The Silence

by Linda Tweedie

“He’s her dad.”

  “Well, you’ll know what family means then. Listen, I’ve got your number. I’ll be in touch, honest.” And he jumped into his car and zoomed off.

  “Why did you have to spoil everything? Why couldn’t you leave things alone?” The poor girl was distraught, inconsolable, and nothing would placate her. A seriously miserable end to what should have been a fabulous holiday.

  Bobby tore up the steps to the terrace, calling at the top of his voice for his father. He found him and Frank deep in conversation.

  “Dad! Sorry Frank, but I have to speak to my dad alone.”

  Pete had seldom seen his son so agitated. “That’s okay, son, you can speak in front of Frank.”

  “No. I need to speak to you on your own.”

  “No problem,” said the priest, leaving father and son to discuss whatever was bothering Bobby. No doubt a female, smiled the old man. That boy’s too handsome for his own good.

  “Shit, Dad, I think I’ve brought trouble to us. Real trouble.”

  “How? What could you have done to get this upset?”

  “I’ve just dumped Paddy Coyle’s daughter, that’s what, and after plucking her cherry.”

  “Hey, good for you, son,” Pete laughed. “Revenge certainly couldn’t be sweeter, but what’s all the panic for?”

  “I sort of promised her we’d be together always and all that guff. It’s what I tell them all, but this daft bint believed me and is threatening all sorts, including topping herself.”

  “So let her. It’s not your fault the stupid fool got taken in, and I can’t see Paddy Coyle coming hightailing it over here to exact retribution for his daughter’s virginity. Naw, you’re fine, don’t worry about it.”

  “Sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. Shame, really. If I’d known earlier I might have arranged a little something for

  Mr Coyle’s precious daughter.”

  “Frank, come back in here a moment,” Pete called to the priest who had been hovering in the vicinity.

  “So he’s just dumped Erin Coyle? There’s a turn up for the books. Never thought she’d be let out of her gilded cage,” smiled the priest. “You know he blames you for her condition.”

  “Me?” questioned Pete. “What condition and what did I do?”

  “Surely you heard what happened to Erin on the day of her Holy Communion? My God, it must be ten years ago.”

  “Well, I know I got the blame for all the trouble, but for once it wasn’t the McClellands. And I do know there was no time to stand and argue my case and stay alive. So what happened to her?”

  “You know she can’t talk?” Bobby asked his father.

  “She can’t talk? You’re joking.” interjected Pete. “But what’s that got to do with me?”

  “Well, she never said another word from that day on. They’ve had her to every specialist and they all say the same, she might regain her speech, but after this length of time it’s doubtful.”

  “So? I still don’t understand. Why’s it my fault?”

  “He thinks you mounted the attack and the outcome was that the girl lost the power of speech, so therefore, you are to blame.”

  “Fuck, I thought he just wanted what was mine, not that he was blaming me for what happened to his daughter. And it’s taken almost ten years for me to find out about this?”

  Farewell

  Erin had sobbed her heart out all night. As far as she was concerned, her life was in ruins. She didn’t want to live, she didn’t want to stay in Spain, but the thought of putting all those miles between her and Bobby was even worse. There was nothing her friends could say or do to make things better; she was taking it really badly.

  “This is what comes of being mollycoddled,” said Fiona. “They’ve kept her so bloody wrapped up, the first guy that shows her any attention, down she goes, hook line and sinker.”

  “Hey, come on, he’s not just any guy now, is he?” quipped Kirsty. “Neither of you would kick him out of bed.”

  “Talking of bed, do you think she did it?” queried Lucy.

  “Oh, God. I hope not, but he’s definitely not the type to waste his time, if you know what I mean.”

  “Naw, she’s not that stupid, is she?” replied Lucy.

  “Depends how much she had to drink or how persuasive he was.”

  “Hey, that’s her problem. Let’s get moving, we’ve got a flight to catch.”

  The girls did her packing for her, bundled her into a shower, managed to get her dressed and somehow they got to the airport. How things had changed in such a short time.

  Having checked in, Erin hung back and surveyed the busy airport, hoping against hope that maybe . . .

  “You three go on, I’ll catch you up. I want a magazine.”

  “How stupid do you think we are? As soon as we’re out of sight, you’ll make a break for it.”

  “Erin, I know this is harsh but forget him. Trust me, he’s already onto this week’s lucky hot pick. You had a great time, with a fab looking guy and now it’s back to reality.”

  “Fiona’s right, for God’s sake, pull yourself together. Do you think we’ve not all had our hearts broken? Just remember the good bits.”

  “Are you telling us you really want to tie yourself down at your age? Rubbish! All that housework, babies and everything that goes with it?”

  “C’mon, this time next week it’ll just be a distant memory.”

  With a slight tremor and a faint smile, Erin knew she had to go home, but hoped, just hoped, that he would come charging across the concourse and whisk her away.

  “Dear God, look at the reception committee,” Fiona caught sight of the crowd of people waiting outside the arrival hall.

  “Shit! Can you imagine what would have happened if we’d turned up without her?” whispered Kirsty.

  “Fuck, we’d all be floating in the Clyde,” replied Lucy.

  “Yeah, and everybody we know with us.”

  At the sight of her parents, uncles and granny, Erin burst into tears and was swept away in a bevy of concerned relatives.

  “I told you I shouldn’t have let her go,” growled Paddy to anyone listening. Turning to her three companions, “Well, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”

  The three girls didn’t know what to say and it didn’t look like Erin was going to come to their rescue.

  “She’s not been feeling well the last couple of days, Mr Coyle. I don’t think the food agreed with her,” ventured Kirsty. “And of course, she was terribly homesick.”

  That was exactly the right thing to say to Paddy Coyle, who was convinced, his family could not exist without him in their immediate vicinity.

  “Okay, I trust you took good care of her?”

  “Of course,” the threesome chimed together.

  “Sean, see these three young ladies get home, will you?” Paddy swept majestically out to his waiting car, vowing that this was his princess’s first and last time away from the family.

  The girls breathed a huge sigh of relief and silently got into the waiting limo, well aware that they had got off by the skin of their teeth. Paddy Coyle was one scary man.

  If it Sounds Too Good

  Sitting in the warmth of the kitchen at Number 28, Lizzie and Marie were discussing Erin, and not for the first time either.

  “What the bloody hell is going on there?” questioned Lizzie. “I can’t make head nor tail of her lately. Dear Lord, if she’s not sobbing her heart out, she’s taking the feckin’ face off you. I’ve never seen the likes, well, not with her, anyway.”

  “I’ve hardly seen her,” Marie answered her mother. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was avoiding me, but why? Hey, if it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t have gotten to go. So why the hell has she taken the hump with me?”

  “God knows, hen, but something happened when she was away, that’s for sure. Feckin’ home-sickness. She’s been home more than a month and still suffering from it. Bollocks, absolute bollocks.”

&nbs
p; “I’m telling you, she’s met someone, as sure as apples are apples. I bet the silly mare has fallen for some sleazy Spanish waiter and is pining for him. I’m telling you, Ma, it’ll be a bloke. It always is.”

  “Naw, she’s never been much interested.”

  “She’s never been allowed to,” answered Marie.

  “That’s true, but how have that dozy pair not cottoned on? Let’s face it, they know everything else about the lass.”

  “But that’s the problem, the poor wee bugger is smothered. They do everything but breathe for her and it’s not healthy. Fuck, we all know what happened the last time he left them alone. But for Christ’s sake, Ma, if I can get over it, so can Erin.”

  “Don’t ever let either of them hear you saying that, Marie, or you’ll never hear the end of it. But you’re right, they do smother her and it will end in more tears. Believe me, she’s hiding something and I for one am not looking forward to finding out what.”

  Erin was well aware the family were worried, but for the life of her, she couldn’t shake off her desolation. Friends called for her and she refused to see them. She missed parties and outings; she was just plain miserable, with no interest in anything.

  She was about to start university in a few weeks, something she’d planned and worked hard at for years, but it now held nothing for her. She had no appetite and no matter what her mother or granny served up to her, it ended up in the bin. The girl was a shadow of her former self and for the first time in a long while, the fact she couldn’t speak had become a big issue for everyone, especially her dad.

  Paddy was beside himself with remorse. He should have stuck to his guns and kept her at home, despite the mutterings of his wife and mother, and especially that bloody sister of his. Why in God’s name had he ever listened to her of all people? Paddy Coyle was convinced that he, and he alone, could protect his family and yet again he’d let Erin down by giving in to this holiday malarkey.

  He had that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew there was much more to this than bloody food poisoning and missing home, and he certainly wasn’t the eejit his mother and sister seemed to think. But what was wrong? Boyfriends? He didn’t think so, and there certainly had been no mention of anyone in particular. But by fuck, if anyone had been taking liberties with his princess, God help them. Paddy Coyle would do murder without a second thought.

  Fresher’s week should have been a round of drink, parties and fun, and Erin Coyle would always have been first up for a laugh and a good time. Now she dragged herself from lecture to lecture and then locked herself up in her room on the pretext of studying. In fact, she never opened a book, and as for the lectures, they could have been in a foreign language for all the attention she paid. Not only was she miserable, she felt awful, really ill. She was beginning to think there was something drastically wrong. Was she dying? In a sad way she hoped so. Then he’d be really sorry. It didn’t matter what she ate or drank, up it came. And the more tempting the food, the worse she felt. If this was what a broken heart did, she would never look at another man in her life.

  As she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Erin played over and over in her mind’s eye the time she had spent with Bobby. Could he really have been lying about how he felt? Was it all just to get into her pants? Probably, but she would have let him anyway. He didn’t need to lie. Was he saying the same things to some other girl right now? Probably.

  She knew she had to pull herself together, but she just didn’t know how. This was a girl who barely ever caught a cold, was always brimming with good health, she rarely even suffered from PMT.

  Oh, fuck.

  Sickness, feeling like death warmed up, and she couldn’t remember when she’d last had her period, it was well before she went on holiday. She couldn’t be, could she? They’d only done it once. Oh my God, her father would kill her. Yes, he would seriously kill her. What the hell was she going to do?

  Pregnant Pause

  Erin grabbed her purse and car keys and headed out. She couldn’t wait, she had to find out now.

  “Where are you off to, missy? I’m just about to serve lunch, your dad wants to eat now, he’s got some meeting or other to attend,” Bridget called after her daughter.

  Erin slammed the door behind her.

  “So much for family lunch,” muttered Bridget to herself. There was something up with that girl and she hoped that what she suspected wasn’t true. There would be murders in this house if she was right. She couldn’t get hold of Erin long enough to get to the bottom of things, but she would.

  Erin had no option but to go into town. The ladies in the village chemist knew her and the family well. There was no way a pregnancy test would go unnoticed or unannounced. Her mother would know about the purchase before she had the wrapping paper off.

  God, if she had felt grim before, it was nothing to the way she was feeling now. She was ill with worry. How could this have happened? Surely it was an old wives tale. Only she was unlucky enough to get caught the first time. Unbelievable! Bloody hell, what was she going to do? No way could she confess to her mother. Her dad? Oh my God, forget it. She daren’t even contemplate his reaction. What about her granny? Naw, she’d be just as bad. Marie, Auntie Marie. She’d help her, but first things first, maybe she was just late. It could be a false alarm. Perhaps the flight had knocked her system to hell, or the Spanish food hadn’t agreed with her, or maybe just the misery of a broken heart? Who was she kidding? Talk about clutching at straws − she knew, deep down she knew.

  Disappearing into the ladies powder room in Lewis’s, she carried out the instructions. It seemed to be the longest five minutes of her life. Two blue stripes. Oh, fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck. She gave it another try and five minutes later there were another two stripes. No doubt about it. She was in the club, up the duff, had a bun in the oven, whatever. And Bobby Mack was soon to be a father, whether he liked it or not.

  As Erin was grimly contemplating her future, the bold Bobby was romancing the bikini bottoms off his latest squeeze − a forty-year-old cougar from Essex who had just engaged his services, and hopefully she’d get him to maintain the pool as well. Boy, was she something.

  Thank God his mother wasn’t home. He’d never get away with bringing a woman back to the house, and certainly not one as old as Dianne herself. But his father? Christ, he wouldn’t notice if they were putting on a floor show in the middle of the lounge. He supposed it was time he got a place of his own. At his age, to still be living at home with Mummy and Daddy was definitely not cool. But hey, he liked it. He had all his home comforts, his laundry was taken care of, his food provided, all for free. And he actually liked his parents and how they lived. The only disadvantage was the lack of privacy, but seriously, was it worth giving all this up? What were hotel rooms for?

  Now he knew why his ma had taken off back to Scotland. Old Frankie boy was back on the scene. And boy, did his mother hate the old priest with a vengeance. There had been one helluva ding-dong after the last visit and Dianne had vowed she would personally turf both of them out on their arses if the priest darkened their door again. But Daddio was having none of it and she’d obviously been shipped out. It looked like he’d won that battle. But would he win the war? That remained to be seen.

  Bobby didn’t mind the old boy, in fact he found him quite droll. Oh, he wouldn’t trust him as far as he could throw him, and he was never sure if the old bastard had tried it on with him years ago when Bobby was very young. He did remember his mother going for Frank with a huge metal frying pan, so maybe he had. Whatever. It was a long time ago and he’d never tried anything since, so maybe Bobby had just got the wrong end of the stick.

  He did, however, puzzle over the years what the connection was between Pete and the priest. Hey, Bobby wasn’t daft and he had lived in Marbella amongst the criminal fraternity long enough to know that the pair were up to no good, but so what? He had no idea and, quite frankly, even less interest. Let them get on with it, whatever it was. They’d been
at it for years and no breath of scandal had ever circulated. Whatever it was, it certainly provided a very nice lifestyle, thank you very much.

  Those two had been closeted in the office for a couple of hours and from the sound of the raised voices, it didn’t seem to be going his father’s way. Pete Mack was the most genial of men when things were going well, but when they weren’t? Shit, he was not a nice person to be around. Anyway, time to dump the old chick and meet up with the boys. Every night was party night in Bobby’s world.

  Talk about bad luck, Marie Coyle hadn’t been on holiday for God knows how many years, but had let herself be talked into going away for a couple of weeks by the latest man in her life. Having persuaded her brother to let Erin loose, she could hardly use the same argument herself.

  So, just when Erin desperately needed her, Marie was sipping cocktails aboard the Adventure of the Seas, setting sail from Miami, totally unconcerned about her brothers, mother and sister-in-law, or business. Someone else could take care of the lap dancers and their problems and the masseurs with theirs. She’d either be missed and more thought of, or nobody would realise she’d gone and she’d have to look for something else. Whatever, she didn’t give a damn right now. The only passing concern she had was for Erin. Whatever was wrong with the girl, it couldn’t be that drastic and she’d fix it when she got back.

  He was a fly old bugger, mused Pete Mack, never around when a shipment was in transit. The most dangerous time, the time when anything could go wrong, but due to Pete’s exact planning and use of only the most professional forgers and couriers, it meant that up until now things had always gone as planned.

  The police reckoned the first 48 hours in any missing person case were critical and Pete agreed wholeheartedly. He always insisted on having the merchandise out of the country of origin and well under way within half that time. He knew that once the alarm had been raised, all ports and airports were off limits, but with the new technology available, even that was cutting it fine. At the touch of a button, information, which would have taken days, or maybe even weeks to filter through, was available almost immediately and for the first time, two of his couriers had been detained. It had been a heart stopping situation, but fortunately for them, all the passports and documentation were first class.