A Family Affair Chapter 4 to 6

A Family Affair

Marilyn McPherson




Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Marilyn McPherson

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Books by this author:
A Family Affair
A Family Affair - First Born
A Family Affair - Next of Kin
The Faithful Watcher
Lottie’s Patch
Stray


Note to Reader
Please note that this book is written in Australian English.

 possibly afford to pay two months of rent with only one day's notice, she explained carefully to him. They were good for the money, perhaps not today, but possibly later in the week when their unemployment payments arrived. But the more Colleen tried to negotiate, the more insistent the man became that the money must be paid, in full, within the next twenty-four hours.
There had just been too many expenses that month, and the rent money had been diverted into more pressing needs. Colleen started to suggest a part-payment system, but the agent would not listen and was starting to threaten her with eviction if the money wasn't paid that day.
It was just then that a knock on the door was heard. Colleen peered through the curtains and saw two policemen standing at the door.

“Oh shit,” she exclaimed in horror, and then hung up on the agent quickly without another word. Alarmed, although not surprised, Colleen informed her boyfriend, “Ted, the pigs are here for you.”
Ted was now lying on the couch watching highlights from one of the football games on the weekend. He did not seem overly-concerned by her statement. “How do you know that they aren't here for you this time?” he cheekily retorted from the couch, stretching out and yawning loudly.
“Two reasons,” she responded. “The first is because I've been keeping myself clean and out of trouble. Just like you promised to do.” Colleen took the phone back to its holder and then moved towards the couch where she could face Ted. “And the second reason is ‘cause you probably robbed some servo last night with Steve to pay for your slab of beers.”
Ted was well and truly irritated by her air of superiority, and flashed back at her, “Oh, great, love! Why don't you just go down to the station with the pigs and write up my confession for me?” He looked towards the front door despondently. “That would really be helpful and would probably save a lot of time in the long run,” he added sarcastically.

Surprised by his obvious annoyance, Colleen said more quietly, “They didn't hear me, you know, Teddy”.
The police outside knocked again. Colleen looked towards the door and then to Ted, “They're gunna kick us out of here if we don't pay the rent soon, babe.”
Without blinking an eyelid, Ted responded calmly, “Come 'ere and listen up good.”
Colleen rushed to his side.
“My half of the cash is at Steve's mother's house buried under the clothesline out the back. You know where that is, right? The pigs will never find it there.”
Colleen shook her head at Ted, disappointed to hear that he had indeed committed another robbery last night. She walked slowly towards the front door, opening it to the police.
“Good morning, officers. How can we help you today?” Colleen said. She realised years ago that it was smarter to co-operate with the cops when they were asking questions. She also recognised one of the policemen. He had been the arresting officer last time Ted was caught with stolen goods.
 “Senior Constable Barry Jones,” the officer said, holding up his identification. “I’m here to take Ted down to the station again, Colleen,” the copper emphasized the word 'again', which annoyed Colleen.
“So, Barry - what is he being falsely accused of today?” Colleen demanded of them. She straightened up and continued in a quieter voice, “I hope you realise that police harassment of members of the public is an offence too. We know our rights as citizens.”
She tried to say something more, but the police cut her off. “Last night there was a robbery at the BP station, about four hundred metres down the street from here.”
Colleen shook her head, “But officers, I can vouch for Ted. He's cleaning up his act. He was with me all night long.”
One of the officers let out a deep sigh, as if he was disappointed with her last statement, “Colleen, the video camera at the servo caught the whole thing. There's no point lying to us this time. Your boys didn’t even try to disguise themselves. It’s as if they wanted to get caught. We've already got…” The officer looked down at his paperwork, “Steven Smith in custody. The only thing we haven't got is the cash that was stolen. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you?”
“No.” Colleen tried to look as innocent as possible.
“Now, here is our warrant.” One of the officers produced some hand cuffs and motioned towards Ted. “You'll have to come with us now, Ted,” he said firmly.
Ted nodded and got up from the couch.
The officer continued, “And we are going to search the premises. Colleen, I should let you know that if we find the cash here, you will be charged with conspiring to steal, and also with providing false information to an officer of the law. So,” the officer sternly asked while looking her straight in the eye. “Do you want me to ask you that question again?”
“Nope, you can look all you like, but you won't find anything here,” Colleen confidently asserted.
The constable nodded. “Fine.”
On the way out, the same man leaned in towards Ted, “You really scared that kid last night, Ted,” he explained.
“Little punk should have just handed over the money when I told him too,” he replied. Ted was now cuffed and being led out the front door.
Suddenly alarmed for the first time at the prospect of being alone, Colleen cried out towards Ted, “Teddy, what am I going to do without you?”
“Can I give her a quick hug?” Ted asked the officers, trying to sound as concerned as he could.
One of the police officers nodded to Colleen. “Make it quick.”
Colleen ran towards Ted and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. “Teddy, I really need you to stay out of jail after this. Please. Make this the last time.” She looked into Ted's eyes. “For me, okay? Don't forget your promise to me…”
“Shhh.” Ted sharply cut her off. He whispered into her ear, “Listen carefully, babe. Go to Steve's mum's house for us and get all the dough. Pay the rent and hide the rest somewhere safe. You'll be right till I get out of jail in a few weeks.”
“Okay, Teddy.” Colleen was suddenly very excited by the prospect of picking up the money. She wondered how much was actually in there, as Ted had not mentioned it. “Can I buy myself something nice with what's left over?” she asked him.
“No,” he hissed, showing immediate disapproval. “I know exactly how much is in there. I’m gunna count it as soon as I’m out. So don't do anything stupid, okay?”
Colleen nodded in agreement.
“All right. That's enough for the two of you.” The officer interrupted their embrace and pulled Ted towards the door. “We've got to take him now.”
Ted was taken to the divvy van and put in the back. Colleen watched the whole process as if it was in slow motion. There were some neighbours gathering on the nature strip to see what all the commotion was about.
Colleen decided to give them something to really talk about. She screamed out, “What are you all looking at? This isn’t a show. That's an innocent man been taken away by the coppers.”
Poor Teddy, Colleen thought to herself. They didn't need to cuff him. He's a good man, and would have gone with them without any trouble.
Although Colleen didn't know it, that would be the last time she would ever see Ted.


Chapter Four

Two days later after her chance meeting with Jake Scott, Ellen found herself standing outside the headquarters of Satinol Cosmetics. It was a tall building in the heart of the city, probably one of the largest on the block. Ellen felt very small standing there by herself. There were people rushing in and out of the large rotating glass doors located on the ground floor.
Ellen found a public bench outside and sat down to settle her nerves. After a few deep breaths, she stood up and took a couple of steps towards the door. Then numerous doubts started to fill her mind. What if they didn't believe she was a model? What if Jake wasn’t there today? What would she say to explain her being there? Ellen quickly turned around and sat down again. She could feel her heart beating very fast, and her chest tightening. Her breathing was far faster than normal. Suddenly the taste of something thick and sweet filled her mouth, and Ellen realised she had bitten her bottom lip. So for another five minutes she sat there, with a cut lip, without the nerve to go inside. Still more people moved in and out of the building. It seemed to be a very busy place indeed.
Ellen tried to imagine the best and worst outcomes that could arise from going inside. The best result would be getting paid two hundred and fifty dollars as Jake had promised. The money would cover her bills for the week and allow her and Chloe to have a night out somewhere together. Being paid simply to be photographed, wear nice makeup and new clothes. The thought made Ellen smile happily and she immediately felt more relaxed. The worst outcome, she thought to herself would be if they laughed her out of the building, and she ended up in tears. But that really wasn't so bad. She had certainly been laughed at before. Ellen stood up, held her head high, and told herself she was ready for anything as she marched inside.
She moved through the large rotating glass doors of Satinol Cosmetics and then gasped in awe. In front of her was a grand foyer like nothing she had ever seen before. Gold plated mirrors and portraits adorned the walls while marble floors stretched to a grand staircase in the centre of the foyer. A rich, sweet fragrance filled the air saturating her senses.
Ellen soon spotted the reception desk and found herself face to face with a friendly and polite young woman at the counter.
“Good morning. How can I help you today?” the young woman asked pleasantly.
Ellen noticed that the girl’s hair was sleekly pulled back into a bun, and her skin appeared to be completely flawless. She wondered how long the young girl had spent getting ready for work that morning, and held back the desire to ask her about this. “I'm here to see Jake Scott,” Ellen finally replied, trying not to stare at the girl.
“Who may I say is here to see him?” she asked.
“It's Ellen”, she said, and then hesitantly added, “from the tram”. Ellen kicked herself. How could she have said 'from the tram.' How embarrassing!
“Oh, wait a moment.” The girl put down the phone, and thought for a moment. Ellen Jackson, is it?” she enquired.
Ellen nodded.
The girl continued, “Mr Scott has actually left some instructions”. She seemed pleased with herself and then fumbled around in her drawer for a moment. “Where did I put that note?” she asked herself. “Hmmm. Oh, here it is.” She looked up at Ellen briefly and then continued, “You are to see Tina in Studio Four on the twelfth floor. She will look after you this morning, and hopefully Mr Scott will catch up with you after that.”
Ellen was surprised that Jake would not be meeting her on arrival. He knew that she was nervous about the day.
“The lifts are just over there.” The girl pointed her towards a hallway to the right. “Have a great day now.” The girl's phone starting ringing. “Satinol Cosmetics. Good morning, this is Julie”, Ellen heard as she walked away.
Ellen moved away from the reception desk remembering the fear she had felt only minutes ago, and smiled to herself. Her heart was still pounding, but the apprehension had been completely replaced by a feeling of excitement and possibility. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Everything was going to be okay. They are expecting me, she thought.
A few minutes later, Ellen found herself in an elevator surrounded by well-dressed people in fancy business suits. She could detect the low murmur of people’s conversation behind her. Ellen looked down at her own freshly ironed plain black pants and favourite green t-shirt. She felt out of place standing next to these people. Perhaps, they are too busy to even notice me, she thought happily.
“Level twelve”, the elevator indicated. This was it.
The doors opened to reveal a quiet area with a reception desk facing the lifts. Ellen noticed a sign which read ‘Studios One to Four’ pointing right and a long corridor to the left. A girl at the reception desk with long black hair and thick glasses beckoned to her.
“Hi, are you Ellen?” the girl enquired.
Ellen nodded.
“Nice to meet you. Julie, from reception, just called to say you were on the way up. You can take a seat there.” The girl motioned towards a red couch behind Ellen. “Are you looking forward to your session today? I’m Alex by the way.”
“Hi. I am looking forward to it, kind of,” Ellen said unconvincingly.
The girl hesitated slightly, “I heard that you haven't done any modelling before. Is that right?”
Ellen nodded. “I’m so not a model. Really not sure what I’m doing here.”
Alex laughed quietly at her statement. “Well, it's always fun when you try something new for the first time, right?”
Ellen was going to explain that she wasn't sure exactly what her session would involve, but then thought better of it. “I really hope that I don’t stuff up, and waste everyone’s time,” she said.
“It will be fine, so don’t worry too much. Now, there is a form here for you to fill out. It’s just contact details mostly.” Alex handed Ellen a clipboard with a single sheet of paper. It did not take long to complete, and Ellen handed it back after about five minutes. Alex seemed pleased. “Great. Have a seat again and I'll call Tina to let her know you are ready.”
“Okay” replied Ellen, sitting down again.
Alex dialled an extension while Ellen looked around the room nervously. Butterflies were starting to make their presence felt in her stomach.
Alex was obviously listening intently to someone, “Yep, okay, yes,” she said. She pressed a button which ended the call. “Come with me, Ellen.” Alex stood up and moved to the front of the counter. She had a phone headpiece clipped onto her right ear, which obviously allowed her to move freely around the floor while monitoring any calls.
Ellen was led from the reception area into Studio Four. There was a large white screen from floor to ceiling, three large floodlights, and numerous props. It all looked quite alien and intimidating. She couldn’t imagine what some of the props would be for. There was a smaller room off to one side which they entered. It was a narrow space with a long mirror running along an entire wall. There was a lady there to greet them as they entered the room. She looked up with interest.
“Hi Tina, this is Ellen Jackson,” said the receptionist. “Her session is scheduled for eleven o’clock, so you've got plenty of time here.”
Tina was gorgeous and well dressed, like every other woman working in the building, thought Ellen. She was older than the receptionist, perhaps in her late forties with short, stylish hair and trendy dark-coloured clothing.
“Thanks Alex,” Tina said. “So, come on in, Ellen. Make yourself at home. I hope you have a good joke for me, ‘cause I only do good makeup in exchange for a good joke.” Tina pulled a chair out and motioned for her to sit down.
Alex laughed briefly and said to Ellen, “Tina loves a good joke, and you'd better think of a good one, because I once saw this model who refused to tell any jokes, and well, believe me, she was not a pretty picture when Tina was finished with her.” The two of them laughed heartily, obviously remembering a shared experience.
Alex started heading towards the door, but called out encouragingly, “Catch ya later Ellen and good luck.”
“Thanks,” Ellen replied, not sure if Alex had heard.
“What sort of music do you like?” Tina asked, turning her stereo on.
“Lots of different stuff”. This was true. Ellen had never been able to identify one type of music that she preferred over all the others. Tina's music was fast and electronic. “This is good.”
Tina nodded to Ellen's reply. “I'm really into the local scene at the moment. There are a lot of great home-grown bands in Melbourne.”
Ellen nodded, even though she didn't know much about the local music scene.
Tina moved so that she was standing in front of Ellen. “Wait a moment. First things first. I will need you to change out of your top, and put a buttoned shirt on.”
“Oh.”
Tina continued, “Always wear clothes that can be buttoned off when you come to a session like this.”
Ellen looked down at her top. It was her favourite tight green t-shirt, which definitely had to come off over the head. “Oh right. Sorry.”
“It's okay,” Tina said in a friendly tone. “Go behind the screen there.” She pointed towards the large screen behind her. “There are some buttoned shirts hanging up. Be quick, then come back.”
Ellen ripped her t-shirt off and quickly buttoned a simple blue shirt before returning to her comfy seat in front of the mirror with Tina. A large tray had been wheeled over to the bench near her seat.
Bit by bit Tina started to apply various products to Ellen's face and neck. It felt nice. Tina obviously knows what she's doing, Ellen thought, and watched the mirror carefully as her face was slowly transformed.
“Did you still want to hear a joke?”
“Yes, go ahead,” said Tina seriously. She was obviously concentrating quite hard.
Feeling comfortable and happy, Ellen looked up at Tina's face which was very close to hers at the moment. “So this is my favourite joke in the world,” she said quietly. “You’ve probably heard it. But it's the only joke I can ever remember, and unfortunately it's not really that funny, but I love it because my dad loves it. This joke made him laugh really hard when I told it to him.”
“Let’s hear it then,” Tina said patiently. She was a fun person to be around and had already made Ellen feel completely relaxed.
“How do you keep an idiot in suspense?” Ellen asked.
“How?”
“I'll tell you later”. Ellen smiled and watched Tina's face in the mirror, waiting for her to get it.
Tina laughed. “That's a good one”. Both of them chuckled at each other. “I'll have to tell that one to my boyfriend. Very appropriate humour if you know what I mean.”
It was then that Ellen noticed in the mirror a figure standing behind the door peering in. The two of them were being watched by someone. Ellen turned her head to see who it was, and found an older man looking at her with the most amazing brown eyes she had ever seen.
After noticing Ellen's gaze, Tina also looked over. She seemed more surprised than Ellen by the man's presence, whoever he was. Tina hesitated briefly before exclaiming, “Mr Bradley, hello”.

*************************

Chapter Five

Colleen waited till dark before driving to Steve's mother's house to retrieve the stolen cash. She knew exactly where to go because the boys had hidden many goods in this backyard over the years.
Steven's mother was over eighty years old and becoming senile. The old lady probably did not know what day it was. She had recently started calling Steve “Stevie” again, the name he was called as a toddler, which annoyed him intensely. Steve had informed them that his mother spent the majority of each day in the front living room staring at the walls. Steve knew that she belonged in a nursing home, but the old lady still had enough determination to resist this idea, and would start to scream and yell every time the words “nursing home” were mentioned.
Colleen arrived at the property at around ten o’clock. The night was pitch dark because there was no moonlight. Only passing traffic and a cat fight could be heard in the distance. Colleen had brought a flashlight and turned it on as she made her way from the car through the front gate and past the old lady's front porch. She had also brought a small shovel as the cash was probably buried at least a foot underground, to prevent Steve's mother from accidentally discovering it. Colleen found herself singing aloud the tune she had just been listening to on the radio, and then realised that she was not being particularly quiet. Oh, well, she thought. There is not really any reason to be quiet. The old lady will be fast asleep and not likely to stir.
Colleen walked past the old pear tree that didn't fruit any longer, past the outside toilet that hadn't been used in fifteen years, and past the incinerator in which the old lady liked to dispose of things on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The weekend smoke was the cause of much annoyance for the neighbours, but nobody had to heart to call the council because of her age. 

********************

Colleen stood in front of the clothesline. It consisted of five pieces of wire held up by two large posts spanning a distance of about eight metres. She would have to search carefully for signs of recent activity. Colleen pointed the torch at the ground and moved it around in a circular motion. Ah ha, she had found some loose dirt and began digging with her spade.
All of a sudden, the backyard was flooded with a bright light, causing Colleen to squint and almost lose her balance.
“It's his wife Colleen,” a man's voice was heard, somewhere above her and to the left of where she was standing.
Colleen looked up into the tree near her, trying to identify where the voice was coming from. A brief moment passed before she realised what was happening. Bugger.
“Colleen Watson, you are under arrest,” boomed a voice from behind.
Colleen turned around and found the same copper that had arrested Ted earlier that day.
“You have the right to remain silent,” he continued. 

The copper continued to read her rights, but Colleen didn't hear a word of it. She was amazed at how many police were actually in the backyard. The yard was full of them. How had she not heard them? They were like bugs, crawling out of every crevice. A tough-looking female copper cuffed her and escorted her roughly to the front yard where they waited for a car to pull up.
The senior constable stayed close to Colleen throughout all this and watched her every move. “You see, Colleen, I suspected that you were in on the whole thing when I spoke to you this morning. But what you didn't know was that old Mrs Smith saw the boys digging in her backyard last night and went to investigate their hole once they had left. She watched her own son try and hide the stolen money in her backyard. Can you imagine what that would have been like?” He did not wait for a response. “You cannot blame her. The old girl decided that she had had enough of her no good lying excuse for a son. So she called us, and we retrieved the money. But you see, it was my idea to stake out the property for a couple of nights and try and catch any accomplices that were hiding in the woodworks.” The officer sounded so smug. “I should finally get that promotion they have been promising me,” he told her quietly, so nobody else could hear.
Colleen was barely listening to his words, but they were slowly starting to make sense. She needed time to recover from the shock of her failed plan, and was starting to feel angry at Ted for letting her down again. Useless pig, she thought to herself. I am going to have to take this money-earning business into my own hands when I get out of jail this time.

*******************************

Chapter Six

“Mr Bradley, hello”, Tina repeated, as if she was unsure he had heard her the first time. “It's an honour to have you visit the studio today. If you like, I can give you a quick tour.”
Tina seemed to recognise this man standing in the doorway. She was obviously excited to see him, because she had stopped applying makeup and moved awkwardly towards the doorway with her hand outstretched.
Ellen wondered who he could be. But more importantly, why he was staring at her and not even acknowledging that Tina was talking to him. He was dressed in a business suit and had a newspaper folded in his left hand. His shortish brown hair was neatly combed into place and Ellen noticed that his eyes were warm and friendly. Ellen thought him very handsome and interesting-looking. However, clearly he looked hesitant to come in and say hello.
Suddenly the man came to life. He shook Tina's hand awkwardly, straightened his rose-coloured silk tie, and walked confidently into the room. Trying to sound like he was in control of the situation, he explained, “Sorry to interrupt, ladies. Every now and then, I like to visit one of the departments to meet the staff. Just to observe everyone and see what is going on. I hope you don't mind.”
Tina looked a little surprised, but responded eagerly, “Oh, of course not. Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“I don't think we've met before, Mr Bradley.” Tina sounded a little nervous around the man. “My name's Tina Brown and I have been working in this department for over two years now.” Tina then noticed that Tom's eyes were fixed firmly on Ellen. He did not seem to be listening to her at all.
Ellen had also noticed that the man had been staring at her the entire time he was in the room. His absorbed expression made her feel comfortable, so she tried to hold his gaze. After a moment had passed, she decided to try speaking to their visitor. “And my name is Ellen Jackson. Jake Scott asked me to come in today and have some test shots taken, even though I've never modelled before.”
Mr Bradley's smile changed quickly into a frown. “Oh, Jake organised this, did he?” He did not seem so pleased with that news.
“Ellen, this is Mr Tom Bradley,” Tina said to Ellen. “He is the chief executive officer and owner of Satinol.”
Ellen nodded. “Hi”.

“Sorry, Ellen,” Tom responded, reaching his hand out to her. “I should have introduced myself to you properly.” Tom seemed embarrassed as they shook hands gently. “I might stick around to watch things here, if that's okay with you?”
Tina’s face quickly changed into a surprised expression. Tom didn’t seem to notice.
Ellen guessed that this request was a little unusual. She nodded and looked towards Tina. “It’s fine with me.”
Tina quickly agreed. “Oh course, Mr Bradley. Would you like a chair?” Tina asked, indicating towards a seat in the corner of the room.
“Thank you, yes.”
Tina later explained that Tom was known throughout the business to be an extremely busy and private man. He was rarely seen outside the offices on the top floor and was considered relatively unapproachable by many people.  He was always flanked by either board members or bodyguards in public. She thought it was quite strange that he would want to watch Ellen's session.
However, Tom was true to his word and spent the next two hours in their company. He watched the rest of Ellen's makeup and hair session, adding comments of his own to their conversation now and again as he saw appropriate. At one point, someone brought in a rack of dresses, and Tom personally helped to select three of them for Ellen to try on.
Ellen started to think of him as a wonderfully funny and generous man, and felt very comfortable around him, despite their age gap. They talked between sessions while she changed behind a screen with the help of Tina. He had watched each of her three sessions in front of the camera, and seemed happy that the photographer was pleased with her work.
After two hours, Ellen was hot under the lights and tiring of the attention of a small group of people who had come in to watch. Tom continued to study her carefully, smiling often and watching the action closely.
“Okay, sweetie, that's all for today. You're done.” The photographer smiled and started to exit the room.
Ellen breathed a sigh of relief.
“I'll get these into print straight away, Mr. Bradley.”
“Thank you, Nick,” Tom responded. “I will be eagerly waiting to see the results of your work.” He looked towards Ellen who had stood up from the table and was starting to stretch a little. “I think Ellen might have a promising future with…” Tom did not finish his sentence because Jake Scott had walked into the room.
“Hello there, Ellen,” Jake said, breezing into the room. Suddenly his eyes caught sight of Tom in the corner, and he seemed surprised because he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes not moving further from Tom. “Tom, I had no idea you took an interest in this area. He seemed nervous, but continued on, “I think Ellen here has some great qualities that may be suitable...”

“Jake”, Tom said, interrupting him with a dismissive hand motion. “Let’s talk in the hall for a moment.”
Jake then seemed to notice that the session had finished. “Ellen, I'm sorry that I didn't meet you myself earlier on. Something came up, but I trust you found your way around okay.”
“Yep, just fine,” she called to Jake as he left the room with Tom.
Tina touched Ellen's shoulder, “You can change now.” She motioned towards the change rooms. “And take all that gluck off of your face now.”
“I kind of like it actually. Might take this face home and see if my flatmate Chloe recognises me.”
Tina laughed at this idea. As the two of them walked past Tom and Jake in the hallway, Ellen noticed that they seemed to be talking about a matter of some seriousness because Jake's eyes were on the ground and Tom appeared to be doing most of the talking.
“I wonder what's going on there,” Tina said to Ellen slyly.
“I'm not sure.”