by Ros Seddon
‘Right. Now then Williams, do you have a current driving licence?’
‘Why?’
‘Because we are going to look at a car, and if you don’t have one then I have to get someone to pick it up for me. So; have you ever driven a car?’
‘Yes, but not for a long time…… I mean; I can drive but I never passed my test.’
‘Good. So you have a current provisional licence?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where?’
‘What?’
‘Where is it; this licence? I want to see it.’
Slim shrugged his shoulders and frowned. He seemed to be doing a lot of that these days.
‘In the box I guess…….. with all my stuff; at my mate’s place……. in his roof space.’
‘Well go and get it.’
‘Look Lady, I can’t just turn up like that out of the blue and demand to go in my mate’s loft. His old dear’ll hit the roof. The kids’ll be in bed and it’d wake them up and then they’d have a go at me and then I won’t be able to leave Bits there any more.’
‘They have children then, your friends?’
‘Two; Honour and Spike.’
‘Honour……. A beautiful biblical name for a little girl, but……… Spike?’
‘They’re both boys. Art says one looks like the judge who sent him down for a spell, so he calls him Your Honour and the other’s got spiky hair that won’t stay down when you brush it.’
Vanessa Gordon’s lips curled up at the corners then and he thought she was smiling but the creases vanished so quickly, maybe she wasn’t.
‘Well you’d better go there this afternoon and get it. You can bring your box here. You can keep it here if you want to, and Stephen?’
‘Yes?’
‘You can bring that stupid little dog of yours here if you want to. You don’t have to take him to your friend’s house anymore…. But…….’
‘Yes…….?’
‘If he digs up my garden or does any damage….. or gets in the house even once….. ‘
‘He won’t Vanguard…….. I promise.’
She watched the boy skipping joyously up her garden path, the smile on his face so apparent her iron heart almost melted……….. almost.
‘Flick I’ve asked Mum and Dad to have Ollie tonight. I thought it would be nice for us to go out.’
‘Oh. Ok. Out for a drink, or out for dinner……… or both?’
‘I’ve booked us a table at Louigi’s in the city. I hope that’s ok.’
‘Louigi’s? How very extravagant of you David.’
‘Felicity Breen you’re worth every penny. And anyway, it’s not like I can’t afford it. We can go on to a club or something afterwards if you want to.’
‘I’m not really into clubbing any more. A quiet pub where I can actually hear you speak is more my idea of a night out now. I must be getting old.’
‘My kinda girl.’
She went into town that afternoon to buy a new outfit and was shocked to find an almost identical little black dress to the one she’d had before the fire but never had the nerve to wear. Felicity put it on in the changing room; stood back and looked in the mirror. It wasn’t exactly the same, but she liked it even more than the original. It was strappy, clingy and quite suggestive but a more respectable length than before. She almost died when she saw the price tag but told herself you can’t put a price on comfort and style and it showed off her figure in all the right places so with no hesitation she paid for it and went home. Later that evening she came down the stairs wearing her new dress and black strappy heels and David almost dropped his glass of wine when he saw her.
‘Jesus Flick; you look………. Wow!’
‘Do you like it?’
‘Like it? It’s ……. You look incredible.’
‘I had to buy it. I had one like it ……….. before the fire. I’d never worn it; never had the courage. But this one is more……. tasteful.’
‘It’s very sexy. I shall have to keep my eye on you tonight.’
Felicity had never been to Louigi’s. It was renowned as being one of the most expensive Italian Restaurants in the city and as they were shown to their table she could see why. It wasn’t just the décor and the light classical background music or the chic amber glow of the candelabra’s against the scarlet backdrop. It was the service of the Italian waiters who seemed to fall over backwards to please you. They were being treated like VIP’s and as the night wore on Felicity didn’t want it to end. Whenever her glass became less than half full the tall waiter with the sexy dark eyes was there in an instant to refill it. David had noticed how the male population of both staff and diners had been giving her their full attention throughout the evening and how the women had been giving her that green-eyed monster look. She did look incredibly sexy in black. He had noticed too, the speed at which the tall Italian waiter refilled her glass while a rather overweight blonde at the other side of the restaurant had managed to drain her glass twice without anyone even noticing. He had noticed also how they had seated her in the chair facing the kitchen so they could look at her and he couldn’t see their leering glances. When they brought the dessert she saw David nod to the tall Italian who rushed off to the kitchen and then the music stopped and a two man band appeared at their side, one clutching a guitar, and began to serenade them with a sad Mediterranean love song. Felicity didn’t know where to look. She was embarrassed. When they had finished, David took a small box from his shirt pocket.
‘Flick….’ He said aloud, ‘Being with you has made me so happy and now……….. I was wondering if you would make me the happiest man alive………. by agreeing to…….’
He didn’t do things by halves, this man. He had her full attention and everyone else’s as he left his chair and crouched down beside her.
‘Felicity Breen…..’ he said, as he opened the little box to expose the most beautiful glittering square chunk of diamond she had ever seen, attached to a small band of gold.
‘………..Will you marry me?’
Felicity’s face had become the colour of beetroot but she was wearing the biggest smile he had ever seen.
‘Oh My God………… David! …… Yes………… Yes, I will.’
The whole restaurant cheered and applauded them and if it was possible for her cheeks to get any redder; then at that point, they did. The applause gradually died down and was replaced with smiling faces all around them. As the evening drew to a close the glow in her cheeks and the happiness she felt inside remained and as David led her to his room later that night, the emotions had built up in her so much she thought she would burst. It was as though all her inhibitions had been lifted; she felt calm and relaxed in his arms and yet filled with desire for him and then she showed him a side of her he had not yet seen. A wanton, fiercely passionate Felicity seized control of the moment as she kissed and caressed him gently all along his chest and down over his muscular tanned body until he could bear it no longer and then he took control; and she became like putty beneath him…….. Their love making continued long into the night and every night to follow. Felicity was hungry for her blue eyes. She couldn’t get enough of him; couldn’t wait to get home to him at night and didn’t want to leave him in the mornings. Nothing else mattered to her except David and Ollie and what they had, and together they were blissfully happy. They had a life…… a wonderful life; with everything measured and in its place; the perfect balance of work, rest ..... and play. The latter being their favourite pastime. So when Felicity answered a knock at the door and found a very pretty dark haired, sophisticated but voluptuous looking young woman standing there asking for David she was surprised to say the least.
‘He’s not home yet.’ Felicity smiled awkwardly. ‘Can I help?’
‘No. No, I need to speak to David.’ The girl shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other. ‘You must be Felicity. I’m Abi, Ellie’s partner’. She held out her hand but Felicity didn’t accept it.
‘Lo
ok…. I know this must be difficult for you but……. can I come in and wait for him?’
‘I’m …… not sure that’s a good idea. He will have Ollie with him when he gets back. You really shouldn’t just turn up like this without asking him you know. I’m not sure you should even be here at all.’
‘Felicity please…….. listen to me……. Ellie is in court on Tuesday accused of something she didn’t do’.
‘I’m sure that’s for the court to decide.’
‘You just don’t have a clue do you? I……. I really need to talk to David. Now if you won’t let me in I’ll just wait here for him.’
The girl turned away from her and leaned against the wall of the little front porch then she turned to face her again.
‘Look Felicity you have to believe me. Ellie is a good person. Her heart is solid gold. She couldn’t have done these things. She is innocent……’
Felicity could see tears in the girl’s eyes as she pleaded with her……….. but this was wrong…… she shouldn’t be here. The court would see it as harassment surely…… witness intimidation or something.
‘Look……. wait there and I’ll phone him…… tell him to expect you. At least then it won’t be a shock to him.’
‘Thanks.’
Felicity closed the door and picked up the phone. Her fingers trembling she dialled his office number but it just rang and rang. She phoned his Mother. She may catch him there picking up Ollie.
‘Oh hello Felicity dear. You’ve just missed him I’m afraid. He’ll be with you any time now. Is there a problem?’
‘No. No…… thank you Mrs Wilson. I’m sorry to have troubled you.’
She rejoined Abi at the front door just as David’s car pulled up outside the gates.
‘You’d better wait here and I’ll take Ollie somewhere; leave you to talk.’
‘Ok….. Felicity?’
‘Yes?’
‘Thank you’.
Felicity nodded to the girl and walked down the drive just as David emerged from the car to open the gates.
‘What’s she doing here?’ he yelled.
‘I don’t know. She wants to talk to you. She’s only just turned up. I tried phoning you; I even tried your parents but you’d already left. Look…… David, I’ll take Ollie for a little walk while you…….’
‘Yes. Yes that’d be best. Thanks babe.’ He lifted his son from the car and Felicity caught his attention before he could see their visitor.
‘Ollie, Quick! Come with me! I saw a baby fox in the woods. Shall we see if we can find him?’
It wasn’t a lie. She had seen one not ten minutes since. She took the child’s little hand and walked him away from the scene and along the little footpath that led into the woods.
‘Fox!’ cried Oliver excitedly, ‘Where to Vic?’
‘This way…….. he went this way…….’
Behind her she could hear David’s raised voice,
‘You know you shouldn’t be here. Now go, before I call the police.’
And Abi’s voice as she protested,
‘Please David……… just hear me out and then I’ll go. Just five minutes…… please?’
The discussion became quieter and less heated as Felicity led Oliver deeper into the woods until suddenly, she stopped and placed her hand on his shoulder. She put her fingers to her mouth; a signal to the boy, ‘Ssshhh…’ then she picked him up into her arms and pointed over the low shrubs to a sunny forest thicket where two baby fox cubs were leaping and playing over the still, exhausted body of a red brown vixen, stretched out in the sunshine. Felicity smiled at Ollie’s shocked expression; his eyes wide with wonder as he watched the little cubs clambering and falling around their Mother. He smiled back at her through his big blue eyes, shafts of sunlight bursting through the trees and dancing in rays across his soft blonde curls. David and Abi’s distant voices were no more now than a whisper on the wind………….
Slim checked himself in the bedroom mirror. If you’d have asked him three months ago if he expected to be living with Vanguard like this he’d have laughed in your face. Yet, here he was in his smart trousers with a crease down the front; a snowy white shirt and his very special tie and he didn’t look half bad, even if he thought so himself. He’d been working at the river authority office for three weeks now and was actually quite enjoying his role of office clerk. There were times when he’d thought he would feel imprisoned ............ and he’d had his moments. Whilst running errands to the council offices at the other side of town he’d once or twice bumped into someone on the street he used to know; Clarksy, sitting on the pavement with his guitar and upturned cap busking for his supper. A distant glimmer of recognition between the two of them and Slim would toss him a shiny new round pound and wish him well, then continue on his way without a backward glance. Once he’d run into the Prentices on the High Street who’d followed him through town teasing and taunting him, making insulting comments about him and Vanguard; that she must be a good lay for an old bird. But he kept a vision of Jonky in his mind and he remained calm and ignored them as long as he could, then told them to ‘Get a life’ and went on his way without giving them a second thought. Thursdays were the worst. He’d look out of his dusty office window onto the street and see them all congregating in the square’s walled garden; all the free people, debating after collecting their giro’s whether to splash out in the café or in the pub. Then he would feel the cash in his wallet, laugh to himself and get on with his daily workload. But Slim wasn’t going to work today. Today was an important day. Today, both he and Vanguard had to appear as witnesses at Exeter Crown Court. Today he was seeing her in the flesh for the first time……. Jonky’s angel of death. But the girl they called ‘the defendant’, Eleanor Wilson who was sitting in the front of the court at a small table with her lawyer didn’t look like an angel of death at all. She looked like an angel, yes…..but she didn’t look like a murderer. She didn’t look like the girl in Jonky’s sketches either. Oh she had long blonde hair all right…….. but so did millions of other girls. By the time the court recessed for lunch Slim was convinced……. They had the wrong girl.
‘Well, come along Williams. Let’s go and get some lunch quickly. We have to be back here by ten minutes to two and it’s gone one o’clock now.’ Vanguard snapped at him and then like Jekyll and Hyde she began to smile sweetly as Robert Jackson approached them.
‘Ah Miss Gordon and Mr Williams. Now, you’ll need to be back here in thirty minutes so I can prep you before you take the stand. Ok?’
‘But it’s not her.’ said Slim.
‘What?’ Jackson stammered, ‘What do you mean it’s not her?’
‘That girl, she’s….. she’s not the angel of death.’
‘Of course it’s her’ snapped Jackson. ‘She’s practically admitted it. All the evidence points to her. Don’t pull out on me now Williams. That woman cold bloodedly drove at your friend Jonquil and knocked the life out of her. Don’t you want to see justice done?’
‘Course I do. But that’s not her. She’s got the right colour hair….. but that’s all. It’s… It’s the eyes. Jonky’s angel of death had the maddest eyes I’ve ever seen.’
Jackson pulled Vanessa Gordon to one side.
‘Miss Gordon. Can you talk to the boy? His testimony of what the girl, Jonquil told him is of paramount importance to the prosecution. I can’t put him on the stand if he’s going to say it’s not her.’
‘Yes……. Yes of course, but…… Mr Jackson? ……. He’s stubborn you know. I’ll….. I’ll do my best.’
‘Let’s hope your best is good enough then Miss Gordon; or the defence will have a field day with us. The boy needs to be educated as to the appearance of a person with a sleep disorder. If he saw her when she is sleepwalking he would know what ‘mad eyes’ are. Thirty minutes.’
The Lawyer marched off along the corridor and Vanessa hobbled after Slim. She could walk with just her stick now but she was still quite slow. She
sent the boy ahead to the corner shop to buy them a sandwich and as she reached a vacant bench outside the Court’s tree lined avenue he was back with lunch before she had time to sit comfortably.
‘Chicken salad or cheese and pickle?’
‘I’ll take the salad’ snapped Vanessa Gordon.
They sat down and as they ate, Vanessa Gordon began to explain.
‘When my sister was little she used to walk in her sleep.’
‘Did she? That’s what they said this girl, Eleanor did isn’t it? Except she’s supposed to have been driving in her sleep. I reckon that’s crap. How can anyone drive when they’re asleep, that’s stupid.’
‘It’s not stupid Stephen. It’s a fact of life. If you saw that woman when she was wandering around in her sleep you wouldn’t recognise her and she wouldn’t know what she was doing. It’s all in the eyes you see. They don’t know they’re doing it. They have this fixed glazed expression in the eyes.’
‘Mad eyes?’
‘Yes…..Yes Stephen; mad eyes. When we close our eyelids and sleep, beneath those closed lids where do you think our eyes are?’
‘Dunno……. Asleep I guess.’
‘No Stephen. They are wide open……. staring……...bulging beneath those lids. When you close your eyes and the lights are still on you can still see the light through your eyelids. Shadows, movements…… you try it.’
Slim closed his eyes and discovered she was right. He could see shadows whipping by as the traffic went past them. He saw a dark shape passing from right to left and opened his eyes. A man had just walked past them on the pavement.
‘So you see? Now imagine your eyelids are open so wide that your eyes are bulging….. staring.’ She watched as he opened his eyelids so wide it actually made him look mad.
‘Wow.’ Slim commented as he shook his head and tried to focus.
‘That’s what it’s like when you walk in your sleep. That’s what Jonquil was trying to depict in this girl when she drew those sketches…… the mad eyes of a sleepwalker.’