The House Across the Street Page 23

  ‘There’s his car!’ Perkins exclaimed, pointing out the parked Jaguar caught in the panda car’s headlights. ‘Think we’ll need backup?’

  ‘Our coshes are backup,’ Withers said grimly. ‘I’ll be happy if he tries to fight us. By all accounts he deserves a good kicking.’

  ‘No lights anywhere,’ Perkins remarked as they got out of the car.

  ‘That’s a good excuse to kick the door in,’ Withers said gleefully, and with one thump from his size eleven boots, the door swung open.

  Withers tried the light switch but nothing happened. Perkins shone his torch about in the dark hall and spotted the fuse board. ‘The electricity’s been switched off. Could she have done it before she left?’

  Once he’d switched the power back on they looked in the first room to their right. There was nothing in it but a shabby blue sofa, stuffing coming out of its arms. Several old newspapers were scattered about, the most recent over a week old, and an almost overflowing ashtray had been left on the windowsill. There was a fireplace too, with ashes and cinders still in place. The faded chintz curtains were closed.

  The room opposite, across the hall, held only a double bed with a sleeping bag and pillow lying on it.

  They pressed on then, heading into the kitchen at the back of the cottage. That was in a pre-war time warp, with an oilcloth-covered table, an ancient coal stove, an old butler’s sink and a kitchen cabinet with a drop-down enamel-covered door. Reilly had been using a camping gas ring. There were a saucepan and frying pan next to it, and a few tins of food – baked beans, corned beef and soups – in the cabinet. But it didn’t look as if he’d prepared any food recently.

  ‘Maxwell, the estate agent, said he bought it a few years ago to do it up and live in it,’ Withers said thoughtfully. ‘If that was so, I would’ve expected to see bags of concrete, lengths of timber and plumbing stuff. But there’s nothing. Why hasn’t he started the work? And where is he now?’

  A faint sound made them turn to see another door in the small corridor. It was a substantial one, quite different from all the other doors. It had two heavy bolts shot across it, and yet keys were hanging from the lock.

  ‘I think he’s in there,’ Withers exclaimed. ‘It must lead to a cellar. Look at those bolts; no one puts those on an interior door unless they plan to lock someone in. By God, that girl must’ve turned the tables on him!’

  ‘It would be good to leave him for a few days,’ Perkins laughed. ‘A taste of his own medicine. But I suppose we can’t do that.’

  They heard a sound again, and Withers drew back the bolts and unlocked the door. The stairs behind it were steep, and there was another door at the bottom.

  ‘Police! Stand back from the door and put your hands up,’ Withers commanded in a loud voice. He looked at Perkins and grinned. ‘Let him think we’re armed,’ he whispered.

  Perkins unlocked the door, and as the door opened Withers raised his truncheon, expecting Reilly to try and get past them and escape.

  But instead, he was sitting on the bed holding a piece of cloth to his face.

  He didn’t even move or show any emotion when Withers told him he was arresting him for abduction, arson and the murder of two women. He then read him his rights.

  ‘I didn’t do any of that,’ Reilly said weakly. ‘You’ve got the wrong man.’

  ‘Sure, sunshine, and the moon is made of blue cheese,’ said Perkins. ‘You captured the wrong girl, that’s for sure. She really turned the tables on you.’

  Withers put the handcuffs on him none too gently, and only then did they see the burn, right down the side of his face, and his scorched hand.

  ‘Hurts, does it?’ Withers asked.

  Reilly nodded.

  ‘Well, so it should. You deserve pain.’

  Perkins went up the stairs first. Withers pushed Reilly to go up after him and then followed on behind.

  ‘We’d better get the boys up here to collect evidence, sharpish,’ Perkins said. ‘With the front door damaged anyone could get in.’

  18

  The first two days in hospital Katy was aware of very little. She vaguely remembered coming back from theatre, after they’d set and plastered her broken arm and ankle, and a nurse telling her she was in a private room. But the painkillers they gave her were so strong that in between checks on her blood pressure and temperature, she kept drifting back to sleep.

  But on the third day she had felt alert enough to ask for a mirror to see her face, and even said she was feeling hungry. The ward sister said that was evidence of recovery. While sympathizing with Katy at the sight of her battered face, she pointed out that the swelling had already gone down and the bruising would soon fade.

  Katy felt she shouldn’t whinge about her face – after all, she had survived. Besides, looking at all the flowers and cards in the room, she felt truly loved. The extravagant pink roses were from Charles, with a lovely card saying he’d be visiting her just as soon as she was well enough. All the staff at Frey, Hurst and Herbert had sent flowers, and there were more from Joan and Ken, with a note saying they were so relieved she was safe now.

  The funny card from Jilly was her favourite. It depicted a woman in bed in full make-up, wearing a fluffy bed jacket and eating chocolates, and said: ‘Some people will go to any lengths to get some attention.’ Each time she looked at it she smiled.

  Then, to Katy’s complete surprise, her mother arrived. She was wearing her brown musquash coat and matching hat, which she only ever wore on special occasions. She was also wearing Tweed perfume; it reminded Katy of church on Sundays when she was much younger.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Katy exclaimed.

  ‘It appears I’m visiting you,’ Hilda said, putting a bouquet of spring flowers down on the bed and sliding a small suitcase under it. ‘The case has clean nighties, toiletries, and clothes for you to come home in. This is a right pickle you’ve got yourself into.’

  If Katy hadn’t been so moved to see her mother, she might have been hurt by the accusatory tone she used, especially as she was feeling very weak. But knowing Bexhill was over fifty miles away, it did prove that Hilda cared far more about her than she’d ever let on.

  ‘I’m so pleased to see you,’ Katy said, and held out her one good arm for a hug.

  Surprisingly, Hilda moved closer and really hugged her. ‘It’s been so worrying. Rob said he thought the man would kill you.’

  ‘Well, he didn’t, and I managed to get the better of him. But at the moment it doesn’t feel like much of a triumph, I still hurt too much.’

  ‘Your pretty face looks so sore,’ Hilda said, reaching out to gently touch Katy’s cheek. ‘What a terrible business! And you look so thin.’

  ‘That will soon be rectified, once my mouth gets better. I feel hungry now.’ Katy wanted to grin, but any slight movement of her face still hurt. ‘But do sit down, Mum, and tell me how you’ve been.’

  Hilda pulled up a chair and sat down, her handbag clutched on her knees, as if afraid someone would snatch it. Katy waited; she could almost see her mother’s thought processes. Should she apologize? Maybe act like she hadn’t actually been horrible? Perhaps even hope that her daughter might have lost her memory?

  ‘Well?’ Katy said pointedly.

  ‘I’m sorry for the things I said, and for not being more supportive before you went to London. But I was afraid for you, and it looks as if I was right to be.’

  Katy wanted to laugh. It was so like her mother to justify her behaviour.

  ‘You were nasty, Mum,’ she said wearily. ‘But you are here now, so let’s draw a line under it. How is Dad? I sincerely hope you didn’t shut him out when they released him?’

  ‘No, I didn’t,’ she said, and at this she looked ashamed. ‘He came home and we’ve had a good talk about it all. He brought me here today. He said he’d let me come and see you first and he’ll come up with Rob later.’

  Katy was very glad to hear that her parents were trying to make it work, and she
was thrilled her brother would be with her in a little while.

  ‘That is really good news,’ she said. ‘But when I get home we’ve got to talk properly. There’s a lot I don’t understand about you, Mum, and I think you really need to explain yourself and tell me about your past. Will you do that?’

  ‘I’ll try,’ she said and looked down at her lap, as if wishing her ordeal would end. ‘Does that mean you won’t be going back to London to work?’

  ‘No, it doesn’t, Mum. Even if they don’t keep my job open, I’ll still want to live in London.’

  ‘Charles, the barrister, is he your boyfriend?’

  ‘I had one date with him, Mum, so I don’t know where that leaves us.’

  ‘But he’s been chasing around looking for you. He was the one who rang us to say you’d been found. It sounded like he was in love with you.’

  Katy did manage a giggle at that. ‘I never expected you to become a romantic!’

  ‘I always wanted you to have a kind, loving husband and a nice home.’

  ‘Just like you had?’

  ‘Yes, I do have all that. Perhaps I didn’t always appear to appreciate it. Michael Bonham, your father’s solicitor, came to see me. He talked about what some women go through with their husbands. I realize now that Gloria Reynolds was a very kind woman.’

  ‘Are you my real mum or an imposter?’ Katy asked jokingly. She could hardly believe her mother would actually admit she’d been in the wrong. ‘And how is Rob?’ Katy thought she had better not push for any further apologies.

  ‘He’s okay now you’ve been found, but he was frantic. Well, we all were. I’ll go in a minute and let him and your dad come up.’ She paused, clutching her handbag even tighter, and her lips quivered. ‘You’ll never know how scared we all were. We had begun to think you must be dead. All I could think was that I’d never told you how precious you were to me.’

  ‘Oh, Mum!’ Katy’s eyes filled up. She had never, not even in her wildest dreams, imagined her mother saying she was precious to her. ‘I thought about you a lot, too. It helped me get through those cold, lonely hours in the cellar. But that’s all over now, and I can’t wait to have one of your lovely dinners.’

  Hilda got up and leaned forward to kiss her daughter’s cheek and to hug her again. ‘I’ve been very silly, haven’t I?’ she said in a small voice. ‘Michael Bonham told me his wife had a similar problem and she got medication to help her. I’m going to the doctor tomorrow to see what he can do.’

  ‘That’s good, Mum. We’ll all do what we can to help you.’

  ‘At the moment you are the one who needs all our help,’ Hilda said. ‘You were subjected to a long and vicious ordeal. You must have thought you were going to die. So you won’t forget any of this quickly, if ever.’

  ‘Well, that’s a bit doomy, Mum,’ Katy joked. ‘To think I imagined I’d be out on the town in a couple of days.’

  Surprisingly, Hilda smiled. ‘You always did have the knack of looking on the bright side. But let me get your dad and brother, they can’t wait to see you.’

  Rob bounded into the small room, bringing a smell of fried food with him. Her mother and father hung back a little.

  ‘You’ve had a big breakfast, I can smell it,’ she said as he hugged her. ‘I could just eat that myself.’

  ‘As soon as we can take you home, that’s what you’ll have,’ Albert said, elbowing his son out of the way so he could hug her, too.

  ‘You look a bit thin,’ Katy said. She reached up and touched her father’s cheek; it felt fragile and papery, like a dried leaf.

  ‘The prison food was awful. And of course I was worried about you and your mum. But a few good dinners with you back in the house and I’ll be fine.’

  As the three of them clustered around her bed, for once all in unison, all there for her, she felt a surge of love for them. She hadn’t got the energy to tell them more about her ordeal yet, or even ask them questions. Maybe she’d never want to talk about it much, but suddenly her home seemed like the only place in the world she wanted to be.

  ‘I had a word with your doctor and he won’t discharge you for at least a week,’ Albert said, as if reading her mind. ‘Your chest infection is still there, plus he needs to know you can cope. With both a broken ankle and a fractured arm, it means you really can’t manage two crutches. I said we can bring a bed downstairs for you and I can push you around in a wheelchair. But even after me giving it my all to get you home, the doctor still said no – for now, anyway.’

  ‘I so much want to go home,’ Katy sighed. ‘And it’s too far for you to come and visit me here.’

  ‘After I’ve taken your mum and Rob home, I could come back and stay in Dover somewhere,’ Albert said.

  ‘Oh, Dad, you won’t like that, you’ll be bored stupid.’

  ‘She’s hoping Charles will come to visit,’ Rob teased. ‘From what I heard, the night you were found he hung around here all night.’

  ‘Did he?’ Katy asked.

  ‘Not just him – Jilly was here, too. They only left because the doctor said he wouldn’t allow you visitors,’ Albert said with a wide smile. ‘I got that from the receptionist downstairs. I can’t wait to meet the man who went to such lengths to find my daughter.’

  ‘Jilly was just as brave and wonderful,’ Hilda said. ‘She dragged men out of the pub to take her up to that house. She found you, unconscious and out in the cold, in a muddy lane. If she’d waited for the police to act, you might have been dead by then. I’m just so sorry I used to have such a poor opinion of her.’

  Katy could only look from one dear face to another, her heart melting with love for them. She knew they wanted the full detailed story, but she felt too weak to attempt to relive it all. She hadn’t even got enough energy to ask what had happened to Reilly.

  ‘It’s been so lovely to see you all, I just wish I could be a bit livelier for you,’ she said. ‘But I’m really weary, so I think you should go home now. I’ll be back with you before you know it.’

  They looked disappointed, but they didn’t argue. Rob said he’d be going back to university in the morning, and Albert said it was high time he got back to Speed Engineering. ‘I don’t want them finding they don’t need me any more,’ he said with a smile.

  Hilda came closer to Katy and hugged her. ‘I can’t wait to get you home and cook all your favourite meals,’ she said.

  Katy gave one last wave as they disappeared from view, out in the corridor, and sank back on her pillows. Her mother’s final words rang in her head and she wondered whether it would be twice as difficult to leave home next time.

  ‘Charles, how lovely to see you,’ Katy said, when he surprised her by coming through the door with a huge bouquet.

  It was now a week since she’d got away from Reilly, and four days since her parents and Rob came. She’d begun to think Charles had lost interest or was too busy to come so far to see her. Thankfully, she’d got the nurse to wash her hair for her yesterday and she’d put on the new, pale blue frilly nylon nightie her mother had bought her.

  ‘I wanted to come days ago, but the ward sister told me your chest infection wasn’t clearing up, and you were worn out by visits from the police.’

  She knew then that he must have been ringing the ward daily. Sister was something of a dragon. She’d insisted that Katy rest more, keeping her broken ankle elevated, and that the police officers didn’t tire her too much with their questioning.

  ‘The chest infection is almost gone now, thank goodness,’ Katy said. ‘It was horrible; it hurt when I coughed, and I felt really poorly. I’m so glad they let me stay in this private room. At least when the police come I don’t have a whole ward gawping at me.’

  ‘It was important to keep journalists out, too,’ Charles said. ‘There were a few of them downstairs just now. They don’t give up easily.’

  Charles sat on the edge of her bed and leaned forward to gently kiss her lips. They were still bruised and a bit puffy, as was her whole f
ace. But despite that, the kiss sent a delicious frisson of wanting more throughout her body.

  ‘Hmm,’ he murmured. ‘I’ve been dreaming of kissing you for so long.’

  ‘And you don’t mind me looking a fright?’ she said.

  He put one hand gently on her cheek. ‘You don’t look a fright to me. You look like the bravest girl I’ve ever met, each bruise is a badge of courage.’

  ‘Or stupidity,’ she suggested. ‘If only I’d told someone where I was going, or if I’d left Edna’s notebook back at the house with Joan and Ken. But anyway, enough of me! Why are you here midweek? Surely you’ve got clients to defend.’

  ‘I rearranged things,’ he said, smoothing her hair back from her face. ‘I wanted to see you too much to wait any longer. So now tell me what’s been happening. Have the police been driving you mad?’

  ‘Making my statement was the worst thing; they went over and over it. What he said, what I said, how he hit me and why, every last thing. I think I confused them even more by saying he was nice sometimes.’

  She went on to tell Charles about the night she was sick and Ed stayed with her, bringing the eiderdown and the electric fire. ‘I don’t think he knew how to kill me,’ she explained. ‘I suspect he hadn’t got it in him to do it close up, like stabbing or strangling. Will he hang?’

  Charles shrugged. ‘I doubt it. The anti-capital punishment brigade are gaining support, and in general I’d say rightly so. But when I look at what Edward Reilly has done, it’s hard to offer up a reason for reprieving him.’

  ‘So he’ll get a life sentence, then?’

  ‘Yes, but that won’t happen overnight. There is still so much the police have to look into. They think he may have committed other crimes. The doctor’s wife from Hampstead is missing, with her children; it seems he was seeing her when she was living near Eastbourne. They are also opening up old, unsolved cases that are similar. What I am intrigued by is how he managed to track down Gloria, Edna and the doctor’s wife, yet didn’t find his own wife, Deirdre. Could the almoner back at the Whittington Hospital have spilled the beans? Or was it the older lady in King’s Cross who told him? We won’t get anything from her now, as it turns out she died last year.’