by Mel Sherratt
As the light wind played around with her hair, it almost seemed as if Rich was standing right beside her. She often felt that way. Sometimes she even turned her head expecting him to be there; expecting him to reach out and place a hand on her shoulder. Cathy wished she could talk to him one more time, so he could tell her that everything was all right – that what she’d done was only to protect him. Only Rich could put her mind at ease. After all, there were no secrets between them now.
Half an hour later, Cathy stood up. She raised her hand to her lips, kissed her fingertips and gently touched the top of his headstone.
‘I’d better be getting back and see what those girls have to say for themselves about last night’s escapades. Wish me luck. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
It was half past ten when Becky showed her face later that morning. Cathy and Liz were sitting at the kitchen table. She sat across from them.
After some thought on the matter, Cathy had decided to give her a second chance. It had been her first night after all and she knew Becky was only partly to blame.
‘You look a little green,’ she said. ‘Are you okay?’
Becky nodded. ‘Sorry.’
‘You should have told me you were going out.’
‘I forgot.’
‘And have you forgotten now that you had a drink? And that I had to put you to bed because you could barely stand up?’
‘I told Jess that I’d drunk vodka before and I hadn’t.’ Becky began to pick at the raffia placemat on the table. ‘It wasn’t her fault.’
Cathy raised her eyebrows. ‘And how long did it take you to think of that when you woke up this morning? I know Jess put you up to it. The one thing I can’t fathom out is why you did it. You have a tongue in your head. You should have told her to back off if you didn’t want to go out. Or you should have come to me.’
The room descended into an awkward silence, except for the sound from the small television over on the far wall.
Liz pointed at it as the news came on. ‘I knew he was guilty,’ she said. ‘He has the look of a serial killer. I’d love to get my hands on him. What he did to those –’
At the mention of killer, Becky burst into tears.
‘What’s the matter?’ Cathy tried again to get her to talk. ‘There’s obviously something troubling you and the sooner you get it out in to the open the better, don’t you think?’
‘You mean the baby?’
‘Baby?’ Liz paled. ‘Oh my god. You’re not pregnant?’
‘Is that what I told you last night?’ Becky wanted to know.
‘Was there something else that you might have meant?’ asked Cathy.
Becky gulped. ‘Oh, God, I… I –’
‘Whatever is going on inside that screwed up head of yours, you shouldn’t be drinking if you’re pregnant!’ Liz raised her voice. ‘How irresponsible can you be? Do you know the damage that you could cause to an –’
‘That’s enough, Liz,’ Cathy tried to calm her, slightly alarmed at her outburst.
‘No, it isn’t! You might have to be soft with her but I don’t. I can’t believe –’
‘I said that’s enough! If you can’t find anything constructive to say, then I think you should leave and let me speak to Becky in private.’
‘Fine,’ Liz snapped and left the room without another word.
Once she’d gone, they sat in silence. Becky’s tears had stopped but she looked scared to death about something. And if Cathy’s instinct was right, it was more than just the baby.
‘Do you want to tell me about it yet?’ Cathy coaxed her gently a few minutes later.
‘About the baby?’
‘About anything really.’
‘I think I’m three months gone.’
‘And does the father know?’
Becky shook her head.
‘Are you going to tell him?’
Becky shook her head again.
‘Is that why you ran away?’ As Becky went to shake her head for the third time, Cathy intervened. ‘This needs to be a two-way conversation. You can’t keep hiding behind the fact that I don’t know anything about your background. You have to trust me or there’s nothing I can do for you.’
Another silence.
‘The housing association will find you a placement soon. If you work with me, I can let you stay here until you find your feet. But you have to let me know what’s happened to you or else I won’t be able to fight your corner.’
‘I don’t know who the father is,’ Becky said at last.
‘You don’t know because you’ve been sleeping around or you don’t know because you’re afraid to tell me who it is?’
‘I don’t sleep around.’
Another silence.
‘So was it only the once?’
‘No.’
‘Was it someone that you know from school?’
Becky shook her head.
Cathy could feel her frustration building up. Why wouldn’t she tell her? Then a hideous thought struck her.
‘Becky, someone didn’t force you to have sex, did they? I know some boys can be frisky but you have a right to say no. And if you did say no and he continued, then that’s a different matter entirely.’
Becky wondered whether she should confide in Cathy. She hadn’t heard anything on the news so maybe she hadn’t killed her uncle after all. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to divulge that much information. Would Cathy keep it to herself if she did tell her? Murder, or even stabbing if she hadn’t killed him, still came with a hefty sentence. She had maimed someone: it wouldn’t matter what he had done to her.
‘Have you decided whether or not you want to have the baby?’ Cathy tried another approach when Becky froze up again.
‘Cathy,’ Becky leaned forwards suddenly, ‘will you promise to keep it to yourself if I tell you a secret?’
‘That secret had better not be about me,’ Jess said as she barged into the room. She reached for a mug before turning back to Becky with a look that said ‘just you dare say anything’.
‘Can you leave us for a few minutes?’ Cathy asked calmly. ‘We’re having a private conversation. It won’t take us long to finish.’
‘I’m entitled to get a cup of coffee. And besides, I had a good long chat with Becky last night. I know her secret too, don’t I?’
‘You do?’ Cathy frowned, knowing that this could be dangerous.
‘Yeah. So anything that’s being said can be in front of me, can’t it?’
Becky could feel the hate emanating from Jess. She sat on her hands to stop them shaking, hoping that she hadn’t told her everything when she was drunk.
‘I’m never going to drink again,’ she said quietly.
‘Which brings me to my next question,’ said Cathy. ‘And if you did know Becky’s secret, I’m appalled at you, Jess, for letting her get into that state. Why did you sneak out last night? I specifically told you to leave Becky alone but you couldn’t resist, could you?’
‘It wasn’t my fault! Did she say it was my fault?’
‘Actually, she didn’t. But I’m not stupid. I won’t let you have your own way. I told you the other day to watch yourself or else.’
‘God, you’re worse than my bleeding mother at times.’ Jess banged down the mug noisily.
‘Where did you get the money for alcohol? I didn’t know that you had any.’
‘I’m sorry, all right! I messed up. I shouldn’t have taken Becky out with me, but believe me, it won’t happen again. I can’t stand snitches.’
‘I didn’t snitch!’ said Becky.
‘You must have. She knows far too much.’ Jess walked off.
‘Sit down,’ said Cathy.
‘No, I’m not staying for another bloody table meeting.’
‘I said sit down!’
Jess dropped heavily into the seat and folded her arms.
‘You are not going to take advantage of Becky now that she’s come to stay,�
�� Cathy said once she had Jess’s attention again. ‘I have a duty of care towards her, just as much as I do to you and I will not tolerate any late night escapades, do you hear?’
‘Yeah, yeah. I hear you.’
‘I mean it, Jess. If Archie Meredith gets on to Josie, I’ll be in trouble. So I want you in at eleven for the next two weeks – even weekends.’
‘But –’
‘No buts. Eleven o’clock or it’s back to your mum’s. I need Chloe to settle as well as Becky so I can’t have you thinking that you can come and go as you please. I have my livelihood to think of too. I don’t want any more nights like last night.’
‘But we weren’t the only ones making a racket,’ Jess retorted angrily. ‘I heard that man shouting for Liz. He made as much noise as us.’
‘I know he did and I can deal with that. But this is about you. Both of you. Is that clear?’
Becky nodded straightaway. Cathy continued to glare at Jess until she gave in and nodded too.
‘Can I go now?’ she snapped, standing up again.
‘Yes. And try stopping off at The Academy,’ Cathy shouted after her. ‘At least make an effort to look like you want to do something.’ She turned back to Becky. ‘Right, where were we? Weren’t you about to tell me something?’
‘It doesn’t matter. What’s The Academy?’
‘It’s a community college we have on the estate. It might be useful for you to pop in there if you’re sticking around.’
‘Is it okay if I go back to my room now?’
Cathy watched her forlorn figure as she left. She sighed: what was eating at her? Becky seemed to be worried about something far more than the fact that she was pregnant, as if that wasn’t enough. Ever since she’d arrived, Cathy had wondered why no one was looking for her. Someone should be missing her. Or else they didn’t want anyone knowing that she was gone. Whatever it was, she vowed to get to the bottom of it before too long. Secrets destroyed the soul: she should know.
She stood up and gathered together the dishes. Then she smirked. What had she been saying to Rich earlier? My, she had a happy house now: Liz was probably sulking after her outburst, Becky would be wondering if she should have said more and Jess wouldn’t give a stuff if she’d said too much!
Women, Cathy thought. All of us are different, yet in a way we’re all the same.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Later that morning, Cathy’s day suddenly became a whole lot brighter.
‘Yoo-hoo!’ a voice shouted through the open back door. ‘I’m home. Have you missed me?’
‘Like a hole in the head,’ Cathy teased Rose, giving her friend a hug. ‘It’s so good to see you.’
‘I hear you’ve been having a few late nights?’ Rose sat down at the table.
‘Moaning Archie Meredith got to you already, then?’
‘He couldn’t wait. I’d hardly set foot out of the taxi and he was across the road harping on at me. It’s not me you want to moan at I told him.’
‘I know, I know. It’s all my fault.’
‘I told him that too but he wouldn’t listen.’
‘You should stick up for me.’ Cathy nudged Rose as she sat down next to her. But she was smiling. Just the sight of her friend had made her feel contented again. It had been a hard two weeks without her. Cathy felt she could get through most things if Rose was around. She would always listen to her. She’d tell her when she’d been too lenient: she’d tell her when she’d been too stern. But most of all, she would tell it like it was. And it was this that Cathy always needed to hear. It was this that made their friendship so special. Rose was her rock.
Rose Clarke was sixty-five years old yet looked at least ten years younger. She would never let herself be known as one of ‘those pensioners that looks twenty years older than they are’, and took great care with her appearance. She had short, white-grey hair, blue eyes framed with trendy, red-rimmed glasses, not an ounce of extra flab around her tiny frame and never a cigarette past her lips. She wore the simplest of make-up, most of it unseen on tanned skin at the moment, with a white T-shirt and cream linen trousers, despite today’s rainy weather.
‘Come on then, spill the beans,’ she urged Cathy. ‘What’s been going on since I left to go to sunnier shores?’
‘It’s been eighty degrees here every day,’ Cathy fibbed.
Rose flapped a hand in the air. ‘Ha-ha. At least I got to wear my bikini over there. Can you imagine old Mr Percy next door if I wore it here in summer? He’d have a heart attack if he saw me with everything hanging out.’
‘Everyone would have a heart attack if you had those out on display.’ Cathy pointed to Rose’s chest. ‘I mean, look at them. They’re huge.’
‘You’re only jealous,’ said Rose smugly.
‘I am indeed.’ Cathy looked down at her less significant chest with resignation.
‘Have you seen anything of Alan this week?’ Rose asked when she’d caught up with everything. Alan was the new community warden over at Harrington Court, a sheltered housing block for the elderly. Thinking he was perfect for Cathy, Rose had accosted him, asking him to do a few odd jobs for her friend. So far Cathy hadn’t been tempted, no matter how hard Rose tried to encourage her.
Cathy shook her head. ‘Not since he fixed the lock on my door when Liz’s husband kicked it in. Why?’
‘Oh, nothing.’
‘Rose!’ Cathy chided. ‘Give over.’
‘Come off it. He fancies the pants off you. And from what’s been going on here, you sound like you need some fun. A good snog will do you the world of good.’
‘As the saying goes, Rose, I’m just not into him.’
‘You’ll never be into anyone if I don’t encourage you.’
‘Look,’ Cathy tried to appease her. ‘I promise you’ll be the first to know when I meet the right man.’
‘And when will that be? You hardly ever go out: you’re tied to this house. It’s not good for you.’
Cathy raised her hands in mock surrender. ‘Ten minutes you’ve been back and already you’re giving me grief.’
Rose reached across to squeeze her hand. ‘It’s for your own good. I don’t like to see a young, beautiful woman like you all by herself.’ She laughed then. ‘I still can’t believe you hit that man with your hockey stick. You haven’t used that in a good while.’
Cathy grinned. ‘No one messes with me.’
‘What do you plan to do about Becky?’ Rose asked moments later.
‘About the baby? She can’t stay here if she decides to have it – which is a shame as I’d like to help her.’
‘You’d like to help everyone.’
‘She’s vulnerable, Rose, not hard-hearted like Jess. I don’t know what life has thrown her way but I suspect something terrible happened to her. I wish she’d open up and let it all out. I think she’d feel better if she could. But then again, that doesn’t always work in my favour, does it?’
‘What happened wasn’t your fault,’ Rose was quick to reassure her. ‘You can’t help everyone, especially the Cheryl Morton’s of this world.’
Cathy knew Rose was right. Cheryl had been sent to prison for six months for possession of drugs and soliciting. Cathy had tried to help her clean up on numerous occasions. Cheryl would be okay for a few days, weeks sometimes, but the slightest thing would trigger her off and she would go into self-destruct mode. This was her second spell inside, even though she’d insisted that she’d never go back after the first time.
‘I’d rather have her here causing chaos than in a prison cell,’ said Cathy.
‘Cheryl is a liability. Some people you just can’t help and she’s one of them. She’ll be out soon anyway. Do you think she’ll come back to see you?’
Cathy shrugged. ‘Part of me would love to see her. Part of me would rue the day. She made me so ill, worrying like that. She’s such a live wire.’
‘She’s wired up, more like,’ said Rose.
‘I know but she’s still a kid.’
‘I warned her so many times.’
‘And it always fell on deaf ears. Stop worrying.’
Cathy knew she should but sometimes she couldn’t help herself. She felt responsible for the girls put in her charge. She didn’t want to let them down.
She smiled then. ‘It’s so good to see you again, Rose. I missed you.’
‘You mean you missed my shoulder to cry on. I don’t know how you do it. It’d drive me batty being everyone’s agony aunt.’
‘You’ve been batty for years, my friend,’ Cathy taunted.
Austin Forrester lit a cigarette and took a deep drag of it. He glanced up and down the road again before checking his watch. Twenty to one: Danny Bradley was late. Still, if it meant a free lift, he’d give him another ten minutes before he left.
It had worked out well for him hooking up with Danny. He’d met him at the dole office as he’d registered for benefits. Danny had been mouthing off while they’d both filled in another set of forms. Austin had liked his attitude enough to start a conversation. Over the past few days, Danny had become his unofficial driver. The more he saw of him, the more he realised that the youth was in awe of him. And why? Because he liked the sound of his background. Danny couldn’t work out the peppered truths from within Austin’s elaborate lies. It was the one thing he enjoyed about sleeping rough. No matter which town he turned up in, he could be whoever he wanted to be.
A car horn peeped. He looked up and Danny flashed the lights on a clapped out Vauxhall Astra. He hid his look of contempt well as he climbed into the passenger seat with a yank of a stiff door handle.
‘All right, mate?’ Danny nodded.
Austin nodded back. ‘Surely you haven’t nicked this?’ Before he got in, he pushed aside empty cigarette cartons, crisp packets and cans of lager so that there was somewhere to put his feet.
Danny patted the steering wheel. ‘This heap is all mine. I use it when I can’t be arsed to get anything else. And I’ve lifted a twenty off the old lady so I’ve filled her up a little. What’s the plan for today?’