? Weeping on Wednesday ?
Thirty-One
Lois sat in her office next day, trying to make sense of revising the schedules. She picked up the phone. She’d talked to Sheila yesterday about extra work, but needed to extend it, at least temporarily. “Sorry, Sheila, to bother you again,” she said, “but I’d really appreciate it if you could take on a few more hours, just until I can get a replacement for Enid. The others are giving more time, as and when it’s needed. Bill’s been great. Says he doesn’t mind how long he works. Better than waiting for Rebecca to come home from endless school meetings, he says.” She regretted the last remark at once.
Sheila rose to it swiftly: “Should keep him out of mischief, too,” she said acidly. She had absolutely no evidence that Bill had made any approaches to Hazel, and was disappointed. The job needed a bit of spice now and then. Still, her daughter in Waltonby had phoned her with a bit of gossip earlier, and she was anxious to relay it to Lois.
“Um, there was something you might like to know about,” she said.
“Yes?” Lois had ignored the jibe about Bill, making a mental note to be more careful in future.
“My daughter…said she’s heard somebody saw Enid. In a car. Not her car, but in the passenger seat. An old banger, it was, she said. She was laughing, she said. Laughing at the bloke sitting next to her, she said.”
“When?” said Lois sharply. News of Enid’s disappearance had got around fast, aided, no doubt, by arch-gossip Sheila. Perhaps I should have said to keep it quiet for the moment, Lois thought. Too late now, anyway, and gossip had its uses.
She had already brought Cowgill up to date, but this was an extra, maybe an important extra.
“Yesterday some time.” It was all very vague, most of it hearsay.
“I expect we’ll hear all sorts of stories,” said Lois without comment, and signed off.
Gran came in with coffee and asked if anything had been heard of Enid. Lois shook her head. “Did she say anything to you?” she asked. She had been pleased that Gran had struck up a friendship with Enid. They’d been for one or two walks together, strolling round the village, while Enid reported local legend and history and Gran listened with interest.
“Nothing at all. Nothing about going away, or even wishing she could, though I reckon she had every reason to.” Some of Enid’s apparently casually dropped remarks about life at the mill had shocked Gran. If she’d been Enid, she had told her firmly, she would have made sure there were changes, or else left them to it. But afterwards, when she’d thought about it, she could see the poor woman was in a trap. It was like a spider’s web down there, with the old mother as the spider. Gran had not discussed this with Lois, as she was anxious not to prejudice Enid’s job. She knew some of the other cleaners disliked her, and wouldn’t make it worse by setting Lois against her.
“What d’you mean?” Lois was on to her at once.
“Oh, you know, that mother bein’ a recluse. And the weak old father.”
“And the criminal brother,” said Lois sternly. “Mum,” she continued, “if you know anything about Enid goin’ off, or anything else you can think of, you got to tell me. It might be…well…a matter of life and death.”
“Lois, I really don’t know anything. Enid was friendly, but a very private person. You know that. When we went on walks together, she’d chat about this and that, but never much except what we know already about the Abrahams. She talked a lot about her childhood, an’ happy times she had with her brother. I reckon she’s very upset about the way he turned out. Still fond of him, though, like you would be if it was family…Got to get on, now,” she added, and left the room.
Lois sat for a while, staring out of the window but seeing nothing. In her mind’s eye she had a picture of the mill kitchen. Neat, gloomy but clean. And next to the fire, two pairs of boots put there to dry.
¦
In the middle of what seemed to Enid Abraham like nowhere at all, she sat on a broken old chair and shivered. It was cold and she was alone. She couldn’t get up to move about and warm up, because her hands were tied together and anchored behind the chair. She couldn’t see, because a grimy handkerchief had been tied round her eyes. Her sense of smell was not restricted, however, and she sniffed. Mushrooms? Not quite, but the damp, sharp smell was like mushrooms. She remembered how she and Edward used to go collecting them, early on summer mornings. He had taught her which ones were edible…ah, that was it. The smell was toadstools. Damp, acrid and poisonous.
No light penetrated through the blindfold, but she knew it was daytime. She had heard a cock crowing from far away, waking her up hours ago. She had no idea how long she had slept, but was in an agony of cramp when she awoke. She had managed to wriggle enough to get her circulation going, and had then decided to sit it out and not struggle. She would listen hard, and wait. He would be back. She could rely on that.
? Weeping on Wednesday ?
Thirty-Two
When someone had seen Enid Abraham in the passenger seat of an old banger, Enid had not been laughing. She had been gasping between terrified tears. She had stopped crying after a while, and tried pleading. It had made no difference. She had promised everything demanded, reminding Edward that she had always done her best to support him, even when it meant putting herself on the wrong side of the law. In her own defence, she had said her crime – to allow Jamie to come into the house and have a piano lesson – had been a very small one. And no harm had been done. And why had he attacked Father in that way? He was an old man, and broken by all the trouble. No longer the real head of the family, and if it was anyone’s fault it had been Enid’s. None of it had made any difference.
Manhandled and restrained, she had ended up in what she now knew for certain to be a cave, now that she felt the warmth of a little sunlight filtering in through the undergrowth. The sounds and smells, birdsong and dampness, convinced her she was in the cave in Alibone Woods, where they had picnicked in happier days. It was more a deep hollow in the hillside than a cave, made by quarry workers years ago, and now surrounded by thicket and trees. The perfect hiding place. She was still bound and blindfolded, and was beginning to feel faint. He hadn’t gagged her, fortunately. She supposed he was confident that she wouldn’t shout for help, sure of his hold over her. He had assured her he would be back, and had returned to feed her cold soup out of a tin before disappearing once more, saying that when he returned he would have decided what to do next. She begged him to take off the blindfold, saying she would do whatever he wanted.
Hadn’t she always, telling lies and covering up? She’d even buried a dead dog for him, and not asked questions when he kept appearing and disappearing.
The blindfold was soaked with tears, and Enid’s cheeks were hot and sore. But all her physical discomfort was nothing to the pain in her heart. Just when she’d thought things at the mill were improving, it had all got much worse. She had so loved working for Mrs M, feeling a real person again, with a place in the world and even the beginnings of a friendship with Gran. Although Lois’s mother was much older than she was, she felt at ease with her, and that was rare. Well, now that was well and truly scuppered.
And Father had been so much better lately, even though Mother had become a total recluse – maybe
“For God’s sake shut that row!” The voice was harsh.
“Edward?” said Enid, stiffening in alarm, recognizing at once that Edward’s mood was black.
“Who else are you expecting? Your precious Lois Meade, come to rescue you from your evil brother? Maybe her pal the cop? No, dear Enid, no chance of that. I’m very good at covering tracks now. Nobody will find you. Anyway, you’re not staying here much longer. I’ve decided what we’ll do next.”
“What?” Enid’s voice was cracked and nearly inaudible.
“You’ll know soon enough. When I’m ready. Here, open your mouth.” He fed her bread and cheese, piece by piece, held a bottle of water to her lips for her to drink, and then said more gently, “I’m off again now. Things to do. Here, put this rug round you. Gets cold at nights.” She felt his hand touch the top of her head, lightly, like he used
