No Heaven, No Hell

by J. T. Brindle

  ‘Are you trying to kill me?’

  Startled, Liz swung round. ‘Whatever do you mean, child?’

  ‘I’m not a child, mother, or haven’t you noticed? And I didn’t mean anything in particular, except that you should never swim on a full stomach. It could cause cramp and you might drown. Is that what you want?’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

  Lianne’s voice intervened. ‘I won’t have anything either.’

  ‘Oh? And what’s the matter with you, then?’ Liz asked anxiously. ‘It isn’t like you to go without your breakfast. Would you rather have some cereal?’

  Lianne made no effort to enter the room. Instead she stayed near the door. ‘I don’t really want to go into town either.’

  Liz looked closely at her. ‘What’s the matter with you? Are you ill?’ She came across the room to stand before her. There was something different about Lianne, she thought curiously. ‘What’s the matter with your eyes?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘They’re all red.’ Glancing sideways at Ginny, who was slyly watching, she studied that arrogant face for a minute before returning her attention to the younger girl. ‘Have you been crying?’

  Lianne shook her head. ‘I was brushing my hair and accidentally poked myself in the eye. They watered a bit that’s all.’

  Liz looked closer. ‘They look… I don’t know… odd.’ There was something peculiar but she couldn’t decide what it was.

  Jack intervened. ‘I’d appreciate a few minutes with Ginny if that’s all right?’

  The business of Lianne’s eyes was forgotten. ‘Get yourself ready,’ Liz told her. ‘By the look of you, it’ll do you good to get some fresh air.’ Her parting words to Jack were a plea for him to get to the bottom of it as he had promised. ‘We’ll talk later then.’

  Returning her kiss he winked aside. ‘Later,’ he confirmed.

  A few moments passed and he was alone with Ginny. They heard the front door close and the house was deathly quiet for what seemed an age before Jack prompted, ‘You’re in trouble again, I gather?’

  ‘She asked for it.’

  ‘Who asked for it?’

  ‘Miss Warren.’

  ‘The one who takes the swimming class?’

  Ginny nodded. ‘She takes science sometimes as well, when Mr Arlington is away.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘She’s not very good at it though. Mr Arlington is a trained science teacher. Miss Warren doesn’t even know how to light the burners properly.’

  He chewed his bottom lip. ‘Oh, I see.’ He forced himself to half smile. ‘Miss Warren got on the wrong side of you, did she?’

  ‘Sort of.’ Ginny’s face broke out in a sinister grin. It shook him to the core.

  ‘And how did you pay her back?’

  A moment to think, to wonder whether her father should be told. But he was not a threat. It was her mother who was the real threat. ‘I let the rats out.’

  He jerked as though someone had jabbed him in the back. ‘You what?’

  ‘In the science lab. I let all the rats out of their cages, and I put one in Miss Warren’s locker.’ Her face crinkled with glee. ‘It bit her on the leg.’

  For the first time since she had been born, Jack wanted to slap her. ‘Jesus Christ! That was a bloody stupid thing for you to do!’

  ‘It’s all right. She can’t prove it was me who did it.’

  ‘What in God’s name were you thinking of?’

  ‘How did you know about it?’

  ‘Apparently, Miss Warren rang your mother, asking the two of us to go in and see her. She said the matter was serious.’ He grimaced. ‘And she was right, wasn’t she, eh? By God she was bloody well right. The rat could have been infected… could have poisoned her.’

  ‘Mr Arlington’s rats aren’t infected.’

  ‘You weren’t to know that!’ He was bubbling with anger. ‘What if you get expelled? You’re taking your exams this year. For Christ’s sake, Ginny, what if you get expelled?’

  ‘I won’t get expelled. Miss Warren might be a pain, but she’s not a tell-tale. She won’t report me until she’s spoken to you and Mother. Even then she might be afraid to tell the headmistress.’

  ‘Oh? And why’s that?’ He was rapidly losing patience.

  ‘Because it was she who left the locks undone on the cages. Mr Arlington always locks the cages when class is over and everyone’s gone.’ She sighed impatiently. ‘No one saw me let the rats out. Everyone else had made their way to the cloakroom and Miss Warren was working at her desk. It was easy. Anyway, she can’t say it was me because she doesn’t know for sure.’

  ‘What else have you been up to?’

  Ginny was startled. ‘Nothing. Why?’

  ‘According to your mother Miss Warren has several matters she needs to discuss, and all concerning you.’

  ‘She’s lying!’

  ‘No, Ginny. It’s you who’s lying, and I expect we’ll have to wait until Monday to find out how much. Now, get off to your swimming practice before you’re in trouble there as well.’ He stood up and turned his back on her. A moment later the door banged shut. Weary at heart, he leaned on the table and dropped his head to his chin. ‘You’re right, Liz,’ he admitted, ‘I couldn’t handle it.’

  It wasn’t so much what Ginny had done, though that was bad enough. It was the way she smiled at it all. The way she seemed to enjoy other people’s terror. That was what he couldn’t handle.

  By the time Ginny got to the corner the school bus was already waiting. Miss Warren was pacing the street, and growing more agitated by the minute. ‘Where is that girl?’ She glanced up and saw her coming, sauntering down the street as though she had all the time in the world. ‘Quickly!’ she shouted, waving her arms about. ‘We’ve only got the pool for an hour. We’ll be late as it is.’ Miss Warren was a homely sort, but girls like Ginny wound her up to fever pitch.

  Ginny pretended not to hear. Instead she deliberately slowed her steps. Suddenly, above Miss Warren’s frantic voice could be heard the entire school team. They were shouting through the windows, counting down as Ginny came closer: ‘Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…’ and so on, until Ginny finally stepped on to the bus and a crescendo of cheering caused Miss Warren to shout them down and give them a little lecture. After that, she seemed to have lost all control. For the remainder of the journey she sat in the seat beside the driver, sweat pouring down her face and her eyes closed as the laughter from behind drowned out her loathsome thoughts.

  Twenty minutes later the bus pulled into the leisure centre and the girls piled out. Miss Warren had them back under control, her face set like stone as she ordered, ‘No one to go into the pool until I arrive.’ What she lacked in the knowledge of science she made up for in the water. In her youth she had been a champion swimmer. When she dived, her back straight and her slim figure entering the water without making a ripple, she was a magnificent sight. Every girl under her supervision, including a reluctant Ginny, admired and respected her considerable athletic accomplishments.

  The girls were a little more orderly now, though obviously excited at the prospect of practising their swimming skills. Miss Warren had already warned them they would have to work extra hard if they were to beat St Roach High School in the forthcoming competition.

  Leaving the girls to change, Miss Warren went to the office. ‘You’ve lost five minutes already,’ the bespectacled clerk told her.

  ‘Don’t I know it,’ she replied, hastily gathering the locker keys and bidding him cheerio.

  Being well practised in the art, it took her just a minute to change. When she appeared at the pool, slim and muscle-taut in her plain black costume, with her long hair scraped back into a plait, the girls were waiting, all lined up at the deep end and raring to go.

  ‘Are we swimming in twos like last week?’ one girl asked eagerly.

  Miss Warren considered that for a brief minute. Swimming in twos was a favoured exercise of hers. It taught the girls how to keep their dista
nce. It showed them how to work as a team, yet gave them a strong idea of swimming in competition. Today though, the girls were all too excited by what had happened earlier on. One or two of them were giggling, whispering about the daring of Ginny Lucas.

  Miss Warren turned her head slightly to glance at the culprit. Ginny was standing at the corner of the line, looking for all the world like a complete innocent. She gave Miss Warren a warm, affectionate smile. ‘I’m sorry for what happened, Miss Warren,’ she said in a clear voice that carried the length of the line. ‘It won’t happen again.’

  Miss Warren appreciated the gesture. But she was not convinced. ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she answered, while muttering bitterly, ‘You have a lot to answer for, you little bitch!’

  The girls were waiting for instructions. She quickly made her decision. It was a decision which was to cost her dearly. ‘I think we’ll warm up first,’ she told them. ‘A five minute free swim, to loosen the joints and ease the stress.’ God only knew how she had been put through the wringer with Ginny Lucas!

  ‘Can we use the whole pool, Miss Warren?’ It was the same girl who had previously voiced a question. She smiled at the eager face. Amy Burton was a born organiser.

  ‘Not yet. I want you all to use the bottom end of the pool.’ Indicating the halfway mark, she explained, ‘No one to come past that marker, and you’re all on trust while I go through a short diving programme.’ For her, it was the best way of all to relax. Besides, the girls were all accomplished swimmers and fairly responsible. They would come to no harm for five minutes. ‘Right, girls, into the water… up to the far end.’ As they dived in one after the other in sequence the way she had taught them, she called out in a louder voice, ‘No tomfoolery, and no diving. It might be a good idea to practise your crawl across the pool width. Five minutes’ free time, that’s all we can afford.’

  She watched them for a moment, monitoring as they entered the water, and mentally assessing their potential as champions. Of all the pupils she had ever supervised, there was only one who possessed outstanding qualities, and that was Ginny Lucas. She saw her stretch out now, arms high and figure tucked in the way she had been taught. She entered the water at just the right angle, sleek and magnificent. When she swam away to join the others, Miss Warren envied her. You have youth and talent on your side, she thought. You have it in you to be the best one day. As she climbed to the top diving board she caught a glimpse of Ginny cutting through the water. Strength and speed, you have it all, young lady. What a pity you have such a cruel nature.

  From the top of the diving board she looked down. That vast pool looked so small from up here, yet it was a sight that always filled her with great excitement. Her eyes turned to where the girls were swimming across the far end of the pool, practising their crawl as she had suggested. Carefully now, she walked to the very tip of the diving board; it gently bounced beneath her feet. With her entire weight finely balanced, she stretched out her arms, up on the balls of her feet, head tucked down. Ready now. This was the moment. One quick flick, a powerful thrust, and a ripple of exhilaration as she launched herself into the air.

  Down below, deep, deep down where no one could see her, someone waited, calculating the area where Miss Warren would cut through the surface.

  For the briefest moment Ginny hesitated. It seemed so cruel, such a wicked waste. Beneath the water the uplifted features took on a devilish look. Miss Warren had told tales. On Monday she would tell a whole lot more. That must not be allowed to happen.

  At the moment of entry, when Miss Warren sliced through the water, the figure bided her time, waiting until that lithe figure curved upwards to begin the ascent. With the frightening speed of a fish born to water, it darted forward. Miss Warren never knew what happened. She felt the tug on her long thick plait. She experienced a sudden vicious sensation of shock as she was drawn upwards and, by the time she realised her hair was being sucked into the machinations of the filter, it was already too late.

  With legs and arms flailing the water, she fought and screamed in vain. The more she struggled the tighter she became entangled, and the more she screamed the more the water rushed like a tidal wave into her lungs, crushing the air from them, taking her life.

  In that moment before Miss Warren took her last breath, she saw the figure swim away. Realisation dawned. But, God help her, it was too late now.

  ‘Stop mucking about, Ginny!’ Amy Burton gave a loud cry as Ginny swam towards her. ‘I’ll tell Miss Warren you’re tomfooling,’ she threatened. But still Ginny came at her, up and down, in and out, breaking the water with the agility of a dolphin.

  ‘I’m not tomfooling,’ Ginny protested. ‘I’ve been swimming backwards and forwards across the pool for ages, and I’m fed up.’

  ‘I’m fed up too,’ remarked another girl. ‘I wish Miss Warren would hurry up. Five minutes, she said.’ She glanced towards the diving boards. ‘Where is she, anyway?’

  Ginny turned her attention to the top diving board. ‘The last time I looked she was diving from the top.’

  Now everyone was looking, all asking the same question. ‘Where is she, then?’

  ‘She should have surfaced by now.’

  ‘Maybe she’s gone to the cloakroom.’

  Nobody wanted to express concern. Miss Warren was a powerful swimmer. But their incessant questions and the hysteria in their voices betrayed their deeper fears.

  In a matter of minutes the girls were gathered into a tight circle. Ginny made an uncharacteristic offer: ‘Shall I go and look in the cloakrooms?’ The anxious expression on her face belied the amusement in her wicked heart.

  She climbed out of the pool. One of the class prefects went with her. They ran to the cloakrooms and searched high and low. ‘That’s strange,’ Ginny remarked. ‘I could have sworn she’d be in here.’

  ‘Well, she’s not,’ the other girl said, ‘and look, there are her things.’ She pointed to the towel and flat shoes beneath the slatted bench.

  When they returned, it was a scene of chaos. Amy Burton had volunteered to check the deep end of the pool. When she saw Miss Warren’s lifeless body, her screams brought everyone running. With as much astonishment as everyone, Ginny ran to the top end and dived in. It was she who yelled for someone to fetch help. ‘And some scissors! Her hair’s caught in the filter. Hurry up!’ Feigning horror and seeming to put herself at risk, she appeared to be frantically trying to free the lifeless body, and twice she surfaced, gasping for air. But she knew. In her black heart she knew the life had ebbed away. And she could hardly contain her delight.

  By the time help came, there was little anyone could do to save her.

  When the lifeguard shook his head, Ginny climbed out of the water and lay on the edge of the pool, tears rolling down her face. ‘I can’t believe it,’ she cried. ‘Poor Miss Warren.’ Such was her show of compassion that she had the other girls sobbing, clinging to her, thankful that she too had not been drowned while trying so valiantly to save their teacher.

  Later, when Miss Warren was taken away in an ambulance, everyone was questioned about the incident. The girls were brokenhearted. They were all treated with the utmost tenderness.

  The clerk was in a state of shock. With a white, stricken face he explained to the police inspector, ‘A smaller budget forced us to cut back on the lifeguard’s hours. He weren’t due to report for duty until ten o’clock, when the younger children use the pool, but he turned up a bit early today… only just got through the door when the girl came running in, screaming how her teacher were caught up in the filter.’ He covered his face with his hands. ‘He did his best,’ he muttered, ‘but it were too late. The poor bugger were already drowned.’ He couldn’t understand it. ‘In her day she were a champion, you know. She told me that herself… proud of it she were.’ An angry tear threatened. ‘It’ll not happen again, by God! She’ll be the first and last to drown in this pool, I can tell you. The authorities will have to redesign the filtering system, and bugger the bud
get!’

  After treatment for shock, the girls were collected and kept safe at the school, while their parents were notified about the tragedy. ‘Please come and take your children home,’ they were asked, and in no time at all the children were gone, some sobbing, some talking too much to make sense, and others very quiet, unbelieving.

  Ginny Lucas was one of the quiet ones. She shrugged away all help, while being secretly thrilled that Miss Warren had got the punishment she richly deserved.

  3

  Though nearly a week had passed since the tragic accident, the whole community was still subdued by the shock. Miss Warren could not be laid to rest until after the inquest, and according to the coroner that would not take place for some weeks.

  At a meeting at the school where she had taught for many years, sombre-faced dignitaries paid tribute in the packed assembly hall. The headmistress stated in a breaking voice, ‘Miss Warren was highly regarded by both members of the teaching profession, and the parents whose children she taught. She was dedicated and caring, and we have suffered a terrible loss.’

  A representative of the local authority deeply regretted the tragedy, but was quick to reassure everyone that all filters at the pool had been made safe. He was a good man and spoke from the heart; however, he was secretly relieved to know that Miss Warren had no family and so the department was not likely to be caught up in a writ for compensation.

  Amy Burton had sat close to Ginny during the meeting. She had seen how Ginny and Stuart Dickens glanced longingly at each other. She was painfully aware of how strongly attracted he was to her, and it had caused her many sleepless nights. From the moment Stuart Dickens had set foot in the school, the plain-faced Amy had vied for his attention. He never gave it to her, but gave it willingly to Ginny Lucas. Amy could not forgive him for that. Nor could she forgive Ginny. That was why she always watched.

  That was why she was watching on the day Miss Warren drowned.

  Ginny sat through it all with straight expressionless features. All around and to one side sat her peers. On the other sat her family. After the gathering was over, everyone trudged outside to make their way home through last night’s heavy snowfall. Ginny made the excuse that she wanted to be alone for a while.