BEFORE I LEFT a gripping psychological thriller full of killer twists
Page 24
“Mary, you’re a mum! How did you do that?” I laugh through my own tears.
She grimaces for a moment. “It was awful. Not just the birth, I mean, but being stuck down there. But it was so quick that even when the police came in, just after you and Leon left and they smashed the door open, they said not to move me. Victoria was amazing. She just kept talking all the way through and she knew exactly what to do, and then the ambulance came—”
“Victoria was in earlier. She said it was the best moment of her life, and how proud she was of you. Do you know she seems to have just shrugged off the fact that her boyfriend was a killer, as though it never happened? In fact she seemed more concerned about the fact he killed that cat. Do you remember? On our very first night out.”
I sink back and sigh again, my eyes still drinking in the baby. I’m sure Victoria is hurting, but I doubt she’ll ever show it. She is one tough nut.
“Crazy Leon. I was such an idiot to let him in, but really he always seemed so nice. He said he had found a little highchair for the baby, and would I come out and have a look before he unloaded it from his car. I made him a cup of tea, of course, and had one myself. Victoria said that was when he must have drugged me. The next thing I remember is waking up in the cellar. All the time you were looking I was right next door. I can’t believe none of us worked it out!” Mary runs a finger over her baby’s cheek.
“Well, we did, didn’t we? Just not quickly enough. But his cover as this gentle professor type was perfect. I feel really sorry for Victoria, but you know a strange thing? He said he did actually love her. I suppose that probably saved her from becoming a victim.”
“No way! And the watcher? Did you tell the police about him?”
“Shhhhh. No. I’ll tell you why later. I feel really bad about Ted.”
Mary sighs, “But from what you’ve told me all the evidence was pointing his way. I’m sure he won’t hold a grudge.”
“Victoria reckons he just might move on somewhere else, depending on the court case.”
The baby starts to grumble and Mary picks her up. “I need to feed her, Rubes. I’m doing it myself, you know,” she adds proudly, shifting further up my bed. I make room for her on the pillows, as the baby latches on and begins to suckle.
I feel my mouth stretching into a grin, and a wave of love for both of them nearly has me in tears again. It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.
“What are you going to call her?” I ask suddenly, when the little girl has finished feeding and is dozing in her mother’s arms.
“I thought of loads of names, but when I was down in that cellar, it was so dark I kept praying that I would see the sun again, and praying she wouldn’t be born yet.” Mary’s light blue eyes meet mine. “I can understand how people can kill to protect someone, you know. I swore to myself if the baby was born down there I would protect her however I could against Leon.”
I nod, and squeeze her hand.
“So anyway, I’ve decided to call her Summer.”
“Perfect,” I stroke the soft pale down on the baby’s head, and beam at my best friend.
* * *
Two days later we both hobble out of hospital. The sun has returned and the clean, salty air is a welcome change from the antiseptic smell of the ward. Johnnie helps me carefully into the car, and takes Mary’s bag for her.
“I can’t believe this has all happened. Brighton was lovely and peaceful before you two misfits turned up. Now what do we have? Scandal and murder!” He shakes his head, smiling, and lights a cigarette before settling behind the wheel. “I do hope this hasn’t put you off? You are sticking around for the rest of the summer?”
As we pull away into the traffic, I glimpse the sea, lazy blue with the waves dancing in the afternoon light. I see the scattered sand on the beach, the jumbled mass of houses, bars, cafés, shops, and offices that cling dark-shadowed to the long hill, and the people bustling in the heat. I catch the smell of coffee, candyfloss, and hotdogs. Everything that makes up the city by the sea.
Beside me, my best friend grins, and baby Summer snuggles safely between us.
“We’ll stick around for a bit.”
THE END
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the wonderful people who took the time to give me advice and information for this book. However this book is a work of fiction, thus bending of the rules/geography etc. has been done to enable the plot, and does not reflect on their expertise.
CHARACTER LIST
The Girls
Ruby: Feisty, intelligent, loyal and thinks about things a bit differently to most girls her age. Why? Because she's a nineteen-year-old runaway with big secrets to hide.
Mary: Ruby's pregnant best friend — sweet, gentle who wishes her happy-ever-after hadn't turned sour. Also works at Johnnie's hairdressing salon.
Pearl: Ruby's cousin, training to be a nurse. Brighton party girl who speaks her mind.
Victoria: Pearl’s best friend — also training to be a nurse. Likes to think she knows how to handle men.
The Boys
Johnnie: Big-hearted owner of the hairdressing salon. Has secrets of his own to hide.
Kenny: Junior reporter on the local newspaper. A secret romantic.
James: Kenny's best friend and work colleague. Likes to think he knows how to handle women.
Ted: Found his true love, now he just has to convince her to love him back.
GLOSSARY OF BRITISH AND PERIOD SLANG
Addles your brain: messes with your head
Aggro: violent behaviour, aggression
All hands to the pumps: lots of help needed
Aye: yes (Scottish)
Baby grow: sleepsuit
Babycham: cheap alternative to champagne – made from pears
Ball and chain: wife (negative)
Balloon’s gone up: an emergency situation
Balls-up: an error, a mistake
Banana boat: derogatory term for immigrants transport to UK
Banksy: famous graffiti artist
Barm: bread roll
Barrel of laughs: sarcastic term for a serious character
Barrister: lawyer who argues in court
Be sick: vomit
Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids
Beat bobby: uniformed police officer who patrols the streets
Bedsit: a one-room apartment (small)
Bee’s knees: something special
Bells ringing: equivalent of police sirens today
Belter: It was a fantastic goal
Benefits: social security
Bent: corrupt
Better step on it: hurry up
Betting shop: a place where you can place bets on horses and other sports
Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)
Biscuits: cookies
Black Maria: a police van
Blighty: means England
Bloke: guy
Blow: cocaine
Bob: money
Bod: derogatory term – anonymous person
Bonnet: hood of car
Bookies: a place where you can place bets on horses and other sports
Bowling me a googly: cricketing term. To take by surprise
Boxing Day: 26 December
Bread-and-butter work: routine work
Brief: lawyer
Brylcreem: hair cream/gel to give men’s hair shine and smoothness
Bully for you: good for you (sarcastic)
Bumfluff: the first pubic hair
Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant
Buy-to-let: buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit
Cabbage: brain dead
Calling in the cavalry: asking for reinforcements
Cambridge University: prestigious British university
Canon: a rank of clergymen
Car park: parking lot
Caravan: mobile home
Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for
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Carer: person who looks after old or ill people
Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket
Cat that got all the cream: satisfied
Chaps: men
Charity Shop: thrift store
Chat up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments
Chemist: pharmacy
Childminder: someone who looks after children for money
Chinwag: conversation
Chip: fat French fry
Chipper: feeling positive
CID: Criminal Investigation Department
Civil servant: someone who works for the Civil Service
Civil Service: government departments which put central government plans into action
Clobbered: hit hard
Clock: punch
Cobbler’s shop: shoe repair
Cock up: mess up, make a mistake
Common or garden: ordinary
Common: an area of park land/ or lower class
Comprehensive School (Comp.): high school
Cop hold of: grab
Copper: police officer
Cos: because
Council estate: social housing
Council flat: public or project housing
Council: local government
Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit
CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward
Crazy-paving: patio, concrete slabs in random pattern
Cross: upset or angry
Crown Jewels: the Queen’s jewels and crown worn on state occasions (can also be an expression for anything valuable)
Cuppa: cup of tea
Cut along to: go along to
David Nixon: UK TV magician
DCI: Detective Chief Inspector
Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block
Deputy head: deputy principal
Dessert: pudding
DI: Detective Inspector
Digs: lodgings, boarding house
Do a bunk: disappear
Do a runner: disappear
Do one: go away
Do: party
Doc Martens: heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole
Dodgems: bumper cars
Doormat: meek
Dosh: money
Dressing down: being chastised
Druid: priest or magician of ancient Celtic religion/ also modern-day adherent of the religion
DS: Detective Sergeant
Early dart: to leave work early
ED: accident and emergency department of hospital
Emergency police box: telephone box for police use
En-print: an 8 x 10 photograph
Estate agent: realtor (US)
Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects). May also mean a large area of land in the country, usually with a large house
Excuse my French: sorry I swore
Ex-directory: not in the phonebook
Fag: cigarette
Fella: man
Fellow: boyfriend
Fitzrovia: upmarket London area
Fizzy drink: carbonated beverage
Flat: apartment
Flatfoots: derogatory name for police
Fly in the ointment: problem
Form teacher: class teacher
Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold
Gee-gees: horses (racing)
Geordie: someone from Newcastle
George Formby: musical comedian
Get rid: dispose of
Get you a brew: make a cup of tea
Get your skates on: hurry up
Gilet: sleeveless padded jacket
Glasshouse:greenhouse
Go to the dogs: go to rack and ruin, be destroyed
Good collars: good arrests
GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community
Graft: hard work
Guvnor: the boss (& guv)
Gymkhana: horse-riding event
Gymslips: school uniform of bib and skirt design
Hack: newspaper journalist
Had it in spades: has a lot of it
Half of bitter: half pint of beer
Hanky: handkerchief
Hard nut: tough person
Harold MacMillan: British Prime minister 1957-63
Haversack: backpack, rucksack
Hendon: police training school
Herbert Beerbohm-Tree and Mrs Patrick Campbell: actors
HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents
Home: care home for elderly or sick people
I’m blowed: I am surprised
I’m spitting nails: I am very angry
Inne: isn’t he
Interpol: International Criminal Police Organisation, facilitating international police cooperation. HQ in Lyon, France.
Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services
Kark: die
Keep it under your hat: keep it a secret
Keep mum about it: keep it a secret
Keep your hair on: don’t get so excited
Kneecapping: punish by shooting in the kneecap
Knee-trembler: sex standing up
Knighted: given a British honour
Knock his block off: punch him hard, block = head
Lad: young man
Lass: young woman
Late birds: people who stay up late
Lecky: electricity
Lift: elevator
Lippy: lipstick — can also mean loquacious
Little hussy: girl of loose morals
Load of tripe: lot of nonsense
Loft: attic
Lonnnie Donegan: father of British skiffle music
Loo: toilet (also bog, khasi)
Lorry: a truck
LSE: London School of Economics
Mac: raincoat
Magistrate: a civil officer who administers the law
Mantelpiece: shelf above a fireplace
Mare: derogatory term for woman, or can mean having a bad day (nightmare)
Marmite or Bovril: meat-based sandwich spreads
Mates: friends
Met: the Metropolitan Police, police department serving London
Mickey Finn: a drugged drink which makes the drinker unconscious
Milkman: person who delivers milk to the house
Missus: wife
MIT: Major Investigation Team
Mobile phone: cell phone
Mobile: cell phone
Mosquito: British airplane used in Second World War
Mothercare: shop selling stuff for babies and expectant mothers
MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area
Mumsnet: website where parents discuss stuff
Naff: lame, not good
Nail varnish: nail polish
Narky: bad-tempered
Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain
News of the World: British tabloid newspaper
NHS: National Health Service, public health service of UK
Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest)
Nimby: Not in my backyard. People who object to developments/buildings, etc. use this word.
No-go area: dangerous place
No-mark: loser
North London / South London: separated by the River Thames
Nowt: nothing
NQT: newly qualified teacher
Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)
Nutter: insane person
OAP: old age pensioner, senior citizen
Off his chump: slang for being mad, crazy
Off-licence: shop selling alcohol
Ofsted: UK government’s inspector of schools
On the game: prostitute
Ovaltine: malted milk beverage – served hot
Overall: a one-piece garment worn to protect clothes
&n
bsp; Owt: anything
Oxbridge: Oxford and Cambridge universities
Oz: Australia
Palais: dance hall
Pathé News and Pearl and Dean: adverts before the movie starts
Pay-as-you-go: a cell phone you pay for calls in advance
PC: police constable
Pear-shaped: go wrong
Petrol: gasoline
Pin money: small amount of earnings
Pinny: pinafore
Piss off: as exclamation, go away (rude). Also can mean annoy.
Pissed off: annoyed
Pissing around: messing about, not telling the whole truth
Pissing down: raining
Planning Department: the local authority department which issues licences to build and develop property
Plantagenet: English royal dynasty, on throne from 1154-1485
Plaster: Band-Aid
Playing cards close to her chest: being coy with the truth
Pleb: ordinary person (often insulting)
Plimsolls: gym shoes
Plods: derogatory name for police
Police Gazette: newspaper produced to publish notices of wanted criminals
Poncy: pretentious
Poofter: offensive slang for a gay person
Portakabin: portable building used as temporary office etc.
Post: mail
Pounding the beat: working as a uniformed officer on the streets
Premier League: top English soccer division
Prick: slang for penis
Prom: a classical music concert where some of the audience stands
Puds: puddings/desserts
Pull the wool over their eyes: fool people
Pulling my leg: having a joke at my expense, teasing
Punter: someone who gambles in a betting shop
Pushchair: stroller
Q cars: A car that has a high performance engine and an unassuming exterior
Querent: person for whom the tarot card reading is done
Quite sweet on you: likes you romantically
Rag: newspaper
Ram-raiding: robbery where a vehicle is rammed through a shop window
Randy: horny
RC: Roman Catholic
Red Brick University: university founded in 19th and 20th centuries
Reggie and Ronnie: the Kray twins, gangsters
Register office: a government building where you get married or register births
Right state: messy
Ring: telephone (verb)