Jemma's Dilemma Ch. 08

Kyle sat, his left foot tapping softly against his right in agitation as he waited for the debt collector to take his seat behind the large oak desk.

The study was deliberately intimidating, over large, the walls wood panelled where they weren't covered with bookcases full of every type of book imaginable. The floor was fine, polished wood and his shoes made a nervous clacking noise until the man silenced him with one stare, pulling out his leather bound wingbacked chair with barely a sound.

Sitting down silently, the man crossed his arms and stared at Kyle inscrutably. Seconds passed, then minutes, neither spoke. Finally Kyle could stand it no longer.

"Where's Jemma?" he blurted out anxiously. The man said nothing, just continued to stare and Kyle wondered whether perhaps in the days since Jemma vanished he'd become delusional. Was he really here or was it an illusion? He'd always sworn never to return and the man in front of him could have been a statue for all his lack of reaction, he didn't appear even to blink as he waited.

"Tell me where she is you bastard!" he shouted, losing it and slamming his hands down on the desk. The man didn't even appear to notice Kyles agitation, just continued to sit motionless, the action seeming somehow more intimidating than if he'd responded. Standing, Kyle made as if to move around the desk. This, it appeared, provoked a reaction.

"Sit!" the man commanded quietly and Kyle dropped instantly to his seat, recognising that tone of voice and kicking himself for coming here like this. Why did he have to be so damn impulsive? He should have known better than to try and circumvent the rules.

Shaking slightly, he watched as the debt collector pushed a sheet of paper across the desk. Kyle recognised it instantly, his signature at the bottom a dead giveaway. With fear in his eyes he looked up at the man, wondering why he'd brought that up. He'd paid his debts, even taken the unenviable step of declaring bankruptcy as had been required, the document was largely irrelevant now.

Okay, so maybe he'd slipped back into his old ways a little. The day the stamp had been put on their file marking it cleared he'd taken himself off for a pint to celebrate and run into some old friends. And the agreement surely didn't stand when the debt was cleared.

Besides he'd been grateful for the company, Jemma had been at work, Jemma was always at work these days, he didn't understand why she'd pushed so hard to get the debt paid over three years. The court had offered five, even ten years but she'd been adamant that she wanted it paid as soon as possible.

So it was only reasonable that he hook up with some old friends for a night on the town. Jemma hadn't cared, he didn't think she'd even noticed to be honest. The only thing she'd noticed was when he got this new job. And despite trying to tell himself otherwise, he suspected part of the reason she'd been so happy was that he wouldn't be sitting around the house making mess and washing up. Sometimes he wondered if she even liked him any more, let alone loved him.

Despite this, he still worried about her and, when she'd vanished so uncharacteristically after that rather bizarre phone message, he'd known exactly where to find her.

Staring sullenly up at the debt collector, he waited for him to explain what this was about. With a sigh and a disappointed look, the man started to speak in a weary tone.

"We had a deal did we not?"

"We did," Kyle replied quickly, "and I paid off the debt exactly as we agreed."

"How much of the debt did you pay off? You, not the young lady. You personally."

"Well," Kyle stuttered, knowing that he'd somehow managed to fuck up somewhere, "I'm not entirely sure, everything went into a joint account and Jemma made sure everything was paid. She's better with money than me."

Perusing another sheet on the desk the man pushed it to join the contract in front of Kyle.

"That is a break-down of your joint income and expenditure for the past three years. According to my accountant you contributed 20% of the income and yet almost 40% of the expenses are attributable to you.

"So I ask again, how much of the debt did you personally pay off?"

Confused, Kyle tried to make sense of the figures in front of him, sure, most of the spending seemed to be on his side, but still. Skimming down the list various items caught his eye. Tv & X-box £900. Well yes that had been mostly for him, but he had to do something when he was home alone at night and £900 was nothing compared to what he would have spent if he'd gone out each evening so he'd actually saved a few thousand on just that item.

Roller blades and bicycle £1,230. That too saved money, it was a good hour walk to work and at the end of the day he just wanted to get home and relax. The blades and bike had meant he could get home from work in 15 minutes or so and were often quicker than taking the bus. With a ticket costing a good £2 each way that must have saved thousands as well.

In fact what had Jemma done to save money? She'd gone and bought that death trap of a car to get to and from work and it drank petrol. There it was, Car £300, Petrol £1,500. I mean there you go, she was costing them thousands while he was saving them money.

Well on that basis...

"I think it was a pretty even split actually," he said, pleased with himself for working it out. He'd never been much good with numbers.

Letting out an exasperated breath the debt collector tried his hardest to resist the urge to lean over the table and strangle the idiot boy.

"No!" he bit out harshly, silencing the boy with a hard look as he opened his mouth to argue. "You paid precisely nothing. In fact you paid less than nothing. You allowed the girl to pay your debts and subsidise your standard of living.

"And then as soon as she'd finished paying it, that very evening as a matter of fact, I find you back in the pub with your 'friends' putting an entire weeks worth of wages up your nose!"

"I was celebrating," Kyle replied petulantly. "I hadn't been out in three years. I deserved it."

With a look that suggested he was lower than low the debt collector dismissed the argument with a flick of his wrist, continuing his damning commentary.

"I thought that by removing you from the vicinity of your friends, by placing you in a job far, far away from their influence, that you'd finally show me you were worth the investment I made in you. But no.

"How much coke have you used these past few weeks? No," he interrupted as Kyle started to answer, "I already know. Almost £500 worth. How you're still standing I don't know!"

Looking down at him in disgust, the debt collector wondered why he'd ever bothered with this one. He'd known he was a bad bet but, at only 19 he'd reminded him of someone and so he'd overcome his misgivings and stepped in. And instead of sorting himself out he'd placed the entire burden on the girls shoulders and then gone back to his old tricks.

"It's not like I spent any money on the coke," the boy ventured cautiously, wary of provoking his anger. Wise boy.

"And how do you work that out?" he drawled sarcastically.

"Well it was just extra. I bought it from this guy and he said as long as I got him £800 back then the rest was mine."

The little imbecile!

"So not only are you using, you're dealing as well?" he bellowed, rising to his feet in anger.

Cowering in front of the man, Kyle felt real fear for the first time in ages. Coming here had definitely not been one of his better ideas. And what an earth had possessed him to mention the dealing. It wasn't even like he was making a profit from it, he only sold to his mates and only as much as he needed to, the rest he kept for himself. It's not like he was flogging down the local park to kids or anything, it was just a way of getting his gear on the cheap. Saving money again. Why did he keep getting blasted for saving when Jemma was suddenly white as white.

Oh yeah, cos she was always the little goody two shoes, didn't touch drugs, worked all the time. Didn't sound like much of a life to him. So what was he doing here worrying about her anyway. Clearly the debt collector had claimed her as teachers pet. She'd be swanning around living the life of Brian whilst he slaved away at his boring job. Well if he even had a job any more he thought with a start. He hadn't realised that offer had been the debt collectors doing, he'd just thought that finally someone had recognised how under utilised he was sitting at a desk. And he was good at the new job too, he wasn't faking it or anything.

The man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and propelled him towards the door, startling him out of his thoughts as he struggles to keep up.

Passing the lady he'd taken as the receptionist, the man snarled an order back at her and she rushed to do his bidding, opening the front door as he relentlessly dragged the boy towards it.

Physically thrown from the house, Kyle landed on his knees on the gravel drive. The small stones biting into his skin painfully as he turned back to protest.

"Vanish!" the man ordered darkly, "before I do the job myself."

Scrambling to his feet, Kyle took one look back over his shoulder before breaking into a run down the long gravel pathway.

The man didn't even stay to watch, the heavy front door slamming behind him with a bang.

***

Halfway down the drive, Kyle collapsed, his breathing heavy with shock and exertion. He'd known he was taking a risk coming here but he hadn't realised how much of a risk.

And he still hadn't found Jemma.

He knew she was here, he knew it, the debt collector would never have been so protective of her if he hadn't had an interest himself. But what could Kyle do? If he didn't vanish there was a good chance he'd end up dead somewhere. He needed to get away and think for a while, plan, a proper plan not this half arsed attempt.

Picking himself off the ground he dusted himself down and began walking more sedately towards the gate. Everything here was monitored and so he couldn't take the chance of going back now. They needed to see him leave, tail between his legs and vanish.

He'd be back though, and next time he'd be leaving with Jemma.