The young woman had been murdered; there was no doubt about it. She could only have been in her early twenties. David had gone back into the barn with the police and had managed to observe the scene for longer this time around. The victim was almost naked. Her ripped, blood-stained clothes were strewn across the hay bales that she was resting on. She had marks around her wrists as if she had been tied up and various wounds to her body, the most severe being that her throat had been slit.
David realised she was a local girl from a farm not far from his, a few miles down the road at most. He knew her parents. He let out a sigh and then he began to sob. Officer Pembrooke patted him on the shoulder.
‘David, let’s get you out of here. There is nothing you can do. This is where we take over. Let’s get you inside. I expect that new lady of yours will need you for a while following this, be strong for her and that little lad.’
Officer Pembrooke put his arm around David’s shoulders and walked him to the house. They went into the kitchen where Martha was pacing up and down, and Michael was sitting at the table biting his nails. Martha threw her arms around David and hugged him tightly. He nestled his head into her shoulder and was more vulnerable than she had ever seen him before.
She sat him down at the table opposite Michael and said she would put on some tea for all of them.
‘No, you won’t, I’ll do that. It’s the least I can do.’
Officer Pembrooke started opening cupboard doors trying to find a teapot. Martha sat next to David and held his hands in hers.
They all sat in silence, in a state of bewilderment. Officer Pembrooke cut the edgy atmosphere.
‘I will need to ask you all some questions, but I think that can wait for the morning. Let’s get the body removed, and off the premises. Is there somewhere else you can stay tonight? The press will be all over this place by the morning, if not before.’
David rubbed his head in his hands.
‘I can’t believe this is happening to us. What has happened is terrible and that sick bastard needs stringing up. He’s tainted my perfect home. Everything was going so well. My girl has moved in, and we are getting ready for Christmas, and now this has happened. How will I ever look at her parents again? How will I ever be able to go out and get kindling again? Or go in the barn again. This is a horrible, horrible mess. People will now know us as the family that had the murdered girl in the barn. No. No. No. This isn’t fair.’
David became very emotional and Martha’s attempts at comforting him were of no help. Officer Pembrooke put a pot of tea on the table and put out some cups.
He pulled up a chair at the head of the table.
‘David, what you saw tonight no man should ever have to see, but for now, you need to be strong. You need to be the man of the house. You need to protect your good lady here and protect that little lad upstairs. Michael will help you. I think it’s best that you stay somewhere else, just for tonight. Martha, your friends? Peter and Mae? Will they take you all in for the night? We can transport you over there?’
Martha nodded but looked miles away.
‘Martha, I don’t want you and Willy to go and stay there. You haven’t long been here, please don’t go and stay with them.’
David pleaded with Martha. He was aware that he looked desperate and he couldn’t believe he was being that way, but something inside him just didn’t want them going back to that house. Martha looked panicked. There was no way she wanted to stay on the farm tonight. She wouldn’t sleep a wink.
It was unlikely she would sleep at Mae’s, but she would feel more comfortable there. Officer Pembrooke could detect the frustrations all around and stepped in again.
‘David, I think you should all leave tonight. None of you should stay here. We need to do our investigations anyway, so you would be helping us but more importantly, you’ve got a family to take care of now and that includes your brother, Michael.’
Officer Pembrooke’s words were the formula to get David on the right track. The words, ‘you have a family’ rung in David’s ears and filled his heart with pride, and he knew this was his time to step up. This was his time to be the real man of the house, to be the leaning tower of support for all of them. This wasn’t a time to be scared.
With that, he stood up and began to pace the kitchen slowly.
‘Officer, you are right, I was being selfish.’
Officer Pembrooke started to fan his hands as if to say, ‘think nothing of it.' He was a modest man, but he was good at his job.
‘David, you were not selfish, you have experienced a horrendous ordeal this evening, but as I say, for now, you need to take care of your family, and deal with your trauma later.’
David continued to pace the kitchen; chest puffed out with his new responsibility. ‘Ok, Martha, let’s get ready and get out of here. I suppose you had better get Willy out of bed. We don’t need to tell him, do we? Just make something up? A surprise sleepover or something?’
Martha had already gone upstairs and was packing her bag before David had even finished his train of thought.
Chapter 22
David, Martha and Willy arrived at Peter and Mae’s and gave them the rundown of what had happened.
The two women took the boys and baby Anna up to bed, while David gave Peter the detailed version of the evening.
‘Stay with us as long as you need to.’ Mae said.
Martha knew she wouldn’t have had it any other way. If it wasn’t for the circumstances which had got them to being there that evening, Martha was quite glad to be under their roof again. She liked it there. It was odd, she had never felt quite at home while she was there, but now that she was at David’s, Mae’s house seemed like home.
‘That’s very kind of you, Mae, thank you. I would love to stay longer, but David will be keen to get back. You know what he’s like. He’s not ungrateful it’s just that he is quite a private man.’
Mae knew exactly what Martha was saying and they both hoped that the visit would last a little longer than one night. Mae would be happy if they stayed all Christmas. It’s not as if they didn’t have space.
Once the children were in bed, the two women headed back downstairs, where Peter had already got the brandy out, and he poured them one each as they came into the room. He topped up David’s, although it looked like David hadn’t touched his first one.
‘Get that down you David. It’ll help you sleep.’
Peter pushed David’s glass closer to him. David picked it up hesitantly and sniffed it. He grimaced at the smell but knew it would help to knock him out, so he drank it down in one go. He flinched his whole body and screwed his face up as if he had just eaten a lemon. He never was much of a drinker.
Peter passed his cigarettes around and they all took one each. Martha thought this was just like old times, apart from David being there.
‘How are you holding up, Martha, darling?’
Peter looked at her intently and seemed genuinely concerned. He was good at this kind of stuff, always had been. She reminded herself of that and told herself not to get sucked in.
‘I’m ok, thanks, Peter. I’m shocked, but I am ok. I didn’t see it. I mean, when I say ‘it,' I mean the girl.’
Martha looked down and scoured the table for some relief. She felt guilty for saying ‘it’ when she had meant the poor girl.
‘We know what you meant Martha, don’t worry. The ‘it’ refers to the scene. You didn’t see the scene that David stumbled across. Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve all been through the mill, tonight. It’s not nice for anyone involved and it means that awful, horrible, sick bastard is on the prowl again. Look, I am sure Mae has already said it, but you are all welcome to stay here for as long as you like, ok?’
With that, he reached his hand out across the table and placed his hand on top of Martha’s and rubbed it with his thumb. He looked her in the eyes, and once again her stomach fluttered. David didn’t like what he was seeing. He wished he had Peter’s confidence, Peter’s c
harm. He always seemed to know what to say to women.
Martha could feel herself blushing, and pulled her hand away.
‘Thank you, Peter, that means a lot. Mae did say the same. You are both very kind, and we are lucky to have you as friends, aren’t we?’
She put her hand over to David and gestured for him to give her his.
‘Yes. Very lucky.’ David smiled awkwardly, almost through gritted teeth. ‘But I was hoping to have us all at home over Christmas, apart from having Christmas Day here of course, and hopefully, that can still happen. We will just have to wait and see what the police say, I suppose.’
He picked up his glass and realised it was empty, but Peter was on hand immediately to pour him some more.
Over a couple of hours, the four adults smoked and drank until David and Martha were numb enough to go to bed. David was the first one to suggest it. The brandy had gone to his head, and he needed to lie down. Although he might regret it in the morning, Martha was glad that he would at least be able to sleep tonight. She knew she would probably struggle to get to sleep, and she didn’t need David awake as well. She wanted to be left alone with her insomnia that today’s events would inevitably bring.
They all said their goodnights. Martha offered to help clear up, but Mae and Peter insisted that they go and get their heads down.
‘There will be plenty of opportunities to help clear up in a couple of days when the old fat boy has delivered all his gifts.’
They all managed a slight chuckle and David and Martha headed upstairs. As expected David went out like a light. Martha lay there with her small bedside lamp on, softly lighting up the room.
She looked around the room, again and again, remembering what it was like being there before. It wasn’t that long since she had left, but so much had happened that it seemed like a long time ago. Everything was slightly hazy. She had had quite a bit to drink. One more drink and the room would be spinning. She closed her eyes but opened them immediately. As soon as she closed them her mind started creating images of the girl in the barn.
She knew the details now of what had happened to the girl, but she hadn’t seen it, and nor did she want to. She tried to close her eyes again, but all she could see was a lifeless naked body slumped across some hay bales, with blood everywhere. She sat up in bed. David was out for the count. It was no good; she wasn’t going to be able to drift off yet. She turned and let her legs out of bed, and sat on the edge. She tried to take some deep breaths and get some clarity. That didn’t work. Her drunken, foggy and chaotic mind would not rest.
She decided to get up, and go and get a glass of tap water. As quietly as she could, she crept down the stairs trying not to disturb Peter and Mae and the children. She tiptoed from the bottom of the stairs into the kitchen and flicked the light switch.
‘Can’t sleep?’
Martha jumped, not expecting Peter to be up still.
‘No, I can’t. Sorry, I didn’t realise you were still up. I was just going to get a glass of water.’
She poured herself a glass of water and stared straight ahead into the night outside through the window. Peter was watching her and she could feel it. His eyes were like hot pokers digging into her back. She didn’t move.
Peter was staring. He was looking her up and down, and admiring every inch of her body. She had fascinated him since the day she moved in. He hadn’t noticed her before that, but now he couldn’t help but be fixated on her whenever she was around.
He had drunk quite a bit of brandy tonight.
He was tempted to go for it. Would she let him, he wondered? Would she scream and wake the house up? Or does she want him just as much as his curiosity wanted her? He thought he hadn’t had enough alcohol to eliminate the risk, but he had just enough for him to make his move. He gulped down the last of his drink in his glass and put it down on the table, pushing it across so that it stopped in the middle. He sat there for a moment and continued to stare at her.
His heart began to beat harder. He noticed she wasn’t drinking her water anymore. She had finished it and was just standing there as if she was waiting for him he thought. He stood, and began to walk over to her slowly.
They didn’t know it, but both of their hearts were racing in unison. She knew he was coming for her. She knew what was about to happen, and yet she didn’t do anything. She didn’t know if she wanted it or not. All she knew is that she was just going to see what was going to happen. He stood right behind her and pulled her hair away from her neck.
He began softly kissing her neck. Her knees went weak as he got hard. He kissed her more and put his hands on her breasts. She wasn’t stopping him yet, and he was eager to see how far this could go.
He turned her around to face him, and they began to kiss frantically. He pulled her nightgown up and put his hands on her naked breasts. Her nipples became erect as soon as he touched her.
Inside his trousers, he was throbbing. In his mind, he begged her to let him have her. He put his hand between her legs, and still, she didn’t stop him. She moved her legs apart, to allow him in. He knew this time that he was going to take her. He was going to make love to her so hard; he could almost climax now as the desire was so intense.
He pulled his braces off his shoulders and begun undoing his trousers as quickly as he could. They kissed messily, lips and tongues everywhere. He dropped his trousers and revealed his very large, erect penis and her stomach flipped. The pair of them were locked in a trance of lust that neither of them could deny at that moment. They weren’t thinking straight, and they weren’t thinking of anyone else or anything else.
All they knew was what they were doing right now.
Peter picked Martha up and entered her. He was huge. She hadn’t experienced a man like that before. The rush of euphoria flooded both of their bodies; it was running through their veins, like a hit of sex injected with a needle. He carried her to the wall, her wrapped around his waist and him, still inside her.
Once against the wall, he began thrusting. She felt entirely different to Mae. She was less confident and she was shy, and that turned him on even more. The pair were silent, and the passion was raw. She had pulled her nightgown off, and he had his mouth all over her breasts.
He thrust in and out with pace, and she clenched her hands on his shoulders, biting her lip not daring to let out a sound. Both Peter and Martha became sweaty at the same time, their breathing patterns matching, and his thrusts growing closer together.
She was captivated by how strong he was. She never thought he would be like this, but she wanted more of him, as much as she could take. She could feel her thighs tighten around his waist, the grip of her hands became stronger, her stomach grew taut, and her body began to shake.
He began thrusting harder and harder, he was so big she almost asked him to stop, but just before she did, she climaxed; and then so did he. The pair embraced and clenched with ferociousness. He slowed down his thrusts and let out a little sigh with each one until eventually coming to a complete stop.
He continued to hold her and she noticed how tightly he did so. He carried her away from the wall and lay her down on the floor where he lay with her.
The pair stayed there for the next ten minutes or so in silence.
A silence that had never been louder.
Chapter 23
Martha woke up with a jolt.
She had an arm wrapped around her and a body that was spooning hers. She carefully opened one eye to take in her surroundings, without making it known she was awake.
She was in bed.
She was in her bed in her room in Peter and Mae’s house.
Suddenly the fear like guilt ripped through her as if she had just stepped out in front of a bus. The panic rushed through her like cold blood in her veins. She felt sick. She felt dirty. She wanted to cry. What on earth had she done? Why couldn’t she resist Peter after a few drinks?
It was the alcohol. She wouldn’t have done it otherwise. She tormented herself repeate
dly, going over the events of last night, again and again, wishing she could turn the clock back. David’s arm pulled her closer to him, and she wanted to cry, her eyes filling up and bottom lip quivering. He was still half asleep. How would she ever be able to look at him again? She felt his erection push against her. He didn’t ask, he never had since they began dating. He was a gentleman and always waited for a sign that she wanted him.
To her surprise, she wanted David right now. She didn’t want Peter to be the last man that had touched her. She desperately wanted to make passionate love with David and eradicate any wrongdoing from last night. She couldn’t engage in sex with him now; she hadn’t cleaned herself since last night. There was no way she could let David near her when she was still carrying Peter within her.
Every time she thought of him, or his name, she felt sick to her stomach. She knew she would just have to ride this out. No one could know. She would take this secret to her grave. It was done now.
David and Mae wouldn’t find out.
Mae. Poor, poor Mae. She began tormenting herself again. Would she ever be the same? Could she put this behind her, or had she just ruined her and Willy’s best chance for a decent future?
She decided to go ahead with her idea of sleeping with David, which she found bizarre. Just the notion that she wanted to left her perplexed, but she saw it as the next step. It is not the reaction she thought she would have had to this kind of situation, but it was what she felt she needed to happen next.
Once she had felt David’s touch and received him, then he would be the last man to have had her, and she felt this was the first step in her recovery from what she had done. She gently peeled back the bed covers trying not to disturb her innocent, doting lover.
Cupidity Page 20