Read Online Tarnished by Julia Crouch - Free Book Online

They’re a bastard to do on your own.’
    She led her in and along a black-painted corridor.
    ‘My name’s Carleen,’ she said as she switched on lights to reveal a ticket booth.
    ‘I’m Peg.’
    ‘Nice.’
    They went down a narrow flight of stairs and Carleen snapped on several rows of fluorescent lights to reveal a vast black room set with tables and chairs all pointing towards a podium with a pole and a backdrop of greasy slash curtain. Dusty red velvet alcoves lined the room, and a shuttered-up bar ran along the wall to their right.
    ‘Shit heap innit,’ Carleen said, surveying the dingy basement, which, although the tables and bar were mostly clear of empty bottles and glasses, had the air of the morning after a party. The sharp smell of old wine and the dun stink of damp walls enhanced the effect.
    ‘Like me these days, looks a lot better in dimmer light.’ Carleen cackled. She wound her way through the tables, picking up a stray champagne bucket as she went. ‘Bar staff should’ve cleared that away,’ she tutted.
    ‘Come backstage,’ she said, unlocking a black door flush with the wall. ‘Far cosier. Jeeze, these girls are such a mess.’ They were in a sort of dressing-room-cum-green-room with a wall of mirrors above a long table littered with black or sparkling underwear, make-up and hair-styling equipment. ‘Mind you, I wasn’t too tidy myself back in the day.’
    ‘You used to be a dancer?’ Peg said.
    ‘I was the best.’ Carleen flashed a gap-toothed smile. ‘Don’t look so surprised.’
    ‘I wasn’t, I—’
    ‘But there comes a time you got to give it up.’ She flicked the switch in a kettle on the side of the dressing table and dumped teabags into a couple of mugs. ‘So this dad of yours. Was he like a barman or something?’
    Peg shook her head. ‘I think he was the boss.’
    Carleen rolled her eyes. ‘They all think they’re the boss, honey. What’s his name?’
    ‘Raymond. Raymond Thwaites.’
    Carleen whistled softly.
    ‘You know him?’ Another stirring of hope made Peg catch her breath.
    ‘Well of course, I know him. He’s the gaffer. Always has been. Knew him quite well back in the day, if you catch me.’
    Peg put her hands to her mouth. ‘Where is he? Is he coming in today?’
    ‘Let me get this straight,’ Carleen said, eyeing Peg. ‘How long is it since you saw him?’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘I just want to know.’
    ‘I haven’t seen him since my mum died. When I was six.’
    ‘Not at all?’
    ‘Nope. And my nan and gramps brought me up. But I need to contact him because—’
    ‘Yeah. I know. Your nan’s sick.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And you got no idea where he went?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Jesus.’ Carleen sighed heavily and poured boiling water into the mugs. ‘You got a fuck of a lot of catching up to do, girl.’
    Peg frowned. ‘What does that mean?’
    ‘Not really for me to say, though, is it. You’ll have to ask him when you see him.’
    ‘But can you tell me where he is?’
    Carleen handed a mug to Peg and levelled her gaze at her. ‘You look a bit like your mum,’ she said.
    ‘You knew my mum too?’ Peg said, her heart leaping.
    Carleen nodded. ‘A bit.’
    ‘What was she like?’
    ‘Kind. Nice. Good-looking. Great dancer. The best. After me, of course.’
    ‘Dancer?’ Peg thought of the pole on the stage in the club room next door.
    ‘Yeah, she worked here,’ Carleen said, and Peg tried not to think of the slim brown arms that used to hold her instead wrapping themselves round that pole for hungry male eyes. ‘That’s how she met him. She took him off me, if you must know.’
    ‘I’m sorry.’
    ‘What you apologising for, girl?’ Carleen laughed, her tired eyes misted with memory. ‘I was so jealous. But you know, you get over it. She was such a sweet thing, you couldn’t hate her for long. When he married her, though, we all thought she was so lucky. Can you believe it?’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Nah, it’s just . . .’