The Paradise Trees (21 page)

‘Okay. So, that might be something then. But when he was cutting my hair, he was enjoying hurting me, humiliating me. I could hear the pleasure in his voice.’ She jumped up and tore
a piece of kitchen paper from the roll. ‘And I can feel there’s still something more, but I don’t know what it is, except I was much, much younger.’

‘Don’t think about it,’ said Frank quickly. ‘You’ll drive it underground if you do. He was a brute and a bully, Alicia. And you were a strong kid and you’re
still strong, you’ll get through this. Leave it for now, we’ll see what Cathal can remember if Sonja finds him.’

‘Right,’ said Alicia. She stared at him for a moment. His face was pale, and there was a rigid set to his mouth that wasn’t usually there. Suddenly she felt, well not better,
exactly, but definitely relieved. She had unburdened herself to a friend and he had reassured her. Painful, but not something she’d have to do often. Maybe just talking about it, accepting it
like Frank had said, was enough. And now she should do something to lighten the load she had placed on his shoulders.

‘You know,’ she said, sitting down again and wrapping cold hands round her lukewarm mug, ‘I think I prefer our conversations when we’re talking about stolen cars or
diets.’

He made a face at her. ‘So do I. I don’t like to think of you being so unhappy.’

She smiled determinedly. ‘Well, like you said, I survived, didn’t I? Like you did when Nell died.’

‘Sonja’s been telling you I was a real mess back then, hasn’t she?’ he said, and Alicia nodded. ‘Well, she was right. It was just so sudden, Alicia, she got up that
day as usual and we did all the normal Saturday morning stuff and by dinnertime she was dead and I really don’t remember too much about the next few days. It was horrible. But it’s in
the past. You don’t grieve forever, though you do remember, of course.’

Alicia reached out and squeezed his hand. ‘And because you remember, Nell’s still with you inside.’

He smiled, and she could see there were tears in his eyes. Sonja definitely had nothing to worry about.

‘Yup,’ he said. ‘Anyway, I’ll let you get on, you’ll have things to do before Jenny comes home.’

Alicia glanced at the clock and shot to her feet. ‘Look at the time, I was supposed to pick Margaret up ten minutes ago. Frank, thanks. You’re a star.’ She grabbed her car key
and bag, and he followed her out to the driveway.

‘You’ll get through this,’ he said gently.

Alicia nodded. He was right. As usual. ‘I know I will. In the grand scheme of things it’s not important, is it? The important things are Jenny, and Margaret and her family –
and my friends – like you. And none of you are going anywhere, are you?’

He stared again, then grinned without speaking, got into his car and turned the key in the ignition. Alicia watched as he turned into the lane.

She drove back to Middle Banford feeling charged. She was coping, she was a survivor. Okay, if she hadn’t come back to stay in her father’s house she might have lived the rest of her
life in blissful ignorance about what had happened. But she would move on. And she would start the moving on by phoning Margaret when she arrived in St. Joe’s car park. No way was she going
back into her father’s room today.

Very soon now Jenny would be home, and tomorrow she would phone Frank and ask him out to dinner and they would talk like normal people. Definitely. And she would enjoy every minute of it,
wouldn’t she? Of course she would.

The Stranger

The strident ring of the alarm clock blared across his bedroom, but he was awake and dressed already. It was Saturday.

His day had come. This was his hour. He was completely focussed, in fact he had never felt so calm. Plan B. And thank goodness, the weather was being cooperative; exactly as forecast, warm July
sunshine was splitting the skies. A positive omen if ever he’d seen one.

He looked at the letter in his hand and smiled. How happy little Helen would be when she saw it! The very beginning of Plan B was the part he had least control over, and that was little Helen
going to the woods. But they had made their arrangements and it would be terrible luck if big Helen stopped her going for some reason. There was no reason why that should happen, was there?

The idea of leaving her a note had come to him the previous evening, and he’d written a very brief one as he was unsure how much she could read. He would place it under a pretty stone, on
one of the white napkins he never used, in the very centre of the ring of trees. It was exactly where he planned to send her to Paradise tonight, but of course she had no idea of that. He knew just
what to write to intrigue her. ‘Queen Titania, wait here until I come. I’ve got some baby kittens, and a
big
surprise for you! King Oberon.’

The bit about the kittens wasn’t true, of course, but again, she wouldn’t know that. Her sweet little face would light up like the sun when she saw a note from the fairy King
himself. He chuckled as he strode towards his car.

How fitting it was that Plan B would begin in the very same place as it would end for little Helen. The Paradise trees.

Alicia

The whole house seemed brighter now that Jenny was back, fast asleep in her room with Conker on the floor by her bed. Alicia took a sliced loaf from the freezer to make toast.
Margaret was in the shower, so she would get breakfast ready. Breakfast for her daughter. Lovely.

Paul had been very punctual, she had to admit. He and Jenny had arrived well before Alicia’s nine o’clock deadline, and Jenny had hugged her father fondly before rushing inside to
see Conker and Moritz.

‘Back safe and sound, and in good time too,’ he said, smiling sarcastically. ‘And we both had a blast, so there’s no reason not to repeat the experiment. I’ll be in
touch.’

Alicia managed a return smile and a brief ‘thanks’, but she knew the expression in her eyes would be telling him a different story. However, for the moment everything was back to
normal. And Jenny had certainly enjoyed the two days with Paul. They had spent their time in museums and shops, as the weather hadn’t been brilliant, and the little girl bubbled over talking
about her experiences. Daddy had bought her two pink t-shirts and a Minnie Mouse watch, and the food had been wonderful too, they’d had pizza, and hamburgers, and fish and chips with a giant
pickled onion.

Alicia opened a packet of bacon and glanced out over the garden. How peaceful it was here. Birdsong and fluffy white clouds, and with Jen back and her father away she could begin to enjoy
herself. It was actually a really good feeling. She had achieved all she’d set out to do when she came here, and more. Her father was safe in a very good place, Margaret was realising that it
was for the best, and Jenny was loving having a cat and a dog and had resumed contact with Paul, although that was a bit of a mixed blessing. And herself? Well, she wasn’t proud of the way
her father had landed in St. Joe’s, but no harm had come of the episode. She had re-established contact with the Carters, and she had even been dating, even if that had turned out a bit
complicated.

Most important of all she was coming to terms with what had happened to her as a child. Frank was right, she
was
going to get through this. She was a strong person and she had people
here to help her.

Her mobile buzzed in the living room, and Alicia hurried to answer it as the clicking of claws on the wooden floorboards upstairs told her that Jen and Conker were up.

It was Frank. ‘Hi Alicia. Just wanted to check you’re okay after our talk yesterday, and that Jenny got home alright?’

‘We’re both fine, thanks. Jen loved her trip but I’m glad to have her back under the same roof. Um, Frank, how about that dinner? My treat. Are you free tomorrow
night?’

There was a fraction of a second’s pause, then she heard the nervous pleasure in his voice.

‘Perfect,’ he said. ‘There’s a great Italian’s in Upper Banford.’

‘Sounds good. I’ll drive, shall I? Pick you up at seven?’

Alicia stood grilling bacon, aware that she was looking forward to dinner with Frank almost as eagerly as she’d anticipated dinner with Doug. This time she’d make very sure she got
the chance to repay some of his kindness over the past couple of weeks. She would forget all about romance and prospective relationships and just be a friend.

‘Mummy! What’s for breakfast?’

Jenny was skipping up the hallway, her face shining and Moritz under one arm. Alicia laughed aloud. Let the weekend begin.

The Stranger

The sun was shining through the trees and spreading dappled shadows as he drove along the narrow country road to Middle Banford. The letter was waiting in the middle of the
clearing, little Helen couldn’t fail to see it. Now for the old man.

St. Joe’s was still getting organised for the new day when he slid in a side door. There were always a couple of white coats on a stand outside the offices on the ground floor, and he
shrugged into one. Really, the weekend was by far the best time for his plan. With no secretaries around the ground floor was deserted, and at this time in the morning there wouldn’t be any
visitors upstairs either. Sure enough, he arrived at the ward door without seeing another soul.

Getting to the old man unseen was the tricky bit, but luck was on his side. The only nurses in sight were right at the other end of the ward, clearing away breakfasts, going in and out of the
rooms. He waited until no-one was in the corridor and then strode along and into Bob Logan’s room. The old man was up, slumped on a chair with his cloth cap clutched to his chest; his
roommate snoring away fully dressed on top of his bed. What a hellish place this was, he was doing the poor old chap a favour here. What must it be like, to end up like this? Swiftly, he produced
the syringe he had filled with a sleeping drug and squirted it into Bob Logan’s mouth, then held the rubbery lips closed until he swallowed. The old man hardly moved a muscle, he hadn’t
even realised that anything had happened.

He paused in the doorway, peering down the ward until the nurses were all in the rooms again before darting back to the stairwell. Down, down, and away. It was time for little Helen.

Alicia

Jenny licked her spoon after the last mouthful of Coco-pops had disappeared and beamed across the table at Alicia and Margaret.

‘
That’s
better,’ she said deeply. ‘They only had cornflakes and muesli at Daddy’s hotel yesterday morning. And yoghurt and croissants and jam and honey and
eggs and stuff. And I had pineapple juice, Mummy, it was lovely. Can we get it here too?’

Alicia’s heart contracted with love. Right now she’d have bought Jenny the entire contents of the village shop, it was just so wonderful to have her back again.

‘We’ll look. We’ll find some in Merton, if Mrs Mullen hasn’t got any.’

‘Yum. Can I go up to the woods with Conker?’

‘Teeth first,’ said Alicia, gathering the breakfast plates together. ‘I’ll make you a little picnic. I’ve got housework and washing to do first this morning, but we
could go to Mr Taylor’s for half an hour before lunch, if you like. And how about spag bol for tea tonight?’

‘Woohoo!’ Jenny dashed off upstairs, Conker in tow as usual. He hadn’t let Jen out of his sight since she’d returned, thought Alicia, amused.

‘Pineapple juice is expensive and sweet,’ said Margaret disapprovingly, pouring herself more coffee. ‘Orange juice is better for children.’

Alicia grinned at her aunt. ‘I know, I know, but let me spoil her today, Margaret.’

Whistling, she spread a roll with the crunchy peanut butter Jenny loved and put it in a bag with an apple. Jen knew that Conker looked forward to his apple cores so it was an excellent way to
encourage her daughter to eat the rest of the apple. Alicia grinned to herself. Being a Mum was fun, even with all the problems attached.

Jenny danced into the kitchen for her picnic, and raced up the garden towards the woods, Conker dashing ahead. Alicia looked at Margaret and they both laughed. You’d think the child had
been away for a fortnight and was expecting major changes in her palace. What a cutie she was. Right. Now, before she got caught up in the fascinating ritual of changing the beds, she would just
text Sonja.

‘All fine here, Frank good too, how’s St A’s?’ she keyed in.

The reply appeared within minutes: ‘V. golfy, freezing, might have found C, will call tonight.’ Alicia grinned. Her friend had never been the sporty kind.

She and Margaret did the beds and then began to sort through her father’s clothes. It wasn’t much of a fun job, thought Alicia dismally. She was emptying the washing machine when the
phone rang. Margaret answered it, speaking briefly before appearing in the kitchen doorway.

‘It’s Douglas Patton,’ she said, looking anxiously at Alicia. ‘He wants to talk to you.’

Alicia stared. Was Doug going to ask her out again, so soon? Or no, of course not, how stupid she was – how conceited, too – he would be at work so this was a lot more likely to be
about her father. She hurried down the hallway to the phone and grabbed the receiver.

‘Doug? Is everything alright?’ she said, surprised to hear how steady her voice sounded. Inside, she felt more than a little shaky. Had her carelessness last weekend affected her
father after all?

‘Alicia, hi. It’s nothing very serious as far as we know at the moment, but Bob is very drowsy and unresponsive today,’ he said.

‘Should we come in?’ she asked, gripping the receiver with a suddenly cold hand.

‘I think that would be best,’ he said, his voice warm in her ear. ‘He’s in no immediate danger, so don’t rush. See you soon.’

Alicia slammed the phone down and turned to Margaret, who was clutching a tea towel to her chest, her face pale.

‘He said it’s probably nothing much, but Bob’s a bit drowsy today,’ said Alicia gently, rubbing Margaret’s thin shoulders. ‘I said we’d go in and see
him now, so you get your jacket and we’ll be off. I’ll just give Jen a shout.’

Margaret scuttled off upstairs without a word, and Alicia stood at the back door and yelled for Jenny. Of course there was no answer. She shouted again, then pulled out her phone and rang
Jenny’s mobile, gritting her teeth when she heard the answering ring tone waft down from upstairs. Well, of course, the mobile was for emergencies only, she had said so herself.