Читать книгу Classic Bestsellers from Josephine Cox: Bumper Collection - Josephine Cox - Страница 22

IT HAD BEEN late when Kathy went to bed, having waved goodbye to Maggie earlier in the day, and since then she had hardly slept a full hour.

Now, at four o’clock in the morning, she was wide awake.

For a time she lay there, her head in the pillows and her arms flung out across the sheet. Pent-up and restless, she closed her eyes and tried to relax, but it was no use.

‘Damn it!’ Throwing off the bedclothes, she clambered out of bed and went to the window. Whenever she found it difficult to sleep, Kathy always went to look out of the window: there was something calming about seeing what was going on in the outside world; it seemed to focus the mind.

‘I wonder if Dad used to stand by this window and look out?’ she murmured, her eyes shifting to the photograph on her bedside cabinet. ‘I wonder if he ever got so churned up and worried that he couldn’t sleep?’

She thought about his double life, and imagined there must have been many a time when he was worried he might be found out, and that it would all cave in on him.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she detected a movement down on the beach. A closer look and she recognised the shadowy figure. ‘Tom!’ She glanced at the clock: it showed the time as ten past four. She wondered what he was doing down there at this time of morning, yet she wasn’t overly concerned, for hadn’t she seen him, time and again, strolling the beach, pausing every now and then to pick up a pebble or a shell? The old baccy jar on his mantelpiece was filled to the brim with them; he’d shown them to her one day when Jasper and she were visiting.

She watched him for a while, then shivered when the chill of early morning began to penetrate her bones. Returning to the bed, she collected her robe and threw it over her shoulders. By the time she got back to the window, he was gone. Saddened, she turned away. When a moment later she climbed into bed, Tom was strong in her mind.

Holding her father’s photograph, she opened her heart to him. ‘I know how you used to say that one day I’d find the right man. Well, now I think I have, but isn’t it strange how I had to come all this way to find him?’

She wagged a finger at him. ‘You knew, didn’t you?’ she chided. ‘You bought this house for me, because you knew I would come here and there he would be.’

A sense of regret washed through her. ‘He’s going away, though. I don’t know when, but I do know it will be very soon.’ In the circumstances she couldn’t blame him. ‘Maybe when he finds the person who murdered his family, he’ll be able to put it behind him, and there’ll be a chance for us.’

She smiled wistfully. ‘If you have any influence up there, see what you can do, will you?’

Growing serious, she confessed her innermost thoughts. ‘I love him, Dad. He’s the kindest, most wonderful man I’ve ever met.’

Replacing the photograph, she slid down in the bed, but there was no sleep in her. For a while, she was half tempted to go and find him, but common sense prevailed. She told herself that he may not thank her, that walking the beach in the dead of night when the world was sleeping was his way of clearing his mind. From what Tom had already confided, he needed to gather the strength and purpose to deal with what was potentially an explosive situation.

Fearful about the outcome of it all, she went downstairs, where she made herself a cup of cocoa and sat at the table, rolling the warm cup round in her hands and lazily sipping at the hot, frothy liquid.

After a time, when the warmth of the liquid dulled her senses and the sleep crept up on her, she climbed the stairs back to bed. Within an hour she was sound asleep.

It was Tom who woke her.

His persistent rat-tatting on the front door startled her.

In two minutes she was at the front door. ‘Who is it?’

‘It’s me … Tom.’

Inching the door open, she was embarrassed to let him in, what with her hair uncombed and the sleep still in her eyes.

Tom thought she looked lovely. He liked the way her hair tumbled over her forehead, and that sleepy, childish look that made her seem vulnerable. ‘I wondered if you’d like to come out on the boat later?’

Kathy shook herself awake. ‘Is he back then … Jasper?’

‘Not yet.’

Kathy was impressed. ‘What? You mean you’re taking the boat out by yourself?’

‘That was the idea.’ He shrugged. ‘Jasper reckons I’m about ready to take over the helm.’ He feigned disappointment. ‘But if you don’t trust me?’

‘No! I mean …’course I do, and yes, I’d love to come out on the boat with you.’ She thought it was a wonderful idea. ‘What time?’

‘Half past ten all right?’

‘I’ll be there.’

‘And don’t forget to wear something sensible … you’ll need plimsolls and a warm jumper. There’s a bite in the breeze this morning.’

He gave her a slow, lazy smile, then he was gone. ‘Don’t be late!’ His voice carried back from the path.

After he’d gone, Kathy rushed around like a crazy thing. First she had a quick soak in the bath, then rummaged through her wardrobe, before she located a warm jumper. With that secure, she quickly found what she thought was a ‘sensible’ skirt: straight and knee-length, it was a smart navy-blue in colour. The white plimsolls were no problem – she had already bought them some weeks back on Jasper’s instructions.

By half past ten she was ready. She tied her hair back with a pretty red ribbon, dusted only the slightest hint of powder on her face, and touched her lips with the merest suggestion of dusky-pink lipstick.

As she ran downstairs, her heart leapt at the prospect of a day out alone with Tom on his boat. ‘Your dad must have heard you, after all!’ It was a comforting if fanciful thought.

Tom was waiting as she ran towards the harbour. ‘Well, at least you look like a sailor,’ he teased. ‘Let’s see if you have the makings of one.’

‘I’m out to surprise you,’ she promised.

He gave her the same wise instructions Jasper had given him when first going out. ‘Don’t stand too near the edge. The waters are rough through the channel. Once we’re out in the open water it won’t be so bad.’

He was right. With the breeze gently lifting the sails, they went softly towards the narrow tunnel of water, but once they were inside and between the high walls, the wind heightened. It whipped up through the sails and swept them along, buffeting the boat from side to side, and hurling them about. ‘Hold on tight, Kathy!’ While Tom fought to keep the vessel straight, Kathy hung onto the rails. The last thing she wanted right now was to be a heroine.

It was only minutes – but it seemed like for ever – before they broke out into open seas. ‘Jasper was right!’ Easing the boat into the breeze, Tom laughed at the sheer joy of it all. ‘Once you get the hang of it, there’s nothing to it!’

It was a day Kathy would never forget. For two hours or more, with the sails billowing and the sea churning beneath them, they rode the wind, until, breathless and exhausted, Tom steered the boat into a tiny, sheltered inlet along the coast. Becalmed and private, Tom suggested Kathy might like to go for a swim. ‘I can’t.’ She flushed with embarrassment. ‘I never learned to swim.’

He smiled at that. ‘I can see I’ll have to take you in hand.’

He took a moment to observe her, and his heart was full. As she leaned against the rail, her hair loosened by the wind, he saw the seductive yet innocent way her blouse was open to show the rise of her breasts, and those wonderful light-brown eyes looking up at him with a sense of curiosity. He thought she was the most beautiful creature on God’s earth.

As always, whenever his emotions ran riot, the guilt enveloped him. His wife had been beautiful, he reminded himself. And, suddenly, the magic of the moment was gone.

His mood was instantly changed. ‘Let’s have some lunch.’

‘Yes, I’m ravenous.’ Kathy had seen the swift change of mood in him and she knew why. Yet she daren’t open that particular conversation, for fear it might drive him further away. Instead she answered in light-hearted vein, ‘The sea air seems to have given me an appetite.’

‘So, what do you fancy?’

‘Let’s see … As you’re doing the cooking, I’ll have roast beef, Yorkshire pudding – oh, and an apple pie.’ She felt full up just saying it.

He laughed. ‘I’ve got a bag of sandwiches, and some lemonade.’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry. It’s not much of a choice, is it?’

Kathy smiled brightly. ‘That sounds wonderful to me.’

In fact, Kathy thought everything was wonderful. Lazing here in this pretty bay, with the late summer sun shining down, and the sea sparkling all around them, was wonderful. More than that, just being here with him was the most wonderful thing of all.

Watching her, Tom was torn. He longed to take her in his arms and ask her to be his wife, but always the same crippling memories held him back.

He wanted Kathy, more than anything in this world, and yet too much of him was still back there … going over the cliff-edge, with the sound of his family screaming in terror. And, though he tried hard to put it behind him, it continued to haunt him day and night.

Suddenly, Kathy was standing before him. He had been so steeped in those vivid, crippling images that he hadn’t even noticed her approaching. ‘Do you want to go back?’ Her voice was soft, gently soothing.

Ashamed, he apologised. ‘I’m sorry.’

Kathy wished with all her heart she could do something, but it wasn’t in her power. ‘Don’t be sorry,’ she urged. ‘I understand.’

He wondered how anyone could understand, yet she really did seem to. It was the amazing way she lifted his spirits, and her genuine, heartfelt compassion, that made him love her all the more.

Coming closer, he looked into her face and saw the anguish there. ‘I know how difficult it must be for you as well. But I meant what I said before,’ he promised. ‘I do love you. And our time will come.’

She slid her hand into his. ‘I know.’

His smile was tenderly intimate, yet teasing. ‘So, are you hungry?’

‘Starving … I told you! But I’ll get the sandwiches.’

‘Absolutely not!’ With a stern expression, he playfully demanded, ‘Who’s the captain on this ship … you or me?’

‘You, sir!’ She snapped her heels and saluted smartly.

‘Exactly,’ he laughed. ‘So sit yourself down and enjoy the view, while I get on with my duties.’

Smiling happily, Kathy obeyed the order. It was all a game, and she was content to play along. She was with Tom, and nothing else mattered. But in the back of her mind, the questions never went away. Would he ever be free of those nightmares? Was there a future for them? Or would it all end in tears?

After lunch they made their way further along the coast to the village of Lyme Regis. Here, they came ashore, and, hand-in-hand, they went off to explore the narrow streets. They walked along the Cobb and up to the cliff-tops, from where they could see the coastline stretching away in both directions. They held hands and ran and laughed like children; when he kissed her, she melted into his arms. Now, more than ever, she knew that was where she belonged.

The hours passed and soon the daylight was fading. When evening began to draw in, he suggested reluctantly, ‘I think it’s time we went back.’

Equally reluctant, Kathy agreed, pulling on her jumper as the air grew chillier. ‘Will you teach me to swim?’ she asked him on the way back, and Tom said he would.

As they threaded their way along the coast, it started to rain. Tom fell silent. Kathy sensed his dark mood, but wisely said nothing. If he wanted to confide in her, he would, she thought.

And to her relief, he did. The minute the boat was safely anchored in the harbour, he asked her to stay a while. ‘Wait till the rain stops,’ he said. ‘I’ll walk you home later.’

‘What is it, Tom?’ She always knew when he was troubled, but this time it was different somehow. ‘What’s wrong?’

He shook his head from side to side as he fondly observed her. ‘You know me too well.’

‘So, there is something wrong?’ Afraid now, her stomach lurched. Was this where he told her he wanted it all to end?

Her heart sank when he admitted, ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

Trying to put on a brave face, she urged, ‘You don’t want to see me any more. That’s it, isn’t it?’

His dark eyes grew wide with amazement. ‘Oh no!’ Gripping her by the shoulders, he told her reassuringly, ‘I would never want that! If you believe anything, you must believe that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Oh, Kathy! I can’t tell you how much I want to be with you.’ His voice shook with emotion. ‘You’re everything to me!’

Relieved, she clung to him, and for a time they took comfort in each other. Presently, he held her at arm’s length. ‘You knew I would have to go away sooner or later, didn’t you?’

She nodded resignedly. ‘Is that what you have to tell me … that you’re ready to leave me?’

He nodded, a look of reluctance on his face. ‘I’ve already made arrangements to see Inspector Lawson, the man who handled the case from the outset. He’s based in London now. I want us to go through everything again, with a fine-tooth comb. Dorset police say they’ve exhausted all lines of enquiry, but there has to be a way of tracking that car, and the person who sent my family to their deaths.’

His fists clenched and unclenched as he thought about it. ‘The police have missed something, I’m sure of it. A car and its driver can’t just vanish into thin air!’

Seeing how, in spite of him saying his rage was under control, Tom was growing agitated, Kathy wrapped her warm, gentle hands over his fist; it was clenched so tight his knuckles had bled white. ‘Tom?’

‘Yes, darling?’ Calmer now, his dark eyes smiled down on her.

‘Are you sure you’re ready to deal with all that?’

Again, for a brief second, he seemed miles away. ‘If we’re to have any future, yes. I need to see it through.’ He readily admitted, ‘There are still times when the anger takes a hold, but now, at long last, I really can think clearly about what happened. And there’s another thing …’ He hesitated. ‘I’m convinced my wife Sheila knew who it was that drove us over the cliff.’

He let his mind go back to that moment when he first sensed it. ‘Just before we went over the cliff, she glanced back. I saw the look in her eyes, Kathy! I saw the flicker of recognition, then it was too late and all hell was let loose.’ Running his hands through his hair, he closed his eyes in torment. ‘She knew. I swear to God she knew who it was!’

Realising how it was troubling him, Kathy tried to rationalise his suspicions. ‘Did she call out a name?’

‘No,’ he recalled, ‘there was no name.’

‘Did she say anything at all that caused you to think she knew who it was?’

Again he shook his head. ‘It wasn’t anything Sheila said … there was no time for that. It was just that instant when I glanced at her … an instinctive thing. It was there in her eyes … the way she looked back … the way her face fell in astonishment.’

He banged his fist on the hull. ‘There was no time! Later, I forgot all about it for a while. I was too sick with hatred … I couldn’t think of anything else … But, now, I’m certain of it. She did know who it was. There’s no doubt in my mind about it.’

‘And have you thought who it could be?’

‘Endlessly!’

‘And?’

He shrugged. ‘And I’ve come up with nothing.’

‘Surely it couldn’t have been a friend?’

‘Maybe. Maybe not.’ His answer was hesitant.

‘Do you know all her friends?’

He nodded. ‘You could count her friends on the fingers of one hand. They met once in a while, went shopping, and did all the things that women do. They were women just like her, married with children. I shouldn’t think any one of those would want her hurt.’

He described her. ‘Sheila was well liked, had lots of interests, always going to some class or other.’ He gave a small wry laugh. ‘I could never keep up with her!’

Something he said made Kathy wonder. ‘You said she went to classes?’

‘That’s right.’ He cast his mind back. ‘The children were growing up, and she decided she wanted to learn a new language … She started French classes. She went twice a week, and loved it. She was getting very good, too.’

Kathy considered that for a minute, then said, ‘What about the people she went to class with? Did you know any of them?’

Her question hit hard. ‘My God! I never thought of that.’ It was possible, he thought. ‘She will have made friends there, but she never mentioned anyone in particular.’ He grew frantic. ‘There’s something else too – something really strange!’

Digging into his trouser pocket, he took out an envelope, which he handed to her. ‘Read this, Kathy. The letter is from the florist I appointed to deliver a regular supply of flowers to the churchyard. Read it … tell me what you think.’

Curious, Kathy opened the envelope. Taking out the letter, she proceeded to read it aloud:

Dear Mr Arnold,

I know you asked me not to contact you, except in the event of any hiccup with the regular payments for the fortnightly delivery of flowers. This is not the reason for my contacting you. The flowers are delivered as we agreed, and the payments are paid into my bank account on time. There is no problem there.

The trouble is, someone appears to be deliberately destroying the flowers by throwing them out of the container and strewing them about. They then replace your flowers with their own.

I can imagine how distressing it will be for you to read this letter, and I’m very sorry to have to be writing it. I haven’t written before, because at first I thought it might have been an accident, or someone playing a prank. But then it happened again and again, and it began to look like a deliberate and calculated act of wanton destruction.

Of course I quickly replaced the flowers, and kept an eye on them as far as I could. But it’s happened again. This time they were torn into shreds, and were almost unrecognisable as the roses and gypsophila we delivered. Some attempt appears to have been made to burn them on the path close by; the church-warden came to the shop and told me about it. He was most upset, and so was I. It beggars belief that someone could do such a thing.

In all my years as a florist, I have never known anything quite like it. The church-warden has confirmed that no other flowers in the churchyard have been interfered with, so I’m afraid it appears to be a personal attack on either you or your family.

I’m sorry, Mr Arnold, but I really am out of my depth here. Please advise as to what you would like me to do.

Yours respectfully,

Margaret Taylor

‘But that’s terrible!’ Kathy was shocked to the core. ‘Who in their right mind would want to destroy flowers in a churchyard? And why only the flowers sent to your family?’ Knowing the history of his family’s tragic circumstances, Kathy couldn’t help but be afraid for Tom himself.

Tom had been stunned by the letter, and it showed in his voice now as he confessed, ‘The letter came yesterday. I couldn’t bring myself to discuss it with anyone, not even you. Oh, I wanted to! But I thought it was unfair to burden you with it.’

Now she could see why he had been out there walking the beach at such an ungodly hour. ‘That’s why you couldn’t sleep, isn’t it?’ she remarked. ‘That’s why you were pacing the beach when everybody else was tucked up in their beds?’

He smiled. ‘Not you, it seems.’

She admitted it. ‘No. For some reason, I couldn’t sleep either.’

‘But you’re right,’ he murmured. ‘What’s happened is shocking and awful, and whoever is doing it must be sick in the mind!’

Kathy found it hard to believe. ‘I just don’t understand why anybody would destroy your flowers.’

Tom had thought long and hard about it. ‘Someone must really hate me.’

‘Or someone hated your family?’

Tom had already considered that, but it was inconceivable. ‘It doesn’t make sense. It’s me they want to hurt … they can’t hurt my family any more. It’s me who sends the flowers. Besides, if it was my family they resented, why would they replace my flowers with fresh ones? It must be me they have a grudge against.’

His explanation only served to make Kathy even more fearful for him. ‘Can you think of anybody who would hate you enough to do this?’

He smiled sardonically. ‘I’ve beaten many a rival company to a lucrative contract.’

‘Do you really believe a business rival would do such a thing?’

Serious now, he shook his head. ‘No. That’s not the way it works. We all have to make a living. You win some, you lose some. That’s the way it is in business.’

Talking with Kathy had helped his mind to focus, because now something else occurred to him.

‘I’m beginning to think that whoever drove us off that cliff was after me and not my family. They just happened to be there when the opportunity presented itself. I’ve thought and thought, and I reckon that’s why the flowers are being left … as a kind of twisted apology. Don’t you see, Kathy … whoever did this is getting at me. It’s my flowers they’re destroying. It’s me they want dead!’

Though Kathy followed his reasoning, she daren’t think about it too deeply, or she would never have another night’s sleep. ‘I’m not so sure.’ Like a dog with a bone, she was loath to let it go. ‘I can’t believe anybody would kill an entire family just to get at you. Maybe you were just unlucky enough to meet some mad killer that day; someone who started out with murder in mind, and you and your family just happened to be there.’

Tom had to admit, ‘All right, it’s possible.’ But it wasn’t enough to satisfy him. ‘It still doesn’t explain why somebody is destroying my flowers and putting fresh ones in their place. To me, that seems like a personal thing.’

Kathy relented. ‘You’re right. It’s a strange business. It’s best you go and try to resolve it one way or another; I can see that now.’

‘I want rid of it, Kathy.’ His mind was made up. ‘Whoever it was that robbed my wife and children of their lives must be made to pay for it.’ His voice fell to a hush. ‘I need to know why! And if it was me they were after, I also need to make sure they don’t get another chance to finish the job.’

He took her in his embrace, his face against the softness of her hair and his voice low in her ear. ‘It’s coming between us, and I don’t want that. It will always be there. Unless I can put it to rest once and for all.’

She knew that. ‘When are you going?’

‘Not until after the weekend,’ he promised. ‘Inspector Lawson is away on a course until Wednesday morning; his secretary’s put me in first thing. So, I’ll be leaving on the Tuesday, staying overnight in London.’ Turning her face to his, he kissed her tenderly. ‘Besides, I’m hoping that Jasper will be back by then.’

‘Why? Are you missing him as much as I am?’

‘There is that, yes.’ He smiled mischievously. ‘But I need somebody to keep an eye on you … protect you from all those handsome chaps who come in and out of the site office. I don’t want you running off with any of them.’

‘Oh, you needn’t worry.’ She had an urge to tease him. ‘Mind you, there was a man last week though … big, handsome chap … he had a brand-new car. Now, if he were to ask, I might just be tempted.’

‘Would you now?’ Swinging her round, he kissed her long and passionately.

When he let go, she still had her eyes closed. ‘All right, you win,’ she muttered. ‘He can keep his car. I prefer your kisses any day.’

They kissed again, and talked some more; the rain fell all about them and the skies grew black with the onset of night. ‘Time to go,’ he murmured, and she didn’t argue; though she longed for the day when the kisses wouldn’t stop there.

Arm-in-arm, oblivious to the rain, they walked back to Barden House, talking of their future, and contemplating the outcome of Tom’s visit to London. ‘We’ve got three full days before I leave,’ Tom reminded her. ‘Let’s make the most of it.’

That night, alone in the house, Kathy lay on the rug in front of the fire, her wistful gaze uplifted to the photograph of her father and the woman he had loved. ‘I wonder if I’ll ever know the same kind of happiness as you found,’ she whispered. ‘I know I’ll never want anyone else but Tom, but I’m so afraid I might lose him.’

The clock ticked on the mantelpiece and the minutes sped by. The heat from the cheery fire and the rhythmic sound of rain pattering on the window-panes made her sleepy. She thought how cosy it all was.

Yet it felt empty and cold without Tom. ‘Dear Lord, bring him safely home again.’ Believing we make our own mistakes and have to find our own solutions, Kathy rarely asked the Lord for anything, but at this moment she felt in need of comfort and reassurance.

After a while she fell asleep, her head resting on her arms and her heart heavy with love.

One way or another, it had been a long day.