Born Evil (26 page)

Still laughing, he took the remote into the kitchen with him. He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. Sitting down at the table, he checked his phone. Still no text from Lois. What the fuck was she playing at? He knew her phone was switched on. He had delivery reports on his, so she’d definitely got his messages. Surely even if her mum and Mickey were about she could have sneaked out of the room? Pissed off, he downed his drink and lobbed the empty can into the bin. He was bored and needed to cheer himself up. Scanning the kitchen, he spotted the bread knife on the work top. He smiled, picked it up and strolled back into the living room.

‘Wanna play sword-fighting?’ he shouted, as he brandished it towards his sisters.

‘Stop it, Charlie!’ Rosie screamed, covering her face.

Gracie stayed silent. She wanted to protect her little sister, but was mute and unable to move.

‘I know what we’ll do.’ Charlie was enjoying himself now. ‘Let’s go and see what the ponies think of the knife … I bet they like a bit of sword fighting.’

Gracie and Rosie screamed as he ran off towards the stables.

‘Please don’t hurt Britney,’ Rosie sobbed. ‘No, Charlie, no!’

Gracie sat rooted to the sofa as her sister chased after him. Sobbing, she prayed for her mum to return. Why did she have to go out? Why? Why?

Aware that Gracie hadn’t followed them out, Charlie concentrated on Rosie’s pony.

‘We’ve got no carrots today, Britney, but you can have this instead,’ he said as he pointed the knife at the terrified creature.

Rosie was frantic and her continuous screams did nothing but egg Charlie on. He opened the stable door. ‘I think Britney’s tail is too long. Shall we give it a little trim for her, Rosie?’

Unable to ignore her sister’s screams any longer, Gracie found some inner strength. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and ran after them.

‘Leave Rosie and the ponies alone, Charlie,’ she called to him. ‘I swear if you don’t, I’m gonna tell Mum and Dad. And if I tell them about this, I’ll tell them everything else as well.’

Charlie smiled at Gracie’s threat. He’d terrorised her as a kid. Now, she’d become far too grown-up for his liking. If this, or any of his other pranks, got back to that fat cunt Steve, there’d be murders. Charlie leaned lazily against the stable door. He still had the knife in his hand. ‘I’ll do a deal with you. I promise I’ll never go near either of your ponies again on one condition: you keep your trap shut.’

Gracie nodded. ‘Okay.’

Rosie disagreed with this. She clung on to her sister. ‘We should tell Mum, Gracie. Charlie would get told off then, like we do when we’re naughty.’

Charlie stared long and hard at his youngest sister. ‘You say one word, Rosie, and I swear, I’ll chop Britney up in little pieces.’

Gracie hugged the by now hysterical Rosie. ‘She won’t say a word, I won’t let her.’

Charlie looked at Gracie and laughed. Still clutching the knife, he walked back inside.

Gracie waited until he was out of sight, then she kneeled down and held her sister’s hands. ‘Listen to me, Rosie, you musn’t say anything about this. Charlie’s evil … you don’t know what he’s like. He will kill our ponies if we tell on him, I know he will. Promise me you won’t tell Mum or Dad?’

Rosie nodded. She couldn’t risk Britney being hurt, plus her sister was older and wiser than she was. Surely she knew best?

Debbie stood at the front door, unable to find her keys. She was an hour later than she’d intended. She’d got very drunk with Bev and lost track of time. Thank God Steve’s car wasn’t home. He’d have killed her for leaving the girls. Finally locating the door key, she unsteadily let herself in.

‘How’s my big soldier and my two little princesses?’ she slurred.

Charlie shot out into the kitchen. Huddled together under a quilt on the sofa, Rosie and Gracie glanced at one another. ‘Remember what I said? Don’t tell,’ Gracie whispered.

Debbie staggered into the room and smothered the girls in kisses. ‘What have you two been doing? You’re not still watching
Oliver
, are you?’

Before they could answer, Charlie walked into the room carrying a large tray. ‘I’ve been taking good care of them, Mum. They’ve driven me mad with that film, though. ’Ere you go, girls,’ he said, smiling at them for Debbie’s benefit.

Gracie and Rosie looked at their brother in disbelief as he handed them a plate of turkey sandwiches. ‘Are you hungry, Mum? Shall I make you something?’ he asked politely.

‘No, I’m fine, love.’ Debbie was smiling as she left the room. Steve was so wrong about him. He was such a good boy, and more than old enough to baby-sit the girls.

‘I’m off to bed now, Mum. Night, girls.’ Charlie grinned as he walked up the stairs. He’d noted the terror in his sisters’ eyes. There was no way they’d be grassing him up. He opened the door and flopped down on his bed. If he turned down the volume, he could watch one of his special films and text Lois again at the same time.

Lois sat on the edge of her bed and switched her phone off. She debated whether to tell her mother about the disturbing messages she’d been receiving all day, but decided against it. Her mum was best friends with her Auntie Debbie and she was determined not to cause any trouble between them. She’d tell her friend Gemma instead. That way she wouldn’t cause ructions between their two families.

Lying back on her pretty pink quilt, Lois was filled with worry. The first few texts she’d received had been pretty strange, with Charlie referring to them as a couple and asking to meet her for a date. The last three had been far worse. Disgusting, in fact. She hadn’t answered any of them and had no intention of doing so. How dare he text her asking to suck her titties? She was utterly revolted by the whole situation.

Determined not to spoil what was left of Boxing Night, though, she brushed her long hair and put it back into a ponytail. She’d only ever been in Charlie’s company on Christmas Day in recent years so hopefully had another year before she must face him again. Trying to erase her worries from her mind, Lois wandered downstairs to watch telly with her mum.

In life people never know what’s just around the corner for them. As hard as poor Lois sat there that night, trying to convince herself that everything was going to be okay, her fate had already been sealed.

‘THAT’S MY SON
you’re slagging off, Mickey. Who the fuck do you think you are?’

‘A father who’s protecting his kids, that’s who I am. And I’m telling you, Debs, I don’t want that boy of yours anywhere near my Lois, you got that?’

‘You’d better not be threatening me, Mickey. Your little fucking hangers-on might be shit-scared of you, but I’m not one of ’em. Now do me a favour, will ya? Don’t ever fucking contact me again. I don’t wanna see or hear from you until the day I die – and that includes turning up at me funeral.’

Debbie shook with anger as she replaced the receiver. How dare he say all those terrible things about her son? The names he’d called Charlie were unforgivable, and as for saying her boy had been born evil … that had been really below the belt.

Noticing her son standing in the doorway, Debbie wondered how much of the ten-minute slanging match he’d heard.

‘You all right, love?’ she asked guiltily.

Charlie nodded. ‘At least I know now why Lois hasn’t answered any of my calls or returned my texts. Why does Uncle Mickey hate me so much, Mum?’

Looking at her son’s forlorn expression, Debbie felt that her heart was about to break. She pulled him to her and hugged him tight.

‘He doesn’t hate you, love,’ she lied. ‘But he thinks of you and Lois as cousins, that’s why he’s so against the idea of you going out together.’

Not one for cuddles, Charlie loosened his mother’s grip. ‘But we’re not even related, Mum,’ he said, moving out of arm’s reach.

As she lit up a cigarette, Debbie searched for the right thing to say.

‘It wouldn’t have bothered me, love, if you and Lois had got together, but Mickey’s old-fashioned and dead against the idea. Just forget about her, Charlie. There’s plenty more fish in the sea, and a good-looking boy like you can get any girl he wants.’

Charlie left the room without answering. Walking up the stairs, he allowed himself a wry smile. He’d pretended to his mother that he’d been really upset when secretly he’d been pleased. His Uncle Mickey had hated him for as long as Charlie could remember. The feeling was mutual, and he couldn’t give a shit what his mug of an uncle said about him. The thing that pleased him most was that he now knew the reason why Lois had not responded to his calls and texts. It wasn’t because she wasn’t interested in him. Obviously she’d either had her phone confiscated or had been forbidden to talk to him.

Charlie had convinced himself, from the moment Lois had tapped on his door on Christmas Day, that she wanted him badly. Today’s argument only confirmed he was right. Lois must have told her mum and Mickey that they were going out together.

Snuggling up under his quilt, he decided to drag Kevin down to Romford on Saturday. With luck, he might bump into Lois there. He daren’t ring her any more in case Mickey had her phone.

Thinking of her fit body and pert tits, Charlie put his hand down his tracksuit bottoms and pleasured himself. He imagined he was fucking her and had one of his best wanks ever.

Steve arrived home at teatime to find Debbie furious again. Fortunately, they’d made up a couple of days ago and he was determined to be careful what he said in future. He hated arguing and didn’t want another slanging match with his beloved wife.

‘I’m telling ya, Steve, Mickey’s a fucking cunt! Me and him are finished this time, and I really mean that.’

‘Don’t fall out with him, Debs. He’s your brother and he loves you dearly. Give him a call in the week, when he’s calmed down. Sort things out, like.’

‘Over my dead body,’ she screamed. ‘I mean it, Steve. I don’t ever want to see him again, not after what he said about my son. I mean, how would he like it if I spoke about Alfie that way?’

Shrugging his shoulders, Steve decided to keep his trap shut. She was a fiery one, his Debs, and if agreeing with her kept her happy, then he’d nod at all the appropriate times.

New Year was quiet and came and went without incident. Debbie and Steve had originally planned to go away with Mickey, Karen and the kids, but for obvious reasons the mini-break had been cancelled and their New Year’s Eve was spent at home with Gracie, Rosie, and a Chinese takeaway. Charlie decided not to join in with the celebrations and stayed in his bedroom.

Steve was glad when the holiday was over. It had been a poxy Christmas and New Year, and he couldn’t wait to get back to normal. The row between Mickey and Debs showed no signs of repairing itself and Steve was pissed off with the whole situation. ‘Awkward’ was the only way he could describe how he felt. He seemed to get it in the ear from all angles, when all he really wanted was a quiet life.

Doing things as a family was what he missed the most. He, Debs and the kids used to spend almost every weekend doing stuff with Mickey and his family, and it just wasn’t the same without them. It was also unfair on Rosie and Gracie who missed their cousins dreadfully, especially little Alfie, and were continually asking when they could see them again.

Steve had tried to make Debbie see sense and sort things out, but she was having none of it. ‘It ain’t fair on the girls, Debs. They love Alfie and Lois, they’re heartbroken.’

‘Tough shit,’ Debbie said, her obstinate nature preventing her heartstrings from being tugged.

It was only when the kids went back to school the following week that the enormity of the situation hit home to Debbie. Usually when the boys were at work and the kids at school, she’d spend her days with Karen, either lunching, shopping or going to the gym. Since the argument, they hadn’t spoken. All of a sudden, Debbie realised there was now a major gap in her life. Determined not to mug herself off by phoning her sister-in-law, she headed off to the gym at their usual time, hoping Karen would do the same.

Charlie hated being back at school. As the bell signalled lunchtime, he quickly gathered his belongings and dashed off to meet Kevin.

‘Oi, watch it, Weirdo!’ he heard a voice say as he barged his way through the corridors. Opening his mouth to answer back, Charlie quickly shut it when he came face to face with Dean Summers.

‘Sorry,’ he muttered, eager to get away.

‘So you should be,’ Dean replied cockily, giving him a shove for good measure.

Charlie hated Dean Summers more than life itself and, as much as he refused to admit it, jealousy was the main cause of his hatred. A blond, good-looking, popular pupil, Dean was the leader of the pack and Charlie despised him for being everything he himself wasn’t. Girls hung around at the gates and fell at Dean’s feet. Everything he touched turned to gold, and apparently he had a promising future as a boxer to look forward to. Normally, Charlie wouldn’t take shit off anyone and had personally bullied many of the weaker lads in his class, but Dean Summers was a different kettle of fish. Charlie was extremely wary of him and kept out of his way as much as he possibly could.

‘Shall we go to the chip shop?’ Kevin asked when he’d met up with his pal.

‘Might as well,’ Charlie replied unenthusiastically. He was still inwardly seething that Summers had made a mug of him in front of everyone.

‘I wish I could order a murder weapon off the internet and do away with him,’ he confided to Kevin.

Stuffing a handful of chips into his oversized mouth, Kevin nodded. He loved talking about doing away with people. He and Charlie had spent many hours flicking through websites about murderers and fantasising about carrying out the perfect crime themselves.

As they walked down the street, Charlie chucked his chip wrapping into the kerb. He was totally oblivious of the man sitting inside the tatty blue Escort, watching his every move. The man in the car waited until Charlie was out of sight then started the engine and drove off.

Debbie was on the treadmill when she noticed Karen come into the gym. Turning the speed down, she glanced around and waved. Her sister-in-law smiled, she wasn’t the type to hold grudges. This argument had nothing to do with her. As long as Charlie kept away from Lois, she couldn’t be angry with Debbie.