Home Is Where the Heart Is (26 page)

‘Sir,’ Alex repeated with a snarl, recalling how his sergeant major used to address him in exactly the same tone of voice.

‘I assume the young lady you were pleasuring has been paid and dispatched, and you are now free to accompany us down to the station?’ the fellow airily enquired.

Alex swallowed as embarrassment skittered through him. ‘Why would I wish to do that—sir?’

‘We have a few questions that need answering regarding a former lady friend of yours.’

‘And who might that be?’

When the officer said Davina’s name, the desire to turn and run hit Alex like an exploding grenade. This was the
last thing he’d expected, assuming he was about to be questioned about his black market activities. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to escape as the two constables were now standing on either side of him. They clipped handcuffs on his wrists and, within seconds, Alex found himself being led outside and ushered into a police car.

T
he questioning went on for hours, taking so long that Alex found himself held in the cells overnight, only for the interview to start all over again the next morning. The interview was about Davina, and nothing to do with the black market, or even the stolen ring. They wished to know where and how he’d met her; why she’d followed him to Castlefield; and why he hadn’t revealed his relationship with her to his fiancée.

‘Do you know where she is now?’ the sergeant asked.

Alex gave a sad shake of his head. ‘Sorry, I’ve no idea. She just vanished.’

‘With your child?’

Thoughts raced through his head as he wondered if he could deny any knowledge of her being pregnant, but then he remembered his conversation with the landlady. ‘Sadly, yes. She wrote to tell me she was in a Home for Unmarried mothers. She must have moved in while I was away being interviewed for a job, perhaps because her landlady threw her out. When I returned, I replied and arranged to pick her up, but she never appeared.’

‘Would this be her?’ A snapshot was placed on the table before him, the sight of her dead body chilling him to the core.

‘Oh, my God!’ he murmured, hoping he sounded suitably shocked and distressed. ‘What’s happened to her?’

‘Good question. The nuns believe the poor girl took her own life. What do you think? Did she show any signs of being suicidal, depressed or anxious?’

‘Not at all. Why would she be when I had agreed to do the decent thing and marry her,’ he blithely announced.

‘Did you inform your fiancée of that fact?’

None of these were easy questions to answer, but Alex did his best to keep as close to the truth as possible, and not to trip himself up on his own lies. As a result of a fairly sleepless night, tiredness overcame him when the questions kept being constantly repeated, till finally he demanded permission to call the family lawyer. He was greatly relieved when instead he was released, thankfully without charge.

‘You are still under investigation,’ the officer tartly informed him, as he returned Alex’s belongings and conducted him out of the station. ‘Once we have more evidence, we’ll call you back in for another little chat.’ Leaning closer, he added with a wry smile, ‘Don’t attempt to leave town. We’ll certainly know about it if you do.’

Alex’s head was spinning as he marched smartly away as fast as he could go without appearing guilty. Something was very wrong here. Why had the police chosen to question
him about Davina? Had someone used his name in relation to that stupid girl? If that was the case, he needed to find out who that might be and deal with them forthwith.

In view of her suspicions about Alex, Cathie was feeling such concern for her mother that she went to meet her at the mill at the first opportunity, hoping to fill her in on what was happening, or at least some of it. As she waited for Rona to come out at the end of her shift, Cathie glanced over at the barges tethered in the canal alongside. They brought coal every day, and she had a memory of her father trundling a loaded wheelbarrow across a plank, tipping it down the chute to the mill cellar, then hurrying back for more. She saw no sign of that activity today, but there were a few men standing smoking at the street corner who looked as if they might be in need of work. Were things really improving with the advent of peace, she wondered, or going worse? It was hard to tell.

The mill door opened and a host of women came clattering out in their clogs, laughing and gossiping, Rona amongst them. Seeing her daughter waiting she came bustling over, her beautifully made-up face puckering with concern. How could anyone look so lovely after a long day’s work? Cathie thought with a sigh, feeling very much a shabby mess by comparison. But at least her mother was looking more herself.

‘I suppose you’re here because you’ve heard Alex was
arrested?’ Rona said, the moment she reached her. ‘Did you have summat to do with that?’

‘Of course not!’ Cathie retorted, a curl of fear unfolding inside her. ‘I know nothing about any such arrest. I’m here because there’s stuff I thought you should know.’

‘Well, happen I know it already, chuck.’

‘What was he arrested for?’

‘He told me it was all to do with black market stuff.’ Rona laughed. ‘Nay, what a shock! Only half the population is involved in that.’

‘I don’t think that’s quite true, Mam, and it is illegal. Certainly the way I believe Alex is doing it, making money he has no right to make.’

‘Nonsense, there are too many flipping rules. I remember a woman being fined for feeding a few crusts of bread to the birds, and another for selling home-made sweets she’d made using her own sugar ration. Anyroad, the police issued no charges and he’s a free man.’

A chill rippled down the back of her neck as Cathie wondered if he’d told her mother the truth. The police might have arrested him for some other crime entirely, which in the circumstances would be no surprise at all. She found herself glancing about her at the canal, across the bridge, and back along the road that ran between Ancoats and the city centre. There had been moments recently when she’d imagined she heard footsteps echoing behind her, as if she was being followed. But whenever Cathie turned around to look, she could see no one. Remembering Steve’s careful
instructions, she always made sure that she kept the door locked, and Heather in her sight. Today the little one was safely back at the flat with Brenda.

‘Come on, I’ll walk part of the way home with you, although I won’t come in for a cuppa as I’ve no wish to see him again.’

‘I reckon he’d be happy enough to see you, chuck. He never stops talking about thee.’

They walked down Blossom Street, then, crossing over to the Rochdale Canal towpath, took a leisurely walk home to Castlefield. Avoiding the main streets seemed like a good idea, as Rona would always check her appearance in every shop window they passed. This way she could only admire the barges, narrowboats and ducks. Besides which, it was a more pleasant walk.

Cathie was worrying about how much she should reveal of the information they’d learned. Dare she speak about their suspicions of what he might have done to Davina, even though they had no proof? Rona still seemed to be very much on Alex’s side, so there was a danger she might reveal to him everything Cathie shared with her. But at the same time Cathie felt a responsibility to protect her mother, and make sure she was safe.

‘Mam, what I have to tell you must be kept just between the two of us, all right?’

Rona gave a bark of laughter. ‘Don’t tell me you’re about to share a secret wi’ me? Can’t recall you ever doing that before.’

Cathie flushed, not for the first time wishing they enjoyed a better relationship. ‘This is not about me it’s about Alex. Nor does it concern his involvement in the black market. I have learned, from someone who must remain nameless, that he didn’t buy that engagement ring at all. He stole it.’

Rona stopped in her tracks, jerking Cathie to a halt beside her. ‘What are you accusing him of now?’

‘It isn’t me making this accusation. I just need you to know all this so that you’ll take care. The last thing we want is for Alex to start stealing from you. You’ve little enough left after what you’ve been through.’

Rona seemed to sober up a little at this thought, falling silent as they started walking again along the towpath. ‘When I were a lass I realised my mother never had learned to read or write. She spent her life looking after me brothers and sisters, and I were expected to help her, which is the reason why I became sick of all that baby stuff from a very young age. But when she died, I discovered that Mam had saved all my wages, probably because she never had any of her own, as she wanted me to have a good start in life. I would never have been able to afford the rent on that house in Duke Street, let alone buy all the furniture and rugs we had, without her help. Then we lost it all when that bomb dropped.’

‘Oh, Mam, I didn’t know any of this. I do wish you’d told me before.’ The more she heard of her mother’s past, the more Cathie came to understand her. ‘But it makes it all the more important for you to protect what you do have
left, as well as yourself. And that I must protect the money Tony left for his own lovely daughter, Heather.’

Cathie made the difficult decision not to mention their suspicions about Alex’s possible involvement in Davina’s death. That might be one step too far, and incite Rona to rise again to his defence. Besides, they still had no evidence.

The next time Steve called, he asked Cathie if this time they could go out for an evening together. Thrilled to be invited out on a proper date, she happily agreed, and he explained that he’d bought tickets for them to see Vivienne Leigh in
The Skin of our Teeth
at the Opera House on New Quay Street.

‘Oh, what shall I wear?’ she asked Brenda, who readily agreed to babysit. The pair of them spent hours going through their respective wardrobes before deciding on a pink linen short-sleeved dress with a pleated skirt and bows on the neckline. Brenda lent her a navy blue beaded evening jacket to go with it, and a small embroidered purse, which made Cathie feel very classy. Could her old friend once have had more money than she’d perhaps appreciated? Despite always seeming to be short of cash she certainly possessed a marvellous wardrobe.

‘I shall cook every meal next week to repay my debt for your kindness,’ she told her, and Brenda chortled with laughter. ‘This is about friendship, for which no debts are accrued.’

But then at the last moment, on the evening in question, Brenda suddenly announced that she had to back down on her offer. ‘Sorry, darling, but my brother-in-law is creating absolute mayhem again, at which he is an expert, and demanding that I go over to deal with yet another family crisis. I dare say it’s all to do with this legal dispute over land, which I won’t bore you with. Fortunately, our kind forewoman at the factory has agreed to my taking a few days off work, since we didn’t take a holiday during Wakes Week. So I’m afraid I can’t babysit for you this evening, after all.’

‘Oh!’ Disappointment bit deep in her at having to cancel the date with Steve, which Cathie had been so looking forward to. In addition, a hollow feeling opened up inside at the prospect of being left alone. Brenda would be away at the family farm, or more likely an estate by the sound of it, and Steve far too busy working on his course to call in as often as he used to, even though he was still in Manchester.

‘You’ll be stuck in without a babysitter for a little while, I’m afraid.’

With the door locked, Cathie thought, remembering what Steve had told her. ‘I accepted that fact of life when I decided to keep my lovely little niece, and I have absolutely no regrets. Don’t worry, I’ll let Steve know that it’s all off,’ she replied sadly.

‘No, no, you won’t. Your mother’s on her way over. She’ll be here any minute.’

‘What? Are you seriously telling me that Mam has agreed to babysit?’

A knock came to the door at that very moment. ‘Here she is, right on time. Enjoy yourself tonight, darling. Now I must go.’

‘Oh, I will, thank you,’ she said, as she ran to let her mother in. ‘Since you’ve gone to so much trouble to help, let’s hope Steve doesn’t let me down by cancelling, as he has done on a few occasions recently.’

‘I’m sure he won’t. Have faith in him.’

Pulling open the door, Cathie sighed at the sight of her mother, gloriously dressed in a scarlet, drop waist floral dress, looking very much as if she was off to a night at the Opera House herself. ‘Hello, Mam, what a pleasure to see you. Thank you so much for your generous offer to babysit.’

‘Don’t mention it. You just need to remind me how to change a nappy,’ Rona said, marching in.

Little Heather came running over and flung herself at Rona. ‘Nanna,’ she squealed in excitement, giving her grandmother a beaming smile and a big hug.

‘By heck, what a little sweetheart she is,’ said Rona, her eyes suddenly awash with soft tears. ‘Here, love, look what I’ve made you.’ To Cathie’s amazement, she handed the child a pink cardigan that she’d obviously knitted herself. She’d also bought her a spinning top and, within moments, the pair of them were playing together on the rug, her mother suddenly looking entirely captivated by the infant. Cathie smiled to herself in stunned disbelief.

Seconds later another knock came to the door, which meant that for once Steve had turned up early. He looked so wonderfully smart and handsome in a navy suit, white shirt and pale blue tie that Cathie’s heart contracted at sight of him. Her mother gave a knowing smile as she held the child in her arms. ‘Off you go the pair of you, and enjoy yourselves. This little one will be fine with her nanna, won’t you, chuck?’

And putting her chubby arms about Rona’s neck, the toddler happily nodded.

It proved to be a most wonderful evening. Cathie had always admired the Opera House’s white façade with its sandstone pillars, but the interior stunned her even more by the size of its auditorium, the beautiful curtained boxes and the aura of its enormous two balconies. They had seats right at the top but the view was amazing as they were seated in the centre.

‘This is wonderful,’ she said, giving him a quick kiss. ‘It was so kind of you to invite me.’

He astonished her then by putting his arms about her and kissing her far more thoroughly than any of the tender pecks on the cheek they had previously exchanged. ‘You must realise by now how I feel about you, Cathie. I’m so glad that you’re happy at last, after all you’ve been through. You deserve some fun.’

She stared into his blue-grey eyes in wonder at these
words. For so long she’d held back from giving any indication of her own feelings for him, worrying she could still be in love with Alex. But that was no longer the case, as she was far too fearful of her erstwhile fiancé. She did feel a certain nervousness over committing herself by appearing to expect Steve to take on her sister’s child, just in case he too walked away, leaving her feeling hurt and rejected all over again. Even so, she couldn’t resist telling him how she felt.