by K Leitch
‘Fucking run you bitch…go on RUN!’ he shouted almost drunkenly from behind her, another bullet tore up the earth next to her feet.
In a fever of desperation, Lucy threw herself into the inky blackness of the woods ahead of her.
‘I’M COMING FOR YOU…I CAN SEE YOU BITCH,’ he called again, his voice getting closer all the time.
Lucinda ran in a frenzy of panic, bouncing off trees as she went. Her only thought to get away…get him away from the house, from the children who were sleeping in their beds and from Dom…oh God she had to keep him away from Dom.
She was running blind, barely able to see her hand in front of her face. Brambles and branches were tearing and cutting at her face, hands and legs as she ran on oblivious to the pain. She could hear Trevor shouting his obscene threats at her, she could hear his cursing and swearing as he too was falling foul of the trees and the undergrowth but he was relentless in his pursuit and all the time he was getting closer and closer.
‘Come on Lucy,’ she chided herself as she ran, ‘run you stupid bitch, run…you have to keep on…you mustn’t give up…come on girl!’
‘I’M STILL HERE LUCY,’ came the cry again, even closer behind her now, ‘I’M COMING FOR YOU BITCH…YOU CAN’T GET AWAY…YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T…LUUUCCCCYY…LUUUCCCYY.’
Lucy threw herself behind a tree, her knees were trembling and her energy levels were almost depleted…she slid down the tree trunk and sat on the rough ground, her head in her hands her face grimy with tears…he was closing in on her… she could hear his footsteps coming ever closer, when he was almost upon her, in a last ditched attempt to get away from him, she rolled into a thick patch of bracken and lay as still as she could.
Trevor had slowed his pace, he knew Lucy was tiring, he had heard her sobbing and panting ahead of him, but now it had gone quiet…he couldn’t see her but he knew she was here somewhere…he could feel it, he almost had her.
Lucy held her breath, Trevor was right here…circling around in front of her. He had a long stick which he was using to stab into the undergrowth as he walked around. It had missed her by inches a moment ago and she had had to hold her hand to her mouth to stop herself from screaming out. If only he would move on…search somewhere else then maybe she could make a run for it and get back to the house…get some help. She fumbled round as quietly as she could until she found a large rock, then slowly lifting herself up she flung it as hard as she could into the distance, it landed with a satisfying thump! Trevor swung round and headed off in the direction of the noise. As quickly as she could, Lucy emerged from her hiding place and ran off in the opposite direction. She didn’t get too far before she heard Trevor bellowing behind her as he realised what she’d done, but she could see lights between the trees ahead of her, filled with a new determination she gathered all her strength and ran towards them.
As she got closer she could make out houses, people inside the houses… going about their lives completely unaware of the fact that 100yards away she was running for her life….
‘Run Lucy…run…no stopping keep on now…you’re nearly there…come on girl…RU…NOOOO…NO PLEASE…NOOOO!’
Trevor caught Lucy by the back of the legs, she fell forward heavily smashing her head on a tree as she went. Dazed, barely conscious she felt herself being hauled up over Trevor’s shoulders, she tried to cry for help but her cries went unnoticed as he carried her back into the depths of the woods.
CHAPTER 62
Letting himself into the house a while later, Dom stumbled over the little hall table which was lying on its side near the front door.
‘What the fuck…’ he muttered righting himself and looking around him. A framed photograph had fallen from the wall, the broken glass crunched beneath his feet as he walked further down the hall…he looked around in confusion, and with a deep sense of foreboding, what the hell had happened here?
‘Shit!’ he exclaimed a second later as he collected his thoughts. He rushed upstairs, checking first in Juke’s room and then making his way over to the little annexe and popping his head round Katy’s door. Thankfully both children seemed un-disturbed and were fast asleep. Lucy however was nowhere to be seen, nervously Dom headed back downstairs.
‘Lucy,’ he called out tentatively, his heart beating wildly as he slowly walked towards the kitchen, dreading what he might find there. Grabbing his old baseball bat from the under stair cupboard on his way, he tested its weight in his hand, before creeping onwards, feeling marginally more confident with a weapon in his hand.
Dom’s blood froze in his veins as he took in the state of the kitchen. Chairs were overturned, all his carefully planned, romantic table setting had been swept to the floor, leaving wine and glass and shattered crockery everywhere. There was blood too…on the walls, on the kitchen counters and the floor… drips of blood, lots of it, leading out towards the patio and the garden…and Lucy was gone. Dom pulled his phone out of his pocket to call the police… just then the unmistakeable crack of a gunshot rang out from the woods at the end of the garden…Dom didn’t think twice, with his baseball bat in front of him he raced out through the patio doors and headed towards the woods.
CHAPTER 63 - CAULDRON MEETING
‘Here’s to you my darling,’ Maggie said raising her glass to Carla, who was at her first cauldron meeting for a few weeks, ‘we’ve missed you.’
Tracy and Helen raised their glasses as well, laughing at Carla’s blushes. ‘Yes… yes, enough,’ Carla said hiding her red cheeks behind her hands, ‘I’m just so glad to be getting back to normal. It’s weird, it’s like I’ve been missing for a while you know, and now I’m back…oh I can’t explain it,’ she pulled a face, ‘I was just out of my mind…completely mental, nothing mattered it seemed…oh bloody hell and now I’m rambling again.’ She took a sip of her drink.
Helen grabbed her hand. ‘We do understand Carla, it must have been so hard for you. Oh I don’t just mean the James thing… that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back….’
‘Watch it Helen, who are you calling a camel,’ interrupted Carla indignantly.
‘Well you can’t deny you did have the most terrible hump,’ Helen said, laughing like mad at her own joke which started them all giggling. ‘Oh you know what I mean,’ she said a moment later when they had all calmed down again. ‘Think what’s happened to you over the last, what is it, two years? Bloody hell Carla that’s enough to send anybody over the edge.’
‘Yes well,’ Carla said pursing her lips, ‘that’s all behind me now…onwards and upwards that’s my mantra from now on.’
‘What was it that finally made you realise you needed help Carla?’ Tracy asked quietly. ‘I mean nothing we were saying to you was getting through, in fact you were really pissed off if we even tried to talk some sense into you…so what happened.?’ she asked again raising her eyes to Carla’s.
‘Oh come on Trace,’ Maggie began, sensing Carla’s hesitation, ‘let’s not rake over the coals again, Carla’s feeling better, let’s just be glad of that.’
‘No,’ Carla put in quickly, ‘it’s okay Maggs, it’s good for me to talk about it. Chrissy say’s that I need to face up to what happened head on, if I’m going to be able to get passed it. And if I can’t talk to you, my lovely fellow witches then who can I talk to eh?’ She took a sip of her lemonade and swallowed nervously.
‘The truth is I woke up one morning in a strange bed, in a strange house. I had no idea how I’d got there, and I had no idea where I was.’ She rolled her eyes and smiled at the collective gasp of horror from the other girls.
‘Oh come on that’s not the worst of it. And you can’t tell me Maggie Wendover, that you’ve never ended up in bed with someone that you only vaguely remember from the night before,’ she teased, pointing her finger at Maggie.
Maggie pulled a face, ‘Okay, you may have a point,’ she conceded. ‘So why then was this an epiphany moment?’ she asked, all three pairs of eyes turned in Carla’s direction once more.
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Carla didn’t answer immediately, she’d never told anyone the full horror of that morning, not even Chrissy. ‘I had wet myself, I had soiled myself,’ she began her head down. ‘The sheets on that filthy bed were covered with lubricant. There were condoms…full condoms on the floor next to the bed as well as…other stuff…you know toys, implements for sex. I…I…was bleeding from my bum so I think that…’ she trailed off embarrassed.
Tracy gasped, ‘My God Carla, did some bastard rape you…you should have called the police.’
Carla shook her head emphatically, ‘No…no Tracy that’s just the point, I allowed him to do those things to me… he didn’t rape me. He was just some bloke that got lucky. I was drunk he picked me up, promised me more alcohol back at his place and I was obviously prepared to do just about anything for a drink. He was quite harmless in fact, and very disappointed that I didn’t want to carry on the next morning.’ She let out a short bitter laugh, ‘He brought me up a mug of tea…oh God I was mortified…I stank, I had pissed in his bed…I had let this man, this complete stranger do such…intimate things….’ she broke off her eyes shining with unshed tears.
For once none of the girls knew what to say, Helen was the first to break the silence.
‘Have you been to a clinic Carla…you know to be tested, who knows what he might have given you.’
Carla wiped her eyes and nodded, ‘Yes, at least I had the sense to do that,’ she said shortly. ‘So you’re all disgusted with me are you?’ she said draining her drink.
‘Don’t be so fucking stupid Carla,’ Maggie said rolling her eyes, ‘none of us have the right to judge you. I don’t know about Helen and Tracy but I have certainly had my fair share of sexual disasters…’
‘Oh God me too,’ said Tracy, ‘When I was about sixteen, I worked weekends at this hardware store in Redbank and I got it into my head that the manager fancied me. God knows why I thought that, he was twice my age and married with a kid. I was a spotty teenager, with braces on my teeth, but he was kind to me and that was all it took for me to start weaving romantic fantasies about the poor man. Anyway I had to work late, stock taking one weekend and it was just me and Dave, that was his name, and he was joking around with me like he always did. Anyway I don’t remember how it happened but long story short, I cornered him in the plumbing aisle and plastered my mouth onto his. Bloody hell, I have never seen anyone turn that shade of red, before or since. The poor man, I thought he was going to keel over, needless to say I gave up that job pretty soon afterwards.
All the girls laughed including Carla, ‘It wouldn’t have been quite so embarrassing for me, if this bloke had been a hunk or even remotely good looking,’ Carla said a moment later, giggling despite herself. ‘He came up stairs wearing the most shameful grubby Y-fronts. I don’t know what shocked me more, the fact that I didn’t know him from Adam or the fact that he thought it was okay to be seen in those.’
Helen and Maggie each had stories to tell and Carla soon started to relax again, she was glad she’d told them, it felt good to be able to laugh about it.
‘Have you decided what you’re going to do about James?’ Helen asked a while later.
Carla sighed and shook her head, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ she said, ‘I do know I still love him the bastard, it would be a damn sight easier if I didn’t. But can I ever trust him again…I don’t know.’
She smiled her thanks at Duncan who had just brought them over some coffees, ‘I know the kids are hoping I’ll take him back,’ she went on as soon as Duncan had gone, ‘and a part of me wants to, for their sake at least, but then I see him and I still feel the pain of it all…oh I don’t know, will I ever be able to forgive him?’
‘I don’t know if I could,’ Tracy said putting another sugar in her coffee, ‘if Simon ever did that. I can’t see how you can just go on as if nothing happened.’
‘Well you can’t, that’s the problem,’ Maggie said with a wry smile. ‘Of course it changes things, but that’s not to say you can’t put it to one side, try and make it work. Lots of people manage it…it depends how badly you want it I suppose.’
‘I think everybody deserves a second chance,’ Helen said, looking hard at Carla. ‘And, as we all said a moment ago, not one of us can say that we’ve never done something stupid…something that we bitterly regret, can we Carla?’
Much struck by that thought, Carla smiled at Helen. ‘You are such a wise old bird aren’t you sweetheart?’
‘Um…less of the old if you don’t mind,’ Helen said smiling back.
‘I have left Dom and Lucy having a romantic meal together,’ Maggie said changing the subject a moment later.
‘Ah ha,’ said Tracy, ‘I thought they were looking a bit cosy when I came over the other day. Well I think they suit each other perfectly, she seems so sweet, just the right sort of girl for Dom…so much better than that awful Maylee.’
‘Oh I agree,’ Helen said enthusiastically, ‘I’ve always thought Dom needed a kind, quiet sort of girl, one that would allow him to take the lead, allow him to blossom. Are you pleased Maggie?’
‘I couldn’t be happier,’ Maggie said beaming, ‘of course it’s only a meal but you should see them together, you’d have to be blind not to see how much they like each other…’
Suddenly, Tracy gasped and clapped her hand against her head, ‘Oh my God!’ she exclaimed, ‘it was her…I couldn’t think who she reminded me of, it was Lucy all the time,’ she turned to Maggie who was looking at her as if she’d gone mad.
‘I was given a flyer by this man in Redbank the other day,’ she explained rummaging through her coat pockets. ‘He was looking for his wife he said, really worried he was. She’d disappeared a while ago taking their baby daughter with her and he was so scared that she was going to hurt the baby.’ She pulled the crumpled flyer out of her pocket, ‘Ah, here it is, anyway I showed it to Simon and he said it reminded him of someone, and I thought it did too, but I couldn’t think who.’ She spread the flyer out on the table in front of Maggie, ‘It is her though, it’s Lucy…isn’t it?’
All the girls leaned over to see the flyer, Maggie picked it up and looked closely at the picture. It was true, despite the girl in the picture having blond hair, the face was Lucy’s, her eyes her mouth…Maggie felt sick.
‘I have to speak to her,’ she said picking up her mobile.
‘You’re sure it’s her then?’ Helen asked looking closely at the picture again.
Maggie nodded ruefully, her phone at her ear. ‘Oh yes it’s her alright…. bloody hell no answer, I’ll try Dom.’ Her face crumpled and she put the phone down, ‘Oh my God Dom is going to be so hurt, again.’
‘Tell us exactly what this man said again Tracy?’ Carla asked, going into Inspector Detective mode.
Tracy shrugged, ‘Just that he was looking for his wife. Apparently she was a bit unbalanced and had run off with his baby daughter…’ she broke off looking anxiously at Maggie. ‘He seemed most concerned about his wife hurting his child…sorry Maggie.’
‘Oh my God,’ wailed Maggie, ‘and I’ve just fucking left her in charge of Jukie all this time…I have to speak to Dom.’ She picked up her mobile again and punched in another number. ‘Come on…come on Dom…where are you?’ she thumped the phone down on the table in frustration a moment later. ‘For crying out loud still no bloody answer, I bet they’re at it on my living room rug…I’ll try the home phone.’
‘Maggie,’ Carla said, watching her friend frantically punching in more numbers. ‘I’ve never met Lucy, but do you think she seems unbalanced? Don’t forget we only have this man’s word that Lucy is even his wife. Has she ever said anything about her ex-husband to you that would make you think she was running away?’
Maggie thought for a moment then shook her head, ‘No, in fact she has always come across as very sensible and down to earth…oh why is no one answering?’ she added punching in numbers again.
‘And has she ever given you any reason to think that she
would hurt her child?’ Carla persisted.
Maggie put the phone down and thought for a moment. ‘No…no she’d never hurt Katy, anyone can see how much she loves her,’ she said calming down a bit. ‘But she’s lied to us Carla, obviously her name isn’t Lucinda Pope is it? And if she’d lied about one thing, who knows what else she hasn’t told us?’ She sighed heavily.
‘What are you going to do?’ Tracy said a tad guiltily, she was in fact feeling a bit responsible for having shown Maggie the flyer.
‘Well I’m sorry but I think I’d better go home,’ Maggie finished her drink and picked up her mobile again. ‘I’ll just try the home phone one more time, they have to be there after all…the children are there.’ She let the phone ring for a while…still no answer. ‘Okay I’m getting worried now, even if they were ‘at it’, surely they would have picked up one of the phones by now…I’m not happy, I’m going home.’ She stood up and began to pull on her coat.
‘Well if you’re going so am I,’ Carla said grabbing her bag. ‘Don’t worry if everyone’s okay I’ll just head on home, but you may need some help love, so I’m coming.’
‘Me too,’ said Tracy
‘Well don’t think you’re leaving me behind,’ Helen said, as she followed her friends out of the pub.
CHAPTER 64
Dom trod as quietly as he could through the undergrowth. He could hear angry shouts coming from just up ahead. He slowed his pace and moved closer, hiding behind trees as he went. Suddenly he saw movement, he threw himself behind a wide tree trunk and tried to work out how best to proceed. He took a deep breath and peered round the tree, he could see Lucy, she was being held up against another tree by her neck and some bloke was shrieking abuse at her.