Life of Crime

by Kimberley Chambers

  Johnny was old school. Would never dream of booking a cab to and from his weekly session in the Rainham Working Men’s Club. Real men could handle themselves after a few bevvies.

  Starting his ignition, Johnny flicked through the CDs. He decided on a bit of Patsy Cline. His Carol had loved Patsy and even though he was very happy with Shirley now, he’d never forgotten his wonderful wife. She’d been the making of him and would always have a special place in his heart.

  Having no idea that two men were waiting to shoot him near his home in North Ockendon, Johnny swung his Jaguar out of the car park and jovially sang along to ‘Crazy’.

  ‘I think we should go. He’s obviously gone somewhere else,’ Jason said. The weather was dismal and the fact things hadn’t gone exactly to plan told Jason it wasn’t meant to be.

  ‘Nah. Let’s give it another hour. Shirley’s car’s not on the drive, so I reckon he’s stayed out a bit later because she’s away or something.’

  Jason fell silent again. He wasn’t the type to take another man’s life, but he was bloody desperate.

  Thinking of Charlotte, he sighed deeply. She’d been on his case big time lately, but he couldn’t leave Melissa at present. Aside from the fact he was in no position financially to make the break, she hadn’t coped at all well with Bobby’s death and, for all her faults, Jason felt something for her. He’d even ended his affair during Melissa’s pregnancy, had done the right thing, and for a while they’d been happy.

  The move to Repton Park had been costly. Melissa had been four months gone when she’d insisted their house wasn’t going to be big enough for a baby as well and they needed a new one. Then there were the private school fees. Jason had stuck firm on that one for a while, but as per usual Melissa had got her own way in the end. Donte had been the first to go to one. Melissa had actually taken him out of his primary school and done the deed without a word to Jason. Not wanting his own daughter to miss out, he had waited until Shay was ready to move to secondary school before taking her to view one. Shay had liked the look of it, so now he was paying well over thirty grand a year in school fees.

  ‘Jase, this is him, I think,’ Craig hissed.

  Jason clutched his helmet – the one protecting his head; he doubted he could find the other one right now, it was so shrunken with fright. He suddenly felt ill and was trembling all over.

  ‘You ready?’ Craig asked. Johnny had a big house in the lanes out in Ockendon and the spot where they were lying in ambush was hidden and roughly half a mile from his gaff. The plan was to follow him, then strike as he leaned out of the window to swipe his key against the electric gates.

  Singing away with Patsy to ‘Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray’, Johnny didn’t notice the motorbike behind him. He was thinking about Shirley. Her sister was recovering from an operation, which was why Shirley had gone to stay with her for the weekend. They’d moved into their current abode six months after Carol died and this was the longest they’d spent apart. Johnny couldn’t wait for her to return tomorrow. He’d really missed her.

  When the bike screeched to a sickening halt next to him, Johnny’s initial reaction was to shut his window and lock the doors.

  Jason felt the bile rise in his throat as he raised the gun.

  ‘Go. Now!’ Craig bellowed.

  Spotting the gun, Johnny’s eyes bulged with terror. He ducked down, instinct telling him to cover his head with his hands. Shirley flashed through his mind. He couldn’t die, not like this, she’d be devastated.

  Jason couldn’t move, was like a frozen statue.

  Absolutely livid, Craig snatched the shooter out of his pal’s hand.

  ‘Noooo,’ Jason yelled, trying to knock Craig’s hand away from its target.

  As the sound of gunshot filled the air, the last thing Jason saw as the motorbike toppled over was blood spattering against Johnny’s window.

  ‘I hate seeing you like this, Char. You deserve better. If men are going to leave their wives for their mistress, they usually do it within the first six months of the affair. I read that in an article in Cosmopolitan recently.’

  Charlotte Rivers took a gulp of her piña colada. Jilly Barker was her best friend, one of the only people she could really trust. ‘I know he loves me. If I thought otherwise, I wouldn’t be with him. There is something he is not letting me know though, and I’m determined to find out what it bloody well is.’

  ‘Does Melissa use a gym? Only that’s how I found out the low-down on Richie. I took out a membership where his ex trained. Asked a few questions.’

  ‘I do know what gym Melissa uses, actually. Jason let it slip once. Oh my God! That’s a great idea.’

  Ordering his young pregnant Thai wife to cook him something to eat, Craig Thurston marched Jason out the back and into the garage. He locked the door.

  ‘I know I fucked up and I’m sorry, Craig, all right.’

  ‘All right? All fucking right!’ Craig shrieked, slamming Jason against the brick wall. He paced the garage with his head in his hands. ‘I got a wife and my first kid on the way. A favour, you asked me for, a fucking favour. Then you freeze like a cunt before knocking the bike over.’

  ‘It was an accident. I’m sorry.’

  ‘Let’s just hope he’s dead, you numpty. Otherwise we might both be hauled in for questioning. What the hell was you thinking, eh?’

  Jason lowered his head. He felt stupid, weak and bad for letting Craig down. ‘I dunno, mate. I suppose I’m not cut out to kill. I’ll make it up to you though, I promise.’

  ‘Damn right you will.’

  Melissa slurped the last of her wine, lay back on her pillow and closed her eyes. Alcohol eased the pain, temporarily at least.

  Bobby had been such a wanted and incredibly beautiful baby. Blond hair, blue eyes, perfect features, just like his daddy.

  Nobody could tell Melissa what had gone wrong. Apart from suffering severe sickness bouts, she’d sailed through her pregnancy. It had honestly been the happiest time of her life. She could remember the weekend clearly. She and Jason had painted the nursery. They’d listened to soul music while working, planning their son’s future throughout.

  ‘Problems with the placenta are thought to be the most common cause of stillborn babies,’ one doctor told Melissa.

  ‘Sometimes a genetic or chromosomal defect is the reason a baby does not survive,’ said the midwife.

  But nobody could put their finger on the reason. Bobby weighed eight pounds two ounces at birth, so he’d obviously been feeding from her useless body at some point. Melissa could just not get her head around losing him. She was due to be admitted six days later to be induced. Why was life so cruel and unfair?

  Tears rolling down her cheeks, she thought back to that fateful day. She’d felt a bit strange the evening before but put it down to the curry she’d eaten. On the Sunday morning, Jason had gone off early to play golf and she’d had a lie in. When she woke up just before midday, she knew instantly something was wrong. Bobby had been a little wriggler and kicker throughout the latter months of her pregnancy and that awful day he wasn’t moving at all.

  Melissa got up and wandered into Bobby’s nursery. They’d had everything in place for his homecoming. Even his little wardrobe and chest of drawers were full of babygros and clothes for when he got a bit older.

  Staring at Bobby’s photo, Melissa pressed the button on his musical mobile.

  ‘Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mocking bird. And if that mocking bird won’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring …’

  Jason stopped at the Crown and Crooked Billet on the way home, on Craig’s advice. ‘Pick up your motor and make sure you get flashed by a fucking speed camera as close to your nan’s house as humanly possible. Then go in your local, laugh, bastard-well joke and act normal,’ were Craig’s exact words.

  Peggy, as per usual, was Jason’s alibi. He hadn’t gone into detail about what he was up to today – he never did. His nan was the one pe
rson he knew he could rely on if anything came on top, and if need be, Irish Ted would back up his story too.

  The Crown and Crooked Billet wasn’t exactly Jason’s local, but since Bobby had died he did pop in there from time to time. Anything was better than being indoors with Melissa getting bladdered and singing nursery rhymes like a nutter.

  Feeling less like socializing than he could remember in a long time, Jason pushed open the door of the pub. He spotted Glyn Hopkin. Unlike himself, Glyn was the car dealer of all car dealers. Jason bowled over to him and slapped him on the back. ‘All right, Glyn? How’s it going, mate?’

  Within the hour, Jason pulled up outside the house. He wasn’t the biggest fan of Repton Park. A lot of the people who lived there were too up themselves for his liking. His neighbours were all right. A Spurs footballer lived one side, an EastEnders soap star the other. They were both fairly down-to-earth, unlike most of the locals.

  With a heavy heart, Jason turned his ignition off. Had Melissa heard the news yet, he wondered. She’d told him loads of times she wished her father was dead. It was because he knew how much Melissa hated Johnny that Jason had gone ahead with this stupid idea. Melissa wouldn’t grieve, she’d be relieved. And then there’d be the inheritance to look forward to.

  About a month after that embarrassing Christmas Day in the Bull in Brentwood, when they’d bumped into Shirley and Johnny and it had all kicked off, Melissa had received a lengthy heartfelt letter from her father. Johnny had told Mel how much he loved and missed her, and how it had broken his heart to see his grandchildren again, knowing he could never be part of their lives. The interesting paragraph for Jason though was the one in which Johnny told her that he’d made a will, and even if she never spoke to him again, 50 per cent of everything he owned would be hers. He’d insisted that’s what Carol would have wanted.

  Spotting his father’s Mercedes, Donte bolted out of the house. ‘All right, Dad. Where you been? I’ve been calling you.’

  Jason got out the car and ruffled Donte’s short dark hair. He’d left his phone at his nan’s this morning, for obvious reasons.

  ‘Sorry, boy. I was over at your nan’s, then I popped to the pub. The battery’s dead. I forgot to charge it up last night. You OK? Where’s Mum?’

  ‘I’m OK, but I’m bored. Shay’s gone out with her friend and I wanted to go round Calvin’s, but Mum’s crying and drunk again, so I thought I’d better stay indoors. Do you think she will get better soon?’

  Donte was nine now, a handsome boy with big sad eyes and a beautiful smile. He would certainly break some hearts one day, but it was Jason’s he was currently breaking. If his grandfather was dead, the boy would be terribly upset, and he had enough on his plate at the moment as it was. ‘Your mum will get better one day. Let’s go indoors and get on that PlayStation, eh? What game d’ya fancy?’

  ‘Extermination!’

  Later that evening, after he’d put the kids to bed, Jason poured himself a much-needed brandy and sat at the kitchen table. There had been no phone call regarding Johnny and Jason wondered whether he had been found yet. His driveway was surrounded by trees and big bushes, but his car would be spotted tomorrow in daylight.

  Jason put his head in his hands. He wanted to call Craig, but daren’t. ‘Best you and I steer clear of one another until this blows over. Don’t be ringing me either, unless it’s urgent.’

  Jason thought of Johnny. He had to be worth two million at the very least. It wouldn’t surprise Jason if it were closer to four, once all his assets were thrown into the equation. He still owned his builders’ merchants, though he didn’t run it any more. And he owned loads of properties, mainly flats, that he rented out. If Jason was to go through with his plan and leave Melissa, then he wanted her to be financially secure. They could have a clean break then. He wouldn’t fight her for any of her father’s inheritance, providing she supported herself in future and gave him half of what their home was worth. After the money he’d spent on her over the years, he couldn’t be fairer than that. Her wants and whims were enough to drive most men insane.

  Having put on a CD of his absolute idol, Stevie Wonder, Jason did not hear Melissa pad down the stairs in her slippers. She made him jump.

  ‘What’s up? What time did you get in?’ Mel asked.

  ‘Hours ago.’

  ‘Where you been, golf?’

  ‘No. I told you yesterday, my nan hasn’t been well. I was visiting her and cooking her dinner today. I popped in the Billet on the way home, and I’ve been on the PlayStation with Donte. He was bored and alone. Shay had gone out with her mate and I doubt you even knew. What type of a mother are you? Only, this can’t continue. It’ll soon be eighteen months since Bobby died. Time you snapped out of the drinking and mourning. You got two other children who rely on you, need you. Bobby is dead, Mel. No amount of grieving is going to bring him back. End of.’

  ‘End of what?’ Melissa shrieked. ‘You are so callous, Jason. Heartless, in fact.’

  Unable to stop himself, Jason grabbed Melissa and marched her over to the mirror in their bathroom. ‘Take a look at yourself, Mel. What happened to that attractive woman that used to take pride in herself? You’re a mess. Look at the state of your hair and nails. You barely go out the door any more and I doubt you’ve even showered today – look, you’re still wearing the same pyjamas you had on last night. I can’t take much more of this. Our children, the two living ones, deserve better.’

  When his wife stifled a sob and bolted back up the stairs, Jason poured himself another brandy.

  What he had done today was actually for Melissa, little did she know it.

  Jason put his head in his hands and thought of Charlotte. He wanted to be with her. But he couldn’t leave Melissa in the state she was in. They’d been through a lot together and he wasn’t that much of a bastard. Or was he?

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The following morning the phone call Jason had dreaded finally arrived. He rarely slept in Melissa’s bed any more, had all but moved into the spare room, and he snatched at the receiver before his wife could. ‘Hello.’

  ‘Is Melissa there please?’

  ‘Who is it?’ Jason asked, knowing full well it was Shirley Stone.

  ‘It’s Shirley. Melissa’s dad’s partner.’

  ‘Oh, hi, Shirley. This is Jason. I think Melissa’s still asleep. Can I take a message?’

  When the woman dissolved into tears, Jason felt his heart pounding against his chest. Trying to keep his voice normal wasn’t easy. ‘Has something happened, Shirley?’

  ‘Yes,’ Shirley sobbed. ‘It’s Johnny. Someone shot him.’

  ‘Oh Jesus, no! Where? When? Is he OK?’

  ‘It happened yesterday, outside our house. I was in Kent, visiting my sister. Who would do such a thing, Jason?’

  Jason’s voice quivered. ‘But he’s alive, right?’

  ‘Yes. But only just.’

  ‘Hello,’ Charlotte Rivers smiled at the receptionist. ‘I wonder if you can help me. I’m new to the area and want to join a gym. I was wondering if I could take out a monthly pass? To sample this one, so to speak. Obviously, all being well, I will then sign up for a year.’

  The receptionist smiled back. ‘Of course. What’s your name, love? Have you got any ID with you?’

  Thrusting her friend’s borrowed driving licence towards the lady, Charlotte replied, ‘My name’s Jilly. Jilly Barker.’

  Melissa sat bolt upright in bed. ‘Shot! What do you mean, shot?’

  ‘I mean shot, love, with a gun. He’s OK though. Shirley was upset, understandably. Your dad has been operated on and the doctors are hopeful he’ll be fine.’

  ‘Fuck Shirley,’ Melissa hissed. ‘I bet this has something to do with her. I mean, why would anybody want to shoot my dad?’

  Jason’s emotions were all over the place. Part of him was relieved Johnny had survived, the other half of him wasn’t. He and Craig had been clad from head to foot in leathers with crash helmets on, but say
Johnny had somehow recognized them or overheard their voices? There’d been a few words shouted when the bike had taken a tumble.

  ‘Say something then,’ Melissa ordered. ‘What else did that slag have to say?’

  ‘That your dad’s in Oldchurch and he’d want you to visit him. He lost a lot of blood and it was touch and go for a while, she reckons.’

  Melissa’s lip curled into a snarl. ‘Over my dead body! What, with her there? I wonder if my mum is looking down. What goes around comes around.’

  Outside the bedroom door, there were two very interested listeners.

  ‘We should visit him,’ Donte whispered in Shay’s ear.

  Shay grinned. ‘OK.’

  Charlotte Rivers was disappointed. There weren’t many in the step class and the few women she’d tried to strike up a conversation with weren’t exactly friendly. ‘Do you fancy a coffee?’ she asked a bimbo with fake hair and breasts.

  ‘No. Got to pick Bill and Ben up from the crèche,’ the woman giggled.

  Charlotte smiled politely. She might be a lap-dancer, but had class and a brain. ‘OK. Maybe another time then.’

  As Charlotte went off to freshen up, the mousy girl who’d trained alone in the corner tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Hi. I’m Sue. I’ll have a coffee with you, if you like?’

  ‘Who was that? Not Shirley again, was it?’ Melissa asked Jason.

  ‘No. Babs. My mum’s been playing up again. She’s told Babs if I don’t get her her own place, she’s going to kill herself.’

  ‘You’re not going to help her, are you?’

  ‘Nope. She’s made her own bed, let her lie in it,’ Jason snapped. He hadn’t seen his mother since visiting her in Oldchurch Hospital and had no wish to ever lay eyes on her again. According to Babs, she lived in a decent enough council-run home that had been specially adapted to cope with people who needed round-the-clock assistance. There were staff on duty twenty-four hours a day, and his mother had her own room. But she hated it there. Probably because she couldn’t pour alcohol down her fat neck, morning, noon and night, was Jason’s guess.