Daniel's Story

by Paul Kelly

  Alison dried her eyes and thought for a moment before she replied, “I think so from some little things that have happened between us, but then he pulls away quickly and gets drawn into his own thoughts.”

  “Alison, from what you tell me, I would say that he DOES love you but you may have to be a little more patient. Women like Frieda can hurt any man who thinks he is in love with her and that hurt goes very deep as I have found out with Trevor, but don’t give up. Be there when he needs you and even if it seems that he doesn’t need you.”

  Alison was delighted to hear what Stella had to say to her.

  “Thank you Stella. Can I tell Daniel that you have phoned me? I don’t suppose he will know you, but I think he knew that Frieda had been married before and that the marriage hadn’t worked out.”

  There was a long silent pause before Stella spoke again.

  “Alison, I have already written to Daniel as I thought it might be a help to him in the divorce court, but of course, by all means tell him that I have been in touch with you. Here’s my phone number and I already have yours. Trevor knows I am phoning you and he says he wishes Frieda in hell. Give our love to Daniel.”

  Before Stella could ring up, Alison swiftly asked her how she got her name and how did she know to contact her on the matter.

  “The little boy’s name is Dillon, isn’t it?” Stella replied before she put the phone down.

  Alison scribbled the telephone number she was given into her phone pad and danced her way into her kitchen to make a cup of tea.

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Alison wondered if she should tell Daniel about her telephone call from Stella and thought if she did, it might get young Dillon into trouble, as he obviously was the source and bone of contention when it came to Stella getting in touch with her. She had wished she had asked Stella to get in touch with the lawyers dealing with the case as her information and experience could well stand Daniel in good stead, but then again ... did Daniel know Stella, even if she was Frieda’s first husband’s wife. Did he even know Frieda’s first husband other than just to have heard that he did exist?

  Alison knew she would have to tread lightly on what information she had, but she had more of a footing with Daniel with all that she knew and she was pleased about that.

  She was just debating with her thoughts when the telephone rang again and a little voice called out to her, “Its me, Alison, the handsome man in your life,”

  She laughed into the phone, “I thought that young man in my life would have been at school today,“ she replied “and I hope I am the only woman in your life, Sire,” she replied to which Dillon stifled a giggle for a moment before he shouted into the telephone “I’m home for the weekend and you’re only six hundred and sixty at the last count,” he screamed, “The other six hundred odds are still at that old school,” and Alison pretended she was about to cry. “Your are so unkind Sire. Why only yesterday I was five hundred and something. You must be very popular indeed with the ladies, that’s all I can say, but tell me, are you alright and is your daddy feeling any better today?”

  That last remark made both she and Dillon a little more composed and the little boy replied in a more serious note that his father was indeed much, much better than he had been the day before, but that he knew that a certain lady in his life was missing and he also knew that his daddy would love to see her again soon. Alison listened to the ‘plea’ as she shuffled to struggle into her coat. Within half an hour she was at Daniel’s flat and Dillon came to the door with his usual greetings. Daniel had just come out of the bath as she arrived and he apologised for being half dressed, but he really only had a dressing gown on and everything else was missing.

  “I was feeling a little down this afternoon,” said Daniel as he tightened the belt on his dressing gown, “and I thought a good soak might help me to get through the day a little better.”

  Alison raised her eyebrows as she glared at Daniel’s ankles and gave a low whistle.

  “I would have got dressed had I known you were coming round,” he said, but Alison waved her hand in the air.

  “It was a last moment thought,” she said as she turned to look at Dillon who was sitting on a cushion by the door and she began to think how best she could present her ‘problem’ to Daniel. She already knew that Daniel had received a letter from Stella and that referred to Frieda and her marriage to him, so why did Stella ring her about the same problem? It was all a mystery, unless Frieda wanted to cause further trouble where she was involving young Dillon into the picture ...

  “Daniel,” Alison did a twirl around the room in front of the fireplace, trying to think of the best way to tell Daniel what was on her mind. “Daniel, you told me that you had received a letter from the wife of Frieda’s first husband, I think his name was Trevor, am I right?”

  Daniel yawned as if whatever he was about to hear would be old hat and very much history, but he nodded and added that Trevor’s wife was named Stella.

  “Stella,” said Alison as she turned to face Daniel, “that’s a nice name for a girl, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, I suppose it is, but why all this interest in Stella and Trevor?”

  Alison sat down beside Daniel as she cocked her head to one side.

  “I had a telephone call from Stella this morning and I wondered why she should want to get in touch with me as I’ve never met her and would never have even known about her if it wasn’t for you.”

  Daniel threw back his head and snorted aloud.

  “That’s my wizard of a son Dillon again, I’m sure,” he mumbled as he ran his fingers across his lips. “Dillon, could you please leave the room for a few moments? I need to talk privately to Alison.” Dillon walked away in silence, but he gave Alison a strange look as he left the room. “and close the door behind you,” added Daniel.

  Alison looked into Daniel’s eyes as she crossed her legs and waited for an explanation.

  “The culprit is Dillon. Of course, it must be him. Who else could it be?” asked Daniel, but Alison touched his hand and asked him not to be angry with the boy.

  “Daniel, Stella told me quite a lot and some of the things she said would certainly go down well for you in the court,” she said, but Daniel shook his head slowly.

  “A woman can do things in a court room that would be considered impossible anywhere else,” he said, “and even when the judge is herself a woman, it doesn’t seem to make any difference. Alison, Frieda has cleaned me out. She has won. She can have the flat and anything else she wants. I just wish she would clear out of my life for good. I wish she would leave me alone. I’m sick of her. Even her name makes me want to vomit.”

  Alison listened carefully to what Daniel had to say and she wished she had some way of helping him. Everything seemed so dark and then she remembered it was always darkest before the dawn. It was that exact moment that the telephone rang and Daniel stretched across the settee to answer it.

  “Hello ... Hello ... Yes, I am Daniel Roberts ...”

  Alison sat back in her chair waiting for what was to be heard from this telephone call and from the look on Daniel’s face it seemed to be important; very important indeed.

  “I can’t understand what you mean, Sir,” Daniel went on as he reached forward to get some writing paper and a pen from the little table nearby, “Can you just say that again please?” At that moment Dillon appeared from the bedroom and looked anxiously at Alison who put her forefinger to her lips to prevent Dillon talking. Daniel put the telephone down and stared into space.

  “Daniel, are you alright?” asked Alison as Dillon looked about him in confusion.

  “Daddy ... are you alright? You look so pale.”

  Daniel stretched his right hand out to touch Dillon and held Alison close to him with his left.

  “I ... I have had some bad news and I should have gone to
the police station, but.”

  Alison rubbed his hand in hers. It was cold.

  “Let me drive you there,” she said hastily, without thinking that she hadn’t driven for some time, but Daniel shook his head slowly.

  “It’s no use now,” he replied, “Frieda has had an accident ... well the police think she has. They have found something that belongs to her and she is in hospital with serious head wounds.”

  Alison gasped and Dillon held his breath.

  “What ... how did this happen?” Alison and Dillon asked their question simultaneously, but Daniel kept shaking his head.

  “Dillon, can you get me a glass of water please?” he said and the little boy rushed into the kitchen as Daniel turned to Alison.

  “The police are coming to see me this morning,” he said, “They think I am still her husband.”

  “But surely that cannot be. Not after all this divorce business that’s going on,” snapped Alison, as if she was personally annoyed at the suggestion by anyone that Daniel and Frieda were still an item, but she stopped talking as Dillon returned from the kitchen with a glass of water for his dad.

  Five minutes later there was a knock on the outside door and Alison went to answer it only to return seconds later with two burly men who were obviously from the Law.

  Daniel sighed and drank his water while Dillon scratched his head and asked if there was anything else he could do.

  “”That’s a good boy,” said Alison, “perhaps you and I should go into the bedroom for a little while, yes?” She nodded towards the bedroom door as she spoke and hoped Dillon would get her meaning.

  “Do you mean that we should ...?” Dillon stammered and Alison took him by the arm before he could say any more.

  “Yes, that’s right,” she replied and guided the little boy into the bedroom before she closed the door behind them.

  “Is daddy alright in there with those two men?” asked Dillon and Alison nodded as she gestured for Dillon to keep his voice low.

  “We might be able to hear what’s going on, if we keep quiet and with our ears to the door,” she said and both she and Dillon crouched down on their knees.

  “Sometimes it’s better if you hold a tumbler to the wall,” whispered Dillon and Alison looked at him in surprise.

  “Where did you learn that trick?” she asked and the little boy touched his nose with his forefinger,

  “We do it at school sometimes when one of the boys is being questioned by one of the masters.”

  “Well we don’t have a tumbler, but there’s a vase over there with some flowers in it. Would that do?”

  Dillon looked around the room before he answered.

  “It could have done I suppose if the flowers were artificial as then we wouldn’t have any water to throw out.”

  “Shhh!

  “What are you hearing?”

  “Only sounds, but it seems as if those men might be leaving soon. I heard one of them say Goodbye.”

  Alison and Dillon crouched down and held their breath, but within a few moments Daniel called out for them to come out.

  “Have they gone?” asked Dillon and then shrugged his shoulders, realizing that what he had asked was a rather silly question. “Are you alright daddy?” he went on and gripped Alison’s hand, but Daniel lowered his head before he turned around to look out of the window.

  “The scarf,” he said and left his companions in confusion.

  “Scarf,” repeated Alison, “What does that mean, Daniel?”

  Daniel shook his head and looked directly into Alison’s eyes.

  “The detectives tell me that they have found a scarf in the bushes just outside the flat at Trafford Road,” he said and his voice was ragged.

  “OUTSIDE the flat at Trafford Road,” repeated Alison, “I’ve no doubt it was outside number 52, was it?” she asked, “Is she very seriously injured and how did it happen? ... and,” Alison hesitated for a moment before she went on, “Who reported this to the police?”

  “I don’t know. The police didn’t say and I was too shocked to ask them, but I think it must be one of Frieda’s ‘regulars’,“ said Daniel and he raised his eyebrows as a gesture of Frieda’s life style “but the scarf ... that sounds bad, doesn’t it?” Daniel repeated and Dillon ran across the room to him and threw his arms around him.

  “Does the scarf mean something daddy?” the little boy asked and Daniel nodded slowly as Alison looked on with fear in her eyes.

  “Yes, Dillon, it does. You remember my white scarf that I used when I was playing in the orchestra that evening when it was very cold outside and you told me to wrap up well?”

  ”Yes, I remember daddy.”

  “Well such a scarf wouldn’t be worn today. It’s rather an old fashioned thing, but was prominent with the orchestra if the members came out in evening dress to play.”

  “Yes, I remember daddy. Frieda thought it was a beautiful thing for a man to wear. Too beautiful for a man, she said and she wanted it for herself.”

  Daniel looked down as he struggled to speak.

  “The police are concerned about Frieda’s accident and they have found this scarf which has aroused their suspicion that I might know something about it. It was a white silk scarf; one like the one I used to own.”

  Alison put her hand to her lips when she heard that.

  “But Daniel,” she said, “You’re not the only one to have a white scarf, surely and anyway, you have just said you USED to own it. That scarf may not be yours. What happened to it? Can you remember? Did you give it to Frieda as Dillon thought you might have done?””

  Again Daniel looked into Alison’s eyes as he shook his head.

  “Frieda was with me that evening when I was playing at the Dorchester Halls. She was cold and I gave her the scarf. I remember how she giggled when she told me it was warm when I wrapped it around her neck.”

  Alison looked at Dillon and he returned her stare.

  “Daniel this means nothing. They must have found other things besides a stupid scarf, surely?”

  “Yes, there were other things, obviously, but the police seemed to focus on this scarf. Nothing else seemed to be of interest to them. It was a common thing to wear a scarf like that some years back, but there was only one white scarf with the initials D.R. on it.”

  Alison’s eyes went wide with fear and Dillon gasped.

  “”Is this what the police have found? Is that why they came here to interview you?” asked Alison as she put her arms around Dillon’s shoulder.

  “Yes. The same scarf that I had forgotten about. The scarf that Frieda had so wanted to have for herself.” said Daniel and Alison scoffed.

  ”Well, she owned the scarf, but that doesn’t mean anything. You gave it to her and that’s the truth of the matter, so what of it?”

  “I don’t know Alison. All I know is that the police have taken my fingerprints and they want me to come down to the police station in the next few days to make a statement and give a blood sample... and to bring any article of clothing with me that they think might give them some clue regarding Frieda‘s accident ... but I think they are more than suspicious that it may not have been an accident at all.”

  “A sample of YOUR blood,” asked Alison, “What on earth do they want that for?”

  “There was blood on the scarf,“ said Daniel.

  Alison gasped when she heard what Daniel had said and Dillon looked around the room with fear in his eyes.

  “Are you saying that the police may be thinking this wasn’t an accident, Daniel and that they might be suspicious that it was a deliberate attack on Frieda? Is that what you’re saying?” asked Alison as she frowned and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand whilst Dillon muttered something about wishing the bitch was somewhere a long way off where she wouldn’t
come back.

  “It seems that the police have got something with blood on it if they want you to provide a blood sample surely, but it may not be the scarf.”

  “The blood was on the scarf, Alison. The police have told me that and that is why they want to question me ... after all the scarf was mine at one time.”

  “They usually take any suspects down to the station with them, Daniel, “ replied Alison. “They must trust you to come down later by yourself,” she said, but Daniel shook his head.

  “When you’re a bloody freak as I am with what I have, they won’t take any chances that I might fall off the world before they get me there,” he replied, “and anyway, I have to see the Doctor at the hospital tomorrow and they already knew that. Clever bastards. Ah! and then there’s the next court appearance in two days time ... Surely Frieda will have to turn up for that or old Cohen will get hot under the collar. Yes, I never thought about that, but I should have mentioned it to the police, shouldn’t I?”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” asked Alison, but again Daniel shook his head.

  “Police station, hospital or the court will all want to see me by myself, but thanks anyway. If you could stay with Dillon, I would be grateful. He goes back to school tomorrow anyway but not until late in the afternoon, however don’t let me muck up your work times at the cafe.”

  “Old Humphries knows of my problems and so does Rosie, so there will be no worries there.”

  However, it was a sudden surprise to all when Frieda arrived the following morning at the police station herself and she was more than surprised than anyone else that she should have been reported ill and that some blood stained clothing had been found outside her flat.

  “Who has reported this incident .. this bloody accident, you call it” she asked and nobody came forward, but the police now had the job of finding the accuser which meant of course that Daniel was off the hook.

  Frieda did not disclose any information that would give the police a clue as to who had given her the head injuries, which she treated as a light incident and not at all as serious as people thought, but she did have a plaster of some kind on her head which she had discreetly covered with her hair, however the fact that she was safe and sound was sufficient for the police at that moment where they could make their enquiries elsewhere about who had reported the incident to the police in the first place and who it was who said that Frieda was in hospital with serious head injuries? Had someone actually tried to injure Frieda and did that same someone actually do it, but imagined the injuries were far more serious than they were?