Authors: Linda Kavanagh
As the enormity of what had happened began to sink in, Laura sat down on her bed and began to weep. She felt as though she’d lost her beloved family for a second time. Jeff had won yet again, because he knew how much the loss of the photos would hurt her.
Some time later, when Laura had dried her eyes and washed her face, she made two phone calls: one to the police, to report her missing photos, and the other to Kerry, who promised to come over immediately.
A little while later, a red-eyed Laura opened the door to her friend. On seeing Kerry, she burst into tears again.
‘My life is a total mess, isn’t it?’ she wailed as Kerry embraced her. ‘And I always seem to be calling on you to get me out of one bad situation after another.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Kerry soothed. ‘You’ve just had a run of very bad luck lately.’
‘This isn’t about luck, Kerry – this is Jeff, trying to unhinge me!’
‘And you’re certain you haven’t mislaid the photos?’ Kerry asked tentatively. ‘If you like, I’ll help you do a thorough search of the apartment –’
Laura looked distraught. ‘Surely you, at least, believe me? I’ve already been through this scenario with the police on the phone. They thought I might have mislaid them, too. But it’s Jeff – I know he’s the one who took them!’
Kerry hugged her friend tightly. ‘Look, I know it’s awful, but that’s what Jeff wants – to make you miserable. Please don’t let him get to you – he’ll have won.’ She handed Laura a tissue. ‘Here, wipe your eyes, love. I know you’re devastated, but at the end of the day they’re only photos – you’ll never
forget your family. You have them stored where they’re most important – inside your heart.’
Laura refused to be placated as she wiped away a fresh batch of tears. ‘But they were the only photos I had left of them!’ she sobbed. ‘Sometimes, when I can’t remember their faces, I panic, but then I always had the photos to remind me – now I have nothing left!’
‘S
yl – are you ready?’
‘Coming, darling.’
They were on their way to a prestigious business awards dinner – Alan had already been tipped off that he’d be receiving an award himself.
He looks so handsome, Sylvia thought. I’m a lucky woman, even if our relationship has become a little tarnished over the years.
She’d sensed a change in Alan around the time her father had re-invested heavily in the new machinery for the factory. Perhaps it was simply because her husband’s money worries had been eased, but all she knew was that her husband had suddenly become more affectionate. She’d also wondered if it could be because his affair had ended, and he’d finally realised the value of what he had at home.
Sylvia was still mortified by her moment of weakness all those years ago, when she’d blurted out her fears about Alan’s infidelity to Ellie Beckworth. No wonder the woman had kept her distance ever since – she must have been deeply embarrassed at being drawn into the lives of her former boss and his wife! Nevertheless, Ellie’s words of advice had proved invaluable, and clearly she hadn’t betrayed her trust either. Sylvia had been terrified that Alan might get wind of her confession – he’d have been very angry at having his relationship with his wife discussed with a former employee.
It was ironic how, years later, their two daughters had become close friends. Sylvia had hoped that as their daughters’ friendship grew, it might somehow bring herself and Ellie together more. But apart from an occasional foray into the village for provisions, Ellie didn’t seem to go out much. Years before, Sylvia had seen her in Tony Coleman’s company one evening but, other than that, the woman seemed to be incredibly private.
Over the years, Sylvia had made a special effort to show Alan how much she loved him, by looking nice and being enthusiastic in bed. But the passion of their early years had never been rekindled. Clearly, the passing of time dulled such feelings – perhaps it happened in all marriages and long-term relationships.
‘Do you think this tie is okay?’
Sylvia dusted a fleck of fluff from his shoulder. ‘It’s perfect. You look very handsome, darling.’
‘Thanks. The taxi should be here shortly. Are the kids okay?’
Sylvia smiled to herself. ‘Yes, Alan, the babysitter’s with them in the games room. Of course, Pete is objecting to having a babysitter at all – he thinks he’s too grown up to need supervising!’
Alan nodded. ‘Well, I can see his point of view – he’s thirteen now, and Laura’s almost eleven.’ He grinned at his wife. ‘Where on earth have the years gone? They seem to be flying by!’
In the taxi, Alan conversed with the taxi driver while Sylvia sat back and contemplated their situation. It amused and saddened her to think that she was the only one in the relationship who realised that anything had ever been wrong. Alan was probably still living under the illusion that she’d never suspected anything about his affair. At times like today, when they were operating well together as a successful couple, she liked to think that the affair had never happened. Since she’d never given voice to her feelings, it was easier now to put it all behind her. But she still wondered.
‘We’re here, Syl – you okay?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Sylvia said, stepping out of the taxi. ‘Silly me, I was just daydreaming. Here, let me straighten your tie – we can’t have you looking anything less than perfect tonight, can we?’
As she reached up, Alan suddenly hugged her. ‘Thanks, Syl – for everything,’ he said softly.
Sylvia blushed, embarrassed and pleased all at once. Was it a hug that silently begged her forgiveness? Or a hug that simply meant he cared? Whatever it meant, Sylvia was not going to query it. Not today, of all days. This was a good day, and she intended making the most of it.
L
aura was in the middle of a tutorial when Darren knocked on her door.
‘Sorry to disturb you, but I need to speak to you. Privately.’
Smiling apologetically at the five students seated around her desk, Laura rose to her feet and left the room. Her heart was thumping, since she knew it had to be bad news. Darren had never interrupted a tutorial before.
‘Laura, there’s been a fire at your apartment,’ he told her without preamble. ‘I think you’d better get back there straight away. Don’t worry about your tutorial – I’ll get Maria to fill in, or I’ll take it myself.’
‘Thanks, Darren,’ Laura mumbled and, apologising to her students, she left the room and closed the door.
Outside, Darren was still standing there, and he hugged her sympathetically. ‘I’ve already organised and paid for a taxi for you,’ he told her. ‘It’s waiting for you outside the main door.’ Taking her hand in his, he led her down the corridor. ‘Let me know what’s happened, won’t you? If you need somewhere to stay, you’re always welcome to crash at my place.’
‘Thanks, Darren,’ Laura muttered again, grateful for his comforting presence. She wondered how much damage had been done, knowing in her heart who was to blame for this latest disaster. Was it always going to be like this?
In a daze, Laura sat in the taxi and contemplated this latest outrage. How could Jeff have got into her apartment again?
As the taxi reached Green Street, Laura looked up. She could see that the side wall of the building, where her apartment was located, was now blackened, and the window frame completely charred. Her heart was in her mouth as she contemplated Jeff’s latest attempt to punish her. As least she didn’t have to worry about her family photos, because he’d stolen those already.
As she rushed into the entrance hall, Laura was assailed by a variety of people, all waiting to speak to her. Laura brushed them all aside, spotting Avril, the estate agent, on the other side of the vestibule. She headed across to her, towards a familiar face.
Avril’s face lit up briefly. ‘Laura! This must be an awful shock! You poor love – if you like, I can find you somewhere else to live. Obviously it’s going to take a while to get the damage repaired. But the insurance company will probably cover those rental costs for you …’
Laura gulped. She hadn’t even considered having to leave the apartment she loved.
Avril looked worried. ‘You must have left in quite a hurry this morning!’ she added. ‘You obviously forgot to turn off the cooker after you’d prepared your breakfast.’
‘W-what?’ Laura was bewildered. Since moving in, she’d never bothered cooking in the mornings – she’d simply grabbed a bowl of cereal and boiled some milk.
Avril gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘I’m afraid that most of your possessions are in a fairly bad condition – I suspect they’ll all have to be dumped. Luckily, the fire brigade got here quickly …’ She shuddered. ‘Otherwise, who knows what might have happened!’
Laura felt the colour drain from her face. This was even worse than she’d expected.
‘Fortunately, Albert, one of the concierges, was just arriving for duty, smelled the smoke, heard the fire alarm ringing and called the fire brigade,’ Avril continued. ‘Thankfully, the sprinkler came on, otherwise it could have been a lot worse. People might even have
died.’
Later that evening, when Laura had bought a few essentials and settled in her new, temporary apartment, she phoned Kerry. She hadn’t wanted to do it earlier, since she knew her friend would invite her to stay, and she didn’t want to impose on her any more than she’d done already.
‘WHAT?’ Kerry screeched when told what had happened. ‘Oh my God! Where are you now? You’re welcome to stay here, of course –’
‘I’m fine – I’ve moved into a temporary apartment,’ Laura informed her. ‘But I’m going to go to the police tomorrow. I can’t let Jeff get away with any more of this – someone could have been killed!’
Kerry sighed. ‘Look, I know we’d love to blame Jeff, but you can’t really believe he could have done it, can you?’ she said gently. ‘All the concierges are aware of who Jeff is, so they’d never let him near your place.’ Her voice softened. ‘Tell me exactly what you did this morning.’
‘Well, I got up, heated some milk on the cooker, poured it over my cereal –’
‘You see?’ Kerry said. ‘Do you think you could have turned another ring on by mistake? It’s easy to do when you’re not fully awake. Was there anything close by that might have caught fire?’
Laura bit her lip. Her chip pan, full of cooking oil, had been sitting on an adjacent ring of the cooker …
‘Well, the chip pan was there, but I
know
I didn’t turn it on –’
Kerry sighed. ‘Laura, I hate to say it, but I don’t think you can blame Jeff this time. If you contact the police, you’ll just look like an idiot.’
‘But I didn’t do it! I know I didn’t!’ Laura shouted, dissolving into tears.
‘Look, we’re all capable of making a mistake,’ Kerry said quietly. ‘You’re under a lot of pressure right now, so it would have been easy to forget to turn off the cooker –’
‘I didn’t forget!’ Laura screamed. ‘Why won’t anyone believe me?’
Kerry sighed. ‘Okay, Laura, maybe you’re right,’ she said. ‘It’s just I’d rather believe it was you, because then we wouldn’t have to worry that Jeff was still out to get you.’
‘I know it was Jeff!’ Laura said stubbornly. ‘What the hell am I going to do?’
Kerry shook her head. ‘I don’t know, love. I’m just worried that the police won’t take you seriously. And if it
is
Jeff, then he’ll just try some other stunt once the police come after him again.’
‘Well, I’m going to them anyway,’ Laura said. ‘I’ve got no other choice.’
The police officer looked at Laura sternly. ‘Ms Thornton, according to the fire service, the fire was started by a pan of cooking oil left heating on the cooker. It overheated, caught fire and exploded, causing extensive damage to the walls and furnishings. The concierges have already confirmed that no one, other than residents, entered or left the premises yesterday morning.’ He looked annoyed. ‘How on earth can you consider that Mr Jones is guilty? You’re very lucky the fire was caught before it spread to other apartments.’
‘But it
had
to be him!’ Laura insisted. She was becoming more and more agitated.
The police officer looked at her sadly. ‘I think, Ms Thornton, that you’d be well advised to leave the matter to your insurance company. It was an accident. Mr Jones has an alibi, and you simply can’t go around accusing innocent people of such crimes. I think it’s time to let this issue go now, otherwise you might find yourself in a lot more trouble than you bargained for.’
Stumbling out of the police station, Laura was filled with rage and indignation. How was Jeff still managing to get away with his cruel vendetta? Was he just too clever to get caught?
A
lone in her temporary apartment, Laura paced the floor into the early hours. How could she stop Jeff from continuing to make her life a misery? The police didn’t seem to take her claims seriously, and Jeff had now neatly turned the tables on her, making the police think she was a demented and irrational fool.
She was beginning to realise that her life could be in serious danger.
Finally, Laura reached a heart-breaking decision. She’d have to leave London and move to a place of safety, where Jeff couldn’t find her. She’d ask for a transfer to another university if possible, and beg Darren to keep her new location a secret. Jeff had ruined everything for her.
Where would she go? Having grown up in the outskirts of London and gone to university in the capital, she was going to miss the hustle and bustle of the city – the Underground, the theatres, the markets, the restaurants, the constant buzz of a city that rarely slept. On the other hand, she’d be starting a new chapter in her life, a new adventure that would at least bring her peace. She’d no longer be looking over her shoulder for Jeff, and she’d be able to sleep at night without worrying about a creak in the floorboards.