Don't Tell Meg Trilogy Box Set

by Paul J. Teague

  Diane Sawyer passed on your details. I’m very keen to meet, I’m back home this evening. How would 7pm be, in your hotel bar?

  What’s this in connection with, by the way?

  Regards,

  Peter Bailey

  I used Peter. I thought it sounded more impressive. It was a waiting game now, we needed some replies. Our plan was to finish off our breakfast, buy a couple of cheap T-shirts from the seaside shop along the road, and get changed in the hotel before checking out. Alex still had knickers to spare from her previous day’s purchase, I’d need some new boxers.

  As I’d anticipated, I could only eat about half of my giant fry-up. Alex ate even less. We sat at our window table checking our phones for news, updates from friends, emails and social media feeds. My phone vibrated again, it interrupted me as I watched the waves crashing out beyond the promenade.

  ‘Damn, it’s Becky!’

  Alex looked up from her phone, waiting for me to tell her more. There was a video attached to the text. I clicked on it instinctively before reading the message. The hotel had dodgy Wi-Fi, it was taking a while to download. I read the message.

  Screw you Pete and damn that bitch! You don’t just ditch me like that. I want to see you again. Tell me where you are now. I want to meet you there. Look what I’ve got btw. Wouldn’t want anyone seeing that would we? Becky xxxxxxxx

  I got a bad feeling about this. She’d taken my rejection badly. The progress bar on the video showed that the download was complete and I opened it up. The other guests turned towards me as the sounds of a couple having sex came from my phone. I couldn’t find the volume control, I was too stunned by what I was seeing.

  It was me and Becky in my caravan. On the bed. She was wearing the masquerade mask, her tattoo clearly visible on her neck, her long red hair falling over her face. She was moving gently up and down, all you could hear was the sound of our groans as we slowly moved to climax.

  ‘Take off your mask,’ she said in the video, and there it was, clear as day: my face right on the screen, completely naked, having sex with a masked Becky.

  She had to have set that up. I’d been lured into a trap and now she was going to blackmail me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  There was no hiding it. Everybody in the dining area had heard the sounds of my encounter with Becky. I finally managed to turn down the volume on my phone. I felt as if everybody was staring at me. After a few seconds, the hubbub returned to the room.

  ‘I daren’t even ask you what that was.’

  Alex looked at me, waiting for my answer. I steeled myself to tell her. I knew she wouldn’t give me a hard time over it, but I was shocked.

  ‘It was Becky. Looks like I got my reply. She doesn’t want to cool things off. She’s threatening to share it online. She wants to see me again.’

  ‘Can I look? Not at the video – I got the idea – at the text.’

  ‘Sure, please don’t play that video again.’

  I handed Alex the phone. My face was burning red with embarrassment.

  ‘That’s certainly you on the video. I can see from the thumbnail image. Wonder if Diane would like to use that shot for your new publicity photograph: Peter Bailey, newsreader, relaxes at home. Not quite a Hello! photo shoot, is it?’

  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Where had Becky put that phone? Actually, it didn’t take much figuring out, I just hadn’t seen it. I hadn’t even been looking for it. She must have set it up when she moved through to the bedroom. I think my trousers were tangled around my legs at the time.

  ‘I think you’re going to have to see her, Pete. Who knows how many copies there are? You could be backed up into the cloud already, it’s so difficult to destroy these things nowadays. What do you think she wants?’

  ‘It can’t be a replay. Even I don’t flatter myself that I’m that good in bed. Maybe she’s annoyed that I haven’t got back to her. Surely she’d have known the score. It was a one-night stand, a casual thing. There’s no reason for her to expect an engagement ring, is there?’

  ‘What is it with you and one-night stands, Pete? I hope the irony hasn’t been lost on you. First Ellie, now Becky. This is God telling you to zip up and keep your boxers on. Maybe you should give monogamy a try sometime?’

  I felt a momentary sting of judgment. That was unusual for Alex. I’d been faithful to her when we were together. I hadn’t even thought about looking elsewhere, it never even occurred to me at the time. It was the same with Meg. When we were first married, I was happy. It was only when our IVF problems came along and things started to get difficult that I slept with Ellie in a moment of weakness.

  Was Becky the same? I didn’t think so. I was lonely, I missed Meg’s company, although I was furious with her and not at all sure if we even had a marriage left. I’d slept with Becky because I was desperate for company. It didn’t hurt that she was hot for me and had made no attempt to disguise it.

  I was beginning to doubt myself and my judgment. Alex was right, it was in my lapses that I messed things up. Ellie was nice, she was no psycho, we were still friends. It was her stalker friend who’d caused all the problems in that scenario. Becky had seemed fine too. She didn’t appear to be crazy, even if her sexual tastes were a bit exotic. But here she was, making a thinly veiled threat to release a sex tape. I had my own sex tape! Maybe I should be proud, I was finally a Z-list celebrity with my own porno.

  ‘What do you think I should do? Will it make things worse if I see her again? I don’t mean sleep with her. We can’t do that again, not now. But I wonder if it will calm things down if I meet her?’

  ‘She hasn’t actually leaked the thing yet, Pete, it’s only a threat. This text isn’t quite at the blackmail stage. She doesn’t want money. I could send it to the digital forensics woman that we use on the TV show, see if she can trace the user account and get it blocked ...’

  ‘Don’t send it with the video, Alex. That’s all I need doing the rounds. There’s no way she’d keep that to herself, I know what the cops are like. Besides, I don’t want anyone else seeing that. These HD phones ... we might as well have had a film crew in there, the image is so clear.’

  ‘I can forward it without the video. Maybe she can trace the source of the text, get a proper home address for Becky or something like that?’

  ‘We know who sent it, though, that’s no mystery. She wants to meet me again. I think she’s angry that I gave her the brush-off. Filming us making love without my consent, that’s got to be illegal, isn’t it? Sharing it online is revenge porn, we did some reports on the radio about it, I know that much.’

  ‘The thing is, Pete. If she shares it, you’re closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. If everybody’s seen it, it’s kind of too late, isn’t it? I think you’ve got to see this woman. Record the conversation with her on your phone. Make sure that she drops herself in it when she’s talking to you. That should frighten her off.’

  I considered the prospect for a moment. I didn’t really have a choice. Had Becky not made the threat and got all heavy on me, I’d have been quite happy to meet up again after Alex had departed, have a rerun of our sexual encounter, then see her off on the Saturday at the end of her holiday. Why had she gone all wacko on me? I’d told her that we could meet again after Alex had left. Although Alex was right. With her stay extended, I had given Becky the brush-off.

  ‘I’m going to have to meet her, I don’t see that I have any choice. I’m really annoyed at this video, she has me over a barrel with that. Why did she have to film it? It makes the whole thing complicated.’

  I took the phone back from Alex and started to key in my response. I didn’t want to inflame the situation any more. I decided to hold up my hands and let her know where my new caravan was located. I needed to put an end to this thing.

  I tapped in my reply, going back to delete a couple of times while I chose the right words.

  Hi Becky, so sorry, I’ve been distracted. Happy to meet with you agai
n. I’m away at the moment, but how about I see you in the bar tonight? 9pm?

  Should I say anything about the video? I decided against it, it might inflame things even more. I’d give her what she wanted. I agreed to the meeting. Surely that would calm her down? I handed the message to Alex for approval.

  ‘Yes, that’s fine, Pete. Sign it off, maybe add in another apology. Don’t type in any kisses. What will you do if she wants a rerun?’

  The thought of more sex with Becky wasn’t the worst prospect in the world, but her recent text messages had put a bit of a dampener on things. Would I go through with it, if it helped to defuse the situation? I’d be checking for a phone next time, that’s for sure. It would make things worse. If she was like that after a first encounter, I’d be asking for trouble if I did it again.

  ‘I’ve got to put her off. I need to get her to delete the video. I may have to lead her on a bit to make sure it’s gone. Problem is, she could have a hundred copies of the thing by now. Once it’s in the cloud, it’s backed up in all sorts of ways. She might delete it on her phone, but that won’t mean it’s gone.’

  I signed off the text.

  Sorry again for being so distracted, I have a lot going on. Didn’t mean to be distant or rude. Looking forward to seeing you again, Pete

  Who knew what she’d read into it? It seemed vanilla enough, Alex was happy with it. I clicked on Send. I’d gone off my breakfast now.

  ‘Have you finished your meal?’ the waitress asked. She was trying to wipe a smirk off her face, she could see that we’d been discussing the video, the one that everybody in the dining room had heard.

  ‘We’re done, thank you,’ Alex informed her. ‘Shall we get packed up and checked out now, Pete?’

  I nodded. I was almost reluctant to stand up. I knew that when I did the day would start properly. With two new bodies, JD, Becky going psycho on me and this Hannah woman doing the rounds, I felt as if I was right back where I’d been six months previously. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time, but I could feel things coming to a head. I’d have stayed there and asked for more toast if I’d known how that day was going to end.

  The train out of Blackpool was very different to the one we’d taken on our earlier journey. We’d missed the morning rush, there weren’t many people on board, and we had a table seat to ourselves. Alex kept her cap on and her hair tied back, it seemed to make her more invisible to the crowds.

  I was becoming paranoid. I kept looking for JD, I checked the train twice. I had a go at some poor teenager in a hoodie and an I Love Blackpool T-shirt. Poor kid, he was with his girlfriend. I think he thought I was going to punch him. I apologised immediately when I saw his face. That was no JD, he’d nearly shat himself when I sounded off. I gave them twenty quid, which I couldn’t really afford, to spend on getting lunch together, and I returned to my seat embarrassed and angry with myself.

  ‘I don’t even know what he looks like,’ I cursed. ‘I’m beginning to think that I’m a complete and utter prick!’

  ‘Just a complete prick, Pete. No need to worry right now. I told you, he’s not on the train. Calm down. Whoever he is, at least he’s not violent. He’s probably some socially inadequate, shy guy. He’ll be easily frightened off once we work out who he is.’

  I shuffled in my seat and took a swig of the coffee that I’d bought on the station platform. I’d even resorted to black coffee, that’s how bad things were. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Hannah. At last, some progress.

  ‘It’s Hannah,’ I said to Alex, moving my phone into the middle of the table so that we could read it together.

  Hi Peter,

  Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.

  Happy to meet this evening. I’m staying at the Pine Trees Guest Lodge on the edge of town, they have a small lounge there. I’ll meet you in the lobby at 7pm.

  Regards,

  Hannah Young

  ‘She completely ignored my question about why she wants to meet up,’ I remarked.

  ‘Do you still think that she’s Meg’s sister? She could be married, it could be Hannah Yates. You’ve got to meet her, Pete, see what she wants.’

  ‘I’m going to email her back and ask her what it’s in connection with. She might be a journalist or another nutter for all I know.’

  ‘Good point, I hadn’t thought about her being a journalist. If she’s after a scoop, you’d best stay wary. Fair enough, email her back, see what she wants.’

  ‘Anything about Blackpool yet from that contact of yours?’ I asked as I replied to Hannah’s email. She was using a Hotmail address, there was no indication of her being connected with a newspaper or magazine. Although if Hannah were a journalist, she wouldn’t make a rookie mistake like that.

  ‘My signal is really bad out here,’ Alex replied, trying her phone again. ‘I’ll keep an eye on it, but it’s only work stuff at the moment.’

  ‘Oh yes, anything interesting?’

  ‘Only fallout from my leaving the show. A couple of magazines wanting interviews, the usual crap. My agent has a few offers in, nobody is supposed to know, but the word is out already in agent circles.’

  ‘Will you take something, or will you carry on with your sabbatical plans?’

  ‘I want a break, Pete. At least I’m getting offers, I won’t be out of work for too long. I’ll take a few months off, and then line up something new for the end of the year. What about you, any more thoughts about that job?’

  ‘I’d like to go and see Martin Travis when we get back, before we return to the caravan. He’s the only one who knows where Meg is, they’ve been in contact since we split up. I’m going to put pressure on him. I have to talk to Meg. She must have seen what’s going on in the papers. She can’t ignore it.’

  ‘DCI Summers must have been in touch with her too, but she won’t tell you where Meg is, not if you’re estranged. Is that what you are? Estranged ... separated ... how would you describe it?’

  ‘You’d have to ask Meg. But you’re right, Kate Summers is too by-the-book to divulge Meg’s whereabouts – if she’s been able to track her down, that is.’

  The journey passed quickly. I was absorbed in my own thoughts for much of the time. I was nervous about Becky getting back in touch, anxious to see what Hannah wanted, and worried about JD. If it wasn’t for JD, things would be more straightforward. We could make a couple of visits before retrieving the car; the police station and Martin’s office were fairly central, it was easier to walk.

  I asked for DCI Summers when we arrived at the police station. I felt that she’d take the JD situation seriously. She was in, that was lucky. Probably bogged down with murder investigation meetings. She looked serious when she came to meet us in reception and escorted us to an interview room.

  ‘Do you have any idea where your wife is, Mr Bailey? We’ve been unable to locate her. Are you still in touch?’

  ‘I don’t know where she is. Have you tried the probation service? She was getting a transfer as far as I knew.’

  ‘We’ve tried them already. She resigned her post, she didn’t transfer. I shouldn’t really be telling you that. We can’t find a record of her anywhere: no address, no job, no bank account. She’s disappeared into thin air.’

  I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected that. She was pregnant last time we spoke. How had she managed to survive without her job?

  ‘Have you spoken to Martin Travis yet? I’m on my way to see him myself. He’s in contact with her still. He should be able to tell you where she is.’

  ‘Yes, Mr Travis is coming in later. We only need to speak to your wife to corroborate some of our information, but we would like to find her. May I ask why you separated, Mr Bailey? We can speak alone, if you prefer. This is just an informal question.’

  I hadn’t expected that. She must have seen it in my face.

  ‘Things were a bit tense after the murders,’ I replied. ‘Meg needed some space. I figured I’d let her have it, but we
haven’t spoken for some time now. I’m as keen to find her as you are.’

  We exchanged updates. They had no leads on the break-in and murder at the house. Len’s death in the caravan seemed to have reached the same dead end. The police were following up leads, but it was a holiday camp, everybody was a stranger there. Kate Summers believed that Len had disturbed somebody. It might have been a routine break-in gone bad. My gut told me that it was more than that. The storm seemed to have me at its centre, I could see that. I wondered for a moment if it was time to mention Becky. No, that was only a casual thing, there was no way she could be involved with what had happened to Len.

  By the time we’d finished discussing our sighting of JD in Blackpool, I’d convinced myself that we must have been wrong. DCI Summers asked us so many questions about the episode, I felt like some crank who was reporting the sighting of a flying saucer. We were probably being paranoid. It was unlikely that he could have followed us to Blackpool.

  She advised us to be wary of social media. With Alex in tow, that might be difficult.

  My phone vibrated. It was Becky. I had no intention of sharing details of my sex tape with DCI Summers. That had to stay between me, Alex and Becky for now. I wasn’t involving the police. There was no way that was staying private if they got involved, they’d all be watching it in the office.

  I opened up Becky’s latest text, hoping that I would have appeased her and calmed the situation down a bit.

  ‘Is everything alright, Mr Bailey? You look like you’ve had a shock.’

  ‘It’s fine, DCI Summers, it’s a weird text from my mum. You know what these pensioners are like! We’ll need to be on our way, if that’s okay? I have a couple of errands to run in town.’

  She could see that things were definitely not okay, but she had no reason to stop me.

  ‘That’s fine, Mr Bailey, we’ll be in touch if we have any more information for you.’

  Alex had taken my cue and we were standing up to leave.

  ‘Oh, by the way, Mr Bailey. I almost forgot. We found your photographs. They’d been dumped in one of the bins on the caravan site. No fingerprints that we could use, I’m afraid. Vicky Walters is holding them for you at the campsite. You can collect them from the office.’