Broke (19 page)

‘I have a couple of concerns, actually,’ said Mrs Burns. ‘This is the first time your wife has been late to pick Bobby up, but his teacher has informed me that he has been coming in quite late recently.’

‘The alarm clock’s not working properly,’ Mark lied. ‘I’ll have a look at it when I get home and make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

‘I haven’t finished,’ Mrs Burns called after him when he started to walk away. ‘Another concern is the issue of Bobby soiling himself.’

Embarrassed, because he had already guessed from the smell that Bobby had crapped his pants, Mark shifted his son onto his other arm. ‘I’ll talk to his mum about it.’

‘I already did, but I’m not sure she understood the seriousness of the situation. We don’t mind dealing with the occasional accident, but my staff cannot be expected to deal with it on a routine basis – as is becoming the case with Bobby. We expect our children to be toilet-trained in advance of being given a placement here, and if this continues I’m afraid we’ll be forced to reassess Bobby’s suitability.’

‘I said I’ll talk to his mum, and I will,’ Mark said sharply, irritated at being lectured as if he was to blame. Bobby had been toilet-trained when he had been living with him, so whatever had happened since he left was Amy’s fault, not his.

Pissed off, he marched out and went next door to the primary school.

‘I’m Cassie Taylor’s dad,’ he informed the woman on reception. ‘Her mum’s busy, so I’m picking her up today. Where’s her class?’

‘Down the corridor, second left,’ the woman told him. ‘Just wait outside; they’ll be finished in ten minutes.’

Mark thanked her, walked down to Cassie’s classroom and peered through the glass panel in the door. Inside, the teacher was reading to the kids who were sitting in a semicircle on the floor. Cassie was at the back. All the others were listening, with their legs and arms crossed, but she was fidgeting as though she was bored off her skull. Then, as if she’d felt him looking at her, she suddenly twisted her head round. Beaming when she saw his face, she waved like a lunatic. Mark waved back and blew her a kiss.

‘Daddy!’ she screamed, hurtling out of the classroom and into his arms when the bell went at last. ‘Where have you been? We’ve missed you!’

‘Missed you too, buttercup.’ Mark gave her a hug. Then, conscious of the other parents giving him curious looks as they arrived to collect their offspring, he said, ‘Go get your stuff.’

When she came back out with her coat and bag, Mark held her hand and walked quickly out.

‘Excuse me?’ a woman called, rushing after him. ‘Are you Cassie’s dad?’

‘Yeah.’ Mark hesitated. ‘Why?’

‘I’m not being funny,’ the woman said quietly, ‘but can you do something about her nits? I’ve had to do my Ruby’s hair twice in the last few weeks, and it’s getting beyond a joke ’cos she just picks them straight back up off your Cass. I don’t want to tell my Rubes not to play with her, but if it don’t stop . . .’

She left the rest unsaid, but Mark got her point loud and clear. ‘I’ll sort it,’ he promised, pulling his hood back up and herding Cassie down the path.

With Bobby stinking to high heaven in his arms, and Cassie scratching at her head every couple of steps, Mark walked them down the road and in through the park gates.

‘Go and play for a bit,’ he told them. ‘Daddy needs to make a call.’

When the kids ran towards the climbing frame, Mark sat on a bench and pulled his phone out of his pocket. There was no way he was going near the house and risk bumping into Yates, so Amy would just have to come here and get them. Annoyed when Amy didn’t pick up after several attempts to reach her on both her mobile and the landline, he reluctantly tried Marnie instead.

‘I haven’t seen her since this morning,’ Marnie told him coolly. ‘And I don’t really want to talk to you after what you did, so don’t ring me again.’

‘I’ve got the kids,’ Mark blurted out before she had a chance to hang up. ‘She didn’t pick them up from school, and no one can get hold of her.’

‘So what do you want me to do about it?’

‘Knock on at hers and see if she’s there. Please, Marnie, I can’t keep them with me.’

‘Bring them home, then. You’ve got a key.’

‘It’s not as easy as that. I can’t come near the house. It’s too dangerous – for them, not me.’

Marnie sighed. ‘Look, I don’t approve of what you did, Mark, but youse are both out of order if you ask me. You haven’t seen the kids in God knows how long, and Amy might as well not be there for all the notice she’s been paying them lately. The house is a mess, and the kids are filthy. And I don’t even know what Amy’s on, but I’m surprised her new fella’s still giving her the time of day ’cos she looks disgusting.’

‘She’s seeing someone?’ Mark frowned.

‘Yeah – but don’t bother kicking off about it, ’cos you left her so she can do what she wants,’ said Marnie. ‘Anyhow, I’m at the door, so just a minute.’

Still frowning, Mark listened as Marnie knocked on Amy’s front door and shouted her name. He’d been living with Jenny for a while now and had made no move to contact Amy in the whole time he’d been gone, so he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d met someone else. But he was. No, more than surprised, he was shocked – and more than a little jealous. Jenny wasn’t as pretty as Amy, or anywhere near as good in bed, but she was a better cook, and she never nagged, so he’d lulled himself into thinking that he was content. But the thought of Amy moving on enraged him.

‘She’s not answering.’ Marnie came back on the line. ‘What do you want me to do?’

‘Keep trying,’ said Mark, determined now to speak with his wife and find out what the hell she thought she was playing at.

‘To be honest, I don’t see why I should,’ Marnie replied. ‘She can hardly be bothered to talk to me when I see her these days, and I’m not impressed with her for going out and leaving the kids alo—’ Old loyalties kicked in when she realised what she’d been about to say, and she pulled herself up short. But it was too late.

‘What do you mean?’ Mark demanded.

‘Nothing,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll knock one more time, then I’ve got to go.’

‘No, wait!’ Mark yelled. ‘I want to know what you meant. Has she been going out and leaving the kids on their own in the house? I’ve got a right to know.’

Marnie was quiet for a moment, then said, ‘Right, I’m only telling you this ’cos I’m worried about the kids. But, yeah, we think she left them last night. I didn’t see her go out,’ she added, not wanting to get the blame if it all blew up as a result of what she was telling him. ‘But Gemma did, and she reckons she didn’t come back till the early hours. Amy denied it when we confronted her this morning, and told us the kids had stayed at her mum’s. But Gemma never saw her mum bringing them back this morning, and Amy took them to school, so they must have been there the whole time.’

Mark was watching the kids as Marnie talked. They were playing, but not as enthusiastically as they usually would have been. And now that he was looking, they did seem pretty grubby.

‘Is there anything else I need to know?’ he asked.

‘Well, we have been wondering if she might be on something,’ Marnie admitted. ‘But that didn’t come from me, and I’ll deny it if you say it did. All I know is you need to come home and sort it out before something happens.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like someone reports her and the kids get taken off her,’ said Marnie. ‘Anyhow, I’ll give her another knock, and then I’m going.’

Mark mulled everything over while he waited to see if she got an answer. When she didn’t, he made a decision.

‘I’m taking the kids home with me. When you see Amy, tell her I’ve got them – and if she wants them back she’ll have to take me to court.’

‘Oh, God, Mark, come on,’ Marnie spluttered, panic in her voice now, because Amy was definitely going to blame her for this. ‘She’ll freak out.’

‘That’s her problem,’ Mark said coldly. ‘She’s obviously not looking after them, and I’m not losing them just ’cos she’s more interested in some bloke. I’ll fight her all the way, and I guarantee I’ll win.’

He cut the call now and stood up. Jenny might not be too happy when he turned up with his children in tow, but she’d soon get used to them. And if not, he’d just go to the council and get himself put into a hostel.

‘Come on, kids,’ he shouted. ‘Let’s go home.’

Distraught to think that she’d caused the already bad situation to spiral even further out of control, Marnie tried to call Mark back to plead with him to reconsider. When it went straight to answerphone, she hammered on Amy’s door again until, at last, she got a response.

‘What do you want?’ Amy stared down at her from the bedroom window.

Marnie stepped back and peered guiltily up at her. ‘Come down, Ames. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.’

Amy was still annoyed with Marnie for not sticking up for her when Gemma had been having a go at her. But her friend seemed genuinely upset about something, so she said, ‘Wait there.’

‘Oh, God, I’m so sorry,’ Marnie blurted out, rushing in when Amy opened the door. ‘Mark rang, and—’

‘What?’ Amy interrupted with a gasp. ‘When? Where is he? He didn’t come round, did he? Oh, God, I was asleep.’

‘Babe,
listen
.’ Marnie grasped hold of Amy’s hands. ‘He’s got the kids. The school rang him when you didn’t go to pick them up, and he couldn’t get hold of you so he rang me and asked me to knock on your door.’

‘Is he bringing them home?’ Amy asked, her heart racing at the thought of being reunited with him.

Marnie inhaled deeply and shook her head. ‘He says he’s keeping them, and if you want them back you’ll have to take him to court.’

Amy gaped at her as if she didn’t understand what she’d just said. Mark had hardly been dad of the year when he’d been living here, so what did he think he was playing at, taking the kids off her just because she was late picking them up from school? More importantly, where had he taken them? It had better not be to that bitch’s house, or Amy would be going down for murder when she got her hands on him, never mind taking him to court.

‘He can’t do this,’ she said, her already pale face drained to a sickly shade of deathly white. ‘Tell me exactly what he said.’

Marnie shuffled her feet and folded her arms. ‘I think he’s heard about your new fella,’ she mumbled, her cheeks flaring. ‘And he asked me if you’d been leaving the kids on their own.’

‘Oh, my God!’ Amy felt the world go into a spin. ‘Did
you
tell him that?’

‘No, of course I didn’t,’ Marnie lied. ‘One of the kids must have said something.’

Amy didn’t believe her, but she had more pressing things to deal with right now.

‘Where’s he taken them, did he say?’

‘No, he just said he was taking them home. I tried to call him back, but he’s switched his phone off.’

‘Move.’ Amy shoved her out of the way and ran upstairs to get her shoes.

‘Where are you going?’ Marnie asked when she ran back down a few seconds later with her mobile phone pressed to her ear.

‘To get my kids.’ Amy yanked the front door open. Furious when Mark’s answerphone came on, she marched across the road and banged on Gemma’s door. ‘I need that slag’s address,’ she snapped when her neighbour answered.

Gemma folded her arms and smirked at her. ‘Even if I knew it, I wouldn’t tell
you
.’

‘This isn’t a joke,’ Amy squawked, anger making her forget her fear of the lairy cow. ‘He’s got my kids.’

‘Good for him,’ spat Gemma. ‘’Bout time someone realised you weren’t fit to have ’em. Look at the state of you.’ She looked Amy up and down with a sneer of disgust. ‘You look like you’ve been sleeping in a fucking skip.’

Amy wanted to lunge at her and tear her eyes out, but she managed to hold it together and said, as calmly as possible, ‘Please, Gemma, I’m begging you. If you know where she lives, just tell me.’

‘No,’ said Gemma coldly. ‘It’s your own fault, and if you ask me you’re lucky it’s Mark who’s took ’em, ’cos I was about to call the social services on you. Now piss off!’

When she slammed the door shut, Amy pounded on it with her fists, screaming, ‘You can’t do this! I want my kids! I want my
kids
!’

‘Amy, stop it!’ Marnie rushed up the path and pulled her away. ‘He’ll bring them back when he gets fed up – you know what he’s like. Trust me, they’ll be home by this time tomorrow.’

‘What if they’re not?’ Amy peered at her through the tears. ‘What if he keeps them?’

‘He won’t,’ Marnie insisted, putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her across the road. ‘It’s all been getting on top of you lately, so it’s not like you couldn’t do with a break, is it? Let Mark have them for the night, while you have a nice long soak in the bath and a good sleep. You’ll feel a lot better, and your head will be clearer so you’ll know what to say if you need to call the police.’ She pushed Amy’s door open now and led her inside. ‘Come and sit down. I’ll make you a nice cup of tea.’

‘Electric’s gone,’ Amy muttered, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

‘Again?’ Marnie gave her a pained look. Sighing when Amy gave a miserable little shrug, she said, ‘You’ve got to get a grip, Amy, ’cos this doesn’t look good if the social services get involved.’ She waved a hand to indicate that she was talking about the mess. ‘You’ve proper let yourself go since Mark left, but it’s time you stopped thinking about him and started thinking about the kids, or you’re never gonna get them back.’

Amy squeezed her eyes shut and held her pounding head in her hands. Marnie was right, but she didn’t even know the half of it. This wasn’t just about Amy, Mark and the kids. Yates wasn’t going to walk away just because Amy had a crisis on her hands. He still wanted his money, and until he got it they were all in danger. She just wished she could remember what had happened last night, but her mind was still woolly. All she did know was that she’d been seen going out and leaving the kids on their own, and then she’d overslept and missed picking them up, so now Mark had kidnapped them. It was one big mess – and it was getting bigger and messier by the minute.

16

Yates was pissed off. The nonces had demanded a refund, complaining about Amy’s baby-stretched fanny and saggy tits. He would ordinarily have kicked the shit out of the lot of them for daring to ask for their money back, but he’d agreed to a partial refund in the end, figuring that they were good regular customers – when the goods were satisfactory.