The Ragamuffins

by Anna King

  Molly’s feet almost left the floor in a hurry to do as she was told.

  While he waited Kenneth picked up a wicker chair and flopped into it, his face cold as he stared at the mess the search party had made. The furniture had all been knocked over and the floor was covered with muddy footprints. Then he winced. Looking down at his hand he saw blood seeping through the makeshift bandage. Cursing, he carefully pulled the bandage off, his lips tightening as he saw the cut was still bleeding, indicating that his injury was worse than he had first imagined. For the first time, Kenneth felt a jolt of alarm. He had taken great care to clean the wound, covering it with a strip of linen he had torn off one of the dresses he had bought for Molly; he liked his children to look nice. But at this moment Molly was the furthest from his mind. The only person he could think about at present was himself. Pulling the lamp nearer he scrutinised his injury, and what he saw frightened him, for the wound was not only bleeding, but the pain was beginning to cause him great discomfort. Again he cursed the woman who had attacked him.

  Thinking hard he went over his options. Obviously he needed proper medical care, but the nearest hospital was miles away. Then he smiled. Of course, there was an old retired doctor living nearby. He had met him on several occasions during his visits to the forest. With time on his hands the elderly doctor often took long walks in the forest, as did many people. They had only exchanged pleasantries on those meetings, even though the doctor had tried to engage Kenneth in long conversations. Kenneth, on the other hand, had kept their meetings as brief as possible, talking long enough not to arouse suspicion as to his frequent excursions into the forest, but pleasant enough to not arouse any suspicions. Now he was glad he had made the effort. Looking at his fob watch he saw it was nearly eleven and frowned. He hadn’t realised he had slept that long. The old boy would probably be in bed by now. Still, he could always knock and concoct some tale as to his predicament.

  Looking at Molly he pondered what to do about the girl. Obviously he couldn’t take her with him. He would have to tie her up again, though he doubted she would attempt to escape. She’d be too frightened to venture out into the darkness on her own.

  ‘You nearly ready?’ he shouted impatiently.

  Molly, who was desperately trying to get herself cleaned up, afraid of making the man more angry, quickly completed her ablutions, put the wet clothes on the floor in the corner and pulled on the nightdress he had given her. Her lips trembling, she walked towards him.

  Kenneth stared at her hungrily, then another sharp pain brought his mind back to his immediate needs.

  ‘Now, listen to me. I’ve got to go out, but I’ll be watching this place, so don’t go getting any ideas, do you hear me?’

  Molly nodded dumbly, too scared to move, let alone try and find her way through the black night into the forest.

  ‘Now, I’m going to trust you. You come and sit down and you stay there until I get back.’ Warily approaching him, Molly let herself be lowered into the wicker chair. ‘Don’t forget, I’ll be watching. If you so much as put your head outside the door, I’ll see you.’

  Keeping his eyes on the pitiful figure, Kenneth inspected the door, cursing loudly as he realised it had been torn off its hinges then propped back into place, the padlock dangling uselessly on its chain. It would be a long time before he could repair the damage. He would have to wait until he was sure the police had given up interest in the hut, and that could be a long time. In the meanwhile he had the basement, and that was all he cared about.

  He thought again about tying the child up, then dismissed the idea. She was already rendered helpless by her fear of him, and what he would do if she dared disobey him. And that form of intimidation was far more binding than any rope.

  Picking up the lamp he went towards the door, and was startled when the child cried out, ‘Don’t leave me in the dark, Mister. I’ll be good, honest, I will… just do— don’t leave me in the dark.’

  Grinning cruelly, he bent over the terrified little girl. ‘You’ve been a bad girl, Molly. Fouling yourself as you did. And bad girls have to be punished. Don’t make it worse by talking back to me. All right?’

  The fair head bobbed, then dropped onto her chest.

  Kenneth hesitated. This was how he liked them best. Mentally beaten into submission, willing to do anything to keep him happy. Then he moved towards the door. She would be even more compliant by the time he returned.

  Propping up the door as best he could from the outside Kenneth hurried through the forest, anxious to get his wound seen to – and even more anxious to get back to the waiting child.

  Left alone in the darkness Molly didn’t move. It was as if her limbs, even the very core of her being, had been frozen. Her tortured mind however was still free to feel, to fear, and to pray.

  ‘Please, Micky, come and get me. Or Sadie, why haven’t you come for me? I’m so scared. Please, someone, help me. Come and get me, please come and get me before the bad man comes back.’

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Agnes watched in disbelief as she heard and saw Kenneth leave the hut. It was impossible, she told herself. She’d seen with her own eyes the police and members of the search party enter the hut and find it empty; she hadn’t believed the evidence of her own eyes then either. Blinking rapidly she clutched at her throat. Was she losing her mind? What other explanation could there be? After all, it was only a small wooden shack. The police couldn’t have failed to spot them if Kenneth and the child had been in there. But she’d seen them go in, of that she was sure. She shook her head as if to clear it. She was desperately tired, both mentally and physically. Was she mad? There was only one way to find out, and that was to search the hut herself.

  She waited until the light from the gas lamp Kenneth was carrying had faded, then, taking a deep breath, she gingerly pushed the broken door with one hand while holding it upright with the other, and peered in. The room was pitch black, the only light was a thin stream from the moon, but it wasn’t enough to enable her to see into the shack. Feeling a little foolish, and on edge in case Kenneth was lurking somewhere in the woods, she called out softly, ‘Molly? Molly, are yer in there, love?’

  Silence greeted her. Then she heard a movement and, encouraged by the sound she called again, ‘Molly? You there, mate? Don’t be frightened, I’ve come ter take yer back ’ome.’

  The sound came again, and this time Agnes looked in the direction of the source. Realising she would have to enter the hut Agnes moved the door away from the entrance, propping it up against the inner wall. With the door removed, the thin stream of light from the full moon dimly illuminated the interior. It was very faint, but it was enough to see the shadowy figure of a small form hunched up in a ball in a chair.

  ‘Molly?’ Agnes whispered. ‘It’s all right, love. I ain’t gonna hurt yer,’ she repeated, realising the child was probably too frightened to answer. ‘Don’t be scared, Molly, I’m ’ere ter ’elp yer.’

  The huddled form sprang to life and ran towards her. Even in the dim light Agnes saw the elfin face light up with relief at the sight of her, and swallowed hard. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been so pleased to see her. Then reality set in, and with it the fear came flooding back. There was no time for pleasantries. Kenneth could be playing a cruel trick on the child, pretending to leave and then return, hoping to catch her out in some minor misdemeanour. It was just the sort of thing he was capable of.

  ‘Come on, love. There’s no time for talking, we’ve gotta get outta ’ere before that wicked bas— man comes back. Quickly now… Molly! Are yer listening ter me?’

  But Molly, her initial joy over and terrified into submission by her abductor, afraid this lady was a friend of his, trying to trick her, stayed where she was. Reading her mind, and knowing time was of the essence, Agnes sprang forward and grabbed the child by the hand, pulling her across the small space of floor. Within minutes they were in the forest and Molly stopped struggling and gripped Agnes’ hand ti
ghtly for fear the lady would let go of her and leave her alone in the frightening darkness of the forest.

  With only the watery light of the moon to guide them the pair stumbled blindly through the woods until Agnes decided they were far enough away from the hut to stop and rest. Gasping for breath she squeezed the tiny hand holding hers so trustingly now and said, ‘It’s all right, love, I think we’re safe enough now. But we ain’t gonna be able to find our way outta this place till morning. ’ere, let’s sit down and ’ave a rest and a natter.’

  Sinking onto the damp grass, the child cuddled by her side, Agnes talked rapidly, trying to put the girl’s mind at ease. ‘I know your name, but yer don’t know mine, so I’ll introduce meself. My name’s Agnes, I know yer brother Micky…’

  Instantly she felt the child’s hand attempt to pull away from hers, and with a sinking heart she realised why. Keeping her voice light she continued, ‘Oh, I know what Micky’s said about me. That I was a miserable old cow that was always ’aving a go at ’im, am I right?’ The small hand stilled, encouraging Agnes to go on. ‘He was right an’ all. I am a miserable old cow, but I ain’t wicked, not like that nasty man. And when yer went missing I tried me best ter ’elp find yer. That’s why I’m ’ere. I followed Kenn— that man what snatched yer,’ she quickly corrected herself. It wouldn’t do to let the child know that she knew him by name. ‘What we’ll do is cuddle up ter keep warm, and wait fer morning, ’cos we’ll only get lost if we try ter find our way out in the dark. Oh, I can’t wait ter see Micky’s face when he sees yer…’

  The girl jumped in her arms. ‘Micky’s alive? He ain’t dead then?’

  Pulling her closer Agnes swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. ‘’Course he ain’t dead, yer silly thing. Why, he’s been out walking the streets since yer went missing, half outta ’is mind he’s been with worry. He’s been staying with Ted Parker an’ his mum. I expect he’s told yer all about them, ain’t he?’

  Agnes felt Molly’s head nod against her shoulder and her slim frame slump with relief at the news her brother was alive and well.

  For a time there was silence between them, then, Molly, her voice low and trembling whispered, ‘What about Mrs Knight, Sadie’s friend? The… the bad man hurt her. She… she was lying on… on the floor and there was… was blo— blood all over her. She’s gonna be al— all right, ain’t she?’

  Agnes tightened her hold on the shivering girl and leant her chin on the blonde head. She’d overheard John Smith telling Ted the woman was dead, and Stokes was now wanted for murder, but she couldn’t tell the child that, not after what she’d been through. As the thought entered her mind Agnes’ stomach lurched. Had she been in time? Kenneth had had the girl alone for hours. Dear God! If he’d harmed Molly while she’d been hiding, thinking only of her own skin, she’d never forgive herself. She had to ask, but she’d have to go careful.

  Clearing her throat she said, ‘I don’t know, love, we’ll ’ave ter wait and find out.’ Again silence descended on them as Agnes tried to work out how to phrase the question she had to ask. Keeping her voice casual she asked, ‘That nasty man. Did… did he do anything to yer? I mean did he hurt yer?’

  She waited with bated breath for the girl to answer.

  ‘No… Well, he frightened me, and… and he said he was gonna ’urt me if I didn’t do like he told me. And he was really angry ’cos I… I messed meself. But I couldn’t ’elp it…’ Her voice trailed off tiredly.

  ‘So he never sort of… yer know, did anything yer didn’t like…’

  Stifling a yawn, Molly answered softly, ‘’Course he did. He took me away from Micky and Sadie. An’ I wanna go back ter me brother, then we can all live together.’

  In the darkness Agnes breathed a sigh of relief. She felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At last, after all these years, she had finally done something right. As for Micky and Molly going to live with this Sadie character, whoever she was. Well! Ted Parker would have something to say about that – and Ellen too for that matter.

  ‘Tell yer what, love. You try and get some sleep, yer ain’t got nothing ter worry about now. I’ll look after yer, I promise.’

  There was no answer. The girl, feeling safe in Agnes’ arms, had already fallen asleep. Carefully taking off her shawl, Agnes wrapped it around the scantily clad child. Without the woollen garment Agnes shivered, but she welcomed the coldness of the night. It would help to keep her awake.

  * * *

  Kenneth had only walked for ten minutes before he changed his mind about seeking out the doctor’s help. The pain in his hand had momentarily clouded his judgement. Then he remembered the search party would be back at first light, and even though they had already questioned everyone in the vicinity, there was no knowing if they would do the same tomorrow. In spite of the throbbing of his hand he couldn’t take the chance of the police asking questions again. And if they knocked on the retired doctor’s door and he told them about a man visiting him with a cut hand, the game would be up. Cursing his stupidity he quickly turned on his heel and headed back to the hut, the gas lamp illuminating his path. It was only a cut, another few hours wasn’t going to make any difference. As long as he kept it clean, it should heal by itself in a few days. In the meantime he had much more pleasant pursuits to look forward to. His face illuminated by the lamp was one of pure evil.

  His hand forgotten now, he quickened his pace. As he approached the hut he saw at once that the door, which he had closed, was now gone leaving the hut wide open. With a loud cry that bordered on a scream he ran forward, only to come to a dead stop. He didn’t have to look round the two-room abode to know that Molly, that little bitch, had run off. Like a madman he paced the room, pulling at his hair in rage and disbelief. None of his previous children had ever had the courage to disobey him. He had held them prisoners, not only by physical force, but by mental intimidation. Who would have thought that Molly Masters, that terrified, cowed little chit of a girl, would have the nerve to disobey him? Unable to sit still he continued to pace back and forth around the confined space, his features contorted with rage.

  Gradually his anger abated, his steps slowing as he began to think more rationally. What was he worried about? She couldn’t get very far, could she? Right now she was probably lost, stumbling around in the dark, terrified out of her wits. He would lay bets that she would welcome even his presence in her predicament. All he had to do was wait until about five. The search party wouldn’t be back until six, six-thirty at the latest. She couldn’t be more than a 15-minute walk away, and by five she’d be asleep with exhaustion. He knew the forest like the back of his hand; he’d find her long before anyone else turned up. Satisfied in his mind he hadn’t lost her, he settled back in the chair, a smirk on his lips.

  ‘Just you wait, you little cow. You’ll pay dearly for putting me to all this trouble, you wait and see.’

  * * *

  Agnes awoke with a start, unable to believe she’d fallen asleep. Dawn was just beginning to break, and with it their last chance to escape from the forest and the man who had turned her world upside down, and nearly ruined Molly Masters’ into the bargain. Gently shaking the child awake Agnes said softly, ‘Come on, love. Time to get going.’

  Molly woke instantly, her body stiffening, then relaxing as she realised she was safe.

  ‘That’s a good girl.’ Agnes, already on her feet, helped Molly to hers. ‘Now listen, love, I ain’t got a clue where we are, so we’ll just ’ave ter walk round till the police come back. We might get lucky and find our way ter the road, but I wouldn’t like ter bet on it. What we’ve gotta do is keep quiet. No talking or making any more noise than we ’ave to, ’cos that man is gonna be looking fer yer. Now, now…’ Agnes gave the little girl’s shoulders a reassuring hug, as Molly jerked violently at the mention of the ‘nasty man’. ‘He ain’t gonna get yer, I won’t let ’im. Besides, he doesn’t know I’m with yer, does he? He thinks you’re on yer own. So he’s gonna be
cocky, ain’t he? Well, the laugh’s gonna be on him. Now let’s get going, and remember…’ She gave a conspiratorial wink, ‘Keep quiet, and yer ears open, and before yer know it, this place’ll be crawling with coppers.’

  ‘All right, lady,’ Molly whispered. ‘An’ then I’ll see Micky and Sadie, an’ Mrs Knight and Billy and Charlie. They’re me friends; I’ll be quiet now.’ She smiled up at Agnes and squeezed her hand.

  Agnes’ heart missed a beat at Molly’s words, but now wasn’t the time to tell the child the truth. Instead she gripped the tiny hand tighter and began to creep slowly through the forest.

  * * *

  Sadie sat by Lily’s bedside, her warm fingers clasped around the cold hand of her friend. She had been sitting in the same spot for hours. Her eyes, red from crying, were dry now, but the pain inside her wouldn’t go away. Because of her, Lily, her only friend, was dead, and her children left on their own.

  Her body, stiff from sitting in the same position for so long, now moved as a hand came to rest gently on her shoulder.

  ‘Why don’t you go home, love? There’s nothing you can do here. You’ll make yourself ill. You’ve had nothing to eat or drink since you came in and…’ The nurse’s words trailed off as Sadie turned and looked up at her and the anguish mirrored in the red-rimmed eyes caused the nurse to lower her gaze. She had been a nurse for over 20 years and been through the same sad ordeal more times than she could remember, but it never got any easier to deal with someone who had lost someone close. Be it a mother, brother, husband or wife, or in this case, a dear friend, the pain experienced by the people left behind to grieve never ceased to create a feeling of inadequacy inside her.