Chapter 19:

I was still reeling from Radley’s words. ‘Rita?’ I repeated.

He nodded. ‘Your daddy hired a live-in maid in the hope that he’d be able to stay with his daughter, his house, and still have some pleasure on the side.’ He chuckled.

‘But my dad’s in his fifties, and Rita can’t be much older than twenty-five…’

‘That’s right. But your dirty dad didn’t mind the age difference. He just wanted some fun. And so, when you were only eleven, or twelve, maybe, he hired Rita. She was only twenty at the time. I was in my late thirties…’

‘Why does that matter?’ I asked, puzzled, but my question was met by a frown.

‘You’ll see,’ he said darkly. He continued, ‘Rita was just a bit desperate for money, in all honesty. I don’t know if you remember but she used to spend half the time on the razzle, much to your father’s dismay. It turned out Rita, despite her curves, wasn’t quite the sex toy he’d pictured her out to be.’

I was still getting used to the fact that my dad fancied Rita, when I watched Radley’s face. He seemed in a daze, like he was in a trance or under a spell or something. A horrible realisation dawned on me. ‘Did you fancy her?’

Radley’s cheeks flushed pink and he ducked his head down. He licked his lips very slowly, glancing around the room, as if carefully choosing his next words.

‘Of course, me and Rita had a few things in common. We’d both started working for your dad roughly around the same time, and we both spent a lot of time at your house – Rita because she lived and worked there, but me because I often had meals there. And we realised we had a lot in common, and one thing led to another, and we…’

I held up a hand.

‘Wait a minute,’ I said. ‘You and Rita?’

Radley nodded silently.

‘I don’t believe this,’ I said.

‘Don’t believe it then,’ Radley shot back, snippily. ‘But it’s true.’

‘But you’re…and she…how long did it last?’

‘No more than half a year,’ Radley shrugged. ‘It was just…casual, you know, at first.’

‘At first?’ I encouraged him.

‘Well, maybe we did develop a genuine fondness for one another.’

I couldn’t believe it. Rita and Radley had hooked up. Like, they’d seriously been a couple. I had to find out more…

‘Why did it end?’

‘Oh, we wanted different things. She was young and wanted fun. I was older and wanted seriousness.’

‘Did you love her?’

Radley’s lips tightened. I frowned. ‘Were you in love with her?’

He sighed. ‘That’s enough, Veronica.’

I shook my head, still dazed. I couldn't get over the fact that Radley had just told me all of this so willingly. ‘Why did you tell me all of this?’

‘Because you need to understand a few things,’ Radley barked. ‘You need to know that I mean business when I say I’m going to take two and a half million pounds from your dad, and you need to know that I’m not going to be suspected as the one who kidnapped you.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re going to be dismissed as a suspect because you had a dirty fling with our maid,’ I said disbelievingly.

Radley, who’d begun to walk towards the door, spun around quickly. ‘It wasn’t like that. Rita and I shared a special relationship, and as long as I’m still the same man she remembers then she’s never going to tell the police that I’m capable of kidnap, is she?!’

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘Wait. Did you sleep with Rita just to clear your own name from the case?’

Radley looked seriously furious with me now. I realised I’d touched a nerve.

‘Me and Rita were…together…way before your dad fired me,’ he growled like a dog. ‘And before you go around assuming things, you don’t know anything about what happened.’

‘Well, maybe I don’t want to know,’ I said quietly, feeling sick.

Radley raised his eyebrows. ‘It’s not like I’d tell you anyway,’ he snapped, before leaving the room, bolting the door.

My mind wandered to Dad, Rita, Radley, Mum, to even Rick and Faye.

I couldn’t get over the fact that Dad had an affair with this Clara. Who was she? Where was she? Why did Dad love her more than Mum? What did she look like? I had a thousand questions about her, but I knew they wouldn’t be answered for a while.

Could it be true what Radley had said about Rita? Had Dad only hired her to use her? I couldn’t imagine Rita lowering herself to those standards, even for all the money in the world. She was very proud.

I also couldn’t believe Rita and Radley had been a couple. It was clear by Radley’s face that he was clearly very interested in her. Even just mentioning her name, his face seemed to soften considerably. It’s like all the evil in his eyes was replaced by warmth and love.

I wondered if he did love her. Were they still in touch? While I was sickened of the thought of my maid sleeping with my kidnapper, I also hoped they’d reconcile. If he could bring her back here and I could hear her, I could yell for help. Yes, the walls were soundproofed, but I could try my hardest.

The thoughts of love and lust made my mind wander to Rick. I wondered if he missed me. Maybe he and Faye were a real couple by now.

Rick didn’t seem to notice me. It’s like he’d forgotten he was holding me at all. All he could look at was Faye.

I felt like telling him what she’d said about him, but I couldn’t do it. Instead, I cleared my throat. Rick blinked, snapping out of his trance, and looked down at me.

‘I’m thirsty,’ I yelled, over the music.

Of course, while I was simply trying to get Rick’s attention, this turned out to be a big mistake. He quickly abandoned me, passing Faye as he walked to the kitchen. On the way back, he casually but clearly deliberately bumped into Faye.

She turned and looked at him, flashing him a brief, insincere smile. Rick looked happy, his cheeks flushing pink. He returned to me, holding a can of beer.

I settled down on the corduroy sofa, patting the space beside me. Rick sat down next to me. I opened the can with a click and fizz, taking a long gulp. The whole time I watched Rick very carefully, like an artist about to draw a model, or a psychologist concerned about a patient.

‘You like Faye?’ I asked, straining to raise my voice above the music.

Rick looked stunned by my words. ‘What?’ he said.

‘You like Faye,’ I said, not as a question this time.

His blushing cheeks answered my question. I rolled my eyes, settling the can on the table beside me. ‘Well, I feel stupid now.’

Rick’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. ‘Why?’ he asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

I stared at him disbelief. ‘You tell me I’m beautiful last weekend, dance with me and nearly kiss me this weekend, and then it turns out you fancy my best friend. Way to make a girl feel special.’

‘Oh, come on, Veronica, you’re special. You’re cool and pretty and stuff.’ Rick reached for my hand, taking it with his sticky, sweaty one. I didn’t mind the dampness of his palm; I felt comforted by it.

‘You’re not jealous, are you?’ he asked.

I chewed my lip in a furious attempt to prevent myself from blushing. ‘No,’ I said.

‘But you’re mad.’

I sighed. ‘I’m not mad. It’s just…’

It’s just Faye’s a slag who doesn’t deserve you! She kissed you because you’re hot. She’s superficial and she barely acknowledges your existence. She uses your houses for parties and she uses you for some action but she doesn’t care about you at all. Why do you fancy her? I felt like yelling these words at him, but my concern for Rick’s feelings stopped me.

‘It’s just I thought…maybe…oh, I don’t know,’ I said, stopping myself before I embarrassed myself. I grabbed the can of beer and threw it to my lips hurriedly. It missed and half of it spilt down my chin. I wiped it away, hugely embarrassed.

Rick chuckled softly to himself, not unkindly. ‘You’re funny, Veronica. You’re so uptight all the time but you’re pretty and popular and you’ve got everything you want. What more could you possibly wish for?’

You, I thought. It’s you I want. All the popularity and money in the world couldn’t compare to the desire I have for you.

I craned my neck looked at him weakly. Rick smiled at me. ‘See? You know I’m right,’ he said, not realising the meaning behind my gaze. I sighed, resorting to picking my fingernails.

Rick leaned close and for a heart-stopping moment I thought he would kiss me. Instead, he whispered in my ear, ‘So, uh, do you know how I can get Faye to notice me?’

I sighed, turning to face him. His deep, endless brown eyes were alarmingly close. ‘She has noticed you, Rick, who hasn’t? You’re the most popular guy in school.’

Rick smiled. ‘Has she said anything to you? About me, I mean?’

I couldn’t be mean. I thought carefully about my words, before I said, ‘Oh, just that…’

That you’re boring.

‘That you’re a nice guy, and that she…um…likes you…’ Rick’s face lit up at those words, so I quickly added, ‘But as a friend only.’

His face fell. ‘But we kissed last weekend,’ he explained. ‘I thought she liked me a little.’

‘Look, that’s Faye,’ I said. ‘She kisses but doesn’t like.’ I realised the bluntness of my words and said, ‘Sorry.’

Rick threw his head back on the sofa. I leant back on the sofa, watching him closely. ‘So, there’s no chance of us ever happening?’

I shook my head. ‘I don’t think so.’ I took hold of his forearm, stroking it with my thumb affectionately. ‘I’m sorry.’

Rick sighed. ‘Oh well, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved, or whatever Dickens said,’ he said.

I smiled. ‘That was Shakespeare.’

Rick looked at me and we exchanged a smile. But his eyes soon travelled downwards at where my thumb was still stroking his arm…

I retracted my hand quickly, standing up suddenly. ‘I’d better go. Curfew and everything. Bye.’ I hurried out of the room and dug around in the downstairs cupboard for my jacket. I found it finally, and practically ran to the front door.

‘Veronica!’

I turned around and was met by Rick’s face. He leant forward and planted a kiss on my cheek. He smiled at me fondly. ‘We’re friends, right?’ he asked me.

‘Friends,’ I said. I swallowed. ‘Of course.’

Then I said another goodbye and hurried myself out of the house.