‘Don’t you lie to me!’ Vince bellows, his face livid with blind fury.
‘I’m not lying!’ she screams ‘It’s the truth, I swear!’ Her head jerks back as he hits her.
‘Truth? You wouldn’t know the meaning of the bloody word’ Vince shoves her hard and she flies backwards into a wooden pedestal, her arms flailing as she falls, the Chinese vase smashing in pieces around her.
She lies whimpering, bloodied by the shards of porcelain.
‘You evil little bitch!’
‘They made me…’ she insists in a screech ‘She’s evil, not me’
‘Get up!’ he rages.
Lindsay stops crying, mute with terror as he lunges towards her.
‘I said bloody well get up!’ Vince yanks her by her arm, dragging her to standing.
She squeals as he pulls her through the remains of the vase. ‘Daddy, please…it’s true…it’s true…please don’t….please’ She cringes, holding up her arm to shield her head.
Vince pushes her into a chair and looms over her, his knuckles white as they grip the arms either side of her. ‘Tell me again!’
‘Nooo’ Lindsay crosses her wrists in front of her face, turning her head and drawing her knees up. ‘I love you, Daddy, don’t hurt me’
‘Tell me again!’
‘…they wanted those men to kill Nathan’ she whimpers, flinching in expectation of another blow.
‘Why?’
‘Too many questions’ she sobs ‘He made you ask too many questions. Daddy, please….I know…it’s…my…fault…but I liked him’
‘Danielle…tell me more about Danielle.’
‘Nooo…’ Lindsay snivels, her nose running and mixing with her tears, streaking her cheek as she wipes it with the back of her hand. ‘They’ll kill… me… too…when they find out I’ve told …I wanted to say before….honestly I did’ She pulls her knees to her chest, cowering as far away from him as she can as he lets go of the arms of the chair and stands up.
Vince turns and walks with a heavy tread to the window, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort of drawing breath past the knot of anger in his chest. He reaches for a cigar from the box on the table at his side and stands staring into the garden.
‘Why the hell didn’t you?’
Lindsay lifts her head from her knees, somehow gaining comfort and reassurance from the smell of the cigar ‘Because you wouldn’t have believed me…like now’
‘So why tell me at all?’
‘I didn’t know they could get people killed! Nathan was nice to me…I didn’t want him hurt…’
‘They, being Roy and Danielle?’ Vince asks, his back still turned.
‘Yes’ she whispers.
‘And all you’ve told me…the drugs…going with men…taking my money…her and Roy from before she met me…that’s all true?’
‘Yes, Daddy…I promise it’s true’
‘Why, Lindsay?’
‘Why?’ she asks nervously, not understanding and terrified a wrong answer will send him into a rage again.
‘You were my little girl….’ Vince growls his revulsion. His turned back a screen between her and the emotion on his face.
‘I still am…’ Lindsay whimpers; her face contorted with the pain of the perceived rejection.
‘Then why…why get involved in all this…. How did it all happen?’
‘I don’t know’ she whines, starting to sob again ‘it felt…she treated me like…we were equals. I wanted to…’ Her words are lost as she curls against her knees again, crying hard.
Vince swallows ‘And then it was too late….the drugs?’
‘Yee-ees’
He turns and walks back to her. ‘How much do you know?’
Lindsay recoils. ‘Daddy…no…please. You asked…’
‘How much?’
Lindsay’s chin quivers as she tries to form the words. ‘Everything…Daddy, please don’t hit me again…I won’t tell anyone…I won’t, I promise’
‘Go clean yourself up…get your coat’
‘Daddy?’ Lindsay stumbles from the chair, too scared to do anything but obey.
‘Lindsay?’ She stops and turns frightened eyes towards him. ‘I’m sorry’ he says, putting his arms around her trembling shoulders. ‘I let you down…I’m sorry for… everything. I’ll make it up to you’ Vince holds her for a few minutes, his eyes closed and breathing deeply, thinking through his decision once more ‘I want you to tell the police all you know…Ok?’
She lifts her face ‘But they’ll arrest me too’
‘No…no they won’t…I’ll see they don’t. Go get cleaned up….’
Glebe House,
Woodbury Margins
Chapter Five
Tawny House, Manor Road
Kester stirs as Harriet drapes the duvet over both him and Helen as they lay curled together on the sofa.
‘She’s exhausted’ Harriet whispers
‘Not surprised’ Kester murmurs in reply, turning his head slightly and pulling in his chin to his chest in an attempt to look down to where Helen lays nestled against the towelling of his robe.
Harriet reaches out and places her hand at the side of his face, blinking away a film of proud tears. She smiles ‘I needn’t have worried’
‘The bastards’ he hisses ‘….both of them’
Harriet nods and puts a finger to her lips. ‘Don’t wake her’ she says quietly ‘Are you ok here? I thought perhaps she should stay. I don’t think she should be alone right now’
‘I’ll look after her’ Kester vows ‘don’t worry…but what about ….’ He lifts his eyes.
‘Mrs. Shepherd still has a key, I telephoned her’
‘Okay…I’ll tell her that when she wakes up. You didn’t say anything to her about…’
Harriet shakes her head ‘Of course not…only that Helen was unwell. I’m going back to the house now; I have some more calls to make. Will you be alright? Are you hungry?’
Kester shakes his head and eases the arm that Helen is laying against, flexing his cramped fingers before curling it around her again. ‘We….will be fine’
Harriet smiles at the emphasis on the word ‘we’ and bends to kiss Kester’s forehead ‘Call if you need me’ she whispers. She dims the lights as she leaves.
Flo's Nightclub, Woodbury
‘Oh don’t talk such bollocks! This is Lindsay, isn’t it? I wondered why she hadn't turned up. What’s the little cow been saying now?’ Danielle Wilson laughs, picking up the large 1960’s style table lighter from the desk and lighting her cigarette. She exhales the smoke on another laugh. ‘You lot know her from old. You know what a problem she is. I gave her a bollocking over nicking from the safe and she’s trying to stir trouble, that’s all. It’s just like I told you when you came before. I know nothing about this business with Nathan Samms’
‘As far as I am aware, your stepdaughter isn’t your biggest problem, Mrs. Wilson…or should I be calling you Denton?’ Detective Inspector Mark Pargeter shares a sardonic but satisfied smile with his sergeant. ‘But we can talk more about that down at the station can’t we? I am arresting you in connection with the attempted murder of Nathan Samms…..You are not obliged to say anything….
