Adele was crouched down low in the footwell of the driver’s seat. She could feel a cold sweat and a prickling sensation down her spine as they waited for the man’s footsteps to pass the car. But the footsteps stopped.
Adele could sense the man hovering nearby. She tensed, expecting the man to peer through the car window or try the door. But then she heard him say, ‘Good boy’ to his dog, and the footsteps continued. When she could no longer hear them, she started to straighten herself up but she could feel Peter’s hand on her back, pressing her back down.
‘Not yet!’ he whispered. ‘We need to give it a couple more minutes until he’s well out of sight.’
Once the immediate danger was over, Adele became conscious of the cramped conditions, which made her achy and uncomfortable. She was glad when Peter gave the OK and she could stretch out her limbs again.
‘Shit! That was close,’ whispered Peter.
They carried on scrubbing out the car until they had eliminated every last trace of blood. By the time they had finished, Adele was exhausted from the night’s events. But she wasn’t sleepy yet. Her senses were still on full alert, which added to her exhaustion.
Back in the flat, she felt edgy and unable to settle, her muscles twitchy. While they had done what they had to do, she didn’t have much time to think, but now it hit her anew. Images of what she had done pervaded her brain. She’d killed her father and helped to dispose of his corpse. Adele could feel the tension throughout her body. Her chest was tight and her breathing shallow.
‘Here, get that down you,’ said Peter, handing her a liberal measure of brandy. ‘It’s for the shock. You can stay here tonight.’
Adele did as instructed and they stayed up till the early hours discussing the situation till they’d covered every angle. An ironic thought flashed through Adele’s mind. It reminded her of their childhood days when she would help get Peter out of trouble. But now they were adults, and this wasn’t just a bit of trouble. She was seriously in the shit!
It took several more measures of brandy before she was able to sleep. It was an eerie feeling. Despite being sickened by her own actions, she couldn’t help reliving the ordeal over and over inside her head, and examining it in minute detail. It was like some form of misguided punishment.
At four in the morning she fell into a disturbed sleep only to awaken in a panic a few hours later. In the transitional period between sleep and consciousness she tried to shake off the bad dream she’d had until she realised it wasn’t a dream. She really had killed her father.
Realisation hit her like a brick. She tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths and relaxing her muscles. But it was no use. Eventually, when further sleep escaped her, she rose from bed and made herself a coffee, passing the time watching breakfast TV until she heard movement from Peter’s room.
‘You OK?’ he asked when he entered the lounge.
Adele shrugged. Did he really expect her to be OK?
‘Listen,’ said Peter. ‘I didn’t mention it last night but we need to talk about the police. They’ll want to interview you and there’ll be questions asked, especially when our mam tells them about the missing rug and brass cat. We need to get our stories straight.
‘Tell them everything was normal when you went to pick up her things. That you didn’t even go into the living room. Pretend to think about it. Say you would have noticed if anything was amiss. That way they’ll think something happened after you left the house.
‘Don’t expect them to go easy on you though. They’ll come at you with the same questions over and over, just from different angles. Don’t buckle, whatever you do. They can’t prove owt. And if you get upset, just make out it’s because you’re worried about him.’
Adele’s spirits plummeted further.
‘Try not to worry,’ he urged. ‘Just do as I say and everything will be all right. Oh, and wear something that covers up those marks on your neck.’
Adele instinctively raised a hand to her throat.
‘Where he tried to strangle you,’ Peter added. ‘He’s left marks. Wear something that isn’t too obvious though.’
Adele wished she had Peter’s confidence.
‘Try and get some rest before you pick our mam up,’ he added. ‘It’s gonna be a long couple of days.’
But Adele knew she wouldn’t rest; her mind was too preoccupied, as well as hazy from the excess brandy the night before. She’d just have to cope as best as she could, and hope she didn’t give the game away.
Chapter 45
It was time to pick her mother up. Adele had taken the day off work and she had just received the call that she’d been waiting for. Her mother confirmed that the doctor had examined her and allowed her to go home. Adele checked one last time that she had everything her mother needed then she set off for the hospital.
This time when Adele walked up to the ward she knew where to find her mother. She was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed awaiting Adele’s arrival. Although Adele had already seen her mother’s injuries, they still shocked her. She winced as she took in her mother’s battered face and plastered arm.
Then a strange feeling came over Adele. It took her by surprise. Like hatred suffused with justification. How could he have done this? The man was evil! Then she checked herself for thinking so badly of the dead; of her father who she had killed.
‘How are you feeling today?’ she asked her mother.
‘Not bad, love. I’m sure I’ll soon be a lot better,’ Shirley said, rubbing the plaster on her broken arm. ‘That’ll teach me to go falling down the stairs,’ she chuckled, for the benefit of the woman in the next bed.
Adele ignored the comment and concentrated on helping her mother get her things together. They both knew the truth even if Shirley didn’t want to acknowledge it.
During the journey back, Adele tried to mentally prepare herself for her mother’s reaction when her father didn’t return home, and she noticed the missing cat and rug. But her mother’s incessant chatter made it difficult to concentrate. She was like an excited schoolchild, returning home with tales of her day, as she prattled on about the other patients.
When they arrived at the house, Adele let Shirley unlock the door and walk in first. They made their way through the hallway and into the lounge.
‘Thanks, love,’ she gushed, flummoxing Adele. ‘It was good of you to give the place a clean. I was going to do it but… yer know.’ She sniffed the air. ‘Ooh, it smells lovely too.’
‘I didn’t…’ said Adele before her mother cut in.
‘Where’s the rug?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Adele. ‘I haven’t been here apart from picking your things up, and I went straight upstairs. Are you sure it’s not one of your neighbours?’
‘Hang on,’ said Shirley. ‘The cat’s gone missing too. What the bloody hell’s been going on?’
‘I’ve told you, Mam, I don’t know. You’d best check with the neighbours. Hasn’t one of them got a key?’
‘Well, yeah. Her next door, but she wouldn’t come in without asking. She just has it for emergencies… Eh, what if it’s yer dad? D’you think he might have cleaned up to give me a surprise?’
Adele was amazed at her mother’s gullibility but she kept her reply brief, not wanting to upset her. ‘I doubt it,’ she said.
Her back felt clammy and she sensed a slight quiver in her voice. It wasn’t easy having to lie to her mother. To divert her, Adele offered to put her things away. Then she busied herself before making her excuses and leaving for home.
Adele could feel relief surge through her as soon as she was outside her mother’s house. She was glad to get away. Lying didn’t come naturally to Adele and she dreaded the charade that she would have to keep up in the coming weeks. It was going to be tough.
*
The ringing of the phone woke Adele from a troubled sleep. She glanced at the bedside clock before crossing the room and picking up the phone: 11.45 p.m. She’d been asleep for almost thr
ee hours, having dropped into bed exhausted after her sleep deprivation of the previous night.
‘Hello,’ she said half-heartedly as she held the receiver to her ear.
‘Adele, thank God I’ve caught you!’ said Shirley. ‘I’m at my wit’s end. Yer dad’s not come home from work.’
It took Adele a few seconds to come to. ‘Eh?’ She looked at the clock again, planning her response. ‘You sure he’s not still at the pub?’
‘I don’t know, Adele. He’s usually home by now. I asked the neighbours if they’d seen anything of him when he didn’t come home from work but nobody’s seen hide nor hair of him.’
‘OK. Well try not to worry. He’s probably the worse for wear. He might have even stayed out at one of his mates. He’s done that before, hasn’t he?’
‘Well yeah, but not for a long time. And you’d think he’d be here, with me coming home from the hospital.’
Adele didn’t furnish that statement with a response. Instead she said, ‘OK, well I tell you what, Mam. You try and get some sleep. I’ll ring you tomorrow and if you’ve still not heard from him I’ll come round so we can decide what to do.’
It was several more minutes before Adele managed to get her mother off the phone. She took a lot of convincing that there was no point sitting up half the night worrying. In the end she accepted Adele’s suggestion.
Adele sighed as she replaced the receiver. Although she’d expected her mother to call at some point, she could have done without it tonight. Once again her senses were on full alert and it took her several hours before she could get back to sleep. She only managed another three hours before the phone rang again.
‘All right, Mam,’ she said after Shirley had explained how Tommy still wasn’t home. ‘Let me have a shower and something to eat, and I’ll be round.’
Adele quickly rang work and booked another day off, telling them it was a family emergency. As she got herself ready she was beginning to panic again. She didn’t want to go back to her parents’ house. To the place where it had happened. But she had no choice. Deciding that she would cope better with a bit of moral support, she rang Peter and asked him to join her there.
‘OK,’ said Peter. ‘But don’t forget, all I know is that he hasn’t been home. You’ve got to keep your cool. OK?’
‘Yes,’ said Adele then she put the phone down.
An hour later and Adele was ready to set off for her mother’s. She was wearing a high-necked blouse, which disguised most of the bruising. The rest she had covered with make-up, taking care to wear a colour of blouse that wouldn’t show any marks from the foundation cream.
Peter was already there when Adele arrived and she drew some comfort from his presence.
‘I didn’t know you’d rung our Peter,’ said Shirley.
It suddenly dawned on Adele that Peter was the last person her mother would have expected to see. After all, he wasn’t welcome at his parents’ home. And if his father was still alive, he wouldn’t have been there. She locked eyes with her brother and a look of acknowledgement flashed between them.
‘Yeah, well,’ she stumbled before collecting herself. ‘I was worried.’
Peter quickly stepped in. ‘Have you heard this, Adele?’ he asked. ‘The rug and cat are missing. Bit weird innit?’ His blasé act was convincing even to Adele.
‘Yeah, we noticed last night.’ Then, turning to her mother, she asked, ‘Did you check if any of the neighbours had been in?’
‘Yeah. And they haven’t,’ Shirley was fretting again. ‘I’m worried sick,’ she said, ‘Nobody knows owt and they’ve not seen anything of him either.’
‘I tell you what,’ said Peter. ‘The pubs will be open for dinner soon. We’ll go round his regulars and see if anyone saw him last night.’
When they had finished checking the local pubs and putting on a believable act for the customers, Peter turned to Adele and said, ‘Look, I’m sorry sis but I’ve got to go now. I’ve got a bit of business to attend to.’ Her face dropped and he immediately grabbed hold of her arm. ‘Don’t worry. It’s all going OK so far. You’ve just got to carry it on when the police arrive.’
‘Police?’ In her anxious state she had forgotten that they would have to report the fact that their father was missing.
‘Yeah, you’ll have to ring them. Think. That’s what you’d do normally, isn’t it?’ He checked his watch. ‘I’m really sorry, Adele, but I’ve got to dash. You’ll be OK though. Just do as I’ve told you and keep your cool.’
Then he was gone, leaving Adele to face things alone. She was disappointed but checked herself before her feelings turned to annoyance. He had helped her out, after all. And it was her problem, not his.
Shirley was waiting eagerly for news when Adele returned to the house.
‘Sorry, Mam. Nobody’s seen him.’
Tears sprang to Shirley’s eyes, ‘There’s something not right, Adele. I just know it. Why would the rug and cat go missing too?’ she asked.
Adele held her tightly, hoping her mother couldn’t hear her own booming heartbeat. ‘We’re gonna have to ring the police, Mam,’ she said.
After a few minutes of trying to calm her mother down, Adele picked up the phone and made the call.
The police seemed to take forever to arrive and Adele took the time to compose and prepare herself. She had to make this convincing.
The sharp knock at the door made her jump. ‘You stay there. I’ll get it,’ she said to Shirley.
Adele led the two police officers into the house then busied herself making hot drinks while they spoke to her mother. When Adele returned to the lounge, her mother was still prattling, glad of somebody else to offload her problems onto.
‘He’s not been the best father,’ she persisted. ‘But he does have his good points.’
One of the police officers picked up on this morsel of information and continued to probe. Shirley was only too willing to give him all the facts he was looking for apart from how she’d sustained her injuries. But the policeman wasn’t stupid; Adele could tell by the look on his face that he knew her story about falling down the stairs didn’t carry much weight.
The policeman paused from writing in his notebook then turned to Adele. ‘I’d like you to tell me about your last visit to the house, two days ago,’ he began.
Adele nodded. She could feel a prickle of sweat underneath the high neck of her blouse.
‘What time did you arrive at the house?’ he asked.
Adele tried to control the tremble in her voice. ‘Erm, it was after hospital visiting was over,’ she said. ‘I’d just been to see my mam at the hospital. About quarter past, maybe half past eight, I think.’
She was conscious of her harried speech, and tried to compose herself. But she could see the police officer watching her keenly.
‘And did you notice anything unusual?’ he asked.
‘No, nothing. But I didn’t come in here. I just went straight upstairs to collect my mam’s things.’
As soon as she’d said it, she realised her mistake and could feel a rush of heat flood through her body. Why mention the living room? But the officer didn’t pick her up on it; Adele didn’t know that her mother had already told him about the missing cat and rug.
‘When was the last time you saw your father?’ asked the policeman.
Adele thought back to the previous occasion when she had seen her father. An image of his battered head flashed through her brain and she quickly quashed it.
‘Er, last week I think.’
Her mother butted in. ‘It was the Sunday before last. Remember?’
‘Oh, yeah. Sunday,’ said Adele.
‘And did you notice anything strange about his behaviour?’
‘No,’ said Adele.
The officer turned to Shirley and Adele felt a moment’s reprieve. Her shoulders sagged and she resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief. ‘What about you, Mrs Robinson? You say you last saw your husband three days ago. Did you notice anything unusu
al in his behaviour?’
‘No,’ said Shirley.
‘Anything at all?’
‘No. But the rug and brass cat are missing, like I already told you.’
The policeman looked over towards the fireplace and wrote something in his notebook. ‘You say your husband wasn’t home when you returned from the hospital?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ said Shirley.
‘So, did you last see him when you were taken into hospital?’
‘Just before. He didn’t come to the hospital with me,’ Shirley answered, her face flushing slightly.
‘Did he contact you during your time in hospital?’
‘No,’ said Shirley, and Adele noticed her lip curl. ‘He’s been busy with work though,’ Shirley added.
‘And you say he wasn’t home from work when you returned from the hospital?’ the officer persisted.
‘No, I thought he’d just gone for a couple of drinks,’ Shirley replied.
‘Did he often go for a couple of drinks after work?’ asked the officer.
‘Yeah, but our Adele and Peter have been round the local pubs and nobody’s seen him,’ said Shirley.
‘Peter? Is that your son?’
‘Yes.’
‘Very well,’ said the officer, shutting his notebook. ‘We’ll want to interview your son and some of the neighbours, see if we can find out a bit more. Try not to worry for now. We’ll come back to you if we hear anything. And if you think of anything, anything at all, that might help, please give us a call.’
He glanced from Shirley to Adele, and Adele felt a stab of guilt as she watched her mother’s eyes fill with tears again. ‘I’ll show you out,’ she said to the officers, and she headed to the hallway, leaving her mother in the living room.
Once the officers were out of the house, Adele turned around and leant back against the front door. This time she did heave a sigh of relief. Then she took a deep breath before she returned to her mother, ready to continue the charade.
Born Bad Page 24
