Читать книгу Losing Juliet: A gripping psychological thriller with twists you won’t see coming - June Taylor - Страница 16

Bristol: 1988/89

Dan arrived in a howling gale the first weekend in November. She waited for him at Temple Meads, pacing up and down in an effort to keep warm, but also to calm her nerves. So much had changed. She had changed. She couldn’t say how exactly, she just knew that she had. But as soon as Dan stepped off the train she was certain that her feelings were the same, and when he began to recount stories about the band, people she had left behind in Manchester, it was like being back there again. Yet at the same time, she could still feel good about being in Bristol.

They spent hours hiding away in her room, trying not to fall out of her single bed, clearly designed to keep visitors away. After such a long separation it still felt right with Dan. And not just the sex. Everything. She was still nervous about him meeting Juliet. Having told him so much about their friendship, Chrissy was desperate for him to like her, and vice versa.

They had arranged to go for a curry at Nazmin’s on Union Street, a cheap, no frills sort of a place with Formica tables and a lack of cutlery. Juliet arrived before them.

‘Don’t look so astonished, Chrissy. She’ll have told you I’m always late,’ she said, greeting Dan with her customary kiss on both cheeks. She was nearly as tall as him in her high wedge boots, and had gone for a contemporary take on a Sixties’ look: tartan miniskirt with a New Romantic frilly shirt. Her hair was in a beehive. ‘And it’s just so not true,’ she added with a wry smile as she sat down opposite them both.

Chrissy screwed up her napkin and threw it at her. She was wearing the green dress that Juliet had customized for her. It seemed only right to wear it tonight, and it led to a discussion about Juliet’s business enterprise. They moved on to Dan’s band after that, and Chrissy watched the two of them, enjoying the flow of their conversation without really hearing the words, content that both strands of her life were coming together.

By the end of the night Juliet seemed more drunk than she ought to have been, which led Chrissy to believe that maybe she had taken something. Dan noticed it too, especially when she put her head on his shoulder, saying: ‘Wish I had a guy like you. I wouldn’t let a girl like me dribble on him all night though.’ Sitting up again, she added: ‘Hey. We could share him, Chrissy. Best friends share everything. It’s the law.’

‘Think it’s time to get you home, Ju,’ said Chrissy. She mouthed the word sorry to Dan. But he seemed unfazed, amused more than anything, and Chrissy was relieved.

‘Oh, all right then,’ Juliet said in her sulky voice. ‘No! Wait.’

She almost fell off her chair reaching down for her bag, and pulled out her Polaroid camera.

Dan laughed when he saw it. ‘What’re you lugging that around for?’

‘I’m that kind of girl.’ She winked at him again, making a clicking sound with her mouth, then dived back down into her bag. ‘Ooh! And I found this on the bus.’ She produced a small yellow bear, slightly forlorn-looking and rather dirty. ‘It’s for you,’ she said, presenting it to Dan.

Chrissy was instructed to take the photo. Dan put his arm around Juliet’s waist, clutching the bear in his other hand whilst Juliet held a kiss to his cheek. Then they waited for it to develop, amused by Dan’s startled expression as it began to emerge. Juliet slipped the photo into her pocket as they bundled her out of the restaurant before she embarrassed herself any further.

***

Dan didn’t take much persuading to stay on another night, but it meant a painfully early start on Monday morning. Clouds of mist gathered on the platform, like steam from a bygone era, as they waited for his train at Temple Meads. It was still only seven thirty; they had been up most of the night.

Chrissy rested her head on his shoulder and yawned. ‘So what do you really think of her?’

‘Who?’ Dan replied, but she knew he was teasing.

‘She can be a bit full on, can’t she? When she gets off her face, I mean. It’s like she has to get as far away from herself as she can sometimes.’

‘Don’t we all?’

‘Suppose.’

But Chrissy’s big fear was that one day she might go too far. She was about to share this with Dan when he said: ‘As long as she doesn’t lead you astray then I like her.’

The tannoy crackled into life. His train was approaching.

Chrissy sprang up. ‘Oh god, I really can’t bear this again.’

‘I’ll see you in a few weeks,’ said Dan. He held her hand reassuringly, stepping forwards as the train pulled in.

‘Wait!… Dan!… Chrissy, tell him to hang on.’

Someone was tearing down the platform.

‘I did you these,’ said Juliet, gasping for breath by the time she reached them. She managed to unfurl from her bag a white T-shirt with the word ‘MashUp’ on the front in blue letters. Underneath were dancing stickmen with crazy hands and hair.

‘Wow, Juliet! That is so cool.’ Dan lifted her off her feet and spun her round.

‘There’s one for all of you,’ she said, exhilarated. He set her down again. ‘Oh, and erm, I’m sorry about the other night. I hope I wasn’t out of order. Think I took something weird.’

‘The guys are going to be well chuffed with these,’ said Dan, looking wide-eyed at Chrissy, who gave him a shrug to say that she had no idea about them.

‘I’d love to see you play sometime,’ said Juliet.

Dan picked up his bag, draping his arm round Chrissy in the same movement. ‘You can be on the guest list whenever you like, Juliet.’

Juliet was still waving long after his train had disappeared. Chrissy was already halfway up the platform.

‘You really should hang on to him, you know,’ said Juliet, catching up with her. ‘Definitely a keeper that one.’

***

Juliet’s creations were beginning to cause such a stir she couldn’t keep up with demand, and soon everyone had heard of JustSoJu.

Sometimes they went shopping together, Chrissy occasionally managing to pick things out which Juliet deemed suitable, and she would often sit on her stall in the Student’s Union, for which Juliet would pay her very generously in clothes. Juliet was starting to build up quite a reputation for herself. But increased demand meant less time for her coursework and the more pressure she put herself under, the more substances she seemed to be taking. Her drug habit was spiralling out of control. Chrissy tried many times to start ‘the conversation’. She had been meaning to have it for some time. But it was out of her sphere of experience and she always ended up saying nothing.

‘You’re asking me to write this essay for you from scratch?’ said Chrissy, sitting on the floor with a can of cider in Juliet’s room. There was nowhere else to sit except for a tiny patch of carpet. ‘You haven’t even read the book, Ju.’

‘Well, I haven’t had time.’ She rubbed her nose. She looked terrible. It was hard to distinguish the highs from the lows these days. She had lost weight, the dark circles under her eyes were even more pronounced, and most of that Juliet sparkle had faded. ‘I’ll give you this,’ she said, throwing the purple raincoat at her. Chrissy caught it before it hit her in the face. She knew it was special. A one-off. It had a silk lining, pleated fishtail, and was Juliet’s favourite too.

She refused the coat; it seemed too much like a bribe. But she weakened on the essay front. ‘This is the very last time, Ju. I don’t want to get chucked out as well.’

***

When she handed the essay over to Juliet a week later she placed a booklet on top of it.

‘What’s this? Fashion and Textiles. Bristol Poly.’

‘You’ve got to do it. Does your dad even need to know? I mean, at graduation he’ll have a heart attack, but if you come through with a First … And what about this? Look.’ She pointed to where it explained about a post-qualification bursary to help set up your own business.

‘Thanks,’ said Juliet. She tore out the page and ripped it into tiny pieces, scattering them above her head. ‘Now get off my case, Miss Goody Fucking Two Shoes.’

Chrissy snatched up the purple raincoat and left. She still felt that payment was unnecessary. Until now.

***

It was three in the morning when the pounding came to her door.

‘Chrissy, are you in there?’ said a voice. ‘It’s your mate. Juliet.’

She sprung out of bed, pulling a jumper over her head. She didn’t know the guy who had come to get her, although vaguely recognized him as one of Juliet’s ‘sleeping partners’, as she liked to call them.

She hadn’t seen Juliet in over a week.

‘What’s happened? Is she hurt?’

‘She’s on the Suspension Bridge.’

‘What?’

They ran through drizzle. The pavements, wet and shiny under the streetlamps, were littered with Chinese takeaways. The wind had got up too. On her way out, Chrissy had grabbed the purple raincoat from the back of her chair, which she was glad of now, pushing her arms through the sleeves as she ran. Her pumps were soon squelching from the dampness, and she realized just how unfit she was. There was no time to stop and catch her breath.

By the time they reached the bridge her chest was heaving. She could see a female silhouette balancing precariously on the railings. Chrissy recognized the style of dancing immediately. Juliet was holding onto one of the steel cables, weaving her free hand through the air.

‘Juliet!’

A police officer held her back.

‘This is the friend I was telling you about,’ said the guy.

‘I’m her best friend. I’m Chrissy. Let me go to her, she’ll listen to me.’

It was a female officer who escorted her through. A large crowd had gathered, late-night party people mostly, but a few local residents in their dressing gowns also looking on anxiously. The traffic had backed up on either side of the bridge, blocked by police barriers. An ambulance and fire engine were standing by.

Juliet was in her underwear. She was holding her face up to the rain as the wind raced through her hair, playing a game of its own – trying to sweep her off. It reminded Chrissy of the time they had been on the bridge together that day, catching raindrops on their tongues. It seemed like a long time ago now.

Juliet took her hand off the cable. The crowd let out a gasp as she teetered precariously, wondering which way she would fall. She was barefoot, and the railings looked slippery in the wet. Her arms made frantic circles in the air, until, somehow, they managed to grab hold again. Juliet let out a whoop as she steadied herself.

‘Hey Ju,’ Chrissy shouted, trying not to sound alarmed. ‘What’re you doing up there?’

‘Chrissy! Come up onto our bridge.’

‘It’s the middle of the night, Ju. Let’s go back to mine, have a mug of hot chocolate.’

‘“I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear” …’ Juliet began to sing.

Chrissy caught a whiff of something that suggested she might be smoking a joint up there.

‘Have you any idea what she might have taken?’ the officer asked.

‘No,’ said Chrissy. ‘None at all.’ She didn’t want Juliet getting arrested the moment she came down. The truth was, she could have taken a whole cocktail of stuff.

‘Has she ever done this before?’

‘Not to my knowledge,’ Chrissy replied. As far as she knew she hadn’t, but this had been her fear all along. ‘Ju, come on down! You must be freezing up there in your knickers. What’re you like?’

‘Freezing my tits off! It’s great.’ Suddenly her tone changed. ‘It’s all so fucking great.’

‘Ju, you’re scaring me now. Just turn around – carefully – and we’ll catch you. I promise.’

Juliet looked down into the Gorge, almost losing her grip. ‘Wahoo!’ she shrieked.

‘Ju!’

Without warning, she had jumped.

Her landing was softened by Chrissy on one side and the police officer on the other. Fortunately, her limbs were loose, due to her inebriated state. Someone threw a foil blanket over her, which she immediately shrugged off again. ‘Are we keepers, Chrissy?’ she asked, smothering her in kisses as she was leading her away from the applauding spectators. The paramedics steered them towards the ambulance.

‘Sure we are, Ju.’ She slipped the purple raincoat over Juliet’s shoulders. ‘Come on, let me help you.’

‘We’re going to France, you and me. Gonna be a blast.’

‘Yeah, we’ll see,’ said Chrissy.

Juliet stopped in her tracks and flung the coat back at her. ‘Fuck you then, Chrissy Wotsit.’ She burst into tears. ‘I thought you were my friend.’

‘I am, Ju. Ju!’ But Juliet was pushing her away as the paramedics tried to get her into the ambulance.

‘She’ll be fine,’ one of the paramedics told Chrissy. ‘Best not cause her any further distress.’

‘Juliet!’

The rain flickered like ticker tape in the headlights of passing cars. Chrissy watched the guy who had come to her door earlier climb up into the ambulance with Juliet, and she just wished there was more she could do to help her friend.

***

It was nearing the end of the third term and most students had finished their exams. There was a sense of relief in the air, and thick woolly jumpers had been replaced with T-shirts, shorts and white summer legs. A heavy-duty lawnmower could be heard in the distance. Chrissy had opened her window as far as it would go to let in some air. With it came wafts of barbecued sausages and cheap burgers, drifting in on random bursts of laughter. She gazed out at the huddles of First and Second Years spread out across the grass, and sighed.

A tentative knock on her door broke her from her trance.

‘Juliet,’ said Chrissy, narrowing her eyes. Her initial elation was soon tainted by the hurt she still felt.

‘Can I come in?’ asked Juliet, as tentatively as she had knocked.

‘’Course.’

Juliet was in a pair of chequered hot pants and red halter-neck top, her hair piled high in a beehive. She sat down on the edge of the bed with a nervy smile which seemed to convey both remorse and shame. The dark circles under her eyes were faded; she had put some of the weight back on, and her face had lost that sad, hollowed-out look. She looked fabulous in fact.

‘Dan came to see me,’ she said.

‘Yeah, I told him to,’ Chrissy replied, tersely. ‘We were worried about you.’

Juliet paused for a moment. ‘So how were your exams? Thought it best to stay away, let you get on with your revision and stuff.’ Chrissy nodded. ‘Still on for that First, are we?’

‘We’ll see,’ she replied with a modest grin.

Juliet glanced out of the window and then down at a piece of paper on her lap. ‘I wanted to say I’m sorry, Chrissy. Yeah, I know. And also … to show you this.’

It was a letter of acceptance onto the Fashion and Textiles course at Bristol Poly.

‘Oh my god, Ju. Well done!’ she said, rushing towards her.

‘My dad doesn’t know. Obviously.’

‘It’s the best news, Ju. Dead proud of you.’

‘I’ve found us a house for next year too. So … well … if you’re interested that is. It’s in Redland, with three other housemates.’

‘You have been busy.’

‘And before you ask – because you’re bound to – it’s booze and fags from now on. Nothing else. Never again.’

‘That’s good too.’

‘Yeah … Well, anyway, I thought you might want to celebrate.’ She fished out a cheap bottle of plonk from her duffel bag. Chrissy rinsed out two mugs, the least chipped ones, and they sat on the bed trying to think of a toast.

‘How about “to the big road trip”?’ Juliet suggested, like she had only just thought of it.

Chrissy’s heart lifted, ignoring the warning voice in her head. She had zero plans for the summer and Dan was away teaching guitar at summer school, followed by a music festival with the band.

‘I’d love that,’ Chrissy replied, chinking mugs. She took one mouthful and began to sputter. ‘Oh god! It’s absolute merde.’

Juliet and Chrissy broke into fits of laughter, a mixture of excitement and relief from both sides.

‘Slight problem though,’ said Chrissy. ‘How do we pay for it?’ Her grant money had long run out, the overdraft was gone and she had reached the credit limit on her card. ‘Suppose I could ask my parents to stump up for a coach ticket maybe …’

Juliet held up two tickets, waving them in front of her face. ‘Proceeds from JustSoJu. Instead of frittering it away on … well, that’s all history now.’ Chrissy’s mouth fell open. ‘I knew you’d say yes, Chrissy. Two open returns, London to Paris. Bit slow by coach, but hey, we have the whole summer. And once we get down to the coast we’ll get jobs dead easy. It’ll be a blast.’

Chrissy didn’t doubt that. Life was always a blast with Juliet.

‘But we get to Paris and then what?’

Juliet stuck her thumb out, as if that should have been obvious.

‘Hitch-hike? Is it safe?’

‘’Course it’s safe. Trust me: I’ve done it all over the world and never had a problem yet. Even on my own.’

‘Not on your own. God.’

‘Well, only once, and I knew the guy. Friend of my parents; an absolute gent. Pity really, as I quite fancied him. I’ll get you back to Dan in one piece, don’t you worry.’

Juliet put up a convincing case: two young girls with rucksacks on their backs, cardboard sign, friendly smiles. They could take a tent, too, and be free, roaming spirits. Not many male motorists would leave Juliet standing by the side of the road with her thumb out, that was for sure.

‘I think we should avoid the Côte d’Azur and aim more for the south-west,’ said Chrissy, suddenly embarrassed by her eagerness. ‘Okay, so I already looked at my map. Why are you laughing? It’ll be cheaper on that side of the coast.’

‘You kind of just take the lifts you can get,’ Juliet responded with her usual breeze. ‘You’ll soon get the hang of it,’ she added, patting Chrissy’s leg. Then she held up her mug. ‘Cul sec and vive les vacances.’

Chrissy held onto her nose as she downed it in one, recoiling from the aftershock.

‘Can’t wait,’ she said, coughing and spluttering.