by K Leitch
Carla had to laugh earlier as she watched her children bombarding her with stuff before she had even got through the door.
‘Lisa…Lisa, listhen to my joke,’ begged Rosie, jumping up and down ’…what’s brown and sticky? Carla cringed as she imagined all the possible answers.
‘I don’t know midget,’ said Lisa raising her eyebrows at Carla, ‘what is brown and sticky?’
‘A stick!’ said Rosie triumphantly, and then went into fits of giggles that were totally infectious and had them all laughing.
Then Harry was pulling on her hand; desperate to show her his room in ROBOBWORLD, his latest computer game. So Carla and James were able to leave them without a single qualm, which was a wonderful thing.
Tracy and Simon had given them a lift, as neither of those two would be drinking; Tracy for obvious reasons and Simon just in case Tracy went into labour and he had to get her to hospital quickly.
Tracy was the size of a small bungalow, as round as she was wide. She was due in about a week and so everybody was on standby. But despite her obvious discomfort she was in fine spirits and wouldn’t have missed this night for the world.
The men all congregated at the bar, they all knew each other well and there seemed to be an intense discussion going on about the merits of one football referee over another, so Maggie took the opportunity to go over and sit with her friends.
Tracy had the floor, ‘So I said to him, I’m sorry but if you don’t like it you’ll have to sleep elsewhere, I mean it’s not like I can do anything about it…all pregnant women are a bit… flatulent aren’t they? But it was the last straw the other night when Buster actually got up and went out of the room…I mean come on talk about pots and kettles.’
The girls were killing themselves laughing; Helen was the first one to get herself together.
‘Yes, but honey there’s just no need to be so …um public about it, I nearly died with embarrassment the other day when we went to ‘Yoga for mums’ at the church hall…the noise coming from your bottom when we were doing those first stretching exercises…oh my god and poor old Jenny Wallis who was on the mat directly behind you was turning purple trying to hold her breath.’
‘Oh come on Helen I wasn’t that bad,’ said Tracy giggling despite herself, ‘and don’t tell me that you didn’t let one off occasionally because I won’t believe you.’
‘Yes well please don’t create too much methane in here tonight Tracy darling, with all these candles around it could be dangerous,’ said Maggie laughing. ‘I don’t want all my hard work going up in smoke thank you very much…and how the hell would I explain that on the insurance forms, fire was caused by heavily pregnant woman’s violent farting? I’m not sure they would pay out. Come on move along girls,’ she said as she shuffled her bottom next to Carla who was sitting next to Helen on one of the sofas, she gave Carla’s hand a squeeze. ‘How are you holding up sweetheart?’ Carla gave her a reassuring smile. She hadn’t been at all sure if she would be up for this night out when Maggie had invited her a couple of weeks ago; but Maggie had kept on at her and James had thought it would do her good, so she had come out.
How quickly life started to return to normal, Carla thought sadly. Of course it had to she knew that, and if she was honest she welcomed it. She would always remember Ted with the deepest affection, but her life must go on…Ted wouldn’t want her to grieve him forever, he’d want her to enjoy her life for him, and so she would.
She looked around the table at her friends, all chatting at once, and smiles on their faces. How life had changed for each of them this year.
Helen had her baby; and she had found a love so strong that it continued, despite Helen having to come to terms with the fact that Maya had kept so many things from her. Not least that she had run a brothel in Birmingham, albeit under duress; but also that she had a daughter…a 14 year old daughter and she was pregnant again. There had been many tears as Maya had haltingly told Helen about the man she had met whilst working in Liverpool, a nice quiet man who lived in one of the other rooms in the large block of bedsit flats. He had been kind to her, helping her when her electric metre went wrong and carrying shopping for her, so she had cooked for him to say thank you and they had ended up in bed. Maya had left Liverpool for Surrey two days later; she had not thought for one minute that she could have been pregnant, but she was and Helen seemed delighted by the prospect of increasing her little family. She had been properly introduced to Maya’s mother and daughter and was enjoying getting to know them. They had come over from Poland and settled in Kenley leaving a life of desperate poverty in Poland. Maya had arrived in Kenley a couple of weeks later and had been dividing her time between them and Helen. Now that Helen knew everything she was determined to help them in any way she could. How wonderfully life turned out sometimes; Helen and Maya seemed really happy, despite the charges hanging over Maya. Carla was pretty confident that Helen would be standing by her no matter what.
As it happened with the combined testimonies of both Maya and Susan Marshall (who once she realised that the police knew pretty much all of what she’d been up to, had started to sing from the rooftops); the police in both Birmingham and Southern Ireland had been able to make several arrests. Including a few members of the notorious O’Bruin family…,’ so every cloud,’ Carla thought with satisfaction.
Tracy’s life was about to change beyond all recognition, but she had Simon by her side and Lisa was chomping at the bit to be Auntie Lisa, all of a sudden life had become exciting and full for her. And Maggie, well…Carla looked around her, there was enough here to keep even Maggie amused for quite a while. She noticed Thomas looking over and catching Maggie’s eye, he smiled seductively at her…wow thought Carla, that man has got sex appeal on his sex appeal, he’s going to keep Maggie on her toes…which is no bad thing. And how lovely that Greg was around for the boys now; he seemed in great spirits tonight.
Carla had wholeheartedly approved of Maggie’s new partnership with Duncan McKinny. It was lovely to see The Bull restored to its former glory and even better to see the excitement on Maggie’s face as she had watched it all take shape.
Martha McKinny was sitting near the bar chatting away to anyone that would listen, and every so often calling to her grandson to get a drink for some new friend that she had made, which he did with a wry smile, no doubt thinking about his profit margins. And it was really lovely to see how quickly Poppy Dobson had taken to running the restaurant. She was an amazing cook and had been producing wonderful platefuls of good simple fare all evening. It had been an inspired and generous decision by Duncan to take her on, and it was obvious that she was already justifying his faith in her.
Carla was jolted out of her musings by Tracy asking her a question, ‘We were just wondering what’s going to happen to those poor kids Carla, you know the Marshall kids?’
Carla sighed, ‘Well that will be up to social services now, I just hope with all my heart that they are allowed to go to their grandparents. After all they’ve been through, first poor little Owen being kidnapped and witnessing all that he did, and then to lose their parents, one to death and the other to prison…well the mind boggles at how they are ever going to get past all of this. And even though biologically they are not related to any of them…surely that shouldn’t matter should it? I just hope that common sense prevails and that they are allowed to be with their family; they are the ones that can give them the love and security that they need…and deserve. But who knows; as I said it will depend on whatever social services decide.’ She finished with a shrug.
That seemed to bring the mood down for a moment until Maggie said, ‘Did any of you happen to drive past Hewett’s farm; you know out near Lingfield way, the one that does ‘pick your own.’ No, well we were coming past that way the other day and we fell bout laughing, someone had written the word ‘Fucking’ in great big letters on the sign so now it says ‘Pick your own Fucking Strawberries,’ oh god it was so funny, how much difference one word can mak
e!’
‘It’s true,’ said Tracy laughing, ‘I hadn’t thought about it before, but all it takes is one word. Like “Just for men” you know that hair dye stuff, what a difference if you just add the word “old”…Ha ha ha “Just for old men”…now ain’t that the truth!’
And they were back, laughing away their troubles, re-charging their batteries as only women know how to do.
Much later in the evening as things were winding down, one of the bar staff came over to the table.
‘Um…is there a Detective Carla Right here?’ all the other girls laughed and pointed straight at Carla she smiled at the girl who said, ‘I’ve got someone on the phone that wants to speak to you…um they won’t give their name.’
Carla looked puzzled, if the station needed to get hold of her they had her mobile number, but she got up and made her way a bit unsteadily over to where there was a phone behind the bar.
‘Hello this is D.I. Right speaking,’ she waited… no reply, although she could definitely hear someone on the other end of the line.
‘Hello…Hello, look I don’t have time for…’
‘Hello Carla,’ came a voice that Carla hadn’t heard for months. Her blood turned to ice in her veins, she couldn’t speak.
‘I was sorry to hear about old Ted,’ the voice went on, ‘although, he got what was coming to him, he was such a nasty piece of work always purving round you I thought…and he hated me.’
Carla at last found her voice, ‘Where are you? How did you hear about Ted?’ she asked.
There was scornful laughter at the other end of the phone, ‘Bloody hell Carla you don’t change do you. How thick do you think I am? I’m not going to tell you where I am…somewhere you can’t find me. And you’d be surprised at how much I know about what goes on in that pathetic little village of yours. No I just thought I would give you a ring and express my condolences about Ted…I’ll be seeing you Carla,’ and with that she was gone.
Carla didn’t remember how she made it back to the table, but she must have looked awful because Helen stood up when she saw her, ‘Carla…what’s happened, what is it?’
Helen helped her into a chair and someone probably Maggie, poured some brandy down her throat which made her cough and choke so much that she wasn’t able to talk for a minute.
‘What has happened Carla?’ Helen asked again.
Carla looked up at them, ‘It was Vanessa…on the phone I mean…it was Vanessa!’
THE END
A NOTE FROM KAY
Thank you for reading my book, I hope you enjoyed it!
If you did please could you post a short review on Amazon. As a self-published author I rely solely on reviews and recommendations.
It would be great if you could share your experience with someone else, either by recommending it to your friends or to any book groups to which you may belong.
You can find information about my other books in the ‘Witches of Glory Woods’ series on the following pages. All books can be found on Kindle.
Thank you once again.
You can contact me and find details about my books on my website http://www.kay-leitch.com/.
I always love to hear from my readers.
If you register on my website I will send you a free short story. Go to the Contact page and put Free Book in the comments box.
Kay
Thanks
Thank you to all my wonderful family and friends for all their encouragement and support, Emma and Natalie for listening to me droning on about my story lines, and giving me good honest criticism, Ben, Abby and Robin for making sure their friends read my stories and write a review, Colin for looking so gorgeous on the front of ‘Bad Things Happen’ and Marcus for designing my covers.
My special thanks go to Steve for his constant love and support, and the hours of work he puts in getting me published…thank you darling.
PREVIOUSLY...
Mummy's Little Girl
How much can the human heart take before it either gives up or fights back?
Evil is lurking in the sleepy village of Kenley.
Amongst the pretty cottages with their chintz curtains and pastel walls dark secrets are being hidden, plots are being hatched and revenge is being sought.
And when the body of a young girl is discovered in the middle of the Glory Woods, a nearby local beauty spot, Detective Inspector Carla Right starts to uncover secrets that have been buried for many years, secrets that will change the lives of some of the local residents forever.
Along with Maggie, Tracy and Helen, her fellow Witches of Glory Woods, Carla has always felt safe and secure in her village surrounded by her friends and family, and she is determined to find who is responsible for this brutal murder and restore peace and tranquillity to the people of Kenley village once again.
Find on Kindle:
UK – Click here
USA – Click here
NEXT TIME...
Nasty Bitch
Someone is torturing and killing men.
Someone has been waiting and planning for years, to exact revenge on the people of Kenley Village.
The dreadfully mutilated bodies of several men have been discovered, both here in England and in Florida, USA.
So when a courting couple find the grisly remains of a man in a disused barn near Kenley, Carla and her team fear that they may have a serial killer on their hands.
Life has moved on for the Witches of Glory Woods, Carla, Maggie, Tracy and Helen have all got new challenges to deal with, but the one thing that remains constant is the friendship that binds them together and the knowledge that they will always be there for each other… no matter what life has to throw at them!
Nasty Bitch is on Kindle:
In UK Click here
In USA Click here
The Girl in the Rug
Eight year old Andy Hunt lies shivering under his thin blanket; he has gone to bed hungry again with fresh bruises on his face.
Hot tears roll down his grubby cheeks and onto his pillow…he doesn’t know why he always makes his mum so angry, he tries to be good, he really does.
But nothing can prepare this little boy for the devastation that he will have to deal with, when a series of tragic events bring him and his family to the attention of two vicious local thugs.
DI Carla Right has to face one of the hardest investigations of her career when the body of a little girl is found. At the same time, evidence comes to light that a paedophile ring is targeting the local care homes for children…could it be that the two crimes are linked in some way?
The Witches, Carla, Maggie, Tracy and Helen are back, each with their own new set of problems to deal with. Thank goodness they have each other to turn to when things go wrong…because sometimes, things can go very, very wrong indeed.
Find on Kindle:
UK – Click here
USA – Click here
Lost Girls
With cruel anticipation, Jonas Silco watched each one as they arrived. He could feel their nervous excitement, their delight in being away from home for the first time. Some of them looked about themselves boldly, not in the least bit intimidated by the splendour of their new environment. Others barely raised their eyes from the floor so overwhelmed were they by the situation they found themselves in….
These were his prey, these young girls…they were all alone in an unfamiliar city, away from all that was familiar to them, away from the protection of their families. He smiled to himself…this was his domain…they were under his control now.
Twenty years later a skeleton is discovered underneath a car park in Redbank and DI Carla Right and her team are called in to investigate. A couple of weeks later a local business man is brutally murdered. Inexplicably, similarities between the two murders soon start to appear, despite the fact that there are twenty years dividing them.
As the evidence begins to unfold however, Carla and her sergeant, Frank Hill, realise that they are dealing with the worst sort of murder
er. One who believes he has right on his side, one that won’t stop until he has had his revenge and one who is willing to destroy anyone who gets in his way.
The Witches are back, Carla, Maggie, Tracy and Helen can be found at their usual table in The Bull public house on the green at Kenley. There are weddings and babies on the horizon, plenty of drama to be discussed and lives to be dissected at their weekly cauldron meetings, all washed down with a couple of bottles of wine and of course the obligatory bags of cheesy Wotsits for Tracy.
UK – Click here
USA – Click here
Run!
Once again Lucinda Hibbard is lying in a hospital bed.
Once again her face is swollen and battered, her body beaten and broken. And once again her violent, brute of a husband is crying and grovelling at her bedside, begging forgiveness and promising that it will never, ever, happen again.
Lucinda doesn’t believe him anymore…she knows how little it takes to turn him from a caring husband into a vicious animal.
She knows next time he could kill her.
That’s why she knows that this time she must run!
Seventy eight year old Flora Metcalf sits terrified night after night in her darkened house. Helpless…unable to defend herself from the little thugs that are terrorising her. She cowers in her chair as they rattle her doors and windows, she cries with dread at the spiteful whispered threats.
She pleads for help…but no one comes.
Should she run…or should she make them pay?
Spite, retribution and betrayal are all speeding towards the quiet little village of Kenley.
It is useless to run, there will be no safe place to hide...like a thick insidious fog it will creep into every crevice, spreading its evil tentacles far and wide. Seeking out the vulnerable, the weak and the damaged.
