by Wendy Gill
Henry went outside to the woodpile and picked up a piece of wood then he headed for The Retreat.
Ella had spent the day with Blanche but now she was on her way home. Mr Grundy had told her he would make tea for them both. Give her a break from doing all the cooking. She had raised no objections.
She walked along happily thinking about her wedding day. It would not be long before she would be Mrs Charlie Blurr, and she could not wait.
Ella stepped into the porch and was about to open the front door when she heard a low cough, looking around she saw a young woman sitting with her eyes closed in the exact spot Mr Grundy had found her in on the very first day she had arrived in Marchum.
The young woman was also sitting in the very same spot that Ella had found PC Keyser’s daughter, Ruth, sitting, all those months ago.
By the state she was in, this young woman needed help too.
Ella made her way slowly to the sleeping woman and saw blood on her lip and the swelling on her eye.
She turned and ran into the house shouting, “Mr Grundy, Mr Grundy, where are you?”
The portly old gentleman appeared in the hall and enquired, “What’s all the noise about Ella?”
“Quick Mr Grundy, I have found another young girl in need of our help.”
“The devil you have Ella! Leave her where she is, let someone else find her and help her. You know what happens when you go finding bodies all over the place; we end up with no end of trouble. Come and have some tea, I have made us a nice dinner, sausage and mash with a great deal of beef gravy.”
She stood and looked at Mr Grundy, she did not speak.
“Just leave her where she is Ella, someone else will come across her, let them take care of her, you know bodies in distress are nothing but trouble, our dinner is getting cold.”
Ella stood and looked at Mr Grundy, she did not move, she did not speak.
“Damn it Ella, you are a very hard young woman keeping a man from his sausage and mash,” but he started walking forward and Ella gave him one of her beautiful smiles.
“I knew you would come and help,” and as he approached her she slid her hand through his arm and marched outside with him.
Mr Grundy looked at the sleeping young woman and saw the state of her face.
“Better go get Jackson. Give me a hand to get her inside first. It would be best if you went for Jackson, your legs are younger than mine, bring him straight back. Tell him he can have some sausage and mash but don’t tell him it might be cold by the time he gets to eat it.”
Ella looked at Mr Grundy with shinning eyes. She had come to adore him, and she stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“You are a very special person Mr Grundy, and I love you.”
Mr Grundy said, “You do not have to bribe me with kisses young lady. I am going to help this young woman out of the goodness of my heart. Sometimes I wish I did not have a heart, and this is one of them.”
When they did manage to wake the young woman up, it was obvious she was in much pain, they both took an arm each and led her gently into the house and laid her on the couch.
“I shall go and get Jackson,” Ella said leaving Mr Grundy to fetch a blanket to cover the young woman with.
Ella ran all the way down West Street and along Haywood Street and into the end terrace house that had once been Mr Grundy’s home. A place where she had travelled to and found the best set of friends anyone could possibly have. She had also found love there, and now it was Blanche and Jackson’s house, she hoped they would find as much happiness there as she had.
“Is Jackson in?”
“He is cleaning up next door. Something must be amiss for you to return here so quickly. Whatever’s the matter Ella?”
“I have found another young woman practically unconscious in our porch. It looks like she has been beaten up. Mr Grundy has sent me to get Jackson.”
Blanche burst out laughing, “Rather you than me, good luck telling Jackson he’s needed to attend another one of your porch finds.” As the two friends’ eyes met, both pair of eyes was brimming over with devilment.
“Thanks, I will need all the luck I can get.”
Ella found Jackson sweeping the floor of his workshop.
“Hello Jackson, I have another patient for you.”
“Don’t want one, thanks.”
“She needs you, Jackson.”
“Well, that is because I am a devilishly attractive man, all women want me, but I do not want them. I love my Blanche, so push off.”
“She has been beaten up by the looks of it.”
“Not my problem, go and find her a doctor. I am not a doctor, I am a vet.”
“She is very pretty. She will be very grateful.”
“Don’t let Blanche hear you talking like that. Blanche is having my baby you know.”
“Yes, I know. What if you have a baby girl and someone beat her up. What would you do then?”
“You cannot blackmail me into coming with you. You are as bad as yon Charlie. He does not believe I am a vet either.”
“Mr Grundy told me to tell you there is sausage and mash with lots of tasty beef gravy for you after you have seen to the young woman.”
Jackson rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, decided sausage and mash sounded like a good option, picked up his bag and marched out of the door with Ella running after him.
When they entered Mr Grundy’s house, Jackson could smell the sausage and mash and his mouth began to water.
He took one look at the young woman lying on the couch and said, “Yes, she has been beaten up alright.”
“I will clean her face up but there is not much more I can do for her. We will have to wait until she regains consciousness to find out more,” Jackson told them.
Ella went into the kitchen and piled three plates with sausage, mash and loads of tasty gravy. She put two of the plates on trays and taking them, one at a time, into the sitting room, Ella gave the two men a tray each and they both sat in a chair and ate their sausage and mash.
Ella ate her meal in the kitchen while she cut three slices of cake and put them in dishes. She then set about making some egg custard and pouring the custard over the cake she headed back into the sitting room and replaced the two gentleman’s empty plates with the cake and custard.
“Well,” said Jackson, “I must say it was worth this young woman getting a beating so I could come and have this little put-me-on until it is time for tea. I really enjoyed that Ella.”
“Thank Mr Grundy, it was he who did the cooking of the sausage and mash not me.”
They heard a moan and saw the young woman stirring. She opened her eyes and looked around her.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“You are quite safe my dear, do not distress yourself, you are amongst friends.” Mr Grundy stood up and went and patted her hand.
"You must go to The Retreat. Please, it is most urgent for there is a monster on the loose. My aunt and the girls, they are all at risk, please you must go and warn them, tell them to lock all the doors and windows. There is a man called Lord Henry Mooreway, and he is not right in his head, he attacks women and I think he has followed me from Bossett.
“I think Henry is taking revenge on me for taking his entire guest list from his mother’s ball, but they had stolen them from me in the first place. Please, you must go and warn them, you do not know what he is like.” The young woman clung onto Mr Grundy’s hand.
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head over that now; Jackson will call at The Retreat and let them know.” Mr Grundy assured her, not understanding a word she had said.
“The devil Jackson will. You go if you want to be a hero. I have had enough of that sort of thing,” Jackson told Mr Grundy.
“Take no notice of him, it is his nature to fight against everything, but he is a good chap. He will go and warn them at your Retreat. You rest for a while and you will feel much more the thing in a few hours,” Mr Grundy was still patting her hand.
“Why the hell should I go to this Retreat? If there is a monster knocking about, I do not want to meet it. I am having a baby and I would rather have a baby than meet a monster. Let someone else go.” Jackson dug in his heels.
“If you won’t go, then I will,” Ella told him.
“And if you go and get beaten up, I will have two patients on my hands. I did not want this patient in the first place and I certainly don’t want two. Some friend you are Clarence, volunteering me to go and seek out a monster. That is yon Charlie’s job not mine,” Jackson complained.
“Well Charlie is not here, is he? It is either you or Ella that has to go to The Retreat and warn them and if Charlie finds out you let Ella go when you knew there is a man out there beating women up, I would not like to be in your shoes. Anyway, you have got a full belly, if you find him and he does you in, at least you will have had a satisfying last meal,” Mr Grundy reasoned.
Jackson thought this through and asked, “This Retreat of yours, is it that big stone building about a mile to the south of here?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Thank you, I really appreciate it. Hurry, please hurry, they have to be warned,” the young woman said.
After Jackson had left, the young woman said to Mr Grundy, “Would Jackson really have allowed this young woman to go on her own knowing there was a women beater hanging around?”
Ella laughed and replied, “No, of course he wouldn’t. He is one of my best friends and he is to be my fiancé’s best man when we get married in a couple of weeks’ time. It is just the way he is, once you get to know him you will find him to be one of the most reliable and dependable people you could ever wish to meet. Jackson will sort things out at The Retreat, you can depend on it.”
Lord Mooreway had stood in the grounds of The Retreat waiting and watching hoping to see if Marcy made an appearance. He had no way of knowing whether she had gone back to The Retreat or had run off somewhere else to hide from him.
Henry was beginning to get hungry, he had only had a crust for breakfast and now it was well after lunch. Assuming Marcy had gone back to The Retreat, he decided to go inside and see what he could find out. There must be a kitchen there he could raid.
He would fix Marcy first though, and then he would go and raid the kitchen, take some food back to his shack where he could eat it in peace. Instead of using his own food, he would use theirs.
Henry skirted round to the back of the house and looked in through a window. He had found the kitchen, and there was nobody in sight, the kitchen was empty.
The kitchen door was not locked, and Henry had no qualms in opening the door and walking in, he silently closed the door behind him. Now he knew where the kitchen was situated, it would be easy enough to raid it on his way out.
Walking on tiptoe across the kitchen floor he opened the door opposite the back door which revealed a long narrow corridor, this too was devoid of people, he continued along the corridor.
The house seemed to be deserted. Henry encountered nobody on the ground floor, so he made his way up the uncarpeted stairs. At the top he turned right along the carpeted landing and opened the first door he came to. He came face to face with a young woman wearing a tightly fitted dress, cut so low at the front that it barely covered her breasts. Her face was covered with makeup, red rosy cheeks and thick scarlet lips.
“Now, what have we here? Come in dearie, make yourself at home. These beds are very comfortable, just made for what you have in mind.” A smile creased her makeup and there was a gap where one of her teeth should have been.
Lord Mooreway knew at a glance what she was. He had seen enough of them to recognise them from twenty yards away.
Doing as he was told, Henry stepped into the bedroom and closed the door. He tossed the piece of wood on top of the ottoman that was placed at the foot of the bed and his fist automatically became clenched, hard and solid, and the young woman fell backwards onto the soft mattress from the unexpected force that hit her nose and mouth. She lay motionless on top of the clean silk patchwork cover.
Lord Mooreway straddled her inert body and his fist was raised for a second time but the sound of footsteps running up the uncarpeted staircase made him hold off from delivering another blow. He turned his head towards the door but once the staircase had been mounted and the footsteps reached the carpeted landing, Henry had no way of knowing which way the intruder had taken.
Henry jumped silently off the bed, grabbed his piece of wood from the ottoman and shot behind the door just as the door was opened and a short scruffy looking little man appeared.
Jackson, seeing the woman lying at an odd angle on top of the bed with blood running down her nose advanced forward and asked the young woman, “Are you alright?”
That was the last thought that entered Jackson’s head because he fell forward from a blow to the back of his head and landed on top of the body on the bed. Where the piece of wood had made contact with his skull, a bloody gash was visible. A stream of blood began to make its way down to the back of his collar.
Lord Mooreway looked at the stranger. He had never hit a man before, well he had bouts of boxing in the ring at The Foxes Club, but that was different. He did not get the same satisfaction from it. What was he going to do with him? What would his mother want him to do with him?
He would take him back to his shack and ask his mother. She might be there waiting for him. It wasn’t far back to his shack, he could drag him there. Nobody was in the vicinity as far as he had been able to ascertain. The house was as quiet as a grave.
But then again, he had come across this whore and he had thought the house was empty. Then the scruffy looking little man had appeared.
He shrugged, not as deserted as he had thought. He decided he would do it any way. He would take him back to his shack and decide what was to be done once he had got the little man back there. If he encountered anybody on the way, he would just get rid of them. He was getting good at this.
Henry opened a couple of drawers and found one full of bed linen. He dragged out one of the bed sheets and proceeded to tear it into strips.
He was about to take hold of the shabby man’s hands and bind them together when he heard a second set of footsteps running up the wooden staircase, then silence as the feet reached the carpeted landing.
Again, Henry had no way of knowing which way the feet would head so he grabbed his piece of wood and shot behind the door once more, and as before, the door opened and in walked another gentleman. This one was younger, taller and immaculately dressed and instantly recognised by Henry.
Freddie Atton, Henry knew Freddie had come up to Scotland for he had followed him and Marcy here, but he had forgotten all about him. Freddie Atton was no friend of his. He did not have any friends.
Freddie seeing the bodies lying on the bed and covered in blood, went over to them and said, “Who the hell has done this?”
The piece of wood came down on Freddie’s head. “I did,” a voice said.
Freddie’s body fell on top of Jackson’s. It was a good job the young woman at the bottom of the pile was unconscious and knew nothing about what was happening on top of her.
Henry calmly continued tearing strips off the bedsheet. Now there were two bodies he had to drag to the shack.
As Freddie was on top of the pile, Henry rolled Freddie off, so he was laid face up on the bed. Taking Freddie’s hands Henry brought them above his head and tied them together at his wrists. Dragging Freddie off the bed he proceeded to drag him down the stairs by the strips of blanket that bound his wrists together, for he could not use his left hand, his finger hurt. He dragged him through the house and along the back lawn.
At the boundary wall he hauled Freddie up and laid him across the top of the wall. Pleased that the height of the wall was only shoulder high and he had achieved this with only the minimum of effort and the occasional stab of pain from his left hand if he tried to use it.
Henry pulled himself up and over the wall and jumped nimb
ly down to the other side and then he reached up and dragged Freddie over. He landed with a thud onto the ground, but Freddie was unaware of this, he was still out cold. Henry had no trouble dragging him through the wood and into the shack.
Taking some rope, he had found in the shack, Henry tied Freddie’s feet together, then unfastening his hands Henry pulled them behind his back before making them secure again. He was taking no risks. If Freddie should come around before he got back to the shack with the scruffy little man, Henry had to be confident that Freddie would not be able to escape.
With Freddie’s feet bound and his hands tied behind his back, he would not escape.
Henry knew he had to be quick in case the other man he had knocked out came around, so he set off at a trot. The afternoon was beginning to lose its light, evening was drawing in fast and he did not know what to expect when he reached The Retreat.
Finding no obstacles to hinder his progress, Henry ran up the staircase and into the bedroom. He found the scruffy little man still lying inert on top of the young woman who was also still unconscious. Henry glanced at the woman, the blood now drying across her top lip and her bottom lip had a gaping slit in it. This gave Henry a feeling of self-satisfaction.
Henry looked at the gash on the scruffy man’s head. To his disappointment he felt no emotion at all, so he proceeded to tie the scruff’s hands together with a strip of sheeting, then dragging Jackson down the staircase he made his escape from The Retreat across the back lawn, over the boundary wall and into the wood and finally the shack.
Henry sat on the rickety chair and got his breath back, it had been hard work dragging two bodies along the long damp grass and through the trees with one hand, but he had managed it with no interruption.
His left hand was throbbing. Dragging the two bodies from the house to his shack had not done it much good for on the odd occasion, it had been necessary to use his left hand. But at least the splints had protected his little finger to some extent.
Nobody had seen him. Nobody would know where to look for these two unfortunate men. He was quite safe, here in his shack.