by Anita Waller
Lauren had heard. He turned to look at her and saw tears slide down her cheeks. He blew her a soft kiss and bent down to kiss his daughter’s head.
‘A beef burger it is, my lovely. Ketchup?’ She nodded and he handed her the plate.
‘Me too, Daddy,’ said Olivia. Pilot’s love for his daughters felt momentarily overwhelming.
He served the other guests and then said,
‘Right, the fire’s dying down a little. Shall we burn Guy?’
Grace felt an excitement like she’d never known before.
‘Please!’ she called.
But before Pilot had chance to follow up on this, Dawn spoke.
‘Can we just have a couple of minutes, folks?’
Everyone turned towards her and she grinned.
‘As you know Josh and I are going back to St. Louis on the 7th November. We are going back to sell our home there and get everything packed up to come home. In view of the relationship I had with your Dad, Lauren, I know it’s strange, but we feel part of all of you and that we need to be here. Pat, we will need to impose for a short while. We will need somewhere to stay when we come back, just until we find the house we want. Will that be possible?’
Pat gave a broad smile.
‘You are always welcome. After everything we have shared over the years, how could it be any other way?’
Grace started to clap and everyone laughed and followed suit. She knew very little about her family but she sure liked Josh.
Pilot and Josh went to get the Guy Fawkes and hoisted him on to the flames between them. The flames went higher with a terrific whoosh and everyone watching from inside and out cheered.
‘Fireworks on the side patio’ Josh shouted above the noise. ‘Give me ten minutes to set up.’
Josh moved to the metal bin where he had stored the fireworks and began to nail two Catherine Wheels to a post he had already installed. He had bought far too many but felt it was important that Grace had a night that would stay in her memory forever. He hoped it might erase some of her bad ones.
He thought it might be nice to finish the evening with the sky-rockets, so he put them on the bottom and the other fireworks on the top. He placed the packets of sparklers on the windowsill, ready for the girls coming round.
Lauren, Grace and Olivia were the first to walk around the corner and Lauren apologised.
‘I couldn’t make them wait any longer. Grace has only seen pictures in books of fireworks so she’s flying high at the moment.’
He laughed.
‘Okay, Grace, two more minutes until everyone else walks round and then we’ll see some Catherine Wheels.’
The little girl nodded and moved to his side. She slipped her hand into his and said,
‘Show me.’
He swallowed, fighting the emotion. Grace was changing. Was starting to absorb the love of this family. Finally.
He picked her up so that she could see the round firework at the top of the pole and she nodded.
‘Is it pretty?’
‘Nearly as pretty as you,’ he laughed. ‘Now go stand with your Mummy and don’t leave her side when the fireworks start. We don’t want anybody getting burnt.’
She watched the Catherine Wheel sitting on Pilot’s shoulders. He was aware of the significance of everything on the magical evening, a lessening of tension in Grace. If bonfire night could do this for her, how much more could Christmas do?
Once the Catherine Wheels had finished, Josh moved to the paving slab he had placed on the lawn for the standing fireworks. He took with him a Fairy Shower and lit it. He could hear the squeals of delight – and not just from the two little girls – and he grinned. A good night indeed.
They watched a few fireworks and then moved back towards the fire that was starting to die down. Pilot built it up again and they stood and watched as the flames began to climb higher once more. Guy Fawkes had disappeared completely.
At first, they thought it was the bang of a firework. And then Freda crumpled to the floor.
Four of the security men ran, leaving Guy to deal with Freda. ‘Inside the house,’ he ordered. ‘Leave the fire, leave everything.’
Pat dropped to her knees by the side of Freda.
‘I’m staying here,’ she said to the stern faced young man. ‘Get the others safe.’
He ushered them all in and locked the door. He went back to the two women.
‘Mrs Farmer, we don’t know where he is. It’s dark out there and there’s no guarantee we’ll get him. Please...’
‘I’m staying,’ she said. ‘Ambulance?’
‘On its way.’ He knelt down by Freda’s side and checked her neck for a pulse. It was there, but faint. Freda moaned but didn’t move. Pat took hold of her hand and spoke softly to her friend telling her the ambulance was coming, just to hold on.
Police cars arrived within minutes, one bringing Jake Dunbar. Paramedics worked on Freda on the patio for fifteen minutes before lifting her onto a trolley and into the ambulance. Pat went with her and finally the group inside the house began to get information.
Jess had taken the two girls up to bed and the adults waited in the lounge. Dunbar tapped on the patio doors and Pilot went to let him in.
‘Jake,’ Pilot said, tiredness in his voice. ‘He’s picking us off one by one.’
‘We are moving you all to a safe house...’
‘No! If you think he won’t find us, then you’re being particularly stupid! We’re going nowhere, because there is nowhere we can go. And I promise you this, DI Dunbar, if he harms my Grace in any way, I’m coming for you.’
They found no trace of the man they were seeking but they did find a sky-rocket standing in a bottle ready to be ignited. There was a message attached that said:
And there goes another one!
Chapter 26
But Treverick was wrong. In intensive care for two weeks, Freda was still alive. The bullet had entered her back causing a lung to collapse and breaking ribs. Her room was guarded just as Grace’s had been and although she was in a wheel chair when she went home ten days later, she did go home to Moorgate.
Dawn and Josh had delayed their departure until they knew she would make it and had then gone home to the States to tie everything up as quickly as possible. They had arrived back in England on 1st December and gone straight to Moorgate.
Pat folded her arms around Dawn and said,
‘Welcome home.’
Tears appeared in Dawn’s eyes.
‘Damn,’ she said, ‘I was determined not to cry. Well, we’re back for good. It looks as though the house is sold, barring any last minute hitches, and my lawyer says we can do everything now by fax. Our belongings are in a container somewhere between St. Louis and here, so we have what’s in our suitcases at the moment.’
‘We can all help if you need anything,’ she said with a smile. ‘Freda is coming home in a couple of days and I’ve moved her to a downstairs room You two are now upstairs and I hope you’ll stay as long as you need to. What I’m trying to say is, don’t go out and buy the first house you see, take your time and make sure it’s right for you. And besides all that, let’s not stretch Mark any further with security. Hillside and Moorgate are enough to have him scratching his head already.’
‘And they still have no idea where he is?’
Pat shook her head. ‘Not a clue. I don’t think Dunbar is too welcome over at Hillside these days and I quite understand Pilot’s stance on it, but they’re dealing with a truly devious man.’
Dawn and Josh unpacked and rejoined Pat downstairs. Dawn looked puzzled.
‘Is nobody here protecting you?’
She sighed. ‘Oh, yes. There are a couple of extremely fit young men patrolling the perimeter and there’s one inside. It’s Sam. He doesn’t say much apart from “You okay, Mrs. F?” It’s a comfort to know he’s here. They’re totally organised. Stagger meal breaks, pass information on to incoming agents – Mark has so impressed me with his company. Utter profes
sionals.’
‘So, we’d like to pop up to Hillside. Do we notify Sam?’
‘Doesn’t work like that. He is quite amenable to us being able to go where we want but he works out how many people go with us and what size car we need. I’ll go find him. Josh, you know where the kitchen is – a cuppa before we go? The boys outside like tea with milk, no sugar. Sam has coffee, black.’
Josh grinned at her.
‘Slave duties then. Mom, we have to find a new house PDQ.’
‘Why? Do you think you won’t be on slave duties in our new home?’ Dawn grinned.
He shook his head and moved into the kitchen. He had no idea what the next few weeks would bring but he was happy to be back in England. He had left good friends behind in St.Louis but in an ever-shrinking world, he would see them soon. And meanwhile he had some precious people to protect, alongside Pilot.
Sam organised them into one vehicle and they all drove to Hillside. Lauren was feeding Noah and the little boy grinned as he spotted Nanny Pat.
‘Oh well, that’s done it,’ a disgruntled Lauren said. ‘There’s no chance of getting this broccoli down him now.’
Josh laughed. ‘And quite right too. Nobody should ever be force-fed broccoli, it’s probably against the law. Come here, youngster, come join the men of the house,’ and he swung the baby up from his high chair.
Noah giggled and pulled his uncle’s hair. Josh carried him towards the double doors and before he had chance to open them one of Mark’s associates was standing there.
‘Oh – sorry Noah, maybe we’ll go play in the playroom then.’ He guessed it might take him a little while to get used to the stringent rules governing living arrangements now.
He carried the little boy upstairs to the room filled with toys of various shapes and sizes; Jess was there with Grace and Olivia.
Looking flustered, she stood up.
‘Sorry, did you want the room?’
‘No, no...’ he said. ‘It’s me that should be sorry; I thought it was your day off.’
She laughed. ‘It is. But I live here. And these two monkeys are my world now.’
‘You’ve no family then?’
‘Sort of. I have a mum but she’s remarried and they’re always off on holiday. She’s cruising round the Caribbean at the moment, so there’s just me. And these.’ She hugged the girls.
‘So, no boyfriend?’
‘You’re holding him. Noah is my love, aren’t you, sweetheart? He’s the only man I want in my life.’
Josh placed the baby on the floor and pulled a red and yellow toy laptop towards him. ‘Come on, Noah; let me teach you to type. We need you to be an author just like your Granddad John. He was a cool guy, buddy. You would have liked him.’
Jess smiled and turned her attention back to Grace and Olivia who were both working on separate jigsaws.
She heard Grace mumble something but hoped she had misheard. ‘What did you say, Grace?’
‘Fucking bastard, John,’ the little girl repeated.
Jess looked at Josh in horror. ‘I’m so sorry...’
‘Hey,’ he laughed, ‘I’ve heard much worse than that.’
‘Grace,’ she turned to her young charge. ‘We definitely do not use words like that. I think you need to apologise to Olivia, Noah, Uncle Josh and me. Now.’
Grace looked around and a tear left her eye.
‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Uncle Josh.’ She jumped up from the table and ran to the door. She slammed it behind her as she ran to her bedroom.
Josh stood. ‘I’ll go. Can you keep an eye on these two?’
She nodded and he followed Grace to her bedroom. She was face down on the duvet, sobbing. He sat by her side and pulled her to him.
‘Come on, you didn’t hurt anyone. It just wasn’t nice to hear words like that coming from such a dainty little thing like you.’
She looked at him. ‘He said them. He said them a lot.’
Josh felt out of his depth.
‘Ronald Treverick?’
She nodded. Her bottom lip dropped. ‘Please don’t send me back to him. I promise not to say it again.’
He felt numb. ‘Sweetheart, you will never see him again. You’re with your real Mummy and Daddy now and you will never go back to Treverick. I promise you.’
She looked at him; weighed him up, nodded.
‘You coming back to play with the others?’
‘No. I’ll stay here and read. And I’m sorry.’
He kissed the top of her head and stood. He could feel the tension in her and hoped half an hour in a book would help, albeit temporarily; this little girl needed some reassurance.
Jess looked up at his return.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Is she okay?’
‘Reading. She’s calmed down now but that’s one mixed up young lady. It’s like she doesn’t trust us to keep her safe.’
‘I know. She needs constant praise, constant encouragement around everything she does. I don’t have a problem with being like that with her but at some point, she has to take responsibility for herself and begin to trust in herself. Maybe that will happen when she eventually starts school but until he’s either caught or dead she won’t be going to school. Lauren and Pilot won’t take the risk.’
‘Then it’s simple. We’ll kill him.’
‘It’s not as simple as you seem to think. They have absolutely no idea where he is. They knew what he looked like last week but he’ll not look like that this week. And this isn’t the States you know,’ added Jess with a laugh. ‘We don’t have guns for sale on every corner.’
‘He got one.’
‘And that’s exactly my point about him. He knows what he’s doing. I’d lay odds on him having bought that gun twenty years ago ready for possibly – probably - needing it one day. Just look at the number of names he’s used since he got out of prison. He must have had everything set up ready for him to take on a different identity at the drop of a hat. And he must have money, lots of it.’
‘You’ve clearly given this some thought.’
‘When Lauren told me the full story, it took her a long time. Brenda was there as well, so between them they left nothing out. They felt it was safer for the children and me if I knew everything and really, I think they expected me to throw in the towel at that point. I didn’t. Initially I got angry but as time has gone on, I’ve applied a bit more logic to the situation. The anger has not died but now it’s a more thoughtful phase I’m going through. I try to outthink him but I’m not sure I ever could.’
‘Have you come up with anything?’
‘Not really. I’ve tried putting myself in his place with regard to where he is. He’s lost the house he hid Grace in for all those years but then he went back to their first place, the caravan. I imagine he thought he was safe there but our plucky little one remembered she lived in something like a tin can, which led the police to that caravan site at Polzeath. He lost that refuge and his face is now familiar all over Devon and Cornwall so his options are narrowing. Winter’s here now so he’s definitely not camping out. He’d stand out like a sore thumb. He needs to be under the radar, so I suspect a squat somewhere.’
‘Round here?’
Jess nodded. ‘I may be being a bit thick here, but driving a car seems a bit risky. It would only take an accident on the roads for the game to be up for him. And he must know the net is closing, which puts pressure on him. No, I think he’s got to be local. He got away from here pretty fast after shooting Aunt Freda so he’s clearly got good local knowledge. Neither the police nor the Carter men could find any trace of him, just that rocket left for them to find. He knows exactly what he’s doing, everything is planned to the tiniest detail and that’s the scariest part.’
Josh looked at her with something akin to adoration.
‘My God, you’re awesome!’
She laughed and picked up her bag. ‘Here. Have a look through this. Every time I think of something, I write it in here. There are bits of maps
and all sorts in it; make of it what you will but let me have it back when you’ve been through it. Feel free to pick holes in my theories, but don’t underestimate Treverick.’
‘Is it okay for me to show it to Pilot?’
‘Show it to whoever you want. Just remember they’re just my thoughts and there’s no proof I’m anywhere near on the right track.’
He flicked through the handwritten book and looked at her. ‘Wow! I’ll have to take you for a drink to say thank you.’
She grinned and winked at him. ‘Yes, please. Anytime. After he’s been caught. I don’t want to go for a drink with you accompanied by a bodyguard!’
And Josh, for the first time, was lost for words.
Chapter 27
Grace felt frightened. Insecure. She had said those bad words about the man who was her Granddad, a man she had never known and she remembered the dreadful naughty smacks that Daddy had inflicted on her. No, not Daddy. She mustn’t call him Daddy. He was Treverick. Everybody in her new house called him Treverick. She didn’t want anybody in this new home to give her naughty smacks because they hurt so much.
Her mind drifted back to the day she had stumbled and accidentally toppled the bucket she had just used. The wee went everywhere and when he came home from work, he had beaten her on her bare bottom with a slipper and it had hurt so much. He didn’t feed her for a long time after that and she thought about the bitter taste of her own wee she had drunk because she was so thirsty.
She didn’t want them to hurt her like that in this house. The door to her bedroom opened and she screamed.
Jess looked shocked.
‘What’s wrong, sweetheart? Tell me what’s wrong?’
‘Please don’t do naughty smacks,’ she sobbed. ‘It hurts so much.’
Olivia peeked around the door, her eyes wide.
‘Olivia,’ Jess said quietly. ‘Can you tell Mummy I want her in Grace’s room?’