by Jacqui Rose
Balantyne stared at the officer. ‘I think it’s better if you came back another time. It’s inappropriate to come in when the Chief’s just had an operation.’
‘Sorry, sir, of course.’
‘No wait! Wait, it’s fine.’ Claire – who’d been asleep herself – spoke up.
Not keen on the officer coming in, Balantyne stiffened. ‘Claire, you can do this another time. There’s no need to do it now.’
‘I appreciate you looking out for me, Tony, but I can do this. Really I can … Come in.’ She gestured to the police officer, who gave her a nod but looked slightly apprehensive.
Trying to put him at ease, Claire smiled and spoke warmly. ‘I’ll answer anything I can but I doubt that’ll be much. Everything’s a blank.’
Uncomfortable, Balantyne added, ‘She can’t remember anything, so it’s a pretty pointless exercise.’
Turning to look at Balantyne, Claire remarked, ‘Let him do his job, Tony.’
Balantyne said nothing, but gave a tight smile. This was the last thing he wanted. He could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down the back of his neck and the heat of the room felt cloying as he listened to the officer talk.
‘This won’t take long, ma’am, but the sooner we have it wrapped up the sooner the CPS solicitor will be happy to go forward with the case …’ He stopped to clear his throat and then, looking very official with his notebook and pen, he said, ‘Can you remember anything about what happened?’
Claire frowned. ‘Something did come back to me earlier. I remember being in a lay-by. Why were we in a lay-by?’ She looked at Balantyne who filled her in, aware of the constable’s eyes on him.
‘We were stopping because you weren’t well.’
She nodded as if she was picturing it and she smiled. ‘That’s right, I remember now.’
Balantyne looked at Claire. It was one thing her remembering anything about that day when he was the only person around, but to remember it in front of other people – especially an officer of the law – was something else entirely. And with that in mind and his heart pounding, Balantyne snapped and said, ‘Look, this isn’t what she needs as she wakes up. It’s ridiculous.’
Taking Balantyne’s warning look, the officer closed his notebook, slipping his pen into his pocket. ‘Ma’am, he’s right, I can do this later. The CPS will have to go ahead without your statement … It’s just such a shame that you didn’t have your SD card in the dashcam.’
Puzzled, Claire stared at the officer. ‘What are you talking about? That’s one thing I do remember – my car did have an SD card. I’m certain of it.’
‘Oi, Lucas, I want a word with you.’ Franny strode up to Christine, who was standing, pulling on her vape, in the busy, noisy courtyard of the prison, which was full of women milling about.
Squinting at Franny through the bright sunshine, Christine spoke, her tone as aggressive as Franny’s. ‘Don’t get me wrong, pet, I like my women with balls but there’s a difference between that and you being a mouthy bitch who gets on my nerves.’
Franny smirked. ‘I don’t care what you think, Lucas. And to tell you the truth, I’ve never met anyone whose opinion means less to me than yours – and believe you me I’ve met some scum in my lifetime. But I wanted to let you know that your money from Jessie will be in that account you gave her by the end of the day. And after that you stay away from her. If you go within a few metres of her, I’ll slit your fucking throat.’
Franny turned to go but she stopped when she heard Lucas say, ‘I’m surprised at you. I’m surprised that you’re hanging around with Jessie and some copper’s wife. The other women don’t like it either. They can’t understand why you haven’t sorted her out yet. I wouldn’t trust her but then I don’t trust you either, so howay, no matter. But I’d watch your back if I were you.’
Curiosity getting hold of her, Franny turned around. ‘What kind of crap are you talking about now, Lucas?’
‘Your new roomy, Emma. Walsh. Rumour has it that she’s a copper’s wife. If you ask me she’s a plant. She’s been placed in here so she can spy on the women.’
Franny laughed. ‘You’ve been here long enough to know not to listen to rumours. They always end up to be bullshit.’
Still vaping and with it looking like smoke coming out of her mouth, Christine shrugged. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you about Emma. I can sniff her out a mile away. She’s a copper’s wife if there ever was one, and mark my words, I’ll be coming to pay her a visit, sooner rather than later.’
43
‘Why don’t you go into your room or something? You look tired. Have a kip or something.’ Vaughn stared at Shannon over his paperwork, which he’d kept putting off. There was a pile of unpaid invoices and accounts that had needed sorting for the past couple of months, but he just hadn’t got around to it. Before then it was Franny who did them … He stopped his thoughts as her name popped into his mind.
He rarely thought of her, or he tried not to, and when he did, he refused to allow his thoughts to go very far. The last thing he needed was her in his mind especially as last time he’d spoken to Alfie there was something odd, something strange about his demeanour. Of course it could’ve been all the coke that Alfie had been shoving up his nose; that would make anyone act differently. But there’d been something in his eyes that told him it wasn’t just that.
He’d tried to get through to Balantyne, but when he’d called his mobile it’d been turned off, and when he’d tried the station, they’d told him he was on annual leave. He wasn’t sure what was happening with the case, but the sooner Franny went to trial and was sent down, the better. To finally get her out of his life and Alfie’s couldn’t come soon enough.
‘Vaughn! Vaughn!’ Suddenly he looked up and saw Shannon standing in front of him.
‘I’ve been talking to you for the last few minutes.’
‘Sorry, Shan, I’m just tired, that’s all, and I’ve got these poxy accounts to do. What were you saying?’
She sighed as she tried to push her uncle out of her mind. Even after everything, her heart melted when she was around Vaughn. Being near him was the only thing that mattered. She lived for him. He was the only thing that made sense in her life, and she’d make sure that no one took that away. ‘I was saying I’d rather stay in here with you if you don’t mind.’
Absentmindedly, he frowned. ‘Why, what’s up with your bedroom?’
Seeing the image of Charlie’s bloated body in her mind, Shannon’s fear and anxiety turned into anger. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about him, trying to pretend everything was all right, wishing and hoping that she’d wake up and it was all a bad dream. And now to make matters worse, it felt like Vaughn was pushing her away. Pushing her back into her nightmare. ‘Well I can’t do right for doing wrong with you, can I? Fucking hell, you was giving me an earbashing for staying in me room before and now you’re complaining I ain’t in it.’
Seeing that he’d upset her, and thinking that he needed to handle her with more care, Vaughn said, ‘I never meant it like that, Shan, and yes I was worried about you before, and yes I’m worried about you now. I just want you to be happy and at the moment I never see you smile. I don’t want to be a nag but I’m a bit lost with what to do with you, Shan.’
She gave a half smile, cravings for crack beginning to seep into her. Not physical ones, but mental ones. When Vaughn had helped her come off it the last time, she was surprised how easy she’d found it but then there’d been a sense of hope. Now? Now it felt like she was living on borrowed time and she was scared. Really scared. And as she’d done throughout her life when she was frightened, she turned to crack for support. Because it never judged her, never told her she was no good; all it did was make her forget. And that’s what she needed right now. To forget. Because if she remembered what awaited her in her bedroom she just might start screaming and never stop.
Making an effort to smile, Shannon shrugged. ‘It’s not you, Vaughn. I’m just being a mood
y cow. Ignore me. I just thought it’d be nice to spend some time with you and talk.’
Grateful to have an excuse not to have to do his paperwork, Vaughn pushed it to one side and grinned. ‘Well that sounds like a lovely idea. Okay, what do you want to talk about?’
Shannon took a deep breath and now that she’d opened the box in her mind, shyly, cautiously she said, ‘You know if you die or, I mean, when someone dies, how long does it take for their body to start smelling?’
Vaughn did a double take. He blinked once, then twice before bursting into laughter. ‘Why, who’ve you killed?’
With her eyes filling up with tears, Shannon jumped up and shouted, ‘I ain’t killed no one! I ain’t! Why are you always thinking bad of me!’
‘Fucking hell, Shan, I’m only joking.’
Shannon shook her head furiously. ‘No, no you’re making fun of me! You’re always making fun of me. And yeah okay, maybe I ain’t very clever cos I never went to school, and maybe I ain’t ever going to know big words like you but that don’t mean I don’t want to learn. I just saw something on the telly, that’s all. Made me curious, but sorry for asking! I’ll know not to bother next time. I’m sorry for fucking asking!’
Shannon screamed the end part of her sentence then the room fell silent and Vaughn stared at her: looking at her properly, looking at the dark circles around her eyes, looking at the amount of weight she’d lost, looking at the paleness of her skin, looking at the fact she was just a kid who’d had the worst of bad starts. And then he looked at himself and he realised he’d been letting her down.
He’d been letting her fend too much for herself when she needed much more support. He couldn’t imagine what kind of issues she was dealing with in her head. Her childhood had been an abusive nightmare, though at least she was now well shot of Charlie. When he’d been in Soho last week he’d been talking to one of the other club owners and they’d mentioned Charlie had gone AWOL – which was no loss to anyone. Hopefully it meant that he’d packed up and gone, never to be seen again.
‘Shan, Shan, come here. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, baby.’ He walked up to her, taking her in his arms. He held her tightly, feeling her whole body racking with tears and he just kept holding her. ‘It’s okay, Shan, it’s okay. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll make sure nothing ever hurts you again.’
He listened for her reply but the only thing he heard was the sound of her crying.
‘Sshhhh, Shan, it’s okay, baby. It’s okay.’
As Vaughn spoke, Shannon held on to him tighter than she’d ever held on to anyone in her life before. She could smell his aftershave, she could feel his strong body against hers and she never wanted this moment to end. She never thought it was possible to feel the way she did now.
‘Shan, wait here, baby. I’ve got something for you. I was meaning to give it to you before.’ Much to Shannon’s disappointment, Vaughn suddenly broke away from her and ran to his bedroom. He rushed across to the dresser and excitedly pulled open the drawer. But immediately he frowned, though he continued rummaging through it before trying the other drawers.
After a minute or so he stood back and stared. A heavy feeling sat in his stomach. There was no mistake; he knew he’d left it there. The money – over ten grand in cash – had been there, and most importantly the gold and diamond watch he’d bought Shannon as a thank you gift had been there. And now it’d gone. But the problem was – the problem that made him feel sick to his stomach, the thought that he didn’t want to enter his head – there was only one possible person who could’ve taken it. But just as he was working out quite what to do, quite what he felt, Vaughn was startled to hear a loud banging.
‘Open the fucking door! It’s me, Alfie! Open this fucking door, now!’
44
At the same time as Alfie was banging down Vaughn’s door, in the side room of the hospital on the other side of London, Balantyne stood and smiled, looking down at Claire. The police had come and gone a few hours ago.
He spoke softly to her, his voice full of conviction and his words seemingly caring.
‘Sweetheart, listen to me. I didn’t want to say anything in front of that police officer but what you said wasn’t true.’
Sounding puzzled, Claire asked, ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well about the dashcam – you know, about the SD card. You said that there was definitely one in the car.’
‘That’s right – because there was. I can remember that.’
Balantyne gave a sickly smile. ‘That part is right. There was one, but when the accident happened there wasn’t.’
‘Yes, there was. I know that as a fact, Tony.’
‘Claire, there’s nothing wrong with my memory. I mean who had the accident, you or me?’
‘Well, me, of course.’
Balantyne nodded. ‘Exactly, and we’re not talking about a broken leg are we? I think what’s happening to you is you think you’re remembering everything but you aren’t. Can’t you recall what you asked me?’
‘No, so much of it’s a blank,’ Claire said, shaking her head.
He took her hand and squeezed it. ‘And that’s my point, darling. You want to remember so much that what you’re doing is having false memories. In fact, the reason why I know you didn’t have an SD in the car is because we had a long discussion about it.’
‘Did we?’
‘Yes, there was a problem with your card. You said it wasn’t recoding properly and you thought it might’ve been damaged and therefore it was pointless putting it in the dashcam. You wondered if we could stop off on the way and get one. Do you remember now?’
Claire squeezed her eyes shut and kept them closed for a few moments, desperately trying to recall the conversation. She eventually opened them and said, ‘No I don’t, it’s almost like the conversation never happened … It’s so embarrassing; how can I not remember? I don’t want people thinking I can’t do my job. I don’t want them talking down at the station about this. There were a whole group of people who didn’t want me to have the job in the first place, so I’m going to play right into their hands, aren’t I? Inspector Martin who can’t remember a thing!’
Balantyne stroked her face. ‘Don’t get upset. How well you do your job has nothing to do with how well you can remember events surrounding the accident.’
‘I know that but they’ll use it as an excuse.’
Balantyne looked at her, feigning concern. ‘How about when they ask you anything about the accident or anything surrounding it, you just tell them you can’t remember and then you can check with me? I can fill you in on everything. That way you’ll feel secure about what you’re saying and when you speak to them again, they’ll think you’re getting your memory back so the rumour mill will stop before it’s started.’
‘I don’t know, Tony, it feels dishonest somehow. Like I’m lying.’
Balantyne gave her a small kiss on the head. ‘How can it be lying, Claire, when in fact what you’re doing is making sure your information is correct? Instead of giving them some half-cooked-up memory, you’re going to give them the concrete truth.’
Claire thought for a moment. It was true that the last thing she wanted to do was to give a statement or answers based on a memory that wasn’t there, and she certainly didn’t want anyone gossiping about her, wondering if she was still capable of doing the job. ‘If you’re sure?’
‘Totally. It’s the least I can do.’
‘Thank you, Tony. I really am lucky to have you, aren’t I?’
And with those words Balantyne kissed Claire again on the head, letting out a huge sigh of relief. Life was looking up.
With recreation time over, Franny sat on the bed in the cell, watching Emma. As much as she didn’t want to believe what Lucas had said, there was a possibility it was true whether she liked the idea of it or not.
She’d heard of crazy stuff like that before – moles and grasses being planted in a jail – but no matter how much the authorities wanted to keep it quiet,
eventually it always came out. Always.
‘You all right, Fran?’
Franny shrugged at Emma. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘No reason, you’ve just been sitting there staring for a long time.’
Coldly, Franny said, ‘Problem?’
Starting to become uneasy, Emma shook her head. ‘No, none. I … I …’
She trailed off as Franny said, ‘You seem a bit better today.’
‘Yeah, they’ve given me some medicine to help with the alcohol cravings. It sounds odd but I haven’t felt this good for a long time.’
Tightly and sarcastically Franny said, ‘Well ain’t that great for you, darlin’. I’m glad you are, at least that makes one of us.’
Emma looked at Franny nervously before going to the doorway of the cell. ‘Listen, I’m supposed to meet Officer Brown by the library. I’ve got to go and meet the deputy. They’re talking about me being transferred.’
Still holding Emma’s stare Franny said, ‘And why would that be?’
Looking even more uncomfortable, Emma – remembering what Officer Brown had said about not telling the women about being a policeman’s wife – shrugged. ‘I couldn’t tell you … Look I better go, you know what Brown’s like.’
Franny didn’t reply as Emma walked out of the cell.
Jessie, having listened to the conversation, sat down on the bed next to Franny. ‘What was that about, Fran? You seemed angry with her?’
Franny gave a warm smile to Jessie. Her heart went out to the girl. There was no way she should be in a place like this and the idea of Jessie serving time because she stood up to some rotten pervert made her sick to her stomach. ‘Don’t you worry about it, Jess, but do yourself a favour and steer clear of Emma, cos I don’t think she’s all that she seems.’
45
‘That took you a fucking long time!’ Alfie stood at the door staring at Vaughn. Everything about him made Alfie want to smash him in the face. The last time he was here, he’d been unsure if Franny had been telling the truth, but now he knew for certain that Vaughn was a lowlife grass – a dirty no-good snake – and it was taking all his willpower not to put him through the wall. But he had to wait. Wait until the time was right.