One good deed, p.10
One Good Deed, page 10
‘We’re okay, thanks.’ Lincoln said this just as his partner was stretching a hand towards the plate, causing him to withdraw immediately, a look of dismay on his face.
‘I’m sure Darren will be here any minute,’ Elliott said. ‘He seemed very determined.’
As he resumed his seat, he considered the possibilities. In a fit of optimism, he wondered whether Rebecca had changed her mind and decided to ring Darren after all, in which case Darren might have decided there was no need to come over. Or maybe Darren had just come to his senses. Either of those scenarios was fine by Elliott.
On the other hand, the more likely possibility was that Darren was simply not very punctual.
But then five past became ten past, and ten past became a quarter past. The policemen put their empty mugs back on the tray, PC York still eyeing up the biscuits.
Lincoln said, ‘Looks like your friend is a no-show tonight.’
The officers got to their feet. Elliott followed suit.
‘I think he’ll still come. Couldn’t you hang on a bit longer?’
Lincoln frowned. ‘If he does show up, and you think things are getting a little out of hand, you could always give us another call. And maybe if you told him you’ve spoken to us, that might persuade him to leave you alone.’
Elliott wasn’t convinced, and he really didn’t want to allow things to get to the point of being ‘out of hand’, not even ‘a little’.
‘Hasn’t he already overstepped the line, though. I mean, harassing me and stalking a young woman …’
‘Not really. From what you’ve told us, he’s just had a couple of chats with you, and you can’t tell us where he lives or even what his full name is. And without some corroboration from the lady involved—’
‘Wait. I have her phone number. What if you rang her now, got her side of the story?’
The officers looked at each other, then Lincoln nodded and produced a mobile phone. ‘What’s the number?’ he asked.
Elliott found Rebecca in his contacts and reeled the number off while PC Lincoln typed it in. He waited hopefully while Lincoln brought the phone to his ear. It felt to him that the situation had escalated somewhat. Heidi had convinced him that it wasn’t something to be dismissed lightly, and that it might in fact be downright dangerous. He just wanted out of it now. Let the police, Rebecca and Darren sort it out between themselves.
‘Hello?’ Lincoln said. ‘Am I speaking to Rebecca? … My name’s Police Constable Lincoln … Yes, that’s right. I’m at the home of a Mr Elliott Whiston. I believe you know him? … Right. He’s made a complaint about a man called Darren … Yes, Darren. The complaint involves an allegation of stalking committed against you by Darren on Monday evening, and that since then, Darren has been harassing Mr Whiston to discover your whereabouts. I wonder what more you can tell us about it?’
Lincoln listened for a while, throwing in an occasional ‘I see’. Then he said, ‘And is that something you’d like to press charges on? … Okay, that’s very helpful. Thank you very much … Yes, I’ll pass that on. Goodbye now.’
He ended the call. Elliott thought he had a graver look on his face now, as though he finally appreciated how serious this was.
‘Well?’ Elliott urged.
‘She said she doesn’t know anyone called Darren.’
It took a couple of seconds for Elliott to recover. ‘What? Of course she does. Why would she say that?’
‘Perhaps I should be asking you that question.’
‘I … I really don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. His name is definitely Darren. He told me that himself. So what is the name of her stalker, then?’
‘You tell me, Mr Whiston.’
The tone was accusatory now. Both officers looked ready to clap him in irons.
‘Why do you keep asking me? I don’t understand what’s going on here. You asked Rebecca if she wanted to press charges. Whether her stalker’s name is Darren or not, you need to put a stop to it.’
‘Well, perhaps this little chat with you will do just that.’
Elliott opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Mr Whiston, the young woman I just spoke to suggested that if anyone is stalking her, it’s you.’
16
Elliott was dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? How had he been shifted from hero to villain in an eye-blink? And why would Rebecca do that to him of all people, the man who had rescued her, the man whom she promised to take for a drink when this was all over?
‘What?’ he said to the officers. ‘Rebecca told you I’ve been stalking her?’
‘It wasn’t the word she used. She said you’ve been pestering her, phoning her constantly.’
‘Really? And did she explain how I magically got hold of her name and number in the first place?’
‘She said you spoke to her at the gym she goes to, and that you must have got her number from a staff member or by sneaking a look at their database.’
‘That’s ridiculous. I—’
‘Have you ever been to a gym called the Tone Zone?’
‘Well, yes, but not for ages. Way before she started going there.’
‘I see.’
Elliott detected a lot of unsaid meaning in those two words. A mountain of doubt about his version of events. The reversal was beginning to panic him.
‘No. You don’t see. This is all arse-backwards. I’m the good guy in this. I helped her out, and now you’re leaving me to deal with the real troublemaker.’
‘Ah, yes, the mysterious Darren. The man you don’t know anything about except for his name. The man you were meeting at eight o’clock.’
‘Okay, well, obviously he’s late or he’s changed his mind or whatever, but I haven’t been lying to you. Everything I said is the truth.’
Elliott heard the high-pitched desperation in his own voice, and knew it was doing nothing to persuade the two policemen. It was time to cut his losses.
‘All right,’ he said. ‘Forget it. Forget I said anything.’
Lincoln looked at his colleague, and then the pair headed for the door. ‘One other thing,’ Lincoln said before they left. ‘Rebecca said to tell you that she’d like you to stop phoning her.’
The policeman’s sternness left Elliott in no doubt that this was intended as a warning. He nodded, watched them leave, then closed the door behind them.
The first thing he did next was to rush back to the living room, grab his phone and call Rebecca.
‘What the hell?’ he said when she answered.
‘Have they gone?’ she said. ‘The police?’
‘Yes, they’ve gone. And I’m lucky they haven’t taken me with them in handcuffs. I’ll say it again: what the hell?’
‘I’m sorry, Elliott. I really am. You didn’t say anything about getting the police involved.’
‘And you didn’t tell me what I’m getting myself into. I had to call them.’
‘Why? Why did you have to call them?’
‘Because I don’t know what Darren is capable of. I don’t know what he’s going to do when I see him next.’
‘I told you. He won’t do anything. He just wants to ask you about me. All you had to do was tell him to go away, not call the police.’
‘Well, that was my decision. What I don’t get is why you felt the need to lie to them.’
‘Because the way you’re reacting is unnecessary. It’s overkill. Darren is harmless—’
‘So you keep saying.’
‘Because it’s true. He doesn’t deserve to have the police on his back. And I don’t want them interfering with my life either.’
‘And so your only solution was to make them think I’m some kind of pervert?’
She laughed, but it wasn’t mocking; it was her particularly delightful laugh that reminded him of how beautiful she was, and he wished she hadn’t laughed because it was defusing his temper, and right now he needed to be angry.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting them to call, and I just blurted out the first thing that came into my head. I didn’t call you a pervert. I just said you were keen on me and that you were …’
‘Pestering you.’
‘Well … yeah. Sorry. Can you forgive me?’
He didn’t want to forgive her, but he had a feeling he was heading that way.
‘Depends.’
‘On what?’
‘On your answer to my next question.’
‘Which is?’
‘When we spoke yesterday, you said you’d told Darren that you and I were boyfriend and girlfriend. But you also said you hadn’t spoken to him since Monday. Both of those can’t be true, Rebecca, so which is it?’
There was a silence, and Elliott guessed that she was coming to terms with being caught out. She was falling from the pedestal on which he had placed her, and it saddened him.
‘Elliott,’ she said quietly, ‘I didn’t lie to you.’
‘You need to explain,’ he said.
‘What I actually said to you was that I hadn’t seen Darren since Monday. I didn’t say anything about speaking to him. I called him, on the phone.’
Elliott tried to cast his mind back to their conversation. Had she said ‘seen’ or ‘spoken’? He wasn’t certain.
‘Why didn’t you mention that at the time?’
‘I said I’d told him about us. I didn’t feel it necessary to state that I used my mobile phone to do it.’
‘No, I mean before that. When I was asking about whether you’d seen him. Wasn’t that a natural moment for you to say something like, No, I haven’t seen him, but I did ring him?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe. Does it matter? The point is, I haven’t lied to you. You do believe me, don’t you?’
‘I don’t know what to believe.’
‘That … that’s a little bit hurtful, Elliott.’
There was something in her voice, like she was genuinely upset. He was starting to feel like a scumbag.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m not trying to upset you. You put me in an awkward position with the police—’
‘And I’ve apologised. I don’t know what more you want me to say. It was you who decided to bring the police into this without discussing it with me first.’
Yeah, he thought, I’m definitely a scumbag.
He said, ‘I’m also worried about Darren. I don’t know how he’s going to take this.’
‘Didn’t you say he would come over tonight?’
‘Yes. Eight o’clock.’
‘It’s way past that now. He hasn’t shown up?’
‘No.’
‘Well, there you go, then. Maybe he finally gets it. He probably won’t bother you again.’
‘Maybe.’
‘Elliott, you’re making far too much of this. I came to you because you looked like the sort of guy who might do a girl a simple favour. I really didn’t think it would cause you this much distress. I hoped you’d be able to handle it.’
Elliott sensed his character was under fire here. Was he making too much of a fuss about nothing? Had he allowed Heidi to push him in that direction without any direct evidence?
‘I can handle it. It’s just … well, I’ve never been in a situation like this before, you know? I don’t know Darren as well as you do. I thought he might be a psychopath or something.’
‘You’ve met him. Does he seem like a psychopath?’
‘Well …’ Elliott answered. He’d never knowingly met a psychopath before, but didn’t most of them come across as perfectly normal people until they chopped your head off and put it in their fridge? Not that Darren could be described as ‘normal’. Normal people don’t spit blood onto your rug or convince themselves that you’ve stolen their girlfriend.
Before he could voice any of these thoughts, Rebecca seduced him with her laugh again. ‘You’re so cute, Elliott. I’m glad I met you.’
He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. ‘Yeah, well, me too. Meeting you, I mean.’
‘We’ll get that drink together soon. I promise.’
‘Sure. Great. I look forward—’
‘Night, Elliott.’
‘Yeah, okay. Goodnight.’
He dropped his phone onto the sofa and looked down at Bill, who had finally ventured back into the room.
‘Explain women to me, Bill,’ he said.
Darren sat on his hotel bed, brooding.
He’d been lucky, he realised. Extremely lucky.
He had arrived at Elliott’s house at twenty to eight. He’d had no intention of announcing his presence immediately: the appointment was for eight, so that was when he would ring the doorbell. On the dot.
He’d waited in his car.
And that was how he had come to see the two policemen arriving.
They had obviously thought they were being clever, parking their brightly coloured vehicle around the corner like that. They hadn’t reckoned with this early bird catching those worms.
He had decided not to hang around after that. Best to come back to the hotel and reconsider.
He realised now that he had underestimated Elliott. The bastard had set a trap for him. A trap! That wasn’t sporting, not at all.
Darren’s head was throbbing again. He went to the bathroom, tossed down two paracetamol, came back.
He wondered what Elliott had told the police, probably without even consulting Rebecca. She wouldn’t have gone along with it. No way would she have even thought about getting her other half into trouble with the law.
But Elliott hadn’t minded dropping him in the shit. In fact, Elliott probably thought it was an easy way to take his better-endowed competitor out of the picture.
Oh, Elliott, he thought. You are so out of your league. I will do whatever it takes to get my girl back.
Even if that means death.
17
Elliott welcomed being in the shop again on Friday. He hadn’t slept well last night. Kept thinking Darren would come knocking. The guy didn’t seem the type to respect social norms.
Bill wasn’t bothered. He had slept soundly at the bottom of the bed, his snoring not helping his owner’s mood.
Elliott had been relieved to get out of the house, away from possible encounters that, in his lively imagination, had grown terrifying. Despite almost shouting at himself to ‘man up’, and despite Rebecca’s assurances that Darren was a pussycat, he wasn’t convinced he could manage another meeting. He knew pussycats. He knew they had claws and fangs and could switch tempers in a heartbeat.
Bill hadn’t supplied the requested explanations about women, either.
On one of Elliott’s shoulders sat Rebecca, so apologetic and lovely and disarming. Last night, he had ended up feeling incredibly guilty for doubting her, such was her power over him. She thought he had nothing to worry about when it came to Darren.
On the other shoulder sat Heidi – his close friend, his confidante, his counsellor. She was firmly of the opinion that Rebecca had landed him on the wrong side of a man who was capable of dishing out actual bodily harm.
Which of those two was he supposed to listen to?
His phone pinged and he glanced at the screen.
Speak of the devil. A message from Heidi: How did it go with the police?
No use pretending, he thought. He typed out his reply: Terrible. They didn’t believe me.
He wasn’t surprised when his phone rang only seconds later.
‘What do you mean?’ Heidi yelled. ‘How could they not believe you?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe I don’t have a trustworthy face or something. I told them the whole story and got the feeling they thought I was living in a fantasy world.’
‘What did they say to Darren?’
‘He didn’t turn up, which didn’t help my case, especially when I couldn’t tell them anything about him.’
‘Did you tell them about the stalking?’
‘Of course I did. I even gave them Rebecca’s number so they could ring her.’
‘And?’
He really didn’t want to reveal this, but it was the truth after all. ‘She … she denied all knowledge. She told them that I was the one who was giving her a hard time, and not some Darren person that she’d never heard of.’
There was a moment’s silence during which Elliott could easily imagine the shock on Heidi’s face.
‘The fucking bitch,’ Heidi said.
‘In her defence, she said she lied because she was trying to protect Darren. She didn’t think he deserved to be hassled by the police.’
‘Don’t defend her, Elliott. You did a wonderful thing. You protected her when she needed it. But the least she could have done was be straight with you about the situation with Darren. There’s clearly a lot more to this story, and for whatever reason, she doesn’t want it to get out. That’s simply not fair on you. If you ever see Darren again, you need to tell him the truth about what really happened the other night. Get them both out of your hair.’
‘Well, it looks like it’s over now anyway. They seem to be keeping away from me, and I’m happy for it to stay that way.’
‘Good. It’s no longer your concern. Let them sort it out between themselves. I can’t believe those cops, though.’ She paused. ‘Look, I’ve got research meetings all day today, so I won’t be at the shop, but we’ll talk later, okay?’
‘Sure. And thanks.’
‘You’re welcome. I don’t even charge. Bye, Elliott.’
‘Bye.’
The shop got suddenly busier after that, and he was grateful for it. For a good couple of hours he was able to concentrate on the needs of others rather than his own problems. When a lull finally hit, he considered the prospect of taking a couple of days off, spending some time up at his sister’s. Heidi wouldn’t mind looking after Bill, and—
The shop door opened again. He prepared to affix a smile and appear helpful.
Until he saw that it was Darren who had entered. He came straight over to the desk. Stood there looking down at Elliott.
‘Hey, Elliott,’ he said.
Be strong, Elliott told himself. This is your domain. You’re in charge here. You have to show him who’s boss.
