The Madeleine Richards Box Set (The Madeleine Richards Series Book 4)

by Juliette Duncan

  "Thank you Mrs Wilson. That would be nice," Alex replied.

  "She seems like a nice lass," Betty said to Sarah after the girls had left. "Although I don't think she's had a good proper meal for a while, the way she hoed into that bread!"

  "Yes, we're not too sure of her home situation, but she seems to be opening up a little with Maddy. I think it's actually stretching her. For once she's having to work hard at it. I think it's doing her good."

  Upstairs, Maddy and Alex started talking about their project.

  "We're going to have to start interviewing people next week," Maddy said. "Are you okay with that?"

  "I guess so," Alex replied, leaning back on the bed. For the first time she'd agreed to join Maddy on her bed instead of sitting at the desk. She reached out and gave Dynamo a scratch under his chin. Dynamo began to purr loudly, and stretched out his paw as if asking her to keep going.

  "Your gran is lovely," Alex said unexpectedly. A tear started to trickle down her cheek. She wiped it quickly with the back of her hand, hoping that Maddy wouldn't notice, but it was too late. Maddy had seen it.

  "What's the matter, Alex?" Maddy asked, sidling closer to her. She put an arm around her shoulders, and Alex started to sob.

  "Nothing," Alex replied through her tears.

  "Come on, Alex. You can talk to me. It's okay."

  Maddy gave her some tissues. Alex blew her nose, and took some deep breaths.

  "It's my dad. He beats me up. He doesn't mean to. He just loses control when he's been drinking, and he beats me. He's always sorry when he comes to, but it's horrible." Tears started to flow down her cheeks again.

  Maddy cuddled her. "Oh Alex. I'm so sorry. That's so sad. Have you told anyone?"

  "No! And you mustn't either! You've got to promise. They'll take me away if they find out. I love my dad. He's all I've got."

  "But he needs help, Alex. He can't keep on beating you. It's not right."

  "He's tried to get help before, but it never works. He just stays off the drink for a while, but then he starts again. I think my mom might have left because of it. Although he says she drank as well."

  "Haven't you got any other family?" Maddy asked, trying to think of what she could do or say.

  "Lord, this is where I need your help! Please!"

  "No, not that I know of. Dad never talks of anyone," she sniffled.

  "How badly does he hurt you, Alex?" Maddy asked, wondering if she really wanted to know, and not being really sure she was ready for the answer.

  "He mainly just punches and pushes me around. Sometimes it's worse, and he throws me around. I haven't had any broken bones but I've had lots of bruises."

  "Can I see?" Maddy asked tentatively.

  Alex slowly rolled up her sleeve to show Maddy a bruise she had on her arm.

  Maddy gasped.

  "That's terrible, Alex! It's so deep and dark. He must have hurt you a lot."

  Alex nodded through her tears. "I don’t know what to do," she sobbed.

  "Let me talk to Mom and Hank, Alex. They'll know how to help you both," Maddy said, stroking Alex's hair gently.

  Alex sat up and looked Maddy in the eye. "No! You mustn't! You mustn't tell them. Promise me, Maddy. You mustn't say anything."

  Maddy didn't answer for a while.

  "Okay," she eventually said. "But I wish you'd let me. Have a think about it."

  Alex blew her nose, and dried her face with the towel that Maddy handed her.

  "Are you still happy to stay for dinner?" Maddy asked when she heard her mom calling out that it was ready.

  Alex nodded and took a deep breath.

  "Does my face look okay?"

  "It's just a bit red. And your mascara has run a little. Come into the wash room and we'll fix you up," Maddy said, taking her by the hand.

  Sarah noticed that Alex wasn't quite herself when the girls came down a few minutes later, but didn't say anything. She gave Hank a look he thought meant he should keep quiet as well. Sarah just hoped that her mom wouldn't notice anything untoward and say something inappropriate.

  Alex sat between Maddy and her gran. This time, when Maddy reached out for Alex's hand, she took it. They all bowed their heads as Hank gave thanks. Maddy gently squeezed Alex's hand before letting it go.

  "This smells great, Gran! I love your roast dinners!"

  "Thank you, Maddy. I hope it tastes as good as it smells! Alex, would you like some more before Maddy eats it all up? I know what she's like!" Betty smiled at Alex, and then heaped some more roast meat onto her plate. She’d noticed that Alex seemed to be upset about something, but thought it best not to say anything.

  "How's your project going?" Hank asked Maddy during a break in the conversation.

  "Good. We'll need to start the interviews next week, starting with you, Gran," she replied, turning to look at her Grandma. She didn't want to mention that they hadn't made any progress at all that afternoon. That would have led to all sorts of questions. She knew she'd have to do some catch up work on her own, but that was okay. At least Alex had opened up a little. That was more important.

  "I'll see if the ladies at church can be available next Tuesday afternoon," Sarah said. "I could ask them over for afternoon tea, and then you can do the interviews here. How does that sound?"

  "Great! Thank you Mom. But are you sure you'll be up to it?"

  "I hope so. I won't make a big thing of it. Just a simple afternoon tea."

  "I'll still be here, so I can help you, love," Betty added.

  "Won't Dad want you back by then?" Sarah asked, as she placed her knife and fork gently on her plate.

  "He'll survive. I won't leave until I know you're over the worst of the sickness. Besides – I'm enjoying seeing my grand-daughter!" Betty smiled at Maddy and squeezed her hand.

  "And what about us!" Hank said.

  "Oh, yes. I guess I'm enjoying seeing you as well!" she joked.

  Alex was sitting there listening to the friendly banter. So this is how a real family talks to each other, she thought.

  Following dessert, Hank offered to take Alex home.

  "It was lovely to meet you, Alex dear," Betty said to her as they leaving. "I hope to see you again next week." She gave her a gentle hug, and smiled kindly at her.

  Alex was so close to tears. She wasn't used to this much love being shown to her.

  "Thank you, Mrs Johnson. It was real nice to meet you." She managed to control herself, and turned to walk out the door.

  Maddy followed Alex out, and sat beside her in the front of Hank’s pickup.

  "Should we take you to your home this time?" Maddy asked as they drove off. She still didn't know where Alex lived, but she wasn't keen to leave her at that horrible old building again.

  "No. Dad will still be at work. He said for me to go there," she replied.

  "What does your dad do, Alex?" Hank asked innocently.

  Maddy held her breath. She could sense the tension in the air.

  "He's the caretaker at a warehouse. It's just round this corner. You can drop me here though. I can walk the rest of the way, save you turning around."

  Maddy knew what she was doing. She didn't want Hank to see the dilapidated building.

  "It's not a very safe area, Alex. I'd rather make sure you get inside okay. It's not a problem," Hank replied as he turned the corner.

  "It's just here," Alex said. Hank stopped the car, and started to get out. When he'd seen how dark and dingy the place was, he'd decided he should walk Alex inside, but before he got out, Alex stopped him.

  "I'm right on my own. Please don't come in," she said in such a way that left no room for discussion.

  Against his better judgment, Hank had to let Alex go on her own. She turned and gave Maddy a meaningful look before disappearing inside.

  "Not happy with that," Hank said to Maddy as they drove off. "Anything could happen to her. It's a dangerous area, and that building looks like it should be condemned. I don't know what her father is thinking, le
tting her go in there on her own."

  "She'll be okay. I think she's used to it." Maddy didn't believe what she was saying, but she saw the look Alex had given her as she walked away, and knew she couldn’t betray her trust. "I'll check on her first thing tomorrow."

  Maddy poked her head into the living room on her way upstairs. Her gran and mom had done the dishes, and were sitting quietly in the darkened room. The television was on, but her gran had nodded off in the comfy chair, and was snoring softly.

  "I think I'll go to bed, Mom. I'm feeling a bit tired," she said quietly so as not to awaken her gran.

  "Okay then sweetie. Have a good sleep." Sarah blew her a kiss.

  Once in her room, Maddy climbed onto her bed and pulled the ever present Dynamo closer to her. "Do you ever leave this room, Dynamo?" she asked him, rubbing his soft fur gently.

  She couldn’t get Alex out of her mind. The image of that bruise was making her feel ill. She needed to tell her mom and Hank. But how could she? Alex had made her promise. She put her head in her hands, and closed her eyes.

  "God. I'm really not sure what to do. I want to help Alex, but I don't know how to. I'm feeling really confused at the moment. Please keep her safe, and show me what I should do."

  Maddy opened her Bible, and flicked through the pages, hoping that something meaningful would jump out at her. Since she'd only really started reading the Bible not that long ago, she wasn't sure where to look, but she thought she might find something in the book of Proverbs. She started reading, and came across Proverbs 3 verse 5:

  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

  "I guess what's I need to do, God. I trusted you before, and you didn't let me down, so I guess I need to trust you again with Alex. For some reason she's picked me to be her friend. Show me how to be a friend to her."

  Maddy fell asleep, comforted in the knowledge that she wasn't in this on her own. God was with her, and he would help her to know what to do.

  Chapter 10

  Maddy was relieved to see Alex at school the following morning. She looked okay, but didn't seem to want to talk to her. Maddy kept her distance, but when she saw Alex go to the bathroom at lunchtime, she followed her in.

  "Alex, I was just wondering if you'd like to come over this afternoon and play some basketball with me?" Where did that come from?!

  Alex looked at her. "Okay," she answered, after what Maddy thought was an eternity. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" Alex leaned closer so that no-one else could hear.

  "No," Maddy replied, shaking her head. "But I wish you'd let me," she whispered.

  "No. You can't. They'll take me away if you do."

  "Who's 'they'?" Maddy asked.

  "Child Welfare. They've already tried to once before. We're okay. Just leave it, will you?"

  "Okay then. But let me know if you ever need any help. I'll see you this afternoon. We'll have to catch the bus again."

  Instead of walking back to sit with her friends, Maddy wandered slowly to her next class alone.

  "Are you alright, Maddy?" Nina asked when she arrived at the classroom to find Maddy already sitting in her seat. "We were worried about you when you didn't come back."

  "Yes, I'm fine, Nina. I just needed some time to myself." The truth was that she was deeply concerned for Alex and couldn't face the lighthearted chatter around the lunch table. Especially when she knew that Lauren and Jasmine didn't approve of her even talking with Alex.

  "I've asked Alex to come home with me again this afternoon," she whispered. "She's started talking to me, and you know, she's actually quite nice when she's away from school. I think she needs a friend. I hope you don't mind."

  "Why should I mind? I think it's really nice of you, Maddy. Don’t worry about what Lauren and Jasmine said. They can be spoiled brats sometimes."

  "Thanks Nina. That makes me feel better. I just hope I don’t lose them as friends, though, especially since we're on the same basketball team!"

  "That's their problem, not yours. You just need to do what you think is right."

  "You're so wise, Nina! Shh – here's Mrs Taylor."

  The afternoon passed slowly. Alex was in a different class, and Maddy wasn't convinced that she'd be at the bus stop. She tried to focus on her lessons, but her mind kept straying. She couldn’t help thinking about Alex.

  She was at the bus stop. Maddy saw her as she walked towards it. "Thank you God."

  They sat together on the bus without talking. Alex was still putting on her hard face in public, so it seemed.

  Once they were off the bus, they walked together towards Maddy's house.

  "How was your dad last night?" Maddy ventured to ask, not really sure how Alex would take the question.

  "He was okay. He doesn't beat me all the time, Maddy. Just when he's drunk too much, and not always even then. I'm not sure I should have told you. I don't know why I did. It just kind of came out. I've never told anyone else." Alex glanced at Maddy, but then looked straight ahead again.

  "I'm glad you did, though, Alex. It must be horrible for you when it happens. I can't imagine what it would be like."

  "You get used to it," she said, shrugging her shoulders. She made it sound like it was normal.

  "Well, let's have some fun this afternoon," Maddy said as they reached her front gate. "Gran and Mom are out this afternoon for a while, so it's just us at home. Hank put the basketball ring up a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't used it much. Let's have something to eat and then we can shoot some hoops."

  "Sounds good. I wouldn't mind some more of your gran's bread! I'll get fat if I keep eating at your place!"

  "I know. Mom and Gran both like baking, so there's always plenty to eat. You can take some home with you if you like," Maddy offered as they put their bags down and sat at the kitchen bench.

  "Do you do the cooking or does your dad do it?" Maddy asked as they helped themselves to the snacks that her mom had left out on the counter.

  "I mainly do it, but I can't cook much. We have a lot of frozen meals. They're easy."

  "Mom could teach you to cook if you like. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She's taught me a bit, but I'm not very good at it."

  "She probably wouldn't want to since she's pregnant," Alex replied. "But if she did, I think I'd like that."

  "Gran wouldn't mind either. I think she took a liking to you last night! I'll ask them when they come home. Let's go outside," Maddy said, jumping off the stool and grabbing the ball out of the closet.

  The girls mucked around for a while just playing a game of one on one, but then Alex suggested they play a game of H-O-R-S-E. Maddy wasn't sure how it was played, so Alex explained.

  "I haven't played it for a long time," she said, "but it's a fun game. I'll start, and show you how to do it."

  She marked a spot on the driveway, and took the first shot, which was successful. Next it was Maddy's turn. She had to make the exact same shot, which she did. Alex took another shot, but this time made it harder for Maddy to copy. Alex's went in, but Maddy's didn't. Maddy got the first letter "H". Maddy was surprised by some of the crazy shots that Alex did which she was expected to copy. Needless to say, Alex won. She only had 2 letters when Maddy missed her fifth shot, putting her out.

  "Where did you learn to shoot like that!" Maddy exclaimed.

  "It's a secret!" Alex replied, stealing the ball from her and taking another shot.

  "Not another one! Come on – where did you learn?" Maddy asked again, really wanting to know.

  "I used to hang around down town when I was little. There was a half court, and all the kids used to muck around. They let me join in, and showed me how to do these crazy shots."

  "Have you ever played in a team?" Maddy asked.

  "Nup. We've never been in one place long enough."

  "Would you like to be in team?"

  "Haven't really thought about it." Alex
shrugged. "But I guess it could be fun. It's not going to happen, though."

  "Why not? I'm sure you could play in our team."

  Alex stopped and looked at Maddy.

  "They wouldn't want me," she said. "None of those girls will even talk to me."

  "I'm sure they would if you gave them a chance. Nina would, I know that for sure. We could do with another good shooter. Why don't you come to training tomorrow and see how it goes?"

  "I'll think about it. But no promises, okay?" She bounced the ball, took a shot, and turned and grinned at Maddy.

  "You're good, you know."

  Alex left before Maddy's mom and gran arrived home. They were surprised, but pleased, to hear that Alex had been there.

  "You should check with the coach before training tomorrow, and check that it's okay for Alex to go, but I think it's wonderful that you asked her, Maddy. It could be just what she needs," Sarah said. "It sounds like she could be an asset for the team too, so that's a good thing!"

  "Yes, I was thinking that I should check with him. I just hope the other girls will be friendly towards her if she comes."

  "That's up to the coach to handle, sweetie. Don’t you worry about it. If she's as good as you say, they'll probably all be pleased to have her on the team."

  "I hope so."

  The coach was happy to have Alex come to training. He thought that if she was anything like Maddy, he'd put her in the team immediately, but he held back saying that.

  "We’ll give her a run and see how she goes," he said instead.

  She just has to come now, Maddy said to herself.

  That night, Maddy's mind was active. She dreamed that she and Alex were playing for the national league. Alex was playing offense and she was playing defense. The game was extremely close. Their team was trailing by 2 points 20 seconds before the end. Alex got a penalty shot. The crowd hushed. Alex steadied herself. She bounced the ball. Then, as if in slow motion, she bent her knees, twirled the ball carefully into position in her hand, and then she rose, releasing the ball with precision timing and aim. The ball arced through the air. The crowd held their breath. It was a perfect shot. The crowd cheered. She jumped into Alex's arms. They'd won!