The Girl in the Rug (8 page)

Duncan watched Maggie longingly through the pub kitchen
window; she had parked her car and was talking to Jools who had been walking
past the pub.

He watched her laughing at something Jools was saying,
throwing her head back and really laughing, that summed Maggie up for him, she
was the real deal. She put her heart and soul into everything she did, never
trying to be anything other than what she was. If she liked you, you had her
friendship for life and she would bend over backwards to help her friends.

If she loved you…well then you had to be the luckiest person
in the world. Duncan heaved a sigh…he knew Maggie thought she loved him, she
had told him and shown him time and time again, but Duncan was terrified…he was
terrified that Maggie’s love for him was just a reaction to the devastating
events of a few months ago.

He still woke up at night dripping with sweat and trembling
with fear. Sometimes he could actually feel the ropes cutting into his wrists
and the agony of the metal studded lash as it flayed his skin. It was like he
was back there again, in that barn with Dulcie…or Kerry as he now knew her. He
could still hear the madness in her voice and see her eyes crazed with blood
lust. And therein lay the problem, Maggie deserved a whole man, not some weak
minded cripple with half his face missing, and Duncan loved her far too much…too
much to inflict himself on her.

So he pushed her away…kept her at arm’s length, even though
he could see how much he was hurting her…it was for her own good, she would
thank him one day when she came to her senses. And even though it was killing
him to do it, he’d rather that than to watch her slowly realise that she’d made
a mistake…no it was better this way.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when the woman herself
came sauntering into the kitchen, still chuckling.

‘Oh you will never guess what Jools has just told me, she
was down in Brighton last weekend with Jed, when who should they bump into but
Dom, Maylee and little Juke, who she said is as cute as cute can be, all dark
curly hair and big brown eyes. Anyway she said it was hilarious because she, Maylee,
was only trying to walk along that pebbly beach wearing 6 inch high heels,
apparently Dom told her to take them off but she said she couldn’t because they
went with her outfit…what a twit.’ Duncan smiled at her story, but pulled away
slightly when Maggie put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

‘How are you this morning sweetheart,’ said Maggie
determinedly ignoring his reaction to her kiss, ‘did you manage to get a
descent night’s sleep?’

’Oh you know, not too bad…those latest painkillers Dr Johnson
gave me are much better,’ Duncan said walking over to the kettle to make tea.

‘Oh let me do that love,’ said Maggie jumping up to take the
kettle from him.

‘Maggie, I can make a cup of tea you know,’ said Duncan
trying not to let her see how his hand was shaking. Kerry Webb had smashed the
bones in his right hand with a hammer, he transferred the kettle to his left
hand and awkwardly poured the tea, swearing when he sloshed the water over the
work surfaces.

Maggie gently took the kettle from him, ‘It just needs time
darling…your hand will be as good as new, but until then let me help…please.’

‘You’ve done enough already,’ Duncan said gruffly, ‘letting
us stay in your home, looking after Martha day and night. I need to learn to do
things for myself again, I can’t expect you to always be there…’

‘Well you know I would be if you wanted me to,’ said Maggie
in a small voice, leaning her head on Duncan’s shoulder. Duncan said nothing so
she moved away and got on with making the tea.

‘I have decided that I’m going to organise a big family meal
for Jed’s birthday,’ said Maggie changing the subject. ‘I’ve already cleared it
with Jools, she thinks it’s a fab idea so I just need to set a date and invite
everybody. I was thinking of the 27
^th
, it’s a Sunday so it won’t be
too busy at the pub, Hank and Laura should be able to cope, and it’s only a
couple of days before his actual birthday…what do you think?’

‘Sounds good,’ Duncan said, ‘who were you thinking of
inviting?’

‘Oh just family really…Greg of course and his latest
squeeze,’ Greg was Maggie’s ex-husband and the boy’s father, who, despite a
nasty divorce had remained a close friend. ‘And obviously Dom and Maylee, and I
was thinking of inviting little Jukie, I suppose it’s about time we all met
him. Jools’s mum and her latest boyfriend …Martha and you of course…what?’ she
asked as Duncan gave her a look.

‘Family you said…we’re hardly family Maggie,’ said Duncan
gently.

‘Well as good as…’ began Maggie.

‘Anyway,’ went on Duncan, ‘I’m not sure I’m up to a party
yet, and I’m sure Martha’s not…no I think we’ll have to pass on this one Maggs…
thanks and all that.’

Maggie swallowed back the tears that were threatening to
fall, ‘Oh ok that’s fine honey…next time maybe.’

‘Sure thing,’ said Duncan, ‘um…did you want me for anything
specific Maggs? Only I’ve got an appointment with the physio this morning so…’

‘Well I know that stupid,’ said Maggie smiling, ‘that’s why
I’m here…I thought I could drive you.’

Duncan swallowed, this was getting really difficult,
‘Actually Maggie I’ve ordered a cab, it should be here any minute.’ He turned
to her and heaved a sigh, ‘Maggie darling please stop doing this…’

‘What…stop doing what?’ she butted in.

‘This…all this…let me make tea for you, let me drive you to
the hospital…let me help you to the toilet…’

‘Once Duncan, I only did that once and I’m sorry…I’m just
trying to help…I love you…’

‘NO!’ Duncan almost shouted, ‘No darling Maggie…you just
think you do…’ he held up his hand when Maggie would have butted in again. ‘If
I hadn’t been kidnapped by that fucking psycho you wouldn’t be saying you loved
me…oh I know you love me as a friend, but there has never been any hint from
you that you felt anything more than that…until Kerry Webb got her hands on
me.’

Maggie was crying properly now, her head bowed misery
written all over her face.

‘Oh god Maggie, I don’t want to hurt you,’ whispered Duncan,
‘I’m trying to save you from making a huge mistake. Look at me,’ he lifted her
face to his, letting her see all the damage and all the pain in his eyes. ‘I am
not the man for you my darling friend…I am damaged…not just here,’ he touched
his ravaged face, ‘or on my body, but in here,’ he pointed to his head. ‘She’s
still in here Maggs, I can’t get rid of her…as soon as I close my eyes at night
I can see her mad staring eyes watching me…I still hear her…’

Maggie got up and flung her arms round Duncan, ‘I know
sweetheart, I know and I wish I could make all that better…but its only time
that can do that love.’ She looked into his eyes, ‘You are wrong you know…I
loved you long before Dulcie, I mean Kerry, came on the scene, and what’s more
I know you loved me. And when I look at you I don’t see a damaged face, I see
the most beautiful eyes and the most sensuous mouth…I see the face of the man I
love, and you saying otherwise isn’t going to change that. I can’t force you to
let me help you though, so I’ll back off until you’re ready…but please just
remember, I’m only at the other end of a phone if you need me ok?’

Maggie didn’t give Duncan time to say anything more, she
just grabbed her coat and left. The truth was that she was trying to get to her
car before she completely gave in to her emotions and ended up begging Duncan
to love her. As it was she just indulged in a bit of a tearful temper tantrum.
Walking out of that kitchen was one of the hardest things she’d ever done…but
she’d tried everything else…maybe leaving him to his own devices was the only
thing that was going to get through to the stupid stubborn idiot!

Duncan watched Maggie drive away, tears rolling down his
cheeks and an awful feeling that he’d just thrown away the greatest gift he’d
ever been offered.

Carla and Frank waited in the school office while Ms
Davenport, Head Teacher at Riddlestone Juniors, went and fetched Andy from his
classroom, school had just ended for the day and they needed to catch him
before he started for home.

Ms Davenport had been eager for news of Lucy, but since the
little girl in the rug had yet to be formally identified Carla and Frank were
unable to satisfy her curiosity. Simply stating that they needed to speak to
Andy urgently, and requesting that one of his teachers sat in on the interview.

Carla was quite surprised when she saw Maya, Helen’s wife,
walking towards them a few minutes later, with Andy by her side.

‘Maya hi,’ said Carla with a smile, ‘I forgot that you were
working here.’

Maya gave her a tight worried little smile, ‘I am Andy’s
form teacher, I ask Ms Davenport if I can be with him…is ok?’

‘Oh yes that’s fine, we need an adult with him when we
interview him anyway,’ Carla sat down on a chair next to Andy, ‘Andy do you
remember me…DI Right…Carla?’

Andy turned to her and Carla was shocked to see a blaze of
anger in his eyes, ‘Course I remember you…’ he said gruffly.

Undeterred Carla continued, ‘I’m afraid that we had to
arrest your mum today Andy,’ she said bluntly, Andy’s eyes opened wide with
shock at that. ‘You see the story that she told the school and everybody else,
about Lucy staying at her aunties…well that wasn’t true was it?’

Andy’s face crumpled and he seemed to draw into himself…he
dropped his head, tears falling onto his hands.

Carla’s heart went out to the little lad, ‘So tell me what
happened Andy…I think you know what happened to Lucy don’t you?’ she said
gently.

Andy’s bony little shoulders started to shake as he sobbed
into his hands, Maya put her arms around him and looked fiercely at Carla, ‘Do
you really need to do this to him, isn’t there someone else you can ask these
things?’

Carla shook her head, ‘I’m really sorry Andy,’ she said
putting her hand on his shoulder, ‘but this time I need you to tell me the
truth…’

Andy just sobbed harder, shaking his head and saying, ‘No,
no, no,’ over and over.

Andy couldn’t believe what was happening to him. He hadn’t
thought that life could get any worse since that dreadful night, when his whole
reason for living had been taken away from him. He still got up in the morning,
still walked to school, still cowered in the kitchen while his mum entertained
her customers and still tried to evade his mum’s slaps and punches, he still
did everything the same…but without Lucy. Mum never spoke about Lucy or what
had happened that night…Andy wasn’t even sure if she remembered. It was like
Lucy had never existed; the only thing she ever said to Andy over and over, was
that he’d better keep his fucking mouth shut…he must never ever tell anyone.
Andy didn’t need her to tell him that…Nellie had already scared him enough with
his threats.

And now here he was again, being asked questions by the
police…questions he couldn’t answer unless he wanted his mum to have her eyes
cut out…the same police lady that had caused all the trouble before. Well he
wasn’t saying a thing, why the hell should he…after all it wouldn’t bring Lucy
back would it…nothing was ever going to bring Lucy back.

‘What happened Andy?’ Frank asked this time, ‘Was it an
argument, did your mum get angry with Lucy…did she hurt her Andy…’

‘NO!’ shouted Andy, ‘my Mum never hit her, Lucy’s gone to
stay wiv me auntie somewhere, I already told them that.’

‘Yes I know that’s what you said Andy, that’s what your mum
said as well, but you see she can’t have done can she…because your auntie died,
over a year ago…so you see.’

‘Well maybe it’s wiv another auntie…I don’t know do I,’
sobbed Andy, ‘can I go now…I need to go?’

Carla sighed, ‘I’m afraid not Andy, you see we have to find
out about Lucy and your mum’s not very well at the moment and we can’t ask her,
so you’re the only one we can talk to aren’t you?’

Andy wiped his nose on his sleeve and glared at Carla. ‘I
don’t know where she is, I thought she was wiv me auntie,’ he repeated
bullishly.

Carla sighed once again they were getting nowhere she knelt
down in front of Andy forcing him to look at her.

‘Andy, we think something may have happened to Lucy…something
really bad.’ Andy’s head dropped down, he stared resolutely at the floor. ‘We
were at your home before we came here today and there was lots of blood in the
living room, on the sofa and the rug and there was quite a lot of blood on the
floor near the window…do you know how it got there? Did your mum have a fight
with someone?’

Andy still stared at the floor but he shook his head, ’No…I
dunno do I.’

‘Well you can see why we want to find Lucy can’t you Andy,’
went on Carla, ‘we need to make sure she’s alright.’ Carla changed tactics,
‘What other aunties do you have?’

Andy looked up at Carla surprised by the question.

‘Well you said she may be with another auntie, so how many
aunties do you have?’ asked Carla again.

He thought for a moment, ‘Well there’s my Auntie Flossy,
only I don’t know if she’s a proper auntie we just called her that…’

‘Where does Auntie Flossy live Andy?’ asked Frank.

‘She’s in Filpott, on the other side…past the chip shop,’
Andy said, as if they should know where he meant.

‘Is Filpott somewhere on the estate then?’ Frank said
getting out his notebook.

Andy nodded, ‘Yeh…like I said it’s passed the chip shop and
then you go through some garages and it’s near the swings. Lucy and I stayed
wiv Auntie Flossy sometimes when we was little. I haven’t seen her for ages
though…she and my mum had a fight.’

‘Do you know Auntie Flossy’s proper name Andy, her surname?’

‘Nah,’ said Andy shaking his head, ‘she was just Auntie
Flossy, my mum might know.’

Just then the door opened and a couple of new people entered
the room. A woman that Andy recognised as the woman from the ‘social’ who had
been rudely turned away from his front door by his mother a few times and
another man in glasses that he didn’t recognise. Andy had a sinking feeling in
the pit of his stomach…he didn’t like the look of this…something was happening,
something bad. The woman came over to him and sat in the chair next to him and
gave him a big smile, Andy thought she looked like a horse.

‘Hi Andy, my name’s Brenda, and this is Kevin,’ she
indicated the man, who just looked at Andy over the top of his glasses.

‘Andy we are from social services…I expect DI Right has told
you that your mum’s not very well and she’s been taken to hospital, well we are
going to be looking after you for a while, just until your mum gets better ok?’
She smiled, but Andy thought she had a crocodile smile all white teeth, but it
didn’t reach her eyes…he drew away from her, closer to Miss Dronski, who put
her arm around him reassuringly.

‘Is ok Andy,’ she said quietly in her funny way, ‘these
people, they will take care of you.’

‘But where will I go?’ Andy whispered to Maya, ‘If they take
me away how will Mum find me when she gets better?’

‘She will find you don’t worry,’ Maya said, ‘I will tell her
where you are ok?’

‘Why can’t I go home?’ Andy turned to Brenda, beginning to
panic. ‘I can look after myself, I always looked after Lucy and me…you can ask
Mum she’ll tell ya…’

‘Now you know that’s not possible young man,’ Kevin said
firmly, ‘we have a duty of care…it’s the law, we can’t let you go home by
yourself…’

‘I’ll stay wiv Mum then,’ cried Andy, I’ll go to the
hospital and stay wiv her till she’s better…’

‘That’s not possible either I’m afraid, you are a minor Andy
and as such you are now under the guardianship of the state…do you know what
that means…’

‘Of course he doesn’t know what that means,’ snapped Maya,
‘he is eight year old boy, he doesn’t know what the hell is going on right now
give him a break…’

Carla put a hand on Maya’s arm, ‘Calm down love, let these
people do their job they only want what’s best for Andy.’

Maya didn’t look convinced but she kept her mouth shut.

Brenda Massey held out her hand to Andy, ‘Andy we need you
to come with us now ok? We have a nice place for you to stay, where you’ll have
other children to play with so you can make lots of friends…’

‘NO…NO…I’m not going,’ shouted Andy as his panic grew. ‘I
want to go home…please I want my mum...please let me see my mum…’ Andy threw
his arms round Maya’s neck and held on tight. ‘PLEASE MISS…PLEASE I DON’T WANT
TO GO…PLEEEASE…HELP ME…’ he sobbed into her shoulder, scared stiff at this
sudden turn of events.

Kevin pulled Andy’s arms free from Maya, and Brenda tried to
calm him, but by this time he had gone into a full blown panic…kicking and
punching and screaming at the top of his voice. His fear and despair was
horrific to witness, and it took both of the social workers and Ms Davenport
all of their skills to calm him down enough so that Kevin could carry him out
to a waiting car followed by Brenda, who had given them all an apologetic look
before she left. ‘Poor little chap,’ she had said, ‘don’t worry though he’ll
soon settle in, Marshall Street is a really good home…we were lucky to get him
in there at such short notice.’

Maya was in floods of angry tears, she turned on Carla, ‘Is
this how you treat children…he is hurting that boy…he needs some love…not “this
is the law…this is how it is going to be” pah! How does this help him?’

Carla put an arm round her shaking shoulders, she wasn’t too
steady herself, everyone in the room had been affected by the little boy’s fear
and desperate pleadings. Ms Davenport was wiping away her tears discreetly on
the sleeve of her blouse, and Frank had wandered over to the window with his
back to the room. Carla squeezed Maya’s shoulder, the poor girl was obviously
distressed, but then she hadn’t seen the way Andy and Lucy had been forced to
live day in day out…he was better off even though he didn’t realise it yet.

‘He will be looked after love,’ she said to the weeping
Maya, ‘he will get food to eat, he will have clean clothes to wear. He won’t be
knocked around by a spiteful drunken mother…surely that’s got to be better.’

Maya blew her nose, she knew Carla was probably right, but
it had broken her heart to witness that child’s desperation she had wanted so
much just to pull him to her and look after him. Well she wouldn’t forget about
him she promised herself, she would keep an eye on him, and if it didn’t look
like he was coping well…she didn’t know what she could do, but she would do her
damndest to try and help him.

Carla and Frank left the school in a subdued mood. They had
got precious little from Andy as to what had happened in that living room, and
they had yet to have it confirmed that it was Lucy’s body they had found. Carla
was certain it was, but they had sent samples of the blood and hair that they’d
found in the flat to forensics so they would know soon enough one way or the
other…then all they had to do was to find out who killed her and why.

As they were heading back to the station Carla got a call
from Mandy, it seemed that Josef Constantine no longer lived at the flat in
Chatsworth House, he had moved back to his homeland of Turkey. But his ex-next
door neighbours said that the flat had been taken over by his nephew…Tony
Lahars, or Turk as he was better known on the estate.