Conflicted Innocence

by Netta Newbound

  “I don’t care. I just want it sold. You are aware of what happened in there, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. Your wife filled me in. Investors won’t care as they’d probably just rent it out until the tittle-tattle dies down.”

  “Get them through, then. As soon as, please. I’ll be glad to put this place far behind me.”

  “Lee!” Lydia squealed.

  “What?”

  “I’d have thought we might want to discuss it first.”

  “What’s to discuss? I can’t go in there, Lyddie. I’m sorry, but the sooner it’s sold, the better.”

  They followed the agent to a café in the next village where they filled out all the paperwork and handed him a key.

  Lee felt as though a weight had been lifted—he didn’t intend to set foot in the cottage ever again.

  “Fancy a slap-up lunch before we head home?” He asked once they’d waved off the agent.

  “I suppose so, since we’re here.” She glanced around at the deserted cafe. “I just wish we could’ve got the cottage finished. I would have loved getting stuck into that painting after all you’ve done already.”

  “I just can’t, Lyddie. I just can’t.”

  “Come on, then. I’m having a huge fry-up and you’re paying.” She picked up the menu and peeked at him over the top. “I do understand. Don’t worry.” She held out her hand.

  He took her hand in his and lifted it to his mouth. “I’m lucky to have you, Lyddie.”

  Lee ordered liver and onions, Lydia the all-day breakfast, and they were both stuffed to the brim when they left the café.

  “Fancy stretching your legs for a few minutes?” he asked. “There’s a river behind these shops.”

  “Sounds idyllic. Now I’ve finally broken my agoraphobia, I really don’t want to go home yet.”

  He held his arm out, and she linked her hand through it. “Then we will stay out until the wee hours, if that’s what you want.”

  Chapter 32

  After Geraldine’s strange phone call, James raced from the office, ringing her number off the hook all the way home. But the house was deserted—no sign of Geri or Grace anywhere.

  His senses were wired. Something was terribly wrong.

  He ran from the house and almost crashed into Mad Thomas at the end of the driveway. He muttered something illegible, but James raced passed. “Sorry Tom, can’t stop—I need to find Geri,” he shouted, as he jumped back into the car.

  At the nursery, he was relieved to find Grace playing happily. “Is Geraldine here?” he asked the member of staff who was crouched on the floor with his daughter.

  “Geraldine?”

  “Grace’s mum—is she here?” he snapped.

  “No—she left a couple of hours ago. Is everything alright?”

  He ran back out onto the street, panic setting in. What had she said? Something about baby Joey. But what? There was a loud bang and then nothing. Where could she possibly be?

  He got back into the car and tried her phone again, but it went straight to voicemail.

  “Geri, where the hell are you? Call me back.”

  As he pulled up outside the house again, Tom appeared, banging on the roof of the car.

  “Shit, Tom! What the hell?”

  Thomas grabbed his sleeve and dragged him towards Lee’s house.

  “I don’t have time for any of your nonsense today, Tom. I need to find my wife.”

  Thomas nodded. “Wife, Geri.”

  “Do you know where she is, Tom?”

  He nodded and continued to drag him up the path.

  As they reached the door, James noticed it stood ajar.

  “Geri? Geri are you there?”

  He kicked the door open fully and stepped inside. “Lydia? Lee? Hello?” He called up the stairs. “Candy? It’s me, James.”

  As he walked through the kitchen, he heard a sound coming from the dining room.

  Geraldine lay face down with a huge gash on her head, Lydia’s rooster-shaped, iron doorstop by her side.

  James dropped to the carpet and realised Thomas was standing behind him. “Thomas, call 999. Do you hear me? Call 999.”

  But Thomas, clearly overwhelmed, ran from the house mumbling something inaudible.

  “Geri—can you hear me, love?” This brought back memories of finding Geri once before. After fighting off her attacker, she’d fallen down a drain and suffered multiple injuries, one of them a broken leg. “Can you hear me, sweetheart? Please, wake up.”

  He got to his feet and ran back to the car for his phone. Dialling 999, he ran back to her side.

  “Fire, Police or Ambulance,” a male voice said.

  “Ambulance, it’s my girlfriend, she’s got a nasty head injury.”

  “What is the address?”

  “Fifty-four Bennett Street—oh, no I mean Fifty-six Bennett Street, Skipdale, Nottingham. Please come quick. She’s bleeding badly.

  “How did it happen, sir?”

  He reached and grabbed a tea-towel from the table and pressed it to Geri’s head wound. “I just found her like this, but at a guess I’d say somebody had a good go of staving her head in with a large iron ornament.”

  “Is she breathing?”

  “Yes, I can hear her breathing—it’s noisy though.”

  “Okay, sir. Don’t move her. A paramedic should be with you shortly.”

  He hung up and lay beside her once again.

  “Who did this to you, Geri? Who would do such a thing?” He remembered Lee and Lydia were meant to be going to the cottage today, so that left Candice. But why would Candice do such a thing? Maybe Geri had disturbed an intruder. But they wouldn’t know anything for sure until she regained consciousness.

  By the time the ambulance arrived, Geri was beginning to stir, although she wasn’t making any sense.

  The two men examined her and, within minutes, had her strapped into the ambulance.

  “I’ll follow in my car,” James said, feeling guilty not to be travelling with her, but he needed to sort out someone to collect Grace from the nursery.

  He got in his car and dialled Lee’s number.

  “Mate. Something’s happened to Geri. She was attacked in your house.”

  “What? Who by?”

  “I have no idea. She’s on her way to hospital. How far away are you?”

  “Forty-five minutes if we leave right away.”

  “Could you collect Grace for me? I’m sure you won’t have any trouble with the nursery staff. Geri sorted it out with them this morning.”

  “Of course we will. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

  “No—that’s all for now. I‘ll call you as soon as I know something.”

  “Okay, thanks. Oh, Jim, does Candice know?”

  “I don’t think so. She’s not home.”

  He hung up and called the nursery to explain what was happening. Then he zoomed off in the direction of the hospital.

  Chapter 33

  “What was that all about?” Lydia asked, as she caught up to him at the car. Her windswept hair shone in the hazy sunshine.

  “Something’s happened to Geri. She’s been attacked.”

  She gasped. “What? Where? Who by?”

  “That’s the thing. She was found in our house!”

  “What the hell? Who would attack her in our house?”

  “I have no idea. Try to call Candice. Jimmy said she wasn’t home. What if she’s...?”

  Wide eyed, she snatched the phone from him. “You think she’s also been attacked?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just thinking out loud.”

  She dialled her sister’s number, but it just rang continually.

  “Oh my God. She’s always got her phone on her. Why won’t she answer?”

  “Calm down, Lyddie. There’s no point panicking. She’s probably got the bloody thing on silent. You know what she’s like. Come on, we’ve got to pick up Grace from the nursery.”

  Lee drove, breaking the speed limi
t on most of the roads, and, for once, Lydia didn’t complain.

  Wendy was suitably contrite when they breezed into the nursery.

  “We’ve come to pick up Grace. Her mum’s been in an accident.” Lee bent to pick up the baby from the mat.

  “Oh gosh! Is she alright?” she asked, collecting Grace’s things together.

  “I don’t know—we’re heading over to the hospital shortly.” Lee handed Grace to Lydia and took the offered baby bag from Wendy. “You don’t have a spare car seat by any chance, do you?”

  “Of course, hang on, I’ll get it for you.”

  “She’s obviously had her wings clipped,” Lydia hissed as they stepped out onto the street.

  “Good. Cheeky bitch.”

  “Are you really going to the hospital?” Lydia asked.

  “I thought we both might, just to find out what happened. We can head home first to check on Candice and see the place is locked up, though.”

  “Okay.”

  They left Grace in the car while they ran in to inspect their home and were horrified to see the iron doorstop and blood all over the carpet.

  “Who’d do such a thing?” Lydia cried.

  “Unless she disturbed an intruder? Beats me.”

  Lydia ran upstairs to Candice’s room but soon returned. “Nothing. No sign of a struggle or anything untoward. Her bed’s not been made, and I just found this under the duvet.” She held up a phone.

  “Is that hers?”

  She nodded.

  “Explains why she’s not answering then. Maybe she’s gone to get the rest of her stuff, considering she’s staying a while. She starts her job on Monday.”

  “Without her phone?” Lydia shook her head. “Can’t see it, Lee. She even takes it to the toilet with her usually.”

  “Dunno, we can’t worry about that right now. You know how selfish she is? She’s no doubt safe and sound somewhere. Let’s get to the hospital.”

  With having no pushchair, Lee carried Grace the distance from the car park to the emergency department, then handed her to Lydia while he queued in A&E to ask about Geraldine.

  Moments later, they were ushered through a side door and down a number of corridors before being told to take a seat.

  James appeared almost immediately. He looked distraught and hugged them both tightly.

  “How is she?” Lydia asked.

  He took the baby from her and nuzzled into the child’s neck. “She’s still unconscious, but they don’t think there’s any permanent damage—they’ve just taken her for a scan.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  “The only thing I know was she called me asking me to return home as soon as possible. She must’ve been bashed then as I heard a loud noise and then nothing. It was Mad Thomas who told me she was in your house or I never would have thought to look there, and goodness knows the state she would be in if left much longer.”

  “Thank God for Tom,” Lydia said. “He rarely misses much, that one.”

  “I know. He scarpered when I asked him to call an ambulance, and I’ve not had a chance to find out if he saw anything else.”

  Chapter 34

  I opened my eyes, and realised I was in a strange tube like tunnel. I panicked for a second.

  “Please lie still, Geraldine,” a friendly female voice said.

  “Wh—where am I?”

  “You need to keep perfectly still. You’ve got a head injury and we need to check there’s no serious damage.”

  Candice’s face suddenly came to mind. She hit me. I needed to tell someone.

  “Please, please I need to get out of here. It’s urgent.”

  The bed began to move, and I was confronted by a small, round, extremely pissed-off nurse.

  “I’m sorry. I need to see my partner, James. Is he here.”

  “I don’t know, but what I do know is how much these scans cost. You just ruined the whole process.”

  “I’m sorry—but it’s urgent.”

  She grumpily transferred me to a wheelchair and called a huge, hairy, giant of a man to take me back to the ward.

  James, Lee and Lydia were congregating outside the examination room.

  “Geri? Oh my God. Are you okay?” James rushed to my side, our daughter in his arms.

  Grace tried to launch herself at me but James caught her in time. “Oh no, you don’t, Missie.”

  I chuckled and winced, reaching for my head, and realised my arm ached like a bitch too. “Yes. I think I’m fine—a killer headache but...” I looked at Lee and Lydia, reluctant to tell them, and cause them even more stress.

  “What happened?” James asked, shaking his head.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “We’ll go and get a brew,” Lydia said, grabbing Lee’s sleeve.

  “No! I need to talk to all of you.”

  “I’ll take over from here, mate,” James said, taking the wheelchair off the orderly.

  He wheeled me into an examination room and helped me up onto the bed. “Go on, tell us what happened?”

  My eyes filled with tears as I glanced at Lydia and reached for her hand. “I discovered something.” I swallowed deeply. My mouth felt parched. “I worked out what happened to Joseph.”

  Her fingers tightened around mine, and I could feel her trembling.

  “You didn’t do it!” I said, my voice no more than a squeak.

  Large tears ran down her face and dropped from her chin. She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

  “Then who?” Lee asked, his own eyes glistening.

  “Candice.”

  An inhuman howl left Lydia, as she collapsed onto the chair beside the bed, reduced to a tiny, quivering ball.

  Lee rushed to her side and pulled her to him.

  “And she did this to you, too?” James asked.

  I nodded. “She didn’t want me to tell anybody.”

  “I’ll kill her.” Lee said through gritted teeth, his nostrils flared. His face was devoid of all colour as he stroked his wife’s head.

  Lydia, still wailing, didn’t seem with it at all.

  “How did you know?” James asked, shaking his head.

  “I had a feeling, and I knew Mad Thomas had something against Candice. So I asked him.”

  “And he told you?”

  “Not in so many words. He showed me where he’d been sitting that day. In his garden, looking straight up at baby Joey’s bedroom, and you could also see the bathroom although the window is frosted.”

  “But how did you know it was Candice?” James asked, handing Gracie his keys.

  “I asked him, and he nodded. He told me Lydia was not guilty.”

  “He always said that, right from the time it first happened,” Lee said. “Why didn’t I listen to him?”

  “Because it was cut and dried as far as anyone could tell. Even Lydia thought she must’ve done it. What other explanation could there be?” James said.

  “Candice admitted it to me once I confronted her.”

  Lydia suddenly stopped crying and turned to face me, rubbing the tears from her cheeks.

  “She came around and found you in bed, the bath run and Joey in his cot. She put him in the bath before receiving a phone call. When she came back...”

  “She let me think I killed my baby. Who would do that to their own sister?”

  I shook my head. “I’m so sorry, Lydia.

  “Are you alright to look after Grace from here?” Lee asked.

  “Of course. Thanks for picking her up.”

  “Come on, Lyddie. We’re going to the police.”

  *

  “I would have preferred you to stay in hospital overnight. At least until they gave you the all clear.” James said, as he pulled up outside the house.

  “I’m fine. I just want to rest at home. You know how noisy hospitals can be. And besides, you can be my nursemaid.”

  “Newsflash.” He nodded towards the house. “I’m nobody’s nursemaid.”

  I suddenly s
ensed somebody beside the window, and I almost leapt from my skin.

  Simon opened my car door. “Here she is, the cripple. Don’t worry, babes, we’ll look after you.” He motioned towards Kevin who stood close behind him.

  I groaned. “James! What have you done?” I shook my head and glared at him.

  “Only gone and secured you two of the best nursemaids around.”

  “You better believe it, girlfriend,” Simon said, putting on his gayest voice.

  “I’ll get you back.” I shook my fist at James before being whisked from the car and into the house in an instant.

  “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow?”

  “There’s gotta be some perks to schtumping the boss.”

  “Simon!” I cried, horrified. “There are certain things you shouldn’t discuss with your ex, no matter how friendly we are.”

  “Oh, shut up, you prude. We heard you and James schtumping every night when we were in France. Didn’t we, Kev?”

  Kevin helped me down onto the sofa, his face flushed purple. “I should apologise for him, but you ought to know him by now. The more shocked you are, the worse he gets.”

  “So true.” I laughed, gripping my head.

  “Right. No more excitement. She’s supposed to be resting,” James said, shoving them all through to the kitchen.

  I sighed, glad of a bit of peace and quiet. I could hear Grace belly laughing at something Simon was doing and the pain in my head intensified once again as I laughed. I prayed there was no permanent damage done. I closed my eyes for a short nap.

  When I woke, it was already dark, and I was still on the sofa. “James?” I called.

  He appeared in the doorway seconds later. “Oh, you’re awake. Can I get you a drink or something to eat?”

  “A glass of water, please. I can’t face eating anything.”

  He disappeared and returned moments later with a glass. “There you are. Do you feel any better?”

  “A little. Where is everyone?”

  “Grace is tucked up in bed, and Simon and Kevin went to the movies. I convinced them you needed peace and quiet.”