Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Collection: The Schemer, The Trap, Payback. Kimberley Chambers

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СКАЧАТЬ moment Stephanie and the children walked out the front door, Barry’s phone burst into life once again. Pam said a silent prayer that it would be Wayne, but when she heard Barry utter the words, ‘Marge’ and ‘Mum’, she knew that it wasn’t.

      ‘I’m gonna have to shoot off, Pam. Me mum’s in a bit of a state by all accounts, and the mate she’s staying with don’t know what to do with her. You remember my mother, I take it?’

      About to refer to her as the old slapper, Pam stopped herself just in time. ‘Course I remember Marlene.’

      ‘Well, if you remember her you’ll know she’s a nightmare. Bane of my life, that woman is, but she’s always gonna be me mother, so I’m lumbered with her, unfortunately.’

      Pam smiled. She liked Barry. He seemed a decent, honest kind of chap. ‘Before you go, is there anything else you can tell me about last night? If Wayne went off with a bird, please say so. I won’t tell Steph unless I have to.’

      Barry took a deep breath and sighed, as though breaking the news was extremely hard for him. It wasn’t, not one little bit, but he had to play the game. He had very nearly blurted it out to Steph when she had accused him of lying over Wayne’s tablets, but being clever, he had managed to bite his tongue. ‘I dunno how to tell you this, Pam, and there was no way I could have told Steph the truth.’

      Pam’s heart lurched. ‘What is it?’

      ‘We went to a lap-dancing club in Soho. I didn’t really want to go there, neither did the other lads, but Wayne was insistent that we did. When we got there, it turns out that your Angie was one of the dancers. I went off to the toilet, and when I came back Wayne and Angie were in some deep conversation. Next thing I knew, both had disappeared. Angie’s flatmate works there also – Roxy, I think her name was. Anyway, when I realized Wayne had gone missing, I asked her where Angie was, and she said that she had suddenly felt ill and had gone home. I dunno about you, Pam, but I would say that that was one hell of a coincidence, eh?’

      Pam was stunned. She knew Angela wasn’t a very nice person, but how could she do something so vile to her own sister?

      ‘Are you OK, Pam? Would you like me to get you a drink or something?’ Barry asked, politely.

      Pam shook her head. Even if Wayne did turn up in the next hour or so, how could she let Stephanie marry him next week when she now knew what he had been up to? She took a deep breath to try to steady her emotions. ‘Go on, love. You get off and see to your mum. I can deal with this.’

      ‘What you gonna do?’ Barry asked, solemnly.

      ‘I’m gonna confront Angela; then if your suspicions turn out to be true, I shall have to tell Stephanie. It’s gonna break her heart, I know it is, but I can’t let her marry him, Barry. I would never forgive myself if I did.’

      Barry squeezed Pam’s hand. ‘Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you’re doing the right thing telling Steph. I know if it were me about to get married, then I’d want to know. Having said that, this is all just speculation at the moment. For all we know, Wayne could have ended up elsewhere and might walk in as right as rain any minute. Perhaps Angela was genuinely ill, who knows?’

      ‘I very much doubt it, but I’ll get to the bottom of it if it kills me. Go on, love, you shoot off. Thanks for coming round and thanks for being honest with me.’

      Pam found Stephanie’s address book. She was relieved when the cab firm only quoted her ten minutes, as she couldn’t wait to ring Angela and give her a piece of her mind.

      Barry chatted away politely as he finished the rest of his beer. He had given Pam his phone number and she had promised to contact him personally the moment she

      had some news, whether it be good or bad. ‘Do you know what, Pam? You’re a lovely lady and I’d give my right arm to have a mother like you. I hope your Stephanie realizes how lucky she is.’

      Pam forced a smile. Considering that Barry had been reared by the horrendous Marlene, he had certainly turned into a lovely lad. He was handsome, polite, honest and charming, and for the first time ever, Pam wished he hadn’t moved to Spain all them years ago, and it was he that Stephanie was planning to marry rather than Wayne.

      Within seconds of returning from the park with the kids, Stephanie knew that something had happened. She knew her mother like the back of her hand and could tell that Pam was hiding something. Not wanting to create a scene in front of the children, Steph put the McDonald’s they had begged for onto three plastic plates and ordered them to eat it in the lounge.

      ‘Right, what’s going on?’ she said to her mother as she shut the kitchen door.

      Pam didn’t know if she was coming or going. She had tried to ring Angela, but her mobile phone was switched off and she had no home number for her. Cathy, who she would usually ask for advice, was at Bingo, so that was a no-go. Then, in pure desperation, Pam had rung Linda, and there had been no answer from her either. Not wanting to make a mountain out of a molehill in case Wayne walked in at any second, Pam decided to lie. ‘Nothing’s wrong apart from the obvious. You got any more wine, love? I could kill another glass.’

      Stephanie went into the conservatory, grabbed a bottle of Chardonnay and poured the majority of it into two large glasses. ‘Why did Barry go before I got back? Did he say something that upset you?’ Steph probed, her voice full of suspicion.

      ‘No, of course not! Barry left because his mother is creating havoc, I think. How an old slapper like that ever gave birth to a decent lad like Barry, I shall never know.’

      Looking at the clock on the kitchen wall, Stephanie shook her head in despair. It was nearly five p.m. now and would soon be dark outside. Waiting until the morning to ring the police was ridiculous. The sooner she rang them and reported Wayne missing, the better. ‘I’m gonna ring the Old Bill now, Mum, I have to. No matter how drunk Wayne was last night, he would have definitely rung me by now if he was OK. Something’s happened to him, I just know it has, and at least if I report him missing, the police can check the hospitals and stuff.’

      ‘No, don’t ring them yet,’ Pam said, alarmed. She hadn’t worked out how to break Barry’s news to Stephanie yet and she didn’t want to send her daughter over the edge. ‘Barry’s right. The police will laugh at you if you ring them now and say Wayne hasn’t come home from his stag night yet.’

      Stephanie had tried to be strong all day, but couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. ‘What am I gonna do if we can’t find him, Mum? How long am I meant to leave it until I cancel the wedding and ring all the guests?’

      Pam held her sobbing daughter in her arms. If Wayne didn’t arrive home to sort out this mess very soon, she would personally fucking strangle him.

      Barry Franklin had no intention of going to visit his mother. Marge had rung him, but only to inform him that his mother was ‘sorry for what she had said’ and had asked ‘could he please send her clothes home from Spain?’

      Strolling into the boozer in a side road just off Brentwood High Street, Barry queued up at the bar. Today had gone to perfection for somebody as desperate for revenge as he was: it was the stuff that dreams were made of. Not only was Wayne on the missing-persons list and thought to be with Angela, he also had Pam eating out of his hand, which was a proper added bonus.

      The young dark-haired barmaid smiled at Barry. He had been in a few evenings recently and, unlike most of her other punters, СКАЧАТЬ