She's Out

by La Plante, Lynda

  ‘What we gonna do with all this lime, then?’ Gloria asked, prodding the bag.

  ‘Tip it into the old cesspit.’

  ‘Oh, yeah? Well, who’s gonna do that?’

  ‘All of you. Get them out there.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ moaned Gloria.

  Dolly clenched her hands. ‘Just get on with it!’

  Connie, Ester and Gloria changed into old clothes, big thick gloves and scarves to cover their faces, and began to slit open the bags and tip them into the pit. The lime clouded and burnt their eyes and made their skin itch so there were further moans and groans. Julia returned, bright and breezy as she stood looking at the three figures resembling snowmen.

  ‘It’s not funny! You get changed and give us a hand and stop grinnin’,’ Ester snapped.

  As Julia walked off, Connie called after her, the only one to ask about her mother, and Julia shouted back that it was all taken care of. Ester then hurled a sack aside and followed Julia. ‘Did that Norma stay with you?’

  ‘Yep, and I got her hat and cape.’ Julia held up the case cheerfully.

  ‘Well, you keep her away from here,’ Ester said angrily, and Julia smiled happily because Ester was obviously jealous, and went towards the house.

  In the kitchen, she found Angela giving the three girls some lunch, and Dolly sitting moodily at the end of the table with her notebook open. She looked up as Julia walked in. ‘How was your mother?’

  ‘Mute,’ Julia said, and then leaned close to Dolly. ‘Got the hat and cape.’

  Dolly nodded, then looked to the three girls. ‘I don’t want any of you going near the big pit out at the back. If you do, you’ll get a very hard smack and you won’t be allowed to ride Helen of Troy, do you all understand? I see one of you even close to the pit and I will make you very, very sorry.’

  Their expressions were glum, and Angela poured another cup of tea for Dolly.

  ‘What’s in the pit?’

  ‘Mind your own business, Angela. Take the girls for a nice long walk up to the woods.’

  Dolly didn’t touch the tea but went out to see how the others were doing. She stopped off at the stables to fetch an old thick canvas bag and walked over to the ‘snowmen’. ‘When it’s finished put this in, see how long it takes to disintegrate. Then fetch some corrugated iron. Take it off the stables roof at the back, and put it over the pit.’

  Gloria saluted as if to a sergeant major but Dolly was not amused and walked off round to the front of the house.

  ‘Well, she doesn’t get her hands dirty, does she?’ Connie said.

  Julia raked at the canvas bag. She showed it to Ester – it was disintegrating fast. ‘It works.’

  ‘Yeah, my gloves are rotting, my eyes are red and weeping, my skin feels like I got lice crawling all over it and you and Dolly have done bugger all to help us.’

  Julia laughed, as Connie and Gloria dragged two big sheets of rusted corrugated iron towards the pit. ‘You can laugh, Julia, but we’re all knackered – we’ve even been riding this morning.’

  ‘How you all doing?’ Julia asked.

  Ester threw her gloves into the pit. ‘We’re bloody useless. Gloria almost fell off.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ Connie said proudly.

  Julia slipped her arm round Connie’s shoulder. ‘That’s because you, my darling, have a good seat!’

  Ester stared hard at Julia. She was in a very expansive mood – it wasn’t like her to be so tactile or amusing. ‘You been drinking with that Norma?’

  ‘Nope.’ Julia then single-handedly lifted one sheet of the corrugated iron to bang it down over the pit. ‘Just feeling good, Ester.’

  Mike knew something was going down when he saw Craigh and Palmer having a confab in the corridor. As soon as they saw him, they turned away.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Mike asked pleasantly.

  DCI Craigh sighed. ‘A lot, mate. Seems the ruddy estimates that bitch Rawlins sent in are now with the Super and he’s gone apeshit.’

  ‘Shit,’ Mike said ruefully.

  ‘You said it, and it’s all over us. We got to get it sorted and, Mike, don’t expect to get off with a slapped wrist because I’m not covering for you and nor is he.’ He jerked his thumb at Palmer. Palmer gave an apologetic shrug.

  Mike hesitated. ‘What if I’d got a tip-off about—’

  ‘We don’t want any more of your fuckin’ tip-offs, we got enough problems.’ Craigh prodded Mike with his index finger. ‘You sit at your desk. This Rawlins business has left us with a lot of aggro and there are back cases that now take precedence. But if there’s to be an internal investigation, I’m warning you, I’m not taking the rap.’

  Craigh stormed off down the corridor and Palmer looked after him, then back at Mike. ‘Super’s in with the Chief now so we just have to wait. Maybe it’ll all blow over.’

  Mike could feel the pit of his stomach churning. He felt trapped and he couldn’t see any way out of it. When he got to his desk there was a message to call Colin. Mike held the slip in his hands, half of him wanting to come clean, to tell Craigh everything. He wanted to tell them about Angela and about his mother, but the more he thought about just how much there was to confess, the more he freaked. He was trapped, all right, and there seemed no way out.

  Mike took the pen Angela had given him out of his pocket and sucked at the end of it. Then he looked at the clock. He had another couple of hours’ work before he could skive off. Maybe the best plan of action was to play it all out, go and see his mate again, go and talk to Rawlins, and then make the decision as to whether or not he should spill the beans.

  While Angela was putting the children to bed, Dolly sat behind her desk and the women came in to see her ‘Shut the door,’ Dolly said quietly.

  They lined up, sensing something was going down. Dolly tapped the desk with her pencil, flicking through the little black book. She pointed at Connie. ‘You. We have to find out if the numbers you got from the bloke at the signal box are the coded alarms.

  Connie chewed her lip and sighed. ‘How do I do that?’

  ‘Get in the signal box and, I dunno, switch on the alarm, see what happens.’

  Gloria sat down. ‘Well, we are professional, aren’t we?’

  Dolly glared at her. ‘I want you to scout around under the signal box, see where their main electrical and phone cables are, see if we can cut them off.’

  ‘We still going to do it, Dolly?’ Ester asked.

  ‘I’m thinking about it,’ she replied, as she looked through her book.

  ‘Well, I’m telling you we’ll never uncouple the carriage, no way. It’s too heavy.’

  ‘Get some bleedin’ Semtex and blow the fuckin’ thing,’ Gloria snarled.

  Dolly directed the pencil at Gloria. ‘Eh! Shut it, I’m giving out the instructions, not you. And where do you get Semtex from, just as a matter of interest?’

  ‘I dunno. It was just a suggestion,’ Gloria said.

  ‘Thank you for that,’ Dolly said sarcastically.

  ‘We’re never gonna do it,’ Ester said.

  ‘Have you sorted out that tape business?’

  ‘When have I had the time?’ Ester said.

  ‘You do that tomorrow.’

  Dolly ran her fingers through her hair, then leaned on the desk. ‘We got to start riding better.’

  They all groaned. Dolly took out the pen and opened it, slipping in the small batteries. ‘Connie, give this to the bloke in the signal box. This transmitter you place somewhere inside the box. The tail wire, make sure it hangs loose so we get a clear reception. Shove it on a shelf or somethin’. Shouldn’t be too hard, it’s only just bigger than a matchbox. I’ve got one under the signal box already but the batteries need changing.

  ‘We got anything from the signal box?’

  Julia snorted. ‘Yeah, we know when they eat, fart and go home.’

  Dolly was surprised at Julia – she wasn’t usually so crude. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

&nb
sp; Julia wiped her nose on her sleeve. ‘Got a bit of a cold coming on. Apart from that I’m fine. How are you?’

  Dolly raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m fine, Julia, but we don’t want you in bed sick if we got to ride with you.’

  Ester propped herself on the desk. ‘Dolly, when are we gonna be told just how we go about the whole thing? I mean, you’re a great one for giving orders but we don’t really know what we’re doing all this for.’

  ‘I’ll tell you when I’m ready or when I think you’re ready.’

  ‘Oh, fine, yes, ma’am, two bags full, ma’am.’

  Dolly’s face was frightening, but she didn’t blast off, she just said calmly, ‘Yes, it will be fine, Ester, but I’m paying out and I don’t want any stupid mistakes, like driving round in a stolen car. Like blokes coming here to slap you or any one of us around.’

  ‘Okay, okay, we’ve been over that.’

  ‘And we’ll go over and over it until I’m satisfied. Now get on with what you have to do, all of you.’

  Julia sniffed and looked at Ester. ‘What do you want us to do?’

  Dolly jerked a thumb towards the receiver and the headphones. ‘You take it in shifts to listen in at the signal box.’

  Who’s listening in to the copper?’ Gloria asked.

  ‘I am,’ Dolly said as she picked up her briefcase and walked out.

  Ester nudged Julia. ‘You think she’s listening in on us?’

  ‘Put money on it,’ Gloria said.

  It was a long night, Julia and Ester taking it in shifts, boring hours of listening in at the signal box. It only became interesting when Connie entered and started talking to Jim. She hitched up her skirt as she perched on the table and crooked her finger at him. ‘I got a present for you.’

  Jim was a bit sheepish and hung-over. ‘Look, Connie, about the other night.’

  ‘Forget it, you said a lot of things that maybe you didn’t mean.’

  ‘No, I meant every word, I just didn’t mean to pass out.’

  She wound her legs round his waist. ‘Here, this is for you.’ She unwrapped the pen and slipped it into his top pocket. ‘Keep it close to your heart.’

  Ester looked over at Dolly as she walked in. ‘He’s got the pen. It was a bit distorted to begin with but now we can hear them snogging clear as a bell.’

  Dolly glanced at Julia, who had the earpiece in. ‘I’m off, be back late. I’m taking Gloria’s car.’

  Julia beckoned to her and she moved closer. ‘I think they’re having it away, lot of heavy breathing, you want to hear?’

  ‘All I want to hear is the code for those alarms.’

  Julia pressed the earpiece further into her ear. That’s what he’s just talking about. Must have been a quickie in-and-out job.’

  Connie pulled down her skirt and stepped out of her panties as Jim closed the gates for a passenger train. He did not mess around when it came to working, he was very serious, and Connie edged behind him to wrap her arms round his chest.

  ‘No, just stay off me a second, I got work to do, darlin’.’

  Connie sighed, moving close to the alarm box and special telephone. If something went wrong on the rail, Jim, what would you do?’

  ‘Get the sack if they found you here.’ He looked towards the station as the train headed up the tracks.

  ‘I mean if there was an accident,’ she asked, sliding down so as not to be seen from the station.

  ‘Well, with the alarms I got a direct line to the local cop shop, fire brigade and ambulance. They can all be here within four minutes.’

  ‘What about the live wire cable?’

  She watched him as he went about his business, pulling the levers down, moving backwards and forwards across the hut.

  Julia switched on the main speaker and she, Ester and Dolly could hear the train thundering past the signal box. Then they heard something else, a third voice.

  John had been playing detective, waiting, and now he knew he was right – he could see her curly blonde hair. He was standing at the gates, his car engine ticking over, when he looked up at the hut. He knew it was her. As the gates opened and the train passed, he saw her more clearly. She was laughing and chatting away. He drove into the yard beneath the box and ran up the wooden steps. He banged on the door.

  ‘Connie, I know you’re in there. Connie!’

  He burst into the signal box, and Jim whipped round.

  ‘What you think you’re doing?’ John yelled at Connie.

  ‘Seeing an old friend,’ she shouted back.

  ‘She’s my girlfriend.’ John moved towards Jim.

  Jim looked at Connie in confusion ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Nothing!’ she shrieked, pushing at John.

  ‘You liar! This is the second time I’ve seen you up here! I’ll get him the sack, that’s for starters. You shouldn’t be up here.’

  ‘I can go wherever I like, it’s no business of yours.’

  ‘Yes, it fucking is!’

  John threw a punch at Jim who ducked, looking down at the station, terrified someone would be watching. He then went back at John.

  ‘Look, mate, I dunno who you are but you’d better get out of here.’

  John grabbed Connie. ‘She’s coming with me.’

  ‘I am not! You don’t own me,’ Connie yelled, kicking out at him. She was close to the alarm switch, within inches.

  Dolly put her hand over her face. ‘One of you had better get up there, get her out.’

  The alarm went off. Julia winced, the sound was so loud it screamed through the room. ‘Jesus Christ, it’s the fucking alarm!’ Ester yelled.

  Jim’s face drained of colour. He shouted for Connie and John to get out as he dialled the station to report a false alarm. Connie saw him punch in each number and closed her eyes, desperate to remember each one in order as John tried to haul her out. They could hear somebody shouting from the platform below. ‘Get out of here!’ Jim roared. If Connie or John was discovered in his signal box, he’d lose his job for sure.

  By now a passing patrol car had heard the alarm and was already heading towards the station, siren blaring.

  John dragged Connie down the steps and had only just shoved her into his van when the patrol car hurtled into the yard. The two uniformed officers got out as Jim appeared at the top of the steps. ‘It’s okay, no problem. It was just a routine test.’

  The officers hesitated, one continuing up the steps to discuss it further as the other crossed to John.

  ‘What you doing here?’

  John grinned. ‘Sorry, mate, just having a quickie with the girlfriend when it went off, talk about being caught short.’

  The officer nodded, looking into the van. Connie tittered nervously.

  ‘Well, you shouldn’t be in this area, so go on, on your way.’

  John drove out, Connie sitting as far away from him as possible. ‘You had no right to do that, you know,’ she said. ‘I don’t belong to you. I can have as many boyfriends as I like. You even live with a girl and I don’t get uptight about that.’

  ‘I don’t live with anyone any more.’

  ‘Well, don’t blame it on me.’

  John slammed on the brakes. ‘It’s over between us because I thought you were serious about me.’

  ‘Oh, do me a favour.’

  ‘I just did. You could have been arrested for being up there with him, you know, and he’ll probably lose his job.’

  ‘Only if you rat on him.’

  John clenched the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white. ‘I don’t understand you, I thought—’

  ‘You thought what?’ she said, her face red with anger.

  That maybe you … that I was seeing you, Connie. I made a mistake.’

  ‘Yes, you did, John. I don’t like being told who I can go out with by you or anybody else. If I want to screw—’

  ‘Stop talking like that.’

  ‘Talking like what?’

  He turned on her. ‘A cheap tart.’
/>   She slapped his face and pushed at him with her hands, almost wanting him to slap her back, but he shook his head and turned away. ‘I’ll take you home.’

  He started the engine, feeling sick. He didn’t know how to handle her or what to say. He really thought she cared for him but, then, she’d ditched him the other day. ‘Why have you led me on?’ he asked softly.

  She slipped her arm around his big, wide shoulders, massaging the nape of his neck. ‘I’m just not ready to get serious about anyone, not yet.’

  He shrugged her hand away. ‘Not as if you were any spring chicken. How old are you, anyway? You carry on like this and no decent man’ll want you.’

  Connie felt as if he had punched her, harder than anything Lennie had ever given her. ‘I’m twenty-nine.’

  ‘Well, you got a good figure but I don’t think you can count, sweetheart. You’re not twenty-nine, I am.’

  She didn’t know what to say. She just felt the tears welling up, trickling down her cheeks. She was thirty-five but he made her feel as if she was old and worn out. He had hurt her deeply and she was incapable of even trying to come on to him. She snuffled as the van turned into the lane by the manor.

  ‘Just drop me here,’ she said quietly.

  He stopped the van sharply, then leaned across her to open the door for her.

  ‘Jim asked me to marry him,’ she said as she climbed out.

  ‘Well, he’s a sucker. He can have you and I won’t rat on him. With you he’s gonna need every penny he can make unless you do more of those films you told me about.’

  She slammed the door shut hard and teetered off along the uneven road in her stilettos. John watched her perfect arse as she sashayed along, her perfect figure and her curly blonde hair. Then he drove on, wondering whether or not he could make it up with his girlfriend. Maybe he should even ask her to marry him, she was a decent girl. Connie was trash, he’d sort of always known it, and sometimes it takes a Connie to make you come to your senses.

  Julia passed him as she returned to the manor, not realizing he had given Connie a lift back. She turned into the drive and pulled up alongside Connie, winding down the window. ‘I was sent out to see if you needed any assistance.’