by K Leitch
Maya had gone out last night, more babysitting for her sister, or so she had said, Helen now knew that to be a lie. For some reason known only to Maya, she had been following that Craig O’Bruin and had somehow ended up being shot in the Marshall’s kitchen, and was now in surgery. Helen had no idea what she had been up to; it was obvious now that she had been lied to…a few times too. But she didn’t want to think about that now; she just needed Maya to be ok.
After what seemed like hours a doctor put his head round the door.
‘Mrs Drover?’ he asked and at Helen's nod he came in and sat down opposite her.
‘How is she doctor…she’s going to be ok isn’t she?’ said Helen as soon as he’d sat down.
‘Well as to that we are doing our best Mrs Drover, luckily for Ms Dronski the bullet failed to hit any major organs and we were able to recover it pretty easily. But she has lost a lot of blood and we always have the possibility of infection to worry about, so we’re not out of the woods yet. One piece of good news though, the baby seems to be completely unharmed, amazing I know but…are you ok Mrs Drover?’
The room began to spin round and Helen could feel herself going into a faint. The doctor grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her head down between her knees and kept her there until she began to feel the blood flowing back to her brain. She sat up slowly, mortified at showing such a display of emotion, the doctor handed her a glass of water.
‘Slowly…little sips that’s right…better?’ he asked kindly, Helen nodded.
‘Thank you…sorry,’ she began.
‘Oh don’t worry about that…happens all the time…stress you know. Anyway as I was saying she’s out of danger and she’ll be back down here quite soon, so you can sit with her for a little while…ok?’
Helen nodded again, ‘Thank you doctor…um and sorry again about…um.’
The doctor just smiled and went off in a hurry, leaving Helen to deal with this new and completely devastating revelation.
Helen felt as if her head might explode…Maya was pregnant, how the hell had that happened? And when, how far gone was she? And most important of all what did this mean for the two of them?
Helen sat staring into space; trying to calm herself down enough to be able to speak to Maya without screaming at her. There had to be a good explanation for all of the events of tonight Helen was sure, and as for the baby, well she had only known Maya for about four months so this must have happened before then…either that or Maya had been lying to her the whole time, and Helen just wasn’t prepared to accept that.
A nurse popped her head round the door a little while later to say that Maya was back from surgery and had been put on Hilda ward. She gave Helen the directions and Helen gathered up her things and the baby and started to walk the long corridors until she found the right ward. It was in the more modern part of the hospital, all light wood and pastel bed curtains and a nurse’s station at the entrance. Maya had been put in a side room on her own, she was told and Maya soon found it and went in.
She was shocked to see that Maya already had a couple of visitors. An older woman sat by the bed tears in her eyes holding Maya’s hand and speaking soothing words in Polish to her, or at least Helen presumed it was Polish; to be honest she wasn’t sure about anything at the moment. The other occupant of the room was a young girl of about 14 or 15, who looked very like Maya; Helen presumed these must be her mother and sister.
She smiled at them and was rewarded with a beaming smile back from both of them so she tried to introduce herself; she held her hand out to Maya’s mother.
‘Hello…I am Helen…Maya…um she…’ Helen couldn’t think what to say, I mean she couldn’t say “hi I’m Helen I’m sleeping with your daughter” could she and saying that she was Maya’s employer wasn’t right either. Luckily Maya’s mum interrupted her.
‘I know…Maya she talk of you much, so so much…you are good friend to my Maya…I am Lena, Maya’s mother,’ she held on to Helen's hand as she spoke squeezing it tightly, then smiling she looked over at Abby sleeping in her car seat, ‘and this is baby…Maya she is so happy…she talk me of baby…’ her eyes started welling up again as she looked at her daughter lying in the hospital bed. Helen could understand why, Maya looked for the world as if she had been laid out for a funeral, flat on her back with her hands at her sides, she looked deathly white too, apart from a bruise close to her eye which was turning purple.
Helen hid her own fears and gave her mother a hug, ‘I am sure she will be fine Mrs Dronski,’ she said kindly, ‘the doctors seem to think so anyway.’ Helen looked at the young girl who was sitting quietly on the other side of the bed, ‘and is this your other daughter?’ she asked.
‘No no this is granddaughter, Sophie...Sophie… Maya’s daughter.’ Sophie smiled again at Helen and nodded her head. Neither of them, mother or granddaughter, seemed to notice that Helen had been dealt another blow and was finding it difficult to breathe, how many more revelations could she take today? She tried to decide whether she should just walk away now, cut her losses and move on with her life, but then she looked over to the bed and straight into Maya’s open eyes. Maya had obviously woken just in time to hear what her mother had innocently revealed, and she was looking at Helen with such remorse in her eyes, pleading with her to forgive her and try and understand.
Helen smiled at her and went over to hold her hand.
‘Hello you,’ she said quietly, ‘well aren’t you full of surprises. I want you to tell me everything sweetheart, but it can all wait until you are feeling stronger…we need you to get better Maya, we all need you so much,’ and she bent down and kissed her wet cheek. It was no good, she was in this for the long haul…but she needed to know…everything.
CHAPTER 61 - CARLA
It had taken Carla all her powers of persuasion to talk Chief Inspector Drew into letting her interview Susan Marshall.
Everyone at the station had been knocked sideways by Ted’s death, and many of them would have enjoyed being left alone in a room with the woman for a few minutes.
So far Susan had been completely uncommunicative; after being taken to the hospital where she had been checked over and declared fit enough to interview, she had been brought back to the station, and had now been sitting silently in one of the interview rooms for the last hour or so. She hadn’t asked for a lawyer, or for a cup of tea or even the whereabouts of her children. She appeared to be in a state of shock, in which case it was not going to be easy to get anything out of her.
Carla felt like death warmed up; her eyes were like boiled eggs after crying for most of the night and her stomach was churning. But she was determined to speak to this woman; and find out for herself why Craig O’Bruin had been in her kitchen, why he had killed her husband and why she had then shot and killed her Sergeant. She also needed to know what, if anything, this had to do with the kidnapping of her son; surely it was too much of a coincidence that Mary O’Bruin, Craig’s sister had taken the boy, and had then been killed herself by her brother…no Carla didn’t believe in coincidences like that, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
So she splashed her face with water, re-applied her makeup and took a deep breath before meeting Chief inspector Drew outside the interview room. Rebecca Drew had insisted that if she allowed Carla to interview Susan then she too had to be present.
‘All set?’ she asked Carla kindly, Carla nodded and they both went in.
Susan barely registered their presence as they sat down opposite her; the recording device was switched on and both Carla and Rebecca introduced themselves to Susan, and asked her to state her name, which she did in a quiet voice.
‘Susan can you lead us through the events of last night…were you expecting Craig O’Bruin? How did you come to know him?’
Nothing.
Carla tried again, ‘You were spotted on a CCTV camera in Redbank arguing with Craig O’Bruin…can you tell us what that was about?’
No response, and so it went
on until finally Susan’s legal representative called a halt to the proceedings, stating that his client needed a break. They had been at it for two hours and they had nothing!
Carla went back to her office angry and frustrated, she was determined to find out what had led up to the death of her friend. She got herself a coffee from the machine and sat and thought for a few moments then she rang the hospital…Maya Dronski was out of danger; Carla grabbed her coat and headed for the door, let’s see what Miss Dronski had to say for herself.
Carla got a bit of a shock to see Helen sitting by Maya’s bedside holding her hand. All the events of the previous night had pushed all thoughts of how Maya’s injuries would affect Helen out of her head. Helen smiled warmly at her, but her smile began to fade when she saw how grim Carla was looking.
‘Carla I was so very sorry to hear about Ted…,’ she began.
‘Yes well in part that is why I’m here,’ said Carla briskly, she ignored Helen and turned to the girl in the bed. ‘Maya I need to ask you some questions; and I would advise you to be honest with me, I am in no mood for any more lies. Last night I lost a bloody good Sergeant and a wonderful friend and I need to know the reason why. He was following you…he had decided, quite rightly as it happened, that you hadn’t told us everything, and he was sure that you would lead us to Craig O’Bruin which indeed you did, now I need you to tell me how you knew O’Bruin and what in hell happened last night?’
‘Carla I don’t think…’ began Helen hotly, but Maya who had been holding her hand, squeezed it, ‘Is ok Helen…I need to tell, not just Carla, but you also I think.’ Helen sat down again clearly not pleased but overruled.
Maya tried to sit up a bit and then turned to Carla. ‘I first know Craig in Birmingham, I meet him in a bar…he is nice to me and we…you know…we are couple for a while. He asks me to move in his house…big mistake, I soon find out it is not a good place…it is brothel.’ Helen gasped and Maya turned to her, ‘I try to escape, but he find and he beats me…he is terrible man, he rapes and beats…it is fun for him you know?’ Helen squeezed her hand; I meet Mary there…she is not bad girl,’ Maya almost shouted at Carla. ‘She has such bad things happen to her, when she is 14 she has baby boy and they, Craig and Grandma, take from her and sell…they get so much money for babies, so they have lots of girls… sell lots of babies…it is wicked.
I take Mary and we run away, but Craig he is looking for us, always looking. I didn’t know Mary has found out where her baby is…she makes plans and takes him. She asks me for money for ticket to Ireland, I didn’t know…,’ she turned to Helen, tears streaming down her face, ‘believe me Helen I didn’t know…I give her money, but then…Craig finds her. I am so scared I know he will find me too. He did find me…and he was so angry, he is hitting me and saying he will tell Helen about brothel.’ Helen gasped again.
‘Oh Maya I wish you had told me, it wouldn’t have changed anything.’ Maya was shaking her head.
‘He says he will hurt you Helen…so I…’ she broke off then and Carla said, much more gently now.
‘You told him that Helen had some money in the house, didn’t you Maya?’
Maya nodded and broke down, ‘I am so sorry Helen…I was so scared…scared to lose you and I thought if he takes money he will go and we will be safe…but he is so stupid, I say come and take when you were having baby, but he comes when you are home and he hurts you…oh I want to kill him then…and then after he says about baby and I know I have to follow him…keep you and baby safe.’
‘What do you mean, what did he say about the baby?’ said Helen pulling little Abby closer to her.
‘Do you mean he threatened to steal Abby, Maya?’ asked Carla, Maya nodded.
‘So I wait for him that night…he says he has one more business to take care of…I am worried he means to take Abby, so I follow him.’
Maya told them haltingly, about trailing O’Bruin to the Marshall’s garden and following him inside only to find him hitting Susan Marshall.
‘So I take something from living room… some…um ornament…I don’t know, but it is heavy and I hit him so hard and he falls. But then when I know who it is that he is hitting…well I wish I had let him…pah!’ Maya spat her disgust at Susan Marshall.
Carla sat up with interest, ‘Why do you feel like that about Susan Marshall Maya, what has she done to you?’
Maya shook her head angrily. ‘Not me…Mary, she is the one that takes Mary’s baby…that’s why Mary takes him back. And now Mary she is dead…Mr Marshall…dead, policeman dead…all because she takes Mary’s baby. I tell her that, and she shoots me…she is wild she is shooting over and over…she is mad woman.’
Suddenly it all fell into place in Carla’s head. O’Bruin had obviously been blackmailing the Marshalls, threatening to expose the fact that they had illegally bought their son, and who knows maybe their daughter as well. So what had gone wrong, had O’Bruin tried to kill them because they didn’t come up with the money, oh well maybe she would be able to get something more out of Susan when she next spoke to her. Now though she had a rather unpleasant duty to perform, she turned to Maya.
‘Thank you Maya for being honest at last…I can only wish that you had told us about O’Bruin before one of my best friends got himself killed, however I do understand your reasons for keeping quiet. Nevertheless I am afraid that you will be charged with withholding information in a murder inquiry and obstruction… and possibly the manslaughter of Craig O’Bruin,’ she went on to read her her rights completely ignoring Helen’s indignant spluttering of protest.
‘Sorry Helen,’ Carla said when she had finished. ‘I’m just doing my job, a lot of blood might have been saved if Maya had just been honest with us about Craig’s whereabouts. I can’t ignore that,’ and with that she left the room; leaving behind a tearful Helen and a thoroughly ashamed and chastened Maya.
CHAPTER 62
TWO WEEKS LATER
The sun shone down brightly on the pretty little cemetery beside the church on Kenley green. So many people had turned out to pay their last respects to Sergeant Ted Connelly that the small cemetery was seriously over crowded. Ted’s daughter Linda had flown back from Thailand where she had been back packing; she looked shell shocked and frail as she watched the coffin containing her father being lowered into the ground. Her Aunt, Ted’s sister, had kept a protective arm around her throughout the whole gruelling procedure, despite being almost overcome with grief herself.
Carla stood with James and her fellow witches, quietly saying her own farewells to a man who had become as dear to her as a father. She had done her best to avenge his death, pursuing Susan Marshall with every power that the law allowed her, but in the end she still had a gaping hole inside her that she didn’t know how to fill. Her friends had been wonderful, all of them keeping a watchful eye over her, and popping round so much that James was beginning to get sick of seeing them. Carla was grateful for their love, and she just wished that she could bounce back and be her usual self again… the truth was that she didn’t know if she would ever be able to do that…but she would try, for her family and for her friends, because she loved them.
CHAPTER 63 - CAULDRON MEETING
AND GRAND RE-OPENING OF THE BULL PUBLIC HOUSE
Maggie looked around the newly re-furbished pub and gave a sigh of satisfaction, it was perfect. Newly sanded and lime washed wooden floors complimented the pale walls which were covered with vast canvases and huge mirrors with artfully distressed frames. Low lighting gave the whole place a feeling of intimacy and the vast inglenook fireplace was a beautiful reminder of the buildings ancient roots.
Maggie and Duncan had had some fierce arguments about the seating in the pub area, Duncan going for a more masculine minimalist feel, all black leather and steel tables, but Maggie had shouted loader and longer and had got her way. She smiled smugly to herself as her eyes wandered over the squashy colourful sofas and inviting armchairs, she had spent many long hours scouring warehouses, far an
d wide to find them. They had given the pub a lovely ‘home from home’ feel, and Maggie was sure that once her customers got themselves comfortable in those sofas they would be there for the evening, keeping the tills ringing. Duncan, once he had seen the finished results had been forced to agree with her. That hadn’t been the only argument that these two unlikely partners had had, no way, they seemed to rub each other up the wrong way all the time. But their saving grace had been that they both had enough humility to be able to admit when the other was right, and they also had enormous respect for each other. The more Maggie came to know Duncan and saw the tact and diplomacy he used when dealing with people, not least his grandma, who could try the patience of a saint, the more she liked him. Duncan on the other hand was blown away with Maggie’s talent for interior design; she seemed to have an innate ability to know what was needed in any area to make it look good. So here they were on their opening night…Maggie could hardly contain her excitement.
Two hours later and the pub was heaving; the temporary bar staff that Duncan had found were run off their feet and the whole place had a lovely party atmosphere.
All the witches were in attendance; Helen had asked Maya to watch the baby and was having her first night out without her, and so consequently was checking her phone every two minutes. Greg, Dom and Jed had come along in support of Maggie, they were all bursting with pride for her and were propping up the bar talking with Duncan. There had been a slightly awkward moment earlier in the evening when Thomas had turned up; but after a slight hesitation Greg had shaken his hand and offered him a drink and now they all seemed to be getting on like a house on fire.
Carla and James were having a rare night out without the kids. Lisa, Tracy’s sister had offered to sit with them, she had got to know them a bit over the last few months and Rosie in particular absolutely adored her, even Harry, who thought he was far too grown up for a babysitter didn’t object to an evening with Lisa.
