Who is Alice?

by Miranda Manning

  “Okay. Why don’t you tell me the story of what happened after you left the school group?”

  “Well,” Grace said, “after we had been in the Dáil Chamber – Uncle Jack wasn’t there – I thought I saw him in one of the corridors so I left the group.I told my friend Sarah that I had seen my uncle and that I wanted to talk to him.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I went in the direction that I saw him walking and at the end of a long corridor I could hear his voice inside a closed door.I opened the door and he was inside with several other men. One was a man who called to us sometimes when we were in Lady Gregory Court – the one called Mick, who used to deliver things to him, and I think he once came to bring my birthday present when Uncle Jack couldn’t come.There was a woman in the room as well.”

  “What happened next?” Nicolaprompted.

  “Uncle Jack looked really surprised.And not in a good way, I think.”

  Nicolafelt really sorry for the child.

  “I said, ‘Hi Uncle Jack!’ He just looked at me strangely and said ‘Hello, little girl.’He had never called me that before.It was as if he didn’t know me but I knew of course he did.Then he excused himself and whispered something to Mick.Uncle Jack took my hand and led me out of the room andMick followed us out. When we were out of the room Uncle Jack asked me why I was there and who I was with.I said: ‘I’m here on a school tour.I wanted to talk to you.I really miss you and you missed my birthday.’I thought he would be delighted to see me the way he was when he came to Lady Gregory Court but he wasn’t a bit pleased. ‘Take her back to her school group,’ he said to Mick, ‘and then come back to the office pronto.’ I started to cry – great big sobs – I surprised myself.Uncle Jack got really annoyed. ‘But I just want to talk to you,’ I said. ‘When are you coming to see us again?You just vanished and nobody talks about you.I miss you.’ But Uncle Jack just turned away. ‘Take her someplace until she calms down and then get her back to her tour,’ he said to Mick and he walked away – back into the room.”

  “And did he try and get you back to the tour?”Nicola asked.

  “No.I started to bawl.‘I’m not going home until he talks to me!’ I shouted and Mick just caught me by the arm and pulled me down a back staircase and out into the car park.”

  “Were you scared?”Hugo wondered.

  “Yes, I was. Mick put me in a car and sat there with me until I stopped crying.Then he phoned Uncle Jack.I could hear Uncle Jack yelling at him down the phone.They were both very upset at this stage.Mick started up the car and told me to duck down as we passed the gate man and drove out.I was really scared by this time so I did what I was told.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Nicola said.“And you drove out of the Dáil without anybody stopping you?”

  “Yes. We drove a long time and then he pulled into the drive of a house and we went in. There was a woman in the house and Mick put me in the sitting room, switched on the television and told me not to worry, that everything would be alright.I could hear him talking to the woman in the kitchen. Shekept saying that she wanted nothing to do with it. Whatever ‘it’ was! I heard him saying she must. Then she came into the room and said everything would be all right.”

  “And did you believe her?”Nicola asked.

  “Sort of and she was very nice so I began to feel better. She said she would look after me and that she would see that I got home safely. I asked her if I could phone home to say that I was safe and she said that Mick had already done that.I asked if she could phone the teachers who had the school group and she said Mick had already done that as well.”

  “So you thought we knew you were safe,” Alice said.

  “Yes, I did. She cooked me a microwave dinner – lasagne – not as good as yours, Mum – and we both ate in front of the television. I think Mick went outbecause I never saw him after that.”

  “Where did you sleep?” Nicolaasked.

  “When bedtime came the woman – she said her name was Joanne – showed me a twin room and said that if I was lonely she would sleep in the room with me.She was very nice really but I said I would be okay. She gave me a pyjamas that were so big I only wore the top. I’d say she had no children. Though she was nice, she seemed anxious and worried. In the morning she came in to call me. I was awake for ages before that but I didn’t know what to do so I just stayed in bed.I wasn’t scared any more but I really wanted to get home. I got up then. I had no clean clothes or anything but I washed and got dressed and Joanne made me hot chocolate and toast. She even asked me did I want a fry! Yuck! Then she said she would take me to town and that I could go home soon. I was so happy I nearly started crying again but she was so kind I held back the tears so that she wouldn’t be upset.”

  “You were very brave,” Hugo said. “So what happened then?”

  “When we got to town she parked the car and then we walked about a mile and she stopped outside a Garda station.She bent down and looked really sad and said, ‘I’m really sorry about all of this.I think it is likely that your mum will be looking for you by now.Go into the Garda station and tell them who you are and where you are from and they will tell your mum.’ I couldn’t understand because she’d told me Mick had already let Mum know where I was. I was scared again then. I asked her to come in with me but she said ‘No. Go.’ And she turned around and walked away really fast.”

  The adults in the room just stared at Grace.

  “Mum, I’m really sorry! Did I do something really bad?”

  “No, love,” Alice said with great certainty.“You weren’t to know that Uncle Jack had more important things on his mind. He should have just told you that and taken you back to the group. But I’m so glad to have you back safe and sound.”

  “Do you know something?” Grace asked, as if she had just thought of it.

  “What?” asked Alice.

  “Our teacher said that the Dáil Chamber is the place where they make all the laws about how children have to be educated and have seat belts in the car and all sorts of important things like that,” she said in a tone of puzzlement.

  “That’s right,” Hugo said.

  “Well, there were only a few people there, about three men and one woman and the guy in the chair who was called the Cathaoirleach. One of the men was reading long boring stuff out of a paper and the others looked like they were ready to fall asleep. Do you think they were bored?I found it pretty boring.”

  The adults in the room started to laugh.

  “Out of the mouths of babes . . .” said Hugo with an amused grin.

  “I’d like to go to bed now,” Grace said, relieved.

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that,” Alice said with a laugh and she gave Grace a bear hug before they walked up the stairs hand in hand.

  “Mum? Will you come into school with me tomorrow?”Grace said as they ascended the stairs.

  “Of course I will,” Alice replied.

  When Alice and Eliza came downstairs again Nicola asked Alice if she would like her to accompany them to the school next morning.

  “No, thanks.”Alice was quite certain.“If the last few weeks have taught me anything it’s that I’m alone and that in future I have to learn to deal with difficult situations I may encounter by myself.”

  “But you’re not alone,” Eliza said in dismay.“You have us.”

  “Of course, of course,” Alice said.“I know I have you, but I must learn to stand on my own two feet.I really appreciate what you have done for me but this is something I can do alone and I need to get used to that.”

  “I think Alice is right,” Nicola said and Alice shot her a grateful look.“We just want you to know that we are here if you need us.”

  “Thanks, Nicola.” Alice was relieved.“Of course I know that you are all there for me and the girls and I will need your love, help and friendship for some time to come, but I must start to be independent.”

  As Nicola drove away from The Coven she wondered what, if any, impl
ications Grace’s little adventure would have.The fact thatJack Madden managed to spirit her away from the Dáil without anybody realising what had happened – except for this guy called Mick and the woman who aided and abetted him – was worrying.A child had gone missing from the Dáil for about sixteen hours and there was not a whiff of it in the media?She couldn’t help wondering if children running into the private quarters of the Dáil was such a common occurrence that nobody took any notice of it.She thought not. She considered whether questions should be asked and if so by whom.These thoughts were still whirring around in her mind as she got ready for bed.She decided that she and Alice should get together soon and discuss the implications of Grace’s escapade. It was the oddest situation she had ever come across since she had become a social worker and she didn’t like it.

  Chapter 14

  Driving into work the next day Nicola realised that no one had told Cassandra about Grace’s disappearance but, realising that strictly speaking as the social worker for the family she probably shouldn’t inform anyone outside the family about it, she put it out of her head.It was inevitable that Cassandra would hear about it sooner or later but it wouldn’t be from her.

  The office was unusually quiet and she found time to look at and reply to all of her emails during the morning.She did the background work for a case conference before breaking for lunch. It was then she remembered Séamus’s invitation and quickly phoned him to accept it before she changed her mind.

  “That’s great,” he said.“Where would you like to go?”

  “You choose,” she grinned.“It’s so long since I’ve had a dinner date I’ve almost forgotten where to go.”

  “There’s a new place in Dominic Street and I hear it’s nice,” Séamus said, not even trying to conceal his enthusiasm.

  “Sounds great to me!Should we meet there?”

  “No, I’ll get a cab and pick you up. Friday okay for you?”

  “Yes, fine.”

  “Okay. Friday at eight for eight thirty. I’ll book it and I’ll text you if there’s any change in the time.”

  “See you then.” Nicola hung up, pleased that she was about to go on a first date.It seemed an age since she had done anything romantic.

  “You look lovely,” Séamus said, kissing Nicolalightly on the cheek when she opened the door.

  “Thank you.You scrub up well yourself.”Then she groaned.“I can’t believe I said that!”

  “Never mind. Often clichés are the most sincere form of flattery.”

  They were both laughing as they got into the cab.

  The restaurant was small and quite full despite the early hour.They were guided to their seat by a waiter who knew Séamus and they got VIP treatment for the duration of their really excellent meal.

  “This is lovely,” Nicola said. “I didn’t even know it was here.The food is great and the service is pretty good too.”

  “I may not know people in high places, but the head chef is a friend of mine.I told him that I would be with a special friend so he pulled out all the stops.”

  “I’m flattered. He certainly made the evening very special.”

  “That was the company,” Séamus grinned.

  They strolled up to Quay Street, hand in hand, and Nicola was happy at how comfortable it felt.She really liked Séamus, not in a sparks-and-fireworks sort of way but in a way that made her feel safe and secure. It was a nice feeling, having just come out of a relationship where she had never felt secure – not only about the man but also about the mad behaviour which could have landed her in serious trouble.Her relationship with Jonathan had involved sparks and fireworks but not the good kind. Yes, she knew that she would have no such worries with Séamus and that thought pleased her.

  The music was good in Neachtains so they stayed till about twelve before getting a cab to Nicola’s apartment.She invited Séamus in but he declined and asked if he could see her again.

  They agreed that they would meet up again over the weekend and she left it to Séamus to call her.She was anxious that they didn’t rush into things.She needed breathing space after the fiasco with Jonathan and Séamus seemed to understand that completely.He kissed her goodnight and she got out of the cab.

  Nicola decided to spend the weekend giving her apartment a spring clean.She went to the supermarket first thing on Saturday morning and got an array of cleaning materials which she used vigorously with excellent results.The thought that she might be cleaning Jonathan out of her life as well as her apartment crossed her mind. By the time the weekend was over she had several bags for the charity shop and several bags for the bin and her apartment had a whole new shiny glow.

  She and Séamus had lunch together in Salthill on the Sunday and walked the prom afterwards. All in all it was a good weekend.

  There were a few things that needed to be sorted on the Monday.Nicola had only just got into the office when she got a call from Alice.

  “I really need to talk to you,” she said urgently. “I don’t know what I should do about Grace. I am getting advice from all sides here but I want to talk to you since it is your job to know what to do.”

  Nicola gave a weak laugh.“This is not exactly the type of situation that occurs every week but come into the office this morning and we can chat.”

  “I’d rather meet for lunch,” Alice said.“Somehow I’d feel less needy if we could pretend that this is a social conversation.”

  “Grand.I’ll meet you in the café at the Museum at one.”

  Alice was certainly coming along nicely, Nicola thought as she hung up, given that only a month or so ago she was completely cosseted and protected, and in a way imprisoned, by Jack Madden and had never really had to stand on her own two feet. Now she was starting to realise that that life was over and her future and that of her girls would be very different.In the space of little over a month she had grown out of all recognition, but Nicola had witnessed that type of situation before.When faced with enormous misfortune, sometimes involving death or serious injury, it was surprising how well people coped. She hoped that while inevitably the next few months and maybe even years would be very difficult, the change in Alice’s life would eventually be for the best.

  Alice looked tired when they met for lunch.She was dressed smartly but she had worry lines etched around her mouth and eyes. Life on her own was obviously proving very difficult for her and this was only the beginning.

  “How did things go at the school after Grace’s disappearance?”Nicola asked.

  “I had to see the principal and also the teacher in charge of the school tour. I thought it best to apologise for Grace’s behaviour because, of course, she was in the wrong and they were not to know our circumstances.”

  “What was the response to that?”

  “Well, the principal said that this was a very serious matter and that the teachers had been really worried, and could I explain why Grace had done this – it was so out of character.”

  “What did you say?” Nicola was curious.

  “Well, I was pondering if I shouldmention that, while I was very irritated that Grace went off like that, I was not impressed by the level of supervision in that it was possible for her to leave the group and for nobody to miss her until it was too late – but I thought better of it.”

  “I’d say you were wise in the circumstances.”

  Alice seemed relieved that Nicola thought she had made the right decision.

  “Before I had a chance to answer the principal,” she continued, “the teacher, Mrs Cooper, said that Grace had said that Jack Madden was her uncle and that she had gone to talk to him. She stated it in a tone that said she believed the child was away with the fairies so I had to think on the hoof.”

  “God!What did you say?”

  “I said that he was not her uncle but that he was a relation.That we had been quite close but that there had been a falling-out with our branch of the family and that Grace missed his occasional visits. And since she was not privy to the falling-out it was
natural enough that she would want to see him, though it hadn’t occurred to me that she might take the opportunity while visiting the Dáil.”

  “What did they say to that?”Nicola couldn’t get over how resourceful Alice had been.In fact all that she had said to the principal was true but it gave no flavour of what was really going on.

  “The principal seemed happy with that explanation, and so was Mrs Cooper.I requested that they wouldn’t disclose this to anyone because Jack is so recently elected as Taoiseach and I would like the discussion to be kept confidential.”

  “That was sensible.”

  “The principal agreed and I hope Mrs Cooper doesn’t belong to some weird peripheral political party that might smell a rat and dig a bit because you wouldn’t know what that could throw up.That’s the last thing I need now.A whole lot of media attention while things are still so raw.”

  “I know but that was a very good explanation. It serves the purpose,” Nicola reassured her. She also hoped that the story wouldn’t get into the hands of the media but, on the face of it, it appeared to be too trivial.Now the real story – that was a different matter!

  “I’m glad you think I did the right thing. What do you think I should do about Mick taking Grace out of the Dáil and keeping her overnight?”

  “If the Gardaí don’t show any great interest I think you should do nothing. I think that you would be better not doing anything to attract attention to yourself or the girls until after the court case about the apartment.If that goes well we’ll start looking for the rest of your entitlements.”

  “But what if the Gardaí do ask questions?”Tones of the old Alice had crept into her voice.

  “Say you don’t know who the guy who took her was or why he would have acted that way.Be sure that Grace doesn’t let it slip that she knows him – though I don’t know what explanation you can give her for that. But I don’t think that any questions will be asked.I’d say that they have already asked Grace gently about what happened.They would have had to in the days that are in it.”