The Black Car

Amy sits at her desk reading her emails. An email circulating around the building said, ‘If you happened to have been parked in the Flinders’ Lane car park last Friday, at around 7am and you saw a black sedan with the license plate quite possibly JM 0 something, or JN 0 something, or possibly YJM something, could you please call the number supplied. You may be able to assist with an inquiry regarding a woman who allegedly parked in the car park at around that same time.’

Amy is taken back a little, as she had seen the car in question, she thought. Jeremy Marshall’s car. Her Jeremy. His BMW had the number plate JM 030. She had parked behind it, as she had on other occasions. Amy's car had been parked in the underground car park from 6am on the morning in question. Amy had been one of the first people to arrive, but she hadn't seen anyone else in the car park as she walked up the back stairwell, which is the closest to her office and it gives her a reason to walk the five flights of stairs, rather than being lazy and taking the lift. Of course, she could take the lift and just go back to the gym. Or suspend her membership, at the very least. But, using the stairs gave her a sense of, actually, doing something healthy, you know. Gym membership, or not. No further action required.

Had she seen anyone that morning? She didn't think so, she couldn't quite remember now, as she really hadn't taken that much notice, as she struggled with her two bags and her leather coat – it’s all very well having a briefcase with wheels, but the stairs? Was she talking on her phone and distracted, as she so often is as she arrives at the office? Was she talking to Jeremy? She couldn't remember now, she thinks, as she gazed at the number plate. 

Would anyone else remember the two door car? She only remembers it because the car meant something to her. Of course, the car isn’t a sedan at all, as it said in the email, it is a coupe. She feels relieved and then wonders straight after that thought why she should feel relieved at all.

In hindsight, that was the tactical phone call to sure up the proposal, later that night. She is a bit hung over from the night before, she remembers she was concentrating that morning, more than usual, her head ached, and she didn't want to forget anything. She must have looked a wreck. She laughs, at the thought, more of a defence mechanism than because she thinks it is humorous. Lucky there isn’t any security footage attached to this email. She wasn't hung over on alcohol. She's realised lately that she can't smoke anything, if she wants a clear head. Although she hasn't stopped, it is Jeremy’s influence, so it was vagueness she was battling. 

I don’t want to call anyone, she thinks. I don’t want to get involved. What did she care, Jeremy had asked her to marry him, just out of the blue? Well, clearly not just out of the blue for Jeremy. Amy’s head spun with every bridle picture she’d ever seen, as she found herself saying yes. She deleted the memo and then emptied the trash.

She wonders if she should call Jeremy.

What inquiry could this be assisting with, she also thinks?

If Jeremy was on the phone to her? What time was that? What could he have to do with another person? A woman with a bag?

She decides to call him.

“Jeremy, there is an email circulating around our office about anyone seeing a black car with the number plate something like your number plate last Friday morning in my parking lot?”

“Really,” says Jeremy. “Funny hey? But… but… I didn’t park in the parking lot, last Friday. I was at a client's office all morning.”

“Oh,” says Amy.

Amy hadn’t really thought that the memo was referring to Jeremy’s car at all, she suspected that she was being a drama queen, open to salacious gossip as we all are now a days, that was until Jeremy had just obviously lied to her. 

“Oh?” repeats Jeremy into the phone.

Still, he probably wouldn’t be stupid enough to park in the car park in the immediate future, whether he has, actually, done anything or not.

She feels relieved, of sorts. Her mother’s words came into her head.

Stop mothering that boy, he’s more, um, worldly than you give him credit for. He’s more… Her mother shook her head.

Amy came back to the call in her ear. “Well?” She was still wondering why Jeremy was lying.

“Well?” repeats Jeremy.

“What?” says Amy.

“How,” says Jeremy.

“How?” repeats Amy.

“You just appear to be saying words,” says Jeremy. “So, I thought I’d play along.”

“What?” says Amy.

“No, we have already had what,” says Jeremy.

“Huh?”

“Oh, this is a good game,” says Jeremy. “But I really do have work to do.”

Amy comes back to the phone call. “Oh, yes, okay, well, I guess it doesn’t have anything to do with you then.”

“I’m not even sure what we are talking about now,” says Jeremy.

“Okay, talk later,” says Amy. She ends the phone call.

Amy gets up and goes to the door of her office.

Tim, Amy’s PA, was dutifully at his desk.

“Morning,” he says, as he did every morning. “When do you want to go through your schedule?”

“Oh, give me a moment,” replies Amy. “I’ll let you know when I am ready.”

She closes the door to her office and sits at her desk and switches on her computer, hoping that work would replace the troubled feeling she has.

She can’t get Jeremy out of her head.

She decides to go and make coffee.

She gets up again and heads out of her office.

“I’m just going to make a coffee.”

“I could go down stairs and get you a real one,” says Tim.

“No, it’s okay, I’m in the mood for instant.”

Tim looked perplexed.

She wants to be distracted. 

In the kitchen they are discussing the email and the rumour of what it all might have been about.

“What’s it about?” asks Amy.

“Oh, some girl got her bag snatched by some whack job,” says Dave from IT. “Apparently, the whack job took off in a black Holden Commodore. That’s why they are asking for witnesses, to collaborate the story.”

“A Commodore, you say?”

“I said Holden,” says Dave. “But yes, I believe it was a Commodore.”

“Oh, a Commodore.”

“Yes.”

That let Jeremy off the hook, thought Amy. But why did he lie? Why would a man lie to his girlfriend, she thinks?

She can't stop thinking about it all afternoon. By 3pm, she tells Tim she is leaving for the day. 

She heads to the local gadget shop and purchases a GPS tracker. It is the magnetic type. The nice sales boy says she could just attach it under Jeremy's mudguard on his car. Once she had done that, it was simple to track where Jeremy has been.

“If that’s what you really want to do,” says the nice sales boy.

“Why? What are you saying?”

“Well, people aren’t always happy with what they find out.”

She isn't really sure, she knows that, but she wants to know why Jeremy told her a lie.

Jeremy's BMW is parked in the street when she gets to his house. Amy feels a chill run up her spine as she looks at the black car. She looks over at Jeremy’s house to see lights on. She walks to the back of the coupe. She looks up and down the street, it is all clear. She opens her bag and slides her hand in. She stops. Hesitates. Looks up and down the street again. She slips her hand out of her bag, clicks it shut and turns and walks back down the street to where her car is parked, far enough away from Jeremy’s car, just in case... She chuckles to herself, just in case of what? She thinks

She stops. Looks at her red XJS for a moment. Now is the time, don’t fumble it, she thinks.

She walks directly to the back of the black coupe once again. She looks around for a final time and then reaches in under the rear mudguard and attaches the tracking device. Then she just casually walks away. Her stomach is in a knot, belying the whole scene.

Later that evening, she had just pilled the corn (actually, I love that image) er, pulled the cork from a bottle of chardonnay and had poured herself a glass. She sits on the bar stools at her kitchen bench. She sips her wine and remembers her phone. She retrieves the phone from her bag on the kitchen island bench. She unlocks her phone and scrolls to the tracking device app.

Jeremy’s car hadn’t moved. She isn’t sure what she expected. 

She puts her phone down on the bench and drink her wine.

Why did she think Jeremy was lying? What possible reason could he have for saying his car wasn’t some place it was? Why would he say that?

She sips her wine.

Because he wants her to think he was somewhere else? What possible reason would he have for wanting her to think he was someplace else?

If that was the case, it was a rather clumsy lie, as she had already proved, she’d seen his car in the car park.

It was therefore a rather half-arsed lie. And for Jeremy to be telling a half-arsed lie, it pointed to him being rather desperate about something. Really out of options as far as it was concerned.

Why would Jeremy be in such a position that he had to seemingly tell a rather desperate lie?

Jeremy has been to gym, early that morning. He gets to his office all sweaty. He pulls off his sweaty singlet and shorts and is just in his undies. The gym always makes him horny. He is going to pull on his towelling dressing gown and head to the shower on their floor. But, he’s been expecting some communication from his boss about a client he’d got with a big account. He is eager to see if he’s landed the client.

Emma his secretary, who had always clearly had the hots for him comes into work early and walks into his office to put flowers on his desk, when she’s been confronted by sexy Jeremy all sweaty just in his undies.

Emma has been clearly overcome by the half naked sight of her sexy blond boss, standing at his desk.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” says Emma.

“Oh, Emma, you will just have to excuse me. Sorry. I was just looking at emails.”

“I’m sorry,” says Emma. “I thought I was the only one in.”

Jeremy gazes up from his computer. Emma isn’t exiting his office, as her speech had kind of indicated.

“Sorry,” says Jeremy.

“It’s me who is sorry,” says Emma. She stands her ground.

“I’m just seeing if I got the Hunter case.”

“I’m just seeing, er…” says Emma.

“I’m sorry what?” says Jeremy. He is glancing down his new emails. He is distracted and only half aware Emma is still standing there.

“I’ve never seen this side of you,” says Emma.

“Oh, sorry, I’m just back from the gym.”

“I like… er… it,” says Emma.

“I’m sorry?” says Jeremy. He is still running his eyes down his emails.

“I like it,” says Emma. Her voice is kind of breathy.

“What?”

“You.” Emma giggles. “Like that.”

“Emma what?” Jeremy looks up and Emma is standing close to him.

“You look good,” Emma whispers.

“Oh Emma. What? No.” Jeremy brings his gaze back to Emma.

“I’ve always liked you, you must know that,” says Emma.

“Emma, I have a girlfriend, Amy.”

“I won’t tell her, if you don’t”

“Tell her what?”

Emma undoes her blouse.

“Oh Emma.”

Jeremy takes Emma in his arms. They kiss.

Jeremy makes the big cliched gesture of wiping everything off his desk with his arm. They screw on his desk.

Afterwards, Jeremy puts on his towelling dressing gown and has flees to the shower room on their floor.

Emma has managed to pick up Jeremy’s worn jocks from his office floor.

When Jeremy comes back to his office he gets dressed in his suit not thinking about his missing underwear.

Emma is very beautiful. Unbeknownst to Jeremy, Emma had targeted him when doing interviews, as she wanted a husband. She didn’t want to work anymore than she really had to and Jeremy was a star on the rise, according to her research. He would make partner fairly soon. Also, according to Emma’s research, he was single at the time of her interview. Her research didn’t uncover the existence of his girlfriend Amy. That’s because Jeremy and Amy had been taking it very casually, but just recently, Jeremy had to admit to himself how much he liked Amy.

Emma now wants more. She was threatening to tell Amy if Jeremy didn’t give her more of the same.

“I have your undies from that morning.”

“So,” says Jeremy. “They could be anyone’s.”

“They could be,” said Emma. “But they are not, they are yours.”

“And? So what?”

“I’m sure we could do DNA testing on them.” Emma smiles the smile of a killer.

“What do you want, Emma?”

“More of what I got the other morning.”

“That was just a…”

“Don’t say mistake.”

“I have a girlfriend.”

“You, perhaps, should have thought of that…”

Jeremy is not at all sure that it wasn’t the adrenaline still pumping in his system from the workout that caused him to, what? Act out of character. Oh, listen to me, he thought, making excuses. Emma sure does look like Amy, certainly up close, and she responds sexually in the same way, so it all felt natural and normal, in the moment. Oh, he thinks, more excuses. What did I do? What he fuck did I do, he thinks? Just when his life was on the track he’d been looking for all his life.

When Amy called Jeremy that morning about the memo about the car that she said fitted the description of his car, he just panicked from the guilt he was feeling. He wasn’t really listening to what Amy was saying, as such. He was trying to work out if Emma had told her anything.

Amy is thinking that she can’t follow Jeremy in her red XJS, he would spot it in a moment. What to do, she thinks?

Amy’s mum calls her.

“Hi mum.”

“Hi darling.”

“How are you?”

“I’m great,” says he mum. “Your father and I have decided to go to Europe for a few months.”

“A few months,” says Amy. “When are you going?”

“The end of the week.”

“The end of the week?”

“Yes, sorry it such short notice, but we’ve just decided to be spontaneous, now your father has retired.”

“Good for you,” says Amy. “It sounds fantastic.”

“Your father has taken care of everything.”

“Of course he has.”

“You know what he is like.”

“Yes.”

“So, there is nothing you have to do, everything is done.”

“Okay then.”

“So, Friday we are going, we’ll be back, well, not certain at this stage, let’s say 3 months.”

“Oh, okay mum, you have a great time.”

“Thanks, darling we will.”

“Oh mum?”

“Yes, honey.”

“Can I borrow your car while you are gone.”

“My car, what’s wrong with yours?”

“Oh, you know how old Jags go.”

“Yes, of course, I know. Yes, borrow my car all you like. The keys will be on the hook.”

“Thanks mum.”

“We’ll speak, anyway.”

Her mum’s silver Volvo, was just the car to follow Jeremy, he’d never suspect. Amy felt chuffed with herself.

Amy’s at home. Her phone lights up with the car tracking app. Amy throws on shoes, grabbing her phone and wallet and races out to her mum’s Volvo.  The Swedish tractor fires right up.

He is driving south down Surrey Road, Commercial Road, Punt Road. 

Amy cuts across and guns the Volvo down Hoddle Street 

Jeremy turns into Fitzroy Street, 

Amy takes Fitzroy Street

Jeremy parks in a car park on Marine Parade

Isn’t this where guys pick up guys, according to Amy’s friend Bruno. Surely not?

Amy follows Jeremy at a safe distance.

Jeremy sits out on a beach seat at night and smokes a doobie on the foreshore.

The dope smoke blows back in Amy’s direction and smells strongly.

A few days later, Amy’s phone app lights up again. She follows Jeremy to his best mate’s house in Fitzroy. 

So, this is nothing Amy thinks. She wonders if this tracking device is useless.

Jeremy tells Ed what he’s done.

“Jesus, mate, you have to learn to keep it in your pants.”

“What should I do?”

“Nothing, just hang on.”

“Should I tell Amy?”

“Noooooooo, no, no, no, do not tell Amy. You might just scrape though otherwise.”

“Chances?”

Ed sucks in air dramatically. “Not great.”

“50 50?”

Ed winces. “Sorry mate, but probably not. You have blown it, by all accounts.”

“You are a great help.”

“Well?” Ed raises his two hands in the air on either side of him.

“I don’t know what to do?”

“Well, I think the first thing you should do,” says Ed. “Is get a new secretary.”

“Won’t that be like chucking petrol on the situation.”

“You have no choice.”

Jeremy speaks to Pam in HR the next morning, Friday.

“It’s just a personality clash, that’s all,” says Jeremy.

“So, when do you think,” asks Pam. 

“Immediately,” says Jeremy.

Pam sucks in breath. “Could be tricky.”

“Well,” says Jeremy. “I’d be really appreciative.”

“Jennifer, Al Cole’s secretary is now free, now Al has retired. She is just in the pool now.”

“Jennifer would be great.”

“Okay, I can have it done by Monday.”

“Thanks Pam.

Jeremy and Amy have dinner together Saturday night. Jeremy seems like himself, thinks Amy. She stays at Jeremy’s place that night.

Monday morning, Emma is at his desk.

“Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily, you are mine.”

“Emma, I didn’t get rid of you, I just had you reassigned because I don’t think we can work together any longer.”

“Really.”

“It is for the best.”

“Who’s best?”

“Both of us.”

“You know, you may be right, when we announce our relationship to the staff, it’s probably better we are not working together.”

“we’re not announcing our relationship to the staff.”

“No, not yet, says Emma. “But soon.” She walks out of his office.

Saturday night Jeremy and Amy have dinner. Amy stays the night with Jeremy.

Jeremy is in early Monday morning, before Jennifer arrives. He got the big new matter, he is starting work on it. It is going to be a lot of work.

Emma’s walks into his office. “Jeremy.”

“Emma, how are you?”

Jeremy just happens to have his phone in his hand when Emma enters his office, he manages to hit record on his phone and records their conversation.

“Disappointed?”

“How so?”

“You’ve been seeing Amy.”

“She is my girlfriend, Emma.”

“I thought we had this conversation, Jeremy.”

“I thought we did too,” says Jeremy.

“You are mine now, I thought we understood this.”

“Emma, I thought we understood that not to be true.”

“Don’t play with me, Jeremy.”

“Emma, I am not playing.”

Emma walks right up to Jeremy’s desk. “Don’t make me tell the world what you did.”

Jeremy realises he had to change where the conversation was going. “Emma, what did you mean I have been seeing Amy?”

“Saturday night, Donatella’s”

“You were spying on us?”

“Let’s just say, I was in the neighbourhood.”

“This has to stop, Emma.”

“This is never gonna stop, Jeremy. Don’t you get that now.”

“I’m sorry?”

They hear Jennifer arrive in the outside office. Emma turns on her heel and walks out of Jeremy’s office.

Jeremy clicks stop on the phone recording. He listens to it back. He got every word.

Jeremy’s friend Ed is a tech guy and he was going to edit the recorded message to make it sound worse than it is.

“Jesus mate, I don’t need to do anything to this.”

“You reckon?”

“Yeah, she’s a bunny boiler, for sure.”

“Just as it is?”

“Play it to HR, just like that.”

Jeremy and Amy have dinner on Saturday night. Amy stays the night.

Jeremy then plays the recorded message to HR Pam on Monday morning.

“Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh,” says Pam

“I’m sorry to say, but I think she is unhinged.”

“I’m not sure why you are sorry,” says Pam.

“Oh well, I just want the best for her.”

Pam moves her hand across the desk and covers Jeremy’s hand. “I’m sorry you have had to go through this.”

“I’m sorry it has come to this,” says Jeremy.

HR walks Emma out of the building midday that day.

Jeremy’s phone rings. It is Emma. He hesitates to answer, but does.

“How dare you?”

“How dare I what.”

“You went to HR, you told them I threatened you.”

“You did.”

“You conveniently didn’t tell them what you did.”

“I didn’t do anything, Emma.” Jeremy wondered if she might be recording him.

“You had your fun, and then you dumped me like something dirty.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean?”

“On your desk, me and you?”

“I’m sorry, Emma, but that didn’t happen.”

“You really are a slime, just like all the other men?”

“How many men have there been, Emma.”

“Don’t try and make me sound like a slut.”

“You’re the one who said all the other men.”

“Don’t put words into my mouth.”

“There were literally the words you used.”

“You think you are so clever.”

“Oh Emma, that is so not true.”

“Mr Big Shot, every word to be believed by HR.”

“I just played them your words, Emma.”

“I hate you.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Jeremy was truly sorry by this point.

“You have ruined my life.”

“I don’t think that is true.”

Emma started to cry. “I hate you.”

“I’m sorry,” says Jeremy. He was sorry. He was sorry for everything he’d done.

“I hate you.”

“You’ve said that Emma.”

“I’m going to kill myself.”

“Let’s not be silly, Emma.”

“You have driven me to it.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“I’m going to kill myself and I’m going to blame you.”

“Emma don’t say such things…”

“What? Unless I mean them.”

“No, just don’t say that.”

“I’m going to.”

“Emma, no.”

“I will.”

“No.”

“I’m going to.”

“No, don’t be stupid.”

“If I can’t have you.”

“Emma?”

“Come over to my place then, so we can talk.”

“What would that do?”

“It might stop me from killing myself.”

“Oh, Emma seriously.”

“I am serious.”

“Really.”

“I’m going to do it.”

“No, Emma.”

“I hate you.” She ends the call.

Jeremy calls back but it goes to voicemail.

Jeremy is unnerved. He’s never had someone threatening suicide. He starts looking for the suicide hotline number, just to ask advice, but when he finds it, he wonders if there would be official notifications involved.

He paces his lounge room. What to do?

He suddenly grabs his keys and his wallet and heads out to his car.

The tracking app on Amy’s phone lights up. Amy runs out to her mum’s Volvo and drives off.

Toorak Road to Glenferrie Road to Riversdale Road. Amy catches the black car and follows it up Riversdale Road out to an address in Burwood.

Jeremy pulls up outside a non-descript house with a black car in the driveway and goes inside.

Amy wonders whose house this is. She sits and waits. As she waits, she gazes around at the area, when her eyes come back to the black car in the driveway. It’s a black Commodore. Its number plate was JN 032. Where had she seen that before?

Amy calls crime stoppers about the black Commodore later that night.

Emma’s brother is arrested a week later and charged with a series of bag snatches.

Jeremy tells Amy it was just a case he was dealing with, quite separate to the bag snatches. He tells Amy the case is now closed.

Saturday night, Jeremy and Amy have dinner. Amy stays at Jeremy’s place that night.