Читать книгу Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Collection: The Schemer, The Trap, Payback - Kimberley Chambers - Страница 30

Pam and Cathy were in their element as they discussed the comings and goings across the road. Stephanie had rung up earlier and had told her mum to keep an eye out for Wayne. ‘If Barry lays one finger on him, Mum, just ring the police immediately,’ she’d insisted.

‘Ere’s the old slapper now. Quick Pam, she’s just pulled up in a cab,’ Cathy screamed, as Pam walked up the stairs to use the toilet.

Pam flew down the stairs like a bat out of hell.

‘She’s laughing and joking with the bleedin’ cab driver. She hardly looks like the grieving widow, does she?’ Cathy said.

Nodding in agreement, Pam put her nose to the window as she saw Marlene go inside the house, then reappear. ‘What’s she got in her arms?’

Cathy squinted. ‘Clothes, by the look of it. Dresses, I think, and she’s got two big carrier bags.’

Pam hovered until the waiting taxi pulled away with Marlene inside it, then made a dash from the room. ‘I’m busting. Keep watch for me, Cath, and I’ll be back in a tick.’

Wayne Jackman’s brain was working overtime as he drove towards Dagenham. His pal had just rung him to inform him that Barry Franklin was in the Church Elm pub, alone, and was awaiting his arrival. ‘What did you say to him, Mart? Did he sound calm or not?’

‘I just said that you were gonna shoot round and see him at his sister’s, and he said to tell you to meet him in the Elms. He sounded all right; he certainly didn’t have a cob on,’ Martin explained.

Stopping at a red traffic light, Wayne checked out his hair in the interior mirror. He’d got showered and changed at the gym, and even though he was only venturing to some shit-hole boozer in Dagenham, he had opted to wear his best clobber. Barry had always had style himself and Wayne certainly wasn’t going to mug himself off by turning up like a tramp. As the lights turned to green, Wayne continued his journey. He didn’t think he was nervous about meeting up with Barry again, so he put his palpitations down to excitement, although couldn’t help feeling that Barry’s choice of venue had been chosen just to make him feel awkward. Why else would Barry want to meet him in the Church Elm pub if it wasn’t to bring home to him his wrongdoings of the past?

Barry Franklin was sitting in the Church Elm pub at a table near the window. He had quite enjoyed sipping a couple of bottles of beer, while watching the traffic and shoppers go by. The Heathway had changed in the ten years since he had left Dagenham. There was a much bigger ethnic community and the shops now all looked tatty and extremely old fashioned. As Wayne Jackman bowled across the road, Barry spotted him immediately. With his suntan and designer clothes, he stood out like a sore thumb in Dagenham Heathway. Since moving to Spain, Barry had kept tracks on Wayne’s life. Wayne thought that Martin Gowing was his pal, but he wasn’t really. Gowing hated Wayne with a passion for stealing Steph off him, and he had only pretended to be friendly with Wayne as a favour to Barry. ‘I wanna know everything that cunt Jacko does, ’cause one day, when the time’s right, I’m gonna get me own back,’ Barry had explained to Gowing many moons ago.

Barry smirked as Wayne approached him with an outstretched right hand. He could sense that Wayne was dubious over the welcome he would receive. Ever the gentleman, Barry stood up to greet his old friend.

‘It’s been a fucking long time, ain’t it, Bazza?’ Wayne said, with more than a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Staring at Wayne’s slighty quivering right hand, Barry smirked, then shook it. ‘It’s been far too long.’

Stephanie was a bag of nerves when she set off to pick Dannielle up from an after-school birthday party. Waiting for the phone to ring when something important was at stake was the worst feeling in the world, and she had spent half the day staring at the plastic object.

‘Swee, Ma, swee,’ Tyler said, poking his mother in the arm.

Steph was more than used to her son’s unconventional language and managed to understand his every want or need quite clearly. ‘We’ll stop for some sweeties in a bit, darling. But first we must pick Dannielle up from her party, else we’ll be late, OK?’

Tyler grinned in approval. Even at his tender age, he knew that if his mum made a promise, she would deliver. His father was a different kettle of fish entirely.

‘Pass Mummy her phone,’ Stephanie asked, pointing to the object that was ringing on top of her handbag in the footwell. Tyler always sat in the front of the car with her, because he would kick off if she forced him to sit in the back.

As her son bent down and handed her a hairbrush, Stephanie wanted to scream with frustration, but chose not to. ‘No, the phone Tyler, the phone,’ she said, as calmly as she possibly could.

When Tyler looked at her blankly, Stephanie bumped the car onto the kerb and picked up the phone herself. She punched in her mother’s number. ‘Did you just ring me, Mum?’

‘Yes. I rang to tell you that me and Cath have been glued to the window for the past three hours and there’s been no sign of Wayne. The old slapper came home, then went out again, but that’s about all I’ve got to report.’

‘What about Barry? Have you seen him go in or out at all?’ Stephanie asked.

‘Nope. Not seen hide nor hair of him. Chantelle’s there though. She’s just ordered a pizza and paid the man at the door.’

Thanking her mother for keeping look-out, Stephanie ended the call and punched in Wayne’s number. She had rung him six times in the past couple of hours but he hadn’t answered any of her calls. ‘Bollocks,’ she mumbled, as the phone rang and rang once again. She felt desperately inadequate. Say Barry had done something awful to Wayne? If he had it would be all her fault. She was the one who had forced both men to become part of a sordid love triangle in the first place.

‘La you, Mummy,’ Tyler uttered softly, as the tears rolled down Stephanie’s cheeks.

Stephanie held her son close to her chest. ‘I love you too, boy. Let’s just both pray that Daddy will be OK, eh?’

Tyler had no idea what his mother meant by the word pray, but seeing that she seemed so upset, he decided nodding was the best thing to do.

Stephanie ruffled his hair. Tyler was such a handsome boy. With his blond hair and piercing blue eyes, he would have made a fabulous child model had he been better behaved.

‘Da be OK,’ Tyler said, trying to repeat his mother’s words.

Stephanie smiled. Her son might not know what he was saying, but he was right. Of course his father would be OK. Wayne was no man’s fool and Steph was sure that any mud Barry Franklin chose to throw at him, her big, strapping fiancé was more than capable of slinging back twice as hard.

Wayne Jackman stared at the paralytic man and woman who were getting louder and louder on the next table. There was so much he wanted to say to Barry and it was only the surroundings that were stopping him from doing so. ‘Are you in a rush to get back to your sister’s, Bazza? You gotta be anywhere later on?’

‘Nope. I ain’t gotta be nowhere.’

‘Look, tell me to fuck off if you want, but I know a cushti little Indian restaurant over in Chadwell Heath. The geezer who owns it used to train down my gym and I get treated like a king whenever I eat there. Why don’t we go there? We can order a nice curry and a few bottles of bubbly. It’s got to be better than sitting in this dosshouse, eh?’

‘Yeah, fuck it, why not?’ Barry replied. Anything was better than going back to the refuge tip his sister called home. Barry downed the rest of his lager in one, urged Wayne to do the same, and then led him to where his car was parked.

‘Nice set of wheels, Jacko,’ Barry said, as they approached Wayne’s flash new BMW.

Wayne nodded. He couldn’t believe how nice Barry was being towards him. He hadn’t really known what to expect, but Barry was acting as though the Steph love triangle had never happened, and Wayne couldn’t help thinking that his old pal’s acceptance of the way he had once betrayed him was slightly too good to be true. Wayne started the engine and drove over Heathway Hill in silence. Barry hadn’t mentioned Stephanie yet, neither had he, but he knew the subject would have to be discussed sooner or later and decided to broach it in the restaurant, rather than in the car. ‘So, tell me about Jake the Snake. I know you told me bits in the pub, but I couldn’t concentrate on what you were saying because of that lairy pair of pissheads next to us.’

‘To put it in a nutshell, Jake upset some extremely heavy people. He was involved in a bit of this and that and, apparently, had his hands in the till. I’ve no idea who actually bumped him off, but I keep hearing the rumours why. I think one or two of the lads he was involved with thought he was a snitch an’ all, hence the bullet through his head, I suppose.’

‘What was he dealing in? Drugs? Were you involved an’ all?’ Wayne pried.

‘Yeah, I think so, and no I weren’t! Not my scene, that shit,’ Barry replied, honestly. As a lad, Barry had envisaged ending up in that type of world, but in the end he hadn’t needed to. He’d saved his earnings from the bar and had an eye for a run-down property. Since buying and selling his first for a tidy profit, he had never looked back, and even though some of his dealings were shady, especially when it came to the taxman, Barry always described himself as a self-made property entrepreneur.

‘So, is your mum proper upset over his death? What about you? Were you close to him?’

‘You know what my muvver’s like, Jacko. I think she was more upset about her dress being ruined by bloodstains, than poor old Jake getting shot. I shall miss him though. I wouldn’t say we were exceptionally close, but he was OK. My old girl’s dated worst geezers in her time, put it that way.’

‘How’s your old man, Bal? He must be due out again soon?’ Wayne asked, changing the subject.

Barry’s father, Smasher, had been in and out of prisons all his life. His most recent stretch was for GBH and he was due for release in April. ‘Got about ten weeks left to serve, he has. I’m going to visit him next week and I can’t wait. It’ll be the first time I’ve seen him in over two years. What about your old man? He’s out now, ain’t he?’ Barry asked Wayne.

‘Yeah. He got out last year, but we had a big barny and he fucked off abroad somewhere. I tried to find him ’cause I wanted him at the wedding, but …’ Realizing that he had just mentioned his forthcoming nuptials, Wayne stopped in mid-sentence.

‘It’s OK. I know you and Steph are getting married,’ Barry said, trying to defuse the awkward moment.

Wayne knew that now he had brought the topic up, it was only right that he apologized. ‘I’m really sorry about what happened, all them years back, Bazza. I didn’t mean to fall for Steph, but when you left and we carried on spending time together, it just happened if you know what I mean? You must have thought I was such a cunt at the time and I can’t say I blame you.’

Barry stared out of the window at the passing traffic. He could never forgive Wayne for what he had done to him, what real man would? But he would never give his old pal the satisfaction of knowing how he felt.

‘This is the restaurant. Are you OK, Bazza?’ Wayne asked, nervously.

Managing to compose himself, Barry turned to Wayne and grinned. ‘Of course I am, mate. Listen, what happened with me, you and Steph was donkey’s years ago and I’d nigh on forgotten all about it until you just mentioned it.’

Wayne breathed a huge sigh of relief. When Barry had gone quiet on him, Wayne had glanced his way and was positive he had seen a vicious expression on his old friend’s face. ‘Thanks for not hating me, Bazza. It means a lot.’

Barry stared deep into his pal’s eyes. ‘How could I hate the geezer who saved my life, eh?’

Over in Chigwell, Stephanie was completely beside herself. She wasn’t that much of a drinker since she’d become a mother, but was now so worried about Wayne’s whereabouts that she had managed to sink a whole bottle of wine by herself. Dannielle and Tyler were both fast asleep, and after trying Wayne’s phone for what seemed like the hundredth time, Stephanie rang her mum again. ‘What am I gonna do? His phone is still switched off. Do you think I should call the police?’

‘You know what Wayne’s like, love. I know he don’t go out that much, but when he does, he’s a sod for coming home at a decent hour. Me and Cath have still been keeping tabs across the road and there’s been no sign of Barry either. You can bet your bottom dollar that they’re pissed and having a whale of a time somewhere, so if I was you I’d stop worrying.’

‘But say Barry’s done something bad to him? For all I know, Wayne could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere with a bullet through his brain.’

‘Oh, don’t be so silly, Steph. You sound like bloody Angela! Of course Barry hasn’t done anything bad to Wayne. Why don’t you get yourself to bed, love? I can tell you’ve had a good drink because you’re slurring.’

Stephanie said goodbye to her mum, then rang Tammy. There was no answer and Steph guessed, with it being Friday, that Tammy had gone out with the city crowd after work as she usually did. Deciding to take her mother’s advice, Stephanie went upstairs and got into bed. She shut her eyes and, not for the first time since she had heard Barry Franklin was back home, pictured his face. She had no idea what he looked like now, but she could remember his cheeky smile, his kiss, and his touch – as though it were only yesterday that she had last seen him. Stephanie leapt out of bed and rummaged about in the bottom of her wardrobe. She had never thrown it away. Taking the half of the jagged gold heart out of its black velvet box, Stephanie held it in her right hand and stared at it. She knew how much she loved Wayne, but Barry returning to England had stirred up all sorts of weird emotions for her and she wished he would just sod off back to Spain, pronto. Putting the heart back in its box, Stephanie snapped the lid shut and put it back in its hidey-hole. She had never really believed in God. How could she when he had taken her father away from her in such a cruel manner? But, for once, Stephanie decided to see if the Lord above did actually exist. Clasping her hands together, she shut her eyes and tilted her head towards the ceiling. ‘Please God make Barry go away because, putting it bluntly, I would rather die than ever have to see his face again.’

Unaware that Stephanie was currently kneeling on the floor praying, Wayne was busy discussing her in the restaurant. Barry seemed cool with the conversation and also genuinely interested.

‘Well, I’m glad it’s worked out for the pair of you. You seem ever so loved-up and happy, and I know how that feels now I’ve met Jolene. Do you wanna see a photo of her?’ Barry asked.

Wayne nodded, then stared at the snap of the pretty blond-haired girl who was standing next to a boat wearing a skimpy red bikini. ‘Fucking hell, no wonder you’re happy, she’s a right sort! The boat’s a beauty an’ all. Who’s that belong to?’

‘It’s mine,’ Barry replied, casually.

‘Is it? Jesus, you must be doing all right for yourself, Bazza. What is it – a houseboat?’

‘Yeah, a fifty footer. I’m doing OK. And Martin tells me you’ve cracked it an’ all. To be honest, me and you were always destined to be cakeo. Even as kids we knew how to earn a few bob, didn’t we?’

‘We sure did, but things ain’t been good for me lately. Between me and you, I’m in shit street at the moment.’

Barry was shocked as Wayne began to go into details over his financial difficulties. Martin Gowing had always kept him up to date on Wayne’s business activities, and even though Barry was sure that Wayne was nowhere near as rich as himself, it was still a surprise to learn he was in dire straits.

‘Even the car’s on credit and I don’t know what I’m gonna say to Steph when I have to explain that we ain’t got no money to buy another house. I will have to sit her down and tell her everything, but not until after the wedding. I would never forgive myself if I spoilt her big day for her, so please keep what I told you to yourself,’ Wayne said, solemnly.

‘See no evil, hear no evil, me. Surely you must have some dosh left if you’ve sold a massive chunk of the gym, though? How much did you get for it?’

Wayne suddenly clammed up. ‘Not as much as you’d think. The geezer I sold it to knew I was desperate for readies and took full advantage of the fact. Let’s talk about something else, eh? If not, I’ll only get on a downer.’

Barry nodded. ‘How’s your nan and grandad? They are still alive, I take it?’

‘Yep. Still drink like fishes, smoke like chimneys and bet like dockers. They don’t change and are still as fit as fiddles.’

Remembering Doris and Bill from when he was a small boy, Barry chuckled. ‘Do you remember when we used to do your nan’s weekly shopping and she would give us fifty pence each?’

‘Yeah, we used to nick all the dear stuff and put it in her shopping trolley. Then we’d tell her we lost the receipt and pocket the money for what we’d chored. We had a right little earner out of that, didn’t we? And we never got caught.’

‘Do you remember when we used to nick all the empty Corona bottles and sell ’em back cheap to the geezer on the float? And what about when we used to pick the lock of that market trader’s van who sold the toiletries. We used to stagger down the road with dustbin liners full of kitchen rolls, bleach and hairspray. The bags were that fucking heavy, our knees used to buckle under us,’ Barry recalled, chuckling.

Wayne sniggered. He and Barry had been right little sods as kids. From the age of seven, they had always had their fingers in one pie or another. ‘Why don’t you come round for a meal tomorrow night, Bal? I’d love you to see the kids. Dannielle’s definitely her mother’s daughter, but Tyler’s a ringer for me.’

‘Oh, I dunno, Jacko. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to come round, but you better check it’s OK with Steph first. I don’t wanna cause any unnecessary problems.’

‘Steph would love to see you again, mate, I know she would. She’s a good cook an’ all, so I’ll get her to rustle us up something nice. If you do, I know that we’ve truly laid the past to rest and we can be good mates again.’

Not wanting to give Wayne any reason to believe that he hadn’t forgiven him, Barry grinned. ‘OK then. Dinner it is.’

Wayne was absolutely elated. This was all working out much more perfectly than he ever could have imagined. ‘I’m just going for a slash. Order another bottle of bubbly, and don’t worry about the bill – I’ll sort it. I eat and drink in ’ere for peanuts.’

Watching his once best friend swagger towards the toilets like he owned the gaff, Barry allowed himself a wry smirk. If Wayne Jackman honestly thought he had forgiven him for his awful act of betrayal, then the mug had another think coming.