A House Without Windows (7 page)

Faye was happy to leave Inspector Hatton looking around the fetid cellar.  She had no wish to stay down there a moment longer than she needed to.  Holding the terrified girl’s hand she led her up the stairs and into Evans’ kitchen.  After she had adjusted to the light, she could see the girl’s eyes were as wide as saucers, taking in everything around her. 

“That’s a clock isn’t it?  My mummy told me about clocks. They tell you what the time is.”  Amy pointed towards the kitchen wall with her free hand while still managing to hold on to her book.

“That’s right, darling.  Have you never seen one before?”  Faye wondered how long the girl had been incarcerated.

“Daddy wouldn’t let us have one.”  Amy stopped in her tracks and pulled Faye over to the window.

“I can see through this.  Is it a window?”  She pulled the net curtain back. “Is that outside?  Is that the Isle of Gloom?”

Faye wondered what on earth the girl was talking about:

“Yes darling, you can see through the window to the street outside.  That’s a green area opposite with the big tree in the middle.  Children can play there.”

“Is Philip sitting under the tree?”  Amy could hardly bear to drag herself away.

“Who’s Philip?  Come on, we need to get you washed and dressed upstairs.”  Faye was conscious that the girl was still half naked.

“He found the bad men making paper money.”

“What bad men?  Where?”

“In here.”  Amy held up her book.

“Oh.”

They climbed the stairs, with Amy’s head still swivelling from left to right:

“Is Mummy up here?” 

“Mummy’s in hospital.  This is Daddy’s house.  We’ll see Mummy soon with the new baby.”

“What sort of baby is it?”

“He’s a boy; your little brother.”

“No.  Mummy says he’s my stepbrother because we have different daddies.”

“Why is Daddy’s house so big?”

“Most houses are this big, Amy.”

“Mine isn’t.”

“It wasn’t your house.  It was a room in Daddy’s house.”

“We didn’t have any windows in our house.”

Faye’s eyes pricked with tears, and at that moment she hated Evans with a passion that was increasing by the minute.  She found his pristine bathroom irritating: as she began to run the bath for Amy she lifted the toilet seat up, pulled the towels onto the floor, and unfolded the flannels.

“Who is your daddy then?”  She helped Amy to undress completely, but then noticed the look of terror on the child’s face:

“I can’t swim!  I’ll drown in the sea!”  Amy backed away towards the far wall.

“It’s a bath, Amy.  It’s not the sea.  You won’t drown because you’re a big girl now.”

“Mummy washes me at the sink.”  Amy was shaking her head and Faye decided it wasn’t worth upsetting the child any more.

“Ok.  I’ll help you to wash at the sink if you like?”

“Yes please.”

Faye pulled out the bath plug and filled up the sink.

“Who is your real d
addy then, Amy?”

“I don’t know, but Mummy says he’s called Liam
Darrah and that he’s a doctor who looks after children.  I’ve forgotten what the word is.”

“A paediatrician?”

“Yes, that’s it.  I can nearly spell it.  Mummy said I only left out the first ‘a’.”

“That’s very good.”  Faye sponged the girl all over and dried her with one of the towels. “I don’t think I can spell it.”

“Mummy teaches me.  She’s very clever.  She’s a doctor as well.”

Amy was dried and dressed by the time Hatton found his way upstairs. 

“Do you like salmon, Amy?”  He didn’t know how anybody could have stayed in that cellar for more than one day and remained sane.  He was filled with admiration for the little girl and her mother.

“Yes.  Daddy brings us salmon sometimes.”

“I’ve opened a tin of salmon and made you some salmon and cucumber sandwiches.  There’s plenty of crisps as well.”

“I’m really hungry.”

“Come downstairs then, and have something to eat.”

“Where’s Prince?  When can I go outside?”  Amy had managed to eat three sandwiches in record time and a bag of crisps.

“Prince has gone out. Somebody will come back for him later on.  You can go outside in a minute.  We’ll have to find a coat for you though, because it’s very cold outside.”  Hatton had a look inside the ground floor cloakroom, but could find nothing suitable for a 9-year-old girl.

“Why is it cold?”  Amy’s curiosity knew no bounds, and Hatton wondered how long she’d been cooped up in the cellar.

“It’s winter, Amy.  Have you never seen snow?  How long have you been here?”

Amy chewed on a wine gum as she spoke:

“Mummy says I was born on the bed in our house.  I’ve never been outside.”

Hatton wanted to pick the little girl up in his arms and show her the world, but right now Bingley Road in Woodside would have to do as a starting point.

“I’ll tell you what, Amy.  Would you like to wear my jacket when we go out?”  Faye looked at Amy and was rewarded with a smile as bright as sunshine.

“Yes please, I’d like that.”

“What about shoes?  Where are your shoes, Amy?”

“What are shoes?”  Amy looked blank until Faye pointed to her own.

“Daddy never brought us any shoes.  We always wear socks on our feet.  I have lots of socks.”

“Don’t worry.  I’ll carry you over the snow.  It’ll be too cold and wet for your feet without shoes.”  Hatton closed his eyes momentarily, took a deep breath, and clenched his jaw in anger.

“What’s that white stuff falling down?”  Amy snuggled close to Hatton and held her book close to her chest.  With her free hand she reached out and tried to touch the unfamiliar, wet substance that melted as it fluttered down onto her skin.

“It’s snow, darling.  Some children like to play in it and build snowmen, but others prefer to stay indoors.”  Faye had never known a child ask so many questions. 

“I want to play outside in it.”

“Mummy will have to buy you Wellington boots to keep your feet dry first.”

“Can we go to Mummy now?”

“Of course.  We’re going in this police car.”  Faye opened the car door and Hatton deposited Amy carefully on the back seat.

Amy touched the leather seat and looked out of the window.

“I’m outside but I’m inside.”

Faye laughed as she did up the child’s seatbelt:

“Yes, and we’ll soon be inside the hospital where Mummy is.”

“Will I see Daddy there as well?”

“No.  You’re not going to see Daddy for a long time.”  Faye felt the evidence in the cellar would keep Evans away for hopefully the remainder of his life.”

“
Oh good, I want to see my real daddy instead.  Where’s my real daddy?”

“We don’t know darling, but I expect Mummy will try and find him soon.”

As Hatton started the engine Amy clutched her book tightly to her:

“Am I having an adventure like Philip, Jack, Lucy-Ann and Dinah?”

“Of course you are.  It’s even bigger than theirs.”

“Wow!”

“Hey – I used to read those books when I was your age!”  Hatton smiled as he changed into second gear. “They’re the ones with Kiki the parrot aren’t they?”

“Yes.  Kiki can talk and understand what Jack says.”

“Good old Kiki.  I always wanted a parrot as a kid.”  Hatton laughed.

“So do I, but I don’t think Mummy does.”

As Hatton approached the hospital he could see a couple of his colleagues at the front entrance, and wondered whether the Press had already got wind of the story.  He hoped for Amy’s sake that she could be reconciled with her mother before the flashbulbs started popping and the whole story exploded in their faces.

Picking up the child he was pleased to see the pavements around the hospital had been gritted.  He wondered whether it was for the patients’ benefit or to stop them taking legal action if they slipped over on the ice.  He rather favoured the latter.

Treading carefully towards the front entrance, he saw PC Ford come towards him.

“The Press are on their way.  There’s not much time left.  I’ll head them off here as much as I can. Roberts is on the back door.”

“Good man.  Is the mother still on the maternity ward?”

“Yeah.  It’s locked apart from visiting times.”

“Get Greenslade outside the ward.  We’re going to need some backup.”

“You don’t need to carry me now, the floor’s not wet.”  Hatton smiled and set the child down.  Amy, overawed to be in such a large building, suddenly took hold of his hand.  The small warm fingers in his suddenly reminded him of all the times when he hadn’t been there to hold his own children’s hands.  Margaret always took great pains to constantly remind him of the fact.

“We’re going up in the lift, Amy.  Mum’s on the seventh floor.”  The lift doors swung open and Amy bolted towards the front entrance.

“Amy!”  Faye was instantly on the alert and running after the fleeting child. “Come back!  We can go up the stairs if you want!”

She caught up with the child and gave her a cuddle:

“I’m not going in there.  No, I don’t want to!”  Tears had filled the girl’s eyes and she was panic-stricken.

“You don’t have to go up in the lift.  Come on, I’ll walk upstairs with you.” 

Faye and Hatton trudged up the stairs with Amy holding Faye’s hand.  She had calmed down by the time they reached the entrance to the maternity ward.  Hatton spoke through the intercom, and the door opened automatically.

“Where’s Mummy then?”  Amy looked around and then looked back at Faye.

“She’s in the side room darling; over there.  Off you go, and we’ll wait outside.”

Amy peeped around the door to the side room.  She saw a lady sitting up in bed feeding a baby with a bottle of milk.  Another lady and a man sat nearby.

“You’re not my m
ummy!”  She ran back out into the corridor. “Faye, that’s not my mummy in there!”

“Of course it is.  Come on, I’ll show you.”

Faye opened the door again:

“Excuse me Dr Nichols, I just wanted to make sure it was you, and that they hadn’t moved you off somewhere else.”

“Thank you so much for finding her.  I don’t think she recognises me now.”  Beth smiled as she finished feeding the baby.  She sat him up ready for winding.  Faye held out her hand towards the child.

“Come in Amy.  Yes, it’s Mummy but she’s got a different haircut.”

Amy took another look at the lady on the bed and then rushed over and climbed up to sit by her mother’s side.  Beth gave the baby to her mother and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

“I’m so, so glad to see you darling!”

“Why have you cut all your hair off?”  Amy looked at her mother in surprise.  She hardly had any hair left at all.

“I didn’t want it anymore.  This is called an elfin cut. The hairdresser put the plait in a bag for me.”

“Can I see it?”

“Yes, but see your brother first.”

“You said he’s my stepbrother.”

“Well, he is. But think of him as your brother.  We have a lot to thank him for.”

Amy walked over to where Sally Nichols sat holding her grandson.

“Hello. You look like Mummy.”

“Hello Amy.  I’m your gra
ndmother.  That means I’m your mummy’s mummy.  This man is your grandfather.”

Amy looked up at her grandparents and smiled, and then peered at the little red, screwed up face contorted with rage at having his feeding bottle taken away.

“He’s ugly!”

Beth laughed and enjoyed the first sight of her daughter standing there with her grandparents:

“He’ll pretty up as he gets older.  Do you know what his name is?”

“What?”

“Joss.  That’s short for Jocelyn.”

“Jocelyn’s in my book!  He’s Philip and Dinah’s uncle!”

“Well, this is a different Jocelyn.  He’s your little brother.  Joss doesn’t know it yet, but he’s a very special baby.  He saved us having to spend any more days and nights with Edwin.  We must take great care of him.”

Amy stroked her brother’s cheek:

“Thank you for saving us, Joss.  Thank you very much.”