Games Lovers Play (21 page)

He stood up. ‘No, I'm sorry, Kay, but you and your boyfriend will have to rethink your plans. My daughter isn't going anywhere!'

As he walked to the door, Kay followed him. ‘In that case I'll see you in court!'

He stopped suddenly and turning said, ‘What? What on earth do you mean?'

‘If you won't be reasonable, we have no choice but to let a court decide Susan's future.' She stared coldly at him. ‘This is not the way I want things, John. I'll give you twenty-four hours to reconsider. I know this has been a shock to you, it's been rather a surprise to me, but Edward will be leaving in three months' time and by then we'll be married.'

At a loss for words, he opened the door and left the house.

It was Connie's habit to walk along to the Tudor Cafe during her lunch break for a snack. She'd just ordered a sandwich and a coffee when to her surprise John Baker walked in and, coming over to her table, asked if he could join her. She was about to refuse until she saw the pallor of his face. She nodded her approval.

‘Are you all right?' she asked.

‘No, I'm not. I saw Kay yesterday and she told me she was getting married!'

Connie's first thought was
gracious, that's quick
. The divorce hadn't been finalized for that long. But she could see that her ex-lover was shaken by the news.

‘Who's she marrying?'

‘Edward Harrington.'

Connie didn't know the man but there had been an article in the local paper recently about his resignation – and a picture of him. She'd thought he was very good-looking, but realized it would be unkind to say so and kept silent.

‘And what's more they are going to live in Paris for a year.'

‘How lovely,' she said without thinking. ‘I would love to do that.'

He glared at her. ‘They want to take Susan with them!'

She then realized why he looked so drawn. ‘Paris isn't that far away, John. It's not as if they are going to the ends of the earth.'

‘I don't care, I just can't allow it!' He then went into a long tirade about the situation.

She tried to reason with him. ‘I know this isn't perhaps what you expected but surely you must have realized that Kay getting married again was a possibility, as it is for you.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘To be honest I can't see you going through life alone. One day you'll meet someone you'll want to settle down with.'

‘This isn't about marriage, this is about my daughter!'

‘I can see you're unhappy about this, John, but you sound like the victim here and you're not! Had you been a good husband the whole scenario would be different!'

He glared at her. ‘That's shoving the knife in, Connie. How could you?'

‘Because it's the truth! I know you love Susan, but do you have the right to interfere with her future? After all I'm sure you'll be able to see her at some time.'

‘Only in school holidays!'

‘Think how wonderful that'll be. You could take a holiday in Paris and explore the city together. That would be nice for both of you. After all, how could you take care of her? You work all day. You wouldn't be able to meet her from school, make her tea. She needs to be with her mother. Surely you can see that?'

She drank her coffee, wrapped her sandwich in a paper napkin and rose to her feet. ‘Think about Susan, John, and stop thinking about yourself for once!'

As she walked back to the store she thought
good for you, Kay Baker! I hope you'll be very happy!
If all went well, in the future she would be Mrs Sam Knight. How ironic. Two of John's women, marrying other people, leaving him to lick his wounds. That had to be some kind of justice.

It was race day and Sam and his friends were full of hope. The car had been thoroughly tested and was ready two days beforehand which had given the three men a bit of breathing space before the big day. It had also allowed Sam to rest up, as this race was long and arduous. For once they hadn't needed to work on the vehicle up until the last moment and it had stood in the garage in Shirley, ready and waiting.

It was a Sunday meeting so Connie had been able to accompany Sam to Brands Hatch to watch. She stood by as the drivers climbed into their cars and drove to the starting line. Jake Barton drew up beside Sam as he was climbing into his car.

‘Today is mine, Knight!' he said with a sneer. ‘You don't stand a chance.'

Sam just grinned at him. ‘We'll see,' he said and started the engine.

Connie overhead the comment, but there was something about Barton's attitude that chilled her. Whenever this man was in the same race as Sam, it filled her with foreboding, but never as much as today. She looked at Tom.

Sensing her dismay he said, ‘Don't you take no notice of him, love. He's full of bull!'

But as she watched them drive away, her stomach tightened with apprehension.

The race began. The noise was almost overwhelming as each lap was driven flat out, drivers jockeying for position. She had to admit that Jake Barton was driving well. He and Sam were moving up the field with each lap, always within a car or two of each other, until there were just four laps to go.

Sam was aware that Jake was on his tail and creeping up slowly until he was just behind him as he approached the most dangerous corner on the track. Sam put his foot on the brake ready to drop down a gear but his foot went straight to the floor. There was no traction at all. He pumped the brake, but to no avail, and he was heading for the corner at speed. There was no way he was going to make it, and he knew it. The car hit a pile of tyres and spun, then it flew into the air, turning over and over, before it crashed into a barrier, thankfully clear of the spectators and the track. Barton drove past, laughing loudly.

Connie screamed when she saw the car crash. Tom grabbed her as she made to rush over to the spot. ‘You stay put, girl, and wait a bit or you'll get yourself killed!' The other cars rushed by.

They both waited hoping to see Sam climb out of the vehicle, but all they saw were the stewards, using their fire extinguishers, pre-empting a fire. Then they saw them lifting Sam gingerly out of the driver's seat and putting him on a stretcher, and then he was carried to an ambulance, which, as always, was standing by.

Both Tom and Connie ran, pushing their way through the crowds, leaving Harry to see to the car. They got there just in time to allow the two of them to go with the ambulance to the hospital.

A paramedic was holding a mask over Sam's face, whilst another man was checking his vital signs.

‘Is he going to be all right?' Connie asked, hardly daring to breathe.

‘We won't know until we get him to the hospital,' he said.

Once they arrived, Sam was rushed to the operating theatre, and Connie and Tom were told to wait.

‘What could have happened?' asked Connie, her voice filled with despair.

Tom looked puzzled. ‘I can't imagine. Sam drove into the corner far too fast. That's not like him at all; he would have braked, changed gear and
then
put his foot down. I don't understand it at all.'

Three hours later, the surgeon emerged from the operating theatre and walked towards them. They both got to their feet and waited.

‘Mr Knight is going to be all right, eventually,' were his first words.

Connie thought she was going to faint with relief.

‘However,' continued the surgeon, ‘he did sustain some serious injuries. One of his legs is broken, his pelvis and two of his ribs. He dislocated his shoulder, and he's concussed. I'm afraid he won't be racing again for some considerable time.'

‘Can we see him?' asked Connie.

‘Not now, miss. He still hasn't come round from the anaesthetic. Come back this evening.'

Outside they took a taxi back to the circuit. Harry was waiting for them, the tangled remains of the car loaded on the truck. Connie looked at the wreck and thought how lucky Sam was to have come out of it alive.

Harry immediately asked for the latest news and listened carefully to what was said. ‘Thank God for that. Once we've got the car home we'll take it to pieces and examine it closely because no way would Sam have taken that corner at that speed, unless he had no choice!'

‘You think there was a mechanical fault?' asked Tom.

‘No, I don't! We both know the car was mechanically sound, but it was in the garage for two days. Maybe someone got to it.'

‘Oh my God!' Tom was shaken. ‘I was so shocked to see Sam crash, I didn't have time to think.' He paused. ‘Who won the race?'

‘Jake Barton.' Harry stared at his mate. ‘Now that makes me very suspicious. Remember how he baited Sam before the race? He never does that, he always keeps well away. It's almost as if he knew something was going to happen.'

‘If that's the case, we'll never be able to prove it,' said Tom.

‘Well, we'll check the car first before we jump to conclusions,' was Harry's advice.

That evening, Connie and Tom returned to the hospital, hoping to see Sam. They were told they could only stay a few minutes and they were not to tire the patient.

Connie smothered a cry when she saw Sam, covered in bandages and his leg in plaster. He looked pale and drawn as he gave a wan smile as they entered his room.

Connie took his hand and leaned forward to kiss him, making sure she didn't put any pressure on his injured body. ‘Hello, darling.'

Tom stood beside her. ‘Hello, mate! You gave us all a bloody fright, I can tell you. What happened?'

In a voice that was barely audible Sam whispered, ‘No brakes. My foot went to the floor.'

Just then a nurse came in and told them they'd have to leave.

‘I'll be back tomorrow, Sam,' said Tom. ‘You take care.' He walked away to give Connie a moment alone.

Trying to be calm for her lover's sake, Connie kissed him softly and said, ‘As soon as we can we'll have you moved back to Southampton, and when you come out of hospital I'll kill you with kindness.'

‘I'd like that,' he said. ‘But don't you worry, darling, I'll be fine.'

But as Connie walked down the corridor with Tom, she wondered just how long it would take for Sam to recover.

Tom, however, was deep in thought and was silently seething. He knew something had to be wrong for Sam to have made such a mistake on that corner. He was too good a driver for that. There was no doubt in his mind that Jake Barton was behind it, but how could they prove it?

Three days later Sam was moved down to the South Hants Hospital, in Southampton, which made it easier for Connie and Sam's friends and family to visit. But it became obvious that the recovery time would take months.

In the garage, Tom, Harry and young Jimmy started the arduous task of sifting through the wreckage, trying to locate the fault in the brakes.

The local paper had been full of Sam's crash and the injuries he'd sustained, sympathizing with the fact that this popular driver would be incapacitated for months ahead and wondering if he'd ever race again. There had been no mention at all of Barton's win. No photographs of him holding the trophy.

John Baker had also read the article. Having watched Sam race and recognizing his talent, he did feel sympathetic. Had Sam not been Connie's boyfriend he would have liked to have known him better. He had his own problems, however. He'd been to his solicitor to get advice about contesting the custody of his daughter, but his solicitor had advised against it.

‘The court will uphold the mother's right,' he said. ‘She will be free to care for Susan, whereas you work and would have to employ a nanny. The court will say the child should remain with the mother. She's offered to let you have Susan during the school holidays, so she's not being difficult.'

Baker eventually had to accept his advice, as he was told it would be wasted money to take such a case to court. He reluctantly rang Kay and agreed to her demands.

The following day he walked over to Connie's counter, which was without any customers at that moment, and said how sorry he was to read of Sam Knight's accident.

Connie was taken by surprise. ‘Thank you, John. He's coming along well, but of course when he'll be able to race again is still in doubt.' Knowing his situation she asked, ‘How are things with you?'

He looked crestfallen. ‘Susan will go to Paris with her mother and her mother's new husband when they marry,' he said. ‘I'm not happy about it but I don't have much choice.' He gazed at her and said, ‘We have both had a rough time. Perhaps we could get together for a drink and commiserate with each other?'

‘I don't think that's a good idea,' she said.

‘I don't see why not. We both need a bit of comfort at the moment, we could help each other through the rough times.'

‘What game are you playing now, John? Do you think I'm in such a state I'll come rushing back into your arms, is that it?'

From his enigmatic smile she knew that was just what he was thinking. ‘You will never understand me. I love Sam, and even if we were to part, I'd never run back to you. Now leave me alone.' She walked away.

Kay Baker was rushing around like a demented flee, trying to prepare for her forthcoming wedding. Edward spent several days in Paris on business, looking for somewhere to live and searching for a school for Susan. That evening he was due home and Kay was preparing dinner after bathing Susan and putting her to bed.

When she opened the door, she could see how tired Edward was. She kissed him and ushered him into the kitchen and poured him a gin and tonic. ‘You look as if you need this, darling.'

He rubbed his eyes. ‘Thanks, it has been somewhat hectic,' he said and sat down on a stool. ‘However, I've found us a nice apartment overlooking the Seine and a school for Susan. It's an International one using the English curriculum so the teachers all speak English. She'll learn French, of course.'