Slur: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 1 (7 page)

Monday 23
^rd
June 1986

The Manchester offices of Belmont Insurance Company were
situated on King Street, which was at the heart of the city centre and housed
many of the top financial institutions. The building itself dated from the
Victorian era and was a tall, magnificent structure. Anybody arriving at
Belmont’s Manchester offices could not fail to notice the building’s impressive
architectural design. In contrast, the interior was very modern.

Like the
other offices of the Belmont Insurance Company, the Manchester office conveyed
the overall image that the company wished to portray; from the outside, long
established, sturdy and reliable, and from the inside, forward thinking and technologically
advanced. Belmont Insurance also had a good reputation for looking after its
staff and, as one of its employees, Julie enjoyed many of the perks on offer.
All in all, when compared to many of her other friends, she felt that she held
a very privileged position. Rita and Debby might earn a bit more than her but
they had to work long, tiring shifts in a hot factory. They had few promotion
prospects, fewer holidays than Julie and no sick pay entitlements.

Belmont
Insurance opened for business at 9am, but Julie liked to arrive early so that
she could grab a cup of coffee, settle herself in at the switchboard and
observe the arrival of the rest of the staff. She normally enjoyed this time of
day when many of her friends and associates would stop for a chat on their way
to their respective departments. It also gave her a chance to exchange
confidences with her friend Norma who shared switchboard duties.

Norma was
forty-seven and had grown up children of her own. She and Julie had a good
friendship, which had got off the ground from the day Julie had joined the company
as a trainee switchboard operator at the tender age of just sixteen. Norma had
interminable patience, was a natural teacher, and was more than willing to take
Julie by the hand and show her all there was to know. Under Norma’s wing Julie was
soon able to get to grips with the job and, because of her pleasant nature, she
quickly became acquainted with many other members of staff.

With the passing of time,
Norma and Julie found they were very much at ease in each other’s company, and could
confide in each other regarding their private lives.

This Monday
morning, however, was different from any other Monday morning, and Norma was
surprised to see Julie sidle up to her desk at one minute past nine.

‘Morning
Julie, I’d just about given you up for dead,’ she exclaimed.

Julie
shuddered at the irony of Norma’s words. ‘Is Jacqueline in yet?’ she asked.

Norma
sensed that something was wrong. ‘Yes, she stormed in ages ago, and muttered something
about you not showing your face.’

Norma
registered Julie’s reaction, and asked, ‘Have you two had a barney then?’

‘Oh, it’s
worse than that!’ said Julie. She took a deep breath and uttered the chilling
words that still sounded alien to her:

‘Amanda’s
dead.’

‘Jesus
Christ! What’s happened?’

Julie began
to relate the sorry tale but found herself getting choked up and was unable to
continue.

‘It’s all right,
take your time,’ said Norma.

After she
had composed herself, Julie continued, stopping to take deep breaths each time
her voice became shaky. When she had finished, Norma leant over and covered
Julie’s hand with her own in a reassuring gesture. ‘I’m so sorry Julie, Amanda
was such a lovely girl! She didn’t deserve to die like that. I’m surprised to
see you still in work.’

‘I had to
Norma. I didn’t feel like it, but people are blaming me and I couldn’t let them
think I’d gone into hiding, could I?’

Norma
nodded sombrely, then added, ‘Look, we’d better catch up on a few calls and
then we’ll have a bit more time to talk about it.’

Julie did
as she was instructed but, at the same time, she wondered if this indicated a
rebuff by Norma. However, she needn’t have worried as, once they had cleared
the backlog of calls, Norma turned to Julie and said, ‘Right, now we can talk.
Listen Julie, you’re going to have to face Jackie you know? As far as I’m
concerned you’re innocent! It doesn’t matter what Jacqueline, high and mighty
Bartlett thinks, you know you’re innocent and I know you’re innocent! You’ve
been brave enough to come into work today, but you’ve still got to face her.
Get up to that canteen at lunchtime, and show her that you’re not running away!
You’ve got nothing to hide, remember, so don’t let everyone think you have.’

‘Right, I
suppose I better had,’ conceded Julie. She knew that Norma was right, but she
wasn’t looking forward to seeing Jacqueline. ‘I just wish I knew why Amanda
died! It can’t have been just because of the drink, but until I know otherwise
there’ll always be that doubt in my mind.’

Norma
surprised Julie with her angry reaction. ‘Now you listen to me Julie Quinley!
People don’t usually die from having a few too many drinks. You said yourself
that she was coming round a bit when you left her. I reckon someone’s been giving
her drugs somewhere along the line but you can’t be held responsible for that!
Anyway, it’ll all come out in the wash, you mark my words, so don’t you go
worrying yourself.’

Julie felt
better knowing that she had Norma’s support and for the rest of the morning she
carried on with her work. She tried to take her mind off things but the thought
of facing Jacqueline wouldn’t go away. She told herself that perhaps Jacqueline
would understand, and that it wouldn’t be such an ordeal after all, but she
knew that this wasn’t likely.

The only
time when her thoughts deviated from her dread of facing Jacqueline was when insurance
salesman, Mike Marston cheered her up by putting in an appearance.

‘Morning
ladies,’ he greeted them as he strode to the counter.

Julie’s
face was immediately transformed, the worry lines melting away as she smiled radiantly
at him.

Mike, aged
28, was a real smoothy. Tall, dark and handsome, he exuded charm, and most of
the women he came into contact with couldn’t fail to be impressed. Julie was
one of those women. They had flirted outrageously during the last few weeks and
Julie had waited for the moment when he would ask her on a date.

‘How are
you feeling this morning Julie?’ he asked.

‘Fine,’ she
lied, not wishing to put him off by confiding in him about her atrocious
weekend.

‘How about
you?’ she asked.

‘Great, a
bit worse for wear though,’ he grinned as he suppressed a yawn.

‘Really,
what have you been up to then?’

‘Oh this
and that, you know; too many late nights, too much rich food and too much to
drink.’

Julie
laughed and, feeling encouraged, he continued. ‘You know my trouble, I can’t
say no.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, if
the company’s right, and there’s fine food and wine on offer, then I’m just a
sucker for a good time.’

Seeing that
he had hit the right chord with Julie he sidled up to her and whispered. ‘If an
attractive young lady was to ask me for a good time out, then I would be
powerless to refuse.’

Julie
beamed as she replied, ‘If it’s a lady you’re referring to then shouldn’t it be
you that’s doing the asking?’

He was
amused at her effrontery. ‘Consider yourself asked,’ he quipped. Then, without
giving her a chance to reply he added, ‘Name the time and place, and I’ll be
there. Give me a ring and let me know.’

He then
vanished just as slickly as he had appeared.

‘He’s a bit
cocksure of himself, isn’t he?’ commented Norma. ‘He didn’t even give you a
chance to say no.’

‘That’s
because he knew I’d say yes.’

‘So you’re
going to ring him then?’

‘Course I
am, I’ve been waiting for him to ask me out for ages.’

‘I thought
you had a boyfriend.’

‘Jesus
Norma, you’re beginning to sound like Rita. I am seeing Vinny, but it’s just a
bit of fun, that’s all; it’s not like I’ve made my marriage vows or anything.’

‘Just be
careful, that’s all Julie. By all accounts he’s a bit of a ladies man, and I
don’t want you getting hurt.’

This
comment prompted Julie’s curiosity. ‘What’s been said about him?’ she asked.

‘Well, you
know he used to work at Leicester branch, and I’ve heard he broke a few hearts
there. He’s ruthless when it comes to business as well. He’s won the top
salesman award for the last two months running, and from what I’ve heard he’s
heading straight to the top and will do anything to make sure he gets there.’

‘Well
there’s nothing wrong with having a bit of ambition. I like to see ambition in
a man. And as for breaking hearts, he’s not even been out with anybody at this
branch.’

‘He has only
been here two months Julie, give him a chance. You might be his first victim,
that’s aside from anyone he’s been seeing outside the company of course.’

‘Most men like
to sow their wild oats. He’s just waiting to meet the right one, that’s all.’

‘Well suit
yourself Julie, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I think you’ve got enough on
your plate at the moment without the likes of Mike Marston adding to your
troubles.’

Julie
ignored Norma’s comments. She really fancied Mike. He was a man who was going
places and she would accept his offer to take her out; in fact she couldn’t
wait. She knew about his reputation, and knew that she was running a risk by
going out with someone like him, but the attraction she felt towards him was
too strong to fight. Anyway, she decided, she
was
only going on a date.
What harm could that do? It might even lead to something. Men like him usually
settled down eventually, and why shouldn’t she be the one to tame him?

She
thought about Vinny. She did feel a bit bad about that but told herself that
she shouldn’t do. Julie hadn’t promised Vinny a long-term commitment so he
shouldn’t expect one. And as she began to dream about Mike with his air of cool
sophistication, Vinny’s rugged simplicity paled into insignificance.

She was so
excited that she temporarily forgot about her problems, but they soon
re-emerged, and as she watched the clock approach 12, she knew that there was
one problem that she had to deal with straightaway. Norma wished her luck as
she picked up her handbag, ready to make her way up to the canteen.

Monday 23
^rd
June 1986

As soon as Julie walked into the canteen she could sense the
antagonistic atmosphere. She gazed towards the table where Jacqueline and her
friends were sitting and noted the way in which the girls around the table
glared back at her. Her first thought, before entering the canteen, had been to
walk over to Jacqueline and speak to her. However, when she caught sight of the
hostile glances that she received, she changed her mind. Instead, she
approached the counter and placed her order.

She
couldn’t concentrate on selecting her food, as she was too preoccupied. She
therefore chose the first item on the list, which was Shepherd’s Pie. Julie
then walked over to a table and took a seat. It was the first time in years
that she had sat on her own in the canteen and Julie suddenly felt very
self-conscious.

It was
difficult trying to appear casual and avoid looking over at Jacqueline’s table.
Julie’s natural curiosity caused her to glance at the group of girls. She made
several attempts to look elsewhere but found that her eyes kept straying back
towards that table.

After a
couple of minutes, she felt compelled to gaze in that direction once more as
she heard a loud scraping sound followed by a lot of commotion. It was
Jacqueline, dragging her chair back as she stood up and made some angry
announcement which Julie couldn’t quite hear. Julie’s heart sank as she
realised that Jacqueline was heading in her direction. In no time at all she
was standing over Julie, looking down at her.

The
onslaught from Jacqueline was so sudden that Julie didn’t have a chance to
defend herself. ‘I don’t know how you’ve got the bloody nerve to show your face
in here after what you and your friends have done! I knew that you were a bunch
of common tarts, but now I know that you’re even worse. You’re not fit to be
seen on the sole of my shoe! Amanda was a lovely girl. She was too good to have
a friend like you, and now she’s gone. Well I hope you’re all proud of
yourselves, you murderers! The sooner you’re behind bars Julie Quinley, the
better off we’ll all be.’

Jacqueline
emphasised this last point by prodding Julie in the shoulder. As Julie opened
her mouth in an attempt to defend herself, Jacqueline turned on her heel and stormed
back towards her own table. By now the attention of the whole canteen was
focused on Julie and Jacqueline.

Jacqueline,
noting this attention, stopped and announced to everybody, ‘Yes, you heard
right, Julie Quinley and her friends are murderers! They killed Amanda Morris,
by getting her pissed senseless, and the police think that one of the sly cows
even gave drugs to Amanda as well. That seems to be their idea of fun. Now that
hard faced bitch is sat there large as life when she should be behind bars!’

As the
scandal reached the ears of the onlookers, a hush descended on the room. Julie
looked up, and noticed the shocked faces staring towards her. She was speechless
and powerless to defend herself. What could she say that would make any
difference? The damage had already been done, thanks to Jacqueline.

In a feat
of immaculate timing, Mrs Stubbs, one of the canteen staff, appeared at Julie’s
table with her lunch and slammed it down on the table as she announced, ‘There
you go, and I hope it bloody chokes you!’ She then walked away.

Julie’s
first reaction was to flee from the room, but Norma’s words kept echoing inside
her head and she told herself, “
If I run, everyone will think I’m guilty.
”
She knew that she had to see it through. “
I’m going to eat this bloody pie
if it kills me,
” she said to herself. “
I’ve got to try to act as normal as
possible; I mustn’t let them get to me.
”

Consuming
the meal was a struggle. Julie had never before realised that eating could take
such an infinite length of time. Her muscles were tense and she found it a
tremendous effort to swallow each mouthful. Her throat was so constricted that
she felt as though she would choke. Occasionally, she raised her head and
glanced around the room just to let people see that she wasn’t about to bow down
in shame.

She could
sense eyes watching her, but every time she looked up, they quickly averted
their gaze. This caused her to become even more self-conscious. She felt as
though her every movement was being noted; the shaking of her hands, the way
she struggled to swallow – her face becoming more flushed with each agonising
gulp, the way she shuffled uncomfortably on her chair.

A piece of
pie then became lodged in her throat and she lifted her drink so that she could
attempt to swill it down. Unfortunately, the cup slipped from her shaking hand.
She quickly grasped at it and managed to steady the cup on the table, but not
before some of the contents had spilt onto her food.

As she
replaced the cup, Julie heard somebody clear their throat and a couple of
people coughed, as though indicating a break in the tension. She couldn’t face
going to the canteen staff for a cloth to wipe up the mess, so she searched her
bag for a tissue. Julie only succeeded in clearing up part of the drink with
her tissue, so she had to face eating the rest of her meal with her plate
swamped by liquid.

She had
managed to gulp down the lump of Shepherd’s Pie while her mind had been drawn
to other things, and this had encouraged her to devour a few more forkfuls.
However, she was still only two thirds through the pie, and was beginning to
struggle once more. She knew that she mustn’t leave her food uneaten, as this
might suggest that she had rushed away, unable to face people any longer.

When Julie
reached the point where an acceptable amount remained, she arranged her cutlery
so that it concealed the biggest lumps of food. She then stood up and pulled
back her chair as calmly as she could, in defiance of her rapidly beating heart
and clammy hands. Julie then walked from the canteen with her head held high.

When Julie
reached the reception area, she almost broke down in tears of relief now that
her ordeal was over. ‘Jesus Norma, that was hell!’ she announced.

‘Cheer up
Julie, you’ve got the worst of it over with. Things can only get better from
now on!’

Unfortunately,
however, Norma’s words couldn’t have been further from the truth. Later that
afternoon the manager asked to see Julie in his office and she returned to the
reception area after about ten minutes.

‘Well?’ asked
Norma.

‘He wanted
me to take some time off with full pay until the heat dies down a bit.’

‘Oh well, at
least things should have improved by the time you come back. It won’t be
flavour of the month anymore. How long has he given you?’

‘I’m not
doing it Norma.’

‘Really,
why not?’

‘What, and
let them all think that I’m guilty? You must be joking!’

‘I can understand
your point I suppose. What did you say to him?’

‘Exactly
what I’ve just told you.’

‘Well I
doubt whether they can force you to take time off and they probably won’t
bother trying. They’d be frightened of the consequences after that carry on
with John in motor department.’

As Julie
stared at her blankly, Norma continued, ‘You know, the one that took them to a
tribunal.’

‘Oh yeah,
I’d forgotten about that.’

They were
then silent for a short while until Norma added, ‘Well I just hope you’ll be
able to handle it Julie, but you know I’ll be here to support you.’

‘I know,
thanks Norma,’ Julie replied as she replaced her headphones.

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

Monday
23
^rd
June 1986

Julie
returned home from work on Monday evening. As she put her key in the front door
she was full of apprehension. She was relieved to find, however, that her
father’s attitude towards her had improved a little. Julie noticed that his
attempts at civility were, for him, a struggle and she guessed that her mother
must have had a few words with him. Instead of the friendly banter that she had
sometimes had with her father in the past, he remained polite, treating her like
a stranger.

This caused
her almost as much distress as his anger had done the day before. As she
listened to her father asking her to, ‘pass the butter please,’ as opposed to,
‘give us the butter Julie love,’ she knew that her relationship with her father
was in a sorry state, and she wondered if they would ever recapture the
affinity which they had once shared.

At work the
next day, there was no sign of improvement. People who had always greeted Julie
with a friendly ‘hello’ when they arrived at work now ignored her. Some made
deliberate attempts not to gaze in her direction. Others stared venomously at
her, causing her to feel ill at ease. Some did still say hello to Julie, but
she guessed that the news mustn’t have reached them yet.

Although
Norma insisted that Julie should venture up to the canteen again, she couldn’t
face it, and instead, she found herself wandering around the shops during her
lunch hour. The situation seemed to worsen as the week wore on and Julie was
tempted to take some time away from the place, but Norma persuaded her not to.
Throughout the week Norma had remained a tower of strength to Julie, and
without her Julie did not know what she would have done.