21 May 2012
"Bed time now, come on you got school in the morning" Susan spoke with authority this time, so as not to be ignored again. "Oh mum can't I just stay up for half an hour please?. Jeff don't mind, do you Jeff?". Jeff looked up from the paper he was reading. "Your mums the boss Danny, come on you must know that by now". Indeed Danny did know who the boss was. Since his real dad died when Danny was six his mum had gone from a housewife to the main breadwinner overnight. An extremely tough women who took on three jobs at the time to pay the bills. This had all seemed to have an effect on her personality as well. She went from a mild mannered lady who would always avoid confrontation to a strong willed women who didn't take no shit from anyone (Danny and Jeff included).
Jeff had come on the scene only a couple of years ago. Jeff a mobile mechanic had come to Susan's rescue when she had broken down in the middle of nowhere, on the way to her mums out in the country. Jeff had been passing through but stopped to help the 'damsel in distress' and had left with her phone number and a good amount of her car oil on his overalls. Jeff had turned out to be a decent bloke who works hard and provides the much needed extra income. As soon as Susan was sure that Jeff and Danny didn't hate each other and got on well together she took Danny aside one day and told him Jeff would be moving in. Danny didn't object as he did actually like the man, despite the fact he was an Arsenal supporter and Danny was Spurs, no ones perfect right.
The only thing that bothered Danny about Jeff was that he had made the garage a bit of a no go area, what with all his tools and equipment. Danny used to have his scalextrics set up in his garage and his friends used to come round and they would spend hours racing round the figure of eight track never getting bored. Jeff had countered this with setting the track up in the spare bedroom but for some reason it just didn't have the same feel as the garage.
The only time Danny had seen Jeff lose his cool was when he was caught red handed rummaging through his tool box looking for a spanner for his bike. "Get your dirty hands out of me tool box" he had said in a manner which unnerved Danny. It was the first and only time Jeff's cool persona had dropped a little. But he said sorry immediately and explained to Danny how he had all his tools stolen once and that he doesn't like anyone going through his tools. He had said that with a smile but Danny didn't like the cold look he saw in Jeff's eyes that day.
22nd December and it was Danny's 14th birthday. He had woken up extra early all excited, praying for that mountain bike that he had dropped enough hints for. Being a Saturday he knew his mum and Jeff wouldn't be up for at least another hour "It must be in the garage" he thought to himself and he couldn't stop himself from sneaking outside and opening the garage door as quietly as possible. There it stood leaning against an old car bonnet a brand new bright shiny red Muddy Fox mountain bike complete with a red bow tied around the handlebars. Danny was absolutely made up and wanted to take it out right there and then but knew he was not supposed to even know yet. He was about to go back indoors and wait for his mum and Jeff to wake up when he noticed an old looking scrap book on top of Jeff's toolbox.
When Danny opened the first page he noticed it was all made up of newspaper clippings that had been stuck in, the headline of the first article on the first page read "The Lost Girl's" the story was about a women who had three daughters Kim, Sue and Debra, who had vanished along with her Husband to be way back in 1989 and had never been seen since. As Danny turned the page there was another article this time under the heading "Mums World Falls Apart". This one was about a mum who's only son had vanished with her live in lover in 1992 Danny noticed at the bottom that it said her live in lover was a car mechanic who had come to her rescue one rainy night when her car had broken down. Danny was almost sick, he had to warn his mum. As he turned the pages there were dozens of stories all with the same outcome. "Enjoying my scrap book Danny boy?". Danny turned round in horror to see Jeff standing right behind him with that evil look in his eye Danny remembered from before. He took out a bottle of pills and rattled them. "Don't worry about your mum Danny boy, shes fast asleep". He said, before laughing, an evil sounding laugh that Danny had never heard him do before. "Besides, its you I came for".
"I don't believe its breaking down, come on you piece of shit not now". Ann was on her way to visit her parents. "It was fine yesterday, bloody thing". Ann pulled over on the country lane got out and lifted the car bonnet even thou she didn't know the first thing about cars. "I may as well be looking at a spaceship engine" she said to herself out loud. She was about to ring for help when a car pulled up behind and a tall dark handsome looking man got out. "I think it's your lucky day love" he said as he shut his car door behind him and rolled up his sleeves. "Im a mechanic the names Jeff".
The Lost Girls • Opuss № I