Weeping on Wednesday

sick man? Neither of these seemed so desperate that Enid would have to go with him…unless she was implicated.

Lois shook her head. She didn’t know the answer, but she was still stubbornly on Enid’s side, whatever was said by Bill or Derek – or Hazel, or any of the others. Innocent until proved guilty, she thought, and smiled wryly at something so easy-sounding. She came back to the track that led to her car, and whistled the dog. He’d been distracted by a fleeing rabbit, and she turned to look, whistling again, a shrill two-fingered whistle she’d learned from the boys.

“Not bad for a woman,” said a voice behind her. She froze.

Cowgill stood there, smiling. Her heart slowed down to its normal beat and she said angrily, “So they let you out, did they!”

“That’s a very fetching hat, Lois,” was all he said, and began to walk into the wood, heading for their meeting place. “Come on,” he said, as she stood still, undecided what to do. “You’ve got things to tell me, I expect.”

The dog growled at Cowgill, and Lois patted him approvingly. She had a lot of thinking to do before revealing all she had found to Inspector Cowgill. And anyway, where was he when she was faced with a dangerous-looking cave in the dark wood?

“Stuff you,” she said, and headed for her car.

¦

Derek was home early. “I finished the job,” he said, “and it wasn’t worth starting anything else. Where you bin?” he added, watching as she took off muddy shoes.

“Alibone,” she said shortly, and continued, “and yes, I met Cowgill there, and we had it off in the mud, ‘cause that’s what turns him on.”

She watched Derek’s face fall and felt very ashamed of herself. “Sorry, sorry, love,” she said, and put her arms around his neck. “It’s just that bugger really gets to me. I’ve a good mind to forget the whole thing.”

“But you won’t,” said Derek, stroking her heavy, damp hair. “Come on, now. Tell us what happened.”

Lois gave him all the details, and he whistled softly when she got to the tipped-over chair and the New Brooms pen. “Blimey, so she was there,” he said.

Lois nodded. “Sure of it,” she said, and went on to describe her meeting with Cowgill and his stupid arrogance.

“He could have had a bad day at his meeting,” said Derek tentatively.

“Whose side are you on?” said Lois.

“Enid’s, funnily enough,” he said, and hugged her more tightly. “If you think she’s a victim, that’s enough for me. And now we got to find her,” he added, as Gran came into the room and said she was glad to see love’s young dream was alive and kicking.

She smiled as she said it though, well aware that it was their kitchen, their house, and she was just a guest. But a paying guest, she thought happily, as she set the table for tea, and took out a cake she’d spent all afternoon baking.

“I suppose you were talking about Enid?” she said. Lois had gone off to change and Derek sat at the table with a cup of tea.

He nodded. “Seems she was hidden in the woods, but he’s taken her off again.”

“He, meaning Edward?” said Gran.

“Yep. Lois is convinced. But where we start, God knows,” he added. “The police still don’t seem too bothered about it…yet…”

“What d’you mean by that?” Gran looked at Derek suspiciously. Had he told her all of it? They knew she was fond of Enid Abraham, and perhaps wouldn’t want to worry her more than necessary. But she probably knew the woman better than any of them. She believed strongly that Enid had done nothing bad. She wouldn’t be capable of it. But there was this other thing…Enid’s affection for her brother, whatever he had done. She had heard it in Enid’s voice, when she spoke of their childhood together. Sibling affection could be strong, in spite of everything. And if they really were twins, well…

“I just mean,” answered Derek, “that it is possible, from what is known of that ruddy brother, that if he’s in a tight corner he could do something violent. He’s killed a dog.”

“Oh yes, somebody who’s capable of that could do anything,” said Gran. “I had a neighbour in Tresham who kept a dog so’s when her husband came in drunk, he could kick it instead of lashing out at her. When the dog died, he stopped her getting another – said it wasn’t so much fun…”

Lois had come in, followed by the kids who’d been watching television until summoned for tea. “Now,” she said, “let’s forget all about Enid Abraham and have our tea. What’s new from Tresham School?”

“Nuthin’,” chorused Josie and Douglas.

But Jamie said, “What about Miss Abraham? Why haven’t they found her? What’s happened to her, Mum? Can’t we do something?”

? Weeping on Wednesday ?

Thirty-Four

Enid was lying curled up on the back seat of a car. She did not know which car, as the blindfold was still on. Edward had taken her, not too roughly this time, out of the cave, leading her by the hand. He’d not answered when she had asked if it was her car, but the smell was wrong. It was unpleasantly musty, old.

“Don’t pull me too fast, dear,” she had said kindly, as they stumbled through the wood. “I can’t see where I’m going, you know.” In the long, solitary hours in the damp darkness, she had thought everything through very carefully. She knew that Edward had worked out a plan, calculated to avoid discovery of something he had done that was so bad that it had unhinged him. Temporarily, she hoped. The best thing would be to humour him, and wait for her chance. Edward had always been unreliable and unstable, and Mother had explained many times to Enid that he couldn’t help it, it was the way he was made. And so excuses had been made, cover-ups engineered. People he had cheated or annoyed had been paid off or pacified. No wonder they were so hard up at the mill! The money she had earned at New Brooms had been the first she had had to spend on herself for years.

Now they drew to a halt. The journey had been only about fifteen minutes, Enid reckoned. Edward turned off the engine, telling her to stay down until he came to fetch her. She did as she was told.

A short while later, the car door opened and her father’s voice said, “Good God! What has he done now?” She felt her blindfold being untied, and sunlight flooded in, blinding her. Then she felt gentle hands helping her out of the car, and when she finally opened her eyes, there was her father, and tears were once more running unchecked down his sunken cheeks.

“Father! You look terrible! Where’s he gone?”

Walter gestured towards the mill house. “Come on in. I’ll get you a cup of tea,” he said, and they walked across to the door hand in hand, Enid stumbling with a sudden loss of balance.

“What time is it?” she said.

“One o’clock,” said her father. They were in the kitchen now, and the old dog rushed across to greet her. The cats, too, came over and rubbed against her legs.

“Where’s Edward?” Enid said.

“Around,” said her father, and put on the kettle.

“I must ring Mrs M,” Enid said. “Explain what’s happened…well,” she added, seeing her father’s face, “I’ll make a good excuse. Then we can get back to normal.”

Walter slowly shook his head. “Fraid not, dear,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Edward’ll tell you,” he said, and poured boiling water into a teapot, swilling it round and tipping it out into the sink. The tea-making ritual was the same as ever, but nothing else was, Enid realized. In the corner of the kitchen stood three suitcases, bulging and ready for transit.

“Where are we going?” she said, and her voice quavered. No answer from her father.

“And what about Mother?” Enid felt panic rising. Nothing would get her mother to leave her room now, let alone leave the mill. Three suitcases? Why not four?