The Girl in the Rug (21 page)

Helen set the finishing touches to the enormous spread of
food that she had set out on the kitchen table and then stood back and admired
her handy work.

‘There,’ she said with satisfaction to Lena who was looking
at her as if she had gone mad. ‘I think that’s enough don’t you?’

‘Is more than enough Helen…much much more than enough,’ Lena
said with a giggle. ‘I thought you say it is just one boy coming…not whole
school,’ she broke into giggles again.

‘Why, do you think I’ve gone over the top a bit then?’ Helen
said with a worried frown. ‘I know I can get a bit carried away sometimes…but I
just wanted to give him a treat you know. After what Maya has told us about
what he’s been through, that poor little boy.’

Lena came and put her arm round Helen, ‘Is lovely
Helen…boys, they eat…oh lots, and anyway we will eat too…it is lovely treat.’

Helen grasped the old ladies hand and gave it a squeeze,
‘Thanks Lena, and thank you for picking up the kids for me…I’d better make sure
Abby is still clean, at least Benji fell asleep so he’ll be in a good mood when
Maya gets back…’

She broke off as she heard a key in the front door and Maya
came through into the kitchen preceded by a young boy with a very nervous look
on his face.

‘Helen, Nonna this is Andy…Andy this is Helen and this is my
mother…we call her Nonna.’

Andy was quite small for his age; he was ten years old Maya
had said, with a mop of sandy coloured hair and big brown eyes which were
looking round nervously at the big kitchen and particularly the huge table
which was staggering under the weight of all the food that Helen had prepared.
He smiled shyly at each of the women as Maya introduced them and shook hands
with them politely.

There was an awkward moment when nobody said anything, but
that was soon broken by the sounds of two three year olds rushing past them
into the kitchen yelling at the top of their voices.

‘Nonna, Nonna is this food all for us…can I have some
twiglets and a wagon wheel?’ shouted Benji who had woken up from his nap
hungry.

‘I want some jelly Mummy,’ Abby joined in talking round the
thumb in her mouth, ‘Mummy…who’s that boy?’ she asked a minute later pointing
at Andy.

‘This is Andy, he’s coming to have some tea with us,’ said
Maya giving Andy a smile, which was followed by a tut and a shake of the head
as she spotted her son grabbing handfuls of food, from the table. ‘Benji you
have to wait until we are sitting up for tea before you take food…no, put those
twiglets back you can have them when we all are sitting up.’

Benji threw a little tantrum, shouting loudly about it not
being fair etc. and throwing the Twiglets in his hand onto the floor…but before
an embarrassed Maya could deal with him, Andy walked over and bent down to talk
to him.

‘Hi Benji…can you show me where I should be sitting?’ he
said shocking Benji into silence, ‘only I’ve never been to your house before
and I don’t know.’

Benji thought for a moment staring back at Andy, ‘You can
sit next to me if you like,’ he said pulling on Andy’s hand as he showed him to
a chair.

‘Thanks buddy,’ said Andy smiling as Benji clamoured up onto
the chair beside him.

Maya had watched this with a smile, she had seen the way
that Andy was with the younger children at school and had been impressed…it was
one of the reasons she felt drawn to him.

Abby, not to be outdone, climbed up onto the chair on the
other side of Andy and soon the children were chatting away ten to the dozen,
telling Andy about their day at nursery and their latest toys.

After tea the children dragged Andy upstairs with them and
Helen could hear their shrieks of laughter as he chased them around in a game
of hide and seek.

‘What a sweet boy,’ Helen said to Maya as they tidied up the
kitchen together, ‘it’s amazing that he has stayed so sweet after all that has
happened to him.’

‘I know,’ Maya said nodding, ‘it always makes me amazed to
see…children, they can be so strong…he has suffered so much, but is better now
I hope…he seems better anyway….’ she paused obviously thinking about something
that was bothering her.

Helen waited for her to continue and started putting
clingfilm over some of the bowls of food left on the table, ‘Flipping heck Lena
was right,’ she said laughing, ‘I don’t know what I was thinking, I’ve made
enough to feed an army.’

‘He was talking in the car on the way here,’ eventually Maya
said what was on her mind, ‘he is so sure that he will be with his mum again…he
is talking about it all the time, planning you know?’

‘Well maybe he will be,’ Helen said thoughtfully, ‘let’s
face it stranger things have happened. Who knows once his mum is sober, maybe
she will get herself back on track and make a home for them both?’

Maya was shaking her head. ‘No I don’t tell Andy yet, but
she was released a few days ago…she has not even been to see him. Me, I think
he will have his heart broken all over again by that woman,’ she finished in
disgust.

‘Well we will just have to try and help him through it,
won’t we love,’ said Helen gently.

Maya came and put her arms around her, ‘Thank you Helen…you
are kindest person I ever know.’

Helen melted into her embrace, glorying again in the love
that she felt for this woman. ‘No sweetheart, YOU are the kind one, I would
never have thought of inviting him here…’

‘Oh well…we are both kind then,’ laughed Maya, as she moved
back to the sink and the huge pile of washing up.

Helen thought for a moment, ‘What will happen to him Maya,
Andy I mean, will he be fostered or something?’

Maya pulled a face, ‘Brenda says that they will have to see
what happens with the mother. Who knows, you may be right she might mend her
ways, maybe she is waiting until she is sorted before she sees Andy…then of
course Andy will go back with her, they are always trying to keep families
together Brenda says.’

‘Hang on though…I thought he was being abused by his
mother…wasn’t that what Carla said, so surely he shouldn’t go back there should
he?’

‘Oh I don’t know Helen,’ said Maya with a grimace, ‘I think
the drinking, that was the problem, she abused when she was drunk…and despite
everything, Andy has such a strong loyalty to his mother. Like I say, he talks
of her all the time; he will want to be with her I think.’

Helen just shook her head, ‘Well until that happens let’s
have him over here again…maybe we could take him out next time, would we be
allowed do you think?’

‘Yes…I think that would be fine,’ Maya said rolling her eyes
and smiling as a loud screams were followed by pounding footsteps coming down
the stairs, and Benji, Abby and Lena rushed into the kitchen all desperately
hunting round for a hiding places. Maya helped Benji to hide under the table while
Helen shoved Abby into the larder. Then after a moment of sheer panic Lena
threw herself under a pile of washing, and Maya stood in front of it hiding her
from view, just as Andy came down the stairs shouting, ‘One hundred…coming
ready or not!’

Franklin had learnt his lesson; he had learnt never to be
left on his own anywhere in the house, and he had learnt that he didn’t want to
be here anymore.

He hated it!

He hated everybody in it!

He now knew the name of the man that had violated him,
Robert Gray the caretaker.

His heart had jumped into his mouth the first time he’d
seen him after his attack. He had spotted him in the garden, a short scruffy
man with pale blue piggy eyes.

He remembered the pervasive smell of B.O. that had hung
over the man as he had sweated behind him, that smell had lingered on him for
days after.

But if Robert Gray remembered what he had done to him, he
gave no indication of it, looking right through Franklin whenever he
encountered him in the house.

Franklin on the other hand would never forget the pain
and humiliation that had been inflicted on him, and he took precautions so that
it would never happen again. A small, but incredibly sharp penknife that he
kept on himself at all times…he often fantasised about plunging into Gray’s fat
neck.

So Franklin kept to himself, he did not make friends or
speak to anyone except when it was necessary to do so.

The only time that he could feel normal again was when
Gillian and Paul Hill came to visit. Gillian Hill had rescued him from his
room, and also she had been one of the few neighbours that had given Debbie
(Franklin’s mother) the time of day. A kindly woman of middle age, who always
seemed to have a smile on her face, her husband Paul was much the same. He was a
policeman…one of the old school who believed in discipline tempered with caring
and evenhandedness. They were a popular couple in the street and were often the
first port of call for any of their neighbours with problems.

Franklin looked forward to their visits, and was always
upset when they had to leave, counting down the days till they would come
again.

Gillian Hill had been the only person to notice that
Franklin was not himself after his attack, asking him gently probing
questions…begging him to trust her.

But even to her Franklin said nothing…he was so
desperately ashamed of what had happened to him, he would never tell…never.

It wasn’t long before Franklin found out that Mr Gray
wasn’t the only man who inflicted himself on the children in the home. One
afternoon, as he was wandering round the garden by himself, he heard one of the
younger girls crying and went to investigate. He saw her struggling to free
herself from the grip of a man who was holding her tight on his knee…he had his
hand down her panties and was telling her to keep quiet, laughing at her
struggles. Franklin saw red and rushed at the man shouting at him to let the
girl go. The man, shocked at the intrusion practically threw the little girl
off his knee and ran after Franklin who, after his moment of bravery, had taken
to his heels through the garden. He easily caught Franklin and held him roughly
up against a tree.

‘And just what do you think you’re doing boy?’ the man
said angrily towering over Franklin as he struggled to free himself, ‘sneaking
around and prying into things that don’t concern you…don’t you be thinking
about running and telling tales to anyone about this you hear me. You’ll be in
a lot of trouble if you do…you don’t know who I am do you boy?’

Franklin shook his head terrified.

‘Well I’m a policeman son and I can cause you a lot of
trouble if you go telling tales…you wouldn’t want to end up in prison would
you?’

Franklin gulped and shook his head again.

‘No of course you wouldn’t…so you just forget what you
saw ok, and we’ll say no more about it.’

Franklin dropped his head and nodded, and the man, after
staring hard at Franklin for a moment or two finally loosened his grip and let
him run back into the house.

He never told anyone, not about Mr Gray or about the
policeman. He had learnt his lesson you see, it was not one he was likely to
forget.

Autumn was stealing a day from summer with wall to wall blue
skies and warm sunshine. Tracy breathed in the earthy scents around her as she
pushed Tilly’s buggy down the hill towards the common and the Glory Woods. She
had Buster in tow and he was scampering on ahead, occasionally stopping when an
interesting smell hit his nose, but all too eager for the run that he knew lay
ahead on the common.

Tilly was sitting up in her pushchair gurgling happily at
all that she could see around her.

‘Look Tilly…look at the little bird,’ Tracy cooed as a robin
trilled on the branch of a tree as they walked past.

She crossed the single track road that led up towards the
common; the Glory Wood was up ahead, it’s canopy of trees a vision to behold in
their late autumn finery of reds and golds. Tracy unclipped Buster’s lead once
they were onto the common and he raced off towards the trees, she slowed her
pace, wandering after him and turning her face up towards the warm sunshine.
Once she had walked Buster Tracy had decided that she would go into Kenley and
try and see Carla. She had worried all night about the children she had seen at
the big house, but not only that she was a bit concerned about Louisa. It just
didn’t make sense that she had gone off to do some concert at a moment’s
notice; for one thing she had invited Tracy and Simon for dinner one evening
this week, surely she would have phoned Tracy to let her know that the dinner
was cancelled. And then there was the little matter of her wheelchair still
being in the kitchen….

Tracy was jolted out of her daydreaming, when she suddenly
became aware of the thud thud thud of running feet behind her seconds before
something hit her hard on the back of the head, and everything went black.

She woke up shivering with cold and surrounded by
darkness…it was so dark in fact that she couldn’t see her hand in front of her
face. There was the metallic taste of blood in her mouth where she had bitten
her tongue; Tracy shook her head trying to clear it, trying to make sense of
what was happening to her. Disorientated she tried to sit up causing a blinding
pain in the back of her head, she touched her head with her hand…it came away
wet with blood. Her brain didn’t seem to be functioning properly, she had no
idea how she came to be in this place. She appeared to be lying on a hard mud
packed floor, she tried to stand once more, gritting her teeth against the pain
as she raised herself slowly only to cry out in pain again as she hit her head
against the roof which wasn’t even as tall as she was. Tracy sank down again
hugging her arms around herself against the cold, trying to force herself to
remember how she had got here.

She had been walking, she knew that much…it had been sunny
she had been thinking how lovely the day was, a bird had been
singing…TILLY…TILLEEEEE!

Shaking with fear, Tracy stood up as tall as she could and
started blindly feeling her way round the walls of her prison, her panic
pushing her on to find a way out, she was shaking and sobbing thinking about
her baby left alone in her pushchair on the common. Or had she been
left…another thought took hold, Tilly being taken by some stranger, terrified
and crying for her mummy.

‘Ooooh god….TILLY….TILLEEEEE,’ she began screaming,
‘HELP…HELP, SOMEONE PLEASE …HELP ME!’ Tracy was sobbing and gulping as her
panic again took hold, she had no idea who could have done this or why. But she
knew she had to get out of here and find her baby daughter. With shaking hands
she began to rummage through her jacket pockets looking for her mobile phone,
nothing…she let out a groan of frustration as she remembered plugging it in to
recharge before going out for her walk. Whimpering and fearful Tracy again began
trying to feel her way along the walls to a door or window or any sort of
escape route.

The walls were solid…bricks Tracy thought as she ran her
fingers along the cement in between each one, she continued round until she
came to a wooden door frame with a round metal handle, she grabbed at the
handle and shook the door violently, it was tightly locked.

Tracy put her mouth up to the door and screamed as loud as
she could, ‘HEELLPP….PLEEASE SOMEBODEEE HEELLP ME…PLEEAASE…’ she carried on
shouting and pounding on the door until her throat was sore and she could
barely make a sound, sinking back to the ground she put her head in her hands
and gave way to her desolation.

There must have been a chink of light coming in from
somewhere and, as her eyes began to get used to the darkness, she began to make
out shapes around her. It appeared to be a storage room of some description,
there were a few boxes in one corner and some old plastic flower pots and what
looked like tins of paint. Tracy scanned the room trying to get her bearings,
when suddenly the air seemed to rush out of her lungs and her heart nearly
stopped…someone was there…in the room with her…sitting in the corner. Someone
had been watching her all the time that she had been screaming in desperation and
clawing at the door.

Tracy moved towards the figure, ‘Who are you?’ she asked in
barely a whisper, ‘What do you want with me, why don’t you let me go…I...I left
my baby…’ Tracy could barely go on, ‘Pleeeease …my baby, she’ll be needing me…’

The figure in the corner didn’t respond, didn’t even seem to
acknowledge Tracy. Tracy shuffled over nearer to her captor, she could make out
the outline of a face quite clearly now…but whoever it was wouldn’t look
Tracy’s way, just kept staring ahead as if in a trance.

Maybe this was another prisoner who was in shock Tracy
thought. ‘Are you ok…do you know where we are?’ she tried edging still
closer…she thought she must be quite close to whoever it was now, although it
was so dark she could still only make out shapes and shadows, her silent
companion just kept her profile to her… seemingly unaware of Tracy’s presence.

Suddenly Tracy remembered she had Maggie’s lighter in her
jeans pocket, she had confiscated it at the last cauldron meeting saying Maggie
had smoked far too much for one evening. Maggie had tried every trick in the
book to get it back from her but Tracy had held firm. The crafty cow had just
ended up getting one from Hank the barman though and sneaking outside for
another fag whilst Tracy was on the loo. Thinking about Maggie and the witches
nearly set Tracy off again but she took a deep breath and started hunting
through her pockets again…she was certain these were the jeans she had worn
because she had put them away when she got home to wear another day. Yes there
it was in her back pocket; Tracy carefully held it up in front of her.

‘I’ve got a lighter here,’ she said to the figure in the
corner,’ it might help us if we can see what we’re doing.’

She flicked the lighter…it burst into a weak flame which illuminated
just the small area in front of her…she could see the figure before her…Tracy
moved closer, holding the light closer to see her face. ‘Nooooo!’ Tracy let out
a wail of terror as Louisa’s frozen, lifeless eyes stared back at her…she
stumbled backwards falling against the door…just as the door itself began to
open.

Cowering on the floor in terror, Tracy looked up from where
she lay at the huge silhouette that was framed inside the door way, he was
carrying a torch which lit up his face eerily, but even without the light it
was a face that would strike fear into most hearts. Covered in tattoo’s it
looked like it had been split open on one side by the huge scar that ran from
eye to mouth. Tracy let out another piercing scream of terror before sinking into
unconsciousness onto the dirt floor below.