Witness

by Mandasue Heller

  ‘No, they want us to concentrate on revising.’

  ‘The amount you’ve been doing lately, you should fly through your exams,’ Josie said, smiling again as the vodka and nicotine kicked in. ‘Who knows, you might even get into uni after sixth form. Imagine that, eh? If you get a degree and land a good job, you’ll be able to take care of me in my old age.’

  Holly nodded, but she had no intention of staying on at school or going to uni. She was going to work for Suzie. She wouldn’t be doing much to start with, just making tea and pouring wine for the models who came in for photo shoots. But Suzie had said that she would promote her to office manager when the agency was established, so she would be taking phone calls and arranging meetings and auditions. It sounded really exciting and glamorous and she couldn’t wait. But she wasn’t going to mention it until it actually happened, because she knew her mum would only try to pull the plug on it.

  As Holly carried on eating, Josie turned her attention to the quiz show that was playing on TV. ‘Leonard Nimmo,’ she said in answer to the question the host was asking one of the contestants. ‘Leonard Nimmo,’ she repeated irritably when the contestant said ‘Pass.’

  ‘Leonard Nimoy,’ the host said.

  ‘Close enough.’ Josie shrugged and took another swig from her glass. Then, her gaze still on the screen, she said, ‘There’s been rumours of cut-backs at our place.’

  Holly swallowed the food in her mouth too quickly and winced when a chunk of potato caught in her throat. Coughing to shift it, she said, ‘You’re not going to lose your job, are you?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ Josie took another swig. ‘They’d fall apart without me.’

  ‘So why’d you say it like that? Like your neck’s on the line?’

  ‘I was only saying there’s been rumours.’

  Holly frowned as she ate the last spoonful of stew. Was that why her mum had talked about her going to uni and getting a good job: because she knew she was about to lose hers? It didn’t seem likely, because she’d have to know that it would take years for Holly to graduate. But something had to be worrying her to make her mention cut-backs out of the blue like that. And that, in turn, worried Holly, because they always ended up moving when her mum lost a job, and she didn’t want to. Not now she’d met Suzie and made plans for the future.

  Josie downed what was left of her drink and took one last drag on her cigarette before stubbing it out. Then, sighing, she stood up and said, ‘I’d best get ready for work. Put the rest of the stew in the fridge when you’ve finished washing up; we’ll have it again tomorrow. Oh, and don’t be worrying about my job. It’s safe, I promise.’

  Holly nodded, but she wasn’t sure she believed her.

  Across the road a short time later, Suzie watched through her living room blinds as Josie exited the flats and headed off down the road. Reaching for her phone when the woman had disappeared from view, she rang Holly.

  ‘Hey, hon, I just saw your mum setting off. How did it go? Did she say anything?’

  ‘No, nothing,’ said Holly. ‘She was being really nice and I thought it might be a trick – like she was waiting for me to admit it or something. But she definitely would have said something before she left, so I think I got away with it.’

  ‘See, I told you it’d be OK.’

  ‘Yeah, but I can’t do it again, so I’ve decided to go to school tomorrow.’

  ‘That’s up to you, hon. As long as you think you can handle Bex and that other girl.’

  ‘Leanne,’ Holly said, shivering at the thought of her. ‘I’ve got no choice, so I’m just going to try and avoid them until I’ve got through my exams.’

  ‘Good for you,’ Suzie said. ‘But, anyway, forget about them for tonight. What you up to?’

  ‘I’m in my room revising,’ Holly told her. ‘Why?’

  ‘I need you to come over,’ Suzie said. ‘And try not to be long.’

  ‘OK, but I’ll need to get dressed ’cos I’ve got my pyjamas on.’

  ‘Hurry up, then,’ Suzie said before hanging up.

  Thinking that she probably wanted to do more work on the website, Holly closed the history book she’d half-heartedly been studying and pushed the quilt off her legs.

  19

  Glancing at her watch as she hurried through the estate, Josie picked up speed when she saw that her bus was due in five minutes. When she reached the alleyway that led to the main road, she hesitated and pulled the zip of her coat all the way up to her throat. Spring had been an absolute washout so far, and the sky was darker than usual for the time of year. That, and the branches of the trees hanging over the fences on either side of the narrow path, made the alley look like a long black tunnel, and she contemplated walking round the block instead. But the buses to her workplace only came once an hour, and her boss would go on the warpath if she was late. So, biting the bullet, she clutched her handbag tightly to her side and set off down the alley.

  Halfway along she hit what felt like a brick wall and fell sideways into the fence, clipping her ankle on a brick as she went down. Tears sprang into her eyes and she cursed under her breath as she rubbed her ankle before trying to stand up. Freezing when she heard a shuffling noise, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she looked up and saw a man dressed all in black and wearing a balaclava looming over her.

  ‘Keep it shut or I’ll kill you!’ the man hissed, clamping a leather-gloved hand over her mouth as he hauled her roughly to her feet.

  Josie’s eyes bulged when he wrapped a muscular arm around her, and she felt the toes of her boots scrape along the path as he half carried, half dragged her towards a broken section of fence a few feet ahead. Guessing that this wasn’t a mugging, because he’d have grabbed her bag and legged it if that was his intention, she tried to dig her heels into the soft earth between the concrete of the alleyway and the overgrown grass and weeds on the other side of the fence. A brain-rattling punch to the side of her head knocked the fight out of her, and she was powerless to resist when her attacker hauled her through the gap and tossed her roughly down into the undergrowth.

  Still reeling, Josie blinked to clear her vision, hoping to get a look at the man’s face, but all she could see was the glint of his eyes through the cut-out in the balaclava. And then he brought his fist down again, and she knew she was about to die when stars exploded in her head.

  20

  Suzie was dressed up to the nines when she opened the door. Surprised, Holly said, ‘Oh . . . are you going out?’

  ‘I’m not, we are,’ Suzie said, pulling her inside.

  ‘What d’you mean?’ Holly gave her a questioning look.

  ‘We’re going to a club,’ Suzie explained, taking the jacket off Holly’s shoulders and hanging it up. ‘And I’ve already booked the cab, so we need to get a move on.’

  ‘I’m not old enough to go to a club,’ Holly said as Suzie propelled her up the stairs and into the front bedroom.

  ‘You’ll look old enough by the time I’ve finished with you,’ Suzie replied breezily, pushing her down on the dressing-table stool. ‘Now shush and let me get on with it.’

  Squirming when Suzie slapped foundation onto her cheeks, Holly said, ‘But what if my mum comes—’

  ‘She won’t,’ Suzie cut her off. ‘And it’s time we had a bit of fun, so stop worrying and get your party head on. I’ve arranged to meet someone.’

  ‘Oh?’ Holly gazed up at her.

  ‘His name’s Sam, and I used to work at his club between modelling gigs,’ Suzie told her. ‘His wife got cancer, so he sold up and took her home to Ireland where she could be near her family. She’s dead now and he’s back in town, and he rang me this afternoon to ask if I fancied meeting up.’

  ‘Why do you want me to come if you’re going on a date?’ Holly asked.

  ‘It’s not a date,’ Suzie said, brushing blusher onto her cheeks before reaching for a tube of lip gloss. ‘But he might think it is, so that’s why I need you there: to make sure he kno
ws it’s just business.’

  ‘Business?’

  ‘Yeah, he’s loaded, and I’m going to ask if he’ll invest in the agency,’ Suzie said, slicking the gloss onto Holly’s lips before taking a brush to her hair. ‘Truth is, I’m running a bit low on funds, so I was thinking about trying to get a bank loan. But it’ll be a lot easier if I can get Sam to come on board.’

  ‘Do you think he will?’

  ‘No idea. But he’s generous, so we’ll get a good night out of it if nothing else.’

  The wail of sirens suddenly drifted in through the partially open window. As they grew louder, someone yelled, ‘Over here!’ and, seconds later, blue flashing lights strobed through the blinds.

  ‘I hope that’s not another shooting,’ Suzie said, moving over to the window and pushing it open. ‘Looks like something’s happened in the alley,’ she said when she saw a crowd gathering at the far end of the road. ‘Bet it’s got something to do with those little shits who tried to mug me on my way home from hospital.’

  ‘My mum goes that way to catch her bus,’ Holly said, getting up and joining her at the window as another police car whizzed past, followed by an ambulance.

  ‘It won’t be her,’ Suzie said. ‘She went out ages ago.’

  Holly glanced at the clock and relaxed when she saw that it had just gone seven. It was over half an hour since her mum had left the flat, so she’d be long gone by now.

  Downstairs, after Holly had changed into the dress and shoes Suzie had picked out for her, Suzie poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Holly. Still nervous at the thought of going to a nightclub, sure that she would be asked for ID and turned away when she couldn’t produce any, which would be mega embarrassing, Holly perched on the sofa and sipped her drink.

  Jumping when the doorbell chimed a couple of minutes later, she said, ‘Oh, God, what if it’s my mum?’

  ‘Relax,’ Suzie said, walking to the door. ‘It’s probably the cab. Hurry up and finish your drink. I’ll tell him to give us a minute.’

  Holly nodded and took another swig as Suzie went to answer the door. A woman’s voice drifted through the hall, and Holly’s heart leapt in her chest when she heard her say: ‘I need to speak to the girl.’

  Holding her breath when Suzie said, ‘What girl?’ Holly got up and tiptoed to the door.

  ‘Don’t act dumb, love,’ the woman replied tartly. ‘I saw her coming over here earlier, and I need a word. It’s about her mam, and it’s urgent.’

  Stomach flipping, Holly slammed her glass down on the table and rushed out into the hall. She recognized the woman immediately as the neighbour from the second floor who had warned the gang off on the night she’d seen Rob attacking Suzie.

  ‘What about my mum?’ she asked.

  ‘Ah, you haven’t heard then?’ the woman said, her excitement at being the one to deliver the news battling against the concern in her eyes. ‘Some lads disturbed a bloke attacking her on the wasteland behind the alley a bit ago.’

  ‘No . . .’ Holly clutched the doorframe when her legs turned to jelly.

  ‘Sorry, love,’ the woman said, touching her arm. ‘I saw them putting her in the ambulance and thought someone needed to tell you. Why don’t you come over to mine for a bit? I’ll call the police and see if we can find out which hospital they’ve took her to.’

  ‘It’s OK, I’ll do it,’ Suzie said.

  ‘I’m only trying to help,’ the woman said, narrowing her eyes and looking Suzie up and down. ‘She’s me neighbour, and that’s what we do round here. Not that you’d know, mind, seeing as how you never bother with no one apart from that man of yours.’

  Flashing a cold smile at her, Suzie closed the door in her face. The letterbox immediately flapped up, and the woman shouted, ‘You know where I am if you need owt, love. I’m at number twenty-eight. The name’s Carol.’

  ‘Nosy cow,’ Suzie muttered, ushering Holly back into the living room.

  ‘What should I do?’ Holly asked, panic in her eyes.

  ‘It might not have been your mum, so let’s not jump to conclusions,’ Suzie said calmly.

  ‘But what if it was?’ Holly paced the floor. ‘Oh, God, I knew I shouldn’t have come out tonight. It was asking for trouble.’

  ‘Hey, you couldn’t have known this was going to happen,’ Suzie said, taking hold of her shoulders to stop her. ‘And we still don’t know for sure that it was your mum. It’s dark out there; your neighbour might have got it wrong. Just let me cancel the cab and let Sam know I’m not coming, then I’ll ring the police and find out what’s going on.’

  ‘I need to go,’ Holly said, wriggling free and heading for the door.

  ‘Wait, I’ll come with you,’ Suzie said as she rushed out into the hall. ‘This will only take a minute.’

  Holly continued on her way without answering.

  Gee was coming out of the flats when Holly reached the door, and he smiled and stepped back to let her enter.

  ‘Thanks,’ she murmured, fumbling her front-door key out of the tiny clutch bag Suzie had lent her to go with the outfit.

  Catching a glimpse of her pale face when she brushed past him, Gee called, ‘Is everything all right?’ as she rushed up the stairs. Frowning when she didn’t answer, he held the door for a few more seconds, then let it go and went after her.

  ‘Hey, what’s up?’ he asked, concerned when he saw how badly her hand was shaking as she tried to slot her key into the lock. ‘Has something happened?’

  ‘Someone’s been attacked in the alley and the woman upstairs reckons it was my mum,’ Holly gabbled. ‘Suzie says it can’t be her, ’cos she’ll be at work, but I’ve got a horrible feeling.’

  ‘Have you tried ringing her?’ Gee asked, scooping her key up off the floor when she dropped it.

  Wondering why she hadn’t thought of that, Holly yanked her phone out of the bag and dialled her mum’s number. It rang out before going to voicemail.

  ‘She’s not answering,’ she said, gazing fearfully up at Gee.

  ‘She’s probably not allowed to take calls while she’s working,’ Gee said. ‘Leave a message asking her to ring you back when she’s on a break.’

  Hands still shaking, Holly pressed redial. Blushing when Gee unlocked the front door, exposing the shabby lino in the hallway, the dustballs in the corners, the dirty skirting boards and the ever-present stench of damp, she said, ‘I, um, can’t let you in. My mum—’

  ‘It’s cool.’ Gee passed the key to her and held up his hands. ‘I only wanted to make sure you got in OK.’

  Thanking him, Holly rushed inside with the phone clamped to her ear and flashed an embarrassed smile at him as she closed the door.

  ‘Mum, it’s me,’ she said when the phone clicked into voicemail. ‘Something’s happened in the alley and I need to know you’re all right. Ring me back when you get a break. Please.’

  Jumping when the doorbell rang, she hurriedly opened the door after she’d looked through the spyhole and saw that it was Suzie.

  ‘I rang my mum and asked her to call me back,’ she said.

  ‘Good. Now stop worrying,’ Suzie said. ‘I brought your clothes back, so go and get changed while I make a coffee.’ She handed over a plastic bag. ‘When you’re ready, I’ll ring the police.’

  Feeling a little calmer now that she was home, Holly said, ‘You don’t have to stay. Go and meet Sam, see if he can help you out.’

  ‘I’ve already arranged to see him next week,’ Suzie said, slipping her jacket off. ‘And I don’t want to leave you on your own while you’re upset, so I’ll stay until you hear from your mum. OK?’

  Nodding, Holly went to her room and took off the dress. As she was pulling her jeans on the doorbell rang, and she pressed her ear against her door when she heard Suzie answer it.

  ‘Is this Josie Evans’s flat?’ a man asked.

  Unable to hear Suzie’s reply, Holly pulled her jumper on and went out into the hall just as two uniformed police officers stepped inside.


  ‘Oh, God,’ she croaked. ‘It was my mum, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Let’s go and sit down,’ Suzie said softly, taking her arm and leading her into the living room.

  ‘Just tell me,’ Holly pleaded, tears stinging her eyes as she sank onto the sofa. ‘Was it her?’

  ‘It looks like it,’ Suzie said, sitting beside her and taking hold of her hand. ‘But don’t panic. They’ve taken her to the MRI and she’s being well looked after.’

  The officers were in the room by then, and one of them took a seat facing Holly while the other looked around before walking over to the window and gazing out at the police cars that were still parked at the far end of the road.

  ‘I’m PC Dan Spencer, and this is my colleague, PC Jack Bennett,’ the seated man introduced them. ‘We’ve spoken to your aunt, so we know you’re aware of the incident earlier tonight.’

  ‘Aunt?’ Holly repeated.

  ‘I told them we’d seen the ambulance and wondered what was going on,’ Suzie said, squeezing Holly’s hand and giving her a pointed look.

  Holly nodded mutely. She recognized the look, because it was the same one her mum always gave her whenever she wanted Holly to go along with something she’d said without questioning her.

  ‘You aunt tells us it’s just you and your mum living here,’ Spencer went on. ‘Can I ask how old you are?’

  ‘Fifteen,’ Holly murmured.

  ‘Does your dad live locally?’

  Holly shook her head, and Suzie said, ‘He took off before she was born. Josie hasn’t seen him since, and Holly’s never met him.’

  ‘I see,’ Spencer said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he peered at Suzie. ‘You look familiar,’ he said after a moment.

  ‘Do I?’ She gazed innocently back at him.

  ‘Ah, that’s it.’ He clicked his fingers. ‘You live across the road, don’t you? We attended an incident a couple of weeks back.’ He flicked a hooded glance at Holly, before adding, ‘Altercation with your partner?’

  ‘Ex partner,’ Suzie corrected him. ‘And I’m still waiting to hear back from you on that.’