said he had been out on his stag night, I’m sure they were laughing at me.’
‘What about Angie? Have you got an address for her yet?’ Tammy asked. Steph had told her on the phone what Barry had said to Pam.
‘No. My mum’s been trying to ring her all morning, but Angie’s phone is still switched off. We don’t have an address for her or a home number, but Mum reckons the police will be able to trace her because she must have registered her mobile phone at her new address. What about your sister, Tam? Can’t you ring her and see if she can help us? I’m at my wits’ end, I really am.’
Tammy’s sister and brother-in-law were both in the police force, but had recently moved to Colchester. ‘Worse comes to the worst, I’ll give my sister a bell, but I doubt that she will be able to do much, mate, as she is working at a station out in Essex now. See what the Old Bill say when they come round, but I don’t believe for a minute that your Wayne would run off with Angela. I reckon Barry’s got something to do with his disappearance, you mark my words.’
Steph put her distraught head in her hands. ‘But why would Barry have agreed to come to the wedding if he hated Wayne’s guts? And why would he turn up round here yesterday and be so helpful and nice?’
‘Because he is bloody clever, Steph. I never liked Barry Franklin that much, even when we were at school, and I wouldn’t trust the bastard as far as I could throw him now.’
‘You never said you didn’t like him at school,’ Stephanie replied. Her mind was all over the place and she really didn’t know what to think any more. Her mum seemed to think that the sun shone out of Barry’s arse, and she was rarely ever wrong about anyone.
After buying the children a bag of goodies, Pam stopped at the nearest phone box. ‘Hold Tyler’s hand and go and play on that bit of green with him,’ she ordered Dannielle and Aidan. Pam rang Cathy first, explained what had happened, and was relieved when her friend said that she was on her way over. Pam then rang Linda and explained Wayne’s disappearance to her.
‘I’m gonna kill that fucking Angela. Don’t you dare have no more to do with her after this, sis. I think me and Keith should come over. Steph will need her family around her.’
‘OK,’ Pam said. She ended the call, then tried Angela again. She was surprised when her daughter actually answered. ‘Where the hell is Wayne?’ Pam screamed psychotically.
‘How the hell should I know where Wayne is? I take it you’ve heard that he came to my club, then?’
‘This ain’t funny, Angela, so don’t you dare lie to me. If Wayne is there with you, you have to tell me now because Stephanie has just called the police.’
‘Called the police! What the fuck you on about, Mum? Wayne ain’t with me. I saw him at the club, briefly, and that was it.’
Pam sighed. Her youngest daughter had always been an extremely convincing liar, and Pam could never tell if she was pulling a fast one or not. ‘If you are telling the truth, Angie – and with your track record, I very much doubt it – then you’d best get yourself round to your sister’s house and tell her and the police exactly what happened.’
‘What do you mean, what happened? All I did was go to work, felt ill, and came back home. Yes, Wayne was there on his stag do, but I barely spoke to the bloke for more than five minutes.’
With the pips going, Pam quickly stuffed some more coins into the slot. ‘Barry said you chatted to Wayne for ages, and he said that you and Wayne disappeared at the same time. Wayne’s missing, Angela. He hasn’t been seen since he was at your club – so for once, just tell me the bastard truth.’
‘I am telling the bastard truth! I tell you what, Mother. You get Barry shit-stirring Franklin round Steph’s, and me and Roxy will drive straight over. I’ve been sick as a pig for the past twenty-four hours and I’ve only just dragged meself out of bed. You call the Old Bill back and tell ’em I’m on my way round now, and don’t forget to ring Barry an’ all. I refuse to be accused of something I ain’t done, Mum. It’s bang out of order.’
Pam was stunned when Angela slammed the phone down on her. For once, it seemed like her youngest daughter might actually be telling the truth.
Stephanie was furious when firstly Cathy, then Linda and Keith turned up. She knew people were only there to support her, but with her life and wedding seemingly in tatters, she really wasn’t in the mood to be talking to anyone. Steph followed her mother into the kitchen. ‘Can’t you get rid of everyone, Mum? I only want you and Tammy here.’
Pam tried to hold Steph in her arms, but was pushed away.
‘Just get off me, Mum. All I want is Wayne back, not to be treated like a fucking child.’
Pam sighed. She hadn’t yet told her that both Barry and Angela were also on their way round, but she knew she had to soon. ‘Look, people are only here because they love you so much. I rang Cath and Lin when I was out, and I rang Barry, Angela, and the police again. They’ll all be here soon, and the quicker the better if you ask me. Wayne needs to be found, love, and after speaking to Angela, I truly believe she’s in the dark about his disappearance as well.’
‘What did the bitch say? You know she’s always been the liar of all liars,’ Stephanie screamed.
‘Your sister swears blind that she spotted Wayne at the club, spoke to him briefly, then felt ill and went home, alone. She’s bringing her flatmate, Roxy, round here with her. You haven’t met Roxy yet, but I have and, surprisingly, she is a really decent girl. Angie was fuming when I told her what Barry had said, so that’s why I rang him. The police are coming round at five to take statements off the whole lot of ’em. I know it’s stressful for you, darling, but the quicker we find out what’s really happened to Wayne, the better, eh?’
Wondering if she was having a bad dream, Stephanie picked up a saucepan and began banging herself over the head with it to see if she would wake up.
‘Stop it! What you doing?’ Pam shrieked, grabbing the handle out of her daughter’s hand.
Bursting into tears, Stephanie sank to her knees. ‘I think I’m going off my head, Mum. I honestly don’t know what I’m doing.’
Barry Franklin was in a rather buoyant mood as he drove towards Stephanie’s house. He was amazed that Wayne hadn’t been found yet, but thrilled that he could now shove the final nail in his old pal’s coffin. As the current number one song, D:Ream’s ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, came on the radio, Barry cranked the volume up and laughed as he joined in with the lyrics. Things most certainly weren’t going to get better for Wayne Jackman, because Barry was about to make sure they became decidedly worse.
Linda was livid as Angela strolled into the lounge with the attitude from hell. ‘Don’t be giving it the large, Ange. Don’t you realize that your sister’s in bits? You selfish bloody cow,’ she shouted.
‘Calm down, Lin. Let me get you a beer, eh?’ Keith said, squeezing his partner’s hand.
‘I don’t want a fucking beer. I want to tell this no-good, conniving little bitch her fortune,’ Linda yelled, as all four foot of her lunged at her neice.
‘Stop it. Just bloody well stop it,’ Pam shouted, as Dannielle and Tyler both started to scream.
‘Can I have a cuddle, Mum?’ Aidan said, holding his arms out to Angela.
About to say no, Angela remembered she had Roxy standing by her side, so instead gave her son a false motherly hug.
Feeling a bit awkward, Cathy stood up. ‘I’ll put the kettle on. Who wants tea and who wants coffee?’
Before anybody had a chance to reply, the doorbell rang and Pam dashed off to answer it. ‘Do come in, officers. My daughter is in the living room,’ she said nervously.
Stephanie felt incredibly edgy as she stared at the uniformed man and woman. Their presence made Wayne’s disappearance seem all the more