Cold Revenge (Willis/Carter #6)(101)
He walked onto the lane and down it, past the road, keeping out of sight of the bungalow before stopping outside Heather’s house, up at the end of the field that bordered the farm. He stood and waited for what seemed like forever, as the hours passed until she saw him from her bedroom window. She slipped outside and ran up to hug him as they crouched and whispered in the hedgerow.
‘I saw the fire, was that your van?’
‘Yes. I have nothing left here of mine now,’ said Ash.
‘We still have each other. Nothing and no one else matters.’
‘I’m leaving now, Heather, it’s not safe for me here.’ They hugged one another. ‘Don’t trust anyone here, Heather, believe me, none of them are our friends. They are getting madder every day in the bungalow. I’ve done things I can’t get out of my mind, things I can’t forget. Terrible things. I don’t know who I am any more. But I’m going to meet with my gran and we’ll make a plan about Mum and I’ll write to you as soon as I can.’
‘Write to Saul’s.’
‘Yes, okay. I’ll address it to Murphy. Oh God, Heather, I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be sorry. Just come and get me and we’ll be fine, you and me. Don’t forget me, promise?’ Heather pleaded.
‘I could never forget you.’ He hugged her. ‘You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m going to be waiting, every day. I will get word to you, don’t worry. I’ll get it all organised and get my mum sorted, then it’ll be just us.’
She nodded but her eyes were full of panic.
‘I have to get my mum to a safe place, you understand, don’t you, Heather? There’s something so bad about Jimmy and Nicola, and the others; you never know what they’re thinking. They don’t care about anyone. Don’t ever trust them, promise? Remember that when I’m not here.’
‘I will, I promise. I’ve been saving to get away. I have money for us to live for a while,’ she said.
‘That’s good, we’ll need to just hide away until your birthday, then it will be legal for us to be together. They can’t force you to return home after September.’
Heather came to see Saul the day after the van had been burned down and Ash had left. Saul had seen him go.
‘Is everything all right, Heather?’
She hesitated, nodded and then smiled.
‘Saul, can I ask you a favour? Can I get things sent to your home instead of mine? Like letters?’
‘Sure, you’d better address it with your initials in brackets by my name, otherwise the postman will probably take it to your house.’
‘Thanks, Saul; it will be addressed to Murphy.’
Midnight, Saturday 22 July 2000
Saul watched Heather as she left for the party at ten that hot evening. He lost her in the crowds of people and the lights and music and he was about to climb over the gate and see what had happened to her, when he saw her come running out of the bungalow. She climbed the gate to Forge Field and he saw her fall to the ground several times as she ran across it. He strode after her, calling to her, trying to catch her up, but she just kept running from him. He looked back and saw Nicola and the others hovering at the gate before they turned back to the party. He saw Douglas leave and walk past the gate as he walked away from the party and down the lane. Then he saw Douglas’s van pull up at the entrance to his field, by the main road, where Saul parked his blacksmith’s van to stop any gypsies trying to get into his field. He saw the lights for a few seconds and then they were gone. Next he heard a door being opened and he heard the sound of the back of the van being opened. He heard Murphy blow through his nostrils as he ate the grass and heard him start moving. Saul hid and watched as Douglas stepped up beside Murphy; he had a length of material in his hand, he had it curled in his fist behind his back. He watched Heather run again, wobbly on her feet, and he watched her stop dead in her tracks. Murphy looked at her and seemed to sigh loudly. Heather turned to run but Douglas grabbed her and picked her off her feet. He smothered her mouth with the blanket and in seconds he had her in the back of the van until Saul stepped up out of the darkness and brought his hammer down onto Douglas’s head. With great care, he picked Heather up and carried her to the front seat of his blacksmith’s van and strapped her in and drove.
Chapter 52
Saul had finished packing up his house. The place was sold. He headed up to Wales on a bright June morning, driving into the heart of the Brecon Beacons and parking up outside a stone farmhouse. Getting out of the car he stretched his weary bones and went across to an ancient old horse who had watched him arrive with interest and walked across to greet him at the fence.
‘He never forgets you.’ A woman appeared from the cottage with two children who ran over to welcome Saul. The woman was dark-haired and dark-eyed with a beauty reminiscent of an Italian Renaissance painting.
She walked across to greet him with a carrot in her hand for the horse.
‘Here you go, Murphy.’ She smiled at Saul, kissed him on his cheek. ‘It’s good to have you home. Ewan is just out tending the sheep, the flock is growing all the time. I’m milking them now to make cheese, it’ll be great to have help.’
‘Are you happy, Heather?’
She smiled and nodded. ‘I’m happy.’