by Mark Stewart
“JAMES, IT’S time to start work.”
Eloise stood at the foot of the bed watching the sleeping man. The morning sunlight already beamed a bright line across his face.
James managed to open an eye. Through blurred vision, he found a woman staring at him. He moved his head so he could focus on the green crystal numbers on the digital clock next to the bed.
“Do you know what time it is?” he croaked.
“Of course, I do, it’s six in the morning. The best time to start writing.”
Burying his head deeper into the pillow, James pushed the sides of his head hoping the act might stop the throbbing. “How did you get in?”
“I found the door unlocked. You should be more careful. Anyone could walk in.”
“I closed it after I came home this morning,” whispered James.
“You obviously forgot to lock the door.”
James hauled his naked body out of the bed. Forgetting the fact, he wasn’t dressed he stumbled out of the room towards the kitchen.
Eloise covered her eyes, following him.
“Coffee?” he croaked. James reached for the kettle, flicking the on switch.
“No thanks, I don’t drink coffee,” replied Eloise, giggling.
“I do. I can’t start the day before I’ve gulped down at least one full mug of coffee.”
“If I were to make a wild guess I’d say you don’t think too clearly before you’ve swallowed at least two full mugs of the tar-like brew.”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, James yawned. “I had a late night.”
“Yes, I know. The small restaurant seemed nice,” remarked Eloise. “Who did you invite to dinner?”
“A lovely young lady,” replied James. “She’s a writer just like me.” He stopped pouring crushed coffee beans into a mug to stare at Eloise. “How did you know we went out for dinner?”
“Another wild guess,” answered Eloise. “What have I told you about writing?”
“I can’t remember.” James swallowed the cold mug of coffee and poured another. He lifted his hand to rub his throbbing temple. “I honestly can’t remember.”
“While you’re having the second cup of coffee, think about it. By the way, do you want to go put some clothes on?”
James’ protruding eyes painted a grin on Eloise’s face. She watched him snatch a dishcloth from the sink before sprinting back into the bedroom. A few minutes later he came out of the room wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. He stood in front of Eloise displaying a red face.
“I apologize,” he whispered.
“It’s quite okay. I must admit I haven’t seen a naked man for a number of years. Tell me about this lovely lady. Did you give her a kiss goodnight?”
“Yes, I did. The sky happened to be lightening when I leaned in for a kiss. It’s uncanny how she leaned in at the same time. It was like she expected a kiss.”
“Good for you,” blurted Eloise. “You didn’t answer my question about writing.”
“Did I tell you she’s a writer too?”
“Yes.” Eloise sat at the table clasping her hands together. She didn’t look too pleased.
“Have I said something wrong?”
“You have yet to answer my question.”
“Suspense,” replied James. “It’s about the delivery.”
“This is different. You’ve plainly forgotten what I’ve taught you.”
James sat opposite Eloise looking into her eyes. His brain felt like he was still in a fog with patches of sunlight seeping through.
“James Buxton, how on earth are you going to be a more successful writer if you can’t remember what I’m teaching you?”
“I have to view myself as an author.”
“Now you’re starting to learn.”
“It must be the coffee kicking in.”
“Tell the young lady you took to dinner last night she has to believe in herself too. I want you to teach her what I’m teaching you. When she sees the light her writer’s block will vanish, never to return.”
“How do you know about Mia?”
“Another lucky guess,” whispered Eloise, showing a snappy grin.
“You’re having a lot of lucky guesses. Do you want to enlighten me about them?”
“At this moment, no,” said Eloise, abruptly. “It’s about the suspense James. If I tell you everything too soon what’s there to look forward to?”
James hauled himself from the seat and walked into the kitchen to pour another mug of coffee. He gulped half of the cooling brew, refilled the mug before wandering back to sit in front of the laptop. James reached out, pushing the on button. In a few seconds, exactly where they got up to the previous day came on the screen. James put the coffee mug down.
“I’m ready. Can you remember where you were up to in the story?”
“I know exactly where I got up to.”
James lowered his fingers to the keyboard. “Start talking.”
“We can move the story along a few months. It’s now 14th of August 1939AD. Don’t forget to write in the third person.”
James glanced sideways at Eloise. “Thanks for reminding me. By the way, your hair seems a little longer and not so grey today.”
“It must be the light coming in through the window.”
“Or I must still be tired.”
Eloise sighed before continuing her story.
“Lilly’s days drifted into months, still the bullet making machine turned. Every so often it broke down. She’d groan and go find the maintenance man. He’d adjust the internal bicycle chain then restart the machine.
One particular cold rainy morning the machine broke around 9:00am. On the way to finding the maintenance man, one of the other ladies on cleaning duty grabbed Lilly by the arm, pulling her into the small narrow cleaner’s shed.
“Suzie what’s wrong?” asked Lilly.
“Mr. Carlisle has been watching you.”
“So, he’s the boss,” stated Lilly.
“He’s been watching you with his eyes.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Lilly Barrett, do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Please. Do.” Looking directly into Suzie’s eyes, Lilly noticed her calmness was gone, replaced by a frantic expression. “What’s wrong? We’ve known each other for months now. If you tell me what’s bothering, you, I promise to keep it a secret.”
“I started here two weeks before you did,” whispered Suzie. “You’ve been kind to me.”
“Tell me what’s wrong?”
“Carlisle thinks just because the men are overseas he can have his pick of women. He lures them into his office before making his move. A pretty girl like you, I’m surprised he hasn’t tried yet. Though I guess he hasn’t grown bored with me.”
“Surely you’re not saying he expects to have sex with every lady in the factory?” questioned Lilly.
“It’s exactly what I’m conveying. I’ve done lots of research on Carlisle. I’ve been watching and writing down everything he does. He only puts the good-looking women on. He waits for the time they have settled into the job and get used to the money rolling in before he makes his move. The first thing he does is to call them to his office. After locking the door, he blackmails every girl into agreeing to have sex. I’ve talked to the other girls. He’s had sex with each one in date order.”
“Why don’t they leave? Tell the police?”
“A few have tried. The cops give a standard answer. There’s a war on. A few days later the girls vanish.”
Lilly clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle a scream. She glanced around the factory floor hoping no one could hear their conversation before refocusing on Suzie.
“What about you?” Lilly questioned.
“He cornered me in his office two weeks ago. I’m the fifteenth in date order. I’m one hundred percent right. The moment he’s finished screwing me, you’re next in line. After you, the new girl he employed yesterday is next.”
“Have you warned her?”
“No, not yet. She’s safe for a couple of weeks yet. Lilly, you have to promise me you won’t tell a soul about what I’m going to say.”
Lilly looked Suzie square in the eyes. “I don’t gossip. What you tell me I will never repeat. I’ll take it to my grave.”
Suzie darted her head left then right to make sure there was still nobody in earshot, especially Carlisle. She cupped her hand around her mouth, whispering in Lilly’s ear.
“I’m pregnant. It’s Carlisle’s baby.”
Staring at Suzie, Lilly swallowed the vomit in her throat. Trying to play down the accusation she said quickly.
“Are you, positive it’s his? Maybe the baby is actually your husband’s?’
“Eric left for the Mediterranean Sea fifteen weeks ago. It’s definitely Carlisle’s.”
“What will you do?”
“I’ve decided I must have the baby,” whispered Suzie.
“Maybe you should confront Carlisle. Convince him the baby is his.”
“He’ll deny the whole thing.”
“He won’t when you’re holding a baby in your arms.”
“He’ll say it’s my husband’s baby.”
“Explain it to his wife.”
“I’ll get the same result,” moaned Suzie. “If I leave this place I’ll have no money coming in. If I try to explain what happened to the cops, they don’t care. I certainly don’t want to end up like the other girls; underwater, weighed down by a heavy chain.”
“How do you know it happens like that? Not one of the missing women has ever been found.”
“I do know,” spat Suzie. “I went to the police three days ago to make a statement about what Carlisle is up to. The cop I’d been talking to was called away. I saw an official looking paper on the desk so I picked it up. The police report under it had a photo of one of the girl’s who went missing three weeks after she started in this factory. The report read; a fisherman found her underwater at the end of the pier, weighed down by a thick chain.”
Lilly stared directly at Suzie. She didn’t want to see her dead or hear Carlisle got away with raping the female workers or worse; murder.
“There has to be something we can do,” whispered Lilly.
“Yes, there is.”
“Tell me,” urged Lilly. “Suzie, you know I’ll help in any way I can.”
Seeing the new girl walking their way, Suzie quickly pushed Lilly further into the cleaner’s shed. They waited patiently for the young single woman to walk past before continuing their conversation.
“You have to double promise me what you’re about to hear you will never repeat. If you say anything to anyone I’ll be in so much trouble. I might even go to prison.”
“I promise,” whispered Lilly. “I’ve already told you I’ll take what you say to my grave.”
Suzie started to tremble. Lilly reached out to give a caring hug.
“It’ll be okay,” she said. “I’ll help you get through this. I’ll stick by you come what may.”
Closing her eyes, Suzie nodded. “Thanks. I need a real friend right now.”
“You can count on me,” insisted Lilly.
For the umpteenth time, Suzie studied the factory floor. Lilly did too. Everyone looked to be uninterested in the two ladies gasbagging inside the cleaner’s shed.
“It’s almost smoko,” mentioned Suzie, fiddling with the inside of her pockets.
“Stop stalling. Tell me what you’re thinking?”
Suzie sighed heavily. When she stared directly into Lilly’s eyes her face looked hard. Every friendly line on her face vanished. Her eyes appeared lifeless. Lilly felt shocked at her cold heartless expression and a little nervous at the news she was about to hear.
“I’m going to kill the bastard.”
Lilly took a moment to digest the six words. She summed up Suzie as not making a practical joke. This was no laughing matter. She looked hell bent on seeing the six words she just spoke brought forward into reality very soon.
“How?” stammered Lilly.
“It will look like an accident. I’ve talked to my brother. He’s agreed to help. I have already stated I’ve been recording everything Carlisle does in the day and when he does it. I believe I’ve thought up the perfect plan.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“I need your help for it to work.”
Lilly back stepped away. Suzie grabbed her, pushing Lilly into the back corner.
“Let me go. I can never be involved in anything so horrendous. Besides, I need this job. I’m like you. No job, no money. What will your husband say if he finds out?”
“He won’t. I’ll be saying the baby’s his. I’ll keep the secret all my living days. If Carlisle isn’t stopped, he’ll keep screwing the workers. Who knows how long the war will last. Lilly, I don’t want to end up dead like the other girl.”
“Surely there’s another way?”
“There is no other way,” spat Suzie.
“There has to be, you just haven’t found it yet.”
“You’re my only hope. Before leaving to go home today, consider my idea. Remember, you’re next on Carlisle’s list.”
“Maybe you’re wrong.”
Suzie shook her head slowly. “I’m not wrong.”
“The bastard,” spat Lilly, sounding colder by the minute.
“I’ll tell you what to do, keep an open mind about my plan. If it’s true and I know it is Carlisle will make his move on you real soon.”
The girls heard the maintenance man walking along the corridor. It was a good thing he always grumbled over anything. His presence rang the alarm bells.
“Think about what I asked,” whispered Suzie.
Lilly noted her friend looked panic stricken. Her hands were trembling faster as she pushed her long hair behind her ears.
Before ending the conversation, Suzie whispered. “Don’t tell my secret.”
Lilly stepped from the cleaner’s shed in time to bump into the maintenance man.
“You scared me half to death,” yelped Mr. Smith holding his chest. “I must have a strong heart. You ladies scare me every day in one way or the other.”
“Sorry,” blurted Suzie stepping from the cleaner’s shed. She gave Lilly a stern look before marching off to the other side of the factory.
“I’m sorry too; I thought you might be in the shed. The way you move around this factory so fast you resemble a twenty-four-year-old,” remarked Lilly.
“Bribery will get you everywhere. What is it this time?”
“The bullet machine has stopped working again.”
“Again?” echoed Mr. Smith. Checking his watch, he grumbled. “It’s nearly smoko time. I’ll fix the globe in the women’s toilets after I’ve fixed the machine. Carlisle says the Old Clunker has priority.”
“Mr. Smith, can I watch?” asked Lilly. “If you teach me, I’ll be able to fix it myself instead of calling you.”
“I doubt if a woman can grasp the internal workings or appreciate their function.”
“I’m not trying to take your job away. I’m thinking it’ll lighten the workload so you don’t have to walk around this factory as much. I’ve noticed your limp seems to be getting worse.”
Old Mr. Smith scratched his balding head. “I wouldn’t mind slowing down. Nobody knows this; it’s my seventy-ninth birthday tomorrow.”
“Happy birthday,” sang Lilly. “I’ve been misinformed by someone who told me you are only seventy-four.”
“I’ll take your words as a compliment. Lately, I’ve been feeling at least a hundred.”
Lilly gave Mr. Smith a kiss on the cheek for a birthday present.
“How can I say no? Come on, I’ll give you a guided tour of the machine.”
Mr. Smith carried his small tool box and led the way to Lilly’s machine. After making sure Mr. Carlisle wasn’t around he got to work. Lilly listened intently to his explanation of what each part did on the machine. Even thou
gh Mr. Smith couldn’t be sure Lilly understood the internal workings of the machine she lovingly renamed the ‘Old Clunker,’ he felt a deep sense of pride he could relay to someone what he knew.
“You’d have made a great teacher,” hinted Lilly, out of the blue.
Mr. Smith glanced sideways at her. He lifted his hand, smudging grease on the end of Lilly’s nose. He laughed at the way his only pupil giggled.
Finally, he began to explain what went wrong.
“To stop the chain from rattling then falling off the sprocket you must turn the adjustment knob on the inside of the machine.”
“Why can’t you replace the old chain with a new one?”
“Lilly, there’s a war on. This factory runs on rags for replacement parts. Carlisle has been informed don’t ask for spare parts, in turn, he’s told me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing. It keeps me in a job, though it’s getting harder to keep these old machines working.”
Mr. Smith banged the square green cover closed. Straightening, he pointed his finger directly at Lilly’s face. He displayed a cold uncaring expression, quite the opposite to his friendly attitude for the past fifteen minutes. Lilly felt somewhat taken-a-back at the look.
“Let me give you a timely warning about this machine or any other in this factory. I don’t want to see you ever put a finger inside a machine while it’s moving. If you’re brave enough to do what I just did, it’s not hard. Make sure the power lead to the machine has been pulled out of the wall socket. If I catch you not heeding my warning, I’ll foot you up the arse. Do I make myself crystal clear?”
Lilly felt like her feet were frozen to the floor. She’d never heard Mr. Smith speak so angrily before. She could feel his eyes boring a hole into her brain. She loathed the feeling. Slowly Lilly managed to complete three feeble nods.
Mr. Smith winked to lighten the moment. “I’m sorry I talked so harshly to you.” He lifted his left hand to show her the reason why. “I learned the hard way. My middle finger was ripped off when I worked on this exact machine thirty years ago. Of course, it wasn’t the ‘Old Clunker’ back then. I was in a rush to fix the machine so I could get to another and I forgot to turn the power off at the wall. I took a short cut. I paid the price.” Reaching for Lilly’s hand, he lifted it to eye level. “I’d be unhappy for the remainder of my days if I saw a missing finger on one of your soft beautiful hands.” He leaned slightly forward, kissing her knuckles. He smiled warmly at Lilly’s startled face before pushing past her, rushing off to fix the light globe in the women’s toilet.
Lilly needed to adjust the Old Clunker to stop the rattle a couple of times over the next hour. When she opened, the back cover, the third time she stood staring at the inner workings trying to think of a way to fix it permanently without the need to talk to Carlisle. Marching off to the spare parts storeroom she spied a small tin of paint. She grabbed it and a screwdriver before trotting back to the old bullet making machine. She dabbed a small amount of paint on the chain every six inches. When she finally moved the chain a full lap she started the second lap. This time, she counted the number of white dots so she knew the exact length of the chain.
“Three-foot ten inches,” she whispered. “I’m sure it’s the same length as my new bicycle chain. When it’s lunch time I’ll go out, get the chain off my bike and replace the chain in the Old Clunker. I’ll have to walk home, but at least if this works the machine will be permanently fixed.”
Lilly closed the back cover and pushed the start button, quickly settling into an easy rhythm. Her fourth wooden box for the day looked to be almost full when she spied Carlisle staring at her. She felt as though his perving eyes were undressing her. The moment he started to walk across the dirty concrete floor she began to panic. Every muscle in Lilly’s back instantly tightened, sending a cold shiver down her spine. She could feel her heart pounding harder forcing her head to throb. Using her peripheral vision Lilly saw Carlisle not more than ten feet away. She gulped down the lump in her throat. Her cheeks drained of colour.
“Have you seen Suzie?” Carlisle called.
“She’s not well,” blurted Lilly, not looking at him. “She’s in the loo throwing up.”
Carlisle turned his head towards the women’s toilet block. He looked to be teetering on whether to go and investigate. Finally, he grumbled.
“I want to see you in my office.”
He waited for Lilly to power down the bullet making machine before leading the way along the narrow corridor. Lilly felt like she was being escorted to jail where she’d be interrogated, or worse, tortured into telling any secrets she knew. Suzie’s warning made her headache feel worse. Her footsteps seemed distant. The noise her boots made swirled around inside her brain. She saw Carlisle open the door to his office. His smirk appeared evil. He watched Lilly enter the room before slamming the door shut. The last thing Lilly saw was Stella’s concerned face.
Waiting for Carlisle to walk behind his desk, Lilly wondered if Stella knew what might have happened to the other women. If so, why didn’t she warn her or the others of the danger of working in the factory? She decided Carlisle might be blackmailing her into silence. Before he spoke, Lilly made up her mind Suzie must be correct. Still, she needed the proof before committing herself to Suzie’s plan.
“Take a seat,” whispered Carlisle, pointing at the chair opposite him.
Lilly sat on her hands in an attempt to hide her nervousness. A nerve in her leg twitched several times before she could cross her legs to block the feeling. She watched Carlisle step over to the window. For a long time, he stared outside.
“There’s a war going on,” he said finally. “Over the past twelve weeks you’ve settled into the job nicely. I’m most impressed.” Carlisle returned to his desk. He flopped onto the seat looking directly at Lilly. “I love the colour of your green eyes. They have a shine to them.” He leaned sideways, opening the top drawer of his desk, pulling out three one pound notes. He placed them on the desktop under Lilly’s nose one at a time. “A bonus,” he remarked. “It’s not much, but you deserve it. There is another two pounds if you do what I ask. Five pounds will set you up for quite a while. The money will help you to buy a new dress, maybe get your hair curled. A beautiful woman like you should have nice things.”
Lilly saw Carlisle stand. She watched him walk over to the door. She heard the lock click.
“You have needs, so do I,” he whispered.
Carlisle strolled over to where Lilly sat. Placing his hands on her shoulders he gave her neck a quick massage. She stiffened at his touch.
“I’m not that kind of girl.”
“Yes, you are.”
Lilly felt him lean into her. She saw his hands move down her arms before groping for her breasts.
Shocked at knowing Suzie’s story was absolutely correct, Lilly jumped to her feet. Trembling from head to foot from a mixture of embarrassment and rage she glared directly at Carlisle.
“Stay away from me,” she spat. “I need to work. I don’t want to be bullied by you.”
“Ask yourself why you got the job in the first place? I’m not a bad person. I have a contract to supply weapons and bullets for the war. I believe I’m keeping up my end.”
“Not with me you’re not.”
“When you go home tonight have a really good think about it. I’ll see you tomorrow. Let me warn you, if you don’t turn up for work I have two hundred women who want your job. No work means no money to pay bills. I can guarantee you’ll be at the local whore house inside a week. If you volunteer to have me seven times, I promise you’ll have a job in my factory for the duration of the war.”
“What happens after the war?”
“The men come back, they take your jobs and you go back to cooking, cleaning, keeping house like good little wives. I’ll never tell a soul about us. If you want to go to the police, by all means go. They’ve come here many times. They’ll say to you there’s a war on. When you work at the whore house you might even see a few
coppas. It’ll be easier for you to come to me willingly than never to be able to work anywhere in Melbourne. Let me explain. I have plenty of friends who run a lot of factories around here. I meet them at the local pub three times each week. We have a few laughs and swap the names of the young ladies who are willing participants in our little idea. We also jot down the names of the ladies who disagree. They’re the ones who want to cause trouble. When they leave the job they’re in to search for another they don’t get employed.”
“You blackmail innocent young women into having sex so you can go on enjoying a love game?”
“Blackmail is such a harsh word,” taunted Carlisle, sarcastically.
“You’re a demented man.”
“Be very careful of your hurtful accusations. The last woman who said, no, to the love game lost her life accidentally falling off the end of the pier.”
“Weighed down by a heavy chain?” questioned Lilly.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. The police even reported her death to be an accident.”
Carlisle ran his fingers through Lilly’s long mouse-coloured hair. Lifting a generous handful, he smelt the strands slipping through his fingers. Again, he groped for her breast.
Lilly pulled away. She gave him one last horrid stare before marching to the door.
“I’ll have you the moment lunch is over tomorrow,” taunted Carlisle. “Don’t be late.”
Lilly threw open the door. She ran along the corridor back to her machine, fuming on the inside. Powering up the Old Clunker, she watched it slowly turn for a few minutes before flicking the power button off, deciding instead to search of Suzie.
Lilly found her talking to one of Carlisle’s newest recruits. She looked to be a pretty little thing; long blonde hair, hazel eyes, slightly shorter than Carlisle. She seemed to have the qualities he loved in a woman; desperate to find a job and enthusiastic at finally landing full-time work.
Suzie saw the thunderstorm etched on Lilly’s face before she arrived. She quickly dismissed the new girl by saying if you have any more questions let me know, I’ll be over at dispatch.
Lilly took hold of Suzie’s arm, pulling her towards the narrow dead side of the factory where sheets of metal were dumped and long weeds grew up the side of the fence. Lilly shouldered the rusty narrow door. The moment Suzie stepped outside, Lilly slammed the door shut.
“I told you,” scolded Suzie. “The minute I saw you following Carlisle to his office I knew what you were in for.”
“How did you know the reason why I tracked you down? For all you know I’ve told Carlisle what you’re planning.”
“I can see it on your face. You also told me you’d take my secret to your grave.”
“If I allow him to screw me, what does it make me?”
“Worse than a prostitute,” blurted Suzie. “I still feel dirty even after I’ve scrubbed my skin red raw in the shower. Lilly, I can still feel him.” She spat at the closest weed, lifted her foot and stepped on the yellow daisy flower growing out of the center. “I wish I could do that to his head.”
“If I don’t let him screw me I’m out of a job.”
“Correct,” snarled Suzie.
“If I can’t earn enough money there’s no way I can pay for bills let alone food. If something breaks in the house I need money to fix it. Winter is on the way. No money means I won’t be able to buy wood or briquettes for the open fire.”
“Look at it from my point of view. If Carlisle finds out I’m pregnant I’ll lose my life. Two women have already gone missing from this place; I don’t want to be the third. At least he hasn’t screwed you yet.” Suzie studied Lilly’s face more closely. “Please tell me he hasn’t.”
“No. He expects to screw me tomorrow,” growled Lilly. “Carlisle told me the police found one of the ladies at the end of the pier. They reported her death as accidental. I can’t see how they decided on that solution when you told me she’d been wrapped in a heavy chain.”
“Did he mention she was pregnant?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“The bastard,” spat Suzie. “After I warned her not to say anything she went and told him. If I don’t put a stop to Carlisle, I’ll never see the birth of my baby.”
“I’m in,” whispered Lilly, seriously. “I won’t stand by and have women used as meat for a man’s pleasure. The sooner he arrives at the pearly gates to explain his reason for screwing women and murdering them the happier this workplace will be. There’s only one thing; he has to die early tomorrow.”
“What time does he expect to screw you?” asked Suzie.
“Tomorrow straight after lunch,” informed Lilly. “Just thinking about him touching me makes me want to throw up. He also warned me not to be late.”
“Okay, lunch tomorrow will be the time he dies,” jeered Suzie.
“How will it happen, exactly?”
“I need you to fill a small paper bag with gunpowder. I won’t be able to do it so it’s up to you.”
“Once I fill the bag what’s next?” asked Lilly.
Suzie whispered in her ear the exact idea.
Lilly returned an approving nod. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my part. Make sure your brother is here before noon.”
“He’ll be here,” Suzie insisted.
CHAPTER SIX
