Cold Revenge (Willis/Carter #6)(73)

Heather laughed. ‘I’ll come for a while later on.’

Cathy went inside the bungalow. Nicola was in the bathroom, she had run a bath. She helped Cathy undress.

‘You get in first,’ said Nicola, and Douglas came into the bathroom and sat watching Nicola wash Cathy.

‘Is Heather going to join us?’ Douglas watched as Nicola squeezed a warm soapy sponge over Cathy’s shoulders. Nicola was naked; her body was white as alabaster, her ginger hair and milky complexion didn’t lend itself to tanning. Her nipples were pink, her breasts small, but heavy. Her shoulders were narrow and her waist tiny but her bottom was voluptuous. The bathroom was steamy hot.

‘God, no, Heather is still a virgin,’ answered Cathy.

‘She can stay a virgin,’ said Nicola, ‘it’s just a massage. Just a little feminine love-in, that’s all. Heather is not going home tonight, Jimmy, isn’t that good?’

‘She says she’ll sleep in the field with Murphy,’ said Cathy. ‘That’s her idea of heaven, but she has no idea what heaven actually feels like.’

Douglas stood and opened a cupboard and pulled down a bottle of raspberry vodka. ‘This is my own special brew and it’s just for girls I’m in love with.’

Cathy giggled. Nicola leaned back and opened her mouth as Douglas poured the liquid into it. It dribbled over her chin and she leaned over Cathy and passed it into her mouth.

‘Heather is going to have some night, then?’ said Douglas.

Cathy smiled. ‘Heather is going to have the most special night of her life.’

Heather looked back as she walked away with Murphy and saw Nicola watching her from the window. She looked at her watch; it was seven-thirty. She had a long evening ahead. She took Murphy back to the yard to get his supper and then she walked him up to the field where they would spend the evening. As they got into the field she felt for the letter in her pocket. She had instructions. Ash said she was to wait for him, he had got a car, and he was going to pick her up on Saul’s side of the main road, two fields up from Saul’s house and well away from the lane. She was to go there at twelve, when the party would be in full swing and there would be so many people at the party no one would notice her. Saul had not asked what was in the letter but, when she’d asked him, he’d promised to look after Murphy for her if she wasn’t around for a while.

‘Where are you going?’ he’d asked, unfazed by what she said and the fact he knew she was going to run away.

‘I don’t know yet. I’m going with a friend, I’ll be okay.’

‘You call me if you’re not. I’ll look after Murphy until I see you again.’

Heather had reached up and kissed his cheek.

Heather watched the evening grow steadily dim as she sat on the grass listening to the party and the music. She sat so still that rabbits came out and looked at her. A badger scurried past. Murphy carried on chewing the grass. The party had a glow around it, there were sparks from the fire. There was laughter and the sounds of guitars warming up and there was a magic in the summer air that made Heather feel sick with excitement.

At ten o’clock the party was packed and the music was thumping under the summer skies. Murphy never strayed far. He wandered around near her, sometimes coming to nuzzle her as she whispered to him. She saw the people arrive, their cars parked up in the lane and down the main road around the approach to the lane, although most people had come out on foot. It was the warmest night so far, it was sweltering and Heather had forgotten to bring any water. She stood, her bottom numb from sitting, her throat dry, and she walked back across the field. Heather heard the phone ringing in Saul’s cottage as she passed. Back at the farm the phone rang there also but nobody answered it.

As Heather entered the gate to the bungalow, Nicola put the phone down and came out of the front door. The party was all around. The lane was full of people.

‘Heather, you came!’ Nicola was happy to see her and took her by the hand, Cathy hugged her.

‘Come with me!’ Cathy led her by the hand into the bungalow and through to the sitting room. The patio doors were wide open, the party was everywhere. The rooms were full of people Heather didn’t know. Cathy took her into the bathroom and opened the cupboard where Douglas kept the vodka. ‘Here.’ Cathy handed her a glass. ‘I saved this for you, just in case you came, and here.’ Cathy dipped her hand into a plastic container hidden in the cupboard and pulled out a wrapped bag of sugar lumps. ‘You can be my little pony for the night, come on, pony, eat your sugar lump.’

Heather stared at it; she didn’t like the look of it much. Cathy made a sad face. ‘You have to drink it and take your sugar lump. Here, like a good little horsey.’ She stretched out her hand flat on which sat the cube of sugar laced with LSD. Heather giggled nervously as she ate it off Cathy’s palm.

Heather tasted the sweet vodka as Cathy led her out onto the patio where Gavin was smoking a spliff. He handed it to Heather who shook her head. He grinned at Cathy.

‘Heather and I are going to party,’ Cathy said. ‘We are celebrating, aren’t we, Heather? Drink up.’ She poured more drink into Heather’s tumbler. ‘Come on, Heather, let’s go and see who’s here and have a dance, see if we can find you a good-looking boy.’ She led her by the hand out to the field and Heather felt her heart start racing as she danced and drank. She looked at her watch and realised she couldn’t focus on it. She put down her drink. ‘I need some water,’ she said, walking back towards the bungalow and feeling like the ground was moving beneath her feet. Gavin stopped her and spun her round and she fell down. Stephen hoisted her to her feet again and helped her to walk into the bungalow. She went into the kitchen and Nicola poured her a glass of water as she kept asking her how she was feeling.