by Mel Sherratt
‘No.’ She shook her head furtively. ‘He’s a bit scary at times but he hasn’t got murder in him. He must have panicked or something.’ She shook her head again. ‘No, not Danny Bradley.’
Cathy relaxed a little as she realised the situation wasn’t as serious as she’d first thought for Becky. Danny Bradley was hardly in a position to plead not guilty. Maybe her evidence wouldn’t be needed in court. All she could do was put him there just before it happened and the incident itself did that anyway. Suddenly, despite the seriousness of the situation, she was finding it difficult to stop herself from smiling. Danny’s mother, Gina Bradley, would be furious. She couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. She needed to call Rose immediately. She wouldn’t want to miss –
Cathy stopped short. She couldn’t ring Rose. She was still in hospital.
‘What?’ Becky caught Cathy’s sorrow.
‘I was thinking about Rose.’
‘She will be okay, won’t she?’
‘No,’ Cathy replied truthfully. ‘Sue, her eldest daughter, rang me last night to say things weren’t improving. I don’t think she’ll be with us for much longer.’
The rest of the day turned out to be a mixture of hard work, laughter and tears. Cathy said her goodbyes to Rose, the hardest thing she’d done in a long time. She joined the others afterwards at Liz’s new flat and by mid afternoon she and Chloe were moved in. Copious amounts of tea and chocolate biscuits had been consumed. Liz and Cathy laughed as Jess and Becky struggled to shift the settee into its place and they both collapsed into it afterwards. And even though numerous clips of the goings-on at Cookson’s Factory were watched, neither Cathy nor Becky mentioned they knew anything about it.
Yet amidst the laughter, Cathy was on alert, waiting for the phone call. It arrived shortly after eight thirty that evening.
‘Is that you, Sue?’
‘Yes, Cathy,’ said Rose’s daughter. ‘Mum died half an hour ago.’
Although she thought she’d be devastated when she replaced the receiver, Cathy found herself flooded with relief. Tears fell with mixed emotions. Happy tears as she recalled joyful memories. Sad tears because she’d lost such a precious friend. Even still, she prayed in silence her thanks to the Lord who’d taken away Rose’s pain.
At the family’s request, Cathy had stayed away when she knew Rose was near to the end of her life. To her Rose would always be family, but that still didn’t give her the right to invade such an emotional, such a personal time. Besides, Rose had spent ample time with her since they’d met, so who was she to complain.
She poured a large whisky and took it out into the garden. Looking up to the sky, she smiled to herself as she let her tears fall. Rose would be with her husband, Arthur, now and she knew she would be checking in to see if Rich was okay.
In respect, Cathy raised her glass in salute to the woman who she had loved more than her own mother.
‘God bless you, Rose Clarke,’ she whispered. ‘I’m going to miss you so much.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Becky was on her way to the shops to get a few things for Cathy when she heard footsteps behind her.
‘Hey, gorgeous!’
She swivelled round to see who was addressing her and smiled, her heart giving a flutter when she saw Austin running towards her. She hadn’t seen him since Danny had been charged last week.
‘I heard about Dan,’ he said. ‘Are you okay?’
‘No. It’s doing my head in. People keep thinking I was involved.’
‘But you weren’t, were you?’
‘No!’
‘Hey, just checking.’
Austin gave her a smile that made her insides do something most peculiar. She leaned on the garden wall of a nearby house.
‘Bet you never thought he’d do someone in.’ Austin sat down too. ‘Want to talk about it?’
Becky shook her head. She still didn’t think it was possible, even now. At first she’d blamed herself. If she’d flirted with the security guy, he might not be dead now. But eventually she’d realised that this was Danny’s fault, nothing to do with her.
‘I didn’t even know he had a gun,’ Becky admitted. ‘I’ve never seen it.’
‘He showed me lots of times.’
‘Did he?’
‘Yeah. He bragged about how he’d use it one day. I thought he was all talk. Just goes to show how wrong I was. Do you miss him now that he’s banged up on remand?’
‘Not anymore. He’s evil to do that.’
‘I know that he should have treated you better.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. He had the chance to be your man and he blew it. I would never waste an opportunity to get to know you better.’ Austin reached for her hand. ‘I think you’re beautiful.’
‘Really?’ Becky repeated, this time with a giggle.
‘Can I say something? You won’t get upset?’
Becky shrugged.
‘I always thought he was too good for you.’
Becky smiled. ‘Really?’ she said again.
Austin grinned back. ‘Really.’
‘Oh.’
‘So how about you and me going out some time soon?’
‘For crying out loud,’ Cathy muttered to no one in particular, shaky fingers having a battle to fasten the buttons on her black woollen jacket. She couldn’t believe it was the second time in just over a fortnight she’d had to wear it. Finally managing to squeeze the top one through its buttonhole, she pulled out the collar of her white shirt to complete the look. No matter how difficult it would be for her, she would have to put on a brave face today. Rose had been a good friend and there was only one way to pay her respects.
It was hard to think that a week had passed since she’d died. Cathy had spent so much time with Liz and Chloe that even Becky and Jess had started to hang around. They’d had quite a few girls’ nights in with pizza and wine and she’d really enjoyed it. It had helped to block out that neither here-nor-there feeling after a loved one dies and before they are buried or cremated.
As she rummaged in her jewellery box for a necklace to wear, her hand fell upon Rich’s watch. She picked it up, held it to her wrist. The hands displayed the time as twelve fifteen, the battery long ago run out. She touched its face lightly, remembering when she’d given it to him. It had been his thirtieth birthday. Rich had gone mad; said she shouldn’t have spent so much money on him. When she told him that she loved him enough to spend every penny she had, he’d laughed. He’d said he meant that now she’d have to spend far more for his fortieth birthday. Sadly, she never got that chance.
She placed the watch back carefully, chose a cheap necklace with a clear glass pendant and fastened it behind her neck. Putting it straight in the mirror, she couldn’t help but think back to the day she’d laid Rich to rest: the hymns they’d sung, the bright clear sky even though a bitter wind blew, the vicar’s tribute to her wonderful man, the flower arrangement she’d ordered for him, the large congregation that came to say goodbye. Even years later, she could remember it like it was yesterday.
Cathy shook her head to rid herself of its confusion. There was no time to think about Rich now or else she’d start crying again. Quickly, she grabbed a few tissues and pushed them into her pocket.
There was a knock on the half open door. Josie stepped into her room. She took one look at Cathy, walked over and hugged her tightly.
‘We’ll do Rose proud today,’ she said.
‘I miss her so much.’ Cathy let her tears fall again.
‘I know you do.’ Josie wiped gently at Cathy’s cheeks before linking her arm. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Let’s go and say goodbye to our friend.’
When Cathy arrived home shortly after midnight, Jess and Becky were asleep in their rooms. She made a cup of tea and sat down with a thud, thinking about the day. Rose had been a well-liked and well-known woman around the Mitchell Estate. The service was perfect for her. Her family chose some really meaningful words to reme
mber her by. There had been at least fifty people congregated in the tiny chapel at the crematorium. Cathy had recognised many of them from her trips to collect Rose from the bingo hall or her luncheon club. Josie said she recognised many of them from helping out at jumble sales and raffles to raise money for her domestic violence courses.
While she was there, she’d also managed to catch Andy Baxter who had attended the service but was unable to come back for the wake. ‘I’ve had a word with Kevin McIntyre,’ he told her before he left. ‘He denies sending the notes but I still explained what would happen should there be another one. I also told him I’d be keeping an eye out for his wife, making sure no harm came to her. I think he caught my meaning but only time will tell.’ Cathy sincerely hoped so. This was a new beginning for Liz and Chloe.
And it was as she arrived home that she decided this was to be a new beginning for her too. Losing Rose so suddenly without a chance to say goodbye made her realise that she didn’t want to leave this world with things left unsaid if it was possible not to.
It might be hard if he didn’t want to see her and it might not be easy to trace him after all this time but she was ready now. She would find a solicitor.
And then she was going to find her son.
In the city centre the next morning, Liz crossed over at the traffic lights on the high street and made her way to the shops. She had a few bills to pay, she needed a small piece of netting for the bathroom window from the indoor market and Chloe had asked for the latest Bratz magazine. Although she’d had a few expenses lately, she reckoned she could run to that. Chloe had been a good girl: she deserved a treat.
It had been ten days since she’d moved into the flat and so far it had been uneventful. The place was beginning to look welcoming at last and even though she’d spent a great deal of time at Cathy’s after Rose died, she was beginning to feel like she could make it into a home for her and Chloe.
Bills paid and netting purchased, she decided to catch the bus home rather than walk the half hour back to Preston Avenue. The day was lovely and she held her face up to the sun for a moment, still relishing her freedom. It was good to be out on a day like this. Maybe she should take Chloe to the park again this afternoon – that is if she could tear herself away from Emily’s house, which is where she’d left her this morning. They’d become inseparable since the move. It was good to see her so happy.
When she looked back down again, Liz gasped. Kevin was walking towards her. He was with a young woman: she looked no more than a teenager. They were laughing about something, the woman talking enthusiastically with her hands.
Liz’s legs felt as if they were made of something heavy. In desperation, she looked around for somewhere to hide but it was too late. Kevin had already seen her. The look he gave her was one of surprise, then pure delight. She dived into the nearest shop, all the time feeling his eyes following her. Much to the astonishment of the till assistant, she pressed herself up against the wall.
Kevin looked into the doorway as he went past, his arm now slung around the girl’s shoulders. Liz gulped, her hand covering her mouth as she began to dry-retch. She could hear their laughter taunting her. As she stood like a statue, paralysed by fear, Kevin pulled the woman closer and gave her a squeeze. Then she heard giggling.
They walked further away and Liz’s breathing took on a life of its own again. She moved across to the window, staying hidden behind a post, continuing to watch until they were out of sight.
‘Are you okay, love?’ the till assistant asked with genuine concern. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’
‘I – I…’
‘Ex-partner was it?’
Liz stared at her but the woman smiled.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not psychic. I followed your gaze. Would you like to sit down for a while, until you get your colour back?’
‘No, I’m fine.’ Liz’s breathing was calming down now; she wanted to get home as soon as possible. ‘But thanks for your concern.’
With that she was out of the shop, heading for home on foot, in the opposite direction to Kevin McIntyre.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
‘I thought you’d be thrilled to see him out with someone else,’ Cathy tried to soothe Liz as she relayed her ordeal. ‘It means he might be moving on.’
Liz paced the room. ‘But what if he does the same things to her that he did to me?’
‘That shouldn’t concern you now.’
‘I can’t just switch off after what he did.’
Cathy sighed. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound harsh. What I meant to say is there will always be victims in this world. Maybe he won’t hit her –’
‘So you think it was my fault that he treated me like that!’
‘– until he gets to know her better,’ Cathy finished off her sentence.
Liz lowered her eyes. She should have known that whatever Cathy said would make sense. As soon as she’d got back to the flat and bolted the door, she was the first person she’d contacted. Cathy had been there in minutes. Now she was here, Liz doubted her words.
‘Men like Kevin will always get the upper hand with their women,’ Cathy continued regardless. ‘The woman he was with has two choices, just like you did. You chose well. Maybe she will too. But that doesn’t mean that you have to feel sorry for her. We make our own mistakes.’
‘Yes, but what if he hurts her like he hurt me?’
‘You got over it, didn’t you? You got away from him.’
‘It still doesn’t make it right.’
‘Of course it doesn’t. But in my experience, a lot of women around here are regularly abused by their husbands. It’s part and parcel of their lives.’ Cathy raised her hand when she saw Liz was about to interrupt again. ‘I’m not saying that it’s right. But some of the women don’t know any better. They’ve watched their mothers being punched and kicked by their fathers. They’ve seen man after man come along and abuse them. None of them chose it, but sometimes it’s a way of life for them. Heartless to hear, I know, but some of the women think they deserve it. They –’
‘How can you say such things? I never thought I deserved it!’
‘Will you let me finish before butting in, woman? Their men drag them down; make them feel insignificant, like they have done wrong. That’s what Kevin did to you, didn’t he?’
Liz nodded reluctantly.
‘He made you feel that you were worth nothing. Like no one else would want you. Now imagine that you confided in your mother and she told you that it was your duty to take a good beating every now and then as par for the course. What would you do?’
Liz didn’t know what to say to that.
‘Nature versus nurture, Liz. That’s what I meant. It wasn’t intended to make you feel that you didn’t do your best to get away. You are one of the lucky ones. There are too many women out there who go unheard.’
‘What would you have done if Rich had hit out at you every now and then?’
‘He did.’
Liz gasped. ‘What did you do?’
‘I hit him back, twice as hard. That’s what Josie meant by the shenanigans going on when Rich was alive. He gave me a backhander twice but, luckily for me, Rich was remorseful. And boy, did I make him pay.’
Liz’s lower lip started to tremble.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like I was making fun of you.’
‘You didn’t,’ said Liz. ‘I’m just so scared.’
Cathy hugged her. She glanced around the tiny living room that she’d helped Liz to decorate. The walls were coloured pale aqua, woodwork a slightly darker shade now. To lighten it up, there was a huge mirror hanging over the fireplace. It made more of a focal point than the cheap pine fire surround that had taken hours to strip of its dark chocolate gloss paint. Add to that the curtains and paraphernalia that Josie had given to her and the overall feel of the place was warmth. She decided to use its relevance.
‘Look around you, Liz. Look what you’ve created.
You have such a lovely place here, a new, safe home. I bet it feels like that already?’
Liz sniffed before nodding. ‘It’s getting there.’
‘And you?’
Liz nodded again. ‘We’re getting there too, me and Chloe.’
‘You’ll be okay here.’ Cathy hugged her again, trying greatly to ease her pain. But when they pulled away, Liz stood with tears running down her face.
‘Things will get better, right?’
‘Off out with lover boy again?’ Jess stood defiantly in Becky’s bedroom door, watching as she applied her make-up.
‘Yep,’ said Becky.
‘He only wants you because you spread your legs so easily.’
Becky turned her head slightly, enough to stare back. ‘Don’t be so nasty. You’re only jealous.’
‘I know, sorry,’ Jess confessed. She threw herself down onto Becky’s bed. ‘Now that Danny’s off the scene, it’s left me with no one but the local idiots. Bloody marvellous.’
‘So Mickey Grainger’s off the scene too?’
‘Deffo. I’m not going anywhere near him now I know he’s been shagging around behind my back.’
Not long after they’d become an item, Jess had caught Mickey snogging the face off Lucinda Chapman as she’d been on her way to the toilet in The Butcher’s Arms. She’d pulled them apart but instead of taking her anger out on Mickey, she’d punched Lucinda in the eye. A fight had erupted – Becky had become embroiled in it too – but Jess hadn’t spoken to Mickey since, despite the constant barrage of text messages and phone calls from him.
‘That’s precisely why I’m going out with Austin,’ Becky replied, trying to keep away from the mention of Danny Bradley. Despite everything, Jess still had no idea that she’d gone all the way with Danny and she intended keeping it that way. Otherwise their newly-formed friendship would be doomed before it had really got going.
‘You’ve only been out with him a few times,’ said Jess.
‘So?’
Suddenly her demeanour changed. ‘Be careful, Becks. I’ve heard a few things around the estate about him.’