The English Woman

by Inch, Jennifer

  "Teddy, I have just come from the Police Station, it's Daina" he started to sob "they found her body washed up on the beach this morning; I thought she had gone back to your place with you!"

  Teddy looked shocked "No, I left her swimming with you guys; oh my God!"

  FROM LOUISIANA TO TEXAS

  The memories came rushing back as the bus passed through Clearwater where Fran had made friends. The lady in the seat next to Fran tried to make conversation but she ignored her and kept her thoughts to herself. Fran slept on the bus only waking in the middle of the night at Tallahassee, which seemed a very pleasant city with trees lit up and baskets of flowers hanging from the street lamps.

  She arrived at New Orleans at 10 am and caught the bus to the French quarters. As soon as Fran disembarked and turned the corner she felt the streets throbbing and the sweat trickle down her face. She delved into her rucksack, finding a band and hastily tied up her hair. She walked through the narrow streets with their many different style houses that appeared to be propping each other up. This part of the city was full of atmosphere and Fran felt exhilarated as she watched the artists painting in Jackson Square. As the day progressed the sweltering heat became unbearable, the humidity was so high that her clothes stuck to her body and her tied up hair looked as though she had just gotten out of a shower. Then the sky grew darker and as loud roars of thunder approached she sheltered in the old church in the square, just before a heavy deluge of rain started. Suddenly there were lots of people running into the streets their arms stretched out and their faces looking up to the sky, they were welcoming the rain to wash clean and cool their sweaty bodies. Then not long after the storm passed the streets rested as the shops closed, and so Fran walked down to the Mississippi River. It felt cooler by the water and she sat on a wall and watched the boats and the working population commuting by ferry.

  When Fran arrived back in the French quarter the streets had awaken and groups of tourists were arriving filling the main area to capacity. Jazz bands played, their music spilling from the bars into the streets. A crowd had gathered, as she made her way to the front she was delighted to see a young black boy tap dancing to the music. He was a cheeky character and the crowd showed their appreciation. Then Fran went into a bar and sat at a table near to where a white Jazz band was playing. A black waitress in a low cut tight red dress came up to her table to take her order.

  "Just a beer please" said Fran as she continued to watch the band playing. The waitress walked off without saying anything and soon returned with a glass of beer. As she put the drink on the table she touched Fran's hand and sharply pulled her hand away.

  "You on your own lady? You running away from someone or something?" the waitress asked in a strong southern accent.

  "No, I'm from England and I'm just travelling around your country" Fran replied, annoyed at the waitress's assumption.

  "Watch yourself. There are dark forces trying to change your life" the waitress said with a worried expression and walked off.

  Fran shuddered. She had heard there was a lot of voodoo practiced around the southern states, and she wondered if the waitress could see things beyond what was normal. Fran quickly drank her beer and went into the rest room. She was disturbed to find that there were no locks on the doors and so did not hang about. On the walls were machines that either sold stimulating tablets or pick-me-ups and a machine called Pandora’s Box which was full of surprises, all of which were sex oriented, but nothing that would help her get over her sense of unease. When Fran left she walked into Bourbon Street, where there were a few Strip Clubs, and when Fran walked passed one club she could see through the door onto the stage where men dressed as women were performing.

  There were tourists from all walks of life; some of the wealthier dressed very garish. Tram buses and horse drawn carriages took tourists around the French quarter. Fran had lunch in the restaurant where the fight against Jackson had been planned and then looked around a tourist shop in St Peters Street. The small houses with their balconies and small patio gardens had looked very pretty in the day but they looked just as nice in the evening from the light of their gas lamps. Because of the number of people the Police had blocked off the roads in the evening to prevent cars from driving or parking in them. What did sicken Fran were the people that had missing limbs that were begging in the streets. Despite this Fran had a wonderful time in New Orleans and wished she could have stayed longer, but she had to move on. She left New Orleans at 11.25 pm and the bus drove through the night along the coast road.

  **********

  As the sun came up Fran found herself sitting next to a young man who was in the Air Force. She asked him about Texas as he had lived there for some time, and he gave her the impression that Houston was a violent city. As the bus followed the sandy beaches which seemed to go on for miles, they drove through a thunder storm which fortunately had stopped by the time the bus arrived in Houston. It was 6.45 am so Fran left her holdall in a locker in the bus depot and went to the nearest restaurant for breakfast. After looking around she decided it was just another city which she would not feel safe in, and so caught the bus to the nearest large town.

  It turned out to be Waco, which was a two hour drive from Dallas. She arrived in the Texas town at 3 pm after travelling through green countryside which reminded her of England, although much bigger. She checked into the nearest travel lodge to the bus depot, and after two nights of sleeping on the bus she was glad to have a shower and to lie flat out on a bed. As Fran stretched out her whole body hurt from pulling muscles that had been cramped for two days. After resting she walked to a suspension bridge which spanned the River Brazos. A board boasted that the bridge had been built in 1870 and was the first single span suspension bridge in the world. Fran walked to a river boat and saw two men jump from the bridge into the river. She then went to an ice-cream parlour, which was the first time she had ever seen one. Her mouth watered as she looked at the many varieties of ice-cream, yoghurt and various deserts. She purchased some blueberry cheesecake which she ate enjoying every mouthful.

  On her way back to the hotel Fran went into a local bar for a drink. She sat on a bar stool and the tall fair haired lady behind the bar said "Hi I'm Rita, what can I get you?"

  "Oh hi Rita; can I have a Bud please" Fran asked.

  "Well I never, you must be from England. I haven't seen an English person in the bar for many years" she said as she poured Fran a beer.

  "Oh, I wanted to go somewhere different from the usual tourist route, and I guess I have" Fran said smiling.

  "Yes, we don't get many English visitors in Waco; it's pretty quiet around here. Hey, my ancestors came from Yorkshire on the Mayflower. Do you know Yorkshire?" she asked.

  "I went there once and stayed in York, which is a very interesting place. You'd love it. I actually live quite a way from there; a lot further south."

  "How long are you staying in Waco?"

  "Oh, only just long enough to look around. I guess one night would be long enough!" Fran said laughing. Rita laughed and Fran was amazed she understood her English sense of humour.

  At the end of the bar sat a young black guy who Fran recognised from being on the bus from Houston and as she looked at him he said "Hi I'm Willie, I saw you on the bus."

  "Hi Willie, yes I recognise you; do you live in Waco?"

  "Yes, this is my home town. I've just finished college in Houston and have come back to look for work and luckily there is plenty of work here" he smiled.

  "That's good, I wish you luck."

  "Well I think my luck has already started because I sold my portable TV to someone on the bus for $200" Willie looked really pleased.

  "That's amazing. It must be a sign" Fran said smiling.

  On her walk back to the hotel she could not find anywhere to dine, so Fran had a meal in the hotel restaurant. She discovered she was the only person in the restaurant and so agreed with Rita that Waco was a very quiet town.

  In the morning Fran visi
ted Fort Fisher Museum, the home of the Texas Rangers and after lunch got the bus to Dallas. The scenery was much the same as before with fields of Blue Bonnet and Indian Blanket Flowers. Fran arrived in Dallas early in the evening to find it another large American city. She knew there would be interesting things to see but it would be hard to get around, so she had a few drinks and a pizza in a bar near the bus depot and got on the late bus. Although the bus was headed to Oklahoma City Fran preferred to stay in a small town so she decided she would get off at Clinton.

  THE INVESTIGATION

  At the time Fran was eating her pizza in Dallas Teddy was being interviewed by a Detective Berkman. The day after Daina's body was found on the beach Detective Berkman from the local police department was given the job of interviewing all the people that were at the party the night before Daina died. By the time he turned up at Teddy's apartment it was early Thursday evening. Teddy had just been talking to Daina's father in Lithuania on the 'phone and was feeling extremely stressed and upset.

  The two men sat in opposite chairs and Teddy thought Detective Berkman was a typical stereotype police officer; middle aged, average height and build with a few extra pounds around his middle. However, his one noticeable feature was a missing little finger on his left hand. Teddy guessed it would not affect his ability with a gun, because he made notes holding his pen in his right hand as he questioned Teddy.

  "Sorry if I appear distressed, but I have just been talking to Vadimas on the 'phone and he is in a bad way, and his wife is so bad they have given her a sedative. He wants to know for sure if it was an accident" Teddy said while rubbing his forehead.

  "My Chief says that Daina's father, Vadimas Petusky, is an official in the Lithuanian Government, so for diplomatic reasons I have to make sure that the official line that Daina was accidentally drowned is right. We can't make any mistakes, so I have to tie up any loose ends" Berkman explained. "Are the Petusky's related to you?"

  "Vadimas is my second cousin. I was supposed to be looking out for his daughter, Daina. That's why I introduced her to the Lithuanian Club and got her involved in my project in Lowry Park" he said. "I failed" he added with his head hung down. "I feel Vadimas blames me because I should have been with her. I explained to him that we all went in the sea together, but we split up and I thought she was with the other guys" Teddy said looking at the notepad in Berkman's left four fingered hand.

  "When she went into the sea on Sunday morning would you say she was still drunk?"

  "I think she had sobered up a lot, but of course she could have still been under the influence and also she was probably very tired." Teddy now realised that to going swimming was a stupid thing to do.

  "So you never saw her come out of the sea?"

  "Obviously she never came out of the sea." Teddy paused again and added, "not alive, anyway."

  "So as far as you know no one saw her swim to the shore."

  "No, I came out with Fran and I assumed she was with the others."

  "Did you see any strangers hanging around the beach?"

  "No, no one."

  "I have questioned the other people at the party and they thought she had come out of the sea with you. I've only got to question Nina Wallace, who I understand is your girlfriend. Also the English woman, Fran," he added "no one knows her last name or where she is now; do you know?"

  "Yes, Nina is my girlfriend, but she won't know anything, she left the party a long time before we went swimming. I don't know Fran's last name and I'm afraid I don't know where she is either."

  "Did Nina and Fran know that Daina was a relation and you were looking out for her?"

  "I'm not sure. Probably not, because every time I try to talk with Nina about the people at the Club she doesn't want to know and changes the subject; and Fran wouldn't know."

  "Okay thanks for your time. If you think of anything give me a call" he said as he handed Teddy a card.

  **********

  It was Friday morning and Berkman made himself comfortable in Nina's armchair, pen and pad in his hand, which drew Nina's eye to his missing finger, and a mug of strong coffee on the table next to him. As they were being questioned separately Nina hoped that she and Teddy's statements did not conflict.

  "So, when did you last see the student, Daina?" Berkman asked as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat of his brow.

  "The last time I saw her was at Mykolas' house" Nina replied. "I think she had had too much to drink" she added as an afterthought.

  "Was she with anyone particular? When did you leave?"

  "I left about 2 am. They were going to watch a film and then the shuttle take off. I wasn't interested so I left. She was with Teddy a lot" she said and immediately wished she hadn't mentioned Teddy.

  "So you never went back there?"

  "No."

  "Teddy" he said pausing "says you and he have been going out together. Did you know he was related to Daina?"

  "No; in what way?"

  "She was his second cousin, Vadimas Petusky's daughter and he had promised to take care of her, didn't he tell you?"

  "No."

  "What do you think of Teddy's friends? They are all younger than you. Were you happy for him to hang out with them?"

  "Yes; no; maybe."

  "What is it Ms Wallace? Are you jealous of his friends? Did you like Daina?"

  "I don't really know her" Nina paused "well, didn't." Nina realised she was blundering the interview.

  "I was told you walked out of the party in an angry state. Why was that Ms Wallace?"

  "Who told you that; was it Teddy?"

  "No not Teddy, some of the people at the party witnessed you storming out of the house."

  "Well maybe at the party I was upset, Teddy hadn't told me about him and Daina, so I thought that they" she fingered the bracelet on her left wrist "that maybe they were seeing each other behind my back." She looked at Berkman face to face "but I didn't have anything to do with her drowning. I wasn't even there when they went swimming" she said adamantly.

  "What about your tenant, Fran, was she still at the party when you left?"

  "Yes. She told me Teddy brought her home."

  "Why did she leave Tampa the day Daina's body was found?"

  "She was only renting the apartment for a month and so had to leave then. She is travelling around the States."

  "Do you know where she is now?"

  Nina had no forwarding address for Fran and suddenly she realised that she didn't really know anything about her. When she rented the apartment she hadn't asked for references because Fran only wanted it for a month and paid the rent up front. Also she had taken an instant liking to Fran so was happy for her to rent the apartment.

  "No I don't. She said she was going to California to stay with a friend; a guy" she answered.

  "What's Fran's last name and what's the name of the guy and where does he live?" Berkman asked with a sigh of frustration.

  "Look; I don't know what his name is. He 'phoned once but I can't remember if he gave his name, and I certainly don't know his address, just somewhere in California" she responded, the tension building up inside her.

  "Okay, that's all for now. If you remember anything give me a call" he said and passed her one of his cards.

  "Okay" she said as they both rose from their chairs.

  Ruth shuffled passed them on her way to the garden. Berkman looked at her, then at Nina.

  "She's my sister, and she's retarded. She won't be able to tell you anything" she said as she showed him the door.

  OKLAHOMA TO NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA

  The bus arrived in Clinton at 7.45 Friday morning and so Fran had breakfast in a nearby restaurant. She then checked into the first cheap hotel she came to, and after travelling on the bus all night she indulged in a long shower. The receptionist of the hotel suggested she might enjoy the Western Trails Museum, particularly as it was within walking distance. So Fran visited the museum, which she found very interesting. Afterwards sh
e discovered an Indian jewellery shop where she purchased a ring, which originally cost $45 but she paid only $16. After having an early evening meal in a restaurant, Fran went back to the hotel and gathered up her dirty clothes and spent the rest of the evening in a nearby launderette. The next day she boarded the 11.40 am bus from Clinton to Albuquerque.

  On the bus she talked to a woman from Illinois who was travelling on her own as well as a woman from Florida who was also on her own. There were only a few people on the bus and most of them were women. Everyone talked to each other and a large girl, who was on her way to Phoenix, talked persistently to everyone on the bus and was a real character. She and the woman from Illinois bought everyone an ice-cream at one of the stops. The next stop was a café in New Mexico which served hot Mexican food. Fran had never tasted real Mexican food so she bought a burrito which she found very tasty, although very hot and so immediately purchased a bottle of water to cool her mouth. As the bus drove from Oklahoma to New Mexico the scenery changed from green fields with horses and bulls grazing to rugged land with only clumps of coarse bushes growing. As the bus approached Albuquerque Fran watched the sun set over the Sandia Mountains which was beautiful.

  She arrived in Albuquerque bus depot at 9 pm and ‘phoned for a room. A van arrived from the Gaslight Motel to pick up Fran and the lady from Florida, who checked into the room next to Fran. She also joined Fran for a meal in the restaurant attached to the motel. Fran made an early start the next morning because she intended to do some site seeing.

  “Good morning” she said as she approached the motel receptionist who was a tall, thin woman with fair curly hair and thick rimmed glasses “can you help me? I want to visit Taos and the Indian Pueblo Village I’ve read about; can you tell me how I can get there please?”

  “Good morning, did you sleep well? I expect you were exhausted after travelling on the Greyhound bus. I’m afraid it’s almost impossible to get to the village without a car. You could hire one” the receptionist suggested.