Fear Has Long Fingers

by Jeanette Taylor Ford

  “I will, of course I will.”

  “Good. Rowena, here’s my number. If you want to come and help me on Saturdays or whatever, just give me a call.”

  “Oh thank you. I will. Can I come tomorrow?”

  Lucy laughed.

  “My word, you are keen! Yes, just let me know, okay?”

  As Lucy drove away with John in his seat in the back of the car, she felt happy that she was able to help this family. She hoped that the obvious rift between the husband and wife would eventually be bridged.

  “Thank you for leaving me your house, Sam,” she murmured. “It’s enabled me to help some people who desperately needed a fairy godmother.”

  Chapter 5

  The Thompson family quickly settled into the bungalow in Dorothy Avenue. As soon as Lucy had left them, they piled back into their old Mondeo and went to collect their things from their holiday house and they stayed in Sam’s home that very night.

  “I don’t know what it is about this house, but I feel more at home here than I did in that house, even though it is beautiful,” commented Netta to Rowena.

  “I think it’s because, although their house is gorgeous, it’s not homely like this is.”

  Netta nodded.

  “Yes, you’re right. It is homely. Sort of welcoming really. I would have liked to know the old couple who lived here, they sounded like lovely people.”

  “Yes. Dad likes it too, he is happy as Larry out in the garden.”

  “Humph! Long may he stay out there.”

  “Oh Mum! Please forgive Dad, he’s really miserable.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “You think too much, Mum!”

  A knock came at the door.

  “I wonder who that is?”

  “I don’t suppose it’s anyone for us, probably a passing trader. Go answer it, will you Rowee, please?”

  The girl went to open the door to Kenny.

  “Hello there, Rowena. I’ve come to see your dad.”

  “He’s in the back garden.”

  “Oh, ok, I’ll go round.”

  Not long after, both Kenny and George appeared at the back door.

  “Netta, love, Mr Baxter here has offered me work!”

  Netta looked at her husband, who seemed much younger than he had earlier, and then at Kenny.

  “What’s this?”

  “Well, Lucy told me that George here loves gardening and I know he has no work just now so I thought he could come and work for me while you’re here. I’m sure you could do with some money coming in.”

  Netta sat down on a kitchen chair, her eyes brimming with tears.

  “Oh, Mr Baxter, you don’t know what this means to us. I can’t thank you enough.”

  George went over to his wife and put his hand on her shoulder. She patted his hand, sniffed and offered a watery smile. He smiled too; it was the first time she’d allowed him to touch her since the accident. She’d even made him sleep in the small bedroom while Rowena slept with her mother in the double bed.

  “We start work at eight and finish around five-thirty to six-ish. It’s a long day, but you do get an hour for lunch and a break in the morning and afternoon. We keep the garden centre open until eight in the summer, six in the winter. We open longer hours because we don’t open on Sundays. George, in your case, I’ll make sure you are finished so you have time to visit Harry. If you need to go in the afternoon instead of the evenings, let me or Joe know. You do drive, don’t you, Mrs Thompson?”

  “Oh yes, I do. This means so much to us, Mr Baxter, especially as I’ll have to leave my job because we don’t know how long we’ll need to be here.”

  “Please, do call me Kenny. Everyone does. What work did you do, Mrs Thompson?”

  “I just served in a shop. Nothing special. It was all I could get. But they will need to get someone else now. Please call me Netta.”

  “Netta it is.” Kenny smiled at her gently. “Don’t worry, I’m sure things will work out. I’ll see you in the morning, George.”

  “You certainly will.”

  Netta and Rowena smiled at each other while George went with Kenny to the door. Things were looking up. All they needed now was for Harry to get well.

  *********

  Working at Baxter’s Nurseries was a delight to George. He settled in quickly and was good at whatever he was asked to do. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. People, workers and customers alike, would say hello, whether they’d seen him before or not. What a lovely atmosphere to work in! His admiration for his boss, Kenny, grew, as he saw how he treated his staff and the customers.

  Most of all, he loved the plants. It wasn’t until he moved away from London that he realised how much he loved growing things. They rented a small terraced house on the outskirts of Manchester with only a back yard, but even so, he had flowers in a tub and tomato plants in a sheltered spot. He had a flair for hanging baskets and had provided his neighbours with them so that each house had a floral display. He hoped his next-door neighbours, Bill and Madge, were keeping his basket watered. They said they would but of course they should have been home by now. In fact, they really should go and take more of their things out of the house and notify their landlord. He might want to sublet the house while they were away as they really could do with not having to pay the rent. He decided to talk with Netta about it that evening.

  “Hello there, George,” Lucy’s voice sang out as he worked on the front flower bed. He looked up to see her with little John in tow just coming in.

  “Hello there, Lucy and John. What are you doing today then, little fellow?”

  “We’ve come to say hello to Grandma, haven’t we John-John? And to have a cake with my friend. She will be here in a while.”

  “That’s nice. Have a good time.”

  George returned to his dead-heading and Lucy and John went inside. As he worked, he saw people coming and going and wondered with whom Lucy was having a cake. Not that it mattered; he was sure she was friendly with lots of people. The thought occurred to him that she was probably going to buy one of her own cakes! That amused him and made him smile as he continued with his cutting. Rose bushes edged the garden centre and a grassy path that people could walk along to see them in mature form; Baxter’s was a specialist rose growers. Even in the couple of days he’d worked there, George had already learned so much and each new piece of information was gold. Apart from the obvious worry of Harry’s condition and Netta’s coolness towards him – which thankfully seemed to be getting a bit warmer – he couldn’t remember when he’d felt so content. He hoped nothing would happen to burst his bubble.

  Chapter 6

  “I hear a new family has moved into Sam’s bungalow?” Lucy’s friend Stephanie said, her head to one side, eyebrows crooked in a questioning expression.

  “Yes. You heard about the boy that Kenny and Joe rescued from the river? He is still in hospital; the accident has caused paralysis that they hope is temporary. But obviously the family didn’t want to go home and leave him here alone. So I’ve let the three of them stay in Sam’s place. I thought they might as well; the place was empty and they needed somewhere.”

  Steph nodded.

  “They aren’tt very well off. The father was out of work and they had been holidaying in a friend’s house in Hay. But they couldn’t stay there after the family came home. I’ve let them live rent free to help them out. And Kenny has given the dad a job here at the nursery – you might have seen him pruning the roses as you came in.”

  Stephanie frowned as she thought back to when she had come in.

  “Oh yes, there was a man doing the roses but he wasn’t near so I didn’t really see him. You’re very generous, Lucy. I hope they don’t take advantage of your good nature.”

  “I really don’t think they’re that kind of people, Steph.”

  “Well, I hope you’re right. So, what are you going to call this baby? Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

  “No, we don’t know. We
decided that, as it doesn’t matter, we’d like a surprise. I’m not really sure yet what we should call it. I feel that if it’s a girl I’d like to call her Rosemary, after Joseph’s sister.”

  “That’s a nice thought. I wonder if Alex and I will ever have a baby,” she sighed.

  “Oh! I thought you and Alex didn’t want children. You’re so busy running your restaurant.”

  “Well, it’s true that setting up the restaurant was a big thing but now it’s all going nicely, I’d like to have a family before it’s too late. The clock is ticking you know.”

  “You have plenty of time, Steph.”

  “Not as much as you’d think, Luce, I’m thirty five.”

  “Are you really? I’d no idea. You seem so young, only my age.”

  “Thanks.” Steph gave a tinkly laugh. “I’m actually older than Alex.”

  “Does he want a family?”

  “Of course he does! What man doesn’t want a son to play football with?”

  The two young women giggled.

  “Mmm, this cake is gorgeous. Did you make it, Luce?”

  “Of course I did! It’s not often I get to eat my own cake but I agree with you, it is pretty good, even though I say it myself.”

  The two young women chatted about other things as they enjoyed each other’s company and the cakes. After half an hour or so, they reluctantly parted company, Lucy to go in search of Sheila and John and Stephanie back to prepare for work.

  As Stephanie passed through the garden centre’s door, she caught sight of an unfamiliar figure working along the borders. Was that the new man? As she looked, he straightened to stretch his back and, although he had his back to her, there was something about him that snagged something in her memory. Jimmy! He reminded her of Jimmy. She didn’t want to think of him or of her life years before. She turned and hurried away, as if she could put distance between herself and her memories by walking swiftly.

  **********

  Netta loved the afternoons she spent visiting Harry on her own. George was at work and Rowena liked to stay at home. She often went with her father in the evenings, knowing her mother wanted time alone with Harry.

  In spite of his situation, Harry always showed a positive attitude when his mother came. She brought something with her every visit, fruit or a magazine. He was grateful for her thoughtfulness. The two of them had always been close; something she tried very hard not to show to Rowena. It was just mothers and sons, she told herself; that was the way they were.

  “How’s Dad doing at his new job?” Harry asked.

  “Oh, he’s in his element, son! He’s never late and he comes home and tells me all about what he’s done and learnt, and the people. I’ve never seen him so happy, apart from the worry over you.”

  One day, the doctor took her to one side.

  “The examinations, ex-rays and scans have revealed that the spinal cord is not broken but we need to operate. We will insert a metal pole on either side of the broken vertebrae to support the section of his back that was fractured and, providing Harry co-operates, there is no reason why he shouldn’t eventually make a full recovery.”

  Netta thanked him gratefully and told Harry what the doctor had said, crying grateful tears..

  Not long after, she went to the desk to sign the forms and left to impart the good news to Rowena and George. The operation was scheduled to take place two days later.

  When she told her husband what the doctor said, his face lifted in a big smile and she allowed him to hug her in gratitude.

  *****

  After his mother had gone, Harry was left to his own thoughts again. In spite of what his mother had just told him, he feared they were only jollying him along and he would never actually walk again. Bad dreams plagued his nights and, upon waking after another dark dream he tried hard to stay awake. It made his nights very long. Harry made big efforts to keep the dark thoughts away but he just couldn’t stop worrying and wondered what his life would be like in the future. He loved to run, in fact sprinting was his speciality and he’d fostered an ambition to become a professional sprinter. Now, he feared the worry was sapping his energy and dragging him down. Sometimes, he wished he’d never been rescued.

  **********

  With some of the worry over Harry lifted, Netta had something else on her mind.

  “George, I’m concerned about Rowena’s schooling. She should be starting year nine and can’t afford to miss. We should see if we can get her into a school here.”

  “ Yes, you’re right. We’ll talk with her about it tomorrow evening. While I’m at work today I’ll ask about the nearest secondary school. Someone will be able to tell me.”

  Rowena was happy with the idea.

  “I didn’t like my school much, it’d be good to start at a different place. I miss my mate Natalie, but that’s all.”

  “Your dad says there’s a school called Whitecross this side of Hereford city. I’ll apply there for you. They may let us look around it.”

  Whitecross School was happy to take Rowena. She settled in quickly and found that she soon made friends. Harry’s accident and rescue had been in the papers and in a strange way, Rowena found she was something of a celebrity to her fellow pupils, related as she was to the boy in the drama. Her form-mates often asked her how he was getting on and some even gave her cards for him. He was amazed at getting cards from complete strangers, but they helped to cheer him a little. It was nice to know that people cared.

  Chapter 7

  Two days after the operation, Linda Cooke walked briskly along the corridor towards the young accident victim’s ward.

  “Hello there, are you Harry? I’m Linda and I’m your physio-therapist. I’ve come to put you through your paces. Sharon has gone on holiday. How are you?”

  “Difficult to say really.”

  The woman looked at the lad in the bed. She liked what she saw; he had a pleasant face, with brown eyes that really smiled along with his lips. However, she could see the fear that he valiantly tried to hide. Her heart softened, he was obviously a brave lad. However, she needed to be business-like.

  “Well, young man, let’s see what we need to do.”

  She worked his limbs, especially his legs, keeping a sharp look out for any signs that life might be coming back. However, it was obvious today was not the day. As she worked, they talked. She liked to learn as much as she could about her patients and, wisely, she also knew that talking was just as much of a therapy as her physical one. She admired him for his stoical attitude towards his condition. He would get well; he had to believe it. The possibility of not doing so was completely unthinkable. Linda would do everything in her power to help it happen.

  ************

  That evening, over dinner with her husband, Linda told him about the boy.

  “He’s so plucky, Dan,” she said. “I could see in his eyes that he’s frightened but is determined to get well. I’m glad Sharon has gone on holiday and that I’ve picked up Harry to work with.”

  Dan held out his hand and gripped hers for a few moments. He was so proud of his lovely wife and her skills.

  “You always get involved with your patients, my love. Try not to become too fond of him. It will break your heart if he doesn’t recover properly.”

  She looked at him ruefully. “You know me so well. I can’t help it. I became a physio-therapist because I wanted to help people – you know, make a real difference and help once the medical team can’t do anything else. I’ve seen some tragic things but I’ve also seen miracles over the years. What happened to Harry should never have happened. His dad should never have taken him on the river when he hated water so much.”

  Dan raised his eyebrows.

  “Was that the lad who had a canoeing accident at Sutton-on-Wye?”

  “He had a canoeing accident, yes, but I don’t know exactly where. He did say something about a lady letting his family stay in a bungalow in a village. He said her name was Lucy.”

  Lucy! Dan smile
d; Lucy Baxter was helping someone else! She was always helping someone. He remembered how tenderly she had looked after Sam Williams. He wondered if it was Sam’s bungalow that Harry’s family was living in. It would be just like Lucy to let them live there to enable them to stay in the area.

  “Lucy Baxter.”

  “You know her, darling?”

  “Yes. I’ve had two cases out in Sutton-on-Wye, both involving Lucy. Well, that is, she was the victim in the first one and in the second one it was her family who lost the murdered girl.”

  “Ah, I see. Harry makes her sound like a really nice person.”

  “She is.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Don’t worry, love. She is a lovely girl but she’s young, only in her mid-twenties, and happily married to her Kenny. She’s a great cook though, you should try some of her cakes!”

  “Oh, should I? And what’s wrong with my cakes?”

  He got up and stood behind her, putting his arms around her and nuzzling her neck.

  “Your cakes are amazing.”

  “Liar!” She laughed. “You know I’m hopeless at making them, they always sink.”

  “Well, they always taste fine, even if they are a bit gooey in the middle.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Anyway, Lucy’s cakes have to be good because it’s her business. She inherited it from her aunt, it’s called ‘Aunt Bea’s Pantry.’

  “You do know a lot about her.”

  “Well, having solved two cases around her, I’ve seen her a bit – and tasted her cakes. Wish you could meet her, I think you would get on well with her. She and her husband Kenny live in the loveliest old farmhouse, left to her by her aunt. It’s a few hundred years old, I believe. She has a huge garden and they grow a lot of the fruit that she uses in her jams and jellies. It’s really nice out there. Maybe I’ll take you out to the village some time if you want.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Although he’d suggested it, Dan didn’t think it likely that he would take her to meet Lucy. What reason could he give? But he was glad Linda was looking after Harry. She was good at what she did. He hoped the boy would recover. He agreed with Linda; the lad should never have been canoeing in those conditions. But it wasn’t a police matter. In any case, he was a detective, they didn’t need a detective to look into something like that.