Turned (13 page)

“Very clever. Would you like some tea?”

“Thank you. Tea would be good.” She hung up her coat.

“I want to ask you something, only it may make me sound like an idiot. Vicky was moving her hands in reply when I spoke to her just now. Very deliberately. I wondered if she was using sign language, but I don't know it so didn't understand any of what she said.”

Adeline watched Vicky. “Sweetheart?”

Vicky shrugged.

Amy knelt beside her. “It's OK, sweetie. I just thought if you were using sign language like Daddy and Jodie do sometimes, then maybe I could learn it too and we could communicate a little better. We don't have to.”

Vicky moved her hands.

Amy wondered about the huge grin that crossed the blonde woman's face. “Well?”

Adeline nodded. “It's sign. She says thank you for helping her.”

Amy looked back at Vicky. “You're welcome, sweetie. I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough.”

Vicky hugged her.

Amy blinked hard and glanced at Adeline who was crying. “Are you OK?”

“That's the first thing she's ‘said' since Jasmine died,” Adeline said. “We should text Dane.”

Vicky shook her head, signing slowly.

Amy frowned. “What did she say?”

“She said she wants to surprise him when he comes home.”

“She'll certainly do that.” Amy smiled. “Can you teach me? At least the basics so I can understand her a little.”

Adeline nodded. “Sure. I can come over each day and teach you if you like.”

“I'd like that a lot. Thank you.”

Vicky pointed to the kitchen and tugged Amy's hand.

She grinned. “I don't need a translation for that. We have to learn over making the pudding. I haven't forgotten.”

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

Dane stood with Nate in the takeaway waiting for their order. The smell of the food cooking made his stomach growl. But then he'd ended up working through lunch. Again. “At least the guv wasn't mad this time,” he said wryly. “I'm actually surprised she didn't blow her top.”

Nate looked at him. “She's got kids. Any parent would have reacted the same way. Besides, you didn't lose it and you didn't handle those bullies yourself. Plus you turned the whole thing into a positive. Hopefully the kids will have learnt, the parents will take on board what was said in the letters that went home, and the staff will be a little more vigilant in the playground.”

“If not then I look at other primary schools in the area and move her.” Dane sucked in what he hoped was a deep calming breath. “I just hope she's all right.”

“Vicky will be fine. Or did you mean Amy?”

“I don't know what you mean.” Although he had to admit Amy had looked awful today. And when he suggested going home in the patrol car, he honestly thought she was going to pass out. Completely freaked wasn't a strong enough description. If she could have run away, she probably would have.

Nate rolled his eyes. “I've seen the way you look at her. Your eyes light up, your skin flushes, your breathing increases.”

“It does not.” Dane knew his skin was flushing again now, and he was decidedly hot under the collar. He undid his coat.

Nate grinned. “That proves my point. And it's about time.”

“She's my children's nanny.”

“She's a woman.”

“I had noticed.” Dane loosened his tie. “Is it me or is it hot in here?”

“And you like her.” Nate wasn't going to let this go.

Dane sighed. “It doesn't matter if I do. She's the nanny. I'm her employer.”

Nate elbowed him. “Hey, I fell for a witness during an active murder investigation. At least you're falling for someone who's not being hunted by a serial killer or worse. And you're not likely to get a dressing down from the guv
and
MI5 as a result.”

“I shouldn't fall for her at all.” He pulled out his wallet to pay for the food. “I hardly know her, but she lights up a room simply by walking into it. It's nice to have someone to talk to in the evenings. And to cook for, though to be honest, she seems to have taken over the cooking herself, even though it's not part of her duties.” He picked up the bags of food. “Thank you.”

Nate took some of the bags. “Will we eat this much?”

“You'll be surprised.” He opened the door.

“You should take Amy out somewhere.”

“Huh?” He looked at Nate in confusion.
Where did that come from?
“I can't do that.”

“Sure you can. It's easy.” They reached the car. He waited while Dane unlocked it. “You look at her, and say ‘Amy, will you come to the movies, or the theatre, or have dinner with me?' She'll say ‘what about the kids?' You say ‘Nate's babysitting'. She then smiles, blushes, looks extremely cute and says ‘yeah, thank you, I'd like that.'”

“Really?”

Nate laughed and got in the car, arranging the bags by his feet. “Well, words to that effect, yeah.”

“You, babysit?” Dane scrunched up his nose, leaning on the passenger door. “You haven't offered to do that, ever.”

“Until now, you've refused to let anyone other than your parents near the girls, and that was simply for school runs if you didn't do them yourself. I was a single parent for years, remember? And Jas babysat for me so I could attend elders meetings and so on. It's about time you got out and started doing things again.”

Dane shook his head and got in the car. He started the engine. Even if he did ask, she probably wouldn't say yes. Would he spoil things between them if he did take her out? He had no idea how she felt about him. Nate said it was obvious, but then it had been a long time since he'd needed to work out how a woman felt or what she was thinking.

This didn't have to be a date, he decided. He could phrase it as a chance to talk to her away from the house and the kids. That's if she wanted to go anywhere with him in the first place, or if she wanted anything to do with him now. Did she think he'd fire her for not telling him her suspicions about Vicky? Yes, he'd been angry initially, but she'd done something about it, rather than just letting things go until later.

His mind moved onto a different track. Maybe her problem was his job. What did she have against cops? That had thrown her more than anything. That was when the obvious panic had set in. She'd been angry she saw Vicky crying and then being hurt. That much was evident from the way she'd gone into the school, armed with photographic evidence with only her concerns to go on.

He knew that both her parents were dead—Jodie had told him that. He wondered why Amy hadn't mentioned it. Were they cops? Had they died in the line of duty? That would account for her fear. Or perhaps they'd died some other way and her final memory of them was a police car arriving and a uniformed officer at the door.

Either way he needed to talk to her and sort things out. As he pulled onto the drive beside Nate's car, the house looked warm and welcoming with lights blazing from every window.

Nate picked up the bags of food and followed him to the front door.

It opened as they reached it, Dane's key not even making the keyhole. Loud music blasted past him from the study.

Jodie's face lit up. “Hi, Dad, did you bring the food? I'm starving.”

Dane held out his empty hands. “No. What food? Was I meant to bring food with me?”

“Daaaadddd. You said we could have fish and chips…” Jodie moaned. “We're starving. Amy hasn't cooked anything. Other than the stickiest, yummiest looking chocolate pudding you've ever seen. But we're not even allowed to touch it until after dinner.”

Nate laughed, holding up the bags. “It's a good job I've got the dinner then, isn't it?”

“Then you can come in. Dad can't.” Jodie grinned.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Dane grumbled, hanging up his coat. “Where's Vicky? Is she OK?”

“She's in the kitchen with Amy and Auntie Adeline. Vianne and I are doing homework in the study.”

Dane tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. “Homework, really? Sounds like a whole lot of studying being done in there.”

Jodie rolled her eyes. “It's music homework. Mr. Weston said we have to listen to stuff, full blast and write down how it makes us feel.”

Nate shook his head. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“And how does it make you feel?” Dane asked.

“Deaf,” Jodie grinned. “Other than that, the jury is still out.” She headed back to the study. “Dinner's here, Vianne,” she yelled.

Dane headed into the kitchen, Nate behind him.

Amy nudged Vicky. “Daddy's home.”

Vicky launched herself across the room at him, hugging him tightly.

He lifted her into his arms, kissing her cheek. “Hey, honey. How are you? Are you OK, now?”

She shrugged.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Adeline hug Nate and sign to him. Then he turned to Amy. “Was she OK when you got back here?”

“Yeah, just very quiet. Adeline and Ben came over just after we got in. We've kept her busy. She made the pudding extra chocolaty.”

“And what about you?”

She glanced at her wrist. “I'm fine.” She turned to get the plates out.

Dane paused. He hadn't meant her wrist, but he wasn't going to push the issue now. He'd talk to her later, once the kids were in bed. He looked at Vicky. “I bet cooking was fun, huh?”

She nodded.

“And extra chocolate?”

She nodded again.

He sat down with her on his lap. “Well, Uncle Nate and I spoke to everyone at your school, while the uniformed officers spoke to the girls who hurt you. We told them that bullying and hitting other people aren't acceptable and won't be tolerated. It won't happen again.”

She tilted her head at him.

“I promise. And Mr. Tovey said he'll keep a special eye out for the next few weeks.”

Amy put the plates on the bench. “What happened to the girls involved?”

“They've been excluded for the rest of this week and the first week back after half term.”

“Half term is next week, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did they say why they picked on her?”

“I'll fill you in on all the details later.”

“OK.” Amy nodded and dropped her gaze.

He turned back to his daughter. “And it's almost the holiday. You get a whole week off school. Maybe there's something you'd like to do. Go riding or swimming or something.”

Vicky tilted her head and moved her hands.

Dane jerked and straightened.

His heart skipped a beat, and his breath caught in his throat.

Was he imagining things?

Did she just—

No, surely he was seeing things. He so wanted her to talk to him, that it was like seeing an oasis in the middle of the desert.

He glanced over at Amy who just grinned at him. Nate and Adeline had similar expressions on their faces. He looked back at Vicky. “Honey?”

Vicky repeated the gestures slowly and deliberately.

Tears burned his eyes. She had “spoken” for the first time in months. His heart filled and overflowed.

He wasn't imagining things. She was speaking to him.

“Of course you can have a light party for Halloween,” he said hugging her tightly. He closed his eyes, grateful for Nate's insistence they all learn sign when he and Adeline got engaged.

Prayers of thanks and praise filled him. He'd gotten his daughter back, or at least she was on the way back.

Thank You, God, she finally “spoke” to me.

He gradually opened his eyes, tears falling unhurriedly. “Who do you want to come?”

Vicky signed slowly.

Dane smiled through the tears. “That sounds great. Vianne and Lara can come. Anyone else?”

She shook her head.

“What's a light party?” Amy asked, putting the plates of fish and chips on the table for the girls.

“The opposite of a Halloween party,” Vianne said. “It means we don't miss out as we're not allowed to go trick or treating because it's ‘evil.'” She put speech marks around the word evil.

Nate looked at her. “You know very well why you're not allowed to go,” he said sharply. “But you'll enjoy it the same as always.” He turned to the table, taking the lids off the rest of the food containers. “You should ask Pastor Jack and Cassie as well. We could have dinner while the kids play.”

Dane nodded. “That's a good idea.”

Vicky tugged at his sleeve and signed to him.

He nodded. “You ask her.”

She rolled her eyes and signed some more.

“Oh, yeah, good point. OK. Amy, Vicky wonders if you can make that special cake you told her about for the party. She says you can't read her signs well enough for her to ask you herself.”

Amy laughed. “I can't read much at all, as I've only had the one lesson. But, yes, I can make the cake.”

Dane looked at Vicky. “A special cake, huh?” He read her signs and raised an eyebrow before looking over at Amy. “A
fairy castle
?”

Amy grinned. “With turrets, drawbridges, castellations, you know, the whole works.” She lowered her voice and used a stage whisper. “And it comes with fairies too.”

“How on earth do you make one of those?”

Jodie rolled her eyes. “She'll wave her fairy wand, Dad. Don't you know anything?” She sat at the table with Vianne, picking up a glass of soda and sipping it.

Dane laughed. “Of course she will.”

Amy sat down as the others did. She looked at Dane. “Don't let it get cold.”

Nate grinned and signed over at him. “See, she nags like a wife. Best ask her out pronto.”

“You're lucky I like you,” Dane signed back. Then he reverted to audible speech. “Nate, will you say grace and we can start? Don't want this getting cold.”