The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (30 page)

Propped beside the kettle was a
scribbled note addressed to her and Tony.

Gone away to sort out my future.

His
future? Bastard. What
about hers? Vicky let the note slip from her fingers where it fell silently to
the floor. Tears that had threatened all day scalded her cheeks and she sat
down heavily on a chair, head in hands, as the front door flew open and Tony called
out a cheery greeting.

‘Vicky? You home, love?’ He
sauntered into the kitchen and stopped. ‘What’s up? Where’s Mark? His car isn’t
on the drive.’

Vicky looked up through her
tears. ‘He left a note to say he’s gone away to sort out his future.’

‘He’s taken the car? For fuck’s
sake, he shouldn’t be driving!’ Tony removed his coat and threw it over the
back of a chair.

‘He told me this morning that he
was trading his Sprite in today for a family car,’ she told him tearfully. ‘It
was all arranged, apparently.’

‘You what? He never said a dickey
bird to me. What the hell is he playing at? Why does he want a family car?’

‘I pointed out the obvious, that
he hasn’t got a family and his reply was “Yet!” ’ Vicky sniffed. ‘I’ve had
enough, Tony. Mark doesn’t love me, he never has. He’s never stopped loving
Jane and I’m sick and tired of playing second fiddle to an obsession and being
used for sex. I want my life back and I’ve done nothing but think about it all
day. I’m going back to Mum. I want to be out of this house before he returns.’

Tony sighed and ran his hands
through his hair. ‘I’m really sorry, love. I don’t blame you one little bit.
Although you might not realise it,
you’ve
held Mark together these last few months. Without your care and support I think
he’d have topped himself. Look, don’t go just yet. Give it another couple of
days; see how things are when he gets home. I don’t know about you, but I’m
starving. Let’s not bother cooking tonight. I’ll nip to the chippy, my treat.
You butter some bread and get the kettle on. One of us should stay here in case
he calls to let us know where he’s staying.’

‘To be honest, I couldn’t care
less. But I fancy fish and chips,’ she said wearily.

‘That’s my girl. Back in two
ticks.’

***

Tony poured a glass of cider and
settled on the sofa, feet on the coffee table, to watch the
ten o’clock
news. He belched loudly, lifted his left
buttock and farted. ‘Bloody mushy peas,’ he chuckled. Grabbing a cushion he
wafted away the noxious smell. Good job Vicky was upstairs finishing her bath,
or she’d have had a go at him for being uncouth. He stared at the television
screen for a few seconds, then shot off the sofa and turned up the sound.

***

Vicky slipped her dressing gown
on and sat in front of the mirror to dry her hair. She dragged a brush through
her long locks and switched on the hairdryer.

‘Vicky! Vicky, come down here,
quick,’ Tony was yelling above the noise of the dryer.

She switched it off and hurried
out onto the landing. ‘What is it?’

‘The news on the TV; Jane and
Eddie Mellor’s baby has gone missing.’

‘Oh my God!’ Vicky flew
downstairs and stared at the image of the pretty baby girl on the screen. ‘Has
someone taken her?’

‘Yeah,’ Tony replied. ‘Listen,
they’re going over the details again.
The
Raiders
are in Paris and the
police reckon it’s a kidnapping for money because of the groups’ fame.’

‘But who’d do such a wicked
thing?’

‘Somebody out to make a fast
buck,’ Tony replied, lighting a cigarette. ‘See, there’s Ed and Jane at La
Bourget airport. They’re being flown home tonight.’

‘Jane’s crying and Eddie looks
very strained,’ Vicky said quietly. ‘What a terrible thing to happen; I can’t
believe it.’ She fell silent and listened as the details of the abduction of
baby Jessica Mellor were relayed to the nation.

***

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Mark drove off the ferry at
Fishbourne, sped a few hundreds yards down the road and stopped the car. He
leant towards the back seat and adjusted the pink and white blanket. Thank God
the girl in Jumping Jacks had suggested buying the carrycot. The baby had
travelled well and he’d only had to stop twice to feed her.

A bottle of baby milk had been in
the pram and he’d given her that first, then one mixed by him. There’d been no
objections on the baby’s part when she’d sucked eagerly at the teat and happily
burped her wind up over his shoulder, so he’d obviously got it right. He’d
traced around her heart shaped face and she’d smiled and held onto his finger.

He’d even managed a nappy change
without too much difficulty. Jane would be proud of him. The baby was fed, dry
and fast asleep. Satisfied, he continued on his journey. His brother was
expecting him and it was getting late. An earlier ferry would have been
preferable, but Enid had taken her
outing much later today, which had thrown his plans awry by several hours. Such
a shame that Jane was too ill to accompany him. But at least he could show off
their daughter, Elinore.

***

Jane, her face a mask of misery,
clung tightly to Eddie’s hand as the plane touched down at Ringway. ‘Perhaps
they’ll have found her by now.’ She choked on her sobs.

Let’s hope so, sweetheart.’
Eddie, ashen-faced, patted her hand as the plane taxied down the runway. ‘I
can’t believe anyone could do this to us. What the hell have we done to make
them steal our child?’

‘Maybe this is a nightmare and
we’ll wake up soon.’ Jane grasped hopefully at a straw.

Eddie pulled her close and
sighed. ‘I only wish it were, but unfortunately, we’re having the same dream.’

‘Mum must be going crazy. I
imagine she’s blaming herself for this. But it’s my fault; I shouldn’t have
left Jess with her. I should never have agreed to come on tour with you,’ Jane
cried.

‘Jane, stop it. If anything, I shouldn’t
have persuaded you to come away with me. But we can’t go on blaming ourselves.
The person to blame is the bastard who’s taken her. Wait until I get my hands
on him. I’ll make him wish he’d never been born.’

‘Mr and Mrs Mellor, there’s a
police escort for you as you leave the plane. If you follow me, we’ll get you
off before the other passengers.’ The stewardess smiled as she helped Jane to
her feet. ‘I really hope your baby is found safe and well.’

‘Thank you.’ Tears blinded Jane
as she stumbled towards the exit door. Eddie caught her arm as she swayed at
the top of the steps and led her safely down to the waiting police car.

***

Mark pulled onto his brother’s
drive and stopped the engine. The front door flew open and he waved as Charles
and Penny hurried out. He hugged Penny and shook Charles’s hand. He reached
into the back of the car and lifted out the carrycot.

‘Here she is. Meet Elinore,’ he
said proudly as they peered into the cot.

‘She’s beautiful, and what a mop
of hair,’ Penny gushed. ‘Come on inside, Mark, you must be tired. Did you miss
the afternoon ferry?’

‘I got delayed,’ he replied, following
Charles and Penny indoors and through to the kitchen. ‘I had to pick up my new
car this morning and by the time I left the house I was way behind. Jane’s
still not well enough to travel and I needed to make arrangements for her
before I could leave. A friend of ours is staying with her until she’s well
enough to join us.’

‘Do you want to call Jane?’
Charles asked. ‘Let her know you’ve arrived safely.’

Mark placed the carrycot on the
table. ‘I’ll call in the morning. No need to disturb her at this time of
night.’

‘Okay. Well, we’ve saved you some
dinner. Chicken casserole followed by sherry trifle. Penny remembered you
enjoyed that on your last visit.’ Charles looked at Jessica again. ‘Did you
ever see such a lovely child? She obviously takes after our side of the family
for her looks.’

‘Actually, she’s the image of
Jane,’ Mark said, gazing at the sleeping baby.

Jessica stirred and her eyes flew
open. She looked from one face to the other until her gaze rested on Mark and
she smiled with recognition.

‘Bless her, she knows her daddy
right enough,’ Penny said and gently stroked the soft baby cheek. ‘Can I pick
her up?’

‘Go ahead,’ Mark replied. ‘She’ll
need feeding and changing soon. You can do that, too, if you like.’

‘You sit down and eat your dinner
then and I’ll see to this little bundle of love.’ Penny reached for Jessica.
She sat down on a rocking chair beside the fire and undid the ribbons on her
matinee jacket. ‘Let’s change your nappy and get you into your nightdress,
Ellie,’ she cooed as Jessica gurgled contentedly.

‘All the baby stuff’s in the
black suitcase,’ Mark said. ‘There’s Cow and Gate and bottles, clothes and
nappies, too.’

The girl who’d served him in
Jumping Jacks had been more than helpful when he’d told her he needed a
complete wardrobe of clothes for a three-month-old baby girl. He’d come away
laden with bags and the carrycot, complete with a set of wheels.

‘I’ll get her clothes and take
her up to the room I’ve given you,’ Penny said. ‘Then I’ll top ’n’ tail her.’

‘Top ’n’ tail?’ Mark frowned.

Penny laughed. ‘Wash her face and
bottom, silly,’ she said. ‘It’s what we used to say when I was nursing and we
washed the babies. Don’t they use that saying in Pickford?’

‘Oh! Oh, yes, of course,’ he
stammered. ‘I don’t really do much of that. Jane looks after her while I’m at
work.’ He lowered his eyes and concentrated on the casserole.

‘I thought Jane was too ill to
look after the baby?’ Charles sat down opposite. He poured two glasses of red
wine and pushed one towards Mark.

‘She is,’ he replied, knocking
back the wine. ‘But like I say, she’s got a friend over.’

‘Come on, little lady, let’s get
you clean and comfortable and then I’ll make you a nice bottle.’ Penny left the
room with the baby while Charles stared at Mark.

‘Apart from Jane being unwell, is
everything else okay? It’s a while since we heard from you. Are you alright for
money?’

‘Err, yes, fine thanks. I earn a
good salary at the bank and they’ve been very understanding when I’ve taken
time off to look after Jane. How’s Dorothy?’ Mark changed the subject. Things
were beginning to get muddled in his head. He would need to take his pills
soon. He’d refrained from taking any at all so far today as they caused that
misty vision for an hour or so and he hadn’t wanted to risk an accident.

Fortunately, the pills were in
his jacket pocket and before Charles had a chance to reply, he excused himself
and slipped away from the table. In the tiny cloakroom under the stairs he
popped two pills into his mouth, crunched them up and washed them down with a
slug of whisky from the small bottle in his pocket.

He stared at his reflection for
several seconds and took a deep breath. He must be careful not to drink too
much tonight. It wouldn’t do to sleep through if the kid woke up crying. He
strolled back into the kitchen where Charles was topping up their glasses.

‘You were asking about Dot before
you dashed off. Is everything all right, Mark? You look quite pale.’

‘I’m fine, really. Just a bit
tired with the long journey and I can feel a headache coming on. I won’t join
you in a second glass of wine, Charles, sorry.’

‘Oh, no problem. All the more for
me. Anyway, Dot’s just fine. She’ll be over tomorrow morning. She’s been
knitting clothes for Elinore and she’s dying to see her. Being a doting aunty
is a dream come true for our Dot.’

Mark forced a smile. This was
where he and his kid truly belonged, with family. He and Jane could make such a
happy life together on the island with Elinore.

Tomorrow, after a good night’s
sleep, he might call Tony and instruct him to get the house valued. He’d no
intention of going home to Pickford. Most of what he wanted was right here, his
real family and more importantly, his daughter. When Jane joined them their
lives would be complete. The time was right.

***

Jane lay on the big brass bed,
staring up at the crack on the ceiling, willing her eyes to stay open. She’d
refused a sedative from the doctor, telling him she wanted to stay awake and in
control until her daughter was found safe and well. Only then did she feel she
would ever sleep soundly again.

She pressed Jessica’s cot quilt
to her nose, breathing in the baby scent, her eyes welling once more with
uncontrollable tears. She could hear Eddie talking downstairs to both sets of
their distraught parents, who were keeping a vigil with him. Jonny had been put
to bed in the nursery and was sleeping soundly after running all over the house
looking for his sister.

The phone had rung continually
since they’d arrived back from Paris,
each call bringing fresh hope that it might be the police with good news. But
it was now after
midnight
and they
were still waiting. Her mother had been beside herself with grief and Ben had
insisted that she, too, be sedated, but, like Jane, Enid
had refused.

Eddie popped his head around the
bedroom door and Jane struggled to sit up.

‘Any news?’

‘Not yet, sweetheart. But Sean,
Carl, John, Stuart
and
Mario have called and they send their love.
They’ve all seen the news. Everyone’s very shocked.’

Jane nodded. ‘Are the police
still here?’

‘Just PC Swindells; he’s been
assigned to us all night. They think the abductor may try and contact us with a
demand for money. They’re keeping a low profile in case he’s watching the
house. They’ve searched the woodlands and fields and found nothing of any
significance. There was flattened grass and bushes bordering the garden, but
the fans probably caused that.

‘What
I
don’t understand,’ he continued as Jane stared at him, ‘is how on
earth the kidnapper knew that the baby in the pram outside Sammy’s mum’s was
my
daughter? I’m wondering if they’re not barking up the wrong tree with the
kidnapping theory. Maybe it was someone who stole her to give to somebody
else.’

Jane clutched the cot quilt even
tighter, her eyes wide with fear.

‘You mean a person who really
wanted a child and couldn’t have one? You think the man took her to pass on?
Oh, Eddie, we might never get her back if that’s the case. She could be miles
away by now, maybe even in a foreign country.’

They held each other and sobbed
then drew apart at a knock on the door.

Eddie’s mum came in, her face
grey, her eyes red-rimmed. She carried two mugs of tea.

‘Oh, my loves. Look at you both.’
She placed the mugs on the bedside table and sat on the bed beside them. ‘Now
come on. They’ll find her; I just know they will. You need to be strong for
each other. Drink this tea and then try and get a few winks. We’re all
downstairs and we’ll let you know the minute we hear any news.’

‘Thanks, Mum,’ Eddie replied. ‘We
just can’t believe this has happened. After everything we’ve been through,
too.’

‘I know, Ed. You don’t deserve
it. I thought your luck had turned a corner at last.’

‘So did we,’ Jane sniffed. ‘I
know we’ve got to have faith, but it’s so hard.’

‘Well you’ve got each other and
that helps. Now come on, sup up and try and get an hour or two’s sleep. I’ll
leave you in peace.’ She left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Eddie finished his tea and took
Jane’s empty cup. She lay down and he smiled and brushed the hair from her
face. ‘Let’s do as mum says. We’ll need all our strength to get through the
next twenty-four hours.’

***

Vicky woke with a jolt at
six-thirty, surprised she’d even slept at all. She’d tossed and turned for
hours, worrying about Mark and concerned for Jane and Eddie Mellor and their
missing baby.

She crept quietly downstairs and
into the kitchen. She made toast and coffee and carried her breakfast into the
dining room, where she pulled back the curtains on the still-dark autumn
morning. At least it wasn’t raining and today was payday. No work tomorrow and
shopping with Sarah in the afternoon to look forward to while Tony went to
watch Pickford County
play a home game. Life wasn’t all bad.

It would be a long weekend
without Mark. Moody bastard that he was, she’d still missed his warmth next to
her in bed last night. She finished her breakfast and rinsed her mug and plate
in the kitchen as a bleary-eyed Tony, dressed for work, sauntered downstairs.

‘Kettle’s only just boiled,’ she
said. ‘Would you like a coffee?’

‘No time, thanks, Vicky. I’ll
skip breakfast and have a fag on the bus. I can’t afford petrol until I get
paid later, so I’ll leave the car. Are you okay?’

‘I think so. I didn’t sleep too
well, but I’ve decided to stay until Mark comes
home.’

‘That’s the spirit,’ Tony said.
‘Right, I’ll have to fly or I’ll miss the bus. I’m meeting Sarah for a drink
straight from work and then we’ll come back here and eat with you.’

‘That sounds great, Tony.’ She
gave him a hug. ‘Thank you for being there for me, both you and Sarah.’

‘Hey, that’s what mates are for.
I’ll see you later. If you hear anymore about the kidnapped baby, give me a
call at work.’ He kissed her cheek and left. Vicky ran upstairs to get dressed.

As she hurriedly made the bed,
she spotted a sheet of paper sticking out from beneath the divan base. She
grabbed it and caught her breath as she realised she was clutching a scribbled
timetable for the previous day’s Isle of Wight ferries.
So, she nodded thoughtfully, Mark had gone to visit his family. Well that was
no bad thing, apart from the risk of driving a new and unfamiliar vehicle while
under the influence of his pills, which, she hoped, he’d taken with him.