Hiding Game, The

by Brindle, J. T.

  ‘Let’s get you inside,’ she muttered angrily. ‘I want some answers from you, my boy.’

  She got him to the bench, then boiled a pan full of water. After cleaning and dressing the gash on his temple, she sat beside him. ‘Who did this to you, and why? The truth now!’

  Still dazed from the incident, he denied anyone was involved. ‘I thought someone was after me,’ he said. ‘It was dark. I took off through the spinney… I didn’t see the loose branch. It came down heavy on me.’ Fingering his head, he winced. ‘It knocked me out for a while.’

  Rosie knew him well enough to know when he was lying. ‘I asked for the truth and you give me a cock-and-bull story!’ she retorted angrily. ‘What really happened, Luke? Tell me who did this to you.’

  Luke clung to his story. ‘There’s nothing else to tell,’ he insisted. He gave her a strange look, as if wanting to confide in her. But then he thought better of it. ‘I’m tired.’ Standing up, he took a moment to steady himself. ‘Goodnight, Mum. We’ll talk tomorrow.’

  Rosie sighed, ‘Aw, Luke, you make so many enemies, you worry me sick.’

  ‘No need to worry. I know how to look after myself.’

  ‘I wonder if you do.’ She knew he wouldn’t tell her the truth, but she knew it was bad. ‘Go on to bed. Like you say, we’ll talk tomorrow.’

  ‘Goodnight.’

  ‘Goodnight, son.’

  Long after he had gone to his bunk, Rosie lay awake. ‘I’m to blame,’ she whispered. ‘It was wrong of me to tell him about Mike. All those years he believed his father was dead. Now he knows different, and he can’t live with it.’ She had done it for the best, and lived to regret it. ‘Luke was a good boy,’ she murmured. ‘Now, because of me, he’s wild and wilful, and I’m so afraid he’ll come to a bad end.’

  She could hear him moving about, restless, like a caged animal.

  ‘Somebody hurt you tonight.’ Her voice was strangely hushed, eyes glittering with a kind of madness. ‘Whether he likes it or not, Luke is Mike’s boy. Before I’ll let anyone harm him, I’ll see them dead!’

  11

  Mike came down the stairs two at a time. He felt good. With Christmas over and the New Year already one week old, he felt there was much to look forward to.

  Making straight for the frying pan he took up a plate and served himself two eggs and a rasher of bacon. ‘Looks good enough to eat.’ Winking at the kids, he waited for Kerry’s sharp retort, but it never came. She was sitting with her head in her hands, eyes downcast, as if she had the world on her shoulders. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked her.

  Without looking up, Jack answered. ‘She’s miserable.’

  Susie went to her mother’s defence. ‘No, she’s not!’

  ‘All right, you two, that’s enough.’ Mike was in no mood for arguments. ‘Go and get ready for school.’

  Jack threw his toast down. ‘Didn’t want breakfast anyway!’ Sliding down from the stool he slunk out of the room.

  Susie ran after him. ‘Wait for me, Jack.’

  Kerry looked up. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I don’t mean to be miserable. It’s just that I’ve got a lot on my mind this morning.’

  Mike cut into his bacon. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’ He stuffed the bacon into his mouth and began chewing.

  ‘Not really,’ she answered. ‘It’s to do with work.’

  Part of her problem was Steve. She still had strong feelings for him, and she was finding working with him a strain.

  ‘I’d like to help.’ Enjoying his breakfast, Mike came up with an idea. ‘If you wanted, I could always forget the hire business and come in with you.’

  Kerry’s answer was swift. ‘Not a good idea.’ Though they were growing closer, she felt it would take months, maybe years, before she felt totally secure with him. ‘I think it would do you good to restart your own business.’

  ‘Just a thought.’ He felt rejected.

  Smiling, she added, ‘Besides, I don’t want you muscling in on my little kingdom. I sweated blood for that independence.’

  ‘Muscling in was not my intention,’ he assured her. ‘But I know what you mean.’

  Kerry finished her tea and stood up. ‘I’d best get the kids off to school, then it’s back to the grindstone.’

  ‘Me too.’

  His remark surprised her. ‘Oh? Sounds like you’ve got plans.’

  ‘It’s time I saw about buying a couple of sound vehicles.’

  It was just what she had been waiting for. ‘I’m glad,’ she said. ‘And the money’s at your disposal, as I told you.’

  ‘I’ll put it back, I promise.’

  ‘When you’re ready.’

  Mike had a question. ‘That guy you work with…’

  Shocked that he should mention the very man who was playing on her mind, she answered, ‘You mean Steve?’

  ‘Get on all right with him, do you?’

  ‘Yes. Why do you ask?’

  He shrugged. ‘Just wondered, that’s all.’

  ‘I must admit, though, I’ve been thinking of letting him go.’ The words were out before she could stop herself, and with Mike’s next comment, she knew it was a silly thing to have said.

  ‘Giving you trouble, is he, this Steve?’

  Angry at his remark, Kerry snapped, ‘I didn’t say that, and no, he is not giving me trouble. Steve is a good bloke. He’s hard-working and reliable, and staff like that are hard to find.’

  Taken aback by her outburst, Mike put up his hand in mock self-protection. ‘Whoa! I only wondered if he was causing problems.’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean by problems.’ She was on the defensive and that was her second mistake.

  ‘You said it was work making you miserable. I know you love what you do, so naturally I wondered if it might be a clash of personality between you and this Steve. From what you tell me, you’ve recently given him more responsibility. Sometimes promoting staff can lead to trouble. They begin to imagine they know more than you do. It causes trouble. I’ve seen it happen all too often.’

  ‘Well, you’re wrong about this one.’

  ‘So why are you thinking of letting him go?’

  She was tempted to say, ‘Because he was my lover for three years, and part of me wishes he still was,’ but she kept her cool and sidestepped the question. ‘I’m not thinking straight this morning. Steve isn’t the problem. I’d better go and see to Jack and Susie.’

  Kerry went up to the bathroom where she found Julie was already in charge. Satisfied that they had cleaned their teeth properly, Julie gave them a smile. ‘That’s very good,’ she said. ‘Downstairs now, and get your coats on.’

  After they’d gone, she tackled Kerry. ‘I heard the two of you arguing,’ she said.

  Another time, Kerry might have snapped at her for interfering, but not this morning. This morning she needed someone to talk to, and what she had in mind was not for Mike’s ears. ‘If I confide in you, can you keep it to yourself?’

  ‘Of course. That’s what mothers are for, isn’t it?’

  ‘Not now though,’ said Kerry. ‘There isn’t time.’

  Julie had already guessed. ‘It’s to do with Steve, isn’t it?’

  ‘No, it’s not to do with Steve. It’s to do with Mike.’

  ‘You love him, don’t you, this Steve?’

  Kerry’s thoughts were already at the warehouse, with Steve. She had to make a decision, and it was tearing her apart. ‘What did you say? Sorry, I wasn’t listening.’

  ‘Steve. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’

  ‘We’ll talk later.’ It was always the same. She began a conversation, and then regretted it. Her mother’s bluntness set her nerves on edge.

  ‘Haven’t you ended your affair with him?’

  Horrified, Kerry rushed to the door and softly closed it. ‘For God’s sake, Mother! Do you want Mike to hear?’

  ‘Hardly!’ Julie snorted. ‘If he knew what Steve meant to you, he’d probably go out and kill him –
you as well, if my suspicions are right.’

  ‘Look, don’t start insinuating that Mike’s a killer. It’s me we’re talking about. I should have had more sense than to think you could talk about anything without bringing your hatred of Mike into it.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Julie lied. ‘I’ll guard my tongue, I promise.’ But she wouldn’t guard her thoughts.

  ‘I’ve got myself in a bad situation,’ Kerry groaned, ‘and I don’t know what to do.’

  ‘Do you love Steve?’

  Kerry took a moment to think about that, and there was only one answer. ‘Yes, I love him.’ Before her mother could gloat, she went on, ‘I love Mike too, but in a different way. At first, Steve was just another employee. We became friends, and before too long we were lovers. I never meant that to happen, but I don’t regret it. With Mike away, bills piling up, all the worry… the awful loneliness…’ Beneath her mother’s searching gaze she felt awkward, like a child. ‘I needed someone and he was there,’ she finished lamely.

  ‘And now Mike’s back, you have to make a choice.’

  ‘I thought I’d already made it. But I still need Steve… it will take longer than I thought.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Things are getting better between me and Mike. Jack’s even beginning to accept him again.’ She paused. ‘Whatever you think of Mike, he’s my husband and the father of my children. We were a family, and can be again, I know it. I just have to keep Steve at arm’s length.’

  ‘Don’t be too hasty,’ her mother urged. ‘Talk to Steve. Tell him you have to give Mike a chance, but don’t shut him out of your life altogether or you might live to regret it.’

  Kerry looked at her enviously, thinking how strong-willed her mother was, and how whenever she wanted anything she grabbed it with both hands and damn the consequences. ‘You don’t understand,’ she told her. ‘I’m not like you. I can’t juggle two men at once. I have to make a choice, and live with the consequences.’ If only she was strong enough to stand by the choice she must make, but so far she was weak.

  ‘What if Steve won’t go quietly?’

  Kerry wanted the conversation over. ‘Don’t concern yourself, Mother,’ she said. ‘I’ll deal with Steve.’

  Outside on the landing, Mike listened intently, his back pressed to the wall and his heart sinking with every word he heard. Kerry’s confession thundered through his brain until he thought he would go crazy. All the time he was shut in that damned place, she had had a lover. How could she do that to him? He didn’t care how lonely she was, or how the bills piled up, she ought to have had the strength to be faithful. The time spent away from her had been torture. All he could think of was her, how he longed to hold her, needed to feel the warmth of her body in his arms, yearned to be with her. All that precious time. Every minute of every day, he had loved her until it was like a physical hurt. And all the while she was lying with another man.

  The man’s name glowed in his mind like a beacon. Steve, a friend then a lover, that’s what she had said. And she loved him.

  He heard them moving towards the door. Quickly he ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. ‘Are you kids ready?’ The tone of his voice belied the rage inside him.

  A few minutes later, he saw Kerry and the children on their way. ‘Are you sure I can’t give you a lift into town?’ Kerry asked.

  He shook his head. ‘Thanks all the same. The walk will do me good. I need the fresh air.’ What he really needed was to let the rage settle so he could think straight.

  But the rage didn’t settle. Instead it hardened inside him. With each step he took, he recalled everything she had said, how she had deceived him, how she still loved him. He mimicked her voice: ‘I love Mike too, but in a different way…’

  What way was that? Was her mind on Steve when she made love with him? Mike’s face twisted with murderous rage.

  Kerry had avoided Steve all day, but now, with only half an hour before finishing, and everything running smoothly, she knew he would seek her out.

  She left the office and went on a tour of inspection.

  As always, even after the baking was done and both ovens cleaned out, the wonderful aroma pervaded the air, conjuring up fresh bread, meat pasties and jam doughnuts. Warm and thick, the smell filled the nostrils and tickled the senses. In the morning the room was piled high with racks of delicious food waiting to be delivered or collected. In the afternoon, when they were all gone, that wonderful, unique smell hung in the air, like a special kind of perfume.

  ‘It’s been a rush.’ Trudy had been with Kerry the longest. She always had something to say, and today was no different. ‘The orders are all out and everything’s ready for tomorrow.’ Proudly, she showed Kerry the newly cleaned oven and the pile of spotless baking trays beside the sink. ‘I’ve just got to put it all back together: Then it’s home to a cuppa and my feet up.’

  Her colleague laughed. ‘You can say that again!’ she quipped. ‘Mine feel like two puddings on the end of my legs.’

  Kerry chatted to them for a few minutes. ‘You’ve done well,’ she said. ‘Finish up now, and I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  Trudy, the older of the two women, drew Kerry aside. ‘You look tired… if you don’t mind me saying.’

  After a long, hard day, Kerry would have brushed aside the remark, but Trudy went on, ‘Why don’t you get a young girl in to do the packing?’ she suggested. ‘You’ve got more than enough to cope with. I mean, the phone’s going every minute of the day, and there’s all that paperwork – some days I can’t see you behind the pile of stuff on your desk.’ She shook her head. ‘Honest to God, I don’t know how you do it all.’

  ‘I like to be busy,’ Kerry told her. ‘Besides, I can’t afford to take on a girl.’ Especially not with Mike needing money to start up again, she thought. ‘I’m already stretched with four wages to pay as it is.’

  That last remark stirred Trudy to answer, ‘I understand. I’m sorry. I just thought you looked tired, that’s all.’

  Kerry assured her she hadn’t taken any offence. ‘You know it’s always chaotic on the first day back after the holidays. Everyone wants their delivery at the crack of dawn. It’s been all hands to the deck today, but tomorrow won’t be so bad. You’ll be able to bake and pack as usual, and I’ll be free to chase the orders and catch up on a mountain of paperwork. But there will be no girl.’ She smiled. ‘We’ve always managed before and unless we suddenly get some huge, fabulous contract that brings in a fortune, we’ll just have to cope as we are.’

  As Kerry walked away, Pauline, the younger of the two women, said cheekily, ‘I told you, Trudy. I said she wouldn’t have no work for your sister. You heard. She’s stretched to pay our wages as it is.’

  ‘Hmh! I don’t believe a word of it. She’s making a small fortune out of us, and all we get is a measly bonus at Christmas.’

  ‘And a wage all the year round, and a job that we enjoy doing. You do enjoy working here, don’t you, Trude?’

  ‘Course I do.’

  ‘There you are then. Let your sister find her own job.’

  ‘You’re a cheeky young bugger, you are.’

  ‘Have to be,’ came the reply, ‘or people will walk all over you.’

  Lowering her voice, Trudy edged nearer. ‘If I tell you something, do you know how to keep your gob shut?’

  ‘Try me.’

  ‘I reckon she’s carrying on.’

  ‘Never!’

  ‘I’m telling you. I reckon her and that Steve Palmer have been having it off for years.’

  ‘Don’t be daft! She wouldn’t look twice at him, especially now that dishy husband of hers is home.’

  ‘I’m not so sure.’ Trudy glanced at Kerry and Steve as they made their way up to the office. ‘I could be wrong, but they always seem to be closeted together in that poky office.’

  ‘So? What’s wrong with that?’

  ‘Temptation, that’s what.’

  ‘They have to work closely or nothing would run smooth, would it, yo
u silly cow?’

  ‘Hey! That’s enough of your lip!’

  ‘Well, if you ask me she hasn’t got time to be having it off with anybody. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t even got the energy to have it off with her own husband when she gets home of a night. In my book, she’s a real grafter and she deserves what she’s got.’

  ‘I’m not denying that.’

  ‘Then leave her alone and stop making up stories about her and Steve Palmer.’ Angrily, Pauline slammed a tray back into the oven, cursing when she broke a nail on her little finger. ‘Anyway, why would Steve want to look at a married woman when he can have any girl he chooses?’

  ‘What? Including you?’

  ‘Don’t be so bloody daft!’

  Trudy looked at her in astonishment. ‘Well, I never, you’re jealous!’ she teased. ‘You fancy him, don’t you? Go on, admit it. You’d like to have your wicked way with him, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘You silly old bat! Is that all you can think about, other people’s sex lives? You must be kept short at home if you need to fantasise about what everybody else is doing.’

  ‘Don’t talk so bloody stupid!’ The remark had cut too close to the bone. ‘Me and my feller have got a very healthy relationship, I can tell you that.’

  Pauline knew she had hit a nerve. It made her sad in a way. ‘We’d best get these ovens finished,’ she said casually, ‘or we’ll be here till kingdom come.’

  After Kerry and Steve had gone through the papers, arranging the deliveries and order of route, Kerry organised the rota for baking and packing, and adjusted the work charts. Satisfied that his duties were done for the night, Steve asked Kerry if he might take her for a drink. ‘We need to talk.’ Things had been playing on his mind. Lately he had felt her slipping away from him, and he meant to keep her at any cost.

  ‘We can talk here.’ Filing the papers in the relevant trays, she deliberately turned her back on him. ‘Look, Steve, there’s something I have to tell you.’