Amy Cooper Forever

by Craig Mullins

I’m going to take you to a time I will treasure forever, it was a couple of days before Christmas 1989 and Amy had invited me round to her house for the evening. Apparently her parents were leaving her to babysit her younger sister Hayley who was nine, they had a party at a friend’s house on the other side of the estate so would only be a few minutes away if they were needed. It had been there suggestion that Amy invite me as they would be more comfortable with a responsible adult there.

  Over the previous months I had gotten to know them quite well and I actually quite liked them (I think they liked me too–though if they knew some of the thoughts I had about their daughter they may have felt differently). I arrived a little before seven, her parents were due at their friends for seven thirty. I wore a pair of casual chino’s and a jumper over my t-shirt, I never wore a jacket. The gate was open when I arrived so I drove straight in and parked to the left of their car. As I pulled into the spot the security lights lit up the garden like a football stadium.

  I remember standing at the front door, a huge holly wreath adorned the solid cedar wood door, an array of dried fruit pieces and mistletoe intertwined with the holly, and some strange stick like things poked through at random places, these gave of a Christmassy smell which I now knew was cinnamon. I gave a stout knock on the door and Evelyn opened it almost before the sound of my knock had dissipated.

  “Come in Pinky.” She ushered as she messed about fixing her earring. She wore a short black cocktail dress accented with a diamond necklace, Mrs Cooper was beautiful but was not a patch on her daughter Amy, at least not in my eyes. Others would disagree as Amy didn’t have ‘Vogue’ or ‘Cosmopolitan’ looks, but there was something about her that I couldn’t resist. I think we were soul mates–just meant to be together for all eternity. I closed the door behind me and as I turned back, there she was, Amy. She was wearing a pair of jeans, and a black roll neck jumper with a picture of Rudolph on it, his big red nose nestled just where her left nipple would be.

  “Come through Pinky, me and Hayley are just finishing a game of Kerplunk.” She motioned for me to follow. With the appearance of Amy any impure thought I may or may not have had about Mrs Cooper was quickly extinguished. My sole focus was now for Amy and her alone. The sitting room was huge, an enormous white leather corner sofa filled the far left end, two matching reclining chairs were situated with the best view of the television and a smoked glass topped coffee table sat in the middle. The glass of the table was held up by the tail and nose of a pewter dolphin. On top of the table was the game of Kerplunk, a tall plastic cylinder with multi-coloured sticks poking out at all angles. The idea was to remove the sticks in turn avoiding letting the precariously balancing marbles which sat atop them from falling through. Hayley was sitting on the white fluffy rug in her Minnie mouse pyjama’s and Amy sat with her back to me on the opposite side. “We won’t be long, come and watch.”

  I joined them by sitting on the floor at the dolphin’s nose end of the table. Amy on my left and Hayley on my right, I watched as each took turns to remove a stick. Hayley removed them without fear, she just grabbed an end and yanked it out-painlessly. Amy on the other hand examined the tube, changed her mind half a dozen times before settling on a stick and then with surgical precision she slowly extracted the stick. Before the stick was half way out there was a cacophony as the marbles found a way through the maze of remaining sticks. By the end of Amy’s turn there were merely four marbles that hadn’t fallen.

  “I’d say Hayley has won.” I said as I applauded her. She stood up and took a bow just as her mum and dad came in. Mr Cooper was six feet tall at least, a handsome man and the source of Amy’s coffee coloured eyes. He wore a tuxedo with a black bow tie, the latter he kept fiddling with until Mrs Cooper took control and straightened it and told him to leave it alone. As she said it Mr Cooper looked at me and rolled his eyes.

  I think they liked me because they didn’t see me as a threat to their daughter’s innocence. In all the time we had gone out I always had her home before her curfew, there was never any more than a peck on the cheek (Though I secretly wished for a lot more). They could see that I respected the age difference and was not going to take advantage of their sweet innocent little girl.

  They said their goodbyes and told Amy that they would be back before midnight, and to not let Hayley stay up past nine o’clock. They said to me that I didn’t need to wait until they got home to leave, but I assured them that I would stay until they were safely home, that I wouldn’t feel right leaving Amy and Hayley on their own.

  After they left the three of us played a few more games of Kerplunk and then just before nine Amy got Hayley a glass of milk and a couple of digestive biscuits to have before she went to bed. By five past nine she was in bed, and me and Amy were in the kitchen raiding the fridge for snacks before we settled down to watch a film. We settled on a selection of sausage rolls, mini pork pies and some cold meats, along with olives, sundried tomatoes and a big bowl of ready salted crisps. Amy also grabbed a two litre bottle of Coca-Cola with two glasses. We took these into the sitting room and Amy knelt in front of the television and opened the cupboard beneath it, inside were a couple of rows of VHS cassettes. She grabbed one and removed it from its case – ‘Uncle Buck’ starring John Candy in the title role.

  “Do you mind if I go and put something a bit more comfortable on?” She asked.

  “Of course not.”

  “You can put the video on and get it ready, I won’t be long.” And with that she disappeared from the room. I put the video in and pressed play, the film started with the usual warning about piracy, then the main title sequence started so I paused it and returned to the sofa. I chose a position which was slightly to the right of the screen which would allow Amy to sit face on if she wanted, though to do that she would have to sit next to me, and I wasn’t sure if she would want to be that close or whether she would choose to sit slightly left giving some space between us. It was nearly five minutes before she came back down, but boy it was worth the wait, she had changed into her night clothes which consisted of a black t-shirt with the words ‘Daddy’s Little Princess’ in neon pink letters encrusted with fake diamonds and a pair of pink and black polka dot shorts with frilly lace hem. She looked stunning, it also made her look very young. She went straight to the video player and hit the play button before returning to the sofa. I remember praying that she would sit next to me and he must have heard my prayers.

  By the time the opening credits were over we each had a plate of food, a large class of Coke and were sat so close our bodies touched. Amy kept sneaking food from my plate when she thought I wasn’t looking, the truth of the matter was I had eyes for only one thing that night – Amy. About thirty minutes into the film she got up and paused the film, she took the plates out to the kitchen and refilled our cokes. When the film restarted she sat down next to me once more only this time she leaned in, curled her feet beneath her and placed her head against the side of my body, my reaction was to move my arm at which point she positioned her head against my shoulder and my arm draped across her body where my hand laid touching her just below her breast. I could feel every heartbeat from both her and me. The scent from her body was intoxicating; a clean almost sweet smell emanated from every pore, or appeared to anyway. We carried on watching the film, with every laugh her body moved causing my hand to rub against her. I had never had to concentrate so hard to focus on a film in my entire life, but I was afraid that if I let my mind wander to where it wanted to go I may not b able to contain myself. Every now and then I flexed my fingers making out they were going to sleep when all I was really doing was feeling her body. She didn’t appear to mind; in fact at times I felt her press closer to me.

  By the end of the film I was slowly stroking the side of her body, her breathing was shallow where she was on the verge of sleep and I could clearly see the shape and form of her breast through the pyjamas. I realised then that she would be the only girl I would ever love like this. There was nothing I
wouldn’t do for her. I would kill for her. As the film ended she got up and turned the tape off before returning it to its case and back into the cupboard. Before coming back to the sofa she asked if I would like another drink. I told her that I would and that I’d give her a hand. I needed to move about to loosen myself up after all that sitting. Out in the kitchen she didn’t turn the lights on, instead opting for the glow from the fridge’s interior light. She stood there, door open and asked what I would like (I daren’t tell her what I really wanted), I opted for an orange juice and she joined me. We sat at the central island once more next to each other.

  We talked for a while about the film, then moved onto other topics like music, then she started to ask me if I have had a girlfriend before. Before I can answer there was the familiar noise of a key turning in the front door and in seconds her mum and dad were standing in the kitchen with us. I asked them if they had a nice night, and I could tell that they were both very much inebriated. They thanked me for coming over and sitting with Amy, and they told Amy that she should really make her way up to bed. That was the end of the evening, but it was the closest I had come to Amy since we had started going out.

  Pinky looked at the pile of pages he had written and was pleased, it had been a good session, he noticed for the first time that there were no discarded pages. He thought to himself that writing was easy and if maybe circumstances had been different then he could have been a successful author.

  SEVENTEEN

  Friday 9th July 1993

  Twelve twenty and DI Sian Price was standing at a front door, it could have been any front door on any house in any town, but this particular house was about to be given the sort of news of nightmares. If Sian was right then she was about to shatter the world of two people she had never met and after today would probably never meet again. But this meeting would remain with her for the rest of her life, like so many previous ones had. With her bag over her shoulder she raised her right hand and rang the bell. From inside the house she heard the chimes, and before she had a chance to compose herself the door opened and there stood the woman whose life she was about to rip into a thousand pieces.

  “DI Sian Price.” She said holding up her warrant card.

  “Please come in, would you like a drink or anything to eat?” Mrs Cooper asked, it was as if she wanted to put off the inevitable.

  “I’m fine thank you.” She stepped inside the large open reception area. Why was it that even in the toughest of times it was a natural instinct to offer food and drink, here she was about to deliver the worst news imaginable and Mrs Cooper’s main concern was that her ‘guest’ should be treated the same as if she had just popped round for a chat. Mrs Cooper showed her into the sitting room where her husband was waiting in a large armchair. His drawn face made him look older than his years; time had not been kind to him since his heart condition. A once robust man, had now almost given up and DI Sian Price could only imagine the toll this latest drama was inflicting upon him.

  “This is DI…Sorry, I’m terrible with names.” She said looking at Sian.

  “Please just call me Sian.” She extended a hand to Robert Cooper, who rose gently from his chair in a show of chivalry that she could see he wasn’t really capable of. “I understand my boss called to explain how this would work, and we will take this at your pace, don’t let me rush you and please don’t feel pressured in any way. Do you have any questions?”

  Evelyn Cooper sat next to her husband, her hand was entwined in his, she looked at him before asking, “How much of a formality is this? Do you already know it’s our Amy?” She wiped away the beginnings of a tear as the mention of her daughter’s name finally bought the reality crashing home.

  “We do have strong reason to believe the deceased is your daughter.” Sian learned over the years to refer to the victims by their relationship to the person she was speaking too rather than use their name. For some absurd reason it stopped her getting upset while she broke the news. It was as if by not giving the victim a name they could be anyone. She’d also noticed that the person she spoke to respect the fact that she associated the victim as part of their life and not just another name to be uttered with nonchalance. “When you are ready- and only then, we have a video from the coroner recorded which will allow you to see her and possibly identify her. The coroner will be on the phone to answer any questions you may have, is that all OK with you?”

  “Yes.” She says, once more she looked at her husband who gave a small nod, “If it is OK with you DI…sorry Sian, we would just like to get it over with as quickly as possible, I think in our hearts we know our daughter is gone. I can’t feel her presence anymore.”

  “That’s absolutely fine, just give me a couple of minutes to set up the video and I’ll bring the laptop over to you.” She tapped away for a couple of seconds before a familiar scene came onto the screen, while simultaneously dialling the coroner, “Hi John, this is DI Sian Price, I’m here with Mr & Mrs Cooper.” She knew the video would only have the face and shoulders visible unless they requested otherwise which Sian sincerely hoped they would not, but if they did she had other video files she could go to if she had to.

  She started the video and the body of Amy was visible before them, the room was brightly lit but thankfully the whole screen was taken up with the image of a beautiful girl who looked like she was sleeping. Sian knew the room and was glad that the rest was not visible, she paused it. She took her laptop over to Mr & Mrs Cooper and crouched on the floor to the right of Amy’s mother.

  “Let me know when you are ready.” The screen was blank at the moment, when she hit a certain button the video would return.

  “We’re ready.”

  Sian hit the button and their daughter was magically projected in front of them. The next few seconds lasted an eternity. Robert Cooper screamed out hysterically, “Not our beautiful Amy, please god not her.” His head slumped to his chest with resignation. Evelyn Cooper immediately held her husband.

  “Our precious baby has gone, please god why her. She had her whole life ahead of her, why have you taken her now?” She wasn’t crying but Sian knew that it would come and when it did she wasn’t sure they would ever be able to turn it off.

  Sian turned off the laptop, placed it on her bag and without a word headed to the kitchen to give them a few minutes while she went and made them a hot drink. In the kitchen she spoke briefly into the phone, “Thanks John, it looks like a positive ID.” She didn’t know what else to do, this was the first time she had had to do this, she’d broken the ultimate bad news to parents before, but had never been there when they had to identify the body, and even worse in their own home, there was no escaping this particular emotional rollercoaster. Her instructions were to do whatever the grieving parents wanted, if she had to sit with them for the rest of the day then she would, if they wanted her there when their other daughter got home from school then she would. She envied PC Thorne sat out in the car.

  She returned ten minutes later with a tray containing two cups with saucers, a teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl. It had taken her a while to find the teabags but had eventually navigated her way around the large kitchen. It was an impressive space and the craftsmanship was excellent. Little did she know that Amy’s killer had once helped install this very kitchen. As she placed the tray on the coffee table in front of Robert Cooper Mrs Cooper spoke.

  “I’m sorry for our outburst, but she had so much to live for. Thank you for the tea but my husband is going to have a lie down.” As if taking his cue he got up from his chair and without another word left the room. Less than forty minutes ago Evelyn had greeted Sian at the door as a beautiful healthy woman, and yet the lady who sat in front of her now looked old, worn down as if she hadn’t slept in a week. Sian then realised that she still hadn’t finished, she had to collect a DNA swab.

  She poured them both a cup of hot sweet tea, and Mrs Cooper started talking, “She was studying to be a midwife, she’d just sat her ‘A’ levels before her
trip, she would have been going to the University of East Anglia in Norwich in September to start her degree course. She was so looking forward to it, her caring nature would have made her a great midwife, and now she’s gone. Why does someone do something like this? She never hurt anyone, so why her? You must get this all the time, I suppose I’m no different to all the other parents and relatives you have to deal with. I bet they all tell you what a little angel their son or daughter was, how they didn’t deserve what happened to them. I’m sorry I’m rambling on a bit.” She took a sip of tea before continuing. “How was your journey down here? Are you travelling back today, because if you are you take it easy it’s a long way to travel in a day?”

  “The drive down was fine, we hit a bit of traffic but not too much.”

  “You’re not alone then?”

  “No, a young PC drove me down.”

  “You should have bought him in, go and get him at least let him have a cup of tea before your long drive back.”

  “He’s OK, I think this side of the work makes him a bit uneasy, he asked me if he could stay outside, and when we pulled up here he was ashen, but he assured me he was fine.” She said finishing her tea. “Is there anything I can do for you, do you want me to collect your daughter from school? Or be here and help you explain things to her?”

  “No, thank you, I want her to enjoy what may be her last normal day before I tell her later.” She said placing her cup back on the table. “Amy loved life, why would someone want to hurt her the way they did. I’m not stupid I know I haven’t been told the whole story and probably never will. She didn’t have a boyfriend because she was studying so much, she’s missed out on all that. I’d better not hold you up any longer Sian, you need to get back otherwise you’ll hit all the traffic.”

  “If you are sure you wouldn’t like me to stay, I’ll get going.” She stood and took a card from her pocket before handing it to Evelyn Cooper. “If you have any questions or need anything day or night, I’m only a phone call away.”