The Alphabet Game the Complete Alpha Series a to X, Y, Z (34 page)

‘Stella, it’s entirely possible given the stress she was under that she had started using again. We don’t know for definite that it was Arnold. You have to be careful with what you’re saying.’

The landline rings and Gabe goes to answer it. He returns running his hand through his hair, jaw and fists clenched.

‘That was mum. Arnie has instructed his lawyers to do a paternity test, saying he wants custody of Samuel in light of his mother’s death.’

‘Okay, so he probably killed her.’ My mother says and lays back against the settee with her eyes closed.

‘Mum.’ I shake her, ‘Where is Mitch?’

‘He’s organising a plane ticket; he may already be on his way out there. He won’t let Arnold get Samuel. No way.’

‘He’ll have no choice if the courts get involved and say so,’ says Gabe. ‘Look Fran, stay here for a while, just until you feel strong enough to return home. I’ll go and make us some drinks.’ He’s shaking and I know he’s trying to maintain an outward facade of calm for myself and my mother, whereas he’s actually anything but.

He leaves the room. I look at my mother. Eyes closed as if she’s blocking it all out.

I feel an anger burn inside me, like an avalanche about to blow.

‘Stop it mother. Open your eyes. Can’t you see what’s going on around you? We need to do something.’

My mother lights up like a freshly lit firework. I’ve never seen her so animated.

‘Don’t you think I know that? This whole fucking nightmare comes down to me. It’s because he wants
me
.’ She shouts. ‘What the fuck am I supposed to do? Maybe I should have just gone to him all that time ago. Sacrificed myself. Maybe that’s what I need to do now. Yes?’

I look at her wide-eyed.

‘But he’s evil. I wouldn’t survive him. I’d rather he kill me than go to him, don’t you get that? But now, now he’s even killing our children. What choice do I have? Huh. What? You tell me Stella, you tell me.’ She’s screaming and tearing at her hair.

Gabe comes running in, ‘Fran, calm down.’

My mother collapses at his feet.

I go and call an ambulance.

The day is a never ending nightmare. My mother is taken into hospital and treated for shock. Mitch is on his way to the States and isn’t currently contactable.

I feel hollow and bone weary tired, yet I need to go meet Robyn. Now I have no Mitch to back me up, just Gabe. I’m in a living game of chess and I know we’re approaching a checkpoint.

‘Gabe, maybe you need to go be with your mother. She must be in a terrible state.’

‘Christopher’s with her. They’ve gone to be with Sam. Mitch has phoned and arranged to meet them. She told me I’ve to stay here with you and that’s exactly where I’m going to be. In another seat in that bar, as near to your side as I can get.’

‘Gabe, I’m really not sure this is a good idea. What if she has nothing?’

‘I don’t believe that. Also I don’t think we have a choice any more. This has cost our families dearly, we have to see it through.’ He places a hand on my stomach. ‘Do you really want Arnie as this baby’s grandfather?’

I tense. ‘No I fucking do not.’

‘Get ready then, and let’s get this over with.’

I walk into the now familiar space of the tavern and await Robyn’s arrival. As I nurse a tonic water, Gabe sitting beside me, I watch the clock click around to ten-fifteen.

‘She’s not coming Gabe. What if something happened to her?’

‘No.’ He says, nodding towards the doorway, ‘She’s here.’

I look up to see a tiny, long haired brunette walk through the door. I see her swallow when she notices me. Gabe gestures to her and moves himself away. She walks towards me, looking like a little frightened baby starling. I can’t help but fold her into my arms. She falls into them and weeps.

‘You have to help me.’

Chapter 7

I buy her a vodka and she drinks it down quickly.

‘I know your sister was involved with the porn films,’ I say quietly. ‘I don’t know anything else. Will you tell me, so I can help you?’

She nods, ‘that’s why I’m here. I didn’t know what to do and then I saw about his tape,’ she points at Gabe, ‘and then I knew. There’s someone who can understand.’

Gabe’s looking as she points to him. I hold my hand up, indicating he should wait.

‘Sheree was a Grade A perfect student with her whole life ahead of her. She was adored. She was four years older than me. I idolised her.’ She looks off into the distance for a moment, then her gaze sharpens. ‘My father often had people around for dinner parties. They’d have too much to drink and they’d go on for hours. No matter that we had school the next morning, they’d never finish early, my parents loved to party. It made them feel important and accepted.’ Robyn’s voice turns bitter. ‘Sheree started to change. Her grades went down. She started not bothering to wash herself properly. My family were worried sick. They took her to all sorts of doctors who diagnosed her with ME, but that’s not what it was at all.’ Her voice tapers off to a whisper.

I look at her waiting, not wanting to rush her.

She touches her throat. ‘Could I have another drink please?’

I gesture to Gabe, who goes to the bar for us and drops a drink off at the table.

‘It’s good you have someone who cares about you that much,’ says Robyn.

‘I know. But he’s a recent addition to my life. It takes some getting used to.’ I reply.

‘Our parents loved us, but Dad was so busy at his job. Once Sheree got sick, mum focused all her time on her. We all did.’

She looks at the floor. ‘One night, I woke up as I usually did when the parties were so noisy, but this time I really needed to visit the toilet. My mum had always told me to stay in bed and get straight back to sleep, but I really couldn’t this time.’ She stops talking and sucks on her top lip.

I touch her arm gently, ‘Go on, Robyn. I’m here, I’m with you.’

‘After I went to the bathroom, I saw Sheree’s door was ajar, so I thought I’d go and climb in with her, because her room was quieter than mine. She wasn’t above the noise like I was. When I stepped near the doorway I saw that she had her legs open and he, Arnie, was between them and he was licking her.’

She starts sobbing.

‘How old was she then Robyn?’

‘Thirteen.’

‘Oh my God.’ I place my hand at my mouth.

I wait a moment for her to gather herself. I look across at Gabe and blow my breath through my lips to indicate just how difficult this is.

‘Do you feel okay to carry on? We can stop this right now, or we can go back to Gabe’s house?’

‘No. I’ll be okay, I feel better sharing it, knowing I can finally tell someone everything.’

‘Take your time.’

‘I left and went back to my room, because I didn’t really get what was happening. I knew the man was a friend of my dad’s, but I’d never come across anything like that before. I knew I didn’t want him to come into my room so I moved my chair behind my door. The next day when I asked Sheree about it, she said it was their secret and I was never to tell my mum or dad because Arnie would put our dad in jail if he found out.’

I feel sick, but I let her carry on talking.

‘And then, then -’

I hold her hand and nod, ‘I know.’

‘She killed herself. Couldn’t take it any longer. She felt sick at having not only a dirty man playing with her but now he was making her do stuff to girls too and filming it. She used to come home and tell me everything. Tell me what she’d done and make me promise that I would never let him anywhere near me, but she never told me she wanted to die.’

She looks at me with anger flashing in her eyes, ‘I decided that he needed to pay. I went to see him, when I was fifteen. I knew I looked like my sister. I figured he’d want me and I could get him for my dad and for Sheree. He laughed in my face. Told me I was too old for him. A couple of years later I met Harry. I didn’t know that he’d been sent by Arnie. They set me up in the press’ eyes as a wild child. The pregnancy faking Judge’s daughter in order to ruin my reputation against anything I might try and accuse him of in the future. Dad says he was blackmailed by Arnie. The bastard blackmailed my sister into being in his sick fuck videos and then blackmailed my father over me. My dad accepted membership of The Rodeo in the hopes he’d be able to get the tapes back or find something he could use as leverage on Arnie, but it never happened.’

I hug her towards me as she cries some more, but I reflect on what she’s told me and although it’s terrible and a tragedy, there’s nothing here we can use against Arnie. I slump back defeated and stroke her hair.

‘I’d like to say we could do something to stop him, but I’m really not sure we can.’ I tell her. ‘I really just don’t know anymore.’

Robyn reaches into her bag and lifts out a video cassette.

‘What’s this?’

‘One afternoon Arnie came around when my parents weren’t at home. He got Sheree to meet him in the garage. At night we used to put a security camera on. Sheree told him I wasn’t home, but I was. I went to the security camera and I switched it on. I recorded everything.’

She hands it to me. ‘No-one knows this tape exists. I didn’t want my father to see Sheree like that. I thought he’d kill Arnie, and then myself and my mother would lose Dad too, but I realise this can’t go on any longer so take it.’

I take it from her hands and hold it tightly.

‘I realise I may have just signed by own death warrant doing this, so it was nice to meet you if we don’t get to do it again.’ She puts the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

‘Don’t talk like that. You’ve given me this, I can’t thank you enough. We finally have something that can stop him. You hear that? We might finally be free.’

She gives me a brief wan smile and gets up to leave. I pick up my bag and wander outside.

What happens then, happens so quickly that I can’t register it on one hand and yet on the other it’s like I see it in slow motion.

It’s dark and pouring with rain, the road slick with wet. As Robyn goes to cross the street, a car pulls out and I just know it’s going to knock her over. I’m about to scream when Gabe shoots past me, pushing Robyn clear. He’s lifted and flies over the bonnet of the car. I begin to run as fast as I can screaming and crying towards him as he lies motionless in the road.

‘Gabe, no, no!’

The back door of the car opens, a tissue is placed in front of my face and everything goes black.

I come around to find my hands tied behind my back. I’m propped up against the wall of the coffee shop.

‘How the? -’

I see Ronnie and Col similarly strapped up, tied to chairs. Ronnie looks at me. ‘We stayed late to stock take.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Shut it,’ yells a man with short white shaved hair. His teeth are yellow from smoking and his nose is so crooked it must have been broken several times.

I can see daylight leaking through the cafe shutters so I know I’ve been out for hours.

‘Now listen lady, you’ve gone too far and now you’re going to pay. It’ll be my pleasure to watch you squirm. Keeps me in a job and well paid, so thank you.’ He lifts a knife and sweeps it down the top of Col’s arm. I see the skin tear open. Though he tries to grit his teeth, the most horrific scream comes from Col’s mouth. It must be agony. Blood starts to run down his arm, he’s going to need medical attention. Ronnie is trying to get out of her restraints.

I squeeze my eyes shut, but I can hear Col’s moans and whimpers. ‘What do you want? Please, just leave my friends alone.’

‘You know what we wanted. For you to leave the fuck alone, but you just couldn’t do that could you?’

He stops Ronnie’s chair and starts to rub himself against Ronnie’s arm. I want to kill the sick bastard. Ronnie gives an infinitesimal shake of her head, no. She lets out a groan, as if it turned her on.

‘Liked that did you, you little hussy with the hot pussy? Might give you a lesson later. In the meantime, I just want to let you know,’ he walks over and gets right up into my face. ‘We have the tape now, so Mr Gregory Sr is quite safe. Can’t say the same about Gregory jr.’

‘You sick fuck.’

He smacks me across the cheek. ‘I said shut it. Now you’re going to get me in trouble cos I’m not allowed to touch a hair on your head. Mr Gregory wants that pleasure all to himself. Why don’t you use this time to say goodbye to your friend?’

I look up at him panicked.

‘Goodbye?’

‘Well none of you are going to make it are you love? First though I’m going to have some fun with your friend and you can watch.’

‘Don’t touch her,’ yells Col.

Bleach-head doesn’t like it and cuts his other arm. I wince again at the scream and fear I’m going to vomit.

Ronnie licks her lips as Bleach-head walks to her side.

‘You ready for me love? I’m huge, gonna tear you apart.’