White Phantom chapter eight

Chapter Eight

The banging on the door was persistent. Whoever it was, they weren’t for going away until they got an answer. Beth didn’t want to move. She was cosy. She liked her days off when she didn’t have to wake up while it was still murky. Sunlight was coming through the chink in the curtains and she felt safe. But it wasn’t her day off. It was Tuesday morning and she should have been up and out for a seven thirty shift.

She heard voices in the hall downstairs. A malignant Goth had taken over her house and this was no nightmare. It was with resignation that she reached for her dressing gown and made her way downstairs, fastening the belt as she went.

Maggie and Jennifer had progressed from the hall to the living room. The broken ornaments still littered the carpet from the night before. Maggie had a face like thunder and Jennifer was waffling about her plans for decorating Beth’s spare room.

‘What the hell’s going on, Beth? I called until after midnight last night and was worried sick when I didn’t get an answer.’

Beth flopped into her chair. She was still groggy from sleep and could do without the third degree from Maggie. She was trying to think of something to say when the phone rang. She reached over to answer it and met more trouble head on.

‘I’m so sorry. No, no, you’re right, I didn’t ring in this morning to say that I was ill. I know I said I would. It’s unforgivable with us being so short staffed. It’s just that I was up all night, ah, throwing up and this morning when I finally got to sleep I forgot to set my alarm. I overslept. I’m sorry.’ She nodded emphatically in response to the angry hospital administrator.

‘Yes, yes, I should be okay for tomorrow. It sort of depends on this awful diarrhoea. I’ll ring in if I’m no better.’

‘Are you sick?’ Maggie asked before Beth had even replaced the handset on the phone. It was no friendly concern, this was pointed accusation.

‘Yes. No. Well, sort of,’ replied Beth, but her voice was drowned out by Jennifer’s.

‘God, yes, she was sick. I’ve spent half the night cleaning the bathroom. Up the walls and everywhere, it was. And the smell –’ she pinched her nose ‘– you really don’t want to go in there.’

Beth looked sheepish and Maggie glared. ‘Look, toots, I have every intention of being rude here, will you just fuck off so that I can talk to Beth?’

Jennifer turned to face Maggie. She straightened her posture, gaining a couple of inches. Her face was cold and set and for a second Beth thought that she was going to square up to Maggie and challenge her. Then her cheeks dimpled as she smiled openly and the words that dripped from her tongue were honey sweet. ‘Oh sure, you two have a lot to talk about. I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to take over your best friend, Maggie. I’ll go up to my room and start stripping the wallpaper. I’m having three walls painted purple and the ceiling and window wall done in black. I can’t wait to get it done. Don’t forget you promised that we could go to Homebase and get the paint today. I’ll leave you to it, then. Tell her what we’ve been up to, Beth.’

Beth hadn’t promised to take Jennifer anywhere. She watched her leave the room and felt a panic rise, twisting the signet ring on her finger and avoiding eye contact.

‘What’s she on about?’ Maggie asked. ‘What’ve you been doing?’

Jennifer would know what to say to Maggie, she could think on her feet and falsehoods came as second nature to her. Beth didn’t have a clue.

She’d never lied to her before all this mess and knew that Maggie was going to ask some probing questions and wouldn’t be fobbed off lightly.

‘Oh, nothing. You know what she’s like.’

‘No, I don’t have a clue what she’s like. What the bloody hell’s going on? What’s she doing here? Who is she, Beth? And for God’s sake why are you letting her wreck your house? You spent a fortune last year getting that spare room just the way you wanted it.’ Beth opened her mouth to speak, though she had no idea what to say. But Maggie’s eyes had gone back to the broken ornaments on the floor. ‘And what’s happening in here? It looks as though there’s been a fight. Are you in some sort of trouble, Beth? Come on, talk to me.’

‘Well, I will, if you’ll let me get a bloody word in edgeways.’ She knelt down to the safari park of broken animals and began picking up the larger pieces. She was glad to be able to avert her eyes and having something to focus on would make the lying easier.

‘She’s had a bit of a hard time at home. I work with her, you know? We took her on last month. She’s a live wire, she was always going to be a bit of a gamble, but she’s a good kid and giving her a go is paying off. She’s fantastic with the old people.’ Now that she had begun, the lies came easier. ‘She left home. Parents didn’t approve of her boyfriend, that sort of thing. Anyway she moved in with him and things haven’t worked out very well.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Drugs, I think; him, not her, of course. It all ended badly and the poor kid had nowhere to go. So I said that she could hole up here for a while until she sorts herself out.’

Her entire ramble had come out in a rush and now Beth found herself with broken words and broken pottery. She was terrified of taking a breath. She knew that as soon as she stopped talking Maggie was going to fill the silence and what she had to say might be tricky. Now Beth risked a look at her.

‘Hang on a minute. In the café you made out that you didn’t know her. In fact, you distinctly said that you hadn’t a clue who she is.’

‘Yes, well, Jennifer was a bit embarrassed about it all. She didn’t want anyone to know what had happened with her boyfriend. And she was really supportive about the whole, you know, mugging thing.’ Beth fingered her still damaged face and mentally kicked herself for bringing the subject up. She was rambling again and needed to get a grip.

‘Huh, she doesn’t come across as the modest type to me,’ muttered Maggie. ‘More edge than a broken piss pot, that one.’ She lit a cigarette and tossed one to Beth. ‘How long’s she staying?’ she asked, disappearing in a haze of smoke.

‘Oh, not long. Just until she sorts herself out. You know what kids are like. She’ll probably be back with the boyfriend in a few days.’

Maggie sat back, lowered her cigarette and looked levelly at Beth. ‘I don’t like her, Beth. I’m also not convinced that you’re telling me the whole truth. We’ve never kept secrets but if you have something that you don’t want to tell me, well, that’s your business. I think that one’s trouble. I’d kick her out on the streets, if I were you. She’s not your responsibility. But you won’t, because you’re soft. Any old dosser wanting free bed and board only has to come to you and they can put their feet up in comfort. If you are too pussy to tell her to pack her bags, I bloody well will.’

‘No, no, it’s all right. Look, Maggie, there’s nothing else to know. The kid’s in trouble and I’m just seeing her over the worst of it. She’ll be gone soon and then we can get back to normal.’

‘She’s using you, Beth.’ Maggie went into repeat cycle which was good because at least she was sticking to the one line of fire and not asking anything awkward. ‘I don’t like her. She’s a head-the-ball.’ And then, in typical Maggie fashion, she tired of the subject and changed it in a heartbeat. ‘Let’s go out this weekend. Just the two of us. Tequila!’ She jumped up on the chair with an air saxophone and saxed the old Champs song.

‘Get down before you break my chair, you nutter.’

‘Come on, we need some rhythm and booze.’
Beth couldn’t think of anything worse, with the exception of going back into the sealed vault.

‘Have you heard from that Marc Guy? How’s it going? Still keen? When are you seeing him again?’ Maggie fired the question-bombs and Beth clumsily diffused each one before it exploded in her face.

After draining the last dregs of her coffee, Maggie said that she had better make a move. Beth stood to see her out, something that she hadn’t done for years. Maggie treated Beth’s house like a second home.

‘There’s something not right with you, Beth. What happened to, “Oh, just stay another five minutes”?’ They had often joked between them that the inscription on Beth’s epitaph was going to read, She only wanted another five minutes. ‘Babe,’ Maggie said, ‘I’m here for you. You know that, right? If something’s wrong you can talk to me. Any time, day or night. But don’t ring tomorrow night because I’m having my bikini line waxed.’

When Beth closed the door, she sat on the stairs opposite the front door and put her head into her hands. It was aching and the dull, persistent throb was resistant to both Paracetamol and cursing.

‘Huh, so she doesn’t like me, eh?’

Jennifer was on the landing amongst the shadows.

‘How long have you been listening? Don’t you know that it’s very rude to listen at doors and that a sneak is hardly likely to hear anything complimentary about themselves?’

‘I’ve been there long enough to hear what that stuck up cow said about me. Who does she think she is coming across all la-de-da? She’s nothing. I’ll bloody show her, the bitch.’

Normally Beth would have found this exchange amusing. Maggie was the least stuck up person that Beth had ever met, but Jennifer’s last sentence worried her.

‘What do you mean, you’ll show her? I’m telling you Je… Phantom, Maggie’s my oldest friend and I don’t want her upset or dragged into this horrible mess. And don’t you be fooled by her. She may not look it, but she’s sharp and she’s already suspicious of you. We need to keep a low profile and the less involvement you have with her the better it’s going to be for both of us. Don’t forget for one second that you’re in this up to your neck as well.’

Jennifer laughed. ‘Sweetheart, don’t try the blackmail card with me, because I’ve got the full suit.’ Her face crumpled and she began to sob. Her eyes misted over and although tears didn’t fall, her shoulders convulsed and her body trembled dramatically. ‘Oh, Mister Policeman, sir. Please don’t send me to prison. She made me. She made me do it.’ Her arms flailed helplessly and she let out a wail. ‘That woman killed my brother. I loved my brother so much and she killed him. She held me hostage in my own house, forced me to tell her where the vault was, and then,’ she was sobbing quietly again, ‘And then, she made me hide his body.’ Quick as a flash she was laughing again. She took a bow, ‘Well, how was I?’ She’d even managed to squeeze a single tear from her left eye and it hung delicately from her lashes.

Beth was appalled.

‘Oh, come on, Beth, lighten up. I won’t do it, will I? I’m just saying, that’s all. Now then, where does that bitch Maggie live?’

‘You’re not going to go to her house. There’s no way you’re going around there to cause a scene. She’s got children. Maggie’s nice; if you knew her you’d like her. All I’m saying is keep away from her. Try not to see too much of her because she has a way of ferreting things out.’

Jennifer’s attitude changed again. She looked as though she was giving Beth’s advice some thought. ‘Maybe, you’re right. She was a bit nasty about me but maybe she was just looking out for you. I did sort of drop in from nowhere didn’t I? You see, somebody murdered my brother and I have nowhere else to go. It’s horrible for me, too. You don’t seem to care that I’m suffering just as much as you are. More; he was my brother. I can’t stay at the house can I? Not with… not with…’ She tailed off.

‘I’m sorry, Phantom. You’re right. It must be terrible for you. You can stay here. For the time being, anyway.’

‘It’s horrible when she’s nasty about me. I only want to stay for a little while. Just until I get on my feet and I don’t want things to be awkward. Maggie’s going to be coming round, isn’t she? You see a lot of each other. I think that we need to clear the air. Let’s go around there later. We could take a bottle of wine. I’ll say that I’m sorry and we can all get to know each other. What do you say?’

‘Oh, hang on. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Graham will be getting ready for work. He works nights and she’ll be busy sorting the kids out. I’m not sure that she’d appreciate us just dropping in on her like that.’ Beth knew that she’d always be welcome but could just imagine Maggie’s face if she walked in with Jennifer in tow. ‘I’ll tell you what. She wants to go out on Friday night. How about if I make a nice supper and suggest a girlie night in with a soppy DVD?’

‘Oh wonderful! Can we dress up? I’ll be Barbie.’ The sarcasm in Jennifer’s tone made Beth wince but then she changed her attitude again. ‘Does she have far to come? We could send a taxi for her and then she can have a drink.’

‘No, it’s okay. She only lives on Sands Road.’

Jennifer’s smile grew and she became animated. ‘Really? Wow! Top end or bottom? My aunty lives on Sands Road, maybe they know each other.’ She giggled, ‘They might be Neighbours.’

‘Top end, number twenty-two. What’s your Aunty called?’ Beth stopped talking. Jennifer’s face was like granite and Beth realised that she’d been tricked again.

Jennifer was already fighting her way into her denim jacket, ‘Right, I’m going to go and get the bitch.’