths

  “You almost blew it at McDonald’s you stupid little brat, Sylvie,” Lucy started, pointing at Maryann, her mouth still full of fish fingers and chips, spluttering some as she spoke.

  Maryann didn’t seem phased by her mother’s obvious anger. Instead, she replied sarcastically; “My name’s Maryann Mummy , not Sylvie. When are you going to get it right?”

  Lucy spluttered before raising her knife at Maryann or Sylvie. “Don’t you get all smart mouth with me, you little bitch. You were the one who called me Lucy in front of that fucking waste of space, Jake.”

  Maryann sighed. “Oh Lucy, just shut the hell up eh, or I won’t play along with your stupid, little, charade anymore. I’ll ring Mum and tell her you’re beating me. She won’t be happy about that, now will she? She’ll get Uncle Mike or Uncle Steve to come over and give you a good seeing to.” Maryann paused and smiled at me. “Just coz Mum’s banged up in Low Newton, don’t mean she can’t get at you. You know that.” She sat back and crossed her arms, a determined expression on her face.

  Lucy visibly withered under the onslaught and held her hands up in defeat. “Okay, Okay, Sylvie, I get the picture, but please try to remember in future, when Jake’s around, I’m your Mum, alright?”

  Sylvie winked at me and nodded her head to her mother. “Sure Mummy, sure!”

  I winked back at her and decided I’d heard enough. It was time to go and check in with Jake. I needed to formulate a plan. I blew Sylvie a kiss and headed out the door.

  ***

  Jake was exactly where I expected him to be, doing exactly what I knew he’d be doing, drinking himself into oblivion. I knew he was stressing out about this whole Lucy and Maryann thing and I knew I had to try to help. He certainly needed to know the truth about that devious cow.

  The only thing that would bring Jake some comfort, in my opinion, would be to know for an absolute certainty that I was here with him, supporting him and that I wasn’t going anywhere soon.

  Initially, I just put one hand on his wrist, squeezing it to show I was there and I cared. I certainly didn’t expect to visually materialise to Jake, but that’s what happened. Maybe it was the strong bond we had, a psychic connection if you will, but whatever it was, suddenly there we were again, just like old times, sitting together on Jake’s balcony, staring over the beautiful city of Manchester.

  When he looked at me and I knew he could see me, the look of sheer joy and relief in his eyes choked me up like nothing else has before. There were no words, there didn’t need to be any. He knew I was there and that’s all that mattered. I sat with him for over half an hour, just occasionally squeezing and caressing his wrist affectionately. It was as if nothing had changed. It was still the Danny and Jakey show and it was a wonderful thirty minutes.

  Before I left, though, I put Jake’s most precious possession back on his side table, the photo of the baby Maryann. I’d found it blowing along the street and I knew Jake would be devastated to have lost it. I added a little note to the back, just to remind him that this visit had been real, not just some drunken dream, but also to give him some hope and put doubts in his mind about Lucy and Maryann.

  ***

  Chapter 19 – Molly

  I had to admit I was pretty happy with myself. I took the sticky condom from the container I’d packed it in and carefully put the contents into a sterilised container for the fridge. I smiled happily. Job done!

  I also smirked as I thought of Jake waking this morning, knowing he would be questioning what had happened and possibly suspecting my wrongdoing. Before I left his house, I had carefully washed his glass of any traces of drugs. I knew he would be suspicious and after all, he had every right to be, but he would find no trace in that glass. I then placed his hands all over the wine glass to keep his fingerprints fresh and swished a little of the leftover wine inside it, to make it look used again, before placing it back next to mine as though he had left it there. I also emptied the rest of his bottle of Famous Grouse, down the sink, so he would think he had downed the entire contents. He could question all he liked, but he wouldn’t find any evidence.

  My euphoric mood was rudely interrupted as suddenly the pots and pans in my kitchen appeared to come alive. Panic and fear overcame me at first, as I watched them crash to the ground out of thin air. As the loud crashing noises echoed through the kitchen, I looked around, instinctively sure this had to be the work of my beloved dead husband. Swearing I even heard him laugh aloud, I ran in terror out of the room and straight into the downstairs bathroom, locking the door in an attempt to shut out the ghoulish bastard.

  As the silence echoed, I slowly regained my composure and anger began to overwhelm me. How dare he? I fumed, deciding not to let his silly ghostly antics get to me. He could do his worst, but really what could he do, as a ghost? Of course, he was upset, he had possibly seen me screw and screw-over, his best friend. “Honey that’s life,” I said smugly, as I walked back out to the kitchen to tidy up his mess. As I replaced all the pots and pans into their correct positions, I noticed the small note on the fridge. It wasn’t there before, and it was definitely Daniel’s handwriting.

  ‘Dear Molly, I know all about your, soon to be famous article, about the pain of losing a husband. How convenient for you then that I died, wasn’t it? It rather makes the whole article more poignant somehow and, of course, more “award winning” too, don’t you think? Don’t worry bitch, you’ll get all the rewards that are coming to you, be very sure of that!’.

  It actually made me smile. So, it had been he who had trashed my laptop. Well, lucky I back up on the corporate server, I thought. That article was my pride and joy and yes I had started it before Daniel’s actual death. Why? Because the bastard was going to leave me! Oh, he hadn’t said anything but I knew it was on the cards. I had known Daniel had been unfaithful several times in our marriage and somehow it hadn’t really bothered me. A little romp here and there, with a colleague, a student or even some stranger at a bar. It had mostly been one night stands. He didn’t think I knew, but there were always signs and a woman knows these things. I wasn’t giving him regular sex, so I didn’t begrudge him going elsewhere on occasion.

  Nonetheless, I had seen different signs in Daniel over the past eighteen months. At first, I had dismissed it as a frivolous affair, but something had been nagging away, convincing me it was becoming more than that. He had come home late one evening, a little tipsy and smelling of perfume. He said he had been at a University conference, but I knew immediately he was lying. As he showered, I found his phone and that’s when I saw the messages. Some woman, Becky Johnson, had been texting him for months.

  The disturbing thing was that these were not sex texts or even dirty messages, but much more endearing exchanges. He cared for this girl, whoever she was and even professed to love her. I knew this was more than just an affair and I refused to let this woman ruin our marriage. I wondered if he would have told Jake, but knowing Daniel, he would have been deeply ashamed of cheating on his wife. Despite everything, he was outwardly an honourable man.

  I had quizzed Daniel a little in bed that evening after he showered, but he stayed true to his story and didn’t give me even a hint of this deceit. In the following months, I had secretly taken his phone at every opportunity I could, reading his texts from Becky, reconfirming my suspicions. It was the one text, however, that told me that I needed a solid plan.

  ‘Becky, I love you so much, you are my true soul mate. Give me time and I promise I will find a way for us to really be together, for good and true. You are my heart and soul, but I need to remove the one thing that is in our way.’

  I can still remember those words as though they were etched into my head. It was then I knew Daniel would have to die first before he left me. I didn’t exactly see myself as a murderer and whilst I had written that article, it contained all of the emotions and passion I had felt for Daniel as a husband. From the moment I had read that text message, Daniel had truly died in my mind. He had left me beh
ind, broken our vows and was planning to live a life without me.

  That fall, on the building, it wasn’t planned, but in truth, it had been a convenient turn of events. Of course, I missed him dearly, but in many ways, now he was gone and no one could have him, it felt good. In my world and in the article, he was still my Daniel. His dear beloved Becky would never truly have him. I smiled, looking at the note on the fridge. Yes, dear husband, I did write the best piece of work of my career, thanks to you. Do what you can, as today, I’m sending it to the Chief Editor, Mr. Reynolds.

  My computer may be smashed to pieces and perhaps I had been avoiding the office, but this was now my excuse to re-enter the real world. I had a full day ahead of me and was more determined than ever that I was going to show my ghostly husband that I was in control.

  ***

  On the way to the office, I had one detour, McDonalds. The woman in the park had mentioned a meeting there today with Jake’s bastard daughter. I arrived at the restaurant downtown and hid in the far corner, where I could get a good view but remain out of sight. It wasn’t long before I saw Lucy enter with the young girl I had seen yesterday in tow, but she wasn’t alone. I recognised the brunette woman from yesterday too and her young toddler in the stroller. I hadn’t really looked at the brunette yesterday, as I had been more focused on Maryann, but today I had a better view of her. I recognised her face, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen her before. Lucy still looked a mess, not as bad as when she was arrested, but a mess nonetheless. Her bleached, blonde hair was dry and frizzy and she had aged quite a bit since I had last seen her many years ago. She was certainly no beauty queen, anymore.

  I didn’t have to wait long before Jake arrived. He looked a little worse for wear, the stubble on his face and rings under his eyes told me he was still feeling the effects of last night. I smirked to myself. I couldn’t hear their conversation but strangely he didn’t stay long, abruptly getting up and leaving. The two women looked confused by his sudden departure, but the little girl, Maryann, didn’t seem to care at all.

  Still, the brunette’s face continued to bother me as I strained my memory to recall where I had seen her before. I discreetly took a photo of her on my mobile, so I could do some digging. I watched as they left the restaurant after Jake had gone and walked towards a car. The brunette was driving, so I assumed it was her car. Taking the initiative, I took another photo of her car and registration plates. Hopefully, finding out her name and address would give me a clue.

  Putting it out of my head, I headed back to my own car and towards the office. It did feel rather strange going back inside the building, but as I received a plenitude of warm welcomes from my colleagues, I knew I was truly ready to return to work.

  As I went to my cubicle I looked across at Jake’s office. It was empty. It felt strange not seeing him in there, mulling over some article on his laptop, squinting in frustration. I smiled reflectively, not sure we would ever get back to that place. Shrugging my shoulders, I told myself we could only move forward. I booted up my computer and located the file saved on the shared drive.

  I looked up at the ceiling, and whispered smugly, “Nice try Dan, you forget the power of technology.” I read the piece again, satisfied that it was ready for print and typed up an email to the Chief Editor. Normally I would send my articles to Jake for review, but he wasn’t here and this article was different. It was special and it deserved special attention.

  I sat there, content with myself for a few minutes after, as my email outbox emptied. I decided to check and try to clear my inbox, which had seemed to explode with all sorts of messages since my absence from work. After less than an hour of tedious reading, an email came in from Simon Reynolds, Chief Editor. I held my breath as I opened the message.

  ‘Molly, this is an incredibly moving, well thought out and passionate article. I would like to talk about featuring it in this week’s special edition. Please come to my office first thing tomorrow morning, bring coffee.

  Yours sincerely,

  Simon Reynolds

  Chief Editor, Sun-Star Daily.’

  “Yes!” I exclaimed out loud. Some of my colleagues looked over, unsure of what caused my sudden outburst. I just smiled at them and gave myself a silent pat on the back. This has been a good day, I thought to myself smugly. As I started to pack my things up to go home, my phone buzzed. A message from Jake came through:

  ’Please tell me you put a condom on me, as I’m HIV

  positive’.

  “Shit!” I said under my breath. He couldn’t be, could he? Why would he have never said anything before now? He looked healthy enough, didn’t he? Shit, shit, shit! I would have to get tested and perhaps I’d even get his spunk tested to be sure he wasn’t lying to me. My turkey baster idea had to be scrapped now! I couldn’t chance it, if, in fact, I hadn’t exposed myself already. I had to hope it wasn’t true and even if it was, perhaps I had caught a lucky break. Worse still, if we had conceived last night, I wasn’t sure what the chances were of exposing an unborn child to the virus. My mind was suddenly spinning with all the “what ifs?” I knew I couldn’t let on to Jake he had got to me. I quickly typed a light-hearted response:

  ‘Of course, Jake, check your bin, the wrapper is in there. You wanted to be safe remember ;) You were all over me last night. Not sure if it was your mix of wine and whisky, but we shouldn’t let it happen again, okay? xx’

  I would worry about my own consequences tomorrow. What will be, will be, I guess.

  As I walked out of the office building a memory came to me as clear as day. That brunette woman! I suddenly knew where I had seen her before. I grabbed my phone and checked her photo. Yes, it was definitely her, the same woman. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten her so easily, but I remembered she had been at Daniel’s funeral! At the time, I had seen her quietly sneak into the service, her eyes red with tears and I recalled thinking it strange I’d never met this woman before. Checking the guest registry, I could only deduce who she might be and now I had her registration details to confirm what I was thinking. I quickly called my contact in the driver’s licence bureau and my suspicions were confirmed. The car belonged to Becky Johnson, the same bloody Becky Johnson who had been intent on taking Daniel away from me.

  Now the question was, what did she want with Jake’s daughter and how did she really know Lucy?

  ***

  Chapter 20 – Jake

  The next morning brought a whole new day and chapter in my life. No longer was I going to hang around the house moping and drinking myself into oblivion. Seeing Daniel last night had somehow put things into a new perspective. Knowing I had him at my side gave me an inner strength, knowing that even in death he hadn’t deserted me, gave me the kick up the backside I deserved. I couldn’t let him down, not now. There are only so many times someone can forgive a person. I felt like I had used up all my lives with Daniel.

  I was a man with a past, a disturbing childhood and difficult teenage years. Shit, I had even frequented men’s toilets for sex at one time. I’d used prostitutes to get my kicks, whilst taking advantage of cash-starved students, so who am I to sit in judgement. Daniel had told me none of that mattered. That was in the past. I couldn’t change that, but I could map out my future and that’s exactly what I had to do now.

  I made a phone call to my boss, Simon Reynolds, as I sat over my morning coffee.

  “Jake, how are you? I was just about to ring you actually,” he exclaimed on answering the phone.

  “I’m good Simon,” I replied. “Just to let you know, I’m on my way into work. I feel great and I’m raring to go.”

  “That’s bloody good news Jake, make sure you see me when you get here.”

  ”What was it you wanted to ring me about?” I asked.

  “I’ve received an article from Molly, it's bloody good stuff, but it can wait until you get here.”

  Typical, I wasn’t even at the office yet and her bloody name had already been mentioned. I had to admit, tho
ugh, I was slightly intrigued. Molly was a damn good reporter, it was obvious the death of her husband had not dulled her literacy skills and that’s probably what was leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Did nothing faze that damn woman?

  It felt good to be properly dressed, showered and shaved. I had let myself go recently and made myself vulnerable and I was always at my weakest when I was vulnerable. Daniel taught me that. He instilled it into me and sometimes he would drive it home, as if it was a nail.

  “Women make you weak Jakey boy,” he would tell me.

  He was right there. Like I said, Daniel returned my strength last night. The poignant message he had written on the back of Maryann’s picture made me see sense. Keep looking, it had said. It hadn’t make sense, at first, but it was perfectly clear now. There was a subliminal message he had left regarding Maryann. I needed to let him know it had hit home. With him on my side, I felt I could do anything. I had a lot to do today, including meeting Lucy after work, only this time, it was on my terms.