‘Of course, I don't know who they are...’ His voice trails off. It's as if he's struggling to control himself then he turns and walks to the door. ‘If you need me, you know where to find me.’ He turns on his heel and leaves.
Through the window I can see him talking to the young police officer, then he gets in his car, winds down the window and looks over at me.
‘Remember what I said, Beth, don’t go out.’
13
BETH & HELEN
Helen comes over and hugs me. ‘I don't know how you do it, if it were me, I'd...’ She shakes her head and squeezes my hand. ‘You've been through a lot Beth, but this has got to stop.’
I know what she means, but say nothing.
‘Is there any more brandy or something strong?’ she mutters, looking at the empty bottle of Metaxa brandy.
I point to one of the kitchen cupboards. ‘There’s more up there, on the right, can you reach?’
She nods. ‘I wish I didn't listen to you. I should've gone to the house by myself. It's the second time it's happened.’ She grabs one of the bottles of 7 star Metaxa brandy we always bring back from Greece. She unscrews the cap and starts topping up our glasses. ‘You’re in terrible danger, Beth, next time you won't be so lucky.’
She hands me the brandy.
I gulp it down. ‘Yes, I know what you mean, Helen, this time it was different, this one was planned and there were two of them.’
I sit staring into my glass trying to remember… it was something in the local paper, it was a terrible case which was headline news in Oxford… Then I remember, young girls were raped and abused for years by a gang of men, but nobody believed them, not even the police.
‘Are you alright, Beth?’ Helen asks, shaking me gently. ‘Maybe you should see a doctor?’
‘I'm fine, I was just thinking about something, nothing to do with this.’ If Helen knew she'd shit herself with worry, so I'm not going to tell her.
‘Beth, promise me you'll leave it to the police, it's their job, they'll find them.’ Then she grabs my hand. ‘Shouldn’t Nick have taken you to be examined, you know, in case they found - well, for forensics.’
‘It didn’t get that far, Helen.’
‘I just thought they might find something.’ She goes to top up my glass again, I stop her.
‘I need a shower and some fresh air, I can't stay in here.’
‘But you can't, you heard what Nick said....’
‘I don't care what he said, it will do us good to get out of this place.’
I race upstairs and stand under the shower, I want to wash every trace of their filthy hands away. I stand there for a long time, then rub myself dry.
I dress then run downstairs. ‘Are you ready, Helen?’
She sits staring at me.
There's a knock at the front door.
She rushes to open it.
In comes Nick.
I grab my jacket and head for the door, Nick stands in my way.
‘Beth, I don't want you going anywhere.’
‘Who asked you?’ I growl, pushing past him.
He grabs my arm and shakes me. ‘Calm down, the police are guarding the house, but if you go outside, how on earth can they protect you?’
I shake off his arm.
He grabs me again.
‘What are you doing, Nick?’
He looks nervous and worried.
‘Has this happened before Nick? What aren't you telling me?’
He looks startled for a minute, then shakes his head. ‘It's better if you don't know, these men are dangerous.’
So, I was right. ‘Tell me, Nick, I want to know.’
He says nothing, just stands looking at me, a strange look on his face.
Helen comes over and puts her arm around my shoulder. ‘If you know something Nick, you must tell her, she has a right to know.’
‘Okay, if you must know there have been a few attacks in the area, but we're onto them. If you stay inside, you'll be alright.’
I clench my fists thinking about those girls I read about, how they suffered for so many years. It’s only recently that those guilty of abusing and raping them were finally brought to justice.
‘Tell me about it, Nick, I need to know.’
His lips are set in a thin hard line, his eyes search my face, then he looks away. ‘You said one of them was vicious, he wanted to…’ His voice cracks, he swallows.
‘The torture intended for you was used on this woman.’
I feel sick, is it possible that another group, just like those horrendous men who were recently jailed are out there doing the same thing?
Helen has a look of horror on her face. Nick's pacing around the kitchen.
He swings round and looks at me. ‘Do you still want to go out, Beth?’
I nod. ‘I can't stay in here, I don't feel safe, we'd be better off in a hotel.’
He looks at Helen, then at me. ‘Right, get a few things together, I'm taking you back to my house, there's plenty of room.’
I start to say something, but he cuts me off. ‘Beth, you'll both be safe with me. It will give us time to sort something out.’
Before I can say anything, Helen's running upstairs. ‘I'll get some things together for us.’ She stops and looks at me. ‘We can't stay here.’
Nick opens the back door, pulls out his phone and talks to someone.
A few minutes later, we’re in his car.
‘Don't worry, I've arranged for two armed officers to be outside my house, you'll be perfectly safe.’
He's driving fast down the country lanes – he’s going faster and faster - I hang on tight - every time we go around a bend, Nick's thigh presses against mine.
‘Slow down Nick,’ Helen shouts, from the back seat.
He slams on the breaks. ‘Sorry.’
He's driving much slower now, he’s taking the long way round to his house, probably to avoid going near Helen's place.
Suddenly, he starts driving fast again, what's wrong with him? Then he slows down and pulls up outside a very large house.
‘This is it, stay here, I won't be a minute.’
He slides out of the car and hurries over to where two-armed police officers are standing. He talks to them then beckons to us to go inside.
I don't know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t this. Snow white carpets, an expensive looking chandelier towering above us, and the living room - well it's huge, with large French windows leading onto a garden. Two long red sofas and four deep, comfortable looking armchairs set around a large open fireplace – its lovely.
He switches on a couple of table lights giving it a cozy feel, then gestures for us to sit down. ‘Make yourselves at home, drinks are over there in the cabinet, I'll be back in a minute.’
I can feel Helen watching me. ‘I'm booking you a ticket,’ she says, leaning over and giving me a reassuring hug.
‘You're coming back to Athens with me for a while.’
A few minutes later Nick comes back, he walks over to the drinks cabinet. ‘What would you like?’ he asks, looking from Helen to me.
In the refrigerated area are bottles of wine, champagne, beer and soft drinks.
‘White wine for me,’ Helen says.
‘Sauvignon Blanc if you've got it,’ I say.
He nods and opens a bottle. ‘I'm heating some food, it won't take long, and yes Beth, it is veggie.’
He hands us our drinks. ’This is a nice wine, I like it a lot, tell me what you think.’
I sit swilling the wine around in the glass then take a sip. It’s really very good. I can see him watching me and smile. ‘It’s one of the best I've tasted, Nick.’ I can tell that's pleased him, his face softens, he looks happy for a change. He's a weird guy, sometimes I really like him, other times he makes me nervous, he's very intense, maybe if he relaxed a little?
He turns and takes out a beer. ‘I'll make up some beds in a minute, then you can get some rest.’
‘Don't worr
y, Nick, we can make the beds later.’
I’m not hungry either, but I don't say that. Under normal circumstances I might enjoy this but I'm too on edge, I can't stop thinking about those men and what they did to me. I sip my wine, Helen starts talking about the old times.
‘You used to live with your parents, in the village, Nick, didn't you?’
He laughs. ‘That was a long time ago, they live up North now. I was married for a while then after the divorce I sold the house and came here, the other house was too large for just me.’
Now he has surprised me, houses in the Cotswold don't come cheap, if this is smaller than his first house, the other house must have cost him a fortune.
Helen goes with Nick into the kitchen, I follow. Just like the rest of the house, the kitchen is huge with granite work surfaces and the latest high-end equipment. The microwave pings, Nick grabs some bowls and begins scooping piping hot lasagne into them. I usually love the stuff, but not now, the thought of eating makes me want to puke.
I turn and walk back into the living room. ‘I'm not hungry Nick, maybe later.’
He follows with the bowls of food. ‘I won't be offended if you leave it, just try to eat something, it will do you good.’
I try but I can't swallow. I keep shoving bits of pasta around the plate with my fork pretending I'm eating, then to my relief, Nick's phone rings.
‘Sorry, I have to take this. I'll be back in a minute.’
Helen stacks up the bowls with my leftover lasagne on top and carries them into the kitchen. I'm told to stay in the living room and rest, she’ll wash the dishes.
I sit thinking about what Nick said, this has happened before, so…
Suddenly the water’s turned off, the sound of washing up coming from the kitchen dies down, I hear Helen talking very quietly to Nick, I try to catch what they're saying but the door is closed.
A couple of minutes later, Nick comes in with a tray of coffee and chocolate biscuits and plonks them on the table.
Helen sits on the sofa opposite me and starts flicking through her iPad, Nick sits next to her.
‘There's a flight leaving at 11.30 am, tomorrow with Aegean Airways,’ she says, peering at me over her iPad.
What does she want me to say? She knows I'm not going; I lean forward and take the coffee Nick hands me.
He gives me one of his serious looks and stands looking at me with his soft brown eyes. ‘She's right, go back with Helen, your Mum and Jamie can join you later.’
I groan and roll my eyes. ‘Not this again, how many times do I have to tell you.’
Nick leaps to his feet and stands staring at me. ‘And what exactly are you going to do here, Beth?’
‘I'm going to find the bastards who did this.’
He turns and looks out of the window, then swings round and glares at me. ‘Why are you being so stubborn, think of your son, he needs a mother, not a corpse.’
I can't believe he just said that. ‘That's why I'm not going to Athens I'm thinking of them; these monsters have to be stopped. If you lot got your act together...’
His face is ashen, I can tell he's trying to control himself; he looks over to Helen for support, she just rolls her eyes and looks away. He comes over and squats down in front of me.
‘Okay, stay here with me, at least then I'll know you're safe.’
‘No Nick, I can't stay here, I'm staying at Mum's house, and if you don't like it...’
He grabs my hands. ‘What do I have to do? I'm only trying to help, if you won't stay here, I'll come and stay with you.’
Shit. I didn't think of that. Then a thought comes to me. This could work to my advantage.
Helen sighs, puts down her iPad and sits next to me. ‘Beth, you know what I think, but it's up to you.’
I sit thinking of what Nick said. If he stays with me, he can have Jamie's room, it's not very large, but there's a double bed and most of the time he'll be at work, he won't be any trouble, and it won't be for long, just a couple of days at the most.
‘Okay, but if you stay with me Nick, you must let me help, I want them caught.’
He's looking at me with a weird smile on his face, sometimes I wonder what he's really thinking.
‘Okay. I'll pack a few things and leave them at your place when I drop you off in the morning.’
When he's gone, Helen turns to me. ‘Beth, I have four bedrooms, there's enough room for all of us. Jamie can go back to his old school. You know your Mum loves Athens, so do you.’
‘Helen, I would love to but that won't solve anything, will it?’
‘I think it will. At least you'll be safe. I don't want to leave you here, for God's sake Beth, it's not safe.’
‘Don't worry Helen, I'll be alright, I have the police guarding me and Nick.’
‘Yes, but for how long?’
At that moment Nick comes back into the room, he gives me a strange look.
‘It's getting late, why don't we all go to bed. We can talk about this again in the morning.’
I look at him in surprise. ‘But Nick, we just decided that you were going to stay with me.’
He shrugs. ‘I just thought it would give us time to think. Anyway, if you need anything, give me a shout, I'm a light sleeper.’
‘I don't have to think about anything, my mind's made up.’
He sighs, shrugs his shoulders as if to say, you win, then goes to bed.
Half an hour later, after dozing on the couch, Helen and I go to our room. The beds are made, we undress quickly.
‘Wow, the bed’s very comfortable,’ I say, snuggling under the crisp white duvet. ‘What do you think Helen?’
She laughs. ‘Let’s say it won’t take me long to sleep tonight. Night, Beth.’
It feels strange to be in Nick's house, Helen soon falls fast asleep and even though I'm shattered, sleep evades me. I'm just dropping off when I'm sure I hear a car pull up outside. I lay there trying to listen, but I'm so tired, my eyes keep closing...
14
NICK
It seems strange waking up in Nick's house. Helen's still asleep so I crawl out of bed, creep over to the window and peer out. Our bedroom is in the front of the house, I can see the two police officers who were there last night, then I remember the car I heard, I wonder who it was?
I tiptoe to the en-suite bathroom so as not to disturb Helen and have a quick shower. Everything in this house is top notch, the beds, the bathroom, even the tiny chocolates Nick placed on the pillows last night were a nice touch.
‘Is that you, Beth?’ Helen calls from the bedroom.
‘Yes, I'm just having a quick shower, we don’t have long. Nick's dropping us off first, then he's going to work.’
I wrap the luxurious white bathrobe around me and pad into our bedroom, enjoying the luxury of the deep piled carpet.
Helen crawls out of bed, staggers over to the bathroom rubbing her eyes. ‘I couldn't keep my eyes open last night it must have been all that brandy and wine, now I'm dying for a coffee.’
‘I'll get dressed quickly, go downstairs and see if Nick's around.’
A couple of minutes later I’m downstairs heading for the kitchen.
Nick looks up as I open the door. He’s drinking coffee and looks just like he always does, I don’t know how he does it. I on the other hand feel like crap and probably look it.
‘Did you sleep well?’ he asks, sipping his coffee.
‘Yes, the bed was very comfortable.’
He smiles, puts down his cup and pours me a coffee. ‘There's juice in the fridge and toast keeping warm under the grill. I'm just going to put my things in the car so be quick, we must get going soon.’
After breakfast Nick drops us off at Mum's then drives to work.
Helen switches on the kettle then goes into the garden. ‘Well, at least we've got the garden, it could be worse.’
I remember saying those very same words to Jamie when we came back from the hospital, it seems so long ago, but it’s only a couple of
days.
‘I'll get Nick's room ready,’ I call, heading for the stairs. ‘And I’ll also give Mum a quick call.’
‘Do you want something to eat?’ she asks, coming in from the garden.
‘No, but I’d love a coffee.’
Once I’ve changed the bed linen, I leave the window slightly ajar for fresh air, then call Mum.
As soon as she answers I can tell something's wrong. ‘What is it Mum? Is Jamie okay? Are you alright?’
She seems hesitant at first, but then it all comes spilling out. ‘Oh Beth, I didn't want to worry you, but I think I must. Jamie's not very happy, he's trying to put on a brave face, but he's worried about school, he doesn't want to go back to Oxford, he wants to go to Athens with you.’
‘Mum, he hasn't really given it a chance, has he? He's only been there a couple of days.’
‘But he misses his friends and the life he had in Athens.’
‘I discussed it with him,’ I reply, indignantly. ‘He thought it would be great, he couldn't wait to get on the plane. I know he's not really fitting in, but he must give it a chance, once he makes friends, he'll be alright. Anyway, all the schools are full, you should know, don't you remember how difficult it was to get him in here?’
‘Yes, I know, but he really hates the school.’
‘Mum, please don't worry, I'll talk to Jamie, we'll sort something out.’ I have no idea what, but what else can I say? ‘Oh, I nearly forgot, Helen's here, she's staying for a few days then going back to Athens.’ I know this will make her happy and it does, I can hear the relief in her voice.
‘That's good, I've been so worried thinking about you all by yourself, call me if you need anything, okay? Now I'll pass you to Jamie, he wants to talk to you.’
‘Mum, when are you coming to Spain? I thought you'd be here by now.’
‘Soon, I'm just trying to sort things out here. How are you? What have you been doing?’
‘You know I'm not going back to that school, don't you Mum?’
I'm shocked by the desperation in his voice. ‘Don't worry, I'll sort something out.’
He doesn't say anything and hands me back to Mum. I can hear her telling him to get a drink for her from the fridge.
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