Seeker (10 page)

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi? Oh, don't sound too excited.”

“Sorry,” Jake said, and he was. Usually his skin tingled just to speak to Amy, but he felt disappointed that it was not Will on the other end of the line. Not that he could he could tell Amy that; she'd never understand. Women were strange like that, they liked all the attention on themselves when talking to their boyfriends. “How you doing?”

“I'm good, you?”

Jake didn't answer for a second, and before he could find a good excuse for his reticence, Amy provided him with one.

“Not loving it with Lawrencia? Don't worry, hun, soon Willem will be home and then you can come and see me. I'm sure I can find a way to help you release your frustrations.”

Jake closed his eyes, feeling like he was betraying her somehow, and in his mind's eye he could see Amy smiling at him, telling him that things would be fine. Will would be home, and everything would be as it was. He felt dumb, the anxiety a part of someone else's emotional make-up, not his, but in the best part of thirty years he and Will had never really been apart for any real length of time. He wondered if this was how it felt to lose a limb…

* * *

Jake was returning to Will's, having popped to the shop for a few cans. It had been a long day, mostly spent out in the back yard playing with Curtis. Just like a couple of years back summer was coming on early, and today was, according to weather reports, the hottest day of the year yet. Jake totally believed that. Even now, at fifteen minutes to seven in the evening, the sun was still out and Jake was wearing his quarter lengths and t-shirt. Walking down North End Road in shades at this time of the evening struck Jake as an odd thing to do, but he intended to make the most of the sun for he knew the English weather all too well.

It seemed like the market traders thought the same, since there were an unusual number of stalls still up and open. Unlike his family back in California he didn't have the luxury of mostly sunny days, and after almost a life time living in the UK he understood that just cause there were a few days sun it didn't mean the weather was going to stay that lovely all the time. It could switch quicker than Clark Kent changing into Superman.

While he'd been out the back with Curtis, Lawrencia had spent most of the day in front of the TV, much like she had both on Friday and Saturday. There was a girl who had no motivation; the kind of woman who couldn't think of anything to do unless she was with her fella. It was a sad thing, from Jake's point of view, since it was clear that sooner or later she and Jimmy were going to implode and then she would be alone. And pretty much screwed, unless she had some kind of epiphany and recognised just what she had in her son.

“Hey, Jakey!”

“Hey, guy,” Jake said, sidling over to a stall full of cheap DVDs. Jamie, the stallholder, ferreted his way behind the stall and bent down to retrieve something. Jake knew what it'd be, and sure enough Jamie popped up with a little plastic slip containing a DVD. He glanced around, and quickly passed the disc over.

“As promised, man. It's time-coded, but a pucker copy.”

Jake looked at the badly printed front of the DVD and smiled. Illegal it might have been, but just looking at Chris Hemsworth's version of Thor he knew he'd be putting the DVD in the player almost as soon as he got back to Will's. “Sweet,” Jake said, “how much you want for it?”

“Nothing, you can just owe me on it instead,” Jamie said with a wink.

“Nice one. Right,” Jake added, placing the DVD in the carrier, “I got to get on, keeping an eye on Curtis.”

Jamie nodded his understanding, and let Jake go. Jake smiled, glancing down at the carrier bag. The movie wasn't due out in the cinema for a couple of months yet, so he knew he owed Jamie big time. Although not as geeky as he, Jake just knew Will was looking forward to seeing the movie as much as he was. Although for Will it was more down to the fact of seeing Chris Hemsworth with long hair.

His smile turned into a sigh.

Still neither he nor Lawrencia had heard from Will, despite the messages Jake had left on Will's answer phone. Granted Will had wanted to step out of the box, and perhaps remaining incommunicado was a part of that, but after his intentions of sorting shit out when he returned, coupled with his obvious concern for Curtis's wellbeing, it wasn't right for him to not remain in some kind of contact.

Jake didn't expect Will to text him constantly, after all he was away and, presumably, enjoying himself. But to not receive even an occasional text was really out of order.

The anxiety remained in Jake, but now it was being joined with anger. Amy had tried to reason with Jake, and she had made him agree that Will was probably just having such a great time that he didn't want to spoil it by being reminded of the crap he was coming back to. Wasn't that the whole point of taking holidays? This, in a way, was exactly what Will was doing. The reasoning was sound, but it made Jake angry to think that regardless of the fun being had by Will he'd not even bother to check in from time to time.

* * *

When he finally got back in, Jake was surprised to see Lawrencia's bag sitting at the bottom of the stairs. He entered the kitchen and placed the carrier on the side then went back into the hallway and called out for Lawrencia. She told him she'd be down in a mo, so he returned to the kitchen to wait. It was clear what was going on, and now he realised it was up to him to convince her to hang around a bit longer. Will had to be returning soon.

Lawrencia entered the kitchen with Curtis, whom she was holding with one arm. The little kid was fully dressed, complete with his corduroy jacket. Jake raised his eyebrows enquiringly, allowing her the opportunity to tell him what was happening.

“We're going home,” she said.

Curtis didn't seem too happy about this news, and he reached out for Jake. Jake stepped forward to take him, but Lawrencia pulled back out of his reach.

“What about your promise to Will?”

“Take a look around, Jake, do you see Will? He's supposed to be back now, but where is he?”

“Ren, anything could have happened. Train delays. You know how it is, Network Rail often do line work on Sundays, and you get stuck on crappy buses for most the trip.”

“Right, and that would add, what, almost a whole day to his journey? I don't think so.”

Jake had to admit she had a point. Will had work tomorrow, so for him to come back so late made no sense. “Maybe he's just decided to stay on a bit longer?”

“Sure, and hasn't bothered to tell anyone at all?” It was clear from Lawrencia's expression what she thought of that idea. “I thought things were going to change, that for once he'd actually help me. But he's screwed me over.” She turned away at the knock on the front door.

Jake glanced over, and through the narrow pain of glass he made out a shape that could only be Jimmy. No one else could still appear to be scum by their blurred outline. “We have to go.”

Jake followed her to the door. “You're something else, Lawrencia, Will has done nothing but help you since you came back.”

She reached for the door, and looked back. “Fuck the money, Jake, do you really think that's all there is to me? I mean all this! You think I want to be stuck in this shit every day?” Lawrencia's eyes darted to the door, and then Jake saw it. For the first time since she returned the truth was staring him in the face.

“Then don't go,” he said, reaching out for her. “You and Curtis stay here; Jimmy won't kick off with me here.”

Lawrencia swallowed hard. “You don't understand, Jake, no one does. I
have
to go.” Jimmy thumped on the door and Lawrencia jumped. “Now,” she added, placing Curtis on the floor, opening the door.

As soon as he saw his dad, Curtis ran into Jake's legs and grabbed on for dear life.

Jimmy didn't appear to notice. All he saw was Lawrencia. “What the fuck kept you? Told you that queer bastard wouldn't help.”

Lawrencia placed a calming hand on Jimmy's chest. “Don't start. Let's just get home. Curtis needs his bed.”

As Lawrencia went back to get her bag Jimmy spotted his son clinging onto Jake. “What the fuck is this shit?” he asked. “Curtis, get your arse outside right now.”

The boy only held on tighter. Jake felt his body tense. “Don't talk to the boy like that, James,” he said, his voice low.

Naturally, Mr. Bravado failed to notice the dangerous edge to Jake's voice. “I'll do what I fucking like. When you get your own kids then you can try and lecture me, bra. Now get your fucking arse out here, Curtis!”

Before he realised he was even going to do it, Jake carefully released himself from Curtis and launched himself at Jimmy. “I said don't talk to the kid like that,” he said, his hand tightening around Jimmy's throat, slamming the man against the open door.

Behind him Lawrencia let out a breath of air. “Jake, don't…” she started.

“Why not? Look at him, Lawrencia,” he said, his eyes never leaving Jimmy, lapping up the fear in the idiot's usually vacant eyes. “He's a piece of shit. Do you really need this scum in your life?”

“I…” Jake looked back at Lawrencia, and was struck by the panic written all over her ebony features. “Please,” she said, the emotion raw, “don't do this.”

Curtis was watching the scenario unfold, terror in his every tick. Seeing this the fight went out of Jake as he realised Jimmy had led him to act in an even more horrifying way in Curtis's eyes.

With a curl of his lips, he released Jimmy and stepped back. Jimmy grabbed for his own throat, and rubbed it sorely.

Jake turned away. “Fuck you all,” he said. When he reached the kitchen he turned back, in time to see Jimmy about to close the door. “Oi,
bra
,” Jake called.

The man had the sense to pause, his body tense, before he glanced back.

“Just one hair needs to be touched on that boy and you better believe I'll be coming for you.”

Jimmy clearly wanted to big himself up, but his own sense of self-preservation kicked in at the last second and he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Amy entered the living room, and handed Jacob the cup of Bird of Paradise tea she'd promised him. He looked up, and she was touched by the gratefulness in his hazel eyes. She sat beside him. “You okay, babe?” It was a bit of a rhetorical question really, since it was clear he was not okay. He had yet to tell her what it was, but since he'd arrived at hers twenty minutes ago, wet from the rain that had kicked in while he was en route to her place, he'd not said a lot. When he'd called, saying he'd be over, she was surprised since she expected to him stay at his mate's and wait until Will got home.

Jacob hadn't said why he was coming over, or if indeed Will had finally returned, and Amy had not asked. She was just glad he wanted to come over. She'd not really seen much of him since Friday morning. They had planned on her stopping at Will's last night, but Lawrencia refused to give up the bed and there was no way Amy was going to sleep on someone's couch, and it didn't matter how comfortable the Como sofa looked.

Jacob took a sip of the tea, released a breath of satisfaction and placed the cup on the occasional table. He sat back and Amy snuggled up to him, placing her head on his chest so she could hear the gentle beat of his heart.

“Come on, tell me about it.”

He looked down at her and she smiled at him, but he did not smile back. “I think I've misjudged Lawrencia's situation.”

“You think she wants to be with Jimmy now?”

Jacob shook his head. “No, definitely not. But the abuse is way more than emotional. When he shouted at Curtis…she was physically scared. And Curtis. Can kids his age know real horror?”

Amy swallowed, and answered quietly, “Yes, they can. Kids are more receptive to emotions than any adult. They've yet to build their filters, and so get the full spectrum of emotion. Not only theirs but those around them.”

“You say that with remarkable certainty. Don't tell me you've studied psychology as well as everything else?”

Amy laughed lightly, grimly. “No, experience.”

“Oh.”

“If Lawrencia is trapped it's going to take a lot to get her out of it. But the longer she's there, the harder it'll get. My mother was almost destroyed by the time she got free.”

Jacob squeezed her gently and kissed the top of her head. “I'm sorry, I had no idea.”

“No reason you should. Don't worry,” she said, looking up again, “I'm a tough cookie, I got over it, and I had my twin.”

Jacob glanced up, surprised. “Twin?” he asked, a suggestive tone to his voice.

“Yes, a twin. I doubt that Terrance would really be your cup of tea.”

“Ah, a guy. No, definitely no tickling of my fancy there.”

Amy smacked him across the head gently. “You nut. Anyway, back to my point. If something isn't done soon, the mental scars for Curtis will last a long time.”

Jacob sighed. “Will really needs to get back. I can't do anything for Curtis without him here.”

“I'm getting that,” Amy said, and lifted her head to kiss Jacob. “He'll be back soon, then you'll sort this mess out.”

Jacob looked away, his eyes drifting to the window and the storm that was building up outside. “I hope so.”

* * *

Lillian Elliott looked up from her book and noticed the time. It was almost eleven and time for bed. Her Sunday had been mostly uneventful, apart from a meeting with her TA, Jordan, to plan tomorrow's lectures. She always enjoyed his company and knew he'd make a great teacher himself one day; he had the right kind of empathy with young people, even though he was a little older than most of her students. Today he'd been troubled by a news report of a killing that took place in Southchurch Hall Gardens in the early hours of the morning; Lilly was not really one for the news bulletins on TV, but Jordan explained to her that a body of a sixteen-year old boy had been found in the park by some old woman walking her dog. Apparently the boy had been staked in the heart like some kind of vampire, and the press were blaming the influence of TV and its over-saturation on all things vampire at the moment, which they both agreed was a typical response and highly stupid. Although he'd not said so, Lilly knew that all day tomorrow Jordan would be looking out to see if the boy had been one of the students at the college. It was that kind of concern that would stand him in good stead for his chosen career; he cared deeply about young people, and hated to see their potential wasted.