by Kitty Neale
Kevin looked at his empty glass, unwilling to pay for another drink and about to leave when there was a drum roll. Like those of every other man in the room his eyes were riveted to the stage as the next performer appeared. She was stunning, though it wasn’t her long dark hair or perfect features that held his attention: it was her haughty attitude. She stood with her legs slightly apart in a tight black skirt with a side slit, hands on hips as she looked loftily down at them.
What felt like minutes passed, yet probably was only seconds, and Kevin found he was waiting, holding his breath until at last her shoulders and upper body began to sway to the rhythm of drums. Gradually the tempo increased and tauntingly she began to strip, the skirt flung off to reveal long, shapely legs encased in black net stockings and suspenders. She paused for a moment, posing, her smile mocking as though totally aware of her extraordinary sensuality.
Tantalisingly, she took off her top and then knelt on the stage, leaning towards her audience with her breasts oozing out of a tight, black basque. Slowly she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips and then flipped over onto her back, one long leg raised as she peeled off one stocking, then the other.
Though he was longing to see more of her stunning body, Kevin found he didn’t want her act to end, but then she was on her feet, the basque flung off and all that was left was a tiny thong. With a smile she swung around, bending at the waist to wriggle her magnificent rear end before she turned back, and with a final flourish left the stage, waving like a queen to her subjects.
Kevin was hardly aware of the whistles, the shouts for more as the breath left his body in a rush, his voice a rasp as he leaned over the bar. ‘That stripper, I’d like to meet her. What’s her name?’
‘Adrianna, but forget it, mate, you haven’t got a chance.’
‘I’d like to buy her a drink.’
‘I told you to forget it. She never mixes with the punters.’
Kevin wasn’t about to give up and moving to a table, he waited, knowing that shortly a hostess would sidle up. Sure enough, he didn’t have to wait long before a brassy, scantily dressed blonde appeared to sit by his side.
‘Hello, handsome,’ she said as her hand found his thigh. ‘Would you like a bit of company?’
‘Sure, and I expect you’d like me to buy you a drink?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘What would you like?’
‘Champagne would be lovely.’
Kevin smiled wryly. It was no more than he expected and of course the price would be exorbitant, but as long as he got what he wanted it would be worth it. ‘Champagne it is.’
She introduced herself as Yvette, but Kevin guessed that the name was fake, just like her hair. Not that he cared. He wasn’t interested in her. She was just a means to an end.
‘That last stripper was good,’ he said casually. ‘It explains why this place is so busy.’
‘Yeah, Adrianna always pulls them in.’
‘If she likes champagne too, perhaps you could invite her to join us and I’ll buy another bottle.’
‘Take my advice and stay well away from Adrianna. She’s the exclusive property of someone you wouldn’t want to upset.’
Kevin scowled. He didn’t know how he was going to do it yet, but he was going to find a way to get close to Adrianna, exclusive property or not. ‘Will she be on again?’ he asked.
‘No, Adrianna only does one turn a night.’
Did that mean she’d be leaving soon, Kevin wondered. He stood up abruptly, leaving Yvette to the cheap plonk that was supposed to pass for champagne as he drawled, ‘See you,’ before heading for the door.
It was past two in the morning as Kevin stepped out of the club. There was an alley to one side and glancing down it he saw a side exit. As though the gods were smiling on him, Kevin saw that Adrianna was just coming out, her fantastic body now hidden by a fur coat, her slanted, cat-like eyes becoming wary when she saw him.
Kevin’s mind worked quickly, searching for a way to stop her from walking straight past him. ‘Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you but I’m afraid I’m lost. Can you direct me to the nearest Underground station?’ he asked appealingly, with what he hoped was a charming and unthreatening manner.
‘Go away,’ she hissed urgently, her eyes wide with fear as a large, dark car pulled into the kerb.
The door was flung open and a voice ordered, ‘Adrianna, get in.’
As she bent to get into the car, Kevin heard the menacing question from the man inside. ‘Who’s that geezer, Adrianna? Do you know him?’
‘No, it’s just a bloke asking for directions.’
Taking a chance before the car door closed, Kevin leaned in and though many, many years had passed, he instantly recognised the face that looked back at him. He quickly recovered, saying, ‘Sorry, but do you by any chance know where the nearest tube station is?’
‘Sod off!’ the voice growled.
Kevin did just that, his face sombre as he headed for Ealing. That hostess, Yvette, was right – he didn’t want to mess with Vincent Chase.
But he still wanted to mess with his bird.
Chapter Ten
‘Thank goodness Nora’s still asleep,’ Derek said on Sunday morning. ‘She hardly leaves your side and we don’t get a minute to ourselves nowadays.’
‘I know, but it’s because she’s still unsettled. She’ll be a lot better when we move to Battersea,’ Pearl said, feeling awful that she couldn’t say the same for John. He’d taken the news that they were moving badly, though he had seemed somewhat mollified when Pearl had told him that he could spend every weekend with his grandmother in Winchester. As he’d been upset enough, Pearl hadn’t told him the truth about Kevin, but she knew it was something she had to face.
John came downstairs only moments later, mumbling a reply to their greetings. He sat at the table and poured himself a bowl of cornflakes, then paused. ‘Mum, I know you said that when we move to Battersea I can spend every weekend here, but you seem to have forgotten something.’
‘Have I?’
‘I spend one Saturday a month with my grandparents in Southsea.’
‘We’ll work something out,’ Pearl said. She hadn’t forgotten. It was another thing that lay heavily on her mind. One complication seemed to follow another and Pearl was at a loss to know what to do.
‘Well, Dad, if you ask me, it sounds like you’ll be spending hours every weekend driving me around,’ John commented, his eyes on Derek.
‘Yeah, but I don’t mind,’ he replied.
Pearl smiled at Derek and knowing that she had to get it over with, she took courage from his presence as she said, ‘John, I have something to tell you. It … it’s about Kevin … your real father. He’s been released from prison.’
She watched her son’s eyes light up, heard the excitement in his voice. ‘He has? Where is he now? Can I see him?’
‘Before we get into that, I’m afraid I have to tell you something about your father that I had hoped to keep from you …’
John’s brow creased as Pearl hesitated and he urged, ‘What is it, Mum?’
‘When I felt you were old enough to understand, I told you that your father was sent to prison for robbery, but I’m afraid there was more to it than that. You see … he … he tried to steal jewels from a shop, but the old man who owned it tried to stop him and your father, well, he …’ Once again, Pearl floundered to a halt.
Pearl saw the bewilderment on her son’s face, confusion instead of excitement now clouding his eyes. ‘He what, Mum?’
Her eyes went to Derek and he must have seen an appeal in them as he took over, saying bluntly, ‘He smashed the poor old sod’s head in and left him brain-damaged.’
John just gawked at Derek for a moment, the colour draining from his face. He then stood up, flung back his chair and without a word, he dashed out of the room.
‘Did you have to put it like that?’ Pearl said angrily. ‘Couldn’t you have softened it a bit?’
‘
I don’t see how. It’s what Kevin did and, as you pointed out, someone in Battersea is sure to bring it up, and I doubt they’ll do it delicately.’
Though Pearl acknowledged the truth of Derek’s words, she was still angry. ‘I’ll go after John, tell him that Kevin’s changed, that he’s a different person, a good man who wants to set up a refuge for the homeless.’
‘You can make Kevin sound like a saint, but I ain’t so easily fooled,’ Derek called after her as she left the room.
In Battersea, Lucy cleared the table. She hoped that Clive would be happy playing with his toy soldiers for a while as she began to take up the sleeves on a jacket. The alteration wasn’t going to make her much money, but at least it was something. She needed more sewing, more clients, but with a sinking heart Lucy knew that even if she spent all day stitching, it was never going to make her a fortune.
What she still needed at the moment, and desperately, was the money she was owed from working in Bessie’s shop. Take today for instance. Instead of a bit of cheap meat, like belly of pork for their Sunday dinner, all she could make was a pot of vegetable stew.
Unable to concentrate on the sewing, Lucy threw it down. The trouble was that even if she somehow got her pay, once spent there’d be nothing to replace it now that the shop was closed and her job gone.
After shedding so many tears when Paul died, Lucy wasn’t one for crying nowadays, but still her eyes welled up at the thought of attending another funeral, this time Bessie’s. She had no idea what arrangements had been made and so far Pearl hadn’t been in touch to let her know. She’d have to ring Pearl in Winchester, but that meant going to the telephone box and paying for a long distance call. With a heavy sigh, Lucy ran her hands through her hair. She just couldn’t afford it … but then it struck her that she still had the keys to Bessie’s shop. She’d go there to use the telephone, and under the circumstances, surely there was nobody who would mind.
Lucy finished the jacket and put it to one side ready for collection. ‘Come on, Clive,’ she called. ‘Get your coat on. We’re going out.’
Derek didn’t like the way he was feeling, the direction his mind was taking him, but now that Kevin had been released the past was coming back to haunt him. He could remember the day that Pearl had married Kevin Dolby, her belly already rounded in pregnancy. She had been besotted by him, madly in love, only to have her illusions shattered when Kevin had been convicted of robbery with violence.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that they were moving back to Battersea, he doubted Pearl would have told John the truth about Kevin, but for the life of him Derek couldn’t understand why. Was it because she was still in love with Kevin? Was that it? Had she been hanging on to some sort of long-held dream – a dream that when Kevin was released they’d get back together, with John in ignorance of what his father had done?
No, no, of course Pearl didn’t want that, Derek told himself. He was being stupid, his fears arising out of his own stupid insecurities. Instead of worrying about the past, he should be thinking about the future: though Pearl had inherited Bessie’s shop and flat, he still had to find work.
The telephone was ringing and with everyone but Nora upstairs, Derek went to answer it. It was Lucy Sanderson asking about Bessie’s funeral arrangements. He told her it was to be held on Friday, where and when, said they’d see her there and then ended the call.
As Derek replaced the receiver, Pearl came downstairs, her face pale and drawn. He held out his arms and she walked into them to lay her head on his chest as she spoke. ‘I didn’t make Kevin sound like a saint. I just told him what Bernie said – that he thinks Kevin has changed – but John doesn’t want to know. He said from now on, he’s only got one father, and that’s you.’
‘Are you happy with that?’ he asked.
‘Of course.’
To Derek her reply sounded terse, and his irrational fear of losing Pearl rose again as he blurted out, ‘Do you love me?’
She leaned back to look up at him. ‘You know I do.’
‘Say it then.’
She looked puzzled. ‘What’s brought this on?’
‘Just say it, Pearl.’
‘For goodness’ sake, I love you, Derek Lewis. There, are you satisfied?’
‘I would be if it sounded like you meant it.’
‘This is ridiculous and after seeing the state John was in I’m not in the mood for this,’ Pearl said as she pushed his arms away. ‘Now I’ve told you I love you, and maybe after all these years of marriage I don’t say it enough, but neither do you.’
Derek hung his head. ‘Yeah, you’re right and I’m sorry. It’s just that with Kevin being released and all this talk of him turning over a new leaf, I thought you might want to go back to him.’
Pearl’s eyes widened, her voice high as she cried, ‘Are you mad? Not only did he almost kill a defenceless old man, while awaiting trial he was also accused of raping a young woman. She had no proof so the charge was dropped, but as I’d once had a taste of Kevin’s perverted idea of lovemaking, I knew she was telling the truth.’
There was a gasp of horror and they both turned to see John standing behind them on the stairs. He stood frozen for a moment, a look of sheer horror on his face and then, as he had done earlier, he fled.
‘Oh no!’ Pearl cried. ‘Derek, he must have heard everything.’
Nora appeared, her face creased with confusion as she asked, ‘What matter, Pearl?’
‘You see to Nora and leave John to me,’ Derek said. ‘I’ll go and speak to him.’
Pearl nodded, looking sick with worry, while Derek was inwardly raging. So it was true – Kevin was a rapist, and thinking of his sick, evil hands on Pearl, Derek wished that he was standing in front of him now.
His huge fists clenched – fists he hadn’t used since his days as a boxer, fists he had never used outside of the ring, yet all he wanted now was to use Kevin Dolby as a punchbag.
Chapter Eleven
It was Friday and Dolly was growing impatient. Eleven days had passed since Kevin’s release but he hadn’t been to see them again. She had no idea how to contact him and cursed herself for not thinking to ask for his friend’s address and telephone number in Ealing.
‘I still feel a bit odd,’ Bernie complained. ‘I hope I’m not losing it like my father when he was around my age. Maybe I should see the doctor.’
‘I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,’ Dolly agreed. She’d been crushing a half of one of her pills to mix into Bernie’s tea in the mornings, but wasn’t worried about him seeing the doctor. In fact she could just imagine how the consultation would go. The doctor would ask Bernie what the problem was and he’d voice his worries, list vague symptoms: that he lacked energy, felt tired, and that his head felt sort of muzzy. It was hardly enough for the doctor to diagnose anything, let alone the onset of early senility.
‘My head feels a bit clearer so I think I’ll leave it for now.’
‘Suit yourself,’ Dolly told him, already planning her next move. The last few days had been a trial run, one with unexpected results. Bernie thought that he was going senile and she could play on that to gain control of him – and the purse strings again.
Kevin would be so grateful when she gave him a large donation for the refuge, and he wouldn’t have to live in one room. They’d both live in a nice house or flat, and though Dolly had no intention of living in Battersea again, there were other boroughs. There was John too. Once he saw how much his father had changed, the lad was sure to want to live with them and that would be one in the eye for Pearl.
Pearl sat through Bessie’s funeral service, Derek on one side of her and John on the other. Nora was beside John, weeping gently. There were few people behind them: most of Bessie’s old acquaintances had died or moved away.
Pearl was in tears too, though she was still reeling from all the changes Bessie’s death had wrought. She could understand why Bessie had put those conditions in her will, but knew that if she had just walked away from it a
ll, from the shop and the premises, it wouldn’t have been necessary to tell John about his father. Nor would he have overhead her spouting her mouth off to Derek about the rape. It had been an awful week since then, John quiet, withdrawn and unwilling to talk about his feelings.
Pearl lowered her head while a prayer was read. She felt sick inside and now feared that their lives would never be the same again.
A hymn was sung, a few words spoken by the vicar about a woman he had never met, and for Pearl it felt so little to mark the passing of someone who had lived on this earth for seventy-nine years. The curtains had drawn in front of the coffin, but there was a pause, as though they were all waiting for something else to happen, for something else to be said.
Pearl rose to her feet, dabbing her cheeks as she began to leave the pew, but then saw that Nora was still seated, blocking both John’s and her mother’s path. John bent over Nora speaking so softly that Pearl couldn’t hear what he said, but Nora at last stood up, her face wet with tears.
Once outside, Pearl saw that her mother had led Nora to the scant display of floral tributes, while John held back. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Nora would start looking for her, so took the opportunity to hurry to his side. ‘John, thank you for taking care of Nora. She’s still finding it hard to cope.’
He just shrugged then walked away, while Pearl felt a tug on her arm and turned to see Lucy Sanderson. ‘Oh, Lucy, Derek told me that you’d called to ask about the funeral arrangements. I’m so sorry, I should have let you know, but it completely slipped my mind.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said, biting her lip before adding, ‘Pearl, can I have a quick word with you?’
‘Yes, of course you can. We’re going to the Nag’s Head for a bite to eat and a drink if you’d like to join us?’
‘I’m afraid I can’t come and that’s why I need to talk to you before you leave. I know this isn’t really the time, or place, and I feel awful for bringing this up, but I’m desperate, Pearl. Do you by any chance know who I should talk to about my wages?’
