Slur: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 1 (13 page)

Thursday 31
^st
July 1986

When Rita approached number 20 Claremont Road, she wasn’t
thinking about Yansis or Julie as she had more immediate matters on her mind. Vinny
soon appeared at the door and she abandoned her well-rehearsed, provocative
pose as she stepped inside.

‘Oh, hello Rita, I’m glad
you could make it,’ he said, smiling.

She looked up at him and
replied, in sultry tones, ‘I think that you and me should take up where we left
off, don’t you?’

Once Rita had made her way inside,
Vinny shut the door firmly behind her.

So engrossed were they by
their own concerns that they failed to notice the curtains twitching across the
road at number 25. This was in fact the home of Melanie Butterworth, one of
Clare Quinley’s school friends. She had been for tea at Clare’s home a few
times and was used to seeing Julie there with her friends, including Rita and
her boyfriend Vinny.

--------------------

Friday 1
^st
August 1986

The school environment is in
many respects similar to other working environments in that, when a topic
becomes the subject of gossip, it is discussed indefatigably for several weeks
until people tire of its contents or are unable to embellish the tale further.

However, should a new
element of the tale be discovered, it will re-ignite public interest in the
story. Such was the case with the Julie Quinley scandal, and this latest
revelation spread ferociously through the school with its libellous flames enveloping
everyone in their pathway. It was only a matter of a few hours until Clare
Quinley became engulfed in their fiery force and had to bear once more the
consequences of the scandal to which she had become a central figure.

--------------------  

Friday 1
^st
August 1986

When Clare
arrived home from school, Julie could tell that something was wrong. Instead of
the excited bustle that usually accompanied Clare, she was quiet and
contemplative. 

She had
seen Clare behave in this way before, a few weeks ago when news of her arrest
had first spread. Now, however, she thought that things had settled down so it
surprised her to see Clare looking so troubled.

Julie
noticed how quick her parents were to detect Clare’s mood. When they tried to
discuss Clare’s day with her, they received monosyllabic replies. Julie wanted
to find out what was troubling Clare, but she was afraid to ask in case the
whole sorry subject became the focus of her family’s attention once more. Her
father, however, was determined to get to the bottom of things.

‘What’s
wrong Clare love, have people been having a go at you about things again?’ he
asked.

Julie felt
tremendous guilt knowing what the word ‘things’ referred to. She recalled what
a difficult week Clare had suffered at school when everyone had found out about
her arrest. Unfortunately, she had been so troubled with her own situation at
the time that she had not given her sister the care and consideration that she
would normally have bestowed on her. Bill, however, had soon settled matters by
visiting the head teacher and insisting that he put a stop to the taunts.

During tea Bill
continued to press Clare until she opened up to him.

‘Nobody’s
been having a go!’ Clare answered.

‘Well, what
is it then? Has someone said something to upset you? Who is it? Is it one of
your classmates? Is it a teacher?’

‘No!’
shouted Clare. ‘They weren’t teasing me. It was just something that happened, something
that Melanie Butterworth told everybody!’

On saying
these words Julie noticed Clare casting a sidelong glance in her direction.

Julie’s
heart sank as she realised the implications. Melanie Butterworth lived across
the road from Vinny. She guessed at what was to follow; Vinny had grown tired
of waiting around for her and had found himself another woman. She needed to
hear it from Clare first though, before she could accept the facts.

Clare spoke
quietly and self-consciously, avoiding Julie’s gaze.

‘Vinny’s
got another girlfriend. Melanie saw her going into his house.’

She paused
as her parents gazed at Julie in horror. Julie grew silent and let her fork
drop as the words hit her.

Clare
continued. ‘She said it was our Julie’s friend, Rita.’

Silence
descended on them. For a moment nobody moved. Then Julie rose from the table
leaving her plate half empty as she headed out of the room.

She had
been in her bedroom for a few minutes when her mother walked in to find her
with her head buried in her pillow trying to stifle the tears. Julie looked up
on hearing Betty approach.

‘How could
she Mam? How could she do that to me when she’s supposed to be my friend?’
Julie pleaded.

But Betty
didn’t offer Julie an explanation. Instead she sat on the bed beside her and
took her in her arms while Julie cried incessantly, occasionally trying to
speak out against the injustice of it.

Betty
silenced her. ‘Shsh love, it’s all right,’ she assured as she held her and
brushed back the hair from her eyes. For Julie it wasn’t all right though; she
was already in a fragile emotional state and she could have done without this
further upset.

That night
the nightmares returned. This time Vinny and Rita were the main subjects. Julie
saw them in a passionate embrace. She approached the loving couple, puzzled,
but as she drew nearer to them they turned towards her, their garish and distorted
faces mocking her. She felt gripped by an overwhelming anger but when she tried
to shout at them her words were no more than a whisper. ‘Why, why?’ she asked
but they ignored her and went back to their petting.

In another
dream Rita was sitting with Amanda, her face taunting and menacing. It was
during their last night out and Julie watched as Rita handed a white powdery
substance to Amanda. Julie could see that Amanda was about to take it. She
wanted to stop her but couldn’t; she was just an outsider who could only
observe as Amanda stared at the drug in her hand and prepared to put it in her
mouth.

Julie awoke
in a sweat drenched panic to the sound of her own voice screaming, ‘No, no,
no!’ She soon took stock of her surroundings, relieved to find that she was in
her own bedroom.

As Julie attempted
to calm her racing heart her mother rushed into the room. ‘Are you all right
love?’

‘Yes,’ Julie
tried to reassure her. ‘It’s just another nightmare, that’s all. You go back to
bed Mam. I’ll be all right, it’s over now.’

When Betty
had left her room, Julie picked up a book from her bedside table, intent on
reading for the rest of the night. She knew that, in her present state of mind,
there was no chance of getting any peaceful sleep.

Saturday 2
^nd
August 1986

If Julie had answered the front door, Rita would never have
got over the threshold. However, it was Clare who answered it so Rita found it
easy to barge past a child of eight and make her way up to Julie’s bedroom.

‘Julie,
have I got news for you!’ she announced as she strode boldly into Julie’s room.

‘You’ve got
a bloody nerve!’ Julie shouted. ‘I’m not interested in hearing anything you’ve
got to say!’

Rita
appeared shocked. ‘It’s important Julie!’

‘It may be
for you, but I don’t give a stuff! You don’t think I’m gonna sit here while you
rub my nose in it do you? I don’t want your explanations, I just want to see
the back of you. Now get out of my room!’ she yelled.

‘What the
bleedin’ hell’s up with you? Have you completely lost your marbles?’ Rita
asked, astounded.

Julie
retaliated. ‘Well you didn’t think I was going to take it lying down, did you?
I might be suffering from depression, but I’ve not gone soft altogether. What
do you expect, a pat on the back or something? You cheeky hard-faced bitch!
Just get out, go on, get back to him, and I hope you’ll be very happy together.’

‘Julie,
what on earth’s the matter? I thought we’d discussed this, I thought you were
all right about me going to Greece. What the hell’s got into you?’

‘What do
you mean, Greece? Do you mean you’re going away together?’

‘I told
you, as soon as he gets the money, I’m going over there.’

‘I’m not
talking about Yansis, I’m talking about Vinny. So you can cut the pretence.’ As
Rita stared, dumfounded, Julie continued. ‘Yes, your sordid little secret’s
out!’

‘What are
you talking about? I’m not seeing Vinny! I’m in love with Yansis. You know
that.’

‘Yes, that
might be what you’ve told me, but I know what’s really going on. Don’t try
denying it Rita; you were seen going into his house.’

Rita sighed
as the realisation it her. ‘I know where you’re coming from now. Yes, I have
been to Vinny’s house, but it’s not what you think, you silly cow!’

‘What do
you mean?’

‘Julie,
that lad thinks the world of you! Don’t you think he’d rather have been talking
to you than me? You’ve been such a bitch with him lately that the poor lad
doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. He asked to see me so that I could
help him sort things out.’

‘Oh I see,’
Julie replied. ‘He thinks you can bring the mad cow to her senses does he, and
let her know what she’s been missing?’

‘I’m not
talking about that. Now get off your high horse a minute and let me explain!’
Rita continued before Julie had a chance to interrupt. ‘Vinny thinks he knows
who killed Amanda. He’s found something out. He asked to see me about it
because he was frightened of getting his head bitten off if he rang you.
Anyway, he wants to try to help you get out of this mess, but if you want to
find out more then you’ll have to speak to Vinny about it.

‘After all,
it is you he’s trying to help, not me. No matter what your warped mind might be
thinking, we both know that Vinny wouldn’t even bother giving me the time of
day if it didn’t involve you! And I’m disgusted at you Julie for even thinking
that I would go after him behind your back. We’re supposed to be mates aren’t
we? I might be a lot of things, but I would never do the dirty on a mate.
You’ve really insulted me today Julie. I was trying to help you!’

Julie felt
terrible. She wished that she could take back her accusations, but it was too
late; she had already hurt Rita. ‘Rita, I’m so sorry, I got the wrong end of
the stick.’

‘People see
what they want to see Julie,’ Rita replied coolly as she walked away.  

--------------------

Saturday
2
^nd
August 1986

Rita’s
revelation had been like a lifejacket to a drowning man. Suddenly, after all
these weeks of misery, there was some hope. If Vinny had found something out
about Amanda’s killer, then that could get her and Rita off the hook. She knew
that nothing would bring Amanda back, but at least she wouldn’t have to live
with the guilt of Amanda’s death and that would make it easier to cope.

Apart from
giving her hope, Rita’s words had also brought her to her senses and made her
realise how useless she had become. She had been so wrapped up in her own
self-pity that she had convinced herself that the whole world was against her.
Instead they had been trying to help her and she had done nothing to assist.
She felt so ashamed and embarrassed by her own behaviour. Finally, she decided
that it was about time she plucked up the courage to ring Vinny.

When Julie
walked into the living room she wasn’t surprised to see her father immersed in
one of his favourite pastimes of reading his paper. She hesitated at first
before approaching the phone, not wanting him to overhear. But then she told
herself that if she kept making excuses she would never make the call. “
It’s
now or never,
” she reassured herself as she lifted the receiver and dialled
the number.

As Vinny
answered the telephone, Julie’s heart began to race and she thought for a
moment that she wouldn’t be able to speak. In her agitation she rushed at the
words.

‘Erm, hello
Vinny, it’s me. I owe you an apology. I know I’ve been a real pain and I just wanted
to say, well, that I’m sorry.’

Vinny
sounded taken aback. ‘Oh,’ he replied. ‘That’s all right. I know what you’ve
been going through. I just thought I’d leave you to it, till you were feeling a
bit better.’

‘I know,
Rita told me. She told me about you finding something out as well.’

‘Oh yes,
that.’

‘Yes, do
you want me to come round so we can talk about it?’

‘Yes, as
long as you’re not just coming to see me because of that.’

‘Oh Vinny,
I’m sorry! I did want to phone you before now but I was frightened of how you’d
react after how I treated you.’

‘I’d have
been all right; I wanted you to ring. Anyway, you’ve rang now haven’t you? So
why don’t you come round tonight if you’re not doing anything?’

‘Right, tonight
it is, I’ll see you about seven.’

As Julie
replaced the receiver a surge of excitement rushed through her. She hadn’t felt
this good in weeks. While she was in this positive frame of mind, she decided
to ring Rita next to apologise.

After a few
seconds on the phone to Rita, it became apparent that Rita wasn’t really hurt,
but was determined to let Julie grovel for a bit before accepting her apology.
Knowing that she deserved this treatment, Julie humoured Rita for a while,
although she could sense that a reconciliation was imminent. Rita’s words indicated
her concession when she said, ‘You have been a silly cow you know Julie. Fancy
thinking me and Vinny were at it behind your back. As if either of us would do
that to you. You know your trouble don’t you? You don’t realise how well
thought of you are.’

‘I know, I
know,’ muttered Julie. ‘I do realise now though, and I promise I’ll never doubt
you again Rita.’

Julie then
told Rita about her conversation with Vinny and that she had arranged to see
him that evening. At Rita’s request, she promised to let her know the outcome.

Heaving a
sigh of relief, Julie put down the phone.

‘What’s
been going on then?’ asked her dad.

‘Oh no!’
she thought. Just when she was beginning to feel a lot better about things, the
last thing she needed was for her dad to say something that might upset her
again.

She knew,
however, that she had no alternative but to confide in him if she was to have
any chance of regaining his trust. After she had explained to him all about the
situation with Rita and Vinny and what had transpired during her phone calls,
he said, ‘Well it’s about bloody time things took a turn for the better! Let’s
hope Vinny can help you find out who really did it, but you two be careful; you
don’t go messing about with murderers. The minute you find anything out, you
get to the police, do you hear?’

‘Yes Dad,’
she assured.

‘Oh, and
Julie,’ he added. ‘I knew all along you were innocent. No daughter of mine goes
around killing people, even if you are a bit of a boozer.’

He peered
back into his newspaper, smiling to himself without giving Julie a chance to
respond.

His support
had been the final encouragement Julie needed and as she prepared for her
meeting with Vinny, she hummed contentedly to herself. “
First Rita, then
Vinny and now my dad,
” she thought. “
I feel as though I’ve scored a
bloody hat-trick.
”