Chapter twenty
Harrington Close
I sighed heavily; I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. Slowly I put down my binoculars and checked my watch, five past ten, exactly two minuets since the last time I checked, if that was true then why did it feel like an eternity I'd been sat here, rather than two minuets? I watched the minuet hand on my watch go round once more, just to check it was still working, before snatching up my binoculars and scanning the grounds, nope nothing.
"… I know that's what I said! Oh-my-god, what on earth will her daddy say? I know..." squealed Stephanie from her room, I could here every word she said through the open window and I was regretting my choice of perch, maybe I should go and check the east wall, just to escape her voice.
"Steph, can't I go to my own room? You're not even talking to me." Complained Claire for what must have been the hundredth time in the hour since I'd arrived.
"Claire!" Stephanie scolded "im on the phone and besides you know why you're here."
"No I don't Steph!" Claire carried on moaning and Stephanie ignored her going back to her repetitive phone conversation.
"Oh I KNOW!" Stephanie said laughing.
Claire had been in a bad mood all week by all accounts, her boyfriend Peter had been banned from the premises until all of this was sorted out, and I didn't think she appreciated us hiding out on her roof all night. But she had been nothing compared to her sister, who had looked about ready to throw me back out the window when I had come inside to tell them I was there. It was clear she had been expecting George, if her outfit was anything to go by, a curve hugging black dress and high, high heels. Apparently, or so said Will, she had actually requested George to watch over them tonight, claiming she felt safer with him, well I was far from George. All I could think to say to her was 'gutted'.
Anyway Claire might not have known why she was being forced to sit in her sister's room, but I sure did. It was purely for my benefit, as soon as Stephanie was off the phone she would strike up a conversation and discus it so loudly that I couldn't help but hear it, and I'd bet a pound to a penny it would be something I really didn't want or need to hear. How did I know that? John over heard Stephanie telling this to her friend over the phone last night when he took watch.
"Ta, tah Victoria, I'll speak to you later." Stephanie said hanging up. I settled down on the roof above Stephanie's bedroom window and fingered with the gold chain around my neck, this was going to be a long night.
"Claire darling, will you please fetch me the necklace GEORGE bought me?" She asked, oh I could see what she was doing, there was absolutely no way she needed to talk that loud, not unless she was trying to make me jealous, and that was NOT going to happen. No chance no way! She was being cruel, spiteful and pathetic not to mention ridiculous, I mean as if I was jealous of her, ha, the very idea, I was so above all that it was unbelievable…he bought her a necklace?
"Which one?" Claire asked there was the scraping of chair legs and Claire walked across the room, I assumed anyway. 'Which one'? Why how many necklaces had he bought her?
"The gold locket, you know the one with our pictures in it." Stephanie replied she spoke as if it was no big deal, nothing new; oh yeah because George bought her gifts all the time what was a couple of hundred quid on a necklace? Spoilt brat!
"Oh yes I know it" there was the sound of someone rummaging through a jewellery box, pearls, chains and diamonds made a kind of crunching sound as Claire sought out the necklace "here it is, gosh its pretty Stephanie."
"I know (sigh) George bought it me for my sixteenth I think, though it's hard to keep track with all the presents he gives me." She gave a venous laugh at the end of her well rehearsed line.
"All the presents? But I thought... I mean how lovely." A sharp intake of breath divided Claire's words; oh I really didn't want to listen to any more, even the song I swore would be in my head all night wouldn't resurface and drown out their words.
"I picked this outfit out with George in mind you know Claire? He always said I looked rather fetching in it." More giggles. I began to grind my teeth, not a good habit to have but still.
"George is such a gentleman he would say you looked nice in anything at all." Claire said.
"Or nothing at all!" Stephanie added and both girls started giggling. Deep breaths, that's what my anger management counsellor at Locksdale upper had told me to do in stressful situations, I needed to breathe and count, I'd count to ten.
"Oh Stephanie, poor George doesn't know what a minx you are." Claire said still laughing, though I had to say it sounded false to me, forced somehow.
"Oh I think he does." Stephanie purred, I grabbed my bag and hunted desperately for my second hand iPod, crap no charge, violently I threw the useless bit of technology back into my bag. If only George could hear what they were saying about him…1, 2, 3, 4… I can't do this.
"Im not going to ask" Claire replied and I was glad of that at least, im sure whatever Stephanie had ment by that was something I could live quite happily without knowing " I only wish Peter could be here, I miss him so much." Her words were intended to be sharp, and were ment for my ears, and I knew she wasn't happy about the whole Peter being banned thing, but I was too busy being overwhelmed by too many emotions to be sympathetic. Hate, anger, frustration, hate, loathing and love clawed at my insides. Did I mention hate?
"Oh for pity's sake Claire, will you not ever shut up about Peter?" Stephanie snapped and I was sure Claire's part in this particular production of Boyfriend and the Bitch, was over.
"Well excuse me! I know he's not exactly George Baxter but you're not the only one here missing a boy, and you're not the only one capable of feeling love!" Claire shot back, man had she got that right! Oh she ment herself…
"Gawd their hardly one and the same, George is leagues above Peter!" Stephanie said huffily, well she had a point there, not that I was siding with her or anything, but comparing Peter to George was like comparing a light bulb to the northern lights or a daisy to a rose. Peter was alright, but he was no George. Apparently Claire disagreed as she huffed and then left her sisters room slamming the door behind her.
Thank heavens! Now I didn't have to listen to them both. Claire's absence didn't seem to bother Stephanie though; she chuckled and walked over to the window, I looked over the edge of the roof and saw her mass of red curls. I swear it took every ounce of my self control to resist dislodging a roof tile and throwing it at her head.
"Pity you couldn't be here tonight George" Stephanie said dramatically gazing at her locket, Oscar winning performance right there! Though I her intended audience was not impressed "we had such fun the other night." That's it, get me a roof tile!
She pulled her head back inside, satisfied she had sufficiently incensed me, and click, click, clicked in her heels back into the room, switched on the radio or whatever it was and Leon Jackson, Creative belted out. With the swing music in my head I got the most unwelcome image of George and Stephanie dancing around her bedroom, and shook my head violently. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9… ten wasn't going to be high enough. Mercifully my mobile phone rang, Denial rang out and I dived for the phone, George.
"Hello." I answered and the music bellow me died, nosy cow!
"Robin! My father plans to act tonight!" whoa, straight in there with the news George, what happened to a simple hello?
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"My father Robin, he plans to move tonight, he wants the Kennedy family dead! Conner ran in to speak to him after you left and father had finished laying into me about stealing the car, I knew it was something important by the look on Conner's face, he was excited" George said the last word with such repulsion, I could practically see the look of contempt on his face, and im embarrassed to report George's anger made me go weak at the knees "so I hung back and listened through the door, its not as thick as fathers office door so I hear every word. Robin it's barbaric, even for father this is brutal, so its battle stations, everyone will be there in fifteen minuets and I'll be there in five, you need to get in Steph's room."
He was driving, he shouldn't be on the phone while he was driving that's dangerous, oh but I suppose if Princess Stephanie's life was in danger he could justify risking his own!
"Will do." I said professionally.
"I'll be there soon." He said and grudgingly hung up; well I wasn't going to pass him on the Stephanie if that was what he wanted!
Quickly I followed George's advice; I grabbed my rucksack and threw it over my shoulder as I lowered myself onto the window sill of Stephanie's room.
"Oh-my-god!" she exclaimed as I climbed through the window, she was sat at her vanity applying lipstick to her already rouged lips "do I not get any privacy?!"
"Not when your lives in danger." Said simply and dropped my bag to the floor so I could remove my bow and arrows.
"What do you mean?" she asked snappily.
"George just called me, Baxter's on his way now." I replied busy with my bow.
"To do what?!" Stephanie asked her voice rising.
"What did you think all of this was about?" I asked looking at her in disbelief "why did you think we were all here? Gawd sake we explained all this in the beginning, Baxter wants you dead." I said once again I didn't use any tact, well I am sorry but I was really losing my patience with this girl. Anyway I was still busy with my bow checking I had enough arrows when she span me round to look at her.
"Look here bitch! I don't want you here, so get lost. Look what you've done now, Mr Baxter's soldiers are coming to get me!" she really wasn't a happy bunny right now, but neither was I so I pulled her hands off me and stared back at her with the same loathing look she was giving me.
"You think I wanna be here? You think I don't have something better to do, some better cause than sitting her babysitting some pampered princess? And guess what, I don't like you either, but despite all that im here protecting your sorry arse! And do you want to know why? Because we couldn't save your father that's why, and I'll be damned if I can't grant him his final wish!" I yelled back at her, I well and truly had, had enough of her, but Miss mardy arse still wasn't happy.
"I don't believe you! I want to speak to George, your lying to me!" she said getting close to hysterics, this was completely different to the confident, tarty, conniving bitch she had been since I met her, she actually sounded scared. I sighed, how much more did I have to deal with today?
"Look, you could do that, or you could get your arse in gear and help me save you and your sister from the most brutal coldblooded killer in Locksdale!" I yelled back.
She thought about this for a moment before she gave her decision.
"How can I help?" she asked standing tall again, that was more like it.
Author note: small chapter I know but I promise to make up for it in the last few chapters : ) xx