Schemer

by Kimberley Chambers

  Dannielle swallowed the fib and carried on chatting about her night out. She had found going to the pub with her friends for the first time ever extremely exciting. It had made her feel like an adult for once. She had told her mum the truth about them only being allowed to buy soft drinks in the pub. What she hadn’t told her mum was that she and her friends had drunk four alcopops each before they had even gone inside the boozer.

  ‘So, did any boys in the pub try to chat you or your friends up?’ Steph asked, warily.

  ‘No. Well, a few tried to talk to us, but none of us were interested.’

  Breathing a massive sigh of relief, Stephanie put the bacon on the grill. ‘Call your brother, darling. Tell him his breakfast will be ready in five minutes.’

  ‘Did you let Ty go out last night, Mum?’ Dannielle asked, remembering their conversation.

  Even though her daughter had had a word with her about not grounding Tyler, Steph had still been keen to keep him in for a week or so, to make sure her son was fully aware of the error of his ways. ‘No. I made him stay in and he sulked all evening in his bedroom. However, he can go out today as long as he comes and eats this bloody breakfast I’m cooking. The little sod refused his dinner last night and he must be starving.’

  Dannielle grinned. ‘I’ll go and tell him – and is it OK if I go to the pub again tonight? They are having a karaoke night.’

  Under usual circumstances, Stephanie would not have allowed Tyler to go out gallivanting or her daughter to spend two consecutive evenings in the pub. However, after hearing that Barry was back in England and was less than ten miles down the road, what her children got up to was the last of her problems. Stephanie turned to Dannielle and forced a smile. ‘Of course you can go to your karaoke evening.’

  Barry Franklin felt surprisingly at ease when he woke up at his mother’s house the following morning. He and Marlene had never particularly seen eye to eye, but when he had turned up yesterday evening, they’d knocked back a bottle of Scotch between them, had a good in-depth chat, and had got along better than they had in years. Barry had come back to England for two reasons. Number one was that Jolene had done his head in and he’d recently got rid of her, and number two was his father had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Barry wanted to spend as much time with his old man as possible before the inevitable happened.

  ‘Morning, boy. Now, ’cause I never knew you were coming, I haven’t got any proper breakfast stuff in. Because I’m knocking on a bit now, I have to really watch my figure, so I don’t usually eat shit like fry-ups any more. But we did sink a few last night, and I dunno about you, but I think we need to soak it up with something. Shall we shoot up that café in the Heathway and stuff our faces in there?’

  Absolutely starving, Barry readily agreed. When he had spent some time in England just over ten years ago, he had purchased a couple of properties in Essex to rent out. One was in Chigwell, not too far from where Steph had lived at the time, and seeing as the current tenants were moving out next week, that was where Barry was planning on living for the time being. Residing in Spain wasn’t an option any longer, not after everything that had happened; and in all truthfulness, Barry was pleased to get back to England. He had thoroughly enjoyed his twenty-odd years in sunny Spain, but it had never really felt like home to him. Pie and mash in Kelly’s at Roman Road was far more his scene than paella on the veranda.

  Barry followed his mother out of the front door and gave a furtive glance at the house opposite. Barry still despised Steph for what she had done to him and probably always would. But, making love to her that time was something that would stick in his mind forever. It had been perfect, just like he had always known it would be, and he was sure it was because of his night of passion with Steph that he had never been able to make a proper go of it with Jolene afterwards. There was an old saying that there was a thin line between love and hate, and Barry now believed in that. Steph had ruined his life, and even though he had got his revenge, he still couldn’t completely move on from her. He probably never would.

  ‘So, what exactly happened with you and Jolene then? Why didn’t you ever get married or have kids?’ Marlene asked, inquisitively. She could sense that Barry had been slightly reluctant to talk about this relationship with Jolene last night, so she had spoken about her own life instead.

  ‘We were really happy for a while, Mum, but it was never right, if you know what I mean. Jolene was very immature in her ways. Twice we organized the wedding, then had a massive barney and called it off. I fell out of love with her quite a while back and, to be honest, I thought she felt the same way about me. Just recently, though, she kept banging on about getting married again and having kids and stuff, so I knew I had to end it for good,’ Barry explained.

  ‘And was she OK when you called it a day?’ Marlene asked.

  ‘No, not at all. I dunno if I went the wrong way about it, but I took her out on the boat for the day, cooked us a nice lunch and told her after we’d eaten it. She went absolutely ballistic and tried to strangle me and all sorts. I steered us back to shore and then had her father on me case. Jolene’s now fucked off somewhere apparently, and I’m sure her old man thinks that I’ve done her in or something. I told him I’ve heard from her. She’s rung me twice, but her mum and dad have been telling people otherwise. All the expats over in Spain started looking at me as though I was some kind of a fucking murderer. Then, some bastard set fire to me boat. Poured petrol over it, they did, and burnt it to cinders. Gutted I was. Don’t get me wrong, that ain’t the reason I’ve come back to England. You know me, Mum, I ain’t frightened of no bastard, including Jolene’s scouse prick of a father. I’ve come back because I wanna spend some time with me father before he croaks it. Not only that, I’m sick of living in a foreign country. Home is where the heart is and all that, eh Mum?’

  Marlene smiled politely, but said nothing. Jake the Snake’s killer had never been found; neither had the mystery of Wayne Jackman’s disappearance ever been solved. Now, all of a sudden, Jolene had gone missing after a day out on Barry’s boat with him, and then the boat had mysteriously been destroyed. Marlene was no prude. Barry’s father had been a wide boy when she had first met him and she’d always mixed in a villainous kind of circle, even before ending up with Jake the Snake. However, wondering if she had given birth to a mass murderer was something different. As Barry led her into the café, then turned to her and asked her what she wanted to eat, Marlene suddenly felt rather nauseous. Not wanting Barry to be aware of her suspicions, she grinned at him falsely. ‘I’ll just have a coffee, boy.’

  Barry looked at her in bewilderment. It had been his mother’s idea to go out for breakfast. ‘But I thought you were hungry, Mum. Don’t you still want a fry-up?’

  Marlene shook her head. ‘You order what you want, Bal, but honestly I couldn’t eat a thing now. It must be all that Scotch we drank. Made me feel proper sick it has.’

  Pam had just popped round to her local newsagent to get the Sunday papers when she bumped into Barry Franklin on the short walk home. ‘Hello, love. How are you?’ she asked, fondly.

  The warmth in Pam’s voice told Barry that Stephanie had never disclosed to her mother what had happened between them, so Barry politely leant forward and kissed Pam on both cheeks. ‘I’m fine, thank you, Pam. How about yourself? You’re looking well.’

  ‘I’m fine thanks, love. My Steph ain’t half done well for herself, you know. Got her own beauty salon in Essex and has bought herself a nice big house for her and the kids to live in. What about you? Are you married with children now, Barry?’

  ‘Nope. I’m officially single again now, Pam. I’ve recently split up with my girlfriend, which is one of the reasons I’ve moved back to England. My dad unfortunately has cancer, so that’s another reason I’ve come back home.’

  ‘Sorry to hear about your dad, love. Terrible disease that cancer. So, are you home for good?’ Pam asked, hopefully. She wasn’t silly, and had guessed that there had been some
kind of fall-out between Stephanie and Barry all those years ago. However, people have silly tiffs all the time, and Pam was still sure that Barry and Steph would make the perfect couple. Pam would love to see her daughter settled, and Barry would sort Tyler out, she was sure of that.

  ‘Yep, I’m home for good now. I’ve sold most of my properties in Spain and I’m gonna start buying land over here and building flats. That’s where the money is these days, Pam. How are Stephanie’s children? They must be all grown-up now.’

  ‘Dannielle’s beautiful, Barry. Sixteen now, she is, and looks just like Steph. She’s ever so bright and is gonna work in the beauty business like her mum. Tyler’s a good lad deep down. He’s the spit of Wayne, but between me and you, Steph has had a few problems with him over the years. I think Tyler needs a man in his life to knock him into shape, but my Steph has been single for years now. Not looked at another man since Wayne disappeared, bless her.’

  ‘I take it Wayne’s never been found then?’ Barry asked, knowing full well that he hadn’t. Barry had kept in touch with a few old pals back in England while he was living in Spain, and one of them gave him regular updates on everything.

  ‘Nope. Wayne’s never been seen or heard of since his stag night, Barry. I doubt we’ll ever find out the truth of his disappearance now. Too many years have passed and the police gave up looking for him yonks ago. I’m sure my Steph would love to see you again, Barry. Why don’t I give you the address of her salon and you can pop in and surprise her one day, eh?’

  Well aware that Pam was trying to fix him and Stephanie up, Barry nodded politely. He already knew where Stephanie’s salon was, as his pal lived down the road from it.

  Pam scribbled the address down on the back of an old receipt and handed it to Barry. ‘Do me a favour, love. If or when you do pop in and see my Steph, don’t tell her I sent you, will ya? She’s very business-minded now and quite set in her ways. I would hate Steph to think I was trying to fix her up or something. She’d bleedin’ well kill me,’ Pam said, chuckling.

  Not wanting to inform Pam that there was more chance of hell freezing over than he and Stephanie becoming a couple, Barry tucked the address away in his pocket. ‘Don’t you worry, Pam. If I do pop in the salon to see Steph, your secret’s safe with me, darling.’

  Worried about her mum being so lethargic and quiet, Dannielle wondered whether she should ring her nan or not. Steph hadn’t eaten any breakfast or dinner, but Dannielle had caught her drinking a glass of wine earlier, which had made her think that her mother was lying about having some kind of bug. Something or someone had upset her and, determined to find out what or who, Danni decided against ringing her nan and planned to confront her mother herself. ‘What do you think I should say to her, Ty?’ Dannielle asked her younger brother.

  Tyler had just spent the past ten minutes listening to his sister rambling on about his mum’s strange mood. Not only was he bored shitless, he was also desperate to go out with his mates. ‘I don’t know what you can say to her, Dan. You’re better with words than I am. If it was me, I’d just ask her if she was on the blob.’

  ‘You really are a disgusting little boy at times, do you know that, Ty?’ Dannielle said, punching him playfully on the arm.

  Giggling like the naughty schoolboy that he was, Tyler stood up. ‘I’m going out now. Good luck with Mrs Blobby.’

  Dannielle chased Tyler down the stairs and out the front door. She then went in the lounge to confront her mum. ‘Ty’s just gone out, Mum. Shall I put your dinner in the microwave for you now?’

  Stephanie, who had been lying horizontal on the sofa, immediately sat up. ‘No, I’ll have it a bit later, babe. Wow, you look fab! Is that the new dress you got the other day?’

  ‘No. It’s the one you bought me in Bluewater ages ago. Do you think it’s a bit short for me to wear to the pub? I don’t look tarty, do I?’

  The dress was a floral chiffon and, even though it was way above Dannielle’s knees, because of its puffy style it looked pretty rather than tarty. ‘No, you look fine. Are you going out now, love?’

  ‘Well, we’re meant to be meeting around Mimi’s at six, but I’m only gonna go if you tell me what’s up with you, Mum. I know something’s wrong. I’m not a child any more, you know.’

  Annoyed with herself for worrying her daughter, Stephanie knew it was time to pull herself together. So what if Barry Franklin was back in England? He was hardly going to knock on her door after the way he had treated her, was he now? Also, Barry must know that she knew that it was he who had been responsible for murdering Wayne, and Steph doubted he would want to open that particular can of worms, in case she decided to involve the police again. Perhaps Barry had just popped back to England for family reasons, or even a flying visit? Stephanie smiled at her daughter. ‘Honest, I’m fine now, darling. I did feel a bit down earlier, I don’t know why, but everybody has their off days. I’m due on, so it’s probably PMT. What you giggling at?’ Steph asked Dannielle.

  ‘Just something Tyler said earlier. He seems to know more about women’s time of the months than I do, Mum.’

  Stephanie stood up and gave Dannielle a motherly hug. ‘I’m actually quite hungry now, so I’m gonna warm that dinner up after all. You get off and have a good time, darling.’

  When Dannielle picked up her clutch bag and skipped happily out of the front door, Stephanie couldn’t help but smile. She remembered what it was like to be a teenager as clearly as if it were yesterday. She and Tammy had started swigging alcohol as young as thirteen, and she would put money on it that Danni and her friends were doing the same before they got to the bloody pub. Steph put her dinner in the microwave and sighed. ‘Oh, to be young again and know what I know now,’ she mumbled.

  Barry Franklin hadn’t seen his old mate Martin Gowing since Martin had visited him in Spain last year.

  ‘So, where we going then, mate? I dunno about you, but I fancy a beer, then a curry,’ Martin said, as he got into the cab and gave Barry a friendly smack on the back.

  ‘Yep, that sounds good to me. Let’s shoot down Chigwell Row, eh? I wanna check out the new local for when I move in me gaff next week,’ Barry suggested.

  ‘It’s your call, mate.’

  Barry told the foreign cab driver the name of the pub and, seeing as the guy had barely spoken any English, or a word to him as he had travelled to pick up Martin, Barry was surprised when he finally entered into a conversation.

  ‘Busy, busy night, dat pub. You do singing?’ the cabbie asked.

  ‘No, I ain’t their singer, mate. I’m just going in there for a pint,’ Barry replied politely.

  Unable to stop himself, Martin burst out laughing. ‘I think he’s trying to tell you it’s karaoke night, Bazza.’

  Dannielle and her three best pals were having the time of their lives at their first-ever karaoke night in a pub together. They had just got up and sang Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy in Love’ and had got a massive round of applause for their efforts.

  ‘We were great, weren’t we? What shall we sing next?’ Dannielle asked Mimi.

  ‘You choose the song this time, Gem, then you Danni, and then Carly,’ Mimi ordered.

  Being a karaoke night, the pub was full of youngsters. There were a few older people in there, but not very many, and as the door opened and Barry Franklin walked in, Dannielle spotted him immediately. Unlike any of the other men or lads in the pub, Barry had class and he really stood out in his dark jeans and crisp white shirt.

  ‘Wow, he’s dishy,’ Dannielle commented, nudging Mimi.

  Mimi looked at her pal in horror. ‘He’s well old, Dan. He looks as ancient as my dad.’

  Dannielle laughed and then studied Barry again. There was something about his handsome face and the way he had swaggered in that looked vaguely familiar to her.

  ‘Put your tongue away, you perv, and stop looking at him,’ Mimi said, laughing.

  ‘I’m not perving over him. I’m just looking at him because I’m sure I know him from s
omewhere and it will bug me all night if I can’t remember where.’

  Carly and Gemma immediately joined in the banter. ‘Don’t lie, Danni, we all know you like ’em old,’ Carly joked.

  ‘Yeah. We all need to lock up our grandads when Danni’s about,’ Gemma added, chuckling.

  Dannielle giggled and held her hands up in surrender. ‘OK, I admit it, I do like older men, but not as old as him. As Mimi said, he’s ancient.’

  Barry Franklin wasn’t overly impressed with his new local. It was noisy, rough-looking and full of youngsters. ‘Well, I can’t see meself drinking in ’ere much, Mart. I feel like I’m back in the fucking school playground.’

  Martin chuckled. ‘I should have warned you, mate. I knew it was young in ’ere. The Camelot’s only down the road and it’s much quieter. Shall we shoot down there for a couple? I can’t hear meself think in ’ere, let alone talk.’

  About to agree, Barry clocked the stunning dark-haired girl staring at him. The resemblance to Stephanie as a teenager was incredible – so much so, Barry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned to Martin. ‘Do you know what Stephanie’s daughter looks like?’

  ‘Yeah, sort of. I’ve seen her with her mother a couple of times. And I’d definitely recognize the boy ’cause he’s a ringer for Jacko. Why, mate?’

  ‘Don’t look now, but there’s a bird sitting at the second table on the right from the door facing us. She’s got long dark hair and a flowery type of dress or top on. She’s with three other young birds. I’m gonna shout us up a drink and, while I do so, have a sly butcher’s and see if you recognize her.’

  Barry could feel his heart beating nineteen to the dozen as he stood at the bar. The girl in question was absolutely breathtaking and, even though she looked like Stephanie had when Barry had first met her, this girl was far more beautiful. ‘Well?’ Barry asked, as Martin joined him a minute or so later.