Then Dr Rix took her hand, and said in a perfectly normal voice, “Come on, then, my dear. Let’s go and see what these two have been up to.” He half-pulled her behind him, into the dark factory, and she heard Melvyn lock the door again.
It was not until they reached the inner room, the little home so carefully set up, that Lois saw Josie, apparently asleep on the sofa. Then she saw the knife. Melvyn held a bright, shiny-bladed knife in his hand, and with it gestured that they should sit down on the two chairs by the table. With his other hand he held his finger to his lips, and then pointed to the sofa in the corner. Lois gasped and made to stand up, but Melvyn was there with his knife, forcing her to sit down.
“She’s asleep,” he whispered. “I don’t want her woken. What we got to say won’t take long, and we can say it quietly. Then go and tell them that if they don’t leave us alone, I’ll kill myself, and Josie as well. She’s mine now. I love her and she loves me. Where I go, she goes, too.” Then Lois knew he had lost his reason, and felt a greater terror than she had ever known.
But Andrew Rix was nodding, and, still smiling, patted Melvyn on the arm and whispered, “Try to relax, old boy, nobody’s going to hurt you. There’ll be no more killing, not for you nor Josie.”
The pain in his face had transformed him into a very old man, but Melvyn had no pity. “Shut up,” he said shortly. “You didn’t say nor do nothing then, when I needed a father, so it’s a bit late now. I want to talk to
“What d’you want?” Lois managed. Josie stirred in her sleep, and once more Lois tried to go to her. But Melvyn stood in front of her, holding the knife as if he knew exactly how to use it. Dr Rix sat rigid in his chair, his expression bleak beyond words.
“Josie’s mine,” Melvyn repeated. “I’ll look after her until she’s old enough to get married and then we’ll stay together for ever. I shan’t harm her, nor force anythin’ on her she don’t want. You and Mr Meade can rest easy.”
“How will you live?” Lois’s voice was stronger now.
“I got money,” Melvyn said. “And I know ways of gettin’ supplies that your friends out there don’t know nothin’ about. We’ll be fine, Josie and me. And nobody’s gonna take her away from me!”
Suddenly Andrew Rix stood up. “All right,” he said, his face suddenly changed. “Enough of this nonsense, Melvyn. Put that stupid knife down, and let’s go home.”
“Home!” said Melvyn, half-crouching now, on the defensive and brandishing his knife at his father. “Home!” he said loudly. “Your home? Is that what you mean? Why didn’t you take me there in the beginning, then? Scared of the scandal, was you? Wifie wouldn’t hear of it? She must’ve known.”
His voice had woken Josie, who sat up, staring at Melvyn, then at her mother.
“Don’t move, Josie,” said Lois quickly. “We’re just having a chat, then we’ll be going.”
Andrew Rix stood unmoving, in spite of Melvyn’s threatening gestures. “I was wrong, son,” he said. That word, spoken awkwardly, jolted Melvyn, and he shook his head, as if to clear it. “I should have insisted,” his father continued. “But Mary had just lost her own baby, and I couldn’t do it. Gloria didn’t care what happened, so long as you were out of the way. So I took the easiest way out.”
“Gloria!” Melvyn spat out the word. “I hated her. She was a bloody whore!”
“Melvyn!” said Lois, also getting to her feet. “Not that language in front of Josie, if you don’t mind! I don’t call that taking care of her!”
Melvyn backed away from them. “She was a tart, my mother,” he said. “And so I got rid of her. Did her customers a service, I reckon.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Reckon they were all getting fed up with the old bag.”
“You were right,” said Andrew Rix, and Lois stared at him in amazement. “Gloria was no good, but she had such a way with her when she was in a good mood. And then she could be so cruel. Poor Nurse Surfleet had a terrible time with her.”
“That old dyke!” said Melvyn. “Deserved all she got.”
“But your mother was sick in the last year or so, Melvyn,” continued the doctor. “She thought she was very ill, before she…urn…” He coughed, and seemed to search for the right words. “She was desperate for comfort, you know, in the end, and no one really cared for her…except Gillian Surfleet and her affection was thrown back in her face.”
“Ill?” said Melvyn. “How ill?” His voice was full of suspicion.
Now Josie, in spite of Lois’s fierce looks, stood up from the sofa and walked towards Melvyn. “You didn’t tell me about your poor mum, Melv,” she said, and put her hand in his. “What was wrong with her?” she continued, looking at the doctor.
“She thought it was the worst, I’m afraid,” said Andrew Rix. “Though it was far from certain. We were still doing tests, but she went completely to pieces.” He took a step towards Melvyn. “Come on, old son,” he said, but Josie stepped in front of him.
“Get away from him!” she said loudly. “Watch him, Melvyn,” she added. “They’ll try to trick you.”
“Josie!” said Lois. “For God’s sake!”
Josie took no notice of her. “Come on, Melvyn,” she said. “Let’s go for a walk, away from this lot. We can go the secret way. And don’t try to follow us, Mum!” she added. “It’s very dangerous back there by the canal, unless you know what you’re doing.” She pulled Melvyn away, towards a collapsing doorway at the back of the room.
Lois moved towards them, but Andrew Rix caught her hand and held her back. He shook his head. “Wait,” he mouthed at her. “Melvyn!” he said then, loudly, so that they could hear him.
“What?”
“Did you ever wonder why I called you that name?”
“No,” Melvyn replied flatly. “Don’t make no difference.” He’d come back into sight now, still holding Josie’s hand.
“It’s my own name,” the doctor said. “Andrew is my first, and then Melvyn. I gave you my own name. Such a tiny scrap of life…and I loved you then more than anyone before or since. I loved you and I gave you away.” He reached out his hand. “I’m so sorry, son,” he said. “So very sorry.”
Melvyn bit his lip and his eyes shut for a second. “Huh,” he said. Then he retreated again into the darkness.
“I’m going after them!” said Lois desperately. Andrew Rix shook his head. “Police,” he whispered, and made a circular motion with his hand. “Surrounded,” he added.
But Lois could not see Josie go without her and she walked quietly after them. It was without air or light, evil-smelling, a cocktail of human detritus and the stagnant canal. She felt her way carefully, so as not to make a noise, aiming for a slit of light up ahead. Another door, and she prised it open slowly. Dazzled by the light, it was seconds before she could see the canal only feet away from her. An overgrown path led along the back of the factory, and she peered out. Josie and Melvyn were there, up by the old brick bridge, a couple of children, hand in hand. In front of them stood the police, two of them, and one of them was Hunter Cowgill. Lois stared, petrified, scared to move a muscle in case she should precipitate something unthinkable.
Melvyn moved sideways suddenly, and before the police could be there, he was on the bridge, holding on to the wooden rail and dragging Josie after him. Lois was frozen to the spot. She saw the rail snap and Melvyn fall backwards, hitting the black water with a yell that cut into her, breaking the spell, and she ran forward. Josie was still on the bridge, her arm held tight by Hunter Cowgill, who had got there just in time.
“Take her,” he said to Lois. “And wait in the car.” But Josie would not go. She was screaming Melvyn’s name, pulling away and trying to go in after him. “Josie!” said Lois sharply. “Do as you’re bloody well told!” Josie stopped struggling and began to cry.
“Mum, they’ve got to get him out,” she said.
Cowgill stepped forward. “We shall, Josie,” he said. “Look, Simpson’s there already.” He strode off down the towpath, and Lois heard him say, “He’s got a knife. Get him…but remember the girl’s watching.”
¦
Much later, after Josie was in bed and asleep at last, Lois remembered Cowgill’s words. “He can’t be such a bad bloke, that Inspector,” she said to Derek, who sat holding her hand. “To think of Josie watching. Thoughtful of him…”
“Don’t trust any of ‘em,” said Derek. He was still trying to sort out the whole thing, but overriding everything, filling his head, was the fact that his Josie could easily be dead. “Steer clear of them all in future, Lois, and that’s an
