by Gait, Paul;
Why would Rupert even think of helping him? After all, it was Andy’s actions of taking the hospice CCTV recording to the Police, which had got Sue released. Now she was back in his life and continuing her vicious reign over him.
To add to his angst, he was upset that Ben’s perception of him had been undermined.
God it was a mess. His head was filled with questions but no answers.
Rupert was bruised emotionally and physically and he was at breaking point, fear clamped his aching head. He kept having flashbacks, reliving the fear he had experienced during the violent incidents which had occurred at the hotel.
His overwhelming desire was simply to get back to Jo’s bedside. He’d never wanted to leave her in the first place. Her mere presence always gave him the strength to cope with the seemingly never ending angst that perpetuated his life.
The trip had been a complete and utter disaster for him. He had failed to get the anticipated money from his Uncle’s will which would have allowed him to transfer Jo into a private hospital, where Sue wouldn’t find them.
Even worse, as there was no money, his plan to engage the services of a consultant to closely manage Jo’s recovery had foundered too.
What about the baby? His mind was a whirl of unanswered questions.
He knew for sure that Sue was now far more dangerous than when they arrived in Monaco. Sue would be ‘white hot’ with anger. Someone would pay dearly for upsetting her.
Carrie might have won a few battles and humiliated Sue, but she hadn’t won the war. Instead she had ‘sown the wind’ but they would all ‘reap Sue’s whirlwind’ of hatred, sooner or later.
Sue would be plotting some terrible revenge. He feared for its arrival. It was an inevitable consequence of standing up against the woman. He had seen her uncontrolled anger before and suffered the painful consequences many times.
Tim was enjoying posing as a millionaire. For in spite of the fact that he didn’t have the money in his pocket yet and frustrated by the conditions of the will, he had no doubts that it would come soon.
His new life was proving to be a great adventure, especially with Carrie at his side. It was so far removed from his boring life of just a few months ago, that he had to keep pinching himself to ensure he wasn’t dreaming.
Perhaps the old man had done something good for him after all, although he’d never admit it to anyone.
Kay was looking forward to getting her feet back on terra firma. She decided, she didn’t like flying at all; the noisy helicopter and the turbulence in the jet. No, it was not for her.
Although she did have to admit that Monaco was ‘nice’ and allowed herself a moment of indulgent fantasy thinking about the lifestyle she could have enjoyed, had she stuck with Geoffery, all those years ago.
‘Oh well, spilt milk and all that,’ she said, realistically.
Although, she had to admit that Geoffery’s unexpected return into her life had changed things for the better, especially with Tim.
For Tim’s rude and arrogant nature had changed, thanks to Geoffery employing Carrie to ‘toughen’ him up.
Their blossoming romance was an unexpected bonus too. However, Kay was less comfortable with the masculine and violent side of Carrie’s nature. She had to acknowledge that without her tough approach, Rupert would still be in the clutches of that evil woman.
Although still feeling less than hundred percent, James was at last feeling positive about his life again.
The veil that clouded any thoughts about a long term future was clearing. This ‘step back in time’ providing a glimpse of his old lifestyle, had been sobering.
He had been reminded of the decadent, arrogant, wasteful existence that he used to live. He decided that he would not go back to idling his life away on gambling and frivolous partying. He would instead do something positive with it. Geoffery had given him a chance and he was going to take it …but first he needed to sort out his health.
Meanwhile, Sue was on-board a train, heading towards Paris.
After Carrie had stolen her mobile, Sue had quickly left the hotel and got a Taxi to the rail station. Unsure of how she could get back home, she had been surprised to be able to immediately book a place on the twelve hour trip that took her from Monaco via Nice and Paris to London St Pancras.
Her plans to grab Rupert’s money and run had been thwarted by that devious old man and the trip had turned out to be a painful waste of time, but she felt confident that shortly she’d be back in control.
It was dark by the time the chartered Jet flew in over the village rooftops back towards the Gloucestershire Airport.
Amongst the plethora of lights on the approach to land, Ben was able to identify a few streets and buildings as they prepared for touch down. His angst resurfaced as he spotted the lights, two red and one white, on top of the hill, where all his troubles had began. ‘Would the Police be down there somewhere waiting for him?’ he wondered.
PART THREE
The Legacy
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
24th January
Ben alighted from the chartered Jet. Nervously looking across at the windows of the ‘arrivals lounge’ to see if the Police were looking out, he was relieved to see no staring faces.
As the crocodile of passengers walked towards the single story building that housed the ‘arrivals reception, Ben kept to the side and back of James, to hide from anyone looking for him.
With great apprehension he followed the others into the building expecting any minute to be grabbed and bundled away, but nothing happened. There was only one uniformed man in the small room, which he took to be a Customs officer, but he showed no interest in him at all.
Perhaps this is a ruse, he decided. Perhaps the Police were waiting outside to grab him.
The group chatted for a few moments waiting for their luggage to arrive on the old fashioned roller conveyor before splitting up and saying their goodbyes.
Andy told the Godsons that he would be in touch shortly. As soon as he knew what he was supposed to do about releasing the money, he would call them. In the meantime, he suggested, they should start thinking about how they would ‘earn’ the money.
He apologised to Ben for not being able to take him ‘home’, but told him he was scheduled to work a night duty at the hospice and was dashing home to get changed. However, he explained that he had spoken to James who was quite happy to take him.
Andy wished Rupert all the best and said he hoped Joanne would be better soon.
They walked through the building without anyone approaching Ben, his relief increasing as they walked to James’s car unhindered.
‘Well that was interesting,’ James said, as he steered the car up the airport exit road to join the narrow lane, heading towards Churchup.
Ben was now anticipating that the Police were going to be waiting at his Grandfather’s house. It was inconceivable that Sue hadn’t said anything to them.
‘Penny for them,’ James said.
‘Sorry, what did you say?’ Ben asked, vacantly.
‘I said that was an interesting trip wasn’t it?’
‘Oh yes. Yes it was.’ Ben replied, unconvincingly.
‘What’s the matter Ben, something on your mind?’
‘No, nothing.’
‘Come on. What is it?’ James insisted
‘Nothing, honest.’ Ben said, shifting in his seat.
‘Is it the trouble we had with Rupert’s wife?’
‘No…well sort of.’
‘What is it?’
‘She…she said she was going to tell the Police that I’d done all that stuff in the burial ground; you know vandalising Geoffery’s grave and knocking over that bloke that died and stealing his phone. I thought the Police might be waiting for me when we touched down.’
‘Oh, I see. Don’t worry. We know the real truth don’t we? The Police will know she’s lying. Anyway, she’s probably still travelling.’
Behind them, James could see two sets of car light
s following them out of the airport. One set was Tim and Carrie who were taking Kay to her home and the other set was Rupert, who would be heading off down the M5 motorway, to visit Jo in Frenchay hospital.
Following the short journey from the airport, James pulled up outside Ben’s Grandad’s house.
‘Well then, see, I told you. There was nothing to worry about. No Police cars, OK?’
Ben had already scanned the area, to see if there were any liveried cars parked anywhere around.
‘Yeah OK. So I was worrying for nothing. But the suspense is going to be awful until she does tell them.’
‘Well there’s a couple of ways of tackling this. One, you wait. Perhaps she might never say anything.’
‘Fat chance.’
‘Two, you tell the Police yourself that she is going to make false allegations and leave them to sort it.’
‘I don’t like getting involved with the Police. They are biased against young people, especially as I’ve had a previous run in with them.’
‘Well I suppose there is a third way.’
‘What’s that?’
‘We persuade her to tell the truth.’
‘Yeah, right ! Like that’s going to happen,’ Ben said, cynically.
Just then the front door opened and Ben was delighted to see his Mother coming down the drive. Suddenly Sue and the allegations were forgotten as he opened the car door and ran towards her.
‘Mum, you’re home!’ he said, putting his arms around her.
‘Wow, that’s an unexpected, but lovely greeting. Hello son,’ she said, returning the hug and giving him a kiss.
‘Are you…is everything alright?’ Ben asked, suspiciously.
‘I’ve been given time off for good behaviour,’ she said, beaming. ‘Hello James, thanks for looking after my boy.’
‘My pleasure. Treatment going well then Beth?’ James said, smiling.
‘Yes thanks. I feel like a million dollars at the moment. But you know all about the highs and lows, don’t you?’
‘Small steps, Beth, isn’t that what they say?’
Ben got his bag out of the car and went into the house, pleased at least he was with people who loved him.
Coincidentally Sue was also back. She had arrived at London St Pancras and was checking the availability of trains from London Paddington to Bristol. Unfortunately, for her, due to engineering works, trains had been suspended and travel would be by coach instead. How typical, she thought. She could travel all the way through Europe efficiently only to be frustrated by Network Rail on the final leg of her journey.
However, she was now clear on how she was going to get her revenge on the others. They would all pay for disrespecting her, especially that Carrie for assaulting her and interfering with her punishment of Rupert.
And her pathetic husband Rupert, too, for not supporting her. He would regret disobeying her. His girlfriend needed another visit to remind him of his marital obligations. It would now cost him an increased share of his legacy. When he got it.
The data on the phone memory card, capturing Andy’s indiscretion, was bound to help expedite an early payment from him. It was fortuitous that she had removed it from her phone before it was stolen by that army bitch. Andy would now pay personally as well. She was not above a bit of blackmail.
She chuckled to herself that the kid, Ben, had inadvertently supplied her with a ‘get out of jail card’ by admitting he had picked up the Gravediggers mobile.
Nevertheless, he too would suffer for crossing her. All she had to do was to drip feed the Police with a few details that would implicate him and lead them up a few blind alleys. By the time they found out the truth, she would have disappeared somewhere in Europe with Rupert’s legacy. Perhaps things weren’t so bad after all.
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE
24th January
Andy opened the door quietly knowing that the children would be in bed. Helen was in the kitchen ironing, ‘You’re cutting that a bit fine aren’t you?’ she said, hearing the door. ‘I thought you might have gone straight to work.’
‘No, I wanted to come and see you first before I went in.’
Well how was your trip?’ she said, putting the iron down and coming into the hallway to greet him.
‘Hello love,’ he said, going to her and giving her a hug. ‘Yeah, good.’
‘Good! Only good? To go to Monaco on a private jet, stay at some posh hotel, and it’s only good?’
‘Well, you know. What about you?’
‘I’ve been changing shitty nappies and looking after your children while you’ve been gallivanting off.’
‘Geoffery has dropped me in it again,’ he said, taking his coat off and hanging it over the bottom of the bannisters.
‘What do you mean, dropped you in it?’
‘He’s put the responsibility on me of deciding when the money from his estate should be released to his Godsons.’
‘What?’
‘He’s told them it’s all down to me.’
‘How can you decide when to give them the money? You’re a nurse, not a flipping lawyer.’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. The good thing is he’s extended my contract until it’s resolved.’
‘So you’re still getting paid then?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well that’s alright then. I hope you don’t have to see that dreadful woman, Sue, again.’
‘This might be the opportunity of coming clean,’ Andy thought, as Helen had raised the spectre of Sue, ‘Well actually, she was there.’
‘Never!’
‘Yes I was surprised as anybody. But she was with Rupert. They were even staying in the same room, until…’
‘Until?’
‘Well, there was an incident and Tim and his girlfriend had to intervene and rescue him. He stayed in their suite after that.’
‘What the hell was she doing there in the first place?’
‘We reckon she was blackmailing Rupert.’
‘You didn’t get involved with her, did you?’ She asked, concerned.
‘Well, yeah. I…er…did.’ Andy was just plucking up courage to admit to Helen about the bedroom incident as one of the children started crying upstairs.
‘I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s been like this all night,’ Helen said, distracted from Andy’s admission.
‘She teething? Andy asked, concerned. ‘Do you want me to go up and see to her?’
‘Yes, please. I’ve been up and down to her all evening.’
‘OK, I’ll have a quick wash and put on my uniform while I’m up there.’
‘I’ll put your dirty washing in the machine. I was just going to do a load anyway. I just don’t seem able to keep on top of it.’
Andy ran quietly upstairs as Helen flicked open the catches of his small suitcase. As she did so she caught a faint smell that made her hackles rise. She picked Andy’s shirt up and sniffed it. The scent was unmistakable. It was that woman Nadine’s perfume. She felt devastated, as if she’d been kicked in the stomach.
Andy tiptoed downstairs. ‘She was crying in her sleep but she’s OK now. I’ve decided to shower and change at work.’ He stopped as he saw Helen holding his shirt. She stared at him, the words came in an angry torrent.
‘You’ve been with that woman again, haven’t you?’ she said, angrily. ‘I can smell her perfume on your shirt. I trusted you Andy, I trusted you,’ she said, filling up.
‘Well of course she was there,’ he said, now wrong footed. ‘She was his former lover. You’d expect her to be there,’ he replied, tersely.
‘Don’t treat me like a fool Andy. I caught you, not once, but twice with your arms around her.’
‘We’ve already had this discussion. There is nothing in it. How many more times?’
‘How come her perfume is on your clothes then? You don’t get that from, just being in the same room,’ she said, sceptically.
‘Well you know what these continentals are like. They’re al
l kissy, kissy.’
‘So you admit kissing her then?’
‘It was a greeting, in front of everybody else. There was nothing to it. I promise,’ he said, guiltily relegating the controversial ‘goodnight kiss’ to the back of his mind.
‘I’m finding it harder and harder to believe you Andy.’
‘Look, I’ve got to go to work. I’ll tell you about it all when I get home tomorrow morning,’ he said, exasperated that his plans to ‘come clean’ had been thwarted.
He gave her an unreturned hug, turned around and left.
After a few minutes staring at the closed door feeling upset, Helen mechanically emptied the rest of Andy’s suitcase growing angrier as the woman’s fragrance taunted her. The smell seemed to pervade all his clothes.
Upstairs, one of the children started to cry again and as she started tiredly to climb the stairs, she brushed against Andy’s jacket hanging over the end of the banisters. She felt a small bulge in it. Thinking Andy had brought her a present, initially she resisted the temptation to look at it, but the desire to see what it was became overwhelming. She carefully took it out of his pocket, but her heart stopped as she read the neatly handwritten label. It was a woman’s writing. ‘Andy, thank you for everything, Love Nadine.’
‘Oh my god,’ she said, slumping to her knees. She was devastated. Her trust had been well and truly thrown in her face. Andy had lied to her. He was ‘two-timing’ her.
She dissolved into tears, dropped the box and ran upstairs to Molly’s room.
She looked at the sleeping baby, ‘Oh Molly,’ she said, holding the rail of the cot, ‘what’s going to happen to you? Daddy doesn’t love us anymore.’
CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR
24th January
Rupert’s trip from the airport to Frenchay hospital seemed endless. He used to do the return trip to Bristol daily and he reckoned he knew every pothole in the thirty mile strip of tarmac. Tonight, he recognised nothing.
The journey was taking forever. Perhaps, he thought, it was because he was anxious about what he’d find in the hospital that seemed to make the clock and odometer stop.