Home Is Where the Heart Is (24 page)

‘I’m so glad to hear you got the baby back.’ Rona regarded her daughter with a rueful smile as Cathie lifted little Heather out of her pram to let her run free. ‘If I’d ever imagined Alex capable of doing such a thing I would never have let him stay.’

‘It was you who told him about that sum of money Heather’s daddy left her,’ Cathie reminded her, as she joined Rona on the bench. ‘That’s all he ever wanted, the only reason he wished to marry me, so poor little Heather
would have been given away anyway, once he’d got his hands on that cash. Why on earth did you do that, Mam? It had nothing at all to do with Alex.’

‘I thought if he was to be your husband and bring up that child as his own, he surely had the right to benefit from it. Why weren’t you prepared to share it with the man you love?’

Cathie felt herself simmering with anger and resentment, as was so often the case when dealing with Rona. ‘That money isn’t mine to share. You really do need to keep your nose out of my business.’

‘Mebbe you’re right, and it was all my fault.’

Cathie looked upon the sadness in her mother’s face, now looking quite worn and felt a deep sense of regret. Rona seemed to be ageing quite rapidly all of a sudden, anxiety clouding her eyes and marking her face with wrinkles she’d never noticed before. Perhaps her sense of loneliness had led her to make such a mistake. Cathie too had been equally fooled by Alex’s charm.

‘Not to worry, I was a bit of a fool to trust him too, Mam. Is he still around?’

‘Oh, aye. He’s nowhere else to live since his own parents have rejected him. Why don’t you come home, love? I miss having you around.’

‘You miss my cooking, more like,’ Cathie scoffed.

Rona gave a wry smile. ‘That too, but I also miss your company, and this little one, more than I might have expected.’

The toddler was running rings round them, giggling happily. Cathie played at chasing her for a moment or two, and then flopped back upon the bench giving a little sigh. ‘So what about you and Alex, are you …?’

‘Nay, don’t even think such a thing. He’s a mere lad, not my sort at all. But he regrets having been so stupid and is ready to apologise and start afresh.’

Cathie gave a snort of laughter. ‘Well, I’m not. So far as I’m concerned, it’s all over between us. That man’s a selfish prig who never thinks of anyone but himself, and he certainly doesn’t give tuppence for Heather. Don’t let him bully you too, Mam. I’ve no idea where he gets his money from, but I’m quite sure he could afford a place of his own now. It’s time you ordered him to leave and concentrated on living your own life, as I fully intend to do.’ Putting her arms about Rona, she hugged her and, for once, her mother did not pull away but hugged her back.

I
t was early September and Cathie was out walking in Oldham Street. She could hear sounds of
The Messiah
emanating from Howards’ Ltd, a famous music shop. Goodness, were they rehearsing for Christmas already? The sound reminded her of the concert she’d helped Steve to organise almost a year ago. So much had happened since but she felt a warm glow inside that he seemed to be back in her life, at least as a friend. It was as she was looking at shoes in Saxone’s window, wishing she could afford to buy herself a new pair, when she spotted the old man whom she’d accidentally bumped into with the pram. He was standing by the hot potato cart buying himself some lunch. Picking up little Heather to sit the toddler astride her hips, she quickly hurried over.

‘Hello, I hope you are well and your knee isn’t giving you any gyp?’ she said with a smile.

‘By heck, what a surprise seeing you again, lass. I’m fine, thanks. How about you?’ Glancing at her hand, his smile vanished. ‘What’s happened to your ring?’

‘Ah, well, that’s rather a long story, which I won’t bore you with,’ she said.

‘I’m not easily bored. Let me buy you a hot spud, then you can tell me all about it. The name’s Percy, by the way.’

They sat together like old friends on the same low wall, just off Oldham Street, where she’d previously tended to his bruised knee. Cathie quickly related a brief version of how her engagement had come to a catastrophic end. ‘I handed him back the ring and chose my little niece here instead,’ she said, indicating Heather, who was sitting on the wall beside them happily chewing on a small piece of baked potato.

Percy was silent for so long that Cathie began to wonder if she perhaps had bored him, after all. Then he began to speak. ‘Normally, when a young lass loses the man of her dreams I’d offer heartfelt sympathy, but on this occasion I’d say you’ve done the right thing.’

‘Oh, I think so too. If he doesn’t care for children, and is a womaniser, he’s not the man for me.’

‘In addition, love, the chap’s a thief.’

Cathie blinked. ‘I beg your pardon, what did you say?’

‘That ex-fiancé of yours stole that ring from my shop. Mebbe I was a bit too trusting fetching out so many trays just because he was an ex-servicemen, but after he’d gone I soon realised I’d been robbed. It was my good fortune to be knocked by this babby’s pram that day, and had it been anyone else I would have reported seeing that ring. I instantly recognised it, as it’s extremely valuable. But, as
you were so kind, and so obviously innocent, I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I did wonder afterwards if mebbe I’d made a mistake by not warning you. So, I’m glad to hear the engagement is off.’

Cathie found herself struck speechless, unable to quite take in what she was hearing. Eventually, she asked the all-important question. ‘So are you going to report him?’

That evening she was still worrying over the old man’s response when Steve arrived for supper, as agreed. He’d brought a bottle of wine for them to enjoy.

‘This is to celebrate the start of my training as a teacher when so many ex-servicemen have not been so lucky. But it’s also to remind you that I will still be around, so this is not goodbye.’ As he said this, he gazed into Cathie’s eyes with such intensity that she began to wonder if her earlier worries had been entirely wrong. Maybe Steve’s caution signified he was simply leaving it up to her to decide the moment when she would feel ready for a change in their relationship. And from the relief she felt, Cathie began to wonder if she could possibly be falling in love with him.

She’d cooked steak and kidney pie as a treat, using up all of their weekly meat ration in order to do so, but it was worth it as his face lit up as he took the first bite.

‘This is delicious.’

‘Thank you.’

As they ate, they chatted for some time about movies
they’d seen, music they liked such as ‘To Each His Own’, the latest hit by the Ink Spots. Brenda and Steve did much of the talking, but when they reached the coffee stage, he turned to Cathie with a troubled frown. ‘Is there something wrong? You seem rather quiet, not at all yourself.’

Taking a breath, Cathie finally owned up to what was devouring her thoughts as a result of her conversation with her Oldham Street acquaintance. ‘Quite by chance, thanks to a silly accident with the pram, I met a jeweller called Percy Mullins. He’s a lovely old man who has become something of a friend. But what he had to tell me today was really quite devastating.’

The pair of them listened in horror to what she’d learned.

‘Heavens, Alex Ryman is a complete idiot,’ Brenda retorted as the story of his theft unfolded.

‘A dangerous one too, I’d say,’ Steve added.

Cathie glumly nodded. ‘I rather assumed it to be a cheap imitation diamond ring, not a real one. What possessed him to do such a thing?’

‘Maybe because he’s involved in black marketeering.’

‘
What?
’

‘I believe he may well be, which would explain how he happens to have so much money despite not being employed.’

Cathie blinked, suddenly remembering something. ‘So that’s why he had those extra ration books, and what looked like a few loose coupons. I saw those once when
little Heather was playing with his gas mask pack. Oh, my goodness!’ And perhaps how he had acquired those silver cigarette lighters that he gave to both Rona and Davina, she thought.

‘It was also the reason he told that lie to the Co-op manager about me being involved in such crimes.’

‘Are you saying that’s why you were sacked?’ Cathie asked in dismay.

He fell silent for a moment, a puckered frown marking his brow. ‘It was indeed,’ he said, as if gathering his thoughts. ‘But I didn’t know at the time that Alex had spoken to my boss and got me sacked, not until I returned. I managed to convince Mr Leeson that it was all a lie, and your assurance that the fight wasn’t my fault certainly helped, Cathie. This old shopkeeper, does he intend to bring charges?’

Cathie flushed with embarrassment. ‘I did ask him that question, but it seems not.’

‘Why?’ Brenda barked. ‘That imbecile needs to be stopped from creating so much havoc.’

Stifling a sigh, Cathie agreed. ‘I’m afraid that’s my fault. Mr Mullins is very kind and understanding, and insists it could mess up my life were he to bring charges against my fiancé for a ring he presented to me. He has no wish to do that. He also said that Alex will no doubt have sold the ring by now, so there would be little hope of ever getting it back, therefore making my life a misery would achieve nothing.’

‘It’s definitely not your fault, Cathie,’ Steve retorted, ‘so don’t even think such a thing.’

She gazed at him then with pleading in her eyes. ‘Please don’t ever challenge Alex over this issue, Steve. He’s still living with my mother, remember, and I’ve no wish for him to take out any ill feeling on her that such an accusation might create. I think we just have to let things lie.’

The subject was dropped and they went back to talking about movies and music.

As Steve walked home he replayed this startling piece of news over and over in his head. It would seem that Ryman was not simply involved in black marketeering, as he’d come to suspect, but also in much worse crimes. What a dreadful bloke he was. Admitting his own suspicions to Cathie had given him pause for thought. What if it was Alex who was creating these new problems for him at the Co-op, possibly out of some sort of revenge?

If that were the case then what would be the best way to deal with it? Talking to the boss at the suppliers hadn’t worked, but sitting back and allowing Ryman to create more mayhem wouldn’t be wise either. Steve knew that if he was personally charged with the offence of dealing in the black market, he could well lose his teacher training place at the university. Such a situation would ruin his entire future.

First thing the next morning, Steve went to speak to
Mr Leeson, his manager. ‘May I have a private word with you, sir?’

‘Of course, Steve. Do sit down. I needed a word with you anyway. I’m aware you’re leaving to start your course, and normally I’d be suggesting that you are welcome to work for us whenever you are on vacation. But I’m sorry to say that I’m not in a position to offer you a job again. And if you are seeking a reference I cannot provide you with one of those either.’

Steve blinked, somewhat startled by this remark. ‘Why would you not?’

‘As you are aware, lad, we’ve suffered numerous problems recently with deliveries and invoices. I’ll admit that it’s not exactly the kind of problem that occurred the last time you were employed by us, when you were accused of arranging the theft of goods from your delivery van. Nevertheless, it’s so similar that it does make me question if you’re at it again.’

Steve was horrified, realising he’d been right to be concerned. He took a breath, hoping to relieve the knot of fear clogging his throat. ‘I rather thought you believed me, sir, when I assured you I hadn’t done any such thing. I never left my cab door open, nor did I ever leave any stuff lying about on the passenger seat to be stolen. In actual fact it was this issue over deliveries that I wished to speak to you about. I believe that some of the workers down at the docks, and at the Co-op’s main suppliers, could well be engaged in black market crimes. It certainly isn’t me.’

Leeson frowned. ‘If that’s the case, I’m glad to hear it. But falsifying invoices or not delivering what has been paid for is a serious crime. Are you actually accusing the warehouse boss of planning this?’

‘Of course not, but he needs to be warned. It may be a good idea were you to speak to him, rather than me, whom he clearly doesn’t trust.’

‘Then who do you think is responsible, or are you suggesting that the men are doing it off their own bat?’

Steve gave a little shrug, wondering how far he dare go to reveal his suspicions. ‘They might well be, but I do have an idea who might be responsible. However, it could be dangerous to name names at this stage, without proof.’

‘Ah!’ Leeson sat back in his chair, arms folded. ‘I’m beginning to read your mind, lad. Could you once have had an issue with this person, maybe even a fight?’

Steve gazed down at his artificial leg stuck out for comfort as he strived to think of an appropriate response. Revealing Ryman’s name might be the right thing to do. On the other hand, were the fellow ever to get wind of the fact he was being investigated, he might take his revenge out on Cathie, particularly bearing in mind what she’d recently discovered about him. Steve looked up to meet his boss’s enquiring gaze with open honesty in his own.

‘I learned some rather troubling news about this person yesterday, which seems to indicate that he’s not simply involved in the black market, but theft of a much worse
kind. Unfortunately, the victim concerned has chosen not to bring charges, for personal reasons. But that doesn’t make him innocent.’

‘I see.’ Mr Leeson got slowly to his feet. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll see if I can put an end to this devilish scheme without naming names. If what you suggest proves to be true and we can resolve it, Steve, then I’ll review my decision about not employing you again, and with regard to your references.’

Since that seemed to be the best he could hope for, Steve thanked his manager and left. As his course started on Monday, he would then surely be free of Ryman’s evil tricks. But would Cathie?

His life seemed to be in utter turmoil in so many directions at the moment, some of which he still needed to explain to Cathie, once he’d plucked up the necessary courage.

A few days later, Mr Leeson called Steve back to the office to announce that two employees had been found guilty and duly sacked.

‘The warehouse manager sends his apologies for having assumed it to be you, lad,’ Leeson told him, handing over his reference. ‘So you’re welcome to come back and work for us at any time.’

‘Thanks, I’m most grateful for your support,’ Steve said with gratitude, but deep down he still worried that Ryman might discover he was the one responsible for these sidekicks of his getting the sack. ‘I trust you didn’t name any
names at this stage? There are other aspects to this person that need checking out before his identity can be revealed. It could prove dangerous for some friends of mine, were he ever to realise what we are up to.’

Leeson assured him that he had said nothing on that score. ‘No names mentioned. I was asked, but explained the person concerned was still under investigation and that I’d keep the manager informed.’

‘Thank you, that’s a great relief.’

Steve knew that he really needed to get to the bottom of this other mystery too. How to go about it, that was the question. But it wasn’t so much himself that he was concerned about, but Cathie. He hoped to God that she always remembered to lock her door.

When Steve called at the flat to tell them all about his first week on the course, Cathie welcomed him with a warm hug. ‘How did it go?’

Giving a wry smile, he said, ‘It will be a year of intensive training, both on an academic and a practical level with lots of hands-on teaching. Hard work but worth it if I get a good job at the end. I must say though that some of the blokes taking this course are a bit draconian, acting more like sergeant majors in charge of troops. Not at all how a teacher should behave with kids, in my opinion.’

‘You’re right there,’ Cathie agreed. ‘Having suffered at
the hands of a bully myself, I’d say that is definitely not the way to deal with children.’

He grimaced. ‘Children aren’t the only ones to suffer from such men, or you ladies. I too am now a victim.’

Cathie stared at him in dawning horror. ‘Are you suggesting that Alex may have created the problem you have with the Co-op suppliers over orders?’

Steve nodded, and went on to reveal the tale of the attempt to prove him guilty of being involved in the black market, explaining the matter had thankfully now been resolved by the Co-op manager. ‘And without naming names.’ He still felt some concern over his caution not to name Ryman, as it could well achieve nothing, except to protect Cathie from any retaliation on his part. But it was perfectly clear that they knew who he was blaming.