Behind a Closed Door (The Estate, Book 2) (13 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

‘Right, that’s the boring work questions out of the way,’ Josie said, as she signed off Kelly’s final support questionnaire. ‘Is there anything else you’d like to know or can I leave you in the capable hands of Miss Emily?’

It was Wednesday morning, the third one the month of March had seen. Josie had been at Kelly’s flat for half an hour now, ensconced far too comfortably in Kelly’s settee. The rain lashing at the window gave her no incentive to move whatsoever. Phil and Holly were discussing fruit-shaped figures on daytime television. Emily was playing dressing up, running from room to room and strutting her stuff before running off again. This time she had clattered across the living room floor in a pair of Kelly’s high heels, wearing a stripy scarf around her neck like a feather boa and a belt that doubled as a hula hoop, which fell off twice before she got to them.

‘Very nice,’ Josie nodded her approval before Emily clicked-clacked off again. She turned back to Kelly who was in the middle of a yawn. ‘She’s so hard to keep up with, she always seems busy.’

The yawn turned into a sigh and Kelly stretched her arms above her head. ‘Sometimes she’s the only person I speak to during the day. She keeps me sane … It’s been tough for me lately. I – I could really do with an ear, if you don’t mind?’

‘Go ahead,’ Josie said. ‘You know I was born to listen.’

Kelly took a deep breath. ‘I was mugged a few nights ago and it scared the shit out of me.’

‘Mugged?’ Josie’s eyes searched Kelly’s body for injuries but there didn’t seem to be any. ‘Where did it happen? Were you hurt? Are you okay now?’

‘I’m not too bad,’ Kelly admitted. ‘It takes more than a slap on the face to bring me down. I was scared though.’ She began to unburden her tale.

‘I know Ian Newton,’ Josie broke in when Kelly mentioned his name. ‘Lives on Gordon Street – his parents have no control over him. I thought he was still in juvie.’

‘He’s just got out.’

‘Did you lose much?’

Kelly stalled and then decided what the heck. ‘No, see, that’s the thing. When I got home, I rang Jay.’ Josie raised her eyebrows slightly. ‘I was petrified that Ian Newton knew my address. Jay went to get a takeaway and came back with my handbag and all of its contents, just like that. He must have picked a fight and I – I lost it with him.’

‘Jay’s usually the peacekeeper Kirkwell,’ Josie came to his defence. ‘He might use his reputation to gain control of a situation but I doubt that he would have used his fists unless he was provoked.’

‘Two wrongs don’t make a right,’ Kelly shrugged, feeling embarrassed as she remembered how she had reacted. After her outburst she’d gone to bed and woken up the next day in a better frame of mind. There was no way she would give up her flat. She’d just suffered a setback that night, and knowing that she’d been too hasty jumping to conclusions, she’d sent Jay a text message to apologise. Jay had made her suffer for two days until he’d sent one in return.

‘How do you feel about Scott coming out of prison?’ Josie dared to question. In recent conversations, just his name had been enough to shut down the barriers.

But Kelly didn’t seem to mind this time. She pulled her legs up onto the settee and drew a cushion to her chest. ‘He thinks he’ll be out soon. I’ve only been to see him once, which was enough for me.’

‘How long have you been with him?’

‘He was my first real boyfriend. I met him when I was eighteen and then I was pregnant with Emily the year after.’

Kelly paused but Josie said nothing to ensure the conversation kept going.

‘I’m a bit mixed up,’ Kelly continued. ‘I do miss him, but I don’t miss the lifestyle, the constant worrying – whether he’s coming home, whether he’s been arrested again, who’s knocking on the door next. I might have found it hard to start again by myself, but I’ve done it. I’m going to be earning some money soon – I start this Monday, by the way – and I’m going to college. Both of which Scott will go mad about.’

‘You mustn’t let him stop you doing anything,’ said Josie, feeling guilty as soon as the words came out. Stewart had stopped her from doing lots of things over the years. How could she sit here and preach?

‘What do you mean?’

‘You can still go to work and complete your college course when he comes out.’

Kelly huffed. ‘Yeah, right, and it’s as easy as that.’

‘Yes, it is. You’ll have to think of some good reasons why you should continue, get your ammunition ready. Besides, surely he should want you to try and better yourself? He should be proud of what you’ve done under the circumstances. You wouldn’t have lost your home if it wasn’t for him! You need to remember that.’

Kelly nodded. She would never forget how underhand Scott had been regarding the tenancy on Patrick Street – especially the position he’d put Emily in.

 ‘I’m scared he’ll want me to be the old Kelly,’ she said, ‘and I don’t want to be her again.’

‘No, you don’t,’ Josie agreed. ‘What night is your secretarial course?’

‘Tonight, six ‘til nine.’

‘I’m there every Wednesday too, so I can give you a lift home every week if you like? It’s on the estate, before you say that I’m going out of my way.’

‘Thanks, but I’ve managed to sort one out.’ Josie didn’t need to know that Jay had insisted on taking on the role of chauffeur.

‘Fair enough,’ said Josie, guessing rightly about what Kelly wasn’t telling her. ‘Just yell if you need me any time in the future.’

Kelly smiled with gratitude. Despite her job, Josie had turned out to be someone she liked. ‘Are you married?’ she asked, wanting to know a little more about her.

‘Yes, just over five years.’

‘Do you have any children?’

‘No, we’re quite set in our ways at the moment. We’re both only children; both sets of parents died when we were young.’ Josie knew it was a pathetic excuse. How could they bring a child into their relationship? She checked her watch and jumped up quickly. ‘I’d better be on my way. I’ve promised to cover the phones while some of the girls at the office go to the pub for their lunch.’

At the front door, Kelly thanked Josie for listening to her. ‘I’ve enjoyed talking to you this morning – I hope I haven’t said too much though.’

‘I don’t gossip,’ Josie reassured her. ‘Nor do I form opinions. What you’ve told me will stay with me only, if that’s what you mean.’

Kelly smiled shyly. ‘You change when you take off your coat. You lose your sense of authority.’

Josie was astounded at her perceptiveness. ‘In this job, I have to be two different people at the same time. It’s one of those things that only individuals who work with the general public face-to-face will understand. It stops you taking the insults personally.’

‘You still ask too many questions for my liking,’ Kelly continued, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

‘Force of habit, I’m afraid.’

‘But I can run to a coffee whenever you can find a free minute in your full day?’

‘You mean you’d like to be one of my regular ‘tea-stops’?’ Josie teased. ‘Or ‘pee-stops’, as we often call them. I’m highly honoured. Most of them are above the age of seventy and only want me to call because they see no one else from week to week. But I suppose I can make an exception for you.’

‘How are you getting on with the course?’ Brian Walker asked, as he held open the door of Mitchell Academy later that night. He followed Josie out into the drizzle.

‘It’s great,’ said Josie brightly. Brian was the course lecturer. Although she hadn’t known him long, Josie had taken an instant liking to him. He was fair of face and nature and he spoke with a soft pitch.

‘Really?’ he continued. ‘I was certain that tonight’s topic had affected you more than you’re letting on.’

‘It is hard going. I know I’m only in my first month but it’s very much like counselling for yourself,’ Josie tried to explain. ‘The group we have has gelled so quickly, I suppose due to the nature of the course and the things we have to share. It’s quite draining actually, but very motivational when you hear what other people have gone through. Especially Tim.’

For part of the night’s session, Tim had been talking about his ex-wife and how their marriage had fallen apart from his lack of trust. Sometimes Josie had had to stop her mind from wandering as she tried to listen to him, at the same time listing in her head all the similarities he had with Stewart. Tim explained it was his need for control that eventually drove them apart – he had to be right every time. He found it hard to take criticism, found it hard to trust anyone, and so he pushed them away with his nastiness. Equally, he found it hard to communicate his love.

For Josie, it had been too close for comfort. When she’d met Stewart, she’d thought that her lack of self-belief would disappear, but now that she was married, it was worse than ever. She knew she had let him control her, just like she had let her mother do the same. It was one of the reasons she’d enrolled on the course – to see if she could learn more about herself, as well as to pick up a qualification. She realised she had her limits, but she wanted to gain more confidence.

It had been enough for her to question Tim about it during their break. What Josie had learned had made her heart beat wildly. Eventually, Tim had got help for his problem and now he was much better. He’d lost his wife in the process: they’d divorced a long time ago, but he was with another partner and – for the first time in his forty-nine years – he felt content.

Josie hadn’t been able to get the conversation out of her head. Feeling unable to ask him why he’d felt so insecure for the best part of his life, she wondered if Stewart could change if he got help, or perhaps she could find out exactly what was at the root of his problem. If she got him to admit there
was
a problem, she could help him, or try to send him in the right direction.

‘That’s the trouble with a small group, I’m afraid,’ Brian nodded, understanding Josie fully now. ‘We can only use ourselves as subject matter and sometimes it gets a little too close. I must admit, it’s given me quite a lot of food for thought over the years.’

Josie delved into her handbag for her car keys. ‘I thought we were going to learn
how
to be a counsellor, not to
be
counselled.’

Brian held up his hands in mock alarm. ‘Hey, don’t shoot the lecturer!’

 Josie smiled. ‘Can I offer you a lift anywhere?’

‘I’m supposed to be meeting my son in the George and Dragon. No doubt he’ll want some of my hard-earned cash. I don’t suppose…’

‘It’s on my way home. Hop in.’

In the far corner of the car park, Stewart watched from the shadows as Josie stood deep in conversation with a man. He looked in his early fifties, dressed in a smart suit, small and round in stature with a mass of grey hair.

Stewart ground his teeth. Never taking his eyes from them, their laughter made his blood boil. Josie had lied to him last week. She wasn’t at a meeting, like she’d told him. Neither had she been tonight. He’d already been into the reception to ask where she was, but they hadn’t heard of any council meeting being held. They’d asked him if he had the right night, like he was an idiot. Of course he had the right night: Josie had gone to these so-called meetings for the last three Wednesdays.

It was obvious from what he’d seen – the bitch was having an affair.

As Josie reversed her car out of its space and onto the road, Stewart started up his engine. Not wanting to be spotted, he gave her a moment before pulling out after her. Maybe he could tail her in the dark, see where she was heading.

But then he stopped. He needed to think about this before he did anything too rash. Once he’d found out more details, she’d get his wrath.

There was no way he was prepared to lose everything after he had gone this far.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kelly often wondered how her legs carried her through the gates of Miles Factory on that first Monday afternoon. At quarter to four, Doreen, her supervisor for the shift, showed her to the locker room where she was given a key and some overalls. At five to four, Kelly followed her onto the factory floor with a knot in her stomach and a lump in her throat. The first thing she saw was Sally’s welcoming smile. She had shown her what to do at her interview.

‘Hi, again,’ Sally shouted over the noise. A plump girl with blonde hair and freckles, she placed a cup on the conveyor belt and grabbed for the next one. ‘You’re sitting across from me – lucky you. Sometimes my talking can be drowned out by the racket in here.’ She nodded to the girl who had joined them. ‘That’s Julia. She’s okay for a laugh.’

Julia smiled at Kelly as she sat down behind Sally. She was in her late teens, with huge blue eyes almost hidden by her blonde fringe. Kelly smiled back and then glanced around the room. Women sat at most of the benches along the conveyor belt. There were three men in the far corner making up cardboard boxes
and separators and a bunch of men playing air guitars while singing to the track belting out from the radio.

‘Can you remember what to do or do you want me to show you again?’ Sally offered moments later, when Kelly was sat still.