by Kitty Neale
‘I don’t want to go back yet,’ John protested, ‘not till I know that Mum’s going to be all right.’
‘You can’t stay off school indefinitely.’
‘Just for the rest of this week then,’ he said hopefully.
‘John,’ said Emily. ‘Your education is important.’
‘I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the lessons.’
‘Nevertheless, you’ve already had about two weeks off and I think it’s time you went back,’ she insisted.
John turned away from her, appealing to Derek, ‘Dad, can’t it wait until Monday?’
‘Yes, all right, but when Monday comes round I don’t want any arguments. You’re going back to school then and that’s final.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’
Emily didn’t agree with Derek. She felt that returning to school would occupy John’s mind and give him less time to fret about Pearl. However, not wanting to interfere, she said nothing.
‘Lucy will be here soon,’ Derek said. ‘Once she’s opened the shop I think I’ll take a walk around the market to pass on the good news.’
‘I’ll take that roll of film I took on Sunday to be developed,’ John said. ‘It feels funny that I can just go out when I want to now.’
‘Within reason,’ Derek said. ‘For instance, I want you here when it’s time to visit your mother.’
John said he would be, while Emily was thinking how glad she was that Vincent Chase was now in custody. She hoped that more good news would follow – that Pearl would show some sign, however small, that she was going to recover.
John was the last one downstairs as they left to visit the hospital later that day. He was pleased that he could go out again, that he wasn’t confined to the flat, but he wasn’t looking forward to going back to school. He knew what it was like around here, how people gossiped, and everyone in his class would have heard what had happened.
They all said goodbye to Lucy and she called, ‘Give my love to Pearl.’
When they got into the car, he sat in the back with Nora while his gran got into the front passenger seat. Nora said, ‘Pearl get better, Johnny.’
‘I hope so,’ he replied.
When they arrived at the hospital and walked to the intensive care unit, the ward sister saw them and hurried out of her office, her face sombre. John’s heart began to thump with fear and he felt his gran’s trembling hand clutch his.
‘I know I’ve always insisted on only two visitors at a time,’ the sister said, ‘but on this occasion I think you should all go in together.’
‘Why? What’s wrong?’ Derek asked.
‘Go in, Mr Lewis,’ she said indicating the door into the unit. ‘Your wife is waiting to see you. To see you all.’
With that she walked back into her office and sensing that the others were as worried as he was, John kept a tight hold of his gran’s hand as they stepped inside.
Derek walked slowly up to Pearl’s bed, fighting to hold himself together, then caught his breath when he noticed that she was sitting up.
‘Hello, it’s about time you all got here,’ Pearl said, smiling.
‘Pearl!’ Emily cried joyfully. ‘You look so much better.’
‘I am, and look,’ she said, pulling the covers to one side to reveal her toes.
Derek gasped when he saw Pearl wriggle them, and John dashed forward, crying, ‘Mum! Oh, Mum!’
‘Hello, darling,’ she said, stretching up her arms to hug him.
‘See, told you Pearl get better,’ Nora said.
‘Nora, you’re amazing,’ Emily said. ‘We thought you were asking a question, not stating a fact. How did you know?’
Nora just shrugged, and went to stand at the foot of Pearl’s bed, while Emily moved to the other side. When Pearl let John go, she took her daughter’s hand. ‘Oh, darling, this is wonderful.’
‘John, can I get a look in now?’ Derek asked.
‘Yes, sorry, Dad,’ he said, swopping places.
Derek leaned over Pearl and kissed her, so happy that he felt he was going to burst. ‘I can’t believe this. There wasn’t any change when we came to see you yesterday. When did this happen?’
‘I felt a tingly feeling not long after you left. The doctor came to examine me, and I felt it when he tested my legs with a needle again.’
‘Why didn’t you ring me?’
‘I didn’t want to build up your hopes, but when I woke up this morning more feeling had returned, so much so that I was taken off the medication. It’s wonderful to be able to think clearly again, to move again,’ she said, her eyes bright as her smile encompassed them all.
When Pearl went on to say the doctor had told her she would make a full recovery, the visit passed in a haze of happiness for Derek. He saw the joy on Emily’s face echoed on John’s, and Nora too seemed to be grinning the whole time. None of them spoke of what had happened that dreadful night when Pearl had been shot. It could wait for now, and when the ward sister appeared, Derek said dryly, ‘That wasn’t funny, Sister. You frightened the life out of us.’
‘It wasn’t my idea, Mr Lewis. Your wife wanted to surprise you.’
‘But you looked so serious,’ Emily said. ‘As though something dreadful had happened.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t want to give the game away,’ she said. ‘Now I’m afraid visiting time is over.’
Derek found the time had passed so quickly, but they would return that evening. They all said their goodbyes, and for the first time left the ward with broad smiles on their faces.
Chapter Fifty-One
John’s freedom turned out to be short-lived. It must have been Vincent Chase’s arrest that triggered it, and the next morning the national newspapers broke the story. Suddenly there were reporters hanging around the shop, pouncing on them when they went outside.
Derek read the newspaper reports, finding that some were pretty accurate, but others sensationalised.
‘Listen to this headline,’ he said to Emily. ‘“Vincent Chase, a notorious nightclub owner, charged with murder.” It goes on to say: “The revenge killing of Kevin Dolby, a man who had served thirteen years in prison for robbery with violence, involved an exotic dancer, known only by the name of Adrianna. In his attempt to find this woman, Vincent Chase questioned then shot Dolby’s ex-wife, who remains in hospital, mortally wounded.”’
‘At least they’ve got some of their facts straight,’ Emily commented. ‘Though Pearl is going to be fine now.’
Derek picked up another paper. ‘This one describes what happened here as a night of carnage. How did they get hold of this rubbish? It’s nearly all pure fiction. I hate it that our names are all over the newspapers.’
‘Someone from this area must have spoken to a reporter and what they didn’t know, they invented. It’ll pass, Derek. As soon as another story hits the headlines it’ll be old news.’
‘In the meantime they’re after us as soon as we show our faces. Lucy has had to close the shop to keep the hacks at bay.’
‘As long as we can get to the hospital to see Pearl, that’s all that matters,’ Emily said.
A thought struck Derek. ‘Emily! What if Pearl gets hold of a newspaper? We haven’t talked to her about that night, or told her about Kevin’s death.’
‘Ring the ward sister. Ask her to keep them away from Pearl and warn her that reporters might try to get in to see her.’
‘Yes, I’ll do that now,’ he said, hurrying to the telephone and hoping that he wasn’t too late.
‘Well, what did she say?’ Emily asked as soon as he replaced the receiver.
‘She said she’d do her best and that only relatives will be allowed in to see Pearl,’ he said as he went to look out of the window. A few reporters were still hanging around, cameras at the ready. ‘I’ll be glad when they give up and our lives can get back to normal.’
Yet in truth, Derek wondered if their lives could ever be the same again.
Two other men and a woman, all in different locations,
were reading the newspapers.
One man was partly relieved that Kevin was dead, yet sad too. Rupert laid down his paper and stood up to look out of the window of his hotel room in Cornwall. The sea view had been pleasant in the summer, but now looked grey and bleak, as bleak as his mood as he decided to pack. He could go home now, but the house would feel empty now. Kevin had used him, hurt him, made a fool of him, yet despite this, Rupert had loved him.
As he folded shirts to put into his case, Kevin’s handsome face floated into his mind. The newspapers had written about a girl called Adrianna, and it was obvious that she was the reason for Kevin’s betrayal. She hadn’t been found, but as far as he was concerned, ultimately she had caused Kevin’s death. Rupert hoped that wherever she was, Adrianna wasn’t happy, that she was suffering in some unspeakable way.
Stupid, you’re so stupid, he told himself. Adrianna had been Vincent Chase’s tart, then Kevin’s, and Rupert suspected that girls like that would always fall on their feet.
As he left the hotel Rupert was unaware that in another place, distant from Cornwall, another man was in a state of shock as he read the newspapers, though he had no interest in Adrianna. His concerns lay elsewhere and regardless of the consequences he was packing hastily, desperate to pay his bill and leave.
Adrianna wasn’t suffering. She had made it across to France, and thanks to a rather nice-looking and well-preserved older man on board who had a car on the ferry, she had been driven on an onward journey to Spain. The further away from England the better, she had thought, while sitting happily beside him in his leather-seated Jaguar. Obviously besotted, he had swallowed her story about having her luggage stolen and willingly forked out a nice bit of money before they left France on several lovely new outfits.
She had felt like a million dollars in her designer suits, and seen the desire in his eyes. However, on both occasions when they had stopped overnight, she had insisted on separate rooms.
Never again would a man use her; instead she’d use them, and as this one had told her that his wife had died, before going on to brag about his villa overlooking the sea on the Costa Blanca, he would do until she had the means to ditch him.
For now though, she was sitting on the terrace of his luxurious villa. It was now October, but it was lovely and warm in Spain.
‘Katerina, would you like to go out for lunch, my dear?’ asked Laurence.
‘That would be nice,’ she purred, not quite used to the new name she had chosen. With her dark, exotic looks she was now a woman of Russian descent, and as Laurence had believed her story, she was sure that others would too.
Every time they went out, Adrianna, now Katerina, noted how Laurence took her arm to lead her into a restaurant as though his trophy. She was putting up with it for now, but all the time she was taking stock, constantly on the lookout for a club that might have an opening for an exotic dancer.
When her chance came she’d take it, but in the meantime it was nice to be pampered, to have this idiot under her control, one who jumped at her every wish. Laurence was a far cry from Vincent Chase, a weakling really, and of course he was an old fool who was nothing like Kevin.
The image of Kevin as he was engulfed by flames haunted her at times, but with eyes set on the future, she forced the horrific memory away. She wanted to own her own club, to be the boss, and as Laurence smiled at her, she decided there could be a short cut. Surely she could get him to bankroll her? He was soft, and daft enough to do it without any strings attached.
Connie Lewis was reading one of the newspapers that had sensationalised the story and she was shocked to the core. She’d heard through the gossip that someone had broken in and she had been to see Derek, but nobody told her it had been as bad as this. The report described horrific violence, torture, and near death.
Connie’s mind was all over the place and she was barely aware of a nicely dressed young man until he paused to point at her newspaper. ‘I’ve just been to see my gran and she was reading that too. It’s shocking what happened to that family.’
‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Connie said.
‘My gran knows Derek Lewis.’
‘Oh, you must be talking about Ann. Yes, she used to live in the same street as me. Derek’s my grandson.’
‘Is he? Gosh, it’s awful what happened to him.’
‘He was fine before he married Pearl. She’s ruined his life.’
‘Really?’ he said, taking a seat opposite her.
Connie nodded and with the young man looking at her so sympathetically she poured it all out, starting with the day Derek had first brought Pearl home to meet her.
Later that day, Derek did his best to shield Emily, John and Nora as they dashed for his car. He ignored a couple of reporters, saying nothing when they called out questions, but a camera flashed and he wanted to rip it from the man’s hands. At last they were safely inside and driving away.
When they arrived at the hospital, Derek and Emily went in first to see Pearl. Having discussed when to tell her about Kevin, they’d decided to do it sooner rather than later. They didn’t want Pearl to read or hear about it from anyone else now that newspapers had printed the story.
‘Hello, gorgeous,’ Derek said, kissing her and taking a seat by the bed.
‘Hello to you too.’
Emily had gone to the other side of the bed, and she took Pearl’s hand. ‘How do you feel? You look even better today.’
‘I’m fine. I’ve had another X-ray and I think the doctor is going to let me get up tomorrow.’
Emily beamed. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’
Derek took a deep breath before saying, ‘John is itching to come in to see you, but before he does, there’s something you need to know.’
Pearl seemed to tense and asked, ‘Is it about that night?’
‘Sort of, though it’s really about what happened later.’
‘I’ve been dreading this since I came off the medication. But go on,’ Pearl said.
‘The men who broke in left us tied up and then drove to Dolly’s cottage. They set it on fire and Kevin didn’t get out in time. He died in the flames, Pearl.’
‘No! Oh no!’ she cried. ‘The man with the gun threatened to kill you if I didn’t tell him where to find Kevin. He … he was aiming it at you and so … so I told him. It’s my fault … my fault that Kevin died.’
‘No, Pearl, it isn’t. That man was Vincent Chase and he gave you no choice. If it wasn’t for what Kevin had done to him, he wouldn’t have broken into our flat and you wouldn’t have been shot. Kevin had torched Chase’s place and run off with his girlfriend. Chase was looking for him and his search led to us.’
‘But John must blame me for Kevin’s death.’
‘No, darling, of course he doesn’t,’ Emily said. ‘He holds Kevin responsible for what happened to you.’
‘Mum, he’s too young to cope with all this.’
‘It’s been hard for him, but given time I’m sure he’ll be able to come to terms with it all. Now we know that you’re going to fully recover, it gave us such a boost, and it’s made a huge difference to John’s state of mind.’
Pearl hung her head for a moment, but then said, ‘It’s been like reliving a nightmare, but I remember most of what happened now. That man was going to shoot John and I tried to stop him, but after that it’s all a blank.’
‘You took the bullet,’ Derek said.
‘Yes, I realise that now, but I was so frightened for John,’ Pearl cried, obviously distressed by the memories.
Emily squeezed her hand. ‘Of course you were, but I don’t think it helps to dwell on what happened that night. It’s over now. It’s time for you all to put it behind you and look to the future. There’s my wedding, don’t forget, and the sooner you get out of here the better,’ she said brightly. ‘You’ve still got your outfit to buy, let alone your hat.’
‘Oh, Mum, you and hats,’ Pearl said, smiling at last.
Derek could have hugged Emily a
nd he felt a surge of optimism. Emily was right. It was over now and with Vincent Chase behind bars, they could get on with their lives. They could look to the future and all he wanted was to make it a happy one for all of them. He stood up, leaned forward to kiss Pearl and said, ‘I’ll send John in.’
‘I’ll come with you. I think it would be nice for John to have his mother to himself for a while,’ Emily said before kissing Pearl on the cheek.
The visit turned out to be a turning point for all of them. When John returned to the waiting room, Emily could see he’d been crying, but his eyes looked brighter. When Nora went in to see Pearl with Derek, Emily was left alone with John.
‘Are you all right, darling?’ she asked.
‘I feel so much better, Gran. I had a long chat with Mum and we talked about Kevin. She said he wouldn’t have wanted to put my life, or hers, in danger … that he couldn’t have foreseen his actions would rebound on us.’
After what Pearl had been through, she could have harboured hate and bitterness, but instead she had an innate wisdom, a forgiving heart and Emily felt a surge of love and pride.
‘Yes, your mum’s right. Sometimes we all do things without thinking about the consequences.’
‘I know Kevin wasn’t a good man, but as Mum said, he was still my father. She said with nobody else to do it, we should arrange his … his funeral, and my granddad’s too.’
‘Yes, I think that’s a nice idea,’ Emily said, sure that, thanks to Pearl’s guidance, John was now on the road to recovery.
When Nora returned, Emily went back in to see Pearl, but shortly after, visiting time was over and they all trooped back to Derek’s car. Emily climbed in, smiling, once again feeling that the worst was over and soon she’d be able to return to Winchester.
None of them noticed the man standing in the shadows, watching them intently from under the brim of a trilby hat. He couldn’t approach them yet, it was too risky. His nerves jangled at what he soon intended to do.