Zodiac's toy by John Jones (best free ereader .TXT) 📖

like and ask themselves the questions your mates already say to your face: 'Why the fuck are you still with him?' and you don't know the answer do you? Beats the fuck out of me why you would say yes if he asked you marry him. What's wrong with you? That'll make things worse and you bloody well know it. Take the advice of that zodiac card and don't be a fucking doormat'.

She nodded at that, and Carl thought it was because of his answer.

"I'm just gonna try retail, you know, 'cos they're easy jobs to get. Shelf-stacking, cashiers, that sort of thing. I'll do something like that temporary. Then I'm thinking I'll train as a security guard. I'll go the gym and find a mixed martials arts class. Do all that and go into security. Or a bouncer. At least if I do that I can probably get a job in the same supermarket or something. It'll be easier to get work in there". Mandy nodded again, this time at what he said.

You actually believe that? asked her conscience. Maybe, said the rest of her brain. What if this time he does? At least he'll still be here. Her conscience sighed, and spoke no more for a while.

"Think I'll do mixed martial arts and boxing, then I'll..." Mandy's phone buzzed for a text, and she took it out of her bag and placed it on the table.

"Who's that?" Carl asked.

It was from an unknown number, but the profile picture showed a man smiling in sunglasses. It dawned on Mandy what it was, but Carl was already leaning forward like a curious bird watching a worm.

"Who's that?" he repeated, louder. She could do nothing but open the text.

'Hiya darling. Saw your pic. You look hot!!!'

"Who the fuck is that?" said Carl, causing a few heads to turn their way.

"Look I thought you were gone okay," she said, "so I joined a dating website".

"Right," Carl muttered, leaning back "I'm gone for five minutes and you're after other guys".

"I thought you weren't coming back. You split with me remember? What am I supposed to do, sit around crying when you're gone?" Mandy realised that that was what she did whenever he left. "How am I supposed to know if you're coming back?" she added. Carl shook his head and looked out at the marsh. A flock of birds were swooping out in the distance.

"I'm back now arn't I? So you can delete your profile. In fact why didn't you do it when I came back? You've had all night and all morning. How many dating sites are you on?"

"Just the one".

"Well delete it then. I wanna see you do it. I'm back now. I'm gonna be a good dad. Like I said I'll do security".

"Don't bring the kids into this. You're a stranger to them. You've said nothing. I know they were in bed last night, but this morning for breakfast you could have come down at least".

"I was knackered".

"Anyway, I'll delete my profile if you delete all yours. You've probably got loads".

"Babes...that's not the point. I'm back now. I'm gonna be a proper dad, so delete your fucking profile".

"No, get your phone out and delete all yours, and let me see you do it. Or I'll reply to this guy on here,” she said, gesturing to the phone.

"You're gonna reply to him?" he said, pointing at it, wide-eyed. She nodded.

"Well fuck you bitch. I'm done. I'm done". There were mutterings close-by as people looked in their direction. He stood up and pointed angrily at her.

"Now I'm definitely going. Fuck this," he then turned and stormed away, leaving Mandy staring at the phone, and the mutterings to fade away as people returned to normal.

Her emotions toiled inside her, and even though she'd been here before, it never got any easier, and while those emotions caused her to tremble slightly, she picked up the phone and texted Caroline.

'He's left me again'. She looked out to the marsh, and the first tears formed in her eyes, leaning forward on the table, one hand on her face to try and appear as normal as possible, to not attract attention. A reply came:

'I'll call you when I can. I'm just in a meeting. You told me before though'.

'He came back. Then left again'. Send. A reply came quickly.

'For Pete’s sake Mandy'. She snivelled, and tears ran through her fingers and dripped to the table. In the phone case, jutting out slightly, she saw the corner of the zodiac card and took it out. She lay it on the table and read:

'...when your emotions threaten to overwhelm. Do not be a doormat'.

"Okay," she said very quietly, "I'm not a doormat. I'm really not a doormat. This time I mean it. Fuck him". She really did mean it, because then the tears stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 25

 

Ray and Lee were slightly intoxicated. It was Shane who was the most sober. He was sat on a bench in the park where the funfair had been. Lee and Ray lying on the grass as the sun had made an appearance. Ray was clearing a bottle of French brandy, Lee a bottle of mulled wine, and Shane nothing. He had decided to 'cut down' because of his ambition to be a personal trainer. So one bottle of miniature vodka this morning followed by some stretches, meant his usual clouded mind was clearer.

"...and do you remember when he robbed those bottles of wine from that store? He had about five bottles and just walked out with them. No-one stopped him," said Shane.

"Ye," said Lee, "or that time when he went missing for days. When he came back he said he'd been kidnapped, but talked his way out of being released. And he never said otherwise did he?"

"No," said Ray. Lee's phone went off and he sat up and answered.

"Hi Gary," he said, standing up. He listened mostly.

"Alright, see you in ten minutes". He ended the call. "Gotta go, Gary's wants to see me". He downed the last of his drink and hurled the bottle towards a bin near a lamp-post twenty metres away. It missed and smashed near parked cars. He walked away.

"And d'you remember when...?" said Shane.

 

Fifteen minutes later Lee was sat on the sofa in Gary's so-called office, Gary with a look of perplexion.

"Really..?" he said. Lee nodded.

"He put the gun in his mouth, and blew his brains out. Said he had every cancer. And the nurse. The nurse came in and saw it. I was like, oh fuck, but she could see it was suicide and let us go. Said the police and camera won't see us, and she'll make sure the body is disposed of. There'll be no comeback on us".

"Fuck me," said Gary, "that nurse saved you. If she can sort out the police and dispose of bodies, I want her working for me. Anyway, I've got a few more jobs for you...hang on, that means there's a flat going at your place. I've been looking for other premises. A little expansion. Or storage for things that have been seized".

"Ye," Lee said. "Not sure how it works with the landlords or whatever, but I reckon you could take it".

"Well how about a viewing now? I'll tell you about the jobs on the way".

 

The red BMW M3 pulled up in the car-park and Gary and Lee left the vehicle. They were soon in the corridor and Gary saw that all four flat doors were open.

"So this is where you live. You leave all the doors open?" Lee nodded.

"We collared the first floor. It's like we share all the flats, but we kind of each have our own. We hardly ever lock the doors. We don't need to. The other residents don’t bother us. I think they know it wouldn’t be in their interests, anyway here's Vic's". Ray and Shane were still out, and Gary entered to find the sparse but clean place. He nodded, looking around.

"Not bad. Might actually use this as my base. My office. Keep my other place as a store room for seized stuff. In fact, if your other mates are up for it, maybe they want to earn a bit of money. Use their flats for other stuff". Gary walked back out into the corridor and pointed across to Ray's place.

"I've got a few friends who might be interested in premises for cannabis growing,” he then pointed at Lee's flat.

"I've another friend who I could recommend could sell his weapons from there maybe".

"That's my place. I may sometimes get pigs knocking on my door. Actually I still need to get round to hiding my weapons properly so probably Shane's place would be better".

"What have you got?" Gary asked, and like an employee to a boss, Lee without hesitation told him. If another person had asked him the same thing he would have told them to mind their own fucking business.

"Guns, knives, knuckle-dusters, shotguns". He decided not to mention the post-office job, or the money from it.

"Good," said Gary "'cos Mike's always looking for places to stash his guns as well. So if you can ask your mates if they don't mind earning a bit of cash, then..."

"Don't worry about them, they'll agree," said Lee, and shook Gary's hand.

 

"...then he put the gun in his mouth and killed himself". Ray was sat forward in the armchair, a mug of tea on the coffee table. Caroline was stood in front of the fireplace at the house.

"You're joking?" she said, "Poor Vic".

"Then the nurse came in. I thought, that's it we're in trouble, but no. She's probably seen that happen loads of times". Caroline shook her head.

"Doubt it," she said, but Ray simply continued:

"Well she said she would deal with the police and the cameras, and dispose of the body".

"What? you really are kidding Ray. I don't believe that. How can she deal with the police and make sure of..?" she could see in Ray's face that he was sincere. Despite over the years his falsehoods and deceptions, he did tell the truth a lot of the time, and she could see this was one of those times.

"Weird," she said, "would have thought something like someone having every cancer would be on the news". Suddenly the television that had been off came on, on a news channel. The reader had a picture of a hospital next to them.

"...had every cancer. Doctors wanted to do tests, but the body is missing. Meanwhile in other news..."

"That's a coincidence," she said. Ray just looked with curiosity at the television.

"Did you press the remote?" she asked, but then saw the remote was on the coffee table.

"...at Carsdale Zoo, a Lion named Leo has been let out into the town. Also, scorpions are strange little creatures arn't they?" A stock image of a scorpion appeared next to the reader.

"Their sting really hurts. So don't get stung. Are they insects? are they spiders? who knows? either way they're nasty little crawlers".

"How is this news?" asked Caroline. "Typical, trying to appeal to the youth".

"...like Scorpio, now that it's in Mars, will tend to hurt. In fact it will sting, like that fish. Is it a fish? Is it some sort of shark? The stingray...ha ha ha. The sting...ray. The sting...ra". The television suddenly went to a screen which said: 'We will resume shortly'.

"Looks like that reader's in trouble," Caroline said, and saw Ray looking with confusion at the screen. "Well it doesn't surprise me Lee's got weapons. Anyway Ray I've got something to tell you. Wayne is moving in". Ray was still staring at the television.

"Ray," she said, louder, "did you hear what I said?"

"Sorry...what?" he said looking up at her.

"You're still thinking of Vic arn't you? I said Wayne is moving in".

"No, really?" he said, disappointedly. "Didn't you think to tell me? I mean it's partly my decision as well. Half my house and that".

"I'm telling you now. He practically lives here anyway, so I've told Mum and Dad and they love the idea".

"They didn't