‘The police are coming as soon as they can. I hope you weren’t carrying all your money today?’
‘It was all the English money I had, but it’s my credit card I’m worried about. There’s a number to ring if you lose it – Oh, that’s in my handbag too.’
‘What bank are you with?
She told him.
‘I’m with that one as well.’ He glanced over his shoulder towards the far end of the alley. ‘Let’s just walk back to the street, where we’ll be safer, then I’ll ring the bank’s emergency number. I’ve got it in my wallet.’
She shivered, still trying to sort it out in her head. ‘That man pulled me right off the street. No one seemed to notice except you, or hear me screaming.’
‘I was out for a stroll and I’d seen you in the distance, so was watching you. And people did stop, so they obviously heard you screaming, but no one tried to help you. Fine world it is when people stand by and let others be attacked!’ He fished in his pocket and pulled out a wallet, fumbling through the contents. ‘Ah, here it is! Look, we’ll ring this number now while we’re waiting for the police. Do you have any idea of your credit card number?’
‘Yes, of course. I know it by heart.’
‘My daughter’s like that. I can never remember long numbers. I even have trouble with phone numbers.’ He dialled swiftly and when someone answered, explained what had happened and passed the phone to Gina.
During the conversation that followed, she arranged to have a stop put on her credit card and was told to go to a certain bank in Blackpool the following day with proof of her identity to fill in the necessary forms. A new card would be sent to that bank in about a week’s time.
As she handed the phone back to Brad, she realized something else. ‘My mobile phone! They’ll have that too.’
‘We’ll ring your phone company once we get back to the hotel.’
She was beginning to wonder how she was going to live until she got her new card. Tears welled in her eyes but she tried not to let them fall, because what good would it do. But a few escaped her and suddenly she found herself sobbing against Brad’s chest.
She ought to move away, but she couldn’t. Only with him holding her tightly did she feel safe.
‘The police can’t do anything now,’ she said as time passed.
‘No, probably not. But we should still report the incident. Facts gradually build up into a whole picture. One day, the details you give and the information from other victims may help catch your attacker.’
She sighed with relief when a police car drew up half an hour after the attack and two officers got out. Brad signalled to them and they strode across the pavement.
‘You all right?’ one asked her.
‘A bit bruised, but that’s all.’
‘Come and sit in the car and tell us how it happened.’
She couldn’t hold back the tears as she relived the attack. Brad’s arm was still there, though, a band of warmth that made her feel safe.
When Gina had told them all she could remember, which wasn’t much, one officer went to inspect the alley. ‘This has happened a few times now, same MO,’ the other said. ‘One day he’ll bite off more than he can chew and we’ll catch him. Would you recognize him if you saw him again, Mrs Porter?’
‘No, he had a hooded windcheater.’ She frowned, trying to think of something that was nudging her. ‘I might recognize his voice, though. He had a regional accent, only I can’t say which. I’m Australian, can only recognize a Lancashire accent. It wasn’t that, though.’
‘Well, it’s a help even to know that.’ The officer smiled encouragingly. ‘If you hear anything like his accent, will you let us know? Or if you remember anything else?’
‘Yes, of course.’
The other officer came back. ‘Nothing. It’s paved so there are no footprints.’ He turned to Gina. ‘We’ll drive you back to your hotel now, shall we, Mrs Porter?’
‘If you don’t mind. I’m feeling a bit shaky.’
What was she going to do now? she wondered as they drove slowly back. She still had her passport, but she had no cash in hand, apart from a few Australian coins and notes in her suitcase, and no means of getting at her money until she received her new card. She couldn’t pay her hotel bill or buy food or anything.
‘You’ll need money,’ Brad said, as if he’d read her thoughts. ‘I can lend you some.’
She looked sideways at him. ‘Are you sure? You don’t really know me.’
He chuckled softly. ‘When I look at your face, so transparently honest, I feel quite certain I’m going to be repaid.’
‘Thank you for the compliment. Well, I think it’s a compliment. But weren’t you going to move on after a few days?’
‘I was, but my situation’s changed, so now I need to stay in the area. I might try to find somewhere cheaper to live, though, a self-catering place perhaps. It’s a nice hotel but I’m not made of money.’
The thought of him leaving the hotel upset her and she blurted out, ‘I shall miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you too. I enjoy your company. But we can still see one another – if you’d like to, that is.’
‘I would.’ His compliment made her feel warm, dispelling for a moment the chill and fear she’d been feeling ever since the attack.
As their eyes met, the street outside the car seemed to blur and all she was conscious of was Brad, his strength and kindness. His wasn’t an overt, macho masculinity but it nonetheless touched something inside her, making her feel softly feminine.
Then the car stopped and they both jerked back to reality as the officer opened the car door.
* * *
The day following her husband’s attack, Peggy got up late, coming downstairs yawning, looking strained. Jake nodded a greeting but didn’t ask how she’d slept, just put the kettle on.
She went to stand by the window, looking out at the back garden. ‘Even with vegetables, it looks pretty. No wonder you win prizes. You’ve got green fingers.’
‘I do my best.’ He went to stand beside her and raised one arm, intending to put round her, but let it drop again. Something about her body said don’t touch me. And anyway, they weren’t a family for touching and cuddling, never had been. He couldn’t remember his mother ever giving him a hug. He’d tried to cuddle his daughter sometimes and she’d been like his mother, stiffening when held.
Thank goodness for his granddaughter. From when she was tiny Lou had flung herself into his arms more times than he could remember and that hadn’t stopped as she grew older. When she became a teenager, she’d had the obligatory rows with her parents, but rarely with him. He was missing her, felt guilty that he’d been unkind to her before she left for Australia – though he still wished she hadn’t gone raking up old embers like that.
He realized Peggy was speaking and tried to give her his full attention.
‘I think I need to start planning a new life, Jake, and for that I need money.’
‘I’ve been through divorce, so I can tell you that you’ve a right to a share in the family possessions, like the house.’
‘Hartley has savings, I know he does. And the mortgage is paid off. But I doubt he’ll give me anything! He keeps a firm hold on his money.’
‘You’ll need a good lawyer.’
‘That’s what the counsellor said. In the meantime I need to get my pension paid directly to me, not into Hartley’s account.’
Jake looked at her in surprise. ‘Did you even hand that over to him?’
She nodded, flushing slightly.
‘Eh, it’s a wonder he let you breathe on your own.’
‘He’s not been very kind lately, but I’ve never liked arguments and upsets, as you know. I’m going to try to – well, stand up for myself from now on, though.’
She didn’t sound optimistic and the smile she gave him was so fragile and uncertain, he ached for her.
‘Cheryl said—’ Peggy took a deep breath. ‘She said I needed Hartley t
o look after me, that I’d never be been able to cope on my own. I’m sixty-six, Jake. It’s about time I did learn to stand on my own feet, don’t you think?’
He nodded, letting her lead the conversation.
‘I’ve got another appointment with the counsellor tomorrow. I – I’m going to ask her about a divorce lawyer.’
‘Divorce?’
She looked at him solemnly. ‘I was awake a lot during the night thinking. I’m never going back to live with Hartley. When I see how kind you are to me, it makes me think, it really does. How could I just accept what he was like in private? The way he mocked me, insulted me, said I was useless. No wonder my daughter despises me.’
She bowed her head for a minute and her voice came out muffled. ‘What I don’t understand is why I let him do this to me.’
‘You were depressed after you’d had Cheryl. Hartley was always a bossy bugger, but after she was born, you were lost for a while and he took over. I think he got a taste for ordering you around then and never stopped.’
She nodded slowly. ‘And I took so long to get pregnant and then couldn’t have another baby. I felt ashamed of that and he was angry because he’d wanted a son. He idolizes Cheryl, you know, and she’s always been Daddy’s girl. If I divorce him… I don’t think she’ll want anything to do with me. But Hartley doesn’t know how to cook or look after himself or anything like that, for all he mocks me.’
‘Whatever you decide, I’ll help you.’
She laid one hand briefly on his. ‘Thanks. You’re the best of brothers. You always looked after me when I was a child, even though I was the eldest. I needed it then, too, didn’t I?’
She began eating some toast but stopped for a moment, head on one side. ‘It’s a good thing we went and got my clothes. Otherwise they’d probably have turned up here in rags as well.’
‘You must be upset about those embroideries.’
She shrugged. ‘Sort of. But I can do others. It’s me I’m upset about, Jake. Me and the mess I’ve made of my life. Embroideries aren’t important compared to that.’
When she’d finished eating, she looked round. ‘I’ll give the house a good clean, shall I? Pay you back a bit.’
‘You don’t need to pay me back. I’m glad to help you.’
She gave him a wry smile. ‘To keep me occupied, then.’
‘All right. And thanks.’
So he went outside to get a bit of sun on his face and do some weeding. He ought to go down to the allotment, but he didn’t want to leave her on her own. Those shredded embroideries were still worrying him. It was such a cruel, vicious thing to do. In the end he decided to get extra bolts for the front and back doors and perhaps a fancy iron grill for the frosted glass pane in the top half of the front door. There was something to be said for old-fashioned wooden windows with frames and small panes like his. Not as easy to smash open as big sheets of glass.
You couldn’t be too careful when someone was – unbalanced. Jake was quite sure there would be more trouble to come.
He hoped Peggy would stick it out and get a divorce, but he wasn’t optimistic.
* * *
When Gina walked into the lobby, people stared at her and Brad. She caught sight of herself in the big mirror to one side and gasped in shock. Her hair was a mess, her face tear-streaked, her clothes torn and there was a bruise on one cheekbone.
‘What happened? Have you been in an accident?’
She turned to see Bridie hurrying out of the bar and tried to speak, but couldn’t, could only gesture with one hand, swallow hard and press the hand to her lips to hold back the tears.
‘Oh, my dear!’
As the older woman put her arms round her, Gina began sobbing all over again, beyond words now. She heard Brad explaining briefly that she’d been mugged, could sense people nearby listening, muttering, and felt nearly sick with relief when her friends guided her across to the lift, away from the staring faces.
Brad kept calling out, ‘Let us pass, please. She’s been hurt.’
People fell back, still talking and exclaiming.
‘Mugged? What do we pay the police for?’
‘Look at her, poor thing.’
‘Don’t know what the world’s coming to.’
Their voices seemed to echo in Gina’s head as if they’d come from far away.
Brad stopped by the lift as something occurred to him. ‘I’ll have to get her a new key card so that we can get into her room.’
‘In the meantime she can come to my room.’ Bridie kept hold of Gina. ‘Don’t faint on me, dear. I’m not strong enough to hold you up. Ah, here we go.’ She moved forward as the lift doors opened, saying in an imperious tone, ‘Please stay back and wait for the next lift. My friend’s been hurt and needs to lie down.’
The door closed on another group of staring faces and still that bony arm supported Gina. As long as it was there, she felt she could stay upright, but she couldn’t speak a word of sense.
When they got out of the lift Bridie fumbled in her handbag and slipped a key card into the lock of a room at the end of the corridor. ‘Come and sit down.’
Inside Gina collapsed on to a sofa, leaning her head back, closing her eyes, letting the silence and comfort wrap round her like a soft shawl.
‘Here. Drink this, my dear.’
She became aware that Bridie was thrusting a glass into her hand.
‘Brandy. Good for shock.’
She did as ordered and the fiery warmth felt good as she let a mouthful trickle down her throat.
There was a knock on the door.
Bridie hurried across to let Brad in.
‘How is she?’ he asked in a low voice.
‘I’m able to speak for myself.’ Gina looked up as they walked across to join her. ‘I’m sorry. It seemed to hit me all over again when we came into the hotel. I’ll be fine in a few minutes if I can just sit here quietly and – and feel safe.’
‘That’s a girl,’ Bridie said. ‘You can sit there for as long as you want. Take another sip.’
She moved closer to Brad and Gina heard her ask in a low voice, ‘Ever dealt with someone who’s been mugged before?’
‘Well… no.’
‘I’ve not gone deaf, you know,’ Gina protested.
Bridie turned to study her. ‘No, but you’re still in shock and won’t be thinking clearly. Your colour’s better now, but if you’re anything like my friend who was attacked, you’ll not want to be left on your own. Would you like to stay here with me tonight? This couch pulls down into a bed.’
‘I can’t put you to so much trouble.’
‘Of course you can!’
‘Then yes, I would like to stay here.’ The thought of being alone in her hotel room was suddenly terrifying and she knew she’d not sleep a wink.
‘Go and fetch her things, dear boy.’
‘No, I can…’ Gina tried to stand up, but her legs felt so rubbery, she let herself fall back down on to the soft cushions. ‘I can get them myself if you’ll just give me a few more minutes.’
‘I could easily get them for you,’ Brad said.
‘But you won’t know what I want!’
‘I was married for thirty years. I’ve a fair idea what a woman needs. If you don’t mind me poking around, that is. Or I could escort you down?’
She couldn’t suppress a shiver at the thought of leaving this cosy room. ‘No, you go. I’d be grateful.’
He stopped at the door. ‘I think I’d also better try to contact your mobile phone company. Give me the details and I’ll ring them and explain what’s happened. You don’t want to be stuck with a big phone bill on top of everything else.’
‘I’d forgotten that.’ Bridie was right, Gina decided. She’d not been thinking at all clearly since the attack, still wasn’t, however hard she tried. ‘You’re so kind.’ She gave him the necessary details and when he’d gone, looked at Bridie. ‘You must think I’m so weak to go to pieces like this.’
‘I think y
ou’re coping very well, actually. I told you, it happened to a friend of mine. They had to sedate her for a day or two and she needed sleeping tablets for months afterwards. These young hoodlums don’t realize what they’re doing to their victims, how the effects linger down the years.’
Gina nodded, then confided the thing that was worrying her most. ‘How am I going to live until I get my new credit card?’
‘We’ll sort all that out in the morning. I can lend you the money if necessary. For the moment, I think you should have a warm shower, then we’ll get room service to bring you up something to eat.’
Gina reached out to clasp her companion’s hand. ‘You’re so kind, yet you hardly know me.’
‘I was brought up to think of others as well as myself. And anyway,’ Bridie hesitated, her expression sad. ‘You remind me of my sister. She died young, but she had hair just the same shade as yours. I don’t see much of my relatives now, what few I have left.’ She stared into the distance for a moment longer, then added more briskly, ‘And anyway, if we can’t help our fellow human beings, we’re not worth much, are we?’
She then spoiled the solemnity of the moment by chuckling. ‘Besides, I don’t usually get much excitement in my life, so you’ll be doing me a favour by letting me share yours.’
Gina smiled in spite of her worries and leaned across to hug her. ‘I wish you were a relative of mine. I’ve had a shortage of them all my life because of my parents emigrating.’
‘We lose a lot of people to Australia.’ Bridie blinked furiously and turned to pour herself a brandy.
Gina wondered who her friend had lost. As she looked around, she felt relieved at how safe this place felt. She needed that right now. ‘Even with you here, I keep getting flashbacks, remembering how helpless I felt when that man dragged me down the alley.’
Brad came back just then with her suitcase and she let them continue to fuss over her, marvelling at how lucky she’d been. If she hadn’t met these two kind strangers, she’d be on her own in a hotel room now and she didn’t know how she would have coped with that.
Family Connections Page 21
