by Joan Jonker
The words were no sooner out of her mouth than they heard the front door being opened, and Andy came in, followed closely by Bill. Both men looked agitated and Dot moved to stand next to Beth. ‘What’s happened?’
‘It might be nothing, love, but we thought we’d be on the safe side and tell yer.’ Andy looked to Bill for a nod of confirmation. ‘We were near the pub when we saw old Mrs Bailey walking on the opposite side of the street. She looked a bit strange, and she had no coat on, only a cardigan. Anyway, me and Bill went after her to ask if she was all right, ’cos no one in their right mind would go out on a night like this without a coat. We caught up with her and asked where she was off to, but she seemed to look right through us as if we weren’t there.’ He looked to his mate. ‘Isn’t that right, Bill?’
‘Yeah, she definitely looked as though she was walking in her sleep. We tried asking where she was going, but she just brushed us aside as though she’d never seen us before in her life! Then she carried on walking and turned into County Road. There’s no shops open at this time of night, so the Lord knows where she was headed.’
‘One thing’s for certain, she’ll catch pneumonia if she’s out long ’cos it’s freezing and she was only wearing a dress and cardi.’ Andy looked at Beth and spread his hands. ‘There was nothing we could do, love, we’d have frightened the life out of her if we’d laid hands on her and tried to get her home.’
‘Did yer try telling her who yer were?’ Beth asked. ‘Heaven knows, she’s known yer long enough.’
‘We tried a few times, but as I said, she looked right through us.’ Andy ran his fingers through his thick mop of black hair. ‘She had a strange look on her face as though she was in another world. Anyway, me and Bill thought we should tell yer in case she goes missing, or gets lost.’
Beth and Dot exchanged glances, then nodded. ‘We’ll put our coats on and see if we can find her.’ Beth handed her neighbour’s coat over before reaching for her own. ‘Did yer say she turned right into County Road?’
‘That’s the last we saw of her,’ Bill said. ‘We would have followed her, but yer can imagine what people would think if they saw two men manhandling an elderly woman. We’d have been lynched.’
‘Come on, Dot, let’s go after her before she gets too far away.’ Beth bent down to look into her son’s face. ‘Joey, you stay here and read yer book, we’ll be back as soon as we can.’
‘What about me and Bill?’ Andy asked. ‘Shall we come with yer?’
‘No, me and Dot are better on our own. It might be an idea to knock next door for Flo then we can search each side of the road.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Dot said. ‘And what about Lizzie, over the road? She knows Hannah Bailey very well, and we could pair off then.’
Beth took her purse from a glass bowl on the sideboard. ‘I’ve got me key, Joey, so don’t answer the door to anyone without first asking who it is.’ She gave each of the men a gentle push. ‘You two go and have yer pint. We know where yer are if we need yer.’
Once outside Dot said, ‘I’ll nip across for Lizzie while you give Flo a knock. The sooner we start the better.’
Within five minutes, there were four women standing beneath the street lamp. Flo Henderson, who was Beth’s other next-door neighbour, was a small woman in height, but large in figure. She was eighteen stone the last time she stood on a weighing machine, and she swore she’d never do it again because the machine was a ruddy liar. She had dark hair, brown eyes, a round happy face and a fantastic sense of humour. The last woman to join the group was Lizzie O’Leary who lived facing Beth’s house. She’d come over from Ireland with her husband, Paddy, nearly fifteen years ago, but she still had the Irish lilt to her voice. ‘How long is it since yer husband saw Hannah, me darlin’?’
‘It can’t be more than twenty minutes ’cos we haven’t wasted any time. Me and Dot thought we could pair off and walk both sides of County Road. Mind you, Andy said Hannah didn’t seem to know where she was, so she could be wandering aimlessly, not knowing one road from another. She may have turned down one of the side streets for all we know. Still, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled and hope for the best.’
‘I’ll come with you, queen,’ Flo said, ‘and Lizzie can pair off with Dot.’
‘Then let’s make a start.’ Dot linked arms with Lizzie. ‘We’ll check shop doorways and entries as well.’
‘We mustn’t lose sight of each other, though,’ Beth warned. ‘Otherwise we won’t know what’s going on. If anyone does find her, give a shout to let us all know.’
The women paired off to cover both sides of the road, checking doorways and entries, but there was no sign of their elderly neighbour. As they neared Spellow Lane, Beth began to lose hope. Five main roads ran from the junction there, making their search impossible.
‘I don’t think we’re ever going to find her, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Once we get to Spellow Lane we’ve had it ’cos there aren’t enough of us to cover all the roads. I think we should turn back and notify the police.’
‘Ye’re probably right, queen, because we could walk the streets all night and never find her. The police are our best bet.’
Beth nodded as though coming to a firm decision. ‘Once we get to Spellow, I’ll call the others over and see what they say. But we can’t hang around or Hannah will freeze to death if she’s out much longer with just a cardi on. The police would find her a damn sight quicker than we will.’
Flo pulled her friend closer for warmth. ‘It’s a worry, isn’t it, queen? I can’t think what came over Hannah to do such a thing, she’s usually very sensible.’
‘From what Andy said, she didn’t seem to know what she was doing. And that’s the worrying part of it, ’cos if she’s confused, she could walk for miles and end up in a place that’s not familiar to her.’ Beth halted her friend at the edge of the pavement and waited for a tram to trundle by before shouting across the wide road, ‘Dot, will you and Lizzie come over so we can discuss what we should do next?’
The two women listened to what Beth had to say about going to the police. They agreed it would be the sensible thing to do, but the Irish woman asked if they shouldn’t cover the area they were in first. ‘There’s so many places she could be around here, me darlings – a tram terminus around that corner where she could be sheltering, and there’s Burton’s shop doorways and pubs on every corner. Sure, it’ll not take us five minutes, and it’s meself that’ll feel better knowing we’ve at least looked everywhere possible. It would be terrible if we gave up and she was only yards away from us.’
‘Okay, you and Dot try the terminus while me and Flo have a look in shop and pub doorways. We’ll cover the next block and meet yer back here in ten minutes. If any of yer want to go home then, ’cos it is bitter, I don’t mind going to the police station on me own. I can hop on a tram here and it’s only about eight stops.’
There were loud protests. ‘I came out with yer, girl,’ Dot said, ‘and I’m sticking with yer until we find Hannah. I’d rather be out here freezing than sitting in front of a fire and worrying meself to death.’
‘And I ain’t leaving yer, either.’ Flo’s sharp nod set her layers of chins in motion. ‘We’ll stick together.’
Lizzie agreed. ‘Sure, I’d never forgive meself if anything happened to the poor woman, she’s a friend of mine.’
Beth gave a sigh of relief. She’d never been in a police station in her life and didn’t fancy going into one now on her own. ‘Okay, girls, we’ll stay together. One for all and all for one, eh? But we’ll do what Lizzie suggested first, then meet back here in five to ten minutes.’
Dot cupped Lizzie’s elbow and turned her head each way to make sure the road was clear. ‘Hang on, girl, wait until this tram passes.’ Then, when the coast was clear, they made haste to the pavement opposite. ‘Let’s try the tram terminus first.’
The wind whipping their cheeks was bitter, and the women clung together for warmth. There weren’t many people a
bout and the terminus appeared at first sight to be empty. ‘She’s not here,’ Dot said, ‘let’s turn around and try Burton’s doorways.’
Lizzie gripped her arm. ‘Just a minute, me darlin’, there’s someone standing against the wall. They’re in the shadow, so they are, but whoever it is has a head of white hair like Hannah’s.’ As they drew nearer to the figure, she took her arm from Dot’s and hurried forward. ‘Praise be to God, I think we’ve found her.’
As Dot followed, her heart was racing fifteen to the dozen. When she saw Lizzie holding her arms wide she knew she was extending them to the old lady they were all so fond of, and felt weak with relief. But as she came closer, she saw Lizzie’s arms were being pushed away. Oh, it was Hannah, all right, thank God, but a Hannah who was acting strangely.
‘It’s Lizzie O’Leary, me darlin’, and, sure, yer know me well enough to know I wish yer no harm. Come to me and I’ll put me coat around yer to warm yer up.’ But there was no recognition in Hannah’s faded eyes, only fear. The more Lizzie coaxed, the more agitated the old lady became. Her whole body was shivering from cold and her lips were blue, but she still had the strength to resist Lizzie’s pleading.
‘Lizzie, I’m going to get Beth and Flo. It’s obvious Hannah doesn’t know us and we’re making her more afraid. But something has to be done quickly because she must be frozen through to the marrow.’
‘I know that, me darlin’, and it’s very concerned I am. Sure, I was only speaking to the dear woman this afternoon, so I was, and she was perfectly all right then. Something drastic must have happened since to have affected her mind like this. I’ll stay with her while you fetch the other two. Perhaps between us we can fix her up with a coat and take her home. In her own surroundings she may come around.’
Dot Flynn did everything quickly, that was her nature. Whether it was making the beds, washing the dishes or ironing, she moved with speed. But she’d never moved as fast as she did when she ran in the direction Beth and Flo had taken. Her feet didn’t seem to touch the ground and her breath hung in the cold winter air.
The road was so deserted and quiet that running footsteps shattered the silence and caused Flo to turn her head. She swung herself around, taking Beth with her. ‘It’s Dot, they must have found Hannah.’
Dot just nodded in reply and then she bent and put her hands on her knees while she fought for breath. After a few seconds she straightened up and croaked, ‘Me chest is sore from running so fast, but we’ve found her. She was by the tram terminus as Lizzie said she might be. We’d better get back to them because Hannah’s blue with the cold. You two can run on, if yer like, I haven’t got the breath left.’
‘No, we’ll walk with yer,’ Beth said. ‘How is Hannah, does she know yer?’
Dot shook her head. ‘No sign of recognition at all. She wouldn’t let us near her! Lizzie wanted to put her coat around her, but Hannah just pushed her away. I don’t know what’s happened to cause it, but it must be serious. She obviously needs help.’
‘She might be better when she’s in her own house, in familiar surroundings.’ Beth quickened her pace. ‘Surely between the four of us we can get her home?’
‘Yeah, we’ll manage that, queen, even if we have to carry her between us,’ Flo said. ‘But I don’t think she should go to her own house until we know if it’s safe to leave her on her own. Better if she comes to one of ours and we can see for ourselves how bad things are with her. I doubt if yer’d get a doctor to come out this time of night anyway so someone will have to keep an eye on her.’
‘We’ll worry about that later,’ Beth said. ‘The first thing is to get her out of the cold and into a warm house. I’ve got me purse with me, so we’ll take a tram home.’
‘That’s if she’ll let us help her, we can’t make her.’ Dot sighed. ‘Wait until yer see her and yer’ll know what I’m talking about.’
When they reached the terminus, it was to see Lizzie standing against the wall with Hannah. Tears came to Beth’s eyes when she saw the state of the elderly woman. ‘Oh, sunshine, ye’re blue with the cold.’ She slipped her coat off and held it out. ‘Come on, let me put this around yer.’
The fight seemed to have gone out of Hannah, and she allowed the other women to put the coat over her shoulders. But she obviously didn’t recognise them. Her eyes were darting everywhere like a frightened animal caught in a trap and looking for a means of escape.
Flo undid the buttons on her coat and slipped one arm out. Then, holding the coat wide, she said to Beth, ‘We’ll share this, queen. At least it’ll keep some of the cold out and anything is better than nothing.’
Lizzie had managed to get Hannah’s arms into the sleeves of Beth’s coat. She fastened the buttons and turned the collar up for protection against the wind. ‘There yer are, me darlin’, isn’t that better? And when we get yer home, a nice cup of hot tea will do yer the world of good.’
Hannah put up no resistance as she was led around the corner to where the number twenty-two tram would stop to take them home. She didn’t say one word and her eyes stared straight ahead as though she was sleep-walking. This worried her neighbours, but by an exchange of glances it was silently agreed to leave things be until they got home. If they upset her now there was no telling what she would do.
When the tram came, Beth and Flo stood back until the other three women were aboard. Then Flo slipped out of her coat altogether and pushed Beth on to the platform. ‘We’d look bleedin’ soft trying to get on with one coat between us, queen, so you go ahead. I don’t feel the cold as much as you, anyway, me fat keeps me warm.’
The conductor came down the stairs just as Flo was trying to lift her leg high enough to climb on board. ‘Why do they make these bleedin’ steps so high, the stupid buggers? Do they think everyone’s six foot tall?’
‘What’s the matter, Flo? Legless again, are yer?’ There wasn’t a conductor or driver on this route who didn’t know her. She stood out not only because she was small and fat, but because she always had a smile and a joke for everyone. ‘That’ll teach yer to have one too many milk stouts.’
‘Ha-ha, very funny, I’m sure.’ Flo grinned up into his face. ‘Give us yer hand, Charlie, or I’ll be here all bleedin’ night.’
After he’d pulled her on to the platform, Charlie eyed her up and down. ‘Where’s yer coat? Don’t tell me yer came out without one on a night like this?’
Flo clamped her lips together and wagged her head from side to side. ‘Silly me! I’ve only gone and left the blasted thing in the pub.’
The driver, tired of waiting for the bell to tell him to move on, took it upon himself to set the tram in motion. ‘We haven’t got all night, Charlie, we’ll be late getting back to Fazakerley.’
‘Hang on a minute, Bob, this lady has left her coat in a pub, she’ll want to go back for it.’
‘She can get off the next stop and walk back.’ It was a cold job driving a tram in this weather, and Bob’s hands and feet were freezing. The sooner they got to the terminus, the sooner he’d get a cup of hot tea and a warm by the stove. ‘It’s not far to walk, and as she’s just told her friend, she’s got plenty of fat on her to keep her warm.’
Flo bristled. ‘Oh, I’m fat, am I? I’ve a good mind to give yer a black eye for that, clever bugger! And what would yer wife think if yer went home with a shiner? She’d think yer’d got fresh with someone else’s wife and the husband belted yer one.’
The conductor was leaning against the stairs that went up to the top deck, grinning. ‘If he got fresh with you, Flo, would your feller belt him one?’
‘Nah, I wouldn’t wait for my feller, I’d do it meself. He’s only the size of sixpennyworth of copper, I could knock him out with one hand tied behind me back.’
Bob, who was six feet two and well-built, was chuckling at the thought of being floored by a woman who came no higher than his chest. Someone would have to lift her up to reach him! ‘The next stop’s coming up, Flo, d’yer want to get off and go back for ye
r coat?’
‘No, I won’t bother, lad, it’s not worth it. I bought the coat second-hand from Paddy’s Market about fifteen years ago so I’ve had me money’s worth out of it. Besides, I wouldn’t recognise the blinking thing ’cos it’s changed colour about six times since I bought it.’
The conductor held on to the bar as they neared the tram stop, and looked out to see if there were any passengers waiting to board. ‘All clear, Bob, yer can carry on.’ Then he narrowed his eyes and gazed down at Flo. ‘Yer’ve been pulling me leg, haven’t yer?’
‘Of course I have, soft lad! Yer’d fall for the ruddy cat, you would. Still, it helped pass five minutes away, didn’t it?’
As she moved from the platform into the aisle, the conductor said, ‘Yer may as well buy yer tickets now, save me a journey down the tram.’
Flo’s body began to shake with laughter. ‘Ooh, aren’t I the silly one, lad? D’yer know what I’ve gone and done? Only left me purse in the pocket of the coat what I left in the pub! But don’t look so down-in-the-mouth, me mate’s got the money. She’s the pretty one with the fair hair. If yer ask her nicely, she’ll pay yer for our tickets and we’ll settle up with her when we get home.’
Her neighbours had been watching and listening with smiles on their faces. You could rely on Flo to brighten up the proceedings no matter where you were. The only one who didn’t appreciate the exchange was Hannah. She was sitting by a window looking out, but her fixed stare told her friends she wasn’t seeing or hearing anything. At least they had the consolation of knowing she was safe and out of the cold for now. Perhaps when they got home they might get more response from her. If not then a doctor would have to be called because they were out of their depth. They couldn’t deal with something they knew nothing about.
Beth and Dot linked arms with Hannah as they walked up the street. She hadn’t put up any resistance to getting off the tram, but by neither word nor deed had she shown any interest in them. It was as if everything had been wiped from her mind. She didn’t even glance at the house which had been her home for over forty years.