by El Edwards
“No need. Beverly’s got her hands full with Tortoise. You’ve probably got lots of work to get back to, now this case is over with.”
Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of having me argue with him, I simply nodded, climbed into the van and started the engine. I could see Shaun watching me, an expression on his face that I couldn’t read. I drove down the road and it wasn’t until I was about to turn the corner that Shaun made any movement back towards the house. Satisfied I was gone, he went inside. I watched him leave then parked the van on the side of the road and picked up my phone.
“Rob, it’s me. The pup’s home.” I listened for a moment. “No, of course that’s not a metaphor. She’s actually back, I saw her with my own eyes. You’re not going to believe this though, Shaun found her. Side of the road apparently.” I listened again, nodding. “Yep, me too. Like a three day old corpse. Railway Inn? Perfect!”
Satisfied that I wasn’t crazy, that this whole thing was just as rotten as I thought it was, I started the engine again and headed to the cafe. Rob and I had work to do. If Shaun thought this case was over, he was the crazy one.
FORTY-NINE
As I drove towards the cafe, I thought about the case. I was delighted Beverly had her pet home of course, but there was something about Shaun’s story that made me very uncomfortable. For a little while I’d fallen for his nice guy routine but the more I got to know him, the less I liked or trusted him. Declan was bad news, of that there was no doubt, but now it seemed his whole family weren’t to be trusted. Keeping a sister hidden away like that? That was just plain weird.
I was so lost in my own thoughts it took me a few twists and turns before I realised I was being followed. Don’t be bloody daft! This isn’t a cop show! I glanced around at the interior of my van. If this was a cop show, someone should have a word with the props department and get me some better wheels. My van was reliable but it was hardly stylish or even comfortable. I did two loops round the roundabout, glancing in my rear view mirror as I did so. Shit! I actually was being followed, and not very subtly.
The black car followed as I did one more lap round the roundabout, just to make sure. As soon as I straightened up after making the turn, I put my foot down, keen to put some distance between myself and the other car. It was then that I remembered the other reason I definitely needed better wheels: my van was badly in need of a service and the acceleration was shot to pieces. For the briefest of moments there was space between me and the black car but as soon as the driver realised I was pulling away he must have put his foot down. He was soon so close behind me, I felt sure that if it hadn’t been for the hood covering his face, I’d be able to see the whites of his eyes.
Fear gripped my insides. My van definitely wasn’t build for a high speed chase and we were about to head into town. The last thing I wanted was to race him through the town centre but I didn’t want to stop either. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, I leaned across the car and tried to reach my phone. Rob was waiting for me in the cafe. I knew that if I could just get my phone and call him, he’d be able to help me. Cursing myself for having put my bag on the floor, I stretched my fingertips as far as I could and finally my effort was rewarded as I felt my fingers hook onto the strap of the bag.
I was about to swing my bag up on to the seat when I felt the side of the car buckle. I looked up and saw the black car swaying wildly next to me on the wrong side of the road. Before I had time to react, the car swerved towards me. I heard the sound of metal scrapping against metal and then everything went black.
“But if she doesn’t wake up?”
“Don’t say that!”
“I’m sorry, but it’s got to be asked.”
I could hear voices echoing somewhere above my head, their pitch so shrill it made the inside of my head vibrate with pain. I could tell they were talking about me and I wanted to tell them it was okay, I was awake, they could stop worrying now, but everything was black and when I tried to open my mouth, nothing happened and instead the silence descended.
Some time later I became aware of a strange smell. It was still dark but this time I realised it was only dark because my eyes were closed. I couldn’t hear the voices but I felt sure that if I could just open my eyes, everything would start to be okay again.
“I think she’s waking up!”
“Mum? Can you hear me?” I recognised the voice this time and tried to smile at Grace but my face wouldn’t do as it was told.
“Don’t crowd her dear.” My mother is here? Shit! Am I dying?
Shapes danced in front of my eyes but after a minute or so, everything became clearer and I could see both Louise and Grace, sitting alongside my mum. The girls were smiling and I saw Louise give a little wave. My mother looked as if she’d been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, her hair was in rollers and she had no makeup on.
“Wha’ tamb iz zit?” I tried to speak but it was like someone had taken out my tongue and swapped it for someone with a much bigger mouth that mine.
My mum looked confused but Grace, darling Grace, just smiled as she answered me. “It’s seven Mum.”
“You understood that?” My mum sounded amazed.
Grace shrugged. “One of the girls in my class had her tongue pierced and it got infected.”
Don’t tell her that! I saw my mother frown. Great! Now all I’m going to hear about for the next six months is how irresponsible I am for sending you to that school. What were you thinking?
I heard a bell ringing somewhere above my head.
“Don’t worry dear, I’ve called the nurse.”
Worry? I didn’t know what my mum didn’t want me to worry about but I didn’t have the energy to ask her so I just lay there and waited for the nurse to arrive, hopeful that when she did, everything would start to make a lot more sense.
A figure bustled in. “You’re awake! That’s wonderful. But oh dear, what happened here?”
It was then I realised the nurse was talking to me.
“It just sort of came up when she tried to speak,” I heard my mother say.
“Not to worry, we’ll soon get you cleaned up.” I felt a pair of hands on me, easing me forward and it was then I saw I’d been sick. I wanted to say sorry but when I tried to speak, nothing came out right.
“Probably best not to try and speak yet,” said the nurse. “You’ve had a bit of a nasty bump to the head. It might take a little while for everything to get straightened out.”
A nasty bump? Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind, a memory stirred. I tried to grab it but it slipped away, like cotton on the wind. I wanted to ask my mum what had happened to me but my eyelids felt like they were made of clay. It took every ounce of effort not to close them right away and before long I felt myself giving in and drifting off to sleep again. Something had happened, probably something not very good, but for now at least, the details would have to wait.
FIFTY
The next time I woke up, I saw the familiar shape of Rob’s back at the window. I tried to say hello but all that came out of my mouth was a groan. It was enough to alert Rob and he turned, looked at me, and smiled.
“Hello sleepy head. How are you doing?” I opened my mouth again but he held up his hand to stop me. “Rhetorical question. You look like shit.”
I tried to smile but it hurt. I wanted to ask him what had happened to me but nothing worked right.
“The girls have just gone to the canteen. They’ll be back soon.” He leaned in and whispered. “I persuaded your mum to go home for a bit.”
Thanks. The last thing I needed was more of my mother’s fussing. What happened? I looked at Rob, willing him to understand what I was thinking.
“You gave us quite a scare Charlie. The next time we arrange to meet for coffee, I’m picking you up!” He smiled again and it was then I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. “But at least you’re awake now.” He glanced behind him. “Police will want to speak to you but I’ll put them off as long as possible. Give you tim
e to get your head together.”
Police? It was then that I remembered the black car and the reason I’d been on my way to meet Rob. I tried to sit up.
“Whoah, easy now,” Rob said. “You’ve got some swelling, might be best not to rush things.”
“Nee’ to tell you …” My voice came out all croaky and my throat felt as if someone had scratched the inside of it with a thistle.
“Hold on.” Rob poured some water into a cup by the side of my bed and helped me sip it. “Try again,” he said.
“I need to tell you something.” My voice was still raspy but the pain was less intense.
Rob shook his head. “You don’t need to do anything except rest.”
“But …”
“I mean it Charlie. You’ve had a very lucky escape but you have to allow yourself time to heal.”
“What happened?” I remembered the black car following me, crashing up against the side of the van, but I wanted to know what had happened after that, how badly injured I actually was, and how I’d ended up in the hospital.
Rob hesitated. “That can probably wait too.”
“Please Rob. Just tell me.” My voice came out quietly. “I remember being chased but after that?”
“I don’t know anything about a chase. But there were traces of paint found on the side of your van so we think you made contact with another vehicle and it was probably that impact that forced you off the road.”
I nodded slightly. The movement hurt my head but I was keen for Rob to know that I remembered that too. “Black car,” I said.
“The car you hit was black?”
I nodded my head but then frowned. “He hit me.”
“You’re sure?” Rob asked.
“Yes.” There was something about Rob’s tone that niggled at me. “Why?”
“Doesn’t matter. Get some rest. The girls will be back soon and I’m sure they’d love to chat.”
I tried to argue but couldn’t. All of a sudden I did feel incredibly tired again. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.
By the time I opened my eyes again it was getting dark outside. I tried to sit up and the movement alerted the figures on the other side of the room. Louise and Grace were soon at my side.
“Hi Mum,” Louise said. “We were hoping you’d wake up again before Gran came back.”
“Can you tell her we’re okay to be left on our own?” Grace asked. “She’s sleeping in your bed and she snores!”
I tried again to sit up but didn’t have the strength in my arms. “Can you …” Between them they got me to a sitting up position. “Thanks.”
I was about to tell the girls that it was probably best to let my mother stay just a little longer when Rob walked in.
“Rob, can we stay at yours? Gran’s doing my head in!”
Rob laughed. “Nice try but I’m working tonight. But your mum’s awake now. Won’t be long and she’ll be home.”
“How long has it been?” I asked.
“Just a few days.”
A few days? I couldn’t have been asleep for all that time. I had work to do. All the time I was stuck in here, Shaun and Declan were busy with whatever it was they were plotting.
“I have to get out of here.” I tried to lift up the covers but Rob stopped me.
“Not so fast Charlie. The doctor wants to check you over, run a couple of tests. Everything else can wait.”
“But …”
“No buts! For once in your life, just do as you are told. You’ve been in a fairly serious road traffic accident. We need to make sure you’re okay before …” His voice trailed off.
“Before what?” His voice had that same tone again. “What is it Rob?”
Rob sighed. “My colleagues are going to want to talk to you about the accident.”
“But I told you. I was run off the road by another car.”
“We’re still looking for witnesses but, other than a couple of paint samples on the side of your van, we can’t find any evidence of third party involvement.”
“What are you saying?” I couldn’t understand why Rob wouldn’t believe me. I was a witness, I was there.
Rob turned to the girls. “Do you think you girls could grab me a coffee?” He pulled a tenner out of his wallet. “Get something for yourselves too.”
Never ones to say no to free anything, the girls jumped up and were soon out the door. Rob turned to me.
“I need to ask you something Charlie. And I’m asking this as a friend.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Okay …”
“In the lead up to the accident, had you been drinking? I’m sorry to have to ask but …”
“It was eleven o’clock in the morning. Of course I hadn’t been bloody drinking! I’d been to Beverly’s house and was on my way to meet you.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course I’m sure! Damn it Rob! What is this? Why would you think I’d been drinking?”
“The officers who attended the scene said that when you were pulled from the wreck, there was a pretty strong smell of alcohol.”
“No way!”
“And two empty bottles in the back of the van.”
From the tone of Rob’s voice it sounded like he’d already made up his mind. I was furious! He was meant to be my friend but he’d jumped to all the wrong conclusions. Of course I couldn’t tell him how the bottles got there but I knew I was innocent and, as such, I could make a pretty good guess.
“Someone must have planted them. I swear Rob, I hadn’t touched a drop. I don’t even like spirits.”
“Who said anything about spirits?” He sounded suspicious.
“Lucky guess,” I said bitterly. Whoever was behind this had done a right number on me. Not content with trying to kill me, they were making it look like I was to blame. One thing was sure, as soon as I got out, someone was going to pay for it.
FIFTY-ONE
After Rob and the girls left, I tried my best to work through all the possible scenarios but with no access to my notes or even pen and paper, I soon found my eyes getting heavy again. I thought I’d not sleep well so I was surprised when, the next time I opened my eyes, light was streaming into the room. I lifted myself up a little and saw the room was empty. I tried to reach across to the table next to the bed, searching for my phone, but I couldn’t stretch far enough. I didn’t know if I was allowed out of bed or if my legs would even hold my weight, but I was determined to find out. With what felt like gargantuan effort, I pulled back the covers and it was then that I had the shock of my life. From the very tip of my toe to the top of my thigh, my left leg was covered in scrapes and bruises. My right leg had fared slightly better, it looked less bruised, but an angry looking cut ran the length of my calf, as if someone had taken a sharpie and drawn on it.
I tried to wiggle my toes and was delighted when all ten digits responded. Taking that as a good sign, I carefully eased my legs round, aiming for the floor. Finally I pushed myself up off the bed and stood like that for a moment, gauging how it felt. Just as I was about to try and take a couple of steps, the door opened and Rob walked in.
“What the hell are you doing?” He rushed to my side and put his arms under mine to support my weight. “You’re not meant to be up yet. What if you’d fallen?”
The pain shooting up through my legs was so overwhelming, I couldn’t speak. I let Rob guide me back to a sitting position on the bed and tried to catch my breath.
“I was looking for my phone,” I eventually managed.
“Daft cow. It’s in the little cupboard.” He reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out my phone. Or, what was left of it. Much like my legs, the screen was covered in scratches and the back cover was peeling away.
“I think you might need a new one,” he said.
“Never mind, I was due for an upgrade anyway.”
“Were you thinking of upgrading the van soon too?”
“Why?” I knew what was coming next, I could just tell
from the tone of Rob’s voice.
“It’s a write off Charlie. I’m sorry.”
After everything that had happened, this was like the final blow. “Of course it was,” I said, and then I burst into tears.
Rob just stood there in shock, patting my hand awkwardly, not knowing what to say or how to make it better, which is how Beverly and Shaun found us when they walked in five minutes later.
Beverly looked from me to Rob, took in my tears and the helpless expression on Rob’s face. “Have we come at a bad time?”
“Not at all,” Rob said overly brightly. “Come in, come in. Let me see if I can find an extra chair.” He practically skipped out of the room, leaving Beverly and Shaun hovering awkwardly next to my bed.
I wiped my face with the edge of the blanket and smiled. “Have a seat,” I said to Beverly, pointing to the chair.
She sat down while Shaun walked over to the window. “Nice view you’ve got here,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I hadn’t been out of bed long enough to appreciate the view, but I didn’t want to tell him that.
“How have you been?” I asked Beverly. “How’s Tortoise?”
“Oh she’s wonderful. Seems so happy to be home. It’s been a lovely few days but then we heard about your accident …” Her voice trailed off.
“Who told you?”
“It was in the paper. You’re famous now Charlie. May in the shop asked me to get your autograph!” She laughed.
Rob came back in carrying a chair. He put it next to Beverly and offered it to Shaun who sat down. Rob stood, seeming unsure if he should go or stay. Please don’t go. I caught his eye and smiled. He and I still had much to talk about but he returned my smile and I felt sure we’d figure it out.
“Do you know what happened?” Shaun asked.
I shook my head. “Not a clue. The last thing I remember is leaving yours,” I turned to Beverly. “And then I woke up here.”
“Probably for the best,” Shaun said. “Can’t be fun remembering that sort of thing.”