Somewhere to Hide (The Estate, Book 1) (25 page)

‘What time is your furniture arriving?’

‘Anytime from nine until midday. I’m so grateful for Josie’s help.’

Josie had put Liz in touch with a place that sold second-hand furniture. For a small fee and proof that she was claiming benefits, she could take away as much as she wanted. Josie had warned her that sometimes the donations weren’t up to much but other times she’d seen people come away with some wonderful items. Liz had trotted off with a list and apart from a coffee table had got the lot: double bed, single bed, wardrobes, drawers, small table and chairs that folded up out of the way, bookcase for Chloe and a wall unit for the living room, washing machine, cooker, small television and a nearly-new, grey, dralon three-piece suite. Not exactly the colour she would choose but the quality was superb. And although most things weren’t up to much in the fashion stakes, everything was clean and tidy. She’d even spotted a mirror and a couple of table lamps.

‘Praise the Lord for decent people who donate what they no longer require,’ she added with a grin.

‘I’m going to miss you so much,’ Cathy said suddenly. ‘It’s been great having you around.’

‘Even though I brought along an eight-year-old maniac and a wayward husband?’

‘Works both ways.’ Cathy nodded. ‘Didn’t I say welcome to the mad house when you first came to stay?’

Liz faltered. It seemed such a long time since she’d first arrived at Cathy’s house yet the mention of her vulnerability was enough for all the fear to come flooding back.

‘Do you think I was right to get away, Cath?’ she asked now, in a voice similar to Chloe’s when she was at fault.

Cathy sat forward and covered Liz’s hand with her own. ‘Of course! It took a lot of courage to do what you did. Why do you think it was wrong?’

‘I thought I could forget him if he wasn’t around to remind me. But the memories came with me. Not to mention the man himself. I can’t stop thinking about him, yet I know that I don’t want to be with him anymore. It’s like his ghost is following me around. Watching my every move in case I do something he disapproves of. Every time I go out, I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting him to pounce on me. Do you think he’ll ever give up?’

 Cathy shrugged. ‘I don’t know, Liz. My experience over the years hasn’t taught me how to anticipate these things because every man I’ve dealt with has been different. I’ve only had a couple who have gone on for a while, though. Maybe Kevin will get fed up eventually.’

‘You’re such a good listener,’ Liz told her, which brought her neatly onto the subject that was intriguing her. ‘I think you would have made a great mum. It’s a shame you and Rich didn’t have any children.’

Cathy endeavoured not to look too sad as she tried to explain some of the pain in her heart. ‘We did try for years before he died but nothing happened.’ She went off into a world of her own, her eyes glistening as she thought about what might have been. Especially if she had told him about Simon. Why hadn’t she told him!

Liz realised that she’d touched a nerve. She smiled at Cathy to make amends. ‘Thanks for listening to me going on. I’m still getting used to everything changing. It’s good to have someone to confide in.’

Cathy stood up and suddenly Liz was hugging her.

‘You’re only moving five minutes away,’ she said, wiping away a tear. ‘You can come back as often as you like.’

‘Don’t say that!’ said Liz. ‘If you say it too many times, I might have to stay here. It will be much – what’s the matter?’

‘Sorry.’ Cathy had gone to turn the radio up. ‘There’s something going on at Cookson’s Factory down the road. I’m sure I heard that someone’s been murdered.’ As the hourly broadcast moved on to the next story, she switched on the television to see if the story had caught the morning’s news.

Becky heard Liz go downstairs but didn’t want to get out of bed just yet. But ten minutes later, when Liz came back up to her room, she stretched and decided that she might as well get up.

‘Morning, Cath.’ She yawned loudly before plonking herself down beside her at the table.

‘Morning.’ Cathy kept her eyes on the television.

‘What’s up?’

‘Someone local’s been murdered. I’m looking to see if it’s anyone I know.’

‘Cathy!’ said Becky. ‘That’s so morbid.’

‘Everyone’s interested in something when it happens on their doorstep. It’s a local factory – Cookson’s. It’s not far from here. A security guard was shot last night.’

Becky gulped. She knew exactly how far away it was.

They sat in silence, both engrossed as they watched
Sky
News
. The man was reported to be in his forties, had worked at the factory for nine years and was rumoured to come from Stockleigh. He’d been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the leg. The reporter was saying there’d been an anonymous tip off by a member of the public.

A few minutes later, the news bulletin changed to another story. Cathy stood up.

‘Suppose I’d better get ready for my shift at the den,’ she said. ‘Do you want me to leave this on?’

Unable to speak, Becky nodded. She began to shake. This time it was she who kept her eyes peeled to the screen. But they soon filled with tears as it all became too much for her. Her skin tone changed to a sickly grey colour, eyes deep pools of horror.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Cathy, catching her eye.

‘I know who killed that security guard.’

‘Dear God!’ Cathy caught her breath. ‘I might have known one of you girls would be in the thick of things!’

‘No! Danny Bradley wanted me to help him but I wouldn’t. I left him there, I swear!’

Cathy sat down again. ‘Tell me everything,’ she said.

When the phone rang twenty minutes later, Cathy took it into the hallway. Becky dragged her knees up to her chest and balanced precariously on the chair. Stupid, stupid cow. What was wrong with her? First there was the business with Uncle James. Then there was the trauma of losing her baby. Now Danny Bradley had murdered someone. Would she always attract trouble, no matter where she went?

‘Was that the police?’ She looked up as Cathy came back into the room, trepidation plain to see in her eyes.

‘Yes. They already have Danny in custody. Andy says he can’t say much right now but Danny was found injured on site. He claims that he had nothing to do with the shooting, and he has come up with some cock-and-bull story. He says he was hit over the head and passed out. When he came round, the gun was in his hand. What the hell were you doing –?’

 ‘He had a gun?’ Becky stood up, her eyes widening in horror. ‘He had a
gun
!’

‘Yes, a flipping gun! Have you any idea who you’ve been messing around with? Danny Bradley is a troublemaker and –’

‘He had a gun?’ Becky repeated.

Cathy pursed her lips. ‘Don’t come all innocent with me and tell me that you didn’t know.’

‘I didn’t! Oh God, I – what happens if they think I’m involved? They’ll lock me up too and then I’ll get hooked on drugs and end up dying like Cheryl. I –’

‘Becky!’ Cathy placed her hands on the young girl’s shoulders to calm the hysteria that was mounting. ‘If you’re telling the truth, you have nothing to worry about.’

‘But if I grass him up, I’ll have all the Bradley family coming after me. They’re a bunch of nutters.’ She began to hyperventilate. ‘What if –’

‘Becky, calm down!’ Cathy looked her directly in the eye again. ‘Danny’s prints were all over the gun. And they’ve found his rucksack. Andy says he’ll need to talk to you.’

But Becky could only register one thing.

‘No.’ She shook her head furtively. ‘He’s a bit scary at times but he hasn’t got murder in him. He must have panicked or something.’ She shook her head again. ‘No, not Danny Bradley.’

Cathy relaxed a little as she realised the situation wasn’t as serious as she’d first thought for Becky. Danny Bradley was hardly in a position to plead not guilty. Maybe her evidence wouldn’t be needed in court. All she could do was put him there just before it happened and the incident itself did that anyway. Suddenly, despite the seriousness of the situation, she was finding it difficult to stop herself from smiling. Danny’s mother, Gina Bradley, would be furious. She couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. She needed to call Rose immediately. She wouldn’t want to miss –

Cathy stopped short. She couldn’t ring Rose. She was still in hospital.

‘What?’ Becky caught Cathy’s sorrow.

‘I was thinking about Rose.’

‘She will be okay, won’t she?’

‘No,’ Cathy replied truthfully. ‘Sue, her eldest daughter, rang me last night to say things weren’t improving. I don’t think she’ll be with us for much longer.’

The rest of the day turned out to be a mixture of hard work, laughter and tears. Cathy said her goodbyes to Rose, the hardest thing she’d done in a long time. She joined the others afterwards at Liz’s new flat and by mid afternoon she and Chloe were moved in. Copious amounts of tea and chocolate biscuits had been consumed. Liz and Cathy laughed as Jess and Becky struggled to shift the settee into its place and they both collapsed into it afterwards. And even though numerous clips of the goings-on at Cookson’s Factory were watched, neither Cathy nor Becky mentioned they knew anything about it.

Yet amidst the laughter, Cathy was on alert, waiting for the phone call. It arrived shortly after eight thirty that evening.

‘Is that you, Sue?’

‘Yes, Cathy,’ said Rose’s daughter. ‘Mum died half an hour ago.’

Although she thought she’d be devastated when she replaced the receiver, Cathy found herself flooded with relief. Tears fell with mixed emotions. Happy tears as she recalled joyful memories. Sad tears because she’d lost such a precious friend. Even still, she prayed in silence her thanks to the Lord who’d taken away Rose’s pain.

At the family’s request, Cathy had stayed away when she knew Rose was near to the end of her life. To her Rose would always be family, but that still didn’t give her the right to invade such an emotional, such a personal time. Besides, Rose had spent ample time with her since they’d met, so who was she to complain.

She poured a large whisky and took it out into the garden. Looking up to the sky, she smiled to herself as she let her tears fall. Rose would be with her husband,
Arthur, now and she knew she would be checking in to see if Rich was okay.

In respect, Cathy raised her glass in salute to the woman who she had loved more than her own mother.

‘God bless you, Rose Clarke,’ she whispered. ‘I’m going to miss you so much.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Becky was on her way to the shops to get a few things for Cathy when she heard footsteps behind her.

‘Hey, gorgeous!’

She swivelled round to see who was addressing her and smiled, her heart giving a flutter when she saw Austin running towards her. She hadn’t seen him since Danny had been charged last week.

‘I heard about Dan,’ he said. ‘Are you okay?’

‘No. It’s doing my head in. People keep thinking I was involved.’

‘But you weren’t, were you?’

‘No!’

‘Hey, just checking.’

Austin gave her a smile that made her insides do something most peculiar. She leaned on the garden wall of a nearby house.

‘Bet you never thought he’d do someone in.’ Austin sat down too. ‘Want to talk about it?’

Becky shook her head. She still didn’t think it was possible, even now. At first she’d blamed herself. If she’d flirted with the security guy, he might not be dead now. But eventually she’d realised that this was Danny’s fault, nothing to do with her.

‘I didn’t even know he had a gun,’ Becky admitted. ‘I’ve never seen it.’

‘He showed me lots of times.’

‘Did he?’

 ‘Yeah. He bragged about how he’d use it one day. I thought he was all talk. Just goes to show how wrong I was. Do you miss him now that he’s banged up on remand?’

‘Not anymore. He’s evil to do that.’

‘I know that he should have treated you better.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. He had the chance to be your man and he blew it. I would never waste an opportunity to get to know you better.’ Austin reached for her hand. ‘I think you’re beautiful.’

‘Really?’ Becky repeated, this time with a giggle.

‘Can I say something? You won’t get upset?’

Becky shrugged.

‘I always thought he was too good for you.’

Becky smiled. ‘Really?’ she said again.

Austin grinned back. ‘Really.’

‘Oh.’

‘So how about you and me going out some time soon?’

‘For crying out loud,’ Cathy muttered to no one in particular, shaky fingers having a battle to fasten the buttons on her black woollen jacket. She couldn’t believe it was the second time in just over a fortnight she’d had to wear it. Finally managing to squeeze the top one through its buttonhole, she pulled out the collar of her white shirt to complete the look. No matter how difficult it would be for her, she would have to put on a brave face today. Rose had been a good friend and there was only one way to pay her respects.