False fire

by Veronica Heley

  Thank the Lord for Mel. Which reminded Bea to take a certain precaution. Now, somewhere … she went down into the agency … yes, Winston was in the stationery cupboard, poor lamb … and there was a good thick roll of plastic sheeting which had come wrapped around the new printer and they’d kept because it might come in useful some day. And today was the time to put it to use. Back up the stairs she went.

  On her way past the door of the guest room, she peeped inside. Steve was still out for the count. Good. On up the stairs she went to the top floor, walking quietly. The girls were watching television in the sitting room. Mel was setting her night things out in the bedroom with the single bed in it. William had been supposed to occupy it the previous night, but had slept in the chair in Bea’s room instead.

  Bea entered and shut the door behind her. ‘Mel; Bernice said something about Alicia having wet the bed when she was unhappy at school. It might not happen again, but shall we put some plastic under the top sheet of the bed next door, just in case? And I’ll show you where the linen is kept?’

  Mel straightened her back, hands on her lumbar region. ‘But not tell the girls what we’ve done? Agreed. One of my brothers wet the bed when he was being bullied at school.’

  Together they remade the bed.

  Bea said, ‘I hope we have a quiet night. We could do with it.’

  ‘I doubt it. Is the heating going to be on all night?’

  ‘You mean that if we have to be up in the night, it might be a good idea to have the rooms at a pleasant temperature? I’ll see to it. Supper’s ready, by the way.’

  There was another burst of fireworks as they all trooped downstairs, and it wasn’t only the two girls who shuddered. Bea put the radio on in the kitchen to drown out the noises outside, and they ate a little of this and a little of that. Alicia insisted on sitting next to her grandfather, and Bernice gave alternate mouthfuls to Teddy, who was assuming a careworn appearance. Much loving can do that to you.

  Bea wondered if it would be a good idea to use a dry cleaner on the bear, and dismissed the idea because it would destroy his scent. For stuffed toys, the scent was all-important to the children who loved them.

  When the meal was over, Alicia crept into her grandfather’s lap and hid her face against him. ‘What was that, chicken?’ he said. She repeated her whisper, and he looked up at Bea. ‘She wants to know which bed I’m sleeping in tonight.’ And to Alicia, ‘It’s all right, chicken. I’ll be just down the road. I can be back here in ten minutes, if you need me.’

  She clambered up him to speak into his ear, and he grimaced. ‘No, chicken, I can’t take you with me. You’ll be perfectly all right here, with Mel and Bernice to look after you.’

  Bernice tucked Teddy firmly under her arm. ‘Lissy wants her grandpa to sleep next door to us. I told her this house is not going to blow up but she’s a bit of a ’fraidy cat.’ For all her brave words, there was a shadow at the back of Bernice’s eyes, too.

  ‘I’m sleeping next door to you,’ said Mel, brightly. ‘And you can wake me any time you like.’

  Bea suspected Mel was going to regret saying that.

  William said, ‘I can sleep anywhere. On the floor in their room, perhaps?’ He looked at Bea for permission.

  ‘Darlings,’ said Bea, ‘let’s take a good look at the problem. We are all of us worn out. We all need a good night’s sleep. Steve is in the guest room. William is not going to get a good night’s sleep if he has to doss down on the floor somewhere. I agree he should stay within reach and not have to go to a hotel. How about we make him up a bed on the settee down here, and we leave the door open so that he can hear if anyone needs him … which I very much hope won’t happen. All right?’

  She thought of her own beautiful big bed, and of how little space she took up in it, and for at least two seconds entertained the thought of William occupying it with her. And dismissed the idea straight away.

  William carried Alicia up to bed. Bernice and Teddy trailed behind him with Mel bringing up the rear. Bea found William a spare duvet and pillows and put them on the settee. She looked at her watch.

  William was taking his time, saying goodnight to the children. Did he like to hear them say their prayers? Query: did children automatically say their prayers when they went to bed at night nowadays? Bea did, of course. But other people?

  She cleared the table, filled and started the dishwasher. She took Steve’s clothes out of the washing machine and put them in the drier. She adjusted the central heating so that it would stay on all night. She turned up the radio to block out the noise of fireworks outside, and fed Winston, who seemed to think the fireworks were getting less noisy … and perhaps they were. Just the odd spat and sparkle now and then.

  William came down, heavy-eyed. Moving with deliberation. She handed him some aspirins and a glass of water. He nodded, took them, said, ‘You should have left me to clear up.’

  Humph! As if! Why do men always say that, after the work’s done?

  He refused a hot drink, and plodded off to the sitting room. He took off his shoes. She made sure he knew where the light switches were before she went up the stairs to bed herself.

  Steve was still asleep. Hadn’t moved, by the look of it.

  Time for bed, but she couldn’t relax. Told herself it was imperative that she got some sleep. Thought about taking a herbal sedative. Rejected the idea. She was pretty sure they were in for a disturbed night.

  She dowsed the lights and stared into the dark. Tried to pray. Couldn’t.

  Far too anxious.

  Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy on us.

  Shelter us under your wings … take care of us this night … all of us under this roof.

  Lord, have mercy …

  She woke with a start and sat upright. The clock said – she squinted at the dial – three fifteen? Had she really slept that long? But … what had woken her?

  There was a murmur of voices next door, in the guest room. Steve?

  She struggled into her dressing gown and investigated. The door to the guest room was open but she could see the bed was unoccupied. So …?

  Splashing of water. But, two voices?

  Steve? And … Mel? Bea prepared to be scandalized.

  She pushed open the door to the en suite. Mel looked up. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a cotton bathrobe over a white cotton nightie. She was bathing Steve’s eyes with balls of wet cotton wool.

  Steve’s eyelids were red and swollen.

  Mel explained. ‘He left his contact lenses in too long. Ought to have taken them out last night but forgot, what with the fire and all. I’ve done exactly the same myself. It’s excruciating. Have you got any Optrex?’

  Steve was wearing a vest and boxer shorts and that was all. He looked to be fairly fit. In fact, Bea had heard that ‘fit’ didn’t just mean that you were healthy, but that you were fit for … well, anything. Steve looked fit. In both senses.

  Bea fetched the eye lotion, and stood by while Mel administered to Steve as if he were a child. Probably, to her, he was just that. After all, he wasn’t exactly looking his best, was he?

  Mel seemed to feel the need to explain her presence in Steve’s room. ‘He called out for help. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t think where he was. I don’t think he’s disturbed the children.’

  Steve was only half awake, even now. Apologizing for his existence. ‘Sorry, so sorry. So stupid. I was on my way to the hospital, wasn’t I? Daphne’s not too good, you know, and I was going to take her … Is she all right, do you know? I feel I’ve failed everyone. It must have been the electrician, don’t you think? All my fault. I can’t apologize enough for—’

  ‘Shut up,’ said Mel. She put her forefinger under his chin and lifted it so that he did shut up. ‘You’ve been having a rough time, what with the fire and your sister, and your dad.’

  A hard sob. His throat worked. ‘My father … I simply can’t believe …!’

  ‘There, th
ere!’ said Mel, putting her arm around his shoulders. ‘Have a good cry if it makes you feel better.’

  Bea retreated to her bedroom, wondering whether she ought to have interfered. Amused at the thought of how Mel seemed able to act a mother substitute to all and sundry. Pitying Steve, who had lost his father.

  Mel must have the sharp hearing of a cat. She’d heard Steve when no one else had.

  Lord, have mercy … those two looked so innocent … I don’t think Mel’s at risk with Steve … What was that about an electrician? I must ask him, in the morning.

  She sank back into a half-sleep … only to be woken again. A child had wailed? She shot upright and grabbed for her dressing gown, only to realize she was still wearing it.

  Out on to the landing. Lights had been left on upstairs, but there was no sign of Mel. The door to Steve’s room was ajar, and a light was on within. Perhaps this time Mel had slept through it, or was still comforting Steve?

  ‘What was that? Lissy?’ William, bleary-eyed, was struggling up the stairs while trying to pull on his sweater. Thank goodness she’d left the heating on, for the house was reasonably warm.

  ‘I’ll go and see.’ Up she went. Mel was not in her room.

  Alicia was standing beside the bed, hiccupping, distressed. And trying to get her pyjama bottoms off. Oh, dear.

  Bea told herself she wasn’t too tired to deal with this. Not at all. She said, ‘Never mind, poppet. It’s quite all right. Let’s have you in the shower and get you all nice and clean again.’

  Bernice slept, with her head on Teddy.

  William was at her heels. ‘Tell me what to do.’

  Bea led Alicia into the shower, saying to William, ‘Mel is looking after Steve. Can you see if she’s free to come upstairs now? The children’s bed will have to be changed.’

  Bea couldn’t think what she could dress the child in once she was clean and dry. Perhaps another of her T-shirts? ‘Oh, and William! Can you go into my bedroom and fetch me a big T-shirt? Second drawer down, in the chest of drawers by the window.’

  Into the shower we go, ta-ra! Scrub-a-dub-dub. Alicia in distress. Gulping sobs.

  Mel arrived, also distressed. ‘William’s just told me. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. Shall I take over?’

  Bea said, ‘Can you dry her while I sort out the bed? William’s finding something for her to wear.’

  William arrived with a pile of Bea’s T-shirts. ‘Pink, green or white?’

  Bea left them at it and went into the children’s room. And was brought up short. For where was Bernice?

  ELEVEN

  Bernice was not in the bed she’d shared with Alicia. And neither was Teddy.

  Before she could stop herself, Bea cried out, ‘Bernice! Where are you?’

  A scamper of feet. Alicia, wrapped in a towel, huge dark eyes in a paper-white face. ‘Berny? Where’s Berny?’

  Bea snatched at common sense. ‘Gone to the loo, I expect.’

  William opened doors till he found the loo. ‘Not there.’

  Bea tried to think. She mustn’t upset Alicia any further. ‘She’s gone downstairs for something, I expect. She’s got Teddy with her, so she’s perfectly all right.’

  She was speaking nonsense, wasn’t she? But where else could the child be? She wouldn’t have left the house in her pyjamas, would she?

  A man lumbered into sight. Leather jacket, bare legs, horn-rimmed glasses. Bea had a moment of dislocation before she recognized Steve. ‘What’s wrong?’

  Alicia ran to the top of the stairs and screamed, ‘Berny!’

  ‘Hush, now!’ William picked Alicia up, towel and all.

  ‘What’s up?’ A small figure in pink pyjamas climbed the stairs to join them. She was burdened not only with Teddy and the biscuit tin but also a vibrating smartphone.

  Bea said, ‘Bernice! Where have you been?’

  ‘I woke up and I was hungry so I thought we could have a midnight feast. I found the biscuit tin and this phone was behind it. I tried to answer it, but the woman on the other end wants to speak to Steve.’

  A woman, ringing Steve at this time of night? Equals a nurse. Hospital. Bad news.

  Daphne?

  Steve wilted.

  Mel took Alicia off William, saying in a soft voice, ‘Let me finish rubbing Lissy down. There, there. Everything’s all right.’ And took her back into the bathroom.

  Steve took the phone with a hand that shook. ‘Hello …?’

  William exchanged glances of concern with Bea, and led Bernice off into the sitting room, saying, ‘I haven’t had a midnight feast for ever. Biscuits are fine, but what do we have to drink?’ He closed the door behind them.

  Steve sank into a chair, listening. Nodding.

  Bea finished stripping the bed, wiped down the plastic sheet, and found clean linen.

  ‘Yes, I understand,’ said Steve. ‘Yes, of course. No, I don’t think I want to see her now. What is the procedure? Yes, my father died last night, too. We can use the same funeral directors, I suppose. I’ll try to … No, I understand.’

  He clicked the phone off, looking shattered. ‘A blood clot. I don’t even know who her next of kin are. I was going to go into Dad’s office tomorrow to see if I could find out. That was my next job, wasn’t it? Or one of the urgent things … there’s so many … I need to find out who ought to be responsible for her funeral, but … Perhaps Daphne will know? I’ll have to ask her. But if there’s no next of kin … maybe I’m wrong, but I’m not sure … then we’ll have to be responsible for it.’

  He began to shake. He held on to himself, hugging himself. In shock.

  Bea’s mind did a swoop around and came up with the correct answer. Not Daphne, thank God. Mrs Frost, the housekeeper. Dead. First his father, then the housekeeper.

  Steve let his phone slip to the floor.

  Mel came back with Alicia, who was now wearing one of Bea’s T-shirts and looked as if she were half asleep already.

  Mel took one look at Steve and said, ‘Bad news?’

  He gestured ‘no’, indicating that he didn’t want to talk in front of Alicia.

  Mel held the child out for Steve to kiss her goodnight. ‘Say goodnight to your uncle.’

  Steve mastered his distress sufficiently well to do so and to stroke the child’s cheek. ‘Sleep tight, Lissy. Nothing to worry your little head about.’

  Mel tucked Alicia into bed, dowsed the lights and left the room, leaving the door ajar.

  Steve whispered, ‘Whatever next?’

  Bea also whispered. ‘We pray.’ She thought he’d probably reject the idea, but he didn’t rebuff her, so she went on, keeping her voice low, ‘Dear Lord, we seek your help for all of us lost and lonely people. We pray for Mrs Frost, that her passing was swift and easy. We pray for everyone who is grieving. We pray for strength and wisdom to deal with what lies in store.’

  Steve nodded. ‘That sounds about right. I’ve never been one for prayer, but perhaps, when everything looks black and there’s so much … I don’t know what to think. Prayer. God. Perhaps He is the answer? It’s true we can’t rely on anyone else.’ He looked, not at Bea, but at Mel.

  Mel touched his arm. ‘You are not alone. You have your sister and your brother. You have friends.’

  He said, ‘Daphne. Gideon. They’ll have to be told. But not tonight. I’ve always felt alone. Always. I’ve learned the hard way not to rely on anyone else.’

  Mel gave a narrow look at Bea, who didn’t quite know how to react. ‘Very well.’ Mel urged Steve towards the stairs. ‘Let’s get you back to bed. You shouldn’t be alone tonight.’

  Bea wondered if she ought to interfere. She told herself it was no business of hers … well, it was under her roof and … ought she to offer Mel some birth-control pills? Except, of course, that Bea Abbot, aged sixty something, had no need of such things. Perhaps Mel knew what she was doing? Youngsters nowadays …

  Steve allowed himself to be shepherded along. ‘You’ll leave in the morning, Mel. A
ll the girls do. I’m boring, you see. All work and no play.’

  ‘Same here.’ They disappeared down the stairs.

  Bea retrieved the bundle of dirty linen from the bedroom and chucked it into the kitchen next door. She’d deal with that in the morning. Checking on Alicia, she saw that the child was dozing while sucking her thumb. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

  William brought Bernice and Teddy into the room, saying, ‘Bedtime, Bernice. Lissy needs you.’

  Bernice slid to the ground and sat there. ‘I’m not getting into that bed. Stinky-poos.’

  ‘No, it isn’t,’ said Bea. ‘It’s lovely and clean now. Come along.’ She got into the bed, in the middle, and held out her hand to Bernice to join her.

  ‘No,’ said Bernice.

  ‘Yes,’ said William. He picked her up and tucked her in beside Bea. ‘Now, ladies; just you close your eyes and count to a hundred, and when you wake up the birds will be singing and we’ll have bacon for breakfast.’

  ‘Won’t,’ said Bernice, but her cold feet found Bea’s warmth, wriggled a bit, and then were still. She hadn’t let go of Teddy, but he wasn’t digging in to Bea, so she let him be.

  ‘And I,’ William said, with amusement in his voice, ‘get to sleep in a decent bed for a change.’ He left the room, leaving the door ajar.

  William intended to sleep in her bed? Bea felt her ribs ache with laughter, but couldn’t afford to indulge, lest she disturb the two little waifs beside her.

  She lay still, listening to the children breathing softly beside her. She’d never had a girl child. Had sometimes wondered what it would be like. Her only son had been something of a disappointment to her but there … you have to make the best of what you’re given.

  A bird started to sing a carol outside her window. The dawn chorus? Already? She wanted to look at the clock, but couldn’t risk moving … and anyway, she wasn’t sure there was a clock in this room. She’d never slept up here before.

  Alicia whimpered in her sleep. Bea kissed the child’s forehead, and felt her relax. Poor little mite. Bernice jerked, and Bea kissed her forehead, too. If guardian angels really existed, then there would be three of them in the room. One pink, one peach and one blue. No, that wasn’t right. One was blue and green … another was pink and … peach? But all had some white …