Chapter Fourteen: Old Associate
Where Stephen went was anyone's guess. Audrey was worried yes but she was keeping quiet. The rest of the Platt family just think he's having some sort of a mental breakdown after a huge fall. He still had old associates, he couldn't really call them friends but they were as good as. One in particular sprung to mind as he went to the now retired Carrie Meyer's house in Manchester. She first came with him to England in 1996 and had settled down in Manchester years ago. He spent a night on her couch. Her husband wasn't best pleased but she told him he was an old business friend and he had to settle for it. His suitcase was placed underneath Carrie's dining room table. The now sixty-something odd woman came over with a cup of tea and a forced smile.
"Drink this and tell me what's going on. And be quick about it. I just spent all night having to convince Mark that we were never an item" Carrie spoke in her thick American accent (Mark being her husband).
"Sorry. I know I probably caused a stir but I don't have many options right now. You were my nearest port of call" Stephen responded as he forced himself up.
Drinking the hot cup of tea. He briefly looked around the house to see pictures up of her children and grandchildren. Carrie has been out of the business game for a while it looked like. She went into being a manager of a shop and retired with a nice bundle of money. Carrie kept looking at her own business acquaintance, remembering him when he was a young man.
"Okay. Well I would say I'm flattered but I'm not. You were never charming enough for that. Unlike most women, I saw you when you had a bad day" Carrie spoke with a wink.
"Are you still doing business?" Stephen asked her.
"Oh no. That's long gone now. Last thing I did with regarding business was a decade ago or maybe more. I retired after managing a few shops a few years back. I didn't want to end up like an ogre like some of our old friends"
"That's a shame. Look I'll cut to the chase, Carrie. I'm in a mess with my money and my finances. A messy divorce and debts led up to this mostly. I was working in a factory, Underworld" Stephen paused as he added..."Mike Baldwin's old factory"
"Oh! So you got it in the end after all...So tell me, how did you mess up?"
"The boss is a piece of work. Carla Barlow's she called. I want...No, I need you to do me a massive favour. I need somebody to go into the factory and get me some sort of compensation or at least collect my papers for me. I wouldn't usually ask but I'm desperate"
"Stephen. I haven't done business for at least fourteen years. I'm rusty" Carrie tried to tell him.
"Please. This is the only thing I need from you. I can't go back to that factory right now. She won't let me in and her thug of a husband is out for my blood"
"So you would rather send me instead? Charming as always"
"Carrie. This is no joke. I have nothing left so I need this one thing. Just go in on my behalf, be nice or whatever else you do to be for the bi..." Stephen paused again as he stopped himself outright saying it, begging "Please Carrie" again.
"A bitch is she? It's alright, you can say it. So you want me to go to Underworld on your behalf and ask her for your papers?"
"Yes and maybe see if there's anything else I'm entitled to. And if so, put it into your bank account and give it to me if there's anything at all"
"Oh Stephen! You haven't even got a bank account? And here's me thinking you just got a bit behind"
"I did have one but I had to pay back some daft woman twenty grand. She was stupid enough to put it into a business which may or may not have even worked out. Now her braindead son is threatening to call the cops on me!" Stephen exclaimed.
Carrie just put her head down as she couldn't believe it. Why was she roped into this all of a sudden? Stephen's a 'real great friend', isn't he? The rest of the morning was him having to explain the legal bad bits of the factory. His old business associate began to regret ever letting him back in. People like him were the reason she got out when she did.
...
Nonetheless, Carrie found herself driving to this 'Underworld' factory a few hours later. She hasn't been to Coronation Street for about twenty-eight years! The woman wondered what the Hell she was doing as she parked outside. Why did she agree to this? Wearing a pencil skirt and some blazer she found stuffed at the bottom of her wardrobe, she let herself out. Holding a clipboard to make Carla think she's important. Her skills were really rusty, her heyday was the 1990s and a lot has changed in business since then. Carrie breathed in before opening the factory doors and letting herself in. She walked through the factory towards Carla's office, getting stopped by a curious Sarah Barlow.
"Hello. Can I help you?" Sarah asked with a polite smile; not knowing who she was (or that she held her uncle up for the night).
"Oh yes. I'm looking for Carla Barlow" Carrie answered.
Sarah giving a nod as she told her she would go and get her. A slightly annoyed Carla soon emerged from the office. What was it now? Carrie introduced herself as 'Carrie Meyers'. She asked if she could talk in private as it was important business and thus Sarah was shooed away. Carrie followed Carla into the office as she sat down with her clipboard. She was taking her time in bringing up Stephen as she knew it would get a hostile reaction.
"So Carrie. What important business do you want? Because you haven't booked in with me or anything" Carla reminded her.
"No. Well it's a social call more than anything. You had a bad run in with one of my business associates recently. Stephen Reid-"
"I knew it! I just had a feeling as soon as I heard your accent! Listen Carrie, whatever lies he has spun you. Don't fall for it. I took him on in good faith because of his experience. And yeah I was catty towards him I admit. But he came in to my factory knowing he was in debt. He came in knowing he had everything to gain and that I had everything to lose"
"He did invest in your business, did he not?"
"Well actually no he didn't. Elaine was technically the investor since it was her money. I know the game, lady"
"Oh I know all about Elaine but it doesn't matter where the money came from. As long as it's legal. And it was. It was her prerogative if she wanted to take the risk, nobody lied to her. Stephen just wants his papers"
"You're good, Carrie. I'll give you that. You're painting a nice picture. Yeah sure, it doesn't matter legally speaking with regards to that. Though did Stephen talk about how he tried to get the workers to vote me out?"
"And did they?"
"No but the fact he even suggested it tells you everything, doesn't it? Look, you can tell that snivelling coward that he can have his papers. I'll go and print them right now" Carla told her with a fake sarcastic smile.
"There's no need to get personal" Carrie replied as she watched her click away on her laptop.
Carla just giving a strong sarcastic laugh. She could tell Carrie was old-school but the older woman was still not too bad despite her decade break.
"It got personal when he set out to ruin me" Carla remarked back; clicking the print button.
"That's just your opinion. He could argue you were the one who set out to ruin him. This 'nippersnapper' business was his niece's investment originally. He was going to move on but you had to keep him" Carrie spoke back.
"Like I said. You're good...Just not good enough. I got receipts from the earliest nippersnapper purchase, missing CCTV footage from certain dates have been logged down. It was all done on my premises"
"Okay. So he used your printer. His niece was fired unjustly and she thought she would take a chance on printing out the ideas in your factory-"
"Which made it unlicensed. Sarah and Michael are lucky I didn't fire them as well actually. But unlike Stephen, I actually can stomach them. Here you go, here's his precious papers" Carla retorted as she passed her his final logs and wage slips.
Carrie clipped them to the top of her clipboard and began reading through them. A brief knock on the office door came from Sarah. Though she was once again shooed away which just made her scoff. She forgot how much she hates working for Carla as she muttered insults under her breath as she walked away again. The older woman found that Stephen's final wage came in just before he left. Which means he isn't even owned that.
"Okay Carla. Well this is all he wanted really. Do you want me to pass on a message?" Carrie asked.
"Yeah I do actually. Tell him that if he ever steps foot in my factory again. I will have the police down here quicker than you can say 999" Carla answered as she opened the office door again.
"But it's not personal" Carrie responded with a slight look.
Carla just gave her one final small sarcastic smile. Telling her to get out and not to come back as she's got everything of his now. The factory lot giving her a look themselves as they watched her leave.
...
"Oh. He's sent a woman. The softly softly approach. How nice" Elaine spoke with sarcasm as she was Carrie's next port of call.
"Listen Elaine. Stephen's really sorry for how things worked out. Can I come in? It's purely to discuss the money" Carrie insisted.
Elaine paused for a moment before nodding. Letting this woman in however she was fuming inside. Thankfully everyone was out but she couldn't say for how long until one pops back in for a break.
"So he's got you to do his errands for him? He's a pathetic man" Elaine hissed.
"You're not the first woman to tell me that about him. Not even today. He's sure lost his charm with the ladies these days"
"He lied to me about something so personal. I just couldn't believe it"
"He is sorry about it truly however he was in a bad state. He needed the money to have any chance of getting back into business. He's always been ruthless when it concerns his work. You're not the first to be let down by other factors-"
"No, no, no! I was let down by him and him alone!" Elaine snapped.
"Okay. Whatever you say, I'm not here to hear about the personal problems. He is really sorry though if it means anything. What I'm here for is to tell you that this money is coming. So just wait a bit"
"I heard that before. If he's sorry, why isn't he here himself?"
"Because a lot of people are out for his blood. He doesn't want to suffer a beating right now. So will you wait a bit or do you hate him that much?"
"I don't hate him-"
"Then it's settled, isn't it? I know you care still otherwise you wouldn't still be asking. It's a tough world, Elaine. And it keeps getting tougher. Just chill out and wait for your money" Carrie finished.
Elaine just remained silent as she watched her write down her own number. She passed it over to her and told her to ring her in a bit to discuss the repayments. Stephen's lost his mobile you see. Elaine took it with a sigh, placing the number in her pocket. Carrie expressed that she would keep in touch and thus she was seen out. She walked back towards her car, watched by a still clearly heartbroken Elaine. She was clearly still longing for Stephen despite everything he's done and said. Carrie could tell too. She drove away from the street finally and hoped she wouldn't see it again.
...
Carrie arrived back in Manchester city centre and drove to a nearby hotel. She paid on Stephen's behalf for him to stay a couple nights. She parked her car outside and met him in the small lobby of this 'Travelodge'. Stephen was back in a suit and tie to at least keep up the pretence to strangers. His oldest associate gave him a wave and a smile as she passed him the clipboard and his papers. She sat on the stool besides him.
"Carla's a nightmare. You weren't wrong about her. As for Elaine, she's thick as two planks but she's clearly in love with you. So don't go burning your bridges with her, I reckon a quick sorry will make her forget about your outburst" Carrie began as she cut to the chase.
"Why do I get all the needy women?"
"Stephen!" Carrie shouted in jest as she gave him a light tap on his arm.
"I didn't mean you-"
"Careful now. I know you didn't, I'm only teasing. I mean it though, this Elaine woman is probably your last chance. Surely your mom will come around again too, she loves you"
"There's no going back with mom-"
"Nonsense. Mothers always forgive their sons. Just play nice, you did know how to do that at one point. Be ruthless in the lobby, be lovey in the bedroom. That's how it works"
"I really can't stand Elaine's wittering on. She's stupid"
"So what. Saves a stint in jail, doesn't it? Take my old advice like it's 1996 again. Go round, say sorry and grovel. Because I'm not paying for more than three nights, even if it is only Travelodge" Carrie said with a warm smile.
He put his head in his hands with a defeated laugh. Maybe he would have to grovel to Elaine again. He hated that his future depended upon a woman he couldn't even stand. Audrey wasn't saying anything about the 'murders', something he once again had managed to repress. He looked back up as he asked to borrow her mobile to ring Elaine and grovel. Carrie passing it over, turning towards the bar while he did so as she ordered herself a glass of water.
"Hello?" Elaine answered nervously; expecting this to be Carrie already.
"Don't put the phone down. Just listen to me, Elaine. Carrie's told me about before and I am really sorry"
"I just want my money"
"Listen Honey, you will get it-"
"Don't you Honey me! I was lied to so many times by Geoff when I was with him. I'm not taking it again. Not ever" Elaine cried.
"I'm nothing like Geoff. I was in a really bad state, okay. I lied to a lot of people, not just you. However you were the hardest person to lie to, I promise. Because I do love you" Stephen replied, pulling out the big guns in this last-ditch attempt.
"Then why did you make me feel so worthless?" Elaine managed to ask through her tears.
"Because I felt worthless myself. My bad vibe passed onto you and it shouldn't have. Listen. If you want me to, I can come over in a day or two. Whenever you want, I'm at the local Travelodge in Manchester city centre. Mom threw me out over the whole Sarah business"
"Was everything you said about Gabrielle really a lie?"
"No. Not everything...I don't know why I said that. She still gets in my head I guess, makes me out to be the bad guy"
"Okay then. I'll come tonight but if you tell me one more lie, it's over"
"Sure. Mark my words, it won't be like it was before" Stephen finished.
Thus the phone call was over. He passed it over to Carrie who looked somewhat surprised. Stephen really knows how to lie when he wants to, it's why she never got too personal with him. She knows what's he like. Stephen knew what she must be thinking as he repeated what she said...
"Be ruthless in the lobby, lovey in the bedroom"
"Job done I guess. How are you going to be able to stomach her for that long? At least you didn't have to pretend to love the other women you fooled" Carrie reminded him.
"I'll find a way. You have to do some things you don't want to do sometimes"
...
TBC