Sleepwalk (44 page)

‘Quite.’ Felicity nodded, her mind racing …….
This was the night before she left the Hospital
…….
when David was working in the garden and didn’t hear the phone
…….

‘Well I ordered two glasses of
Rose
at the bar and then went to our table and waited. They bought the wine, poured one glass and asked me if I was ready to order. Well of course I said No and that I was waiting for my friend and that she would be here any time. The waiter filled a glass for Ellie. I waited and watched the little clock on the wall ticking away and I sipped my wine and before I knew it my glass was almost empty and it was almost
nine o’clock
!’

‘So she stood you up?’

‘No. She was there all right, but she wouldn’t come inside. I could see through the window that there was a woman outside whose physique matched that of Ellie’s. She seemed to be pacing back and forth across the front of the restaurant but of course you can’t see clearly because of all those frosted glass etchings they have on the windows.

I finished my wine and I went outside and sure enough it was Ellie. But there was something wrong. She looked distraught. I asked her if she was coming inside and she said no, and at that point I had the waiter after me because I hadn’t paid for the wine.

I called to Ellie to wait there but she said no; she would see me at home and she took off. Of course I went back inside; apologised and gave the man ten pounds for his trouble.’

Felicity had sunk back into the armchair at this point. She knew that whatever was wrong with Ellie must have something to do with David.

‘Go on …….’ She urged.

‘When I got home she was sitting in her car outside my cottage. In the back seat was a bag and there were clothes strewn across it and over the seats like she had left in a hurry.

‘
Mary
,’
she said …….. ‘
please can I stay here with you?
’
and she burst into tears. When I got her inside I could see she had bruises on her arms and she bore the marks on her throat where he had almost strangled her. Ellie had been raped.’

Felicity’s head was swimming and her face was white with shock.

‘What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me that ……….?’

‘Yes. I’m sorry Felicity. It was David. Your husband raped her; while you were in hospital with his baby.’

‘You are crazy. David wouldn’t do that. David is the kindest, nicest man I have ever known. I think you’d better go. I’ve never heard such nonsense! Go on! Get out!’

Felicity stood up, walked to the door and opened it wide.

‘Get out before I call the police!’ she snapped.

Mary Darch walked to the door talking as she went; ‘And that’s not all he did; ask him Felicity. Ask him what he did to her the other night. I know it was him. I saw him out there with her; and that poor old man he left for dead……… and all the others!’

‘Get out!’ Felicity slammed the front door shut and went into the kitchen; her heart pounding. She was shaking with anger; and with the fear of uncertainty. Her breasts were full and milk began to seep through her t-shirt. She sat down at the kitchen table, her mind racing with thoughts of David; of Ellie; of Oliver and of baby Charlie. She hung her head in her hands and the tears began to flow and the more her mind raced the more she cried until she sobbed so hard she just couldn’t stop ……………..

Slim was sitting under the bridge. He flipped the little business card over and ran it through his fingers thoughtfully. The sun was setting over the river and little slivers of pink sky had broken through the blue casting a warm glow over the trees and beyond. Tomorrow would be a nice day. One of Jonquils favourite sayings suddenly came to mind;
Red sky at night; shepherds delight
. He pictured her now skipping through the undergrowth in her denim jeans and brightly coloured striped socks; her long fair hair in two plaits dancing around at the sides of her face; her deep green eyes darting here and there sparkling in the light of dusk like fireflies.
Where are you Jonky? Are you up there? Can you see me?
…..
Do you think of me?
…………
I think of you
…..
all the time
………… Bits began to bark and it broke his train of thought. Slim turned and watched as the little dog took off at lightening speed then stopped and bounded deer-like into the undergrowth yapping like a puppy chasing an imaginary rabbit or some other innocent creature. He straightened the card and laid it flat into the palm of his hand.
DC Peters
,
it said
and had a
phone
number. Jonky had shown him the secret hiding place. It was a place no one else knew about; a place no one would ever think to look. Perhaps word had spread through the trees and the long grass; perhaps through a whisper on the wind but the secret hiding place was still only known to an elite few. Inside an old oak tree on the river path; where once, a branch had hung proudly from its base, at a mans shoulder height now lay a deep dark hole in its trunk. The branch had become dismembered from its joint leaving a deep dark crevice in the bark; enough to fit a small hand through, which then opened up inside to a large hole. You couldn’t see into it; not even with a torch. You could only feel. In winter it became home to a number of small woodland creatures but to the elite few it was a safety deposit box. It was where Bernie had kept his photos and his silver pocket watch; it was where the Colonel had kept his medals and later it was where Jonky had kept her stash of grass. After Vanguard had told him about her encounter with the man on the river path and how he had seemed to emerge from the bushes in that exact spot Slim had begun to wonder just how elite the
elite few
were. Then when Coles had mentioned he might be barking up the wrong tree it had dawned on him and he’d been on his way there when the car lights had struck him. He hadn’t been entirely honest with DI Carter that night ….. and why should he? The man was so immersed in his own career and obsessed with his own self righteousness and future success that he couldn’t see into the past or the future…….. or anyone else’s. Claire Peters was different; she cared about people.

And then there was Jonky. Dear, sweet Jonky ………
Promise me Slim
my
,
you’ll never tel
l.
It has to be our secret. Us
,
and those like us
………
but not them
………
never them
……….

He thought then of the beautiful and kind Eleanor Wilson, lying on a hard bunk in her cold prison cell and he knew that she shouldn’t be there. Slim sighed. He knew what he had to do. He
climbed through the gap in the fence and waded through the undergrowth to the supermarket car
park and waited outside the phone booth.
He didn’t have any money but he knew how to make an emergency reverse charge call.
It was time to lay his demons to rest………

As the light of day faded rapidly into dusk he saw the cars headlights and watched as Carters blue Sierra turned onto the wasteland and glided to a stop.

‘This had better be good Williams!’ spat Carter as he strode toward him.

‘You said you’d come alone.’ Slim looked at Claire Peters and she shrugged her shoulders.

‘We needed a witness.’

‘Cut the small talk Williams. Where’s the tree?’

Slim led them along the river path and then stopped. He looked at Carters rugged physique; his thick set hands and arms.

‘She’ll have to do it. Your hands won’t fit through. Mine used to……. but not anymore.’

Claire Peters stepped forward and donned a small pair of white surgical gloves. ‘Finger prints’ she explained as she followed Slim through the woodland thicket, clambering over bushes and brambles, DI Carter in hot pursuit until they reached a small dark clearing. Carter switched on his flashlight and an owl called out above him making him jump and then a small area of woodland became illuminated. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust then he saw Slim standing at the foot of an old oak, his arm outstretched as he pointed out a small dark hole in its trunk. Hesitantly Claire reached into the darkness.

‘I can’t feel anything ……… there’s nothing there.’

‘You’re not high up enough. Jonky used to stand on her rucksack.’

Slim linked his hands together and made a foot well and leaned over.

‘Here …….. I’ll give you a leg up.’

She put her foot into his hands and he lifted her higher up the wall of the thick trunk.

‘Well?’ Carter sounded frustrated. ‘Can you feel anything?’

Claire moved her arm around inside the tree.

‘It’s quite a void in here. You’d never think it was such a big space. It’s a miracle this tree has survived.’

‘We’re not on a bloody nature expedition DC Peters.’

She strained and reached further into the tree.

‘Hang on ……… I think I’ve got something ………. Yes!’ ……… and then the rustling sound of plastic was evident and it became louder as a white blob appeared in the opening and Claire Peters carefully pulled something soft and pliable wrapped in a white carrier bag from the dark hole in the bark.

‘What is it?’ asked Carter.

She carefully opened the bag and looked inside.

‘It’s ………. It’s a wig Sir; a blonde wig!’

‘Bingo! Well done Williams! Now we’re getting somewhere. Just check there’s nothing else in there Claire will you?’

Slim hoisted her up once more but Claire’s arms were not long enough to reach the bottom of the void. Pleased with their result Carter announced he would get forensics over to double check and radioed through to despatch. The area was eventually sealed off and once again the wasteland was the focus of a police investigation.

Since David had returned from the park with Oliver, Felicity hadn’t mentioned Mary Darch’s visit but he knew something was wrong and throughout the day he questioned her. The atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife.

‘Just leave it David.’ She warned him, ‘We can talk about it when the children are in bed.’

At lunch the scene was unbearable. They sat opposite each other with Oliver sitting between them at the side of the table and they barely said a word to each other. It was Oliver who broke the silence.

‘Do you think my Mummy has gone back to
America
?’

Felicity almost choked on her orange squash and she looked directly at David with accusing eyes. She pushed her plate away and stood up.

‘I think Ollie; you should ask your father why we haven’t seen anything of your mummy these past few days.’ Felicity left the room. David pushed his chair back and made to follow her, then he stopped and sat back down. He took the little boys hand in his and spoke quietly.

‘Ollie ……. mate; I don’t know why your Mummy hasn’t been round but I promise you I will try and find out, ok?’

The child nodded and he looked down at his plate of pasta, barely touched.

‘Perhaps she had to rush back because of her work ……… perhaps her boss phoned and said they needed her there.’

‘But I need her too…….. and she promised to be here for two weeks and ….. and she wasn’t. And she promised to take me to the beach and the fun fair. She didn’t even say goodbye.’ Oliver’s face sank and David could see the tears starting to roll down his soft tanned cheeks.

‘Hey! Come on mate!’ David picked up his son, sat him on his knee and hugged him close. ‘If she doesn’t come round today I’ll try and find her ok? And …… and Mummy Flick and I can take you to the beach and the fun fair.’

‘Now?’

‘Well …….. not right this minute but …… listen mate, you run off and play in the front garden and I’ll go talk to Mummy Flick eh?’

‘Yeah! …… Cool!’

Felicity was in the lounge sitting on the sofa; her knees drawn up in front of her. She was sniffing loudly; a tissue in her hand. She had been crying.

‘Babe; we need to talk ……. Come on. Charlie is fast asleep and Ollie is playing in the garden. I want to know what’s wrong.’

‘Nothing.’

‘There’s obviously something ……… and what the hell was that all about in there? Flick, what makes you think I know why Ellie hasn’t been round?’

‘Ok! Ok David. I was going to wait until the boys were in bed before broaching the subject, but since you don’t seem to be able to leave it alone; answer me this ….. did you sleep with Ellie when I was in hospital last week?’

‘What? Where did this come from babe?’

‘Never mind where it came from and don’t ‘
b
abe
’ me. I want to know the truth. I have a right to know!’

‘Is that what she told you?’

‘What?’

‘Ellie; is that what she told you?’

‘Ellie didn’t tell me anything. I haven’t seen her since that day at the hospital when you took her home. I had a visitor this morning; her friend, Mary.’

‘Mary Darch; what did she say?’