Lonely Girl (13 page)

Yes … that’s how it all happened. That was what she would tell them if Tom refused to take the blame for John Tanner’s terrible end.

If he did betray her, he would be the loser, because when her back was against the wall she knew how to play the game, and she would make him sorry.

She would tell of how, some years ago, she had left Tom Stevens to be with John Tanner. Because of that, Tom was jealous and angry, and over the years he had often threatened to kill John.

He was like a crazy thing: following her about at night; coaxing her … playing games and confusing her so much that she began to believe everything he said.

She would tell the authorities that he was not the quiet and simple man he appeared to be. Instead, he was manipulative, possessive and at times dangerous and threatening.

She vowed that if he should renege on their agreement she would try every dirty trick in the book to put him behind bars for so many years he would come out an old, old man.

But for now, she had to hope that he would keep his word and tell the story they had planned together.

H
AVING CHECKED SOME
barns and buildings without finding her father, Rosie, the faithful Barney beside her, had arrived at the doors of the big hay barn.

She was surprised to find the doors slightly open and the light on. She knew her father was careful to check the yards at the end of the day and to lock and secure all the buildings. Since the robbery he was especially conscientious about this.

Approaching the hay barn doors, Rosie went softly, keeping vigilant and hoping she was not about to come across anything untoward, especially strangers who might be there for no good purpose.

Increasingly nervous, she made no effort to go inside the barn, but positioned herself near the doors, where she might hear any noise from inside. After only a moment or two, she was alarmed to hear voices. As far as she could tell from the distant snatch of guarded conversation, there were just two of them: a man and a woman.

Afraid even to peep inside, she moved herself so that she might not be seen, but was better able to hear the voices and possibly what they were actually saying. But unfortunately, the voices were too soft and too far away from where she was, so she carefully shifted closer and listened harder.

Barney, with his stick, was by her side, ready and alert, but very still, as though waiting for Rosie’s signal to go inside.

Silence fell, but after a few minutes, someone spoke and instantly, Rosie knew the voice belonged to the man.

There began a seemingly serious exchange of words, followed by a moment of silence before the woman spoke again … softly, almost purring, but not recognisable.

Then the voices fell silent again.

Unnerved, Rosie ushered Barney back into the relative safety of the shadows. ‘Come away, boy. We don’t know who they are or what they want. It might be best if we keep our distance, for now,’ she whispered.

She thought she heard her father’s name but she could not be certain. All she knew was that it was the same man’s voice as before. The second, softer voice was altogether too quiet for her to hear anything in detail.

She wondered if the man’s voice could have been her father’s, but then she dismissed the idea. ‘I thought for a moment that was Daddy talking just now, but it couldn’t be, because why would he be saying his own name?’ she whispered to Barney. ‘No, I’m sure of it … that was not my father.’ Though because the other man had mentioned her father’s name, she could not altogether dismiss the idea that her father might be inside.

She crept away to the dark, shadowy side of the yard. Feeling a great deal safer in the shrubby undergrowth, she sat on the ground and drew Barney down beside her. ‘D’you think it was Daddy in there?’ she asked him. ‘I think there were just the two of them. There was the man who said Daddy’s name … and then there was the person with the quieter voice. I think that is a woman.’

So many wild and troubling thoughts raced through her head. What if they were the robbers that had stolen from them before? She wondered if she should go inside and try to see who those people were, but the very idea was frightening. What if she came face to face with them and they wanted to hurt her, or Barney?

Close to tears, Rosie decided that she and Barney would stay out of sight in the bushes and wait to see who might come out. Still, she was a little disturbed as to why the man would mention her father. Did the robbers know him? So many questions, and no answers.

As always, she softly consulted her loyal friend. ‘Barney, why do you think that man would be talking about Daddy?’

When Barney softly licked her hand, as though consoling her, she wrapped her arms about his broad, silky neck, and whispered in his ear, ‘Oh, Barney! I need my daddy. Where is he? What’s happened to him?’

Tears were very close.

Inside the barn, Tom Stevens grew increasingly impatient. He was anxious for Molly to tell the exact same story as he did: that John Tanner found the two of them lying together in the hay. He flew into a rage and attacked Tom. But the fight got out of hand, and it soon became obvious that John Tanner meant to kill him. Afraid for his life, Tom had grabbed the spade and lashed out wildly, catching the other man a devastating blow on the head. He never meant to kill him; he was just desperate to get away. What happened was done in self-defence, pure and simple.

It was imperative that Molly stick to every detail of this story, and because he had offered to take the blame, Tom had to put all his trust in this woman whom he had loved for so many years.

They had agreed, when reporting the incident, Molly must not say that her husband was dead. Instead, she must simply tell them about the fight, and that her husband was lying unconscious on the ground; try as they might, they could not wake him.

Now, though, he glanced up to see that Molly was still lingering, her head turned to look on the face of her dead husband.

‘Molly, you need to go,’ he reminded her. ‘For pity’s sake, hurry!’

If there was a chance they might get away with murder, they must be seen to have called the ambulance straight away. He gave Molly a nudge and she glared at him in the half-light.

‘Don’t push me, Tom. I’m on my way.’

Tom was increasingly worried about the passage of time since John had been killed. ‘As I recall, there’s a telephone booth on the corner, just a minute or so along the path. It might be quicker to call the ambulance from there rather than go all the way up to the house through the yards and buildings.’

Molly nodded. ‘You’re right! It would be quicker.’

Now desperate to have it over and done with, Molly took off.

Crouching in the shrubbery, Rosie and the ever-loyal Barney were startled to hear the barn door creaking open.

‘Ssh!’ Rosie cautioned Barney.

Carefully shifting position, she peered through the bushes … and was astonished to find that the dark figure emerging from the barn was her mother. So what was she doing in the barn at this time of night? And who was the man she must have been inside with?

Terrified of being seen, Rosie grabbed Barney by the collar and softly drew back with him, while pressing a warning finger to her lips. Barney understood and, like the good friend he was, he followed her lead.

However, having also recognised Molly Tanner, he bent his head low and softly growled from the back of his throat.

‘No … ssh!’ Nervously chastising him, Rosie pulled him ever deeper into the shadows. Her mind was in turmoil. Why was her mother in the barn with some man? And where was her father?

Deeply suspicious, Rosie had half a mind to show herself to find out what was happening, although the idea of confronting her mother and the man in the barn was a daunting prospect. Yet she was desperate to know the whereabouts of her beloved father.

Confused, she took a moment to think.

Suddenly the tap-tap of heels against the concrete path signalled that her mother was drawing nearer. Taking hold of Barney’s collar, Rosie held him to her, but there was no need to caution him as he settled silently beside her. Sensing something very wrong, he followed her instincts to remain hidden although she was by now increasingly fearful.

Unaware that anyone had seen her coming out of the barn, Molly stopped for a moment to light a cigarette. ‘I’ll be glad when it’s all over,’ she muttered sourly. ‘I’m not altogether sure I can trust him. When it comes to the moment, I’m not sure Tom’ll be man enough to keep his word and take the blame for me.’

Taking a long drag on the cigarette, she suddenly stopped and listened. What the devil was that?

Going softly forward in the direction from where the sounds had come, she listened earnestly and, yes … there it was again: a kind of scuffling sound. ‘Who’s there?’ Reluctant to call again in case she startled Tom, she crept forward a little more, now deeply concerned that someone might have seen them inside the barn, or heard the plan she and Tom had agreed.

Standing still a moment, she called softly into the shadows: ‘I know you’re in there!’ She threw her cigarette butt down and ground it to dust beneath the sole of her shoe.

‘Who are you? What do you want?’ She waited and listened. But while all was now eerily silent, she sensed the presence of someone there … hiding in the bushes. Watching her every move.

Peering into the darkness, she took another step forward to issue a low but harsh warning: ‘If you know what’s good for you, you’d better show your face … right now!’ She stooped to pick up a small, fallen branch and threw it into the bushes, then listened.

She heard the branch crash through the undergrowth, and then the tumble of loose foliage, and then nothing. No shouts of injury, or fearful cries that might tell her she was right about someone hiding in there.

Yet still she waited, and watched. ‘Don’t make me come in after you,’ she warned softly. ‘Another minute, and I’m calling the police.’

A long moment passed before she stepped forward yet again, fearlessly peering into the darkness. ‘I can see you,’ she lied, keeping her voice low so as not to alert Tom inside the barn. ‘Come out now or I swear I’ll set the dogs on you. They’ll get you out all right, but you’ll be sure to get badly hurt in the process!’

Now highly nervous, she imagined she saw something move. Yes, there it was again, shifting about amongst the overgrown bushes. ‘Hey,’ she called softly, addressing the intruders as though she could actually see them, ‘whoever you are, show yourself. What the devil are you up to? Don’t you realise you’re trespassing on private property? What are you after? Answer me, dammit!’

Still no answer, but she was closer now. She could hear muted noises … whispers, and scratching sounds. Then nothing, only silence, occasionally penetrated by the familiar cry of foxes in the fields nearby.

Frustrated and angry, she reached out to bend the bracken aside. ‘If you don’t want me to call the police right now you had best come out. And this is your last warning. I have a gang of men working late in the barn. I only need to raise my voice and they’ll be in there after you!’

She stooped to pick up a chunk of fallen branch, which she flung deep into the bushes, causing a flurry of movement. When a small fallow deer shot out of the bushes and straight at her, she screamed so loud that Tom come running.

‘Molly, what the devil’s going on? I thought you’d be gone to the telephone by now.’

‘I was on my way when I heard something moving about in the bushes. I thought we had intruders, but it was that damned thing. Gave me a fright, it did!’ She brought his attention to the small deer, which was now running off towards the far yard.

‘Look, it’s pitch-black out there, and you never know who’s about,’ Tom said. ‘Why don’t you keep an eye on things here, and I’ll go phone for the ambulance? I don’t know about you, but I’m a bag o’ nerves. The sooner we get this business over and done with, the better.’

‘What?’ Molly rounded on him. ‘So you think I’m not capable of making a phone call, is that it?’

‘No, of course I don’t think that. It’s just that I was sure you’d already gone. Like I explained, it’s important we call for an ambulance as soon as possible. You know that as well as I do.’