Shiver Sweet (2 page)

I threw my head back and sighed.  No, something didn’t ring true here.  Claire was probably using the laptop as an excuse to come round and wipe the floor with me.  She hated the fact that Brian and I were such close friends, and had, on occasion, poured the odd nasty comment into my ear while Brian wasn’t listening.  Seeing as Sarah said that Claire always treated her well, I chose not to make a big issue of it.  “I really don’t want to see your girlfriend tonight.  Can’t Sarah use your computer?” 

“No.  I left my laptop in the office, and the screen on my desktop flickers, and the hard drive’s giving off a burning smell.  I was going to ask you about it.”

“Sounds like it needs a new fan.  Bring it over sometime, you, not Claire, and I’ll take a look.”

“Thanks.  Anyway, I’m worried, Christa.  Claire’s not the most alert driver in the world.  Please don’t repeat that.  Anyway, so you’ve not seen or heard from her?”

“Not a peep.”

There was a pause.  Brian’s faint cursing travelled over the airwaves, then he came back on the line.  “I better go track her down.  Call me if she turns up?”

“Of course.  Be careful on those roads.  And what about Sarah?”

“I doubt I could drag her out of her pit.  She’s upset that I cancelled the trip, and in a worse mood now because her friends are out sledging and I said she couldn’t go ‘cos it’s getting dark.”

“That’d do it,” I said as Nicola reappeared in the Kitchen.  I loved Sarah deeply, would give my life for her in a heartbeat, but she’d been such a little toe-rag lately.  “She loves her step-dad.  I think the split has upset her more than she’s letting on.”

“I think so too.  I’ll ask my sister to pop round and watch her while I track down Claire.  She’s not on shift at the hospital tonight.” 

I gulped as I ended the call.  Steph, his sister, I hadn’t seen her in years.

“Still can’t find my mobile,” Nicola said, lifting magazines in search of it.  “I was waiting for, well, hoping that, a certain someone might call.”

I smiled at her.  “He will.  You’re worth it.”

“It must be in my car.  I’ll nip out and get it.”  She picked up her keys from the worktop.  “So... what did lover boy have to say?”  A cheeky grin slid over her lips as she stepped past me and nudged my arm.

“Oh, stop it.”  I ran a hand through my hair.  “Apparently Claire’s on her way round
here
to collect Sarah’s laptop.”

Nicola paused in the kitchen doorway and her eyes sprang open.  “You’re kidding?  Thunder-face is coming here?”

I nodded.

“Wow.  This I have to watch.”

CHAPTER 2

RACHEL

Rachel’s mobile rang in her coat pocket.  She pulled it out and glanced at the name on the screen.  The dreaded phonecall.  She cut the music, took a quivering, noisy breath inside her car, then hit the answer button.

“Hey.  Are we on?”

Rachel closed her eyes and massaged her temples.  Suddenly everything felt wrong.  A huge dose of doubt swamped her.  Could she go through with it?  “Something’s not right.  I say we hold off.”

“Jesus! Rach!” Dale said in his all-too-familiar chilling tone.  “You do this every fucking time lately.  What is it about these people?  You don’t feel guilty about the others.”

“I’m sorry.  I-I just kinda–“

“I don’t want to hear another peep out of you.  Put some socks on those cold feet of yours and focus!  Like I said last week, you carry on doing what I ask, and I’ll give you what you want.  But if you fuck me over, I’ll make sure the happy little life you crave will go to the knacker’s yard.”

“That’s harsh.”  Rachel sat rigid in her seat, fighting tears.  “It’s easy for you,” she dared to growl back.  “You’re not the one who has to interact with these people.  It’s hard having to watch what I say when I’m around them.  It’s hard to-“

He grunted, cutting her off.  “I told you not to get emotionally involved.  It’s your own fault.” 

Rachel sighed.  What was the point in digging her heels in?  Her brother always won or talked her round.  She chewed her fingernails and stared at the chaos of traffic outside of her snow-covered windshield.  As she relayed her numerous voicemail messages to him, guilt gouged a hole in her chest.

Dale softened his voice.  “It’s tough on me, too, sweetie.  But we’ve got a good thing going here and I won’t let you ruin it.  Besides, how else will you afford that handbag fetish of yours?  Huh?”

“It’s just hard.”  Exploiting people to get her nugget, was tougher than he’d said it would be.  Although she disliked Christa and that caul child of hers, this one... well, it was a little too close to home and Claire hated having to be mindful of what slipped past her lips in
certain
company.

“He doesn’t love you,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.  “No one will ever have your back like I do.”

Something inside snapped.  “Bullshit!  Don’t you ever say that again.  He’s in love with me.  He just doesn’t know it.”

“How can he be, sweets?  He doesn’t know the
real
you.  He hasn’t asked you to move in with him and... Hell!  He doesn’t even know your real name.”

Her huffing breath misted the driver’s side window.  She raised her hand and drew a heart in the opaque patch with her finger. 

“So you wanna marry, make babies and live a fairytale life with this guy?  Is that what you think will happen here?”

She scrubbed the heart out with her palm.  “What’s so wrong with that?”

“Things like that don’t happen to us.  The only people we can rely on are each other and you know that’s true.  Anyway, from what you say, his heart rests elsewhere.”

Rachel shivered to the bone.  His blunt words pained her.

“Stick to the plan, and although I think you’re head’s in cuckoo land, as promised, I’ll do all I can to help you attain your man.  But I’m telling ya, those fairytale ideas in your head ain’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

Rachel huffed, disagreeing.

“But if you back out of tonight then...”

Rachel squeezed the phone, annoyed that he was playing tit for tat.

“So are we on?”

Tears rolled down her cheek.  “I really don’t like using him in this way.”

“If she hadn’t cancelled her birthday plans, you wouldn’t have to.  But she did, so it’s tough.”

“I’m not sure how much time I can give you.  Maybe half an hour.”

“Not good enough!  If it weren’t for that jerkoff trying to break in last night, they’d be in a restaurant by now and we’d have plenty of time to do the uploads.  Besides, her husband shoved something in a vent, so that needs removing.”

Rachel pictured what she’d witnessed the other day.  “Shouldn’t we tell her what he’s up to?”

“Use your brain!  She’d ask how you know.  Do you want to go to jail?”

“No,” she grumbled.

“Besides, it makes for great entertainment.”

“Two hours tops,” Rachel said.

“That’s more like it because we also need to find that computer.  Quick.”

“Well, I was trying to get that myself, but I don’t know if it’ll pan out.”

“Are you sure you can get them out of the house?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.  Since the break-in, I think he’s looking for an excuse to whisk her out of there.  So yeah, I’ve handed him one.  I think I’ve riled him up enough to come and track me down, accused him of...  Never mind.  I think he’ll want to show me, in the flesh, that there’s nothing between them.”

“Good job.”

“Not that he’d tell
her
that,” she mumbled.  “Anyway, he’ll chase me, and he’s bound to drag her along to help.”  Fresh tears fell and she heaved a sigh.  “He always does.”

“And her housemate?”

“They’re both scared.  She’ll follow like a puppy.”

CHAPTER 3

CHRISTA

An hour and a full stomach later, as the last light drained out of the day, my mobile rang.  I answered it.

“Christa.  Hi.”  It was Brian. 

“Found her yet?" I asked.  Brian’s sigh answered my question.  “Oh.  Sorry.”

“I’ve driven the routes she might have taken, but can’t find her car anywhere,” he said.  “And she’s not answering my calls.  Does she want me to go out of my mind with worry?  I'll strangle her one of these days.”

“Calm down.”  It was unusual for Brian to sound this stressed.  Perhaps they’d been arguing.  “So, her mobile's ringing?”

“Yes.”  His car engine hummed in the background.  “Will you help me search for her, Christa?”

“Oh, I really don’t want to leave my house empty.”  I should have guessed this was coming. 
Is this Brian’s way of getting me out of the house in case the burglar returns?
  No.  He must be genuinely worried that she's in a bind.  Claire would never do anything by choice that might result in Brian asking me for a helping hand. 

“Please, Christa,” he said, softening his voice which always hooked me.  “I’m worried she’s skidded off the road or something.  She might be too proud to ask for help.”

“You’re overreacting.  Besides, wouldn’t she call a tow truck?” 

“Probably, but you know what it’s like round here when it snows.  I bet they’re bombarded with calls right now.”

If I did agree to help him... No.  I could not leave Nicola alone in the house after last night.  “She’s probably at a shop, stocking up in case you get snowed in.” 
Or deliberately gone AWOL to get his attention without considering that he'd enlist me for the search.

“All I’m asking is have a quick glance around, and then you might as well give me Sarah’s laptop seeing as I’ll be over on your side of town.  Something to occupy her now that we’re not going climbing.”

After all Brian had done to support me over the years, how could I say no to such a small favour?
  When Sarah’s dad died during my pregnancy, Brian, her uncle, voluntarily took on the father figure role.  “Okay.  I’ve had some drinks so I’ll have to go on foot.  Phone you in a bit.”  I disconnected the call.

“What’s Brian roped you into now?” Nicola asked, flipping through a magazine in the kitchen. 

“Roped?”

“I bet he’d like to.”  She sniggered.  “He seems the type.”

“Nicola!”

She mouthed sorry.  “But I’m telling you... any excuse and he’s straight on the phone.”

“That’s not true,” I said pointedly.

“It is.  What about the other day?”

I frowned.  “Just work stuff.  He offered to get me a deal with a local company he’s been doing some consultancy work for, you know, for me to service their computers.”

“An excuse to contact you,” she said bluntly.

I rolled my eyes.  “Anyway, I told him no.”

Her eyebrows shot up.  “Are you crazy?  I thought you were strapped for cash.”

“I’m getting by,” I said, a little too abruptly, the lie smothering me like a caul.

Nicola continued eyeing me.  “You’re too proud for your own good.”

“It’s just not good to rely on other people to get me out of a rabbit hole.”  Truth was, it frightened me to rely on others too much.  Like a crutch, that help could easily snap, fall short or get whipped away, and I was also worried that if I let people in, they might learn about what deep, deep shit I was in financially, now made worse by the addition of solicitor fees. 

“Wanna talk about it?” Nicola asked.

“Everything around me seems to go wrong and...  Thanks, you’re so good to me, but no, let’s not dredge over my shit.”  Most people spread a little mask of glitter over their problems to save face.  I was no different.  Who really wanted to hear about all the grit and slime of other people’s lives? 

“Wanna talk about Brian?”

“Nothing to talk about.  He does so much for Sarah and... I owe him.  So I’m going to help.”  

“Not what I meant.  Have you ever heard of the expression ‘can’t see the woods for the trees'?  He loves Sarah, but she's also the glue that gives you two an excuse to be in each other's lives.  I’m convinced you’re the reason he moved back to this town the other year.  The way he looks at you... he can’t keep his–”

“Please.  Let’s not talk about this.”  I dashed to the understairs cupboard and dug out my chunky boots.  “I’m gonna do a quick search of the neighbourhood," I said, changing the subject, then sniffed the air in the hall.  “What is that God awful smell?  I can’t seem to get rid of it.”

Nicola followed me.  “It’s vile.  Like piss.  And it’s worse when the heating is on.”

“Anyway, I'll give Brian that laptop and look around for Claire on the way.  Then I’ll come back and sit it out as planned.”  I tossed Nicola her boots.  “Put these on.  I’m not leaving you alone.  You’re coming with me.”

“But my face!”  She tried, in vain, to pick the green face mask off for it was already hardening on her skin.  "Give me a few minutes to wash."

I shook my head.  “I know how long you take in the bathroom.  You’ll end up doing your hair and make-up.  Besides, we’re not going far.  No one will see you in the dark and, if they do, they’ll probably just stare at your chest.”  Nicola’s cleavage could easily engulf a man’s head.

Nicola rolled her eyes and although she smiled at my comment, her face was a roadmap of displeasure.  “Okay.  I’ll go, but you owe me.”

“Thanks.”  While I checked the lock on the back door, Nicola grabbed the laptop from my office.  There was no way I had time to wipe and upgrade the operating system tonight.  Not that it mattered.  I was sure Mrs Hill wouldn’t have given it to me if there were any unsuitable files on there.  Besides, Sarah would likely only use it to chat on Facebook while sprawled in bed.  After wrapping ourselves in coats and scarves, I locked up my office, then the front door, and dragged a reluctant mutant-ninja-turtle-faced Nicola into the falling snow. 

My neighbour Harry’s curtain twitched.  He owned the other half of my old Victorian house and was a pretty good neighbour.  Not bad looking either, save for the slight geekiness.  I waved, but Nicola hid her face and crunched through the snow past his window.  Moonlight bounced off the white snow drifts and bathed the undisturbed path in a radiant light.

On reaching the end of our street, a teenager came whizzing round the corner dragging a younger boy on a makeshift sledge.  Caught unawares, I jumped sideways to avoid them and whacked Nicola with the laptop bag.  She squeaked out a little yelp, lost balance and took a tumble, plonking butt-first into the snow.