Seeker (9 page)

Willem snorted his disbelief. “And that's just bullshit. How can anyone need that kind of pond scum? He's done nothing but destroy you, Ren. I don't know what happened in Manchester, but the girl who came back…” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Why am I even bothering to say all this? It's all repeats.”

“You don't understand, you never did.” Lawrencia wiped her eyes, but Willem made no attempt to move closer. “He's a good man inside, and he loves me. And he adores Curtis.”

“Right, that's why he pawns all Curtis's toys to pay off his debts? Ren, if he loved you so much he'd find a way to stop this crap. But all he does is get in deeper, and drags you down with him. There are some serious nutters out there, how long do you think it'll be before he gets tangled up in them?”

“Even Jimmy isn't that thick, Will.”

“Sure, you could have fooled me.”

For a moment nothing more was said. She remained sitting, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, looking even more pathetic with each passing second, and he stood there, watching her, his arms folded defensively. He narrowed his eyes, listening to the sounds of Jake and Curtis playing. Jake was right, the kid would be so much better living here with him. Finally Lawrencia looked back up from the concrete yard, and Willem knew what was coming.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “How much this time?”

“Six hundred.”

“What?” Willem couldn't believe his ears, even his sister had never asked for so much before.

“We'll pay you back.”

“Right, like you have done in the past, yeah?”

At this Lawrencia jumped to her feet. “Fine, I'll just fuck off now shall I? I'll take Curtis and if anything happens to us, you'll be happy knowing you could have helped. If I wanted the guilt trip I could have gone to mum.”

Willem laughed at this. It wasn't a vindictive act, but the idea that their mother would be able to help was so ludicrous. His sister may not have wanted the guilt, but she wasn't adverse to piling it onto him.

“No, you wouldn't, because she couldn't bail you out of this even if she wanted to.” He walked up to Lawrencia and lifted her chin up with his hand. “And I never said I wouldn't help, but six hundred is a lot to ask for,” he said, his tone finally softening. There was a look in her eyes that he didn't like, a look that was past anger, verging on the side of helplessness. “You need to tell me what's going on, sis.”

She looked at him like he'd slapped her, and suddenly her body sagged as if she were a balloon and all the air had abruptly been sucked out of it. “I'm sorry, but…” She stepped back. “This is different, the people Jimmy has got involved in…”

He knew it, despite all her protests he had seen where this was going. But right now an “I told you so” wasn't going to help. He shook his head sadly, wondering how his sister had got into such a stupid situation. He took her hand in his and guided her to the little wall, where they both sat down.

“Listen, I'm going away for the weekend, but when I come back we'll talk.” Willem breathed deeply, feeling all kinds of emotions welling up inside. “I think a proper talk is long overdue, don't you?”

“Yes,” Lawrencia sniffed, no longer trying to hold back the tears. “I'm in so much trouble, Will.”

Without meaning to, Willem found himself holding his sister in a strong embrace. He squeezed tightly, thinking he saw something of his kid sister returning at last. “We'll talk. While I'm away I want you to stay here, with Curtis.”

“What about Jimmy?”

“What about him? Jake will be on hand, if Jimmy kicks off just give Jake a bell. He doesn't live far.” He pulled back, and held her by the shoulders. “Do you understand? This has to end now. Curtis has to be your priority.”

Lawrencia nodded, although Willem could still see the doubt in her eyes. But there was little else he could do. He glanced at his watch. He had forty minutes to get to Fenchurch Street, and since the car was still at the garage he'd need every one of those forty minutes.

“I need to get going, but you're going to stay here, right?”

“Of course, what else can I do?” Lawrencia reached forward and hugged him again. “I love you, big brother, you know that?”

For the first time in ages Willem did know, but the amount of gratitude in his sister's voice worried him. There would be so much to do when he got back, both in his personal life and at work. He wasn't sure he was looking forward to it, but he now knew that there were things he could no longer run from. He pulled himself from his sister and stood, knowing he ought to tell her how much he loved her, but somehow he just couldn't find the words.

“Come on,” he said instead, “go and see your son, I'll explain things to Jake.”

He waited for her to stand, and the two of them entered the house. As they did, Lawrencia said; “Loving the new look, by the way, it's very you.”

* * *

Jake stood at the door and watched his old friend walk towards the Broadway, where he'd catch the District Line to Tower Hill, and from there on foot to Fenchurch Street. There was a sense of loss about the moment, as Jake couldn't help but feel that somehow Will would never return.

He glanced back at Lawrencia, who was standing behind him holding Curtis. He'd have to give Amy a ring and tell her how their plans had been scuppered. Sticking around to keep an eye on Lawrencia was going to make for a long weekend. He just hoped Jimmy did try to kick off; he needed to vent somewhere.

* * *

Across the road, sitting in his little VW Lupo, another figure watched Willem's departure. Ste held his phone to his ear and spoke to the man on the other end. “Yes, he's leaving now, just as planned.” He paused, listening. “No, Will has no idea that I screwed over his car, how could he? He's never been the most aware man in the world.” Another pause, and this time when Ste replied he smiled. “Great, thanks, Robin. I look forward to meeting the Three.”

PART TWO

06.

Jake wasn't sure what woke him up first. The blazing light forcing its way through his eyelids, the sound of plastic crashing against metal, or the shrill voice breaking in from a distant, but clearly not distant enough, place.

For a moment, while his mind shifted from subconscious to conscious, he remained as he was. Lying on the couch, eyes closed, trying to reclaim the echo of the dream that was even now slipping through the gaps.

All he could recall was that it involved Will and it wasn't good; not exactly a nightmare, but an anxious dream. The anxiety remained within as his cognitive brain attempted to engage with the real world. It was one of those god awful waking moments where the brain took a few seconds to realign itself, leaving you feeling in the same mind-state as you had been in those last moments of the dream. But even in his current out of sync state, he knew the reason for the anxiety.

Will had not been in touch since Friday night, and the last text he'd sent told Jake that Charlie and he were about to hit the night clubs in Southend. A day had passed since then, and nothing more was heard. Jake hoped it was simply due to Will enjoying himself so much with Charlie. Amy certainly seemed to think so, but a part of him doubted it. Will had not answered a single text Jake had sent yesterday, and on the few occasions he tried to ring Will's mobile first there had simply been no answer, and he was shifted to the answer machine, and then the phone line had been dead. This weighed heavily on Jake's mind, Will was not the kind of guy to ignore calls, and it seemed unlikely he would forget to charge the phone; thus the anxiety which had translated into a dream about…Jake had no idea, just a sense that it was bad.

He opened his eyes slowly, now that they had adjusted a little to the light, but not quite as adjusted as he would have liked since he had to turn his head away from direct exposure. Lawrencia had no doubt decided it was a good idea to open the curtains of the lounge, heedless of how it might affect the man sleeping on the Como sofa. Of course the day that Lawrencia had a thought that did not centre on her would be a red-letter day, and Jake would make sure he made a note of it in his diary. Not that he owned such a thing; that was more Will's field. But if such an event did occur, he would ensure he bought a diary just to jot down the irregularity. As it was, he had been rudely awoken by the light and Lawrencia's carelessness and was not particularly happy about it.

In the middle of the lounge was Curtis, still wearing his pyjama top, his Pampas Pull-Ups hanging between his legs like some overfilled colostomy bag. Naturally the thought of getting Curtis out of the nappy first thing never occurred to Ren; after all, to her mind, what did it matter? Kids were used to walking around squelching in their own shit. It was an opinion Jake did not share, and once he was properly awake he would make a point of removing the nappy from Curtis and wiping the kid's ass. He was mostly running dry now, and excessive use of a nappy would only set him back in his development.

Not for the first time that weekend Jake was reminded of his suggestion to Will before he went to Southend. Taking Curtis on was by far the best course of action; between Will and he Curtis would be spoilt, but at least he would get the attention a kid his age deserved.

The sound of the crashing metal on plastic was a result of Curtis playing his usual game of battles between two random toys. This time a large plastic Swiper the Fox was attacking, and apparently defeating, the smaller but metallic Decepticon Ravage. Jake grinned, imagining a cartoon in which Dora the Explorer set Swiper up to be defeated by Ravage, anything to get the little fox from swiping her clues when she went on her little journeys. It was a cartoon destined to never be made, but the kind of thing he'd expect some nerd to put on YouTube. He was not, thankfully, that kind of nerd. If anything he would class himself more of a geek, one of the creative kids who would often be caught reading a comic during playtime at school, talking about the latest adventures of
X-Factor
, back when that name was synonymous with the original X-Men line-up and not some god-awful public freak show. He and his other geek friends were mocked back in the day, but now it was such geeks who were raking in the money by making all those blockbuster super hero movies. Yeah, it was cool to be a geek now. A shrewd bit of foresight on the part of his friends and him back in school. At least, that's how he looked at it now.

Curtis noticed him looking, and jumped to his feet. “Undle Dake!” he shrieked, still not quite able to pronounce his Js.

“Hey, champ,” Jake replied, trying to give his voice the same kind of excitement. But instead all that came out was a slur, his throat still dry and rusty from lack of use. Water was needed. Besides rehydrating the body, it helped lubricate the throat first thing in the morning, and on that point he had to give Amy props.

Before he could move, Curtis was on him. Immediately winded by the jumping kid, Jake could only lay back and take the punishment. He tried to not laugh, once his breath was back, but failed miserably. Although Curtis was pushing down on his already full bladder, seeing the mischievous glint in his brown eyes made Jake laugh. It was a look that reminded him of Willem when they were kids, long before Will had become a serious adult and the concept of daring-do had been vanquished by an over dependent family. Jake reached up to stop Curtis, before his bladder exploded, and sat up, the added weight of Curtis doing wonders for Jake's abdominals.

“Love you, champ, but Uncle Jake needs a pee.”

“I go toilet, too,” Curtis said, once he was placed back on the floor.

Jake stood up, not bothering to pick up the duvet that had fallen into a heap on the floor, having been dragged off him by Curtis's feet. “Reckon you've been toilet enough for one morning.”

Curtis was no longer looking up at Jake, rather his eyesight was now lower. Jake glanced down to see what was so interesting and noticed the slight pokiness of his boxers. Damn. Morning glory, coupled with the desire to take a piss, was something so normal for him that he hadn't even considered the tangible evidence that would be displayed before Curtis. The boy was now pointing, and reached out.

That Curtis was so tactile was a good thing, of that Jake was truly convinced, but some things he didn't need to discover through physical contact. Growth and age would teach him those things. Jake stepped back quickly, and reached down for the duvet. “Sorry, champ, this ain't for you, only Aunty Amy gets it. Give you another ten years or so, then you can have one all for yourself.”

Curtis's only response was a blank look, which, Jake decided, was probably for the best. It was good that kids didn't get everything an adult said.

He wrapped the duvet about himself, not much caring for walking into the hallway with his boner on display. Lawrencia was in the kitchen by the sound of it, her voice no longer raised, her tones now placating. He guessed she was on the phone to Jimmy again; not for the first time this weekend.

“I want x-boxers,” Curtis said.

“Tell you what, we'll take you shopping when Uncle Willem gets back, see if we can find you some x-boxers.” Jake knew he should try and get Curtis to stop confusing undershorts with the game station, but it was such an endearing little thing that he couldn't find the heart. Besides, when Curtis was older, Jake intended to get much mileage out of embarrassing Curtis over the “x-boxers” thing when he brought his friends around.

“You stay here, play with Swiper and I'll have a shower. Then we'll sort you out, okay?”

Curtis nodded, and with an “okay” returned to his toys. Jake smiled and left the lounge, noting the time as he did. It was only twenty after seven. So early, and on a Sunday, too! Still, Jake reasoned, the sun was shining and Will would be home later. He suspected a good day ahead.

* * *

Lawrencia looked up as she heard movement in the hallway, and saw Jake shuffling his way towards the stairs, duvet gathered about him. He glanced in, and nodded, before carrying on his way. Lawrencia went to mouth a “good morning” but was dragged back to her phone conversation. If you could really call it that.

“Oi, you still there, bitch?”

Lawrencia groaned at Jimmy's use of the word, and for the billionth time wondered why she allowed herself to be treated like this. “Yes,” she said quietly, not wanting Jake to hear, “I'm still here.”

“Good. So what the fuck you going to do about this?”

“Will's back today, then I'll be over.”

“You fucking better be! I ain't no mug, so don't go treating me like one,” Jimmy hissed, and in her mind she could see him clenching his fists, ready to dish out her punishment for staying away. “You shouldn't be there, anyhow, that fucking fag brother of yours is trying to control you. Told you before, your family is full of freaks. I bet my boy is gonna turn into some fucking homo.”

Lawrencia felt her hands shaking, and forced herself to steady them. Even though Jimmy couldn't see her, she still felt the need to keep up the pretence that he didn't scare her. Not that he ever believed otherwise, of course, there was no doubt as to who held the power in their relationship.

“I'll be back tonight, I promise. I can't come sooner with Jake here.”

“That sack of shit? I'll fuck him up, too, if he gets in my way.” The line was quiet for a moment, but for the grinding of teeth. Lawrencia smiled, glad that Jimmy was attempting to control his anger. “Listen, babe,” he continued, his voice now full of reason and calm, “I need that money or Tripod Tim will have my balls. And you know he won't stop there.”

The implied threat was clear. She hadn't met Tripod Tim, but she had heard enough tales of the sick things he got up to in his spare time to know that Curtis would suffer as much as Jimmy if he didn't get his money. She rubbed a knee with her free hand. “We'll get it. You know Will has always come through for us.”

“Too fucking right, that cocksucker knows what'll happen if he don't. Right, I'm going. You better be home by seven at the latest. And make sure you bring my boy back. Don't want him around no poof anymore, got it?”

Lawrencia swallowed hard. “Y-yes,” she managed to get out a second before the line went dead.

She placed the phone on the side and stood there, her mind blank, as she attempted to gain some control of her emotions. She didn't want Curtis to come in and see her crying.

She jumped as the immersion heater kicked in and she glanced up to where she imagined Jake was showering. Another person whom she did not wish to see her cry.

Will had to come home soon. She had until seven to talk to him, and hopefully find a solution to her problems. It was only a matter of time before Jake worked out that things were not getting better, and soon enough he'd start poking his nose in, and then the fireworks would start.

As much as a small part of her would love to see him kick the living crap out of Jimmy, she knew that was not the solution. She had no idea what Will could do, but she at least trusted him. He had always been reliable, and she needed her big brother more than anything right now.

* * *

Jake emerged from the bathroom, mostly dressed but for his naked feet, with the damp towel still around his neck. He went to go into Curtis's room to get his socks, but stopped, his eyes lingering on the foot of the staircase leading to the third floor. The space occupied by Will's bedroom.

He glanced to the other flight of stairs, and perked up his ears. It sounded like Lawrencia was in the lounge watching some talk show or other; they were never really his kind of thing, although Amy seemed to like them, too, and usually watched them in the +1 channels, but to him they all seemed much of a muchness. No real difference between them; full of sad bastards who liked to air their dirty laundry to the nation, and then got pissed off when people in the audience offered their own views on their “private” lives. That Lawrencia was now watching one of those shows meant that Curtis was probably still sitting around in his shit-filled nappy, mostly being ignored.

He would see to Curtis once he went downstairs, but first he needed to do something. And so ascended to Will's room.

He hadn't been in the room since Will had left, mostly because Lawrencia had commandeered it, and besides it wasn't really en route to anywhere else and so he saw no real reason to go to the top of the house. His own clothes were in the wardrobe of the spare room; he always had some of his clothes kept at Will's, it made sense considering how much time he tended to spend there.

Stepping into Will's room felt odd; like he was entering somewhere forbidden. There was a sense of lifelessness about the place, as if something integral to the ambiance of the room was missing. It looked much as it should, although the women's clothing strewn across the unmade bed was a new touch. They were so absurdly out of place that for a moment Jake could do nothing but just look at them, his heart growing cold because someone had invaded a space that was usually just Will's. That the clothes belonged to Lawrencia meant nothing. Will never had anything remotely feminine in his room ever, even when he was a kid and had first come out to his folks and they had over compensated by buying Will girly stuff they never found their way into his room. The idea that his folks suddenly thought Will would act like a girl because he was gay ticked him off in ways Will could never truly express, and sometimes Jake thought that was where the rift between him and his parents really began. His mother's affair with Eon Adomako was just an afterthought in terms of the estrangement as far as Jake could tell.

Jake started at the sudden vibration in his pocket, and reached for his phone. His heart beat faster in anticipation, certain that it would be Will finally calling to tell Jake what time he'd be home.

But before he hit the green key, he noticed Amy's name and his excitement abated.