[At a wedding reception]
Josh Fisher, the Best Man stood up and tapped a glass to get everyone’s attention. The level of conversation in the hall dropped away until there was a sea of faces looking at the ‘Top Table’.
Josh smiled before speaking.
“As Best Man, it is my solemn duty to drag up a bit of history about Dave that will embarrass him no end. However, for a guy as nice as he is this proved very difficult until, I mentioned the problem to my mother. She was like many of our mothers in that she saved all sorts of things from their children's childhood. One of those things was a birthday card from Dave when we were just five years old. The picture is of me at the Christmas Nativity Play. Due to a sudden illness, I was roped in to play Mary for the one and only performance."
He held up a child's hand-drawn card.
For those at the back, it says,
“Happy birthday. Will you Marry Me? David”
There was some laughter and at least one shriek from the audience.
Josh turned to Chrissy, David’s new wife.
“Don’t worry Chris, I’m not that way inclined and besides, the moment I saw you dancing with Dave at the Freshers Ball, I knew that you were meant to be together. Dave is a great man and a dear friend and I know that he loves you dearly.”
Josh turned to the audience.
“I give you Christine and David, the Bride and Groom.”
He picked up a glass of Champagne and raised it for the toast.
[two hours later]
Josh had managed to escape the mandatory disco and had found a quiet place to sit quietly for a few minutes. The last few days had been very full on, what with rehearsals and being fitted for a Tux and everything, he needed some time alone. His last official job of the day, had been done when Chris and Dave departed for their Honeymoon. However, Dave's Mother had her eye on him for a dance or three, so an escape from the event was now well overdue.
Josh hated dancing, and Dave's Mother was fine in small doses. She'd been out Mothered by Christine’s Mother and was not taking it lightly. She was used to being the 'top dog' both at home and at work where she ran a Recruitment Company with Offices in five countries and a staff of more than nine hundred. Playing second fiddle to anyone was just not her.
He judged that this far away from the old country house where the reception was being held would be safe from intrusion. For nearly half an hour, he was right.
“Ah here you are,” came a voice from behind him.
Josh turned to see the smiling face of Danielle, Christine’s Maid of Honour.
His heart sank. She was engaged to one of Josh’s old enemies, George Monk. He’d just glared at Josh the whole weekend. Josh could not see what Danielle saw in George but that was her business. Josh was not one to openly criticise the love of a friend.
Not only was George a bully, he also thought that he was god's gift to women. He'd become very upset when he'd been passed over for the job of Best Man. George had no scruples at all. He’d even tried to get off with Christine the previous night right in front of Danielle, who seemed oblivious to his moves. It was only when Christine's Father that put a stop to it by giving him a right talking to when George went to the toilet that had stopped Dave from giving George a bloody nose.
“Hello Danielle.”
"I wondered where you had gone to. I think that you owe me a dance."
“And incur George’s wrath? Forget it. He and I don’t agree on anything but you know that don’t you.”
"George? George who? He did a runner less than ten minutes after Dave and Chris. His beloved Chelsea are playing Arsenal and it is live on TV. He wouldn't miss that even if his life depended on it."
"That does not surprise me. Anyway, Danielle, Dave’s Mum is on the lookout for me. She wants a dance with me and I’ve had enough of her this weekend to last a lifetime.”
Danielle chuckled as she came and sat down next to Josh. She sat close, closer than Josh was comfortable with.
“So, you came to this little hidey hole to escape?”
“That’s about it. It was fine until… Oh, you came along and disturbed me.”
“You looked deep in thought. I was watching you for more than ten minutes.”
Josh didn’t answer.
“Come on Josh, open up. You are totally overwound and it seems to me that you could explode at any moment. What is it that is troubling you?”
“Oh, pretty well everything. For starters, there is my total and abject failure to find a +1 for today. George could not stop gloating about that to the whole world. He always had it in for me at school. The only respite I got was when I was away at Uni. Then you two got together and what with you being Chris’s BFF, there he was back in my life again. So here I am, dateless and just waiting for the right moment to exit stage right without your George gloating again.”
Danielle didn't say anything, so Josh continued.
“Did you ever wonder why I originally said no to being Best Man? George is the reason why. Dave had to twist my arm, but I'd rather have not been involved at all. I would have been content to sit at the back on the table for the ‘odd jobs’ and escape his wrath. With me being the Best Man, his nose has been firmly put out of joint. He won’t take that lying down.”
Josh took a deep breath.
"Every time I see you, I see him in the background gloating about his prize possession, you. Danielle, you really have no idea what it is like. He goes one about you being his and his alone. The man is… insufferable at the best of times.”
Josh didn’t wait for an answer. He stood up and started to walk back towards the reception. Danielle hurried after him.
“I didn’t know,” she said when she caught up with him.
“You have no idea how hard it is to…”
Josh’s words just dried up.
“Hard to be around me?”
“Yes. I fancy you and have done since the first day that you came to our school, but it is more than that.”
“Oh! That I’m involved with George?”
“Yes and no.”
Josh stopped walking and looked at Danielle.
“It isn’t just that I fancy you, I want to be you!”
Josh didn’t wait for Danielle to reply. He ran all the way back to the Reception and didn't stop there. He walked straight through the hall, and out to the car park where his Bicycle was parked. Then he found that the front wheel had been badly buckled. He didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know who had done it. The Red paint on the forks pointed directly at George’s Ferrari.
In a fit of anger, Josh tossed the wrecked bike down on the ground and started to walk down the drive. He was in no mood or appropriately dressed for carrying the wreck home.
Thankfully, Josh lived only a couple of miles away so walking home was no big deal, although the rented Tux might not be in pristine condition and his shoes were not made for walking. He put on a determined look and headed for the gate.
Josh hung up the suit and sponged the drops of mud off. He made a mental note to take it into work on Monday, so that he could return it that lunchtime. His rumbling stomach reminded him that he'd not eaten anything substantial since Breakfast time. The apology for a meal at the reception might have been perfect for Rabbits, and most of the guests turned their noses up at what was on offer. That was down to Christine’s Mother who had just turned vegan. Josh’s larder and fridge were pretty bare because it was almost the end of the month. There was nothing else to do but head out into town and to one of the many takeaways.
Josh had opened the door to his flat when he stopped dead. With the cost of the new front wheel that his bike would need, he would not have a lot of money left to pay his rent that was due the following Monday. He wished that his job at the Coffee Shop paid more money and even more that he could find a job that used at least a little of his degree in geography, but those jobs were few and far between.
His nemesis, George Monk, hadn't wasted any time at the wedding rehearsal dinner to put Josh down as a total failure because of his job. Only the intervention of the bride-to-be, Christine had shut him up, but it was too late, the damage was done. He’d berated Josh because he’d had to rent a Tux. It had been done in a loud voice which meant that everyone who mattered at the wedding knew perfectly well where George thought Josh should be and that was somewhere else ‘with his kind’. George had made it clear that, that place was in the gutter.
George boasted, “I’ve eleven different ones to choose from. All of them are tailormade to fit me. I wouldn’t be seen dead in anything that someone else has worn.”
The whole weekend had been one unmitigated disaster from beginning to end and he’d suddenly lost any enthusiasm to go out and mix with more strangers to get a bit of soggy fish and overcooked chips.
Josh shut the door and went back into the tiny kitchen. There was one tin of ‘Cream of Mushroom Soup’ in the otherwise bare cupboard. That would have to do until he could get to the supermarket in the morning.
As he opened the tin, Josh saw the ‘use by date’. It was almost two years out of date. That summed up his weekend perfectly.
Josh tried his best to be bright and cheerful at work the next morning but it was proving very hard. He was just waiting for the storm to hit.
Even when his social media feeds remained quiet at the end of the day, he was still on edge ready for the post from Danielle that would ‘out’ him to the world.
As he went around the supermarket on his way home from work, Josh kept looking over his shoulder for someone, probably George Monk, to come up to him and tell the world about his innermost desires. That was until he remembered a scene from a TV show that was decades old when he saw it. The bounty hunter who was tracking down the fugitive said to his rookie assistant, ‘you can always tell the ones who fear being followed, they are forever looking over their shoulder. I’ve caught many an escaped criminal that way’.
From then on Josh did his best not to appear nervous or to look over his shoulder.
He finished his shopping and almost ran home. His only desire was to get safely behind his front door. Just as he’d thought that he was home free, he saw someone standing in the shadow close to his front door.
He also realised that they would have seen him so there was nothing for it but to bite his lip and try to get inside his home before whoever it was, did too much damage to him.
As Josh put his key into the lock, the person who was watching stepped forward into the light. It was Danielle. Josh breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hi Josh.”
“Hello Danielle. What are you doing here?”
She smiled.
“Looking for you. I came after you but you had gone. Then I saw your bike. My guess that the George’s parting shot. At least he didn’t flat out deny it when I spoke to him last night. I was angry at being left to find my own way home. Fine boyfriend he is.”
“Are you going to invite me in?” asked Danielle changing the subject slightly.
“Eh? Oh… Sorry… yes, please come in. I need to put this food away first as there is some frozen stuff in the bag.”
Danielle smiled.
“Let me give you a hand. Two pairs of hands are better than one.”
The two of them went into his tiny kitchen.
“Sorry. There isn’t room to swing a mouse let alone a cat,” said Josh apologetically.
Danielle didn’t comment but her eyes were everywhere. She’d never been inside his home before. She was one of those people who could about tell you your life history just from a visit to that person’s home.
They soon put all the food away. Danielle couldn't help but notice that a good amount of the food had been reduced in price, because its 'sell by date' was either that day or the next. It became clear to her that Josh was living close to or if not on the breadline. He’d kept that fact well hidden from just about everyone.
“Sorry about the mess, I normally clean the place on a Saturday but we were busy weren’t we.”
Danielle took hold of Josh’s arm.
“You don’t have to apologise to me.”
Josh looked her in the eye.
“I do, so don’t try to make excuses for me. I’m a fucking failure and that’s all there is to it. End of!”
“That’s where you are wrong, so wrong.”
“Why? The only job I can find is a bloody barista at a Coffee Shop and this shit hole of a flat is about all I can afford. God knows how I’m going to afford to replace that wheel on my bike. That small bit of shopping I bought tonight plus the rental of that Tux has wiped me out for the rest of the month. It is alright for you. You are doing well in your career and climbing the greasy pole.”
Josh left Danielle standing in the kitchen and went into the sitting room where he sat at his table and started to cry.
Danielle came and put her arm around him.
“I’m here for you and for what it’s worth, I told my boss he can stuff his job this afternoon. The bastard is a golfing mate of George’s. George told him during their Sunday round that when we were married, I’d be stopping work and running his household, and my job was to bring up the sprogs and look good on his arm when he needed to show me off to clients. My boss was gloating about George and how lucky I’d be when we were married. I did a little digging. He told me… no make that boasted about George’s plan for me. I got so angry that I told him that he can stuff his job. The thing is that I’m supposed to be running the launch of a new product next week but I’m done with them. I’ve dropped them right in the smelly stuff and I know that when George finds out, he’s not going to be happy.”
It took Josh a second or so to digest what Danielle had said. When he did, he asked,
“George won’t like that one little bit. He’s a real control freak.”
“I’m slowly beginning to realise that. The scumbag has never discussed anything other than getting married, with me. If he had I would have told him that I actually quite like my job.”
Josh sat back thinking.
Then he realised that Danielle had successfully changed the subject away from his problems. He remembered that she was very good at this.
Together, they fixed something simple to eat. They didn't talk very much. There was no need. Both of them needed to be around someone for a few hours and with someone who was not going to be judgemental of the other one.
They’d just finished washing up after the meal when there was a loud banging on the front door. Josh was on his way to answer it when a voice from the other side shouted,
“I know that you are in there Danielle. Open the door right now!”
Josh knew George’s voice and he knew from past encounters that George had a real temper.
He turned around to see Danielle standing in the doorway to the kitchen holding a tea towel. There was a look of fear on her face.
“What can we do?” she asked quietly.
The banging on the front door started again.
“Where’s your phone?”
“Why? Calling the police won’t stop him. They’ll take ages to get here if at all.”
“If he is going to break in and give me a right seeing too then I’d like to capture it on Video. My phone does not have a camera but yours does.”
Danielle was visibly shaking as she pulled her phone out of her handbag and after unlocking it, she handed it to Josh.
Josh found the camera app and started recording. He set the phone up in the kitchen but in a place that had a good view of the hallway and front door.
George was now banging on the door and calling out. He was demanding to be let in.
“Open the door Danni.”
Danielle was not happy but there wasn't anything else she could do. She knew that George was not going away any time soon.
She opened the front door and immediately received a fist in the face. George had assumed that it would be Josh who had opened the door. Once he’d realised that he’d hit Danielle and not Josh, George charged into the flat and headed for Josh.
George didn’t wait but started beating up Josh.
“That will teach you to try to sleep with my girl. When I’m finished with you, you won’t be able to sleep for a month.”
Danielle came to Josh’s rescue. She swung her handbag at George’s head. It made enough of an impact that George stopped hitting Josh for a second.
“Whore. I’ll deal with you later!” he shouted.
Then he carried on beating up Josh who was going his best to cover his face with his arms.
Danielle hit George again and again. After the fifth or sixth blow, George stopped hitting Josh and turned his attention to Danielle.
“Now it is your turn Whore! I’ll make your life not worth living. When I’m done with you, no one will want to even look at you!”
He slapped Danielle in the face. Danielle reacted and hit George with her left hand.
Right away blood started flowing from George’s face. It had been her engagement ring that had done the damage.
George felt the blood flowing. He wiped it with the back of his hand.
“You little whore. I’ll get you for that!”
Just as he was about to grab Danielle, Josh kicked George hard right where it really hurts. George doubled up in pain.
“I‘m gonna kill you for that!” screamed George as he sank to the floor.
Josh landed another blow with his foot this time to George’s backside.
Josh dashed back into the kitchen and grabbed Danielle’s phone. Then he grabbed Danielle’s hand and together, they left George alone in the flat.
Once they were out in the street, Josh stopped the recording and called the Police.
“There is a man named George Monk in my home. He assaulted me and another woman. He’s probably going to trash the place but I fear for her well-being.”
“She’s his Fiancé. He thought that we were having an affair but we are not.”
Josh finished the call.
“They have a car in the area. It should be here in two or three minutes. We’d better make ourselves less visible.”
Danielle was clearly in a state of shock. She just nodded her head and let Josh lead her away from the front door to the small apartment block where Josh lived.
The sound of the Police Car approaching gave them hope but that was dashed when George appeared at the front of the building.
Josh and Danielle were watching from the shadows when George ran to his car and got inside. He started the engine and slammed it into reverse.
For a moment, both Josh and Danielle thought that he was going to get away but George reversed right into another parked car. Before George could do anything, the Police Car arrived.
George saw the Police Car approaching so he got out of his car and legged it into the darkness.
Josh hugged Danielle. She was shaking badly but for the time being, they were safe.
[to be continued]
The night was almost over when Danielle and Josh were finally finished with the Police. Once they’d shown the video recording to the Officer who had arrived, he called in the local CID.
George’s car had been towed away by the Police contractor, leaving a very unhappy neighbour behind. The damage he’d caused had made both cars undrivable. George would not be very popular in that part of town that day and for several weeks afterwards.
Josh and Danielle shared a taxi back to his home. She was initially reluctant to return to his flat but she was glad that she did because they found her purse lying on the hallway floor when they opened the door.
“For a while there back at the station, I thought that George had run off with it,” said a very relieved Danielle.
“I’m glad you have got it back,” said Josh as he surveyed the damage.
Just then his alarm clock went off. Under normal circumstances, he’d be getting up and preparing for work right about now.
Danielle saw his hesitation.
“Can you call in sick today?”
Josh shook his head.
“I’d rather not. I really can’t afford to lose a day’s pay. I don’t get sick pay unless I am out for three days or have been employed there for three years. Too many short-term employees throwing a sickie and then leaving. Plus, what I said about being broke is true. I have just enough in the bank for my rent which is due tomorrow. Until I get paid at the end of the week I have less than a fiver in my pocket. I can manage if I walk to work. I can’t afford the bus.”
“I really had no idea that things were that tight,” said Danielle.
Josh smiled.
“That’s all right. I’ve managed for the past few years and if I keep my nose clean, I could become shift manager. That’s another two quid an hour. That will make all the difference at the end of the month.”
Then Josh changed the subject.
“What are you going to do about that?” he said at Danielle’s ring.
She thought for a moment.
“I’ll go to his parents’ home tonight and give it to them. They won’t like it. His Mother was just like what George wants me… wanted me to be, stay at home and look after the kids. She was so happy when he announced that I’d be giving up work after we were married. I only went along with it because I thought I could make him change his mind, but he was set on it. I was so infatuated with him at the time I couldn’t see what he was doing to me.”
She paused before continuing.
“Looking back at it, I realise now that I let myself be swept along with it all. He had me wrapped around his little finger. Last night’s events made me see clearly for the first time this year.”
Josh didn’t reply so Danielle carried on.
“There is the little or rather not so little matter of George. He’s still out there. We’ll both have to watch our backs. There is no telling what he’ll do next is there?”
Josh nodded his head as he rubbed his sore cheek. George's blow had been a huge wake-up call to him.
“I don’t think that we should be seen together for a while. You need to be clear in your mind how you are going to handle George long term. He’s always been very possessive and won’t take you rejecting him lightly. He will be out for revenge if only to retain his street cred.”
Danielle nodded in agreement.
“I’ve been such a fool. I guess I was flattered that someone like George would take an interest in someone as plain as me. Now that I think about it, I think that it was his mother’s doing. His older brother, Ray is a notorious womaniser. With him, they come and you start to get to know them, and suddenly, they are gone. George likes to think that he’s like his brother but he’s a pale imitation. George… George just does not have the chutzpah like his brother.”
Danielle shuddered.
“That whole family give me the creeps. I must have been mad to even think about hooking up with him.”
Then she smiled at Josh.
“I’ll text you in a week or so then we can have lunch together. I’ll time it for when George is away watching his beloved Chelsea. They are playing in Istanbul in a few weeks. He briefly talked about me going with him but one of his mates wanted the ticket. He didn’t mention it again.”
As Josh showed Danielle the door, she stopped and reached into her bag.
“I know how short of money you are so I’m going to pay for the cab and I will not take no for an answer.”
Josh wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Reluctantly, he took a £20 note from her.
Before she left, she gave him a little peck on the cheek.
“Thanks for being such a good friend.”
Josh felt happy for a few seconds. As he shut the door behind her, he started to feel sad at the thought that Danielle considered him to be just a friend. Deep down he knew that it was far too early for her to think about another relationship. She had to get George Boyd out of her system first. Josh wanted a lot more from their relationship... should they ever get that far.
That was until the middle of the afternoon when two of the CID Officers that Josh had been interviewed by at the weekend turned up to ask him some more questions.
Josh shepherded them out the back entrance of the Coffee Shop before he would answer any of their questions.
“Mr Fisher, do you take drugs?”
“Me? No way. Well… not since I tried a few spliffs at the Reading Festival when I was eighteen or so, I haven’t. Why are you asking?”
“When you arrived at the Station, we had the Police Surgeon check you over. Do you remember that?”
“How can I forget. He asked me all sorts of very intimate questions as well as taking some blood. He said that it was for elimination purposes whatever that means.”
“Good. Well, the results of your blood test showed traces of Cocaine. Can you explain how it came to be there?”
This news came as a total shock to Josh. He showed it visibly. So much so that he had to sit down.
“I’ve never taken that sort of stuff in my life.”
One of the detectives smiled.
“Good. That agrees with the report from the Police Surgeon. He states that he could find no evidence of any injection or other means by which you could have ingested the drug. His conclusion is that it came to be in you through skin contact.”
This was still a mystery to Josh.
“How? I have no knowledge of ever coming into contact with any white powder. The only white stuff I do touch is the flour that this place uses to make its Muffins. I can’t imagine what would happen if the muffins were found to be tainted.”
“Neither did we. We reviewed the video evidence that you provided and it could well be that contact with the drug was made when you landed your right-hand square on the nose of Mr Boyd.”
Josh was still feeling the effects of that blow on his hand.
“Are you saying that George had been snorting cocaine before he came to my home?”
“That is exactly what we are saying. The evidence in Mr Boyd’s car does back it up.”
Josh was both dumbfounded and hurt.
“Why did you virtually accuse me of taking hard drugs then?”
“Sorry for that Mr Fisher. We had to be sure. Your reaction to our questions made it pretty clear that you were telling the truth.”
Josh felt very, very relieved.
“Have you found him yet?”
“Not at this point in time. Mr Boyd does seem to be a nasty piece of work. Please let us know if he makes contact with you.”
“I will do just that.”
Then Josh had an idea.
“George is a die-hard Chelsea fan. They are playing at home tonight. As far as I know, he is a season ticket holder. He won’t want to miss the game as it is against Real Madrid in the Champions League.”
Both detectives smiled.
“How do you know about his season ticket?”
“Oh, that’s easy. Mention football to him and he’s away. He just won’t stop telling you about how great a view he has from his seat and how he’s not missed a home match for four years. That sort of thing. We have three or four daily papers left out for our customers to read while they drink their coffee or tea. The back pages are covered with speculation about the match.”
“Thank you, Mr Fisher. We didn’t know about his passion for football. We will make every effort to detain him as soon as possible.”
The two men left Josh sitting out the back of the coffee shop. He wasn’t sure if they would find him at the match. If he was in George’s shoes, he wouldn’t go within 50 miles of Stamford Bridge that night but he wasn’t George.”
Josh returned to work and faced the inevitable grilling from his colleagues about the visit from the cops. He just said that the two officers were just confirming the statement he’d made to them at the weekend after the altercation that had given him the black eye.
Josh wanted to call Danielle but resisted the urge. She’d made it clear that she would call him when things had settled down.
Josh was at work when Danielle arrived.
“Hi Josh, a large Americano please.”
He was momentarily taken aback by her presence at his place of work.
“Danielle? What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you get my text?”
“Nope. I’ve not had any texts from you. Here, look for yourself while I get you your drink.”
He took his phone out of the pocket in his apron and gave it to her. It was the same phone that he'd been using for… forever, well at least since they were at school.
Danielle found a seat and started to look at his phone. There were no texts at all from her. This was puzzling. There was a text from his work asking him to come in early for a shift a few days before but from her there was nothing.
Danielle sent a text from her phone to his. It said, ‘Not feeling well’.
Then she waited.
Josh brought her coffee over.
“Was I right?”
“Sorry to have doubted you. I just sent a test text. Let me see if it gets delivered.”
Josh looked back at the counter. One of his colleagues waved.
“I have a break due,” he said as he sat opposite her.
“What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps it is my phone. I’ve had a few messages go missing in the past few weeks. One was about a job interview in London. I knew nothing about it until the agent called me up to ask why I’d not attended the interview.”
“Sounds like there is a problem with your phone. Is there someone you can ask for help?”
Danielle put her phone down on the table and sighed.
“I used to ask George. He bought the thing for me in the first place. He’s much more familiar with this stuff than I am. When I had an issue with spam callers, he did something to it and they all stopped.”
Josh smiled. He had an idea.
“There is that phone shop a few doors down. They supplied me with a new battery for mine a week or so back. They took it apart and gave it a good clean. With a new case, it is as good as new. It might be out of the ark but it works for what I want from a phone.”
Danielle smiled. She knew that Josh was not one of those people who craved for the latest tech unlike her ex, George.
The end of her relationship with George hadn’t gone well. She’d even shown his mother the video of George attacking her and Josh but George’s Mother instantly decided that it was all her doing. In the end, she’d just left the engagement ring with his mother, and a note telling him that it was all over and that he should never contact him again and that if he did, then she’d report him for stalking to the Police.
That hadn’t stopped George from pestering her at her work where she was working out her notice and at home. He’d only stopped when one of her neighbours called the Police to complain about this ‘shady character’ that was hanging around outside at all hours of the night.
George was pretty much stalking Danielle. For several weeks, wherever she went, he wouldn’t be far away and watching her every move.
So far, the Police had not managed to catch up with him.
“Josh to planet Danielle. Come in please?”
She’d been miles away.
“Sorry, I was thinking. You might be right. I’ll go there right away.”
Danielle stood up. Her coffee was untouched. She noticed this and felt guilty.
“I’ll pay for the coffee and… I’ll let you know what happens.”
She left Josh thinking about what might have been. He waved as she headed towards the nearby phone shop. Danielle waved back.
Josh didn’t see any more of Danielle that day. At first, he was a bit put out but put it behind him as he got busy at work just before the shop closed for the day.
When Josh arrived home, he was surprised to find a note had been pushed under his door. He was carrying his weekly shop so he left it on the floor while he put things away. It was only when he was preparing for bed later that evening, that he saw it lying there. This time, he read it.
“Josh,
That bastard George has been bugging my phone. He had some software on it that copied everything I did on it to an app on his phone. He also blocked your number from me sending or receiving texts with you. The people at the shop found what they called ‘heaps of tracking malware’ on the device. Now I know why it was so slow. I bought a new phone. I’ll text you the new number tomorrow when I have calmed down. I need to think.
Love
Danielle.
“
Josh read the note several times. With each reading, he got more and more angry at George. Josh had never liked George from the first day at primary school. What Danielle had said made him think that George was a scumbag lowlife of the first order. Josh went to bed that night thinking that George needed to be taken down a peg or three but that might be hard if he was high on cocaine.
Josh only wished that he could do more to help Danielle but the almost complete lack of funds was stopping him from doing little more than surviving from week to week. Late that evening, Josh renewed his search for a better job. Most of the time his applications went unanswered. He’d had just two interviews in the past year but despite him knowing about the role and what it entailed, he didn’t get the job. Lack of experience or that’s what the agent told him. A few months later, he had the satisfaction of seeing the same role advertised once more. The agent was sure that he would get it this time so he went for the interview. Once again, he was overlooked which baffled the Agent when he told Josh the bad news. None of the other candidates that had been interviewed was even remotely as suitable for the role as Josh.
There was one thing that Josh was able to do that infuriated people who thought that they knew him. That was the ability to just shrug his shoulders and move on with life and importantly not dwell on chances missed and bad things happening to him. Josh however knew that it was the right thing to do. Move on and get on with life and don’t let life get you down too much.
The next day, Josh waited for Danielle's text to come. The almost constant checking of his phone was even noticed by his work colleagues.
“Now Josh, have you gone all ‘social media’ on us?” asked Emma.
Emma was one of those sixteen-plus some years people. Time had moved on but her psyche and appearance hadn't. She was addicted to at least three social media platforms. She'd been told off for looking at Facebook or something during work on a regular basis.
“No, I have not gone all ‘social media’ on you or anyone. For the umpteenth time, this is a dumb phone. All it does is take or make phone calls and does texts. I’m waiting for a text and so far, it has not arrived. That good enough for you?”
“Phone calls? Oh, how retro of you,” exclaimed Emma.
“It is a phone. That thing that seemed to be glued to your right hand is also a phone. When was the last time you actually made a phone call on it?”
“Er… never. No one who is anyone does anything but social media these days. They are all it. Kim, Kylie and… me.”
Josh had no idea that Emma was talking about Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. Besides not being into social media, he tuned out when anything about a celebrity came on the news.
“Well, I’m not and if your time wasting is anything to go by… then I’m glad that I’m not on it.”
Emma took the hint and went to clear some tables.
Danielle’s text arrived late that evening just as Josh was going to bed.
“Sorry for the delay. I think I have a plan to get back at George and …”
That was it.
A few minutes later his phone went ding again.
“Sorry. Pressed the wrong thingy. Have some great ideas for getting back at George and getting you a new job. I’ll call you soon. Love Dani”
While Josh felt relieved that Danielle hadn’t forgotten him, he was worried that she’d try to take over his life on the rebound from George. If Josh had one failing, that was being fiercely independent. He put up barriers to everyone who even began to get close to him and almost without exception he pushed them away.
The only exception was Danielle. She was the only one who knew his inner secret. Then the text told him that she wanted to help, and Josh was at a loss for what to do next.
[to be continued]
Danielle was reluctant to give much away when they met up the following Sunday. She'd turned up at his home driving her mother's car.
“Why won’t you let on? Not only about where we are going, but everything?"
After a brief hesitation, she answered.
“Because I’m winging it. You know I like things ‘just so’. You do as well. But there is an opportunity for us to change our lives, and also get one back at George along the way.”
“Why not start at the beginning. Where are we going?”
“Abingdon. We are going to Abingdon for lunch.”
“Why Abingdon, and who are we meeting there?”
“The who, is someone my mother makes clothes for.”
Josh knew that Danielle’s Mother had worked for a London Fashion House and had carried on making clothes when her children were reasonably grown up.
“But why?”
“Because she has a business… well several actually that are growing and according to my Mum, she has an opening for an assistant.”
It took Josh a second or so to understand what Danielle had said.
“Me? An assistant? Assistant what? I hope this isn’t a job interview. I’m certainly not dressed for one.”
Danielle smiled.
“I’m only the messenger here. Mum made all the arrangements and her message was informal. There is also another opening in another of her companies for a Marketing Director. I have no more information than that. Mum was keeping quiet. All she said was go and have lunch, enjoy yourselves and get to know Sandra.”
Josh was not happy that Danielle had told her mother about Josh’s predicament. He had more reasons than most to want to keep his business private. He shut up and let Danielle drive. Driving was one skill that he’d never had the money for. Nor had his parents been inclined to pay for him to have driving lessons. In their eyes, he’d been a failure right from the first day he went to school and returned with his brand new school uniform in tatters.
In the middle of his second year at university, his parents had paid a surprise visit to Josh. They’d found him wearing a dress. After a blazing row, they’d told him that he was no longer their son. They’d even changed the locks on the family home and their phone numbers. Josh had tried to meet them in the street but they had refused to even make eye contact with him.
When he graduated, he went to tell them but discovered that his parents had sold up and disappeared abroad. No one knew where they’d gone but the company that his father had worked for was interested in getting back a lot of money that had strangely gone missing just as his father left. Josh had moved in with an elderly great-aunt until he went off to university and since the aunt had died, he was effectively alone in the world. Thankfully, his aunt had left him just enough to cover his debts from university.
His thoughts were interrupted by Danielle slamming on the brakes.
“I thought you were navigating?” she demanded.
“Sorry. I…”
“You were miles away. Just try not to drift off into your own little world when we are with Sandra ok?”
Josh managed a weak smile.
“I’ll try.”
Danielle gave him a look that seemed to say, ‘drift off and you are walking home’.
Sandra's house was a typical 1930's suburban detached house. It was on a private road just off the old coaching road from Abingdon to Oxford. All the other houses in the road looked to be identical. Josh wondered if they’d been built for managers at the Morris Factory in nearby Cowley. The clue was in the name of the road, ‘Morris Drive’.
“Please pay attention and for once appear to be outgoing,” said Danielle as she parked the car. She’d parked behind a red Jaguar sports car.
She guessed that it belonged to their host from the numberplate, SYL 100.
The front door opened as they approached. A woman stepped out to greet them. Both of them were surprised at the way she was dressed. It was all very 1950’s retro. The thing was that she had the figure to make it look stunning.
“Welcome. You are just in time for Lunch. Come on in and relax after your trip,” said the woman.
“I’m Sandra Francis by the way. My friends call me Sandi.”
Without waiting for a reply, she led them into the house. Josh shut the very heavy and very wide front door behind them. The interior was part very modern and part Art Deco. It appealed to Josh in a strange sort of way.
Sandra led them through into a bright and very modern kitchen diner. It was obvious that this was an extension of the original house.
Something very nice was cooking. Josh had run out of both breakfast cereal and milk the previous day and hadn't gotten around to buying more. His stomach gave an appreciative rumble.
“It is almost ready. Another ten minutes or so and we can dish up.”
Josh noticed the use of the word ‘we’. It seemed to him that Sandra was not someone who stood on ceremony at home but would be very different in the office.
“Can I do anything to help,” asked Josh more out of not wanting to appear an idle freeloader than anything else.
“Not at the moment. Let’s take a seat and we can start talking?” suggested Sandra.
Danielle and Josh sat in the places indicated by Sandra.
“I didn’t open any wine as two of us will be driving later. I hope that’s all right?”
The question was directed at Josh.
“I’m fine with that.”
“Good. Now down to business.”
[three hours later]
“Thanks for coming today,” said Sandra.
“I hope that I’ve given both of you something to ponder over?”
“You certainly done that,” replied Danielle.
“What about you Josh?”
“The same,” he replied reluctantly.
Sandra looked at her watch.
“I need to get going. I’m meeting someone off a flight from Germany at Birmingham Airport in two hours and the M40 can get rather busy on a Sunday afternoon.”
She smiled at the two younger people.
“I really do hope that we can get to know each other better as time goes by. I think that we can be a good team.”
Sandra got in the Jag and followed them out onto the main road. Josh watched her Jag turn towards the A34 and disappear into the distance in the wing mirror.
Danielle laughed.
“She’s an interesting person all right. Mum was not wrong there.”
Josh didn’t reply.
“She made a big impression on you then?” joked Danielle.
“What do you mean?”
Danielle laughed even louder as she negotiated a roundabout on the outskirts of Oxford.
“You really didn’t clock her then?”
“Clock her?”
Danielle sighed.
“She’s trans.”
Those two words hit Josh right in the stomach.
“Eh?”
“She looks really good but there were a few hints that told me. She’s had a lot of work done. That sort of work does not come cheap or without a lot of pain. Then there are the clothes.”
“The ones that your Mum makes?”
“And the rest. That jacket she drove off in came from a top designer from Milan. I could see the label. The house, car and everything says to me that she has made a good deal of money in Architectural Salvage and Reproductions. Now she’s setting up another business and she wants me to run the marketing side of things.”
“But…” mumbled Josh.
“No Buts darling. Isn’t this the sort of opportunity that you have dreamed about?”
Josh didn’t answer. Instead, Danielle reached over and took his hand in hers.
Josh reacted by starting to move his hand away but stopped.
“Danielle?” muttered Josh.
“I’m here and yes, I was so stupid. I let George dictate my life for far too long. When you told me that you wanted to be me, I was shocked. I didn’t get much sleep that night. I found it strange that you would want to be me unless you wanted George. Then the absurdity of that made me realised that you wanted to be the real me not the thing that George wanted me to be. That’s when I decided that things were well and truly over between me and George. I was not going to let him turn me into a new version of his mother.”
Danielle stopped talking while she negotiated the turning off the M40 and headed towards Aylesbury.
“As I was saying, I realised that I owed you big time. That’s when I thought of Sandra. Mum had told me about Sandra and how well her business was doing and … Well after a bit of research, I called Sandra. The result was today but there is more to it than that.”
“But…” muttered Josh
“What if I turn out to be a total dick at working for her?”
Then he added,
“I still don’t get where George comes into this?”
Danielle giggled.
“Well Duh! Isn’t it obvious? You become the real you and then seduce George and then expose him for the obnoxious bastard that he is through and through.”
Josh thought through her words for nearly ten minutes before replying.
“Firstly, I’m sure that I’m going to look like a total pratt in Women’s clothes.”
Before he could continue Danielle interrupted.
“What? Are you saying that you have never dressed properly?”
“Not really. I… got caught wearing one of Mum’s skirts one day after school. I was so happy that I never heard Dad coming home. He beat the fuck out of me. I was off school for well over a week. I owned a couple of skirts at Uni. I’d put them on when I was studying in my room and that’s when I had the big bust up with my parents, but that’s about it. I sort of lost the few clothes I had when I was couch surfing after Uni. Since I’ve had my own place, I’ve not had any spare funds to get anything like clothes or make-up.”
“Oh, you poor thing. We’ll have to rectify that very soon.”
Danielle let Josh continue. After some minutes, he carried on.
“I could never look like Sandra even if I could afford it. She’s really high maintenance.”
Danielle smiled.
“She’s certainly a looker all right. Do you have an image what the real you should look like?”
“Not really. I just want to be able to live in the real world as a woman. Nothing flashy.”
Then he looked at Danielle.
“Sort of just like you really.”
Danielle didn’t know if what he’d said was a compliment or something else.
“That’s the sort of woman that George’s mother would approve of,” said Josh.
He’d just driven a stake right into her heart. It was also perfectly true.
“Not like those beauties he has on his arm when he supposedly goes to watch Chelsea.”
Danielle tried hard not to crash the car. She found a place to stop and burst into tears.
Josh immediately knew that he’d done wrong.
“Sorry Dani. It sort of just slipped out,” said Josh apologetically as he handed her a handkerchief.
After a bit, she'd recovered enough to reply.
“I didn’t know but I sort of expected it. How do you know about them?”
“One day, I was arriving for a late shift when I saw him sitting in his red beast outside the shop. Then, Bonnie, one of the other Barista’s came running out and got in the passenger seat of his Beemer. I didn’t think anything of it until you said that he went to all Chelsea’s home and away games. That day was my birthday and I bought myself a small cake. I ate it when I got home as I watched Chelsea lose to Man United and Chelsea were playing in Manchester. Unless he took Bonnie to the game, and she knows zilch about football, he must have been with her.”
Danielle didn’t say anything but gripped the steering wheel very tightly.
After a bit, she asked,
“This Bonnie? Is she a good looker?”
“If you mean, does she have big tits and a good figure? Then yes. The downside is that she’s about as thick as two short planks. The boss won’t let her use the till. Every time… well we all lose our tips because the till is short. Her saving grace is that she makes the best coffee in the place.”
Danielle took hold of Josh’s hand and squeezed it.
“Sorry for going off like that.”
She managed a small smile.
“It’s ok. You weren’t to know. The man is a dickhead. He didn’t know what a gem he had in his hand.”
Danielle managed a bigger smile.
“You say the sweetest things… from time to time.”
Then she kissed him. Not on the cheek but properly on the lips. Josh took his time but eventually, he responded.
“Sorry,” said Josh when they broke apart.
“No need to be sorry. I started it.”
After a couple of minutes of silence, Josh said,
“Where do we go from here?”
“Home. Then I’m going to give you a make-over. I want to see what Josie looks like.”
“And have a good laugh at my expense I suppose?”
“Not in the slightest. I want to see who I’m going to be working… and living with.”
“Living with?”
Danielle smiled before saying,
“I kinda thought that we could see how things go while we look for a place closer to Oxford?”
“But…” muttered Josh.
Danielle hugged Josh.
“I didn’t realise what was happening to me until our encounter at the Wedding. Then… well, you told me who you wanted to be and since then everything in my life has changed and it all involves you.”
Josh just sat there speechless.
“Say something? I’ve just more or less said that I’m falling in love with you, and you just sit there and saying and doing nothing…”
Josh still didn’t say a thing, instead he kissed Danielle passionately.
That wasn’t doing nothing but was about all he could think of at that moment.
[to be continued]
Danielle was as good as her word and gave Josh a full makeover that night. She fussed over ‘Josie’ for what seemed like hours until she was happy with her work.
“Ready for this?” ask Danielle as she prepared to remove the towel that she’d used to cover her mirror.
“Get it over with. Then I can see the horror show for real.”
“Hey! Are you saying that all my hard work was for nothing?”
“No! That’s not what I’m saying at all. I know that you have worked really hard but even Picasso could not turn a sow’s ear into a masterpiece.”
Danielle saw the point that Josie was trying to make. She didn’t wait any longer.
As the towel was removed Josie saw herself for the first time. She gasped.
“See! I told you it wasn’t going to be a horror show. You look pretty good even if it was all my own work.”
“That’s only part of it. I don’t walk or act like a woman. I’d be outed in a flash. I see how different the two sexes behave every day in the coffee shop...”
Danielle came over to where Josh was sitting and straddled him effectively pinning him to the chair.
“That will come my darling,” she said quietly.
“I… I don’t know.”
Suddenly the door to her home burst open and George came inside.
“Well, what do we have here then? Two gay lovers caught in the act.”
In his hand was his phone. From the way he was wafting it around, it was obvious that he was filming the whole thing.
A look of sheer terror appeared on Danielle’s face.
“Yes, I’m filming this and it will be all over social media in a few hours. I’ll make sure that your bosses get copies. You know what that means don’t you Danielle? See that fat ass of yours? That’s what you will be out on when Phil finds out.”
“We aren’t doing anything illegal,” muttered Josh.
“But in Danielle’s job, ethics come into it and this is very unethical.”
“Why are you doing this George?” asked Danielle.
“Why? Isn’t it obvious? You showed me up in front of my friends. That simply does not happen to George Monk. I’m getting even big time.”
“How did you get in?” asked Josh.
George laughed.
“I made a copy of her key on our first date. I’ve been here many times alone. It is amazing what you can find, what secrets you can uncover and keep locked away just waiting for the right time to be aired in public.”
Danielle started to cry.
“Cry baby. You didn’t give a second thought to getting rid of your baby… my frigging baby!”
“Yes Danielle, I know all about your abortion. Were you ever going to tell me? Don’t fucking bother to answer. Well, your boss, will know all about it in the morning.”
George stopped recording the scene and put the phone in his pocket.
“Enjoy the rest of your pathetic lives. Danielle, you could have been right by my side but no, you chose this perverted loser.”
George stormed out into the darkness leaving the door wide open.
Josh summoned up all his strength and gently stood up. Danielle clung to him.
“Don’t go!” she said desperately.
“I’m just going to shut the door.”
She relaxed for just long enough to let Josh do just that.
For an awkward moment, neither of them had anything to say. Then both tried to speak at the same time.
“You go ahead,” said Josh.
“George has contacts everywhere. He and his cronies will make me look like a whore.”
“Then we should as they say in westerns, ‘cut them off at the pass’,” said Josh.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” said Josh as he took hold of Danielle’s hand.
“All he has is a video of you giving me a makeover. That’s easy to explain away. How many times did he complain about how long it took you to get ready? Lots I’ll bet. We just have to say that we got into a bit of a row about just that and I let you give me a makeover just to teach me a lesson.”
“What about me sitting on you like that? That isn’t normal is it?”
Josh smiled.
“All we have to do is say that I’d just asked you to marry me and that you had said yes.”
Danielle laughed.
“That won’t last five minutes.”
“Then lets’ mean it. Marry me, Danielle?”
The smile that was on her face disappeared.
“Are you serious?”
“Perfectly. Marry me, Danielle? At least you know that I would never hit you like George or show you up in Public like him. I don’t have even a fraction of the money he has but at least I know that is totally legal. George Monk is a bully and a crook. Everyone knows that and has done for years. I’m not and never will be like him.”
Slowly Danielle relaxed.
“Yes Josh, I will marry you. You are so many things that he could never be.”
Josh kissed Danielle and then held her tight. She’d always been like the element, ‘unobtanium’ to him. Fate and a nasty boyfriend had brought them together properly for the first time.
Danielle arrived at her office very early the next morning. She was happier than she'd been in a long time despite the video that George had shot doing the rounds on social media, she didn't care.
Her immediate boss, Phillip Mace, was the next person to arrive. His face told her that he wasn't happy.
“Danielle, I received a disturbing video by email last night. That is not the sort of behaviour that someone who works for this organisation should engage in. Some of our clients are very, very conservative as you well know.”
“Phil,” began Danielle knowing full well that he hated being called ‘Phil’.
“That video was shot by my old boyfriend. George Monk. He made an illegal copy of the front door key to my flat. Josh and I were about to celebrate when he arrived uninvited and took the video. We were about to celebrate the fact the Josh had just asked me to marry him and I’d said yes.”
“What about all that makeup that was on his face? How can you explain that?”
“First of all, Phil, what goes on in the privacy of our home is really none of your business as long as that behaviour is legal. If I’m not mistaken, those were your very words when you employed me. We didn’t ask George to come. Since I ended it with him, he’s about the last person I would ever invite him into my home. The previous time he came, he assaulted both of us. The Police are looking for him. But… to return to your original complaint, Josh had complained about how long it took me to get ready that morning to go out when we were nearly late for a family Sunday lunch. I challenged him to let me show him just what looking good entails. I’d just done that and Josh was eating crow when he asked me to marry him. I sat on him like it showed in the video which may I remind you was shot without the approval of either of us, just to make sure that he meant it. He did and I’d just said yes then George arrived.”
Phil didn’t immediately respond so Danielle continued.
“As far as I know, I have not brought the company into disrepute, not engaged in any illegal behaviour nor taken any illegal substances. If you decide to fire me then you will be sued for wrongful dismissal. I can assure you that you will lose. That loss will bring the business into the public eye for all the wrong reasons. It might very well be you that ends up losing their job. May I remind you that I am still an employee here even if I have given notice to quit. As such, I am still protected by all employment law.”
“Why you…” muttered Phil through gritted teeth.
“No Phil, you need to think very carefully about what you do next. First off, read this.”
Danielle shoved a copy of an email into his hand.
“That is a copy of a takedown request for the video. It was shot illegally in private and without a waiver from either party. It is also a clear breach of our image rights and the invasion of my home has been reported to the Police.”
Phillip Mace took the sheet and stormed into his office slamming the door behind him. Danielle had taken control of the situation just like Josh had told her to do. She was thankful that Phil had not mentioned her abortion. George had ranted on about it in the video. Being a man, he could not easily understand her reasons for going through with the termination.
She’d explained it all to Josh the previous evening and he understood perfectly. That was the difference between him and George. The latter would have wanted her to carry the baby to full term even if it represented a huge threat to her life. Ectopic Pregnancies are not nice things to have. Her ex, George would not have understood why she'd had the pregnancy terminated. He'd jump to the conclusion that it was because she didn't want his baby which was far from the truth at the time of the event. Things were all different now.
One by one, Danielle’s colleagues arrived for work. All she’d say was,
“I suggest we wait for everyone to arrive then I’ll only have to explain once and no one will get the wrong end of the stick.”
By 09:30 everyone was present. Phil was still locked away in his office, so Danielle took the opportunity to explain in detail what had happened the previous evening.
She’d only just finished when the two Police Officers who had investigated the assault on her and Josh arrived to speak to her about the incident. Both of them had informed the officers by email what had taken place the previous evening.
Danielle took them into a side office, so that they could speak in relative privacy. She was prepared for this, and thanks to the prompting of Josh, they had gathered the evidence for the police. He'd been there for her when George gave the impression that he was more interested in supporting his beloved football team than holding her hand when she went for the termination. Although Josh hadn't been with her for the procedure, his understanding of the situation was far more comforting to her than George could ever have been. She only wished that she and
Josh had 'connected' sooner.
“We saw the video that has been posted online from last night,” said the lead detective.
“It shows nothing illegal but as your email says, a lot could be taken out of context.”
“Here is written authority to view my medical records. They will show that I had the termination for medical reasons and is clearly nowhere near illegal these days. What is beyond dispute is that George Monk has been into my home without my invitation at least once and that is illegal. My fiancée, is arranging for the locks to be changed today. He is also arranging for a security camera to be installed. I don’t want that man coming near me ever again.”
“We understand the situation and we are doing our best to apprehend him. In the course of our investigations, we have uncovered a lot of new and slightly disturbing facts about Mr Monk. Some of these seem to indicate that he is involved with organised crime on both a domestic and international basis.”
“Didn’t you find him at the football match?”
"Ah yes. The tip off you gave us. It turns out that Mr Monk was once a season ticket holder, but has not been one for several years. It also transpires that he does travel to away matches, but does not attend them. It is all a smokescreen. We can't say more than that at this point in time but rest assured, he remains a person of interest to us and also of the National Crime Agency.”
“But you are no nearer arresting him then?”
“At the moment no. He hasn’t been home for over a week, and he is not using any of the vehicles registered to him.”
The second officer then asked,
“You said fiancée?”
“Yes, George Monk arrived just after I’d said yes to the proposal of marriage. That why I was sitting on Josh’s lap like that. I wanted to make sure that he was really serious. He was and we are going to look for a ring at lunchtime today. George won’t like that one little bit. That’s why we are getting the camera fitted. He may return and try to take it out on us like he did before. That’s why context is so important when looking at a video.”
“Congratulations. I hope things go well for you both,” said the lead detective.
“We hope so too. We are going to get married as soon as possible for no reason other than we both feel that it is the right thing to do. I really do not want to see George Monk again or even hear that name again. He is not a nice man and in hindsight, I wonder what I saw in him in the first place.”
The detectives looked at each other and nodded.
“We’ll be in touch if there are further developments.”
“I hope that isn’t very long officers. I really do. The sooner he is locked up the better I’ll sleep at night.”
Danielle showed the officers out. Then she returned to the room where they’d spoken and sat down. She was visibly shaking for the first time since George had appeared in her home the night before. It took one of her colleagues armed with a cup of tea to calm her down.
“Phil is still in a fug,” said Philippa, the marketing assistant at the Agency.
“Did you say something to him?”
“I did. I gave him both barrels.”
“Whatever it was, worked he’s gone home for the day.”
Danielle drank some more tea while she thought of an answer.
“He wanted to fire me over the video. He said that it was not what should be expected for employees of an organisation such as ours given the business of some of our clients.”
“Bollocks! You did nothing wrong. I never liked that George character. Too much of a smart alec if you ask me.”
“I know that now. I didn’t then.”
“You seem to be very much at home with your new fella!”
“That’s Josh. He’s asked me to marry him,” said Danielle calmly.
“Looking like that? Brave man.”
For half a second, Danielle almost told Philippa about Josh’s desire to become a woman but one surprise was more than enough for one day.
“He was moaning about how long it took me to get looking fabulous so I challenged him to let me show him. I’d not long finished when George burst in. That’s when he took the video.”
“You didn’t invite him in?”
“No chance. He admitted that he’d made a copy of my front door key without my knowledge.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah!”
[The following Friday – At Danielle’s workplace]
Danielle’s phone rang. She stopped typing a report into her computer and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Oh hello, detective Sergeant. What can I do for you?”
“Oh. You did! When?”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“What happens next?”
“Ok. When will that happen and more importantly, do I or Josh need to be there?”
“Ok. Thanks for letting me know.”
She hung up the phone and did a small ‘Yes’ gesture.
Philippa, who had the next desk to her, noticed her reaction.
“Good news, I see?”
“Yes. George was arrested as he tried to get onto a flight to Frankfurt. He will be charged with assault by the end of Sunday. He’ll be up before the magistrate on Monday for remand. The Police will oppose bail as he is a clear flight risk given where he was arrested.”
“That’s very welcome news, isn’t it?”
“It is. Josh and I can get on with planning our wedding. Nothing large as we are having it done at the Registry Office in Bedford. Then off to the pub for a meal. You and your husband will be invited but we have not set a date yet. It all depends upon availability.”
“Good for you. At least then, you can put George behind you.”
“That’s what we hope but until he is locked up, you never really know what he’s going to do.”
“Any idea when his trial will be?”
Danielle shook her head.
“His lawyers are arguing that our video was illegally shot. Bollocks to that. We can shoot a video inside our own home and not have to worry about it showing a crime being committed being ruled out because the criminal didn’t sign a bloody waiver. They forfeited that right by committing a crime. The Law Lords ruled on that in the 1980’s. If they manage to get this overturned a few million other cases will have to be reviewed and probably thrown out. It is all just a delaying tactic. Then there are the other charges that are being prepared relating to his business. Those are far more serious but, I fully expect George to have vanished by the time it eventually goes to trial.”
“Do you mean vanished as in dead or what?”
“Vanished as in no longer in the country. His contacts can easily smuggle him out. It is not that difficult if you know how.”
Philippa knew that to be true. One of their clients had been a Charity that helps illegal immigrants get proper legal assistance. Several of their clients had vanished only to turn up back in their home countries and they hadn’t been officially deported.
It turned out that several employees of the charity were helping the regimes get their ‘persons of interest’ returned home. After that, the company was far more circumspect about what organisations they dealt with.
“That’s it,” said Josh.
“We are all set for Saturday the 25th of next month.”
He put the phone down and gave Danielle a brief kiss.
“10:30 at the Registry Office and then we decamp to a pub in Woburn for lunch.”
“And then?”
“What do you mean ‘and then?’”
“Doh! Our Honeymoon silly.”
“I can run to a couple of nights in Margate but the kitty is a bit bare. It would have been nice if your parents had helped out but they didn’t. Have they at least said that they are coming?”
“Not a sound. They loved George or rather, he had them wrapped around his little finger. They haven’t totally forgiven me for warning them off investing in one of his ‘Get George Rich’ schemes even though their bank was telling them the same story.”
Josh looked sad.
“Will we ever get him out of our lives?”
Danielle hugged Josh.
“Not if we stay around here, we won’t. He knows too many people and many of them owe him big time.”
Danielle smiled.
“Why don’t we look for suitable places to move to and go there on our honeymoon? We can see what they are like from a relatively detached viewpoint can’t we?”
“That sounds like a plan. Did you decide on a dress yet?”
“Nearly. I spent another lunchtime in the rental shop but could make up my mind. I did manage to get a few little things for the big day though.”
“What sort of little things?”
“Something old, borrowed and blue.”
Danielle wouldn’t say much more than that. She had a few surprises up her sleeve for Josh.
[to be continued]
[The evening before their wedding]
“Who was on the phone while I was in the shower? Was it your Mother?” asked Josh.
“Sorry darling. There has been no word from her at all, and I’ve left almost a dozen messages. Let’s face it darling, they aren’t coming. Don’t even ask about speaking with my Dad. He won’t lift a finger unless Mum tells him too.”
Josh gripped Danielle’s hand.
“At least you tried. Then it is all down to them, isn’t it?”
Danielle looked rather sad. Josh knew that she’d rather have had them there for the big day in the hope that they could start to rebuild some bridges.
“The call was from DI Jarvis. George failed to visit the Police Station today. Daily visits are part of his bail conditions. The court has revoked his bail. He’s lost a packet of money but if he’s done a runner then he won’t care will he?”
Josh visibly shuddered.
“What’s the matter darling?”
“I just had a vision of him appearing at the wedding and claiming you as his.”
“He wouldn’t dare? Would he?”
“You know George better than me,” said Josh.
“If there is one thing that he’s an expert at and that is poking his nose into other people’s business especially where it has been clear to everyone that he’s not welcome. I would not put it past him to try to screw things up in some way or other.”
Danielle thought carefully for almost a minute.
“You might be right. Then we’ll have to put some measures in place to stop him should he be so stupid as to try to stop me from marrying the woman I love.”
Danielle’s words took a second or two to register in Josh’s mind.
“But…?”
“No buts darling. Once we are married, we can start on making you a proper woman if you want it that is? I saw what putting some makeup on did to your whole persona. There is a new you waiting to come out if you want that is.”
“But… Why didn’t you tell me that you felt like that before?”
“I… I was scared to. What with all the chaos that George caused, I was scared that you wouldn’t believe me and not want to marry me.”
“There is zero chance of that. I was in love with you long before the wedding. Then I told you that I wanted to be you, and for a while I thought that I’d lost you. George actually brought us together. Tomorrow, I’m going to say that I want to be with you for the rest of my life. That is what I want and if you can help me be the real me then that is all that I could ever hope for.”
The couple embraced for a long time. Josh started to cry with happiness.
“You look fantastic,” said Josh as Danielle appeared in her wedding finery.
“Thank you darling. What about you?”
Josh went a little red in the face.
“I’m wearing everything. Thank you darling. You are the first person to buy me undies.”
“Undies! Wedding finery you mean!”
“Sorry darling. I’m wearing your wedding finery.”
“Including the bra?”
“Yes, my darling, even the bra. No padding and it will remain hidden under my waistcoat.”
“Until later?”
Josh looked into Danielle’s eyes.
“What are you up to my dear?”
“That’s for later. Now we have to get going or we will be late for our own wedding.”
“That would never do,” said Josh.
“You’d never let me forget it would you?”
The small wedding party had gathered outside the Office while they waited for the happy couple to arrive. They were made up of people from where Josh and Danielle worked plus Sandra and a ‘plus 1’. From the size of him, the ‘plus 1’ was either a bouncer or a bodyguard but appeared to know Sandra very well.
Since their visit to Sandra’s house for lunch, they had been in regular contact with her and both of them had agreed to work for her at her offices on the edge of Oxford. Danielle was going to have her own staff and operation. Josh or in time, Josie was going to be Sylvie’s PA.
“Time to go in,” said Josh nervously.
He waited for everyone to disappear inside the building and took a last look around for George Monk. He didn’t see any sign of their nemesis but that wasn’t to say that he was far away. Still feeling nervous, Josh went inside the building.
The ceremony was plain and simple. Josh and Danielle said a few words of commitment to each other and before they knew it, it was time to sign the register and leave the building.
All the guests walked together to the car park where their vehicles were parked. Everyone was in a happy mood. Josh helped Danielle into her car at the same time regretting his inability to drive. With her dress safely tucked in, he closed the driver’s side door and walked around to the passenger side. It was then that he saw George Monk.
George was getting into the passenger's side. Josh rushed to try to stop him but George showed him the large knife that he was carrying. The evil glint in George's eyes told him that George meant business.
Josh backed off and for a second contemplated climbing onto the bonnet of the car. He’d seen that done many times in the movies but it didn’t always end well.
Instead, Josh cried out.
“Help! He’s trying to kidnap my wife!”
Somehow, George managed to get Danielle to drive towards the exit. That was as far as they got. Not only did Josh have the parking ticket in his pocket, Sandra's Jaguar had stopped at the barrier blocking his exit. Her 'Plus 1' had climbed out of the car and stood right in front of the other barrier. George would have to run him over to escape.
There was a lot of shouting going on and several men surrounded Danielle's car. George kept trying to make her drive through them. She refused and started to fight with George despite him having a knife.
That was the signal for someone to yank open the passenger door and unceremoniously heaved George out and onto the ground. In doing so, George let go of the knife. Someone kicked it away before George could get to it.
As George tried to stand up, Sandra’s ‘Plus 1’ literally sat on top of him effectively pinning him to the ground. George started swearing and cursing. Then the threats to everyone’s life started. Thankfully, at least two people were videoing it all.
His nostrils gave the game away. Some residue of white powder was clearly visible. Several bystanders speculated that he had been snorting coke.
Josh wanted to give George a good kicking but the melee of people around George prevented him from doing that. Instead, he went and comforted Danielle.
Between them, Josh and Sandra got her out of the car and moved away from where everyone was congregating. Then the Police arrived and took control of the situation. A loudly cursing George Monk was handed over to them. Their interest in him increased when they were told that he was a bail jumper. That gave them due cause to arrest him and haul him off to the local Police Station. He was cursing everyone and promising retribution for Josh and Danielle. It was all recorded on mobile phones. That would be used as evidence against him at his trial.
In the initial chaos inside the car, George had tried to stop her from shouting out. Danielle had bitten his finger hard. George was screaming blue murder at this assault and demanding that Danielle be charged with assault on the spot. The video of him holding a knife at her throat was more than enough to make that a non-starter.
When he was searched at the Police Station, they found more than two ounces of what appeared to be cocaine. George was also in possession of ten grammes of what appeared to be Methamphetamine.
After a while, the Bedford Police just ignored his protests and locked him an observation cell while he came down from whatever high that he was on.
His wailing continued even after his lawyer arrived. The fact that there were several videos showing him threatening Danielle with a knife already trending on social media didn't seem to register with George or his lawyer for several hours. It was only when arrangements were made for his formal charging to happen in the morning, did the lawyer manage to drill some sense into George.
Josh and Danielle were the last of the wedding party to leave the Police Station. Just before they left, the officer in charge of the investigation into the business operations of George arrived from London. He introduced himself as Detective Chief Inspector Thomas. He’d travelled up from the city to supervise the transfer of George Monk to Belmarsh Prison.
“George is a person of interest to a number of different Police Forces both inside and outside the country. Now that he is back in custody, we will be working with other forces to devise a plan about how he is dealt with. One of these parties is the FBI. George has been involved with a series of thefts of some very, very expensive and classified equipment from US bases both here and in Germany and then trying to sell it to countries like Iran or Yemen. It is highly likely that the US Government will apply for his extradition to stand trial in the USA for his crimes.”
“What about the court case here?” muttered Danielle.
“We are going to prosecute him whatever happens. Until today, we might have let the Yanks take first shot at him because of their statute of limitations on his crimes. With the use of violence and especially a using knife like he did, he is facing a minimum ten years in jail. We may well prosecute him and then hand him over to the Americans. We’ll get him back after the resolution of any court case there and if found guilty, has served his sentence. He’ll then serve his time in jail here for the crimes he has committed here.”
After a moments silence, the Inspector said,
“Whatever happens, he will not be a free man for a long time. We don’t do deals with kidnappers.”
Danielle’s body visibly relaxed only to stiffen up a moment later.
“Will I have to testify? At his trial?”
“We hope not. His lawyer has seen the evidence against him and is going to recommend to his client, that he pleads guilty.”
“George will want his day in court,” said Josh as he shook his head.
“I’m sure that you are well aware just how much George loves grandstanding and being the centre of attention. Everything just has to be about him and him only. It will be his fifteen seconds of fame. If he does this, he’ll make sure that both of us are called to give evidence. Then his brief can try to tear us apart in court.”
“Why do you say that?” asked the DCI.
“Have you not seen the video he shot of us?”
The DCI shook his head.
“What video?”
“This one,” said Josh as he pulled out his phone.
The DCI watched it in silence.
“He broke into my home and saw me giving Josh a makeover.”
The DCI sat back in his chair and thought for a while.
“If we can avoid this happening then we will.”
Then he looked at Josh.
“Are you Transgendered?”
Josh just nodded his head. He’d know that for years, but until then, he’d never actually said the ‘T’ word to anyone.
“Good. Then if you are called, then come to court in all your finery. If George sounds off then he’ll be guilty of a hate crime. That will add even more years to his sentence. I will warn his legal team that given his volatility, calling you to testify could lead to more charges and more jail time for their client. That should be enough to stop them calling either of you as witnesses.”
The DCI gave them his card and promised to keep them informed of the ‘big picture’ as he put it.
Neither Josh nor Danielle was not in a very talkative mood. The appearance of George had wrecked what was supposed to be their big day. The only two positives were that they were legally married and George was locked up in jail and facing many more charges than he had been before that day began.
Josh did his best to comfort Danielle but it was hard going. Their plans for their wedding night had totally gone by the board.
“George will soon be history. Bullies eventually become the bullied. He won’t be top dog in jail that’s for sure.”
“But…”
“No but’s my darling. He’s done for.”
It was clear that Danielle wasn’t convinced.
They went to bed on what was supposed to be a happy night for them both but neither of them were in the mood for anything other than holding each other until they fell asleep.
Danielle was in a much better mood the next day.
“Sorry for being such a misery guts yesterday,” said Danielle when she came into the kitchen.
“That’s understandable. It isn’t every day that you get abducted by a crazy man with a knife.”
Danielle managed a smile.
“That’s one to tell our kids.”
The mention of children was something that they hadn't talked in detail about before.
Josh was stunned when he didn't reply.
“Did I say something wrong?”
He shook his head.
“No, my darling. It was just a bit of a surprise.”
Then he added,
“I’d hoped that we could be ourselves for a bit before having children.”
“And, so we shall,” said Danielle.
“But at some time in the future, I would like to have a couple of children. Isn’t that what you want?”
Josh was very much relieved.
“I do but not for a while. I’d like to be myself for… for a while.”
“Do you want to go back to the old you?”
“No.”
“Why did you say that you’d like to be yourself for a while?”
Josh blushed.
“I got all that wrong, didn’t I?”
Danielle nodded her head.
“What I meant to say was that I’d like to be the real me for a while before we mess things up with children.”
Danielle shook her head.
“Wrong again?”
Danielle said nothing. The look on her face said everything that he needed to know.
“I’d like to be the real me and for us to have some time together as a couple before things get complicated with children.”
“That’s better,” she said smiling.
Danielle and Josh kissed long and hard. This was the first proper kiss that they’d managed since they were married. George Monk had rudely interrupted their plans. Now that he was out of the picture for a good long time, it was their time.
“Darling,” said Danielle.
“Yes, my dear?”
“isn’t it time for Josh to disappear into the ether?”
“Why Mrs Fisher? Are you propositioning me?”
“I am. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“Lead on Mrs Fisher, but it can’t take too long, can it?”
“You don’t need to tell me that. Sandra mentioned that she wants me to fly to Boston with her at the end of the first week. She’s considering opening up an office in New England.”
Josh smiled.
“I know. I’m supposed to hold the fort while you are away.”
“Then we start work on the new you in the morning. In the meantime, Mrs Fisher…”
Josh was taken by surprise for a second. Then he understood that they’d both be Mrs Fisher. It sounded rather good.
“Come here Mrs Fisher.”
“We have some unfinished business to see too, don’t we?”
[the end]