For Better For Worse (37 page)

*

Once they’d got over the initial shock, it was decided that Sarah should go to Kaye’s bedside straight away. Apparently she had been asking for her. Lottie was too upset to go and Annie had elected herself in charge of the children and the house. Bear promised to make sure Sarah got home before the morning when she would have to take Jenny to school. After whizzing around the house to collect her coat and handbag, she was ready.

Bear had a car waiting in the driveway and took her arm as they went outside.

‘Have you any idea how bad this is?’ she asked as they began the journey to Horsham Hospital.

‘It’s serious,’ he said simply. They drove in silence, each left to their own thoughts.

Bear was wondering if the woman next door was satisfied now that she’d seen Sarah being taken away in a police car. If she didn’t stop phoning the station with her malicious stories, he’d have to go and have a word with her. He’d seen the gossip column in the
Gazette
and he had a shrewd idea she was the source. What did it matter that Cllr Mitchell’s daughter had had a baby? It was nobody else’s business but theirs. According to the police radio, Mrs Goodall had been ringing in again to say that she’d seen another prowler. The local bobby had been detailed to keep an eye out, but her call was regarded as more of a nuisance than anything else.

He was also chewing over something else. Someone in the Met had contacted Sussex police about the theft of a valuable diamond brooch from a Bond Street jeweller. The memo also mentioned a certain Henry Royale, late of Horsham and Winchester prison because there was a suspicion that he may be in the Worthing area. Bear had already checked every hotel and boarding house, but no one of that name was staying in the town. Bear couldn’t forget the unsolved case of Mrs Hartley, the body on the beach. Henry’s name had come up then. What was it about this man? Persuasive, unscrupulous, cool under pressure, he had a complete lack of regard when it came to the way his plans and schemes affected others. He had already wrecked Kaye’s life and Sarah’s and Annie’s. True, the three of them had picked up the pieces in an admirable way, but no woman deserved to be treated the way they had been. Even the thought of it made him feel angry. How he longed to throw caution to the wind and tell Sarah how he felt about her. Feeling as he did about her and having her so close and yet untouchable was tearing him to ribbons. She knew he couldn’t court her without police permission, but if the powers that be kept him waiting much longer, he’d have to resign. He had never felt like this about a woman and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. As for Henry, had he simply run off or was there something more sinister afoot? He had to protect Sarah and the girls and his gut feeling was that Henry should be back behind bars. And how much of this should he divulge to Sarah? He glanced over at her. Even in the dimly lit car, he could see she was pale and anxious. Right now he didn’t want to add to her misery. She was upset about her friend and he was afraid that the outcome might not be good.

*

Sarah was worried about what she might find when she saw Kaye. Bear had said it was serious. What did that mean? Serious in that she was going to die or serious in that she was going to need a lot of help to recover? There was no doubt in Sarah’s mind that if Kaye needed looking after, she would be there for her every step of the way.

‘What was she doing driving a car?’ said Sarah, suddenly remembering that Kaye had bought a rail ticket to travel.

‘There was someone else with her,’ said Bear. His tone was measured. ‘She wasn’t the driver.’

Sarah’s chest tightened. It must have been the friend Kaye was staying with in London. ‘Who was it? Do you know?’

Bear took a deep breath. ‘The car belonged to Henry.’

‘Henry!’ cried Sarah. She turned her head sharply. ‘Henry was driving the car?’ A mixture of anger and disbelief surged through her body. Henry was supposed to be coming back for Annie and Edward. What the hell was he doing in a car with Kaye as a passenger? Then she realised. Of course. Henry was on his way back to Worthing to fetch Annie and Edward. He must have seen Kaye and offered her a lift. She’d squared the circle but somehow it still didn’t feel right. ‘Is Henry hurt as well?’

‘We’re not absolutely sure that she was with Henry,’ said Bear, keen to qualify his assumptions, ‘but the driver of the car is missing,’ and the turmoil inside Sarah began all over again.

‘I’m sorry. I don’t understand.’

‘To be honest, neither do I,’ said Bear. ‘Kaye has been drifting in and out of consciousness. We have a policewoman by her bedside and, as soon as we can, we’ll try to piece together what happened.’

Sarah wiped her eyes. ‘If you’re not sure who the driver was, does that mean he ran off when the accident happened? He didn’t stay and help her? How could he do that?’

The brokenness in her voice tore at Bear’s heart. He longed to reach over and squeeze her hand, but for the moment he had to be the professional.

*

Bugger. He’d planned to do it tonight but now it would have to wait. Just his bad luck that some bloke in a car was there on the very day he’d decided to talk to her. He didn’t bother to hang around. It was cold and he had to get home before he was missed. He walked back up the drive and, looking up, he saw an old woman up in the bedroom of the next-door house watching him through binoculars. Putting up two fingers, he walked away.

*

Horsham Hospital was an attractive building. It was built in the Arts and Crafts style and the main entrance faced the gateway. To the left and right, there were trees and shrubs and the single-storey buildings were on three sides, giving it a cottage feel.

‘We need you to find out as much as you can, Sarah,’ said Bear as he parked the car. ‘Whoever was in that car is responsible for Kaye’s injuries and we need to catch him.’

‘Surely you’re not suggesting that he tried to kill her?’

‘Not at this stage,’ said Bear, ‘but the fact that he ran away from the scene of an accident is a criminal offence.’

Sarah nodded. ‘I understand.’ Her throat was as tight as a drum and she could feel her whole body trembling inside. Kaye, oh Kaye …

As they hurried through the entrance, Sarah caught a whiff of disinfectant and floor polish. The soles of their shoes squeaked on the highly polished linoleum floor and as they passed the children’s ward she could hear a child crying for her mother. The sister in charge of the ward was sympathetic. Sarah’s heart sank as she told them about Kaye’s condition. ‘Her pelvis is broken and she has internal bleeding,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid she’s far too unstable for anything more than bed rest at the moment. We are doing the best we can, but quite frankly, the cancer is so advanced, there seems little point in trying to prolong her life.’

‘Cancer?’ Sarah gasped.

‘Didn’t you know?’ said the sister, her face reddening. ‘Even before the accident, your friend had only weeks to live at best.’

Sarah staggered and she was aware that Bear had put his hand against her back to support her. Everything seemed so unreal she didn’t know how to react. Yesterday everything was perfectly normal, but now she was being told Kaye already knew she was going to die. It seemed grossly unfair. It couldn’t be true. She had no idea Kaye was so ill. She recalled that coughing fit a couple of months ago and she knew that sometimes Kaye was breathless, but cancer … Kaye must have gone to the doctor, but she’d never said a word. Could that have been why she was up in London?

‘Mrs Royal, Mrs Royal?’ The sister had touched Sarah’s arm. ‘Are you ready for me to take you to her now?’

Sarah nodded dully and turning to Bear, she said, ‘Will you come with me?’

Kaye was in a room on her own. She looked as white as the sheet which covered her and they were giving her a blood transfusion. A policewoman rose from the chair next to the bed and picked up her cap from the locker as they walked in.

‘Anything?’ Bear whispered as she brushed passed them both. The policewoman shook her head and moved out of the way so that Sarah could get near. Sarah went to the bed and, sitting in the chair, she slipped off her coat and picked up Kaye’s limp hand.

‘Kaye,’ she said gently, ‘Kaye, it’s Sarah.’ Kaye’s eyelids moved slightly as if she was struggling to wake up. ‘I’m here now. It’s Sarah.’

It seemed daft repeating the same thing over and over again, but Sarah had no real idea if that movement meant anything or if Kaye could hear her or even if she was aware of her presence. She saw her lips move but there was hardly a sound. She stood up and leaned over putting her ear close to Kaye’s mouth. ‘I didn’t hear what you said. Tell me again.’

‘My baby was born … and he killed her …’

Sarah frowned. She was rambling. She didn’t know what she was saying. Kaye didn’t have any children.

‘What are you talking about, darling?’ Sarah had never used such a familiar term before but it slipped out easily. The lump in her throat was a mile wide. ‘Your baby died, Kaye. That’s what you told us.’

Kaye’s eyes opened wide but she seemed to have difficulty in focusing. ‘Henry …’ It was an effort to get the words out. ‘She was alive. A pillow …’

Sarah frowned. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t understand.’

‘He told me …’ Kaye gasped. ‘He killed Bunny Warren’s baby.’

Sarah glanced up at Bear. His expression was set in stone. Kaye suddenly looked at Sarah as if seeing her for the first time. Her otherwise limp hand seemed to find a strength of its own as she grabbed hold of Sarah’s cardigan. Her eyes were wide with panic. ‘Keep him away,’ she rasped painfully, ‘from Edward.’

Kaye fell back to the pillow and closed her eyes. She was still breathing, but Sarah looked up helplessly at Bear. He met her gaze then opened the door and shouted, ‘Can we have some help in here please?’

*

‘She will be all right, won’t she?’

Lottie and Annie were back in the kitchen where Annie was making them both a cup of cocoa. Lottie had spent most of the evening quietly crying.

Annie put her arms around her shoulders. ‘Of course. She’ll be fine. You know Kaye. She’s as tough as old boots.’ Lottie gave her a wan smile.

Annie had never been in such close proximity to Lottie for so long before, but they were united in their overwhelming concern for Kaye. For the first time, it occurred to Annie how much they all owed her. If she hadn’t thrown open her doors, where would they all be? Speaking for herself, she would most likely have been forced to give Edward up. She certainly wouldn’t have a nice little job and her mother wouldn’t have the grandson she adored. Lottie might still be in that terrible institution. From what Kaye had told them, the place where she was living was meant for people who were mentally ill. Annie couldn’t imagine how dreadful it would be to be locked up all day with no hope of release … and Lottie had been there for years and years. No wonder she had seemed a little odd at first. And as for Sarah, she had actually been homeless. Kaye had found her sleeping in a shelter overlooking the sea. Annie felt ashamed that she had turned her nose up at Sarah for that very reason. She shouldn’t have done it. It wasn’t Sarah’s fault, and there but for the grace of God … The more Annie thought of it, the more she realised her debt of gratitude. She decided that in the morning she would buy Kaye a big bunch of flowers. She would write her a note as well, thanking her for everything, and when she got out of hospital, she would go out of her way to be helpful.

The milk boiled and Lottie blew her nose. Annie poured the milk over the cocoa powder and stirred vigorously, but when Lottie reached out to take her cup, Annie screamed and dropped it. It smashed on the flagstone floor, but neither woman paid it much attention. The man staring into the window had scared them half to death. They were both too busy running from the room in terror.

Lottie and Annie huddled beside the radio in the sitting room early the next morning. After seeing the face at the window, even though they’d telephoned the police and the local bobby had come and checked the garden, neither of them had slept well and they were exhausted.

Last night, when he’d come with the awful news about Kaye’s accident, Bear had told them that he’d arranged for an SOS message to go out on the Home Service of the BBC.

‘And here is a message for Henry Royale of Horsham. Will Henry Royale, last known to be living in Horsham in Sussex, please go to Horsham Cottage Hospital where his wife Kaye Royale, also known as Kaye Hambledon, the well-known writer, is dangerously ill.’

By the time the pips began to herald the news bulletin, Annie had switched the wireless off.

‘I don’t understand why Sarah hasn’t telephoned us,’ said Annie. ‘She must have known we would worry.’

‘Poor Kaye,’ said Lottie. ‘I do hope she’s going to be all right.’

‘I’d better get a move on,’ said Annie, glancing up at the clock. ‘Are you sure you’ll be all right looking after the girls on your own?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ said Lottie.

Annie hurried from the room, calling over her shoulder as she went. ‘You will let me know if you have any more news?’

‘I’ll ring the hospital at nine and then send a message with your mother,’ Lottie called after her.

Lottie didn’t get to the telephone until after she’d taken Jenny to school. By the time she got back to Copper Beeches with Edward in the pram and Lu-Lu walking beside it, Mrs Mitchell had arrived.

‘In view of what’s happened,’ she said, after Lottie had briefed her, ‘would you like me to take Lu-Lu with me? It’s not warm enough to go into the sea, but she might enjoy a paddle and there are other children playing nearby.’

‘Are you sure?’ said Lottie, secretly relieved. She not only wanted to contact the hospital but she also wanted to ring the police and ask them if anyone else had reported seeing the man they’d seen peering into the kitchen window after Bear and Sarah had gone. ‘What about her lunch? Will you be bringing her back?’

‘I could do,’ said Judith, ‘but I could easily stretch my own lunch for her.’

‘Or I can stop by with a sandwich,’ Lottie offered.

‘Yes, why don’t you,’ said Judith.