He was asleep and dreaming his induced sterile dreams. A big man in every way, it didn’t seem right to reduce him to this.
She had come with a small carton of white and black grapes not knowing which he would prefer, it seemed the safest bet to bring a mixed box. In this white and disinfectant room, swept and washed floors, a large metal bed held James Patts. His warm smile and big gruff voice were now sleeping. The white scratched metal boxes to the side of him registered his details. Summing up James Patts’s humanity. Somewhere inside that shrunken body, a good man was sleeping.
Staring at this man of character Cecelia wondered if she should go when he winked his eyes open and ranged them on Cecelia.
‘I’ve come to visit you,’ Cecelia said quickly coming towards him with one of those too healthy smiles. ‘And I’ve brought you some grapes.’
There were hundreds of get-well cards around the room which suddenly came into view.
‘It’s good to see you,’ James Patts replied, his voice weak, and hardly discernible.
‘They told me I should only stay with you for a short while,’ Cecelia said anxiously, wanting to please, but now worried.
‘Take no notice of the nurses, they don’t know what’s good for me. I know they mean well, but they don’t know me.’ He moved his eyes to a chair which judging by the looks of it was there for a visitor. ‘Pull up the chair,’ he whispered. ‘It’s good to have company.’
‘Has anyone else been to visit you?’ Cecelia asked.
‘My wife of course. She was here throughout the first two days. And now, she’s not well herself. It was the shock.’ He had some trouble focusing. ‘I don’t know what they’ve given me, but I’m out for the count most of the time.’
‘Something I should imagine for the pain. Are you in pain now?’
‘No. I suppose it’s better to be doped up and out of it most of the time,’ he smiled gently at Cecelia. ‘I guess I should be thankful I’m still alive.’
Cecelia smiled back at James. Why would anyone want to kill such a nice man? ‘Has anyone from the police force visited you?’
‘Nope, not that I can remember, but I guess they’re busy. Tell me, what happened to Arthur Perry? I like to put in a good word for him. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t mean what he did.’
‘What, trying to kill you? I think you should take that personally.’ James Patts had received no news of what happened just two nights ago. Was it a good idea to tell him that Art Perry was dead? James Patts was still very weak and vulnerable.
‘All three of them are good people.’ His warm blue-grey eyes were taking their cognizance of her. ‘By the look in your eyes, I would say you know something which you’re not telling me. Am I right? Come on Cecelia; you are not doing me any favors by keeping things away from me. Denying me information is making me stressed.’
‘I don’t know what to tell you,’ she squirmed uncomfortably now weighing up the merits of him knowing.
‘The truth, I’m a big boy. I might have been shot and nearly lost my life, but I’m still a police officer and I hope a good one. My work is important to me, so tell me what’s happen. It’s about Art Perry, isn’t it? As soon as I mentioned his name, I saw your face flinch.’
James leaned his head forward waiting to be told, and by the way he was looking, she would not be surprised if he attempted to disconnect himself from those hospital wires to get out of bed.
‘The situation moved very quickly after that night. Art Perry went to jail, and the same one as John Wanton…’
‘Oh my God…’
‘Yes. He managed to get to John Wanton last night, no one knows how it happened.’
‘It was something I feared when I came to my senses. Last night should never have happened. He’s not a bad man.’ The dark lines on his whitened face were denser not only because of his pallor but also because he had lost weight. ‘I’ve been thinking about him a great deal. Lena wouldn’t tell me what had happened. She pretended she didn’t know…’
‘It’s only just happened.’
His eyes hawked straight to Cecelia’s.
‘So, you know?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then tell me what happened?’
‘Art Perry got a knife and stabbed John Wanton in the stomach and then in the throat and killed him. Then he turned the knife on himself.’
‘He’s dead as well?’
‘Yes. He cried out when he turned the knife on himself that he was doing this for all the women in Alandra, so they would never be afraid anymore.’ She didn’t add that it was a pointless death; James Patts would find this out later when he was stronger and able to cope with the news. What everyone wanted for James now was to carry on living.
‘Oh,’ James Patts shook his head. ‘This was what I was afraid of, that he would try and do something like that. Such a tragedy,’ his eyes blurred over with thought. ‘But he wasn’t alone, he was helped, of course?’
‘Detective Travis has set up an investigation to find Art Perry’s accomplices.’
‘She will never find out who it is. I know these people. When they get it into their head what justice consists of, they slam the door tight shut. There is no way anyone will be able to penetrate that invisible barrier.’
A policeman was making his way back to health, pulling away at the sickness to get to the man he was. Silently and unconsciously Cecelia watched him as her finger strayed quietly to her mouth; new thoughts were being drawn and busily considered.
‘What is going on inside that silent head of yours?’ asked James Patts. ‘Something is bothering you; tell me what it is.’
Awakening to his instructions, Cecelia knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her thoughts intact for long. It would help her to unburden herself; he had not fallen to pieces when she gave him that last news.
‘I don’t know what you think about Mary Ann Leigh.’ This woman who had been often in her mind came out from the shadows.
‘You’re right, I don’t know much about her except what was written in the case notes. I looked her up when you showed interest in the case. Detective Travis had taken the case; I was dealing with some petty theft at the time. You know, you would have made a fine law officer,’ he smiled proudly at Cecelia.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered. If she had been in the police force, she would have been different, stronger instead of flawed. But life chooses its own journeys.
‘So, you want to know my opinion of her from what I’ve read?’
The healthy color of blood pinkened his face. He was coming to life. His eyes brightened, and his cheeks were filling; this was what his life was all about, being of service to others. Behind him and to the side were the conditions of his life. Heart stronger, blood pressure high, but not deadly; he was beginning to register beating health.
‘Each of us has our personal opinions, and I know Detective Travis has vastly different views from mine. That’s not to say that she is not wrong, because between us we will get to the truth. Sometimes, it is a little bit more difficult.’ His eyes catching Cecelia’s eyes smiled. ‘I’m not so sure of this woman, Mary Ann, I feel she is playing with us, and I don’t like it. I suspect Detective Travis doesn’t like it either. Detective Travis, you’ll have probably have found is a no-nonsense woman who thrives on facts.’
‘You think Mary Ann has made it up about being raped?’
‘No, I didn’t mean that, but I can’t put my finger on the game she’s playing,’ he watched Cecelia to see if he was on the right course. He was still plotting his way through the challenging storms. ‘You’ve met her in person.’
She nodded.
‘I haven’t. What do you think of her?’
‘To be honest, I’m not certain whether I like her or not. She makes me feel bad when I don’t contact her; it’s like a form of emotional blackmail.’
‘Here is some advice, keep away from her.’
‘She calls me…’
‘You gave her your telephone number?’
‘No, I wouldn’t be so stupid as to do that.’ Cecelia frowned now more annoyed. She might be new at this game, but she wasn’t stupid. ‘She took my telephone number from my bag when I went to the bathroom…’ Again, Cecelia reminded her of her choice. The reason why she left her bag when she went to the bathroom was to show that she trusted Mary Ann believing that she would open up to her.
‘Cecelia, take my advice, leave her alone. What did you say when you found she had your number? What did she do, did she ring your home number?’
‘Yes,’ Cecelia lowered her head.
‘Have you told Detective Travis?’
‘I nearly did.’ Her eyes quickly darted out to see what he was thinking.
‘And…’
‘Oh, this is such a bitch. How can I be angry at her when I did the same thing?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I snooped around her house.’
The surprise was that James Patts burst out laughing.
‘Two little girls playing at spies. Oh, Cecelia, perhaps it was just as well you didn’t join the police force; we’d always be running to get you out of danger.’
It had taken courage and trust to bring her concerns to James Patts and now he was laughing at her. A big sulk cleaved to her cheeks. If she gave into it now, she would never be able to get out to face the world with confidence. And he had seen it.
‘What is it now, Cecelia? Have I upset you.’
‘It’s nothing,’ she began believing now that he would find something else to laugh at her.
But he waited for her to continue.
‘It was this portrait I found in the bedroom. It’s been haunting me. It’s a photograph of a young black woman. I would say from the picture that she was about fifteen or sixteen when it was taken.’
‘And that bothers you?’
‘Yes,’ replied Cecelia stopping until she was coaxed to move on.
‘Do you want to tell me why?’ his eyes softened realizing she was struggling.
‘I think it must be me feeling this way, you know being sentimental. The girl is dead and yet Mary Ann still carries a place for her. It’s so sad. It shows loyalty, to keep someone still with you…’ she looked up, was he going to laugh at her again? No, he was waiting for her to continue. Pushing against the anguish, Cecelia struggled to carry on. ‘I think it’s this which keeps me coming back to Mary Ann to see if she is all right. She looked so very strange when I told her that I found the picture of Sarah, and with much regret that it hurt me to see this in her.’
‘She is an actress, Cecelia.’
‘Yes, I know. But I felt this was not an act. She is lonely…’
‘Yes, and lonely people take advantage.’
‘It reminded me of my father just before he killed himself.’
‘Ah, I see.’ James Patts leaned back into his pillows. ‘I see where you’re coming from. You are afraid that Mary Ann will do the same?’
‘Yes, I am. I don’t know. I don’t know what goes on in other people’s heads.’
‘Well, then you have a choice. You can’t walk through life trying to be considerate to everyone. For most people, this is a pretty tough world which means in this case, you’ve got to put yourself first.’
‘Like you did when Art Perry shot you?’
‘I’m a big man. I can take a bullet or two, but you can’t.’
It was in the taxi returning home that Cecelia considered her thoughts. Again, she felt guilty for passing Tony Hare’s details across. It was not so simple, neither can it be argued that it was just information. She had fingered Tony Hare with suspicion and brought him to the attention as the likely murderer. And then this followed almost naturally into the interview with Mr. Davis. Someone else who she felt sorry for.
James Patts recalled Mr. Davis being very protective of his wife after the loss of their child. They didn’t get to do a proper interview with the couple which was another failure. But the man’s fears for his wife outweighed their investigation. A quick judgment had to be made at the time. Mr. Davis and his wife were vulnerable; they had suffered enough. People slam up when too much pressure is applied. But Cecelia had been able to accomplish the interview when the police had to capitulate. Well done. Perhaps they could make her an honorary police officer even yet.
If this was a compliment, Cecelia felt uneasy about taking it, it smacked of patronization. And here was another time when she felt she wasn’t being taken seriously.
Getting out of the cab after paying him a too bigger tip was another example of how stupid she was. She should not have bought herself the house; it was too big a commitment, and now she was forced into examining everything she did as an extension of payment. The cabs, and then a week of her life suspended to help Phoebe out. None of this she could afford, not monetarily. This was no life worrying about how she had put herself into debt without any security. While James Patts had turned the screw tighter by telling her she had done this by choice, and willingly. Which wasn’t the truth, not completely. Commitment has an entire world of meaning.
How angry she was with herself. Whatever she did always failed. She was stupid, stupid, stupid. Slamming the door behind her hard as she strode into the middle of the room, it was then that she burst into tears. Shattered glass, everything in her life was smashed. While in the background, she could hear her mother laughing at her. It had to get worse, didn’t it? She had to be humiliated even further as everything of worth and good was expunged of significance.
‘Serves you right for thinking you’re superior. Serves you right.’
A hundred tears and a hundred sobs had cost her tiredness. Curling up into a ball, she fell asleep on the sofa from exhaustion, until the telephone rang. The house was eclipsed in darkness and for those two, three seconds, she thought she was dead.
Without thinking and still exhausted from crying, Cecelia took hold of the receiver.
‘Cecelia?’ the voice repeated when she didn’t answer. ‘Are you all right? It’s me, Mary Ann.’
‘Yes, I am fine, Mary Ann. What is it you want?’
‘Well, I heard about the news—you know the rapist-murderer on the television. He’s still on the loose. It’s frightening, isn’t it? I just wondered if you are okay. You don’t need to say anything more other than if you are well. I just wanted to see if you are home and safe.’
‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you.’
There were a few seconds of silence.
‘You are not okay, are you? Something has upset you. I can tell. Your voice sounds different.’
‘I am fine but thank you very much for being worried about me.’ Then Cecelia listened, she was curious. There was a strange echo behind Mary Ann. Was she in her bathroom?
‘Do you want to talk about it? I mean, you can come and visit me, if you want. It’s late, but it doesn’t matter because I hardly sleep at night especially with the Slasher still around.’
‘What time is it?’
‘It’s just turned ten. Did I wake you?’
‘I fell asleep on the sofa. I took a couple of painkillers and laid down,’ she lied. Why was she always lying to Mary Ann? ‘So, I’m glad you woke me. I would have slept here all night if you hadn’t called.’
‘There you are, I am good for something. But you’re feeling better now, aren’t you? Would you like to come and visit me? You can stay the night if you want?’
‘Mary Ann, I have tried to explain how busy I am.’
‘Yes, I know. I’m sorry Cecelia, I always seem to upset you when it’s far from what I want to do. I simply called to see if you were okay. I’m sorry.’
‘Please don’t be sorry. You’re making me into a monster when I’m trying to explain how important my work is. I really need to work now, especially… well it doesn’t matter. Sometimes, you just don’t want to understand my side of the story.’
‘I do, I do. And it is my own fault. I know how I can get sometimes. It’s been such a trying time made worse by the argument
I had with him.’
With him? Who was she talking about?
‘It’s my paranoia about the rapist believing that he’s stalking me and about to pounce out on me, well, it has affected William.’
‘William?’
‘My boyfriend. I haven’t been very nice to him—in fact, I haven’t been very nice to anyone just lately, have I?’
‘I wouldn’t put it like that.’
‘Wouldn’t you?’ she almost laughed. ‘Then, I would. As always, you are very kind to me.’
Kind? Mary Ann thinks I’m kind. Well, she’s not sitting in my head and hearing my thoughts. People are usually kind in order to get something they want.
‘You can be very hard on yourself, Cecelia. I have found you to be a good person.’
Cecelia could almost see Mary Ann smiling.
‘I can tell this by the way you talk to me. You’ve been good to me. When most people have lost their patience, you have not. I think you should know that Cecelia because I believe, for whatever reason that you are going through a hard time.’
There is nothing harder than kindness to battle against, tears bubbled up in Cecelia’s eyes.
‘Well, it’s getting late, and just to let you know that no matter what happens, I’ll always be your friend—I might have a few problems myself.’ She laughed, lightly mocking herself. ‘But people like us should stick together…’
This was the time for Cecelia to respond, but she was unable as tears were now rolling down her face.
‘Life isn’t that bad, Cecelia, you should know that—we both should know it. It’s been such a dreadful time, but I won’t bore you again with my silly troubles…’
‘How are you?’ it came out quickly without any time for Cecelia to think about it.
‘Me? Oh, I’m fine now. William and I have had a long talk about it. He says he is taking a month off work so he can come and live with me and help me to get over this bad patch. I’ve been a bitch to him.’
Sixth Victim Page 13