by Kitty Neale
‘Chris, her coat stinks,’ his mother cried. ‘I think she must have wet herself.’
Pet remained unmoving, her face pale, frozen, like alabaster.
‘What's the matter with her, Chris?’ but then as Dan began to wave his arm as he tried to speak, she hurried to his side. ‘Look, love, I told you not to worry. Petula's here. She's come home.’
‘Pet, come and sit by the fire,’ Chris urged. ‘You look frozen.’
Gently he led her forward, pushing her gently onto a chair. ‘I think she's in some sort of shock, Mum. Maybe we should get the doc to have a look at her.’
He watched as his mother pursed her lips. She then shook her head saying, ‘No, not yet. Let's see if she snaps out of it first. Pop next door and ask Yvonne to come round. She can look after Pet, whilst I see to your dad.’
Chris nodded, taking a last look at his sister before he left. She was sitting stiffly, her eyes fixed, distant. His jaws worked in anger. What had Garston done to her?
He hurried next door to find that Danny and Bob were still waiting for Maurice. ‘We can call off the search. When I went to buy some fags, I found Pet just outside the alley.’
‘What? Is she all right?’
‘I don't know, Danny. Physically she looks all right, but she seems a bit weird.’
‘I'm going to see her,’ Bob said, almost running out of the door.
‘Yeah, me too,’ said Danny.
‘Hold on, Danny, you know how Dad reacts when he sees you.’
‘I don't give a shit. I'm going to see Pet.’
‘Mum asked me to fetch Yvonne. She needs a bit of help.’
‘Yvonne!’ Danny yelled, and as she came hurrying downstairs he said, ‘Pet's turned up and Mum wants you to give her a hand.’
Danny didn't wait for his wife as he hurried out, but Yvonne was quick too, not far behind him as he went into number one. Chris took up the rear, but as soon as his father saw Danny, he went wild.
‘You'll have to go, Danny,’ cried Yvonne.
‘Not till I've seen Pet,’ he argued, ignoring the ranting sounds his father was making.
Chris saw that Pet was unmoved by what was going on around her, her face expressionless.
‘Danny, go,’ he heard his mother shout. ‘Do you want your father to have another stroke!’
With a shake of his head, Danny pushed Bob to one side to kneel in front of Pet, his voice frantic. ‘Where have you been, Pet? What happened?’
Pet didn't answer, and as Dan's noises increased in volume, Yvonne cried, ‘Danny, please, you must go.’
As Danny straightened, Chris saw an expression on his brother's face that he had never seen before. Danny looked utterly dejected, broken. Without a word he walked across the room and out of the house, his shoulders bent like an old man's.
Yvonne had seen Danny's reactions too, and frowned, but with Dan playing up, she had to concentrate on helping her mother-in-law.
‘Come on, love,’ Joan urged. ‘If you don't calm down I'll have to get the doctor to give you a sedative again.’
Dan moaned, his good arm waving to indicate his wheelchair.
‘All right, we'll get you up,’ Joan told him. ‘Bob, there are too many people around your father so you'd best go, but you can come back later. Chris, you can give me a hand.’
‘What about Pet?’
‘Yvonne will see to her.’
Bob gently stroked Pet's hair, his face white with anxiety. ‘Mum, can't I stay with her?’
‘She needs cleaning up, so leave her to Yvonne.’
Bob bit on his bottom lip and for a moment Yvonne thought he was going to argue, but thankfully he gave Pet's hair a final stroke, saying as he left, ‘If she's still like this in an hour or two, you should call the doctor.’
Chris and Joan hauled Dan up and into his wheel-chair. He was still jabbering, whilst Joan answered as if she could understand his every word. ‘Yes, I'll wheel you over to Pet, but not until you calm down.’
Dan became quiet at last, and as Joan pushed him across the room until his chair was close to his daughter, Yvonne saw that one side of his face twisted into the parody of a smile. His good arm shook as he reached out, his hand finally resting on Pet's arm. She didn't respond to his touch, didn't turn her head to look at her father, and once again Dan began to jabber, but softly, as though consoling his beloved child.
Yvonne's eyes filled with tears. Pet looked dreadful. Where had she been? What had happened to her?
‘Look at her, Mum. I still think the doc should take a look at her,’ Chris urged.
‘She was frozen when you brought her in, and if she was out all night in this weather, no wonder she's in such a state. A nice hot bath might bring her round. If that doesn't work, we'll call the surgery.’ Joan became brusque. ‘Right, Dan, let's get you to the bathroom first.’
Chris helped his mother, whilst Yvonne kneeled down in front of Pet. ‘Oh, love, what's the matter? Were you in an accident? Are you hurt?’
Pet didn't respond, and Yvonne's nose wrinkled. The child stank, her coat filthy and creased. Maybe she'd been run over, left lying somewhere, but surely if that was the case, someone would have seen her?
‘Come on, darling, let's get you out of that coat,’ Yvonne urged, gently unravelling it from Pet's shoulders. There was no resistance and Yvonne fought tears. Pet looked traumatised, as though she had faced something so dreadful that she had died inside. Oh God, please – not that! Underneath the coat, Pet was wearing a dress that Yvonne hadn't seen before. She frowned, but was then distracted as Joan wheeled Dan back into the room.
‘Right, the bathroom's free for Pet.’
‘Come on, love,’ Yvonne urged, but Pet didn't move.
Chris took her arm, gently pulling her up, and as though a puppet on strings, she rose to her feet. Yvonne took over then, finding as she took Pet's arm that the girl moved forward without resistance.
‘Mum, I need a word with Danny,’ Chris said. ‘Can you manage without me now?’
‘Yes, I'll be fine.’
When they reached the bathroom, Yvonne found that Pet just stood there as she ran a hot bath. She threw in some bath salts, then said, ‘It's ready.’
Pet didn't move and Yvonne floundered. She would have to undress her, but it didn't feel right, an intrusion. Softly urging, Yvonne managed to peel down the dress, her eyes widening. Pet's small breasts were bruised and covered in bite marks. Oh God! Oh, no! As gently as possible she continued to pull the dress down, finding to her horror that Pet was naked underneath. There were more bruises around her thighs, but worse, traces of blood on the insides of her legs. Tears overspilled now, running down Yvonne's cheeks. Pet had been raped, and by the looks of it, violently. Who had done this to her? It must have been a maniac, a monster!
Chapter Twenty-five
‘You saw the state Pet was in,’ Bob said. ‘I told Sue that she's been in some sort of accident, but I can't see her swallowing that for long. What do you think Garston did to her, Danny?’
‘Ain't it bleeding obvious?’
Yes, it was obvious, Chris thought, his temper flaring. ‘When I get my hands on Garston I'll slit his fucking throat.’
‘You'll do nothing,’ Danny said quietly, but his manner was subdued, as though just talking was an effort. ‘This is down to me to sort out.’
Chris had expected Danny to go off on one, to rant and rave at Garston. Instead he appeared deflated, his voice lacking conviction. ‘No, Danny, I'm not having that. When you find Garston, I want to be there. You saw Pet, and I want to make sure he suffers for what he did to her.’
‘Yeah, I'm with Chris,’ Bob said. ‘Pet may be able to tell us where she was held, and then we'll have Garston.’
‘You're both forgetting something,’ said Danny. ‘What do you think will happen when Pet starts to talk?’
‘Well, as I said, hopefully she'll be able to lead us to Garston.’
‘That's not what I'm getting at, Bob. When Pet does open her
mouth, who do you think she'll talk to?’
‘Oh, shit!’ Chris exclaimed, suddenly understanding what Danny was getting at. ‘Mum, or maybe Yvonne.’
‘Yeah, that's right.’
Bob cottoned on too, his voice high with anxiety. ‘Do you think Garston told her about us?’
‘Yeah, probably.’
‘That … that means Pet knows, and if she talks …’ Bob's voice trailed off before it rose again. ‘It's our fault that Garston snatched Pet, but we've got to keep her quiet, Danny.’
‘And how are we supposed to do that?’
‘We could get to her first. Have a word with her.’
‘I could give it a go,’ Chris suggested.
Danny shrugged. ‘I suppose you could give it a try, but you'll have to do it out of Mum, Dad and Yvonne's hearing.’
‘She didn't seem to take in a word of what was said to her. What if she doesn't listen?’ Bob asked.
‘If she doesn't, then our wives will probably find out about our little sideline.’
Bob ran a hand through his hair in agitation. ‘I'd better warn Maurice.’
‘He's still rough so it might be best to leave it for now,’ Chris suggested. ‘What about the yard, Danny? We usually open until one o'clock on a Saturday.’
Danny said nothing, his gaze once again distant.
‘Danny, did you hear what I said?’
‘Yeah, but don't bother to open up. We'll all meet up there after Chris has had a chat with Pet.’
Chris met Bob's eyes, but his brother just shrugged before saying, ‘I'd best get back to Sue,’ and on that note he gave one last glance at Danny before walking out.
‘I'll go and have a talk to Pet and let's hope I can convince her to keep her mouth shut,’ Chris said. There was no response from Danny, leaving Chris seriously worried about his brother. ‘Danny, I'm off,’ he said, yet as he walked to number one, he knew that Danny's state of mind was the least of his concerns at the moment. If he couldn't get through to Pet and she opened her mouth, the shit really was going to hit the fan.
Yvonne found a dressing gown on the back of the door, and after helping Pet to put it on, she led her out of the bathroom. Her mother-in-law's eyes were wide in appeal, and Dan was quiet, both looking at her expectantly.
‘She's all right, ain't she, Yvonne? Tell me she's all right. She … she ain't been touched?’
Joan had been through so much and it showed. Since Dan had come home, the weight had fallen off her from the heavy burden of his care. The fact that her own son had beaten his father half to death could have destroyed her, but instead she had surprised them all with her strength. Yet Yvonne felt it was a tenuous strength, one that could crack under the strain.
Fearing both their reactions, Yvonne blurted out, ‘She's fine, well, other than a few bruises. I think she's been in some sort of accident and maybe that's why she's in shock. She could have been laying somewhere, injured.’
‘But you said she's only got a few bruises. What about her head? Did you check her head?’
‘Yes, and don't worry, it's fine. There's not even a sign of a bump.’
When Yvonne saw her mother-in-law sag with relief, she felt a little less guilty about her lies. ‘Do you want me to take her up to bed?’
‘Yes, good idea, a bit of kip might be just what she needs.’
Pet was still in a trance as Yvonne led her upstairs, where she tucked her into bed like a child. As Yvonne sat down beside Pet, she realised that she shouldn't have lied to her in-laws. All it had done was to put off the inevitable. When Pet came out of this shock, they would find out the truth and it could destroy Dan. He adored his daughter and had always kept her protected, innocent, but now …
‘Oh, Pet, if you can hear me, please, don't tell your parents what happened to you. It would break their hearts.’
Pet didn't respond, but her eyes closed and her breathing became regular as she fell asleep. Yvonne crept out of the room, going downstairs to see that Chris had returned.
‘How is she?’ he asked.
‘She's asleep,’ Yvonne told him, then saying, ‘Mum, if you can manage without me, I'll pop home for a while.’
‘Yeah, that's fine, love, and thanks for your help.’
Yvonne called goodbye and then hurried out, worried about Danny and anxious to see if he was all right.
She was relieved to find Danny alone. He was sitting on the sofa, his eyes closed. Drained, exhausted, her usual stamina gone, Yvonne felt like sinking down beside him. She'd had a good night's sleep, but lately that didn't seem to make any difference. Now she fretted, wondering what to do. Should she tell Danny the truth, tell him that Pet had been raped? Maybe it would be better to leave it for now, to wait until Danny was more like himself.
His eyes opened. ‘How is she?’ His tone was listless.
‘She's in bed – asleep,’ and worried about Danny's reaction if she told him that Pet had been raped, she added, ‘I … I think she must have been in some sort of accident.’
‘Yeah, one called Jack Garston.’
‘What? Who's he?’
Danny rose abruptly to his feet. ‘I'm going to the yard. I'll see you later.’
‘Wait …’ The door slammed and Yvonne was left, her question unanswered.
Danny knocked on Maurice's door. Norma opened it, her face showing her annoyance as she stood back to let him in.
‘I need a word with Maurice.’
‘He's still having trouble with his breathing.’
Danny stepped inside to find Maurice slumped in a chair, his face beaded with perspiration. ‘We're all meeting up at the yard. Do you think you're up to it?’
‘I doubt it,’ Norma snapped. ‘When Bob told us about Pet's accident, this is what happened. And let me tell you, it hasn't helped that your mother turned him away. He's got just as much right as the rest of you to see his sister.’
‘It's all right, Norma, just leave it, will you?’ Maurice gasped. ‘How is she, Danny?’
‘From what I saw, she's in a bad way.’
‘What are we planning to do?’
‘Nothing.We're doing nothing. This is all down to me – my fault.’
‘What are you saying?’ Norma cried. ‘How can Pet's accident be your fault?’
With his head all over the place, Danny realised that he'd said too much in front of Norma. Yet what did it matter? What did any of it matter now? When Pet opened her mouth, they'd all find out. ‘As I said, Maurice, we're meeting up at the yard. If you can make it, we'll talk then.’ He walked abruptly out, closing the door behind him.
With his head down, Danny strode out of Drapers Alley. One look at Pet and he knew what had been done to her – knew that Garston had sent one last message before releasing her. Instead of rage, instead of wanting to find Garston to ring his bloody neck, Danny had felt only self-loathing. Pet was only fourteen – a child – and the realisation hit him like a blow to the solar plexus. He had wanted to use kids in porn. Kids even younger than Pet. He was a sick bastard – as sick as Garston.
Chris came downstairs, shaking his head. ‘It's no good, Mum, she's still sort of out of it. I've got to go to the yard. Can you manage without me?’
‘I expect Yvonne will come round again to give me a hand. You go, I'll be fine.’
When Chris left, Joan flopped onto a chair, but soon after when Dan drifted off to sleep she went upstairs, quietly walking into Pet's bedroom. She found her daughter awake, laying flat on her back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
‘Are you all right, love?’
Pet didn't answer and, frowning, Joan sat on the side of the bed. She reached out, running her hands over Pet's head, parting her hair, but as Yvonne had said, there was no sign of any injury. Yet something had to be wrong for Pet to be in this peculiar state. Maybe if she talked to her she'd elicit some response.
‘I can't tell you how pleased we are that you've come home. When you went missing, your poor dad got in a right old state. I had to get the
doctor out to give him a sedative. He's having a bit of a kip now, but did you see how pleased he was to see you? You're the apple of his eye, so thank God you've come home safe and sound.’
Joan paused, but Pet didn't even blink. She reached out again to stroke her daughter's hair, finding that the action felt alien. Like the boys, she hadn't shown Petula any affection, and didn't really know how to start now. Yvonne said that Petula hadn't been touched, and it had been such a relief. If Dan thought anyone had laid a hand on his daughter, he'd go mad.
When there was still no response, Joan frowned. There may not be any sign of a head injury, but despite a nice hot bath and a bit of kip, Pet was still in this strange state.
‘I'm going to ring the surgery, Petula. I think you need to see a doctor,’ she said, hurrying out of the room.
Chris shook his head as he looked at his brothers. ‘I tried, but talking to Pet is like talking to a stone wall. She seems to be sort of comatose.’
‘The longer she stays like that the better,’ Bob said.
Maurice knew he had to stay calm. He too feared what would happen when Pet began to talk, but he was sickened by Bob's remark. ‘I don't know how you can say that. Surely you don't want her to stay in that state?’
‘I didn't mean it, I'm just spouting, but we've told you what might happen when she opens her mouth and I'm worried sick.’
‘Don't you think I am too?’
‘Look, this isn't getting us anywhere,’ Chris said.
Maurice looked at Danny. ‘Any ideas?’ Danny just shook his head and Maurice frowned. There was something wrong. Danny hadn't spoken since the meeting began. He was slumped behind the desk, his face downcast. ‘What's up, Danny?’
‘I'm finished – we're finished.’
‘Come on, don't talk like that,’ Maurice cajoled. ‘We can't be sure that Garston said anything to Pet. We may be in the clear.’
There was a defeatist tone to Danny's voice. ‘I doubt that.’