CHAPTER 57 of 65
I DO NOT OWN EMMERDALE OR IT'S CHARACTERS, THEY ALL BELONG TO ITV1
A/N:THANKS for all your kind reviews...and yet another chapter rolls out...it's an uphill struggle...BUT I will get there!
Aaron parked in the parking bay outside the tower block Tom lived at...he looked up to see if he could see the lights on...and he could.
Aaron reached to the backseat of his beefed up Ford Fiesta, he smiles at Clyde's dog blanket...he had kept it...the only thing he HAD kept after Clyde were murdered by mad Mickey.
But that blanket would suit the new dog, when they went to pick it up tomorrow...Clyde 2...if he mentioned that to Jack a few times, he would name him that...after all Jackson had said he wanted the kid to name it...Clyde 2 out of Jack's mouth would go down nicely...he just had to make it LOOK like it was Jack's idea...and not his.
Aaron jumped out his car, and after locking it up, made for the stairwell...the lift was ALWAYS out of order from previous experience.
After climbing the concrete steps, he made his way round the walkway to Tom's flat, and rapped on the door.
THERE WAS NO ANSWER...
Aaron knocked again, fishing out his phone from his pocket, but before he could contact Tom, his very voice was speaking through the letter box at him, " Aaron...is that you..."
Aaron rolled his eyes, "COURSE it's me...TOM what's GOING ON...open the door will yah..."
Aaron pulled a face as he heard all the lock and bolts UNLOCK...and then the door was pulled open slowly...
Aaron peered inside to see Tom standing in the hallway, " Tom...what's this about mate..." Tom was shaking...he'd never seen him like this before, " TOM...what IS it mate!"
Tom looked away, and nodded toward the kitchen, Aaron turned his head...he gasped, his eyes focusing on the VERY last thing he expected to see...
Matt lying motionless on the kitchen floor...a knife sticking out of his side, and a great pool of red congealed blood pooled out around him...there was also blood along the sink, the counter and running down the wall, and as Aaron was placing both hands to his face, fingertips covering his nose, he realised Tom was covered in blood too...
Tom stared at him, his face blotchy where he had been crying, Aaron again stared towards the horrific display in the kitchen, " Tom..." he said unsurely, " what the...FUCK has happened..."
Tom came forward, thumbing in the direction of the lounge, " Wanna game of... on the X BOX...I...", he then disappeared into the lounge, Aaron tore his gaze grom the nightmare scene in the kitchen, he hurried after him, " TOM!...what the fuck...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" he cried, he was getting stressed, hands rubbing over his shaven head.
Tom sat in the arm chair, " YOU can choose the game...", he simply said, Aaron shook his head in disbelief, " What..."
Tom pointed to the X BOX, " the GAME...YOU choose...mind you...you always seem to beat me at everything...", Aaron rubbed his cheek, and fronted Tom in the armchair, " Tom...LOOK at me..." Aaron ordered, but Tom just kept scanning the titles to the games, this made Aaron flip out, " LOOK AT ME TOM!", Tom slowly took his gaze toward Aaron...
"Tom...", he placed his hands on Tom's shoulders, " WHAT HAVE YOU DONE...", Tom started getting fidgety, " He...he..." he stood and went out into the hallway, Aaron was on his heel, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Tom leaning over Matt's motionless form, " HE'S ONLY PLAYING...HE DOES THAT!...PLAY GAMES...YOU KNOW THAT!", the hint of a smile on Tom's face made him feel uneasy, " Tom mate...I don't think HE'S messing with yah mate..."
Tom looked at him, then moved toward the sink, Aaron set his gaze down to Matt, he had to get a closer look, to check...to check on WHAT he expected.
Aaron moved to Matt and crouched down, careful to avoid the congealed blood, gentley, he placed his fingers onto Matt's pulse upon his neck...he could feel nothing...but WHAT if the pulse was just weak...he wasn't a medic...just a mechanic...he was WELL out of his comfort zone here!
Aaron glanced all around Matt's spralled out form, and then stood, " Tom...WHEN did this happen..."
Tom turned from the sink, his head was shaking, his voice cracked, " HE TRIED TO THROTTLE ME...I HAD TO DO THAT...I'D BE DEAD OTHERWISE...!" he cried, pointing to Matt.
Aaron stepped over Matt's form, " Tom, I'm NO expert...but I think HE'S DEAD!", Tom shook his head his head at him, "NAH...He's only playing...I JUST SAID...he does that!"
Aaron throw his hands over his shaven head, " TOM!...didn't you not CALL an ambulance...ARE they coming...DIDN'T YOU CALL ANYONE...", Tom was silent, so Aaron grabbed him roughly, he wanted to shake him, " TOM!"
Tom snapped his head at him, " I called YOU!"
Aaron looked at him, in disbelief, " YOU called ME...why...Tom WHY...WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL AN AMBULANCE!", he began pointing his finger, " HOW long ago Tom...HOW LONG!" he yelled.
Tom was shaking, " 1...2 hours ago..." he said absently, Aaron's eyes widened in horror at him, " 2 HOURS!...Tom!..."
Aaron snatched out his mobile, Tom looked at him, " w-what are you doing Aaron..."
"CALLING the police!" Aaron snapped, Tom instantly lashed his hand out, and Aaron's phone went flying, " TOM WHAT THE!"
Tom was giving him a pleading look, " Aaron please...please Aaron...I'll go to prison won't I...", it was now starting to all dawn on him.
Aaron placed his hands behind his head...he was placing about, " WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST CALL AN AMBULANCE...WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS!"
Tom went from shaking to quivering, " he was throttling ME!...look", Tom held up his face to show the reddness around his neck, " HE wouldn't let GO of me...I were SCARED!...I...the knife came to hand...I was losing my mind...I HAD TO USE IT!...it just sorta went in"
Aaron could clearly see the marks around Tom's neck...this made it better, he thought, this made it look NOT quite as bad...EVEN THOUGH IT WAS BAD!
Aaron knew he had to hold it together, " Tom...WE need to call the coppers mate...WE have to...he's dead...WITH that much blood lose...and you SAYING it's been like 2 hours...he gotta be dead!"
Tom was biting his bottom lip, " maybe I should call the ambulance..."
"AND they're DO what exactly...HE'S DEAD TOM...they'd call the police anyway wouldn't they" reasoned Aaron.
He reached down to the floor, and snatched up his mobile, his eyes focused on Tom's...he could see the fear in Tom's green eyes, " I've gotta Tom...I've gotta mate...", he made the call, and Tom couldn't listen, he went into the lounge and sat down...
Aaron shakily reported the incident, and gave full details of where they were, after ending the call, Aaron moved into the lounge, Tom was staring down to the carpet, " they're on their way...I think they said something about a duty doctor...you know they're..."
Tom looked up at him, " make sure he's dead...", Aaron just sort of nodded at him, " They said DON'T touch owt..."
Tom felt cold...and frightened...this wasn't supposed to be like this...Matt had just come to collect his stuff...not end up in a heated row...and HIM being killed...
Killed...killed...KILLED...HE WAS DEAD...HE HAD KILLED A MAN...A PERSON...
Tom's mind span...did he do this...he couldn't see it now...it was a blur...all of it...but Matt had his hands around his neck...WHAT was he supposed to do...let him strangle the life out of him...
But Tom then was conflicted...what if Matt was JUST playing...what if he had let go in a split second AFTER he had stabbed him...what if it was HE who acted TOO rashly...
Aaron stood in the doorway, "look...I don't know what's gonna happen when THEM coppers get here...but I'll stay with yah...alright..." he told, trying to reassure him.
Tom looked up to him, " Aaron...can you hold me...please", Aaron pulled a face at him, "hold yah...what do mean..."
"HOLD ME...I'm scared Aaron...I'm scared...", Aaron swallowed...he could clearly see Tom was really getting up set...and the fear in his tone.
Aaron sat on the arm of the chair, and pulled Tom's head towards his chest, Tom was beginning to sob now, " what do I say...will they arrest me straight away...I don't know how all this works...", Aaron raised his eyebrowes, " and I do..." he asked, " Tom...I just think they'll question yah first...ASK yah what happened...I suppose the doctor will...you know...make sure he's dead..."
Tom sobbed harder, Aaron wasn't very good at this, " look...JUST tell them what you told me...IT was self defense yeah...SHOW em the marks on yah neck...WHAT he tried to do for you!"
After the police arrived, the duty doctor examined Matt in the kitchen, Aaron sat in the lounge, all he could hear was police radios crackling into life every now and then, a police officer stood guard in the lounge watching him...and Tom who sat trance like in the arm chair, Aaron faced the window to see that police tape was being errected, and some neighbours were told to stay in doors.
Aaron turned, glanced over at Tom, and then up to the police officer, "is it alright if I make a quick call...I need to phone me partner, he's gonna want to know what's keeping me like...", the police officer just stared at him...Aaron took unbridge at this and stood up, the police officer watched him..." I SAID...I wanna make a call...ARE DEAF OR WHAT!"
" I'm sure it will be fine to make that call..." said the plain clothes detective, entering the lounge, Aaron put his mobile to his ear, " Jackson it's me...look...JUST SHUT YAH MOANING WILL YAH...I'm gonna be late...REALLY late...somethings happened...", he glanced over at Tom and paused and swallowed, " Something really bad...NO...I can't go into it now...just...just wait up for me...please..."
After his call to Jackson, Aaron was led out the room and questioned by another detective in the hallway...the kitchen door had now been shut off, obscuring any view of Matt's body.
The detective was female, and said her name was Hunt, " you told us before about Tom calling you...can you tell me how he sounded..."
Aaron glared at her, " AS I said to yah before...HE were upset...REAL upset...PANIC...I could sorta pick up panic in his voice like..."
The police woman was taking this all down in her note book, as two more officers came through, the detective smiled at Aaron "excuse me...Mr Livesy..", Aaron could see her conferring with her colleagues, something about THEM being here...
The lady detective turned back to Aaron, " CAN we all just step into the lounge please...", she ushered Aaron through the door, where the male Detective had been questioning Tom, the door was closed, and a police officer pulled the curtains shut at the window.
"What's going on..." asked Tom, Aaron looked at the male detective for the answer, " the undertakers are going to be taking the deceased out the house...best to give him dignity"
Aaron shook his head, " WHY should HE have any dignity for nearly throttling him!" he waved his hand toward Tom.
The male detective turned, ignoring Aaron's remark, and turned to face Tom " once it's done...I am going to formally arrest you, and take you done to the station for further questioning...do you understand..."
Tom shook his head, Aaron shook his head, " arrest him!...for what...THAT GUY was a messed up in the head mate!" he spat.
The detective turned to Aaron, "I understand that my colleague HAS taken down your statement Mr Livesy, we have your details...there will be no need for any more of you helping with our enquires tonight, until we need to speak to you again..."
Aaron felt helpless...he felt like having a right go...but that wouldn't do Tom any favours...
After the Private Ambulance had driven off, Tom was formally arrested, and after being cuffed, he was lead to a police panda car outside.
There were now a hoard of onlookers...standing on their belconies, wondering what the heck had gone off.
Aaron could do nothing but jump into his car, and watched the panda car drive away, he had managed to tell Tom he'll be there for him...but Tom could say nowt back to him.
The flat continued to have a police presence at it...would do until the forensic people had finished what they were doing..they had even taken HIS prints...routine they had said to him.
Aaron felt shaken now, as he drove back to Emmerdale, first he thought about maybe waiting down at the station to get any news on Tom...but all he wanted now was Jackson.
After finally parking up outside Dale head, Aaron glanced at the clock on the dash display, it had gone 1.30 in the morning.
Aaron climbed out the car, and hurried to the door...the lights were on.
Letting himself inside, Aaron slipped in and closed the door quickly, and quietly as he could.
Jackson was in the kitchen, he was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee cradled in his hands, he looked up, " SO..." he asked, the hint of anger in his tone.
Aaron could feel his hands shaking...it was only now that it was dawning on him what had happened tonight...
Tom had killed Matt...
It didn't feel real back at the flat...not even with Matt lying there in the kitchen in his own blood.
Aaron looked at Jackson, " Jackson...I...", Jackson instantly sensed something was wrong, he stood up and came to him concerned, " Aaron what is it..." he asked gentley, knowing how to exactly handle Aaron when he was like this...
"Can...can you hold me..." whispered Aaron...his voice shakey...unsure.
Jackson raised his eyebrowes, mouth agape, " what's this!...Aaron Livesy ASKING me for a hug...usually it's ME who holds you..."
"Jackson please!" he begged, he sounded desparate, a tear rolling down his cheek.
And Jackson came forward and held him tight, his chin nestling Aaron's neck...wondering WHAT on earth could have happened tonight...
TBC...
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