Читать книгу Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Collection: The Schemer, The Trap, Payback - Kimberley Chambers - Страница 37

Barry woke up early the next morning with a muzzy head. He stood up, stretched, looked at Wayne’s empty bed and smirked. Feeling absolutely ravenous, Barry had a quick shower, threw on the change of outfit he had brought with him and headed downstairs for some breakfast.

‘Bazza,’ he heard a voice shout.

Barry looked around and saw Cooksie and Potter both tucking into a full English. ‘That’s not lager you’re drinking, is it?’

Potter laughed. ‘We ain’t been to bed yet. Jacko said to order whatever we wanted at the bar and put it on his tab, so we did. We haven’t took the piss, mind. We’ve only had four pints each.’

‘Where is Jacko? Still in bed, is he?’ Cooksie asked.

‘I dunno where he is. He never made it back to the hotel. His bed ain’t been slept in and his sports bag is still in his room.’

‘The lucky bastard! I wonder who he copped off with,’ Cooksie said, wistfully. He had tried to pull at least a dozen birds last night and each and every one of them had all but told him to fuck off.

‘I think I know who he copped off with, but if I tell you, don’t say nothing, will ya?’ Barry said, knowing full well they were both gossips.

‘We won’t say nothing, honest we won’t,’ Potter replied, with an innocent look on his face.

‘I think he spent the night with Steph’s sister, Angie. She disappeared early, faked an illness apparently, and he went off the radar at exactly the same time. It’s too much of a coincidence, if you ask me – and remember, they’ve already got history.’

Stephanie Crouch hadn’t had the best of mornings, Tyler had had one of his little tantrums and had broken her favourite plant pot. Dannielle had been sick three times. Then, to top it all, the alterations lady had brought her wedding dress back and Stephanie still wasn’t happy with the way it fitted. Trying Wayne’s number again, Stephanie began to feel the first stirrings of unrest. Wayne had known how worried she was about him going out with Barry, and her husband-to-be had promised to ring her the moment he opened his eyes this morning. It was noon now, and his phone was still bloody well switched off. Guessing that he had probably got plasterered and was currently sleeping it off, Steph rang Tammy. ‘Where you been? And why ain’t you been answering my bloody calls, you inconsiderate bitch?’ she asked, laughing.

‘Sorry, mate. Richard paid me a surprise visit and we went to a party last night. I didn’t take my phone with me, so never got any of your missed calls until this morning. Was you pissed? You must have rung me about six times,’ Tammy replied.

‘No, I was just bored and wanted a chat. It was Wayne’s stag do last night, weren’t it?’

‘Shit! I’d forgotten about that. How did it go? Is Wayne home yet?’ Tammy asked.

‘No, I can’t get hold of the bastard. Probably still pissed out of his head somewhere,’ Steph said, chuckling.

‘Why don’t you ring one of his pals? Make sure he’s OK. I don’t trust that Barry Franklin. He’s a wrong ’un, I’m telling you, Steph. I bet he’s tied Wayne up and left him somewhere, or even worse.’

Stephanie sighed. Ever since the night Tammy had come over with Richard, her friend had kept harping on about how she didn’t trust Barry and how she thought he was out for his revenge. ‘I haven’t got any of his mate’s numbers. Wayne’ll be fine. I bet his phone battery has run out. The drippy bastard forgot to pack his charger and is probably on his way home as we speak. Why don’t you and Richard come round tonight? Wayne will definitely be back by then and I’m sure a nice takeaway will cure his hangover. There’s a lovely Indian I’ve just found near here and they deliver.’

‘I’d have loved to, Steph, but Richard’s flying back to Spain this evening. I’ve promised to take him to the airport. He only came over for a flying visit. He had an important business meeting up town somewhere.’

About to tell Tammy about the fiasco with her wedding dress, Stephanie heard Dannielle calling her name. ‘I’m gonna have to go, mate. Danni’s got a bug and I think she feels sick again. Let me go and see to her and I’ll call you straight back.’

‘Don’t worry about ringing back, Steph. Richard’s taking me out for lunch, so I’ll call you tonight after I’ve dropped him off at the airport.’

After tending to her sick daughter and making her son a sandwich, Stephanie picked up the phone and rang Wayne again. The phone was still switched off and, remembering Tammy’s words of warning, Steph immediately rang her mum.

Pam was in no mood to listen to her daughter ramble on about Wayne’s whereabouts. She’d had the morning from hell herself, what with Angie not turning up to collect Aidan. ‘I’m gonna kill that selfish little mare when I get my hands on her, Steph. I know I told her I wanted nothing more to do with her, but how can she treat that little boy like that, eh? He’s been sitting ’ere crying his eyes out, bless him. Look, I’ll have to go. I’ll call you back a bit later. Don’t worry too much about Wayne. I bet he’s on his way home as we speak.’

‘OK. As soon as I hear from him, I’ll let you know, Mum,’ Stephanie said, ending the call. Dialling Wayne’s number again, Stephanie swore at the receiver in temper as the recorded message informed her that his phone was still switched off. If Tammy was right and her ex had played some stupid, evil prank on Wayne, she would kill Barry bloody Franklin with her own bare hands.

Back at the hotel in Soho, Barry was at a loose end at what to do next. The rooms had to be vacated by twelve noon, so he had collected his and Wayne’s bags and had sat at the bar awaiting his return. Potter and Cooksie were both well hammered and about as much use as a chocolate teapot so, running out of ideas, Barry decided to search Wayne’s bag. ‘Bingo, lads,’ he said, as he pulled out Wayne’s mobile phone.

‘No wonder you couldn’t get through to him,’ Potter slurred.

Barry switched on the phone and was relieved that it still had battery life left.

‘Who you gonna ring?’ Cooksie asked, struggling to sit upright.

‘Steph. Jacko might have felt guilty spending the night with Angela and fucked off straight home,’ Barry replied, smirking. He punched in the contact that read home, then gleefully waited for an answer. ‘Is that you, Steph?’

‘Yeah, who’s that?’

‘It’s Barry.’

‘What do you want? Where’s Wayne?’ Stephanie asked, frantically.

‘To be honest I was about to ask you the same question. I take it he hasn’t rung you or been home yet? It’s Wayne’s phone I’m calling you on.’

Stephanie felt her stomach lurch. ‘No, what have you done to him, Barry? If you’ve played some dumb prank on him, you’re gonna have me to deal with.’

‘I ain’t done nothing, mate. We ended up in a club last night in Soho and Wayne left early. Actually, let me ring that young fella Lee who works for him. Lee got slung out the club for puking up and Wayne went off to look for him. Perhaps he took him home in a cab and stayed round his or something. I’ll ring him now and call you straight back, OK?’

‘No, I’m not OK, and why have you got Wayne’s phone?’ Stephanie asked, in an extremely distressed voice.

‘Because he left his bag in the hotel room and the phone was in it. I remember him ringing Danno when we dropped our bags off before we went out last night, and he must have switched his phone off and left it in the room. I’ve only just found the poxy thing, otherwise I’d have rung you earlier, Steph.’

‘Ring Lee then, and ring me straight back,’ Stephanie ordered.

Barry turned to Potter and Cooksie. ‘Jacko ain’t at home, so I’m gonna ring Lee to see if he’s with him.’

‘Why don’t you ring Angie? She’s probably got his cock in her mouth as we speak,’ Potter said, laughing.

Barry grinned, then scrolled through the phone once again. He found Lee’s number and rang it. ‘Is Jacko with you?’ he asked.

‘No, why?’

‘When you got slung out the club last night, he came looking for you. No one’s seen him since, so we wondered if he took you home or something?’

‘I can’t even remember leaving the club, let alone seeing Wayne. I remember trying to get a black cab, but none would take me, then I think some foreign geezer pulled up, said he was a minicab and he took me back to Woodford for twenty quid.’

Barry ended the call and, as promised, rang Stephanie straight back. ‘I’ve just spoken to Lee and he hasn’t seen Wayne either. I dunno what to do, Steph. Me, Potter and Cooksie can’t sit ’ere all day waiting for him. We got chucked out of our rooms ages ago.’

‘So, where the hell is he? What have you done to him?’ Stephanie asked, panic-stricken.

‘Calm down. We ain’t done nothing to him. Wayne left the club long before me and the others did. Ask the others if you don’t believe me. Cooksie and Potter are both sitting here beside me.’

‘No, I don’t want to talk to them. Do you think I should call the police?’ Stephanie asked, near to tears.

‘You can’t ring the Old Bill, not yet anyway. If you tell them that Wayne was out on his stag night, they will laugh you off the phone. I’m gonna grab a cab in a minute. Do you want me to come round?’

Debating whether to say yes, Stephanie remembered Tammy’s distrustful opinion of Barry. ‘No. I’m fine,’ she snapped.

‘Do me a favour, then. Can you write down my phone number and ring me as soon as you hear anything from him?’

‘Yep. Fire away.’

Barry gave her his number, then ended the call abruptly. He’d only treated himself to a mobile phone a couple of days ago and was now bloody glad he had. They were a handy invention and more and more people were starting to use them. In fact, Barry had watched a programe the other evening where they predicted in the next ten years, half of the households in the UK would own one.

‘What’s happening, then? Shall we get another drink?’ Cooksie asked, grinning greedily.

‘No, we’re going,’ Barry informed him, picking up his and Wayne’s overnight bags.

‘Who’s gonna pay the bill? We ain’t got no money,’ Potter said, with a look of dismay on his face.

Barry sighed. ‘I’ll suppose I’ll have to sort it. Listen, yous two shoot off and I’ll get Wayne to bell you as soon as I hear from him.’

‘How you getting home?’ Potter asked.

‘I’ll jump in a cab.’

‘Can’t we jump in with you? We’re well pissed and it’ll take ages to get home on a train. Potter lives in Southend and I’ve gotta get to Elm Park,’ Cooksie asked, brazenly.

Barry stared at the two drunken fools. If it wasn’t bad enough that he now had to pay for a room they hadn’t even used, and for their bar bill, did they honestly expect him to pay for their cabs home as well? ‘I ain’t going your way home, lads. I’ve got some business to attend to south of the water, so you’re gonna have to jump on a train, I’m afraid,’ he lied.

‘Can’t you lend us some money to get a cab? Jacko will give it back to you,’ Potter asked bluntly.

‘No, I fucking well can’t! Now get out my face before I change me mind about paying your hotel and bar bill, you cheeky pair of cunts.’

Potter grabbed his pal by the arm, and without a backward glance or even a thank you, he and Cooksie staggered out of the building.

As every minute ticked by, Stephanie’s worries only heightened. She tried to call Tammy, but got no reply, so rang her mother instead.

‘Try to stop crying, darling. I can’t understand what you’re saying properly,’ Pam said, worried.

‘Can you come over, Mum? I ain’t got a clue what to do and I can’t go looking for him ’cause I’ve got the kids here. Ring a cab and I’ll pay for it. I’ve got plenty of wine and you and Aidan can stay here tonight. Hopefully, by the morning, Wayne will be back and then I’ll drop you back home.’

‘OK, I’m on my way.’

Barry Franklin was deep in thought as he sat in the back of the black cab. The driver was an old boy, a talkative type, and kept rambling on about Arsenal having a crap season.

‘You got a pen and a bit of paper, mate?’ Barry asked, interrupting him.

When the driver handed him both, Barry started to write down any number that might be useful to him from Wayne’s phone. He then gave the driver his pen back and shoved the piece of paper into his pocket. ‘Change of plan, mate. Sorry to mess you about, but can we go to Chigwell first? I might be getting out there, but I won’t know until I’ve knocked at someone’s door. Between me and you, a pal of mine’s gone missing. I wanna drop his bag off and make sure his bird and kids are all right.’

‘No probs, pal. Christ, I hope your mate’s OK,’ the cab driver said, his voice full of concern.

Barry smirked. He didn’t, but he had to play the game. ‘Me and you both, mate.’

Pam gave Stephanie a motherly hug as soon as she walked through the front door. Her daughter looked dreadful and her eyes were red raw through crying. ‘Where are the kids?’ she asked.

‘In the lounge. Go and play with Dannielle and Tyler, mate,’ Stephanie replied, ruffling Aidan’s hair.

When Aidan scampered off to join his cousins, Stephanie turned to her mum. ‘I haven’t said anything to the kids about Wayne yet. Tyler’s too young to understand and I don’t want to worry Dannielle. ‘

‘So, where do you reckon Wayne is? It’s so unlike him not to contact you, isn’t it?’

Stephanie led her mother into the kitchen and poured them both a much-needed glass of wine. ‘I’m so glad you’re here ’cause it takes my mind off it a bit. I haven’t got a clue where he is, but let’s talk about something else, eh? It’s only half two and we can start worrying again later if he still hasn’t turned up,’ Stephanie said, forcing a smile.

‘What’s the betting the bastard walks in in the next hour or so, as bold as bloody brass?’ Pam joked.

‘So, how’s Lin? Have you seen her lately?’ Stephanie knew how worried her mother was about her Auntie Linda moving in with Keith.

‘She’s rung up a few times, but I ain’t seen her since she came round for Sunday dinner with him. She seems happy enough, mind. But I just can’t help but worry about her, Steph. I can’t help but picture them sitting drunk in that shithole of a flat every night, especially now she hasn’t got a job.’

Stephanie squeezed her mum’s hand. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I think Lin is the happiest she’s ever been in her life. She rang me the other night, full of beans, honest she did. Keith even chatted to me on the phone and I’m positive he adores Lin, you know.’

Pam smiled. ‘Well, I know you wouldn’t lie to me, so I suppose I’m just gonna have to accept that Lin’s a grown woman and is living the life of her choice, aren’t I? I’ve always felt so protective of her though, Steph, I think that’s why I’ve found it all so hard to deal with. I always worry about people taking the piss out of her and I imagine in my mind that in that crappy area where’s she living, that’s what people are doing.’

‘They aren’t, Mum. Lin’s got a new best friend, the next-door neighbour, and she’s incredibly happy, I just know she is,’ Steph said.

‘Mum, can me, Tyler and Aidan have some Coke and crisps, please?’ Dannielle said, skipping into the kitchen.

Stephanie took the crisps out of the cupboard and then dropped the bag on the floor as the doorbell rang. Perhaps Wayne had got so drunk that he had lost his keys? She ran into the hallway. ‘What do you want?’ she asked, as she came face to face with Barry Franklin.

‘I thought I’d better bring Wayne’s stuff back. I take it you ain’t heard nothing yet?’ Barry asked, handing her the phone and sports bag.

Stephanie shook her head dejectedly.

‘Look, all his numbers are on his phone. Why don’t you let me come in and we’ll do some searching together, eh?’

‘Uncle Barry,’ Dannielle screamed, running into the hallway with her arms outstretched, hoping for a cuddle. She had recognized her idol’s voice.

When Barry picked up her daughter and swung her around, Stephanie started to soften. Her mum was here, and any help finding Wayne was better than none, even if it was from Barry. ‘Go in the kitchen. My mum’s in there and you can tell us everything that happened last night.’

‘OK, just let me pay the cab first.’ Strolling down the path, it was a struggle for Barry to keep the big grin off his face. Wayne going missing wasn’t just good news as far as he was concerned. It was the fucking crème da la crème.