Jealous Friends

By
Chelle Stewart
This was the third time he had come to the house. Susan Small looked at the man
whod invaded her living room. Hed already spoken with Charlie twice, her
daughter had answered every question; so why was he here again?
! have to check everything very care"ully.#
!t was like shed voiced her question aloud$ Susan put her co""ee mug down onto
the dusty mantelpiece. Surely he couldnt read minds that would be ludicrous.
She wouldnt hold anything %ack; she told you everything last time. Shes
devastated and youre not helping.#
The man looked straight at her, protecting her young daughter good for her,
although she was a %ig girl, %igger than he was. &" course she wouldnt.# He smiled
and picked up the chipped co""ee mug. She was very help"ul.#
So why do you need to see her again?#
!ve had some con"licting in"ormation and need to check with her, whenever there
are suspicions, well, you know. Shes young; she could have %een trying to cover "or
someone.#
She wouldnt do that, whatever in"ormation you have now is "alse, Charlie is
incapa%le o" lying.# Susan "elt sure her daughter had %een telling the truth.
So can ! see her once more please?# He placed his mug %ack down.
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'o$ !m sorry (r )am%ert, %ut no, this whole episode has unsettled her and she
has her *CS+s to revise "or.# Susan stood up and walked towards the door, opening
it, she stood aside. So i" there is nothing else, !d like you to leave now.#
He knew when his time was up and le"t without another word, hed have to "ind
another way o" getting to Charlie Small.
, , ,
-ohn )am%ert a private investigator had %een on the trail o" a missing girl, ./ year old
Tracey Sopher. Shed %een missing "or "our weeks. 0t "irst there had %een a huge
response, the whole town had come out looking "or her, %ut as the weeks went past
and there was still no sign o" her, the trail had gone cold. The police thought she had
run away and had stopped looking "or her. Tracey Sophers mother had hired him
a"ter the police had told her to wait and hope"ully Tracey would see sense and come
home %y hersel".
Charlie, the %est "riend, was his greatest hope o" "inding Tracey; the %oy"riend
though was hiding something, he was sure o" it, even the police thought something
odd was going on, %ut there was no evidence and all the details Charlie had provided
pointed to a run away. Hed spoken to Charlie twice already and had gone over the
last time shed seen her; Tracey had told her that she had %roken up with her
%oy"riend, had had an argument with her mother and was going to run away to
)ondon to meet up with a guy shed met on the internet. 1ut when questioned, the
%oy"riend said they had %een happy together and were planning a weekend away to
0lton Towers. 0lso (rs Sopher had denied theyd argued on the morning o"
Traceys disappearance. The police had checked Traceys laptop and there was no
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trace o" her internet chat with a stranger. So who was lying? -ohn opened the door to
the 2ed )ion; he needed some solace, and knew he wouldnt %e driving home tonight.
, , ,
Charlie woke up with a start, the radio was %laring out, she hit the snoo3e %utton and
everything went quiet. She lay %ack down on the %ed. What the hell am I going to
do? Tracey is the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think
about before I fall asleep. She reached "or her mo%ile and punched in the "amiliar
num%er, 0nt picked up straight away.
4hy are you calling me, !ve told you its too dangerous to call, the police
have %een watching me, they might %e listening in right now.#
5ont %e such a drama queen.# She was angry. )ook 0nt ! dont know what
!m supposed to do, that detective came round again last night and my mum got rid o"
him, %ut he knows theres something wrong, our stories dont match.#
Hes %een %ugging me too. !ll try and "igure out our ne6t move. !ll meet
you at the %us station later, "ive oclock, well gra% a coke.# He cut the call.
Charlie got ready "or school and le"t without seeing anyone. She was counting
down to the end o" the school day when hope"ully 0nt would "inally sort things out
and make everything &7.
, , ,
-ohn drove to Charlies house and waited at the %ottom o" her road, keeping out o"
sight. He saw her coming down the path and "ollowed her on "oot. Shed gone into
the school, so he dou%led %ack and decided hed drive %ack to the school at three to
see where shed head "or.
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)ater he watched as she crossed the road and waited at the %us stop, she got
onto the num%er 89, heading towards the town centre. He "ollowed and she got o""
the %us and went into the station ca":. He waited and then to his surprise saw
0nthony Sta""ord, Traceys %oy"riend, approaching the ca":, what have we got here
then? He put on his hat and sunglasses and headed into the ca":. They were sitting in
the %ooth at the %ack; he ordered a co""ee and made his way to the ne6t %ooth,
dropped his *S( listening device onto the "loor and kicked it under their ta%le. Then
made his way to the "ront %ooth and using his mo%ile; he rang it and immediately
heard the ensuing conversation.
;youve got to pull yoursel" together Cha3; youre not helping Tracey %y
acting like this. Can you pass me that kni"e?#
He heard a scrapping noise; she must have pushed the knife across the table.
So 0nt, have you decided what youre going to do with her?#
Charlie sounds cool and very matter of fact.
)ook i" you dont stop nagging me !m leaving.#
nt sounds agitated.
&7, sorry, %ut ! "eel so guilty. Her mum keeps ringing me asking i" !ve
heard "rom her, !m "ed up with it, that detective came round again last night, he
suspects something !m sure.#
!es" somethings definitely wrong.
<ouve got nothing to "eel guilty a%out, =ust keep quiet and !ll sort
something. She still denies that she was cheating on me and going to dump me, no
one cheats on me and gets away with it.#
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! know shes such a slag. <ou deserve %etter, youre such a great guy. Tracey
was stupid to cheat on you, !d never cheat on you, and ! love you. <ouve got to
"inish it 0nt; its gone past a =oke. 4e need to get on with our lives, "orget this ever
happened.#
<ou dont love me. <oure mad, how can you e6pect us to "orget? ! dont
%elieve you sometimes.#
! do love you.#
! think the %est thing would %e "or me to kill her and tell everyone you did it,
! have your "inger prints on this kni"e so dont you "orget it. 0nyway, !ll let her go
once !ve had my revenge.# He got up and walked out o" the door.
-ohn watched and waited "or Charlie to leave and then picked up the *S(
device "rom under their vacant ta%le. Well" well what the hell was going on there?
Hed not seen that coming. This needs to end now$ Hed have to take the recording
to the police immediately and let them deal with this; a kidnap situation was way out
o" his league.
, , ,
Charlie made her way home, determined that shed keep quiet, she didnt know what
0nt was capa%le o", she had never "elt this "rightened in her li"e. #ow on earth am I
going to sort this out? 0s she approached her house, she noticed a police car pulling
up outside, so she quickly hid %ehind a post %o6. Why are they here? She couldnt
"ace them. She %egan to walk %ack towards the town, she needed time to think.
Taking out her mo%ile phone, she called 0nt. The police are outside my
house.# She was shaking, the adrenalin coursing through her.
That would %e %ecause theyve "ound Tracey.#
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&h my god, what have you done?#
'othing, she escaped. 0"ter ! le"t you, ! went to check on her and she was
lying down, stock>still. ! called out to her %ut she didnt answer, ! got worried and so
let my guard down, opened the cellar door and when ! %ent over to see i" she was
%reathing she knocked me down and ran.#
<ou complete idiot, youve screwed up %ig time, where are you going now?#
4ell, perhaps this is all "or the %est, ! didnt want to murder anyone in the
"irst place; this is all your making and a complete we% o" lies. She would have told
the police that you were helping me keep her prisoner, youre as guilty as me you
psycho %itch, ! should never have listened to you in the "irst place.# The phone went
dead.
Charlie "elt trapped, more trapped than Tracey had ever %een. 4hat could she
do, like he says Im as guilty as he is. Tracey had always had everything she ever
wanted, everything Charlie ever wanted. She was pretty, popular, "ashiona%le, smart
and with a good looking %oy"riend too. Its not fair my life is crap" Im thick" my dad
left me and my mum doesnt care if Im alive or dead.
0s she reached the secluded %ridge, she looked down into the dark water, dark
and cold, she shivered, she couldnt think straight, may%e she could end it here, now;
she %egan to cry, her tears started "alling wetting her "ace and making her collar damp
and cold against her skin.
She turned and saw (r )am%ert the detective. How did you "ind me?#
*uessed youd %e here, you told the police this was the last place you saw
Tracey.#
&h yer right, our private place.#
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!ve come to take you home, !ve got a recording o" 0nthony saying he
would murder Tracy and pin the %lame on you. <ou didnt do anything.#
5idnt !? Thats where youre wrong, some detective.# She turned to "ace
the river. ! took Tracey into that cellar so that 0nt could kill her, %ut he chickened
out, ! should have done her with my kni"e when ! had the chance.# She reached into
her %ag and took out a kitchen kni"e. 0nt =ust locked her up, what was the point in
that? ! thought ! could make him love me with her out o" the way, thats why ! told
him she was cheating on him and going to dump him. 1ut anyway, whats the point
now, Tracey knows the truth, !m screwed. 4hat do you think will happen to me?
0re you going to take me to the police?# She was smiling now, en=oying the look o"
complete dis%elie" on his "ace.
-ohn couldnt quite %elieve what he was hearing, he turned away "rom her, he
should have kept a closer eye on her though, that was his down"all, =ust as he "elt the
searing pain in his right kidney "ollowed %y a short sharp push %etween his shoulder
%lades he was "alling, tum%ling into the murky, icy river, "ighting "or %reath %ut
losing, "inally giving in to the cavernous darkness that surrounded him.
Charlie looked around, she was alone now, =ust the way she liked it. She
dropped the kni"e into the river and ran on up the hill to the station, %oarded a train to
)ondon and then disappeared into the shadowy depths that any %ig city a""ords; she
%ecame one among the anonymous throngs, never to resur"ace as Charlie Small again.
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