When Sorry Is Not Enough (3 page)

Jumping into his car Luke acknowledged that it had been a good idea to hire a car at Heathrow Airport as he now had wheels to get over to Sally quickly. Turning on the ignition he sniggered out loud when he remembered that Maggie had offered to accompany him on the journey. He hadn’t even bothered to respond to that outrageous suggestion.
Oh aye, no way would Maggie ever go anywhere with him.

Before he knew it he was breaking the speed limit in Commercial Street and was furious when the traffic lights turned to red and he had to come to an abrupt halt at the Shore junction. Be that as it may, this enforced stop gave him time to look about. A sly smile crossed his face when he looked over towards his old police beat. Glancing to his left he could see the side of the King’s Wark pub and he knew that lying adjacent to it was the Four Marys – Sally’s little gold mine – where tonight his sister Josie would be pulling pints. His eyes then strayed to the chain pier and the Forth estuary behind it and he remembered how further down the Shore the body of Marie, Irish’s wife, had been pulled from its watery grave. At that very moment he became more convinced than ever that he had to find out exactly what had happened to Marie and who was really responsible.

Everyone has regrets in life and knows that they let someone down. Luke knew he had put his own self interests in front of Irish’s. The chance to have his dreams come true when he was offered the Hong Kong posting was just too big a temptation.
Besides
, he argued with himself,
what could he have done?
The prejudiced, lazy, blinded two Leith CID officers, as he saw them, had the case all sewn up.

A car blasting its horn to alert Luke that the lights had now turned to green had him quickly move his car forward but he was still thinking back. Thinking back to when he had hated his now beloved sister Sally.

Driving towards Dunfermline he was acting on autopilot. This was because he still had a need to get things about Sally straightened out in his mind. Always his thoughts had to stray back to when he believed that Sally had prematurely and unlawfully ended his beloved mother’s life. He sniffed and grunted when he thought of that fateful Saturday in the Four Marys bar when he found out that Sally was innocent.

All the family was there that day; Sally and his other sister, Josie, his stepsister Daisy, Sally’s children, and Angela, the niece he never knew he had until she arrived from America to face up to her mother Josie who had given her away in 1945.

Nobody had expected that old Jock Thomson was going to use Angela’s farewell party to unburden his soul. They all thought he had invited himself there to do some story-telling and they were completely stunned and flabbergasted when he started confessing his lifelong affair with their mother. This continual dalliance had resulted in him not only fathering Peter, Sally’s deceased but still beloved eldest brother, but also Sally, Josie and Luke! If that wasn’t bad enough he had gone on to say how he had, as a Leith Police Constable, carried out the birching on poor defenceless Peter. Trying to lessen the horror of what he had done, he went on to tell them that the court had sentenced Peter to detention in the Industrial School but his and their mother, his paramour, had said, ‘No – birch him!’

An uneasy silence had followed which was eventually broken by Luke when he haltingly asked Sally if the disgraceful treatment of Peter, when he was just a fourteen-year-old slip of a lad, was the reason she had hastened their mother’s departure from this world.

‘No. But God in heaven knows I wanted to,’ was Sally’s indignant reply. Then, in almost a whisper, she had told them of the suffering she and Peter had endured from their mother. When she finished with her heart-rending account, not a sound could be heard in the saloon. Luke knew for sure then that instead of putting his mother on a pedestal it should have been Sally that was hoisted up there. He then had bowed his head to hide the tears that were streaming down his face.

Reliving these memories was hard for Luke. It was an unexpected relief for him when he realised he had arrived at the Dunfermline Infirmary. Breathing in, he pushed the hateful reminiscences back into his subconscious where he hoped they would remain.

Sally had been transferred from the accident and emergency department into a general ward. The admitting nurse there assured Sally that she would probably be discharged the following day. This was because her injuries from the accident, although very painful, were not serious. Relieved, Sally had gone to ask if there had been any enquiries about her and the nurse had just said, ‘No. Not yet,’ when Luke strode into the ward.

‘It can’t be you,’ Sally sobbed as she attempted to get out of bed to greet him.

‘Whoa, whoa,’ he exclaimed whilst pushing her back down on her pillows. Very gently he then took up her hand and kissed it. ‘And as to it no being me, it cannae be onybody else but me,’ Luke replied before searching in his pockets for a handkerchief to wipe Sally’s dripping eyes and nose. ‘Now, are you able to tell me how you got yourself in here and when we can get you out?’

Sally shook her head. ‘I will get around to that but first I want you to go and make enquiries about Nancy.’

‘Nancy who?’

‘You know fine Nancy from the docks. And you know very well in her life before she came to work for me she had numerous aliases.’ Sally hesitated and sighed before going on. ‘But I think the legal one might be White.’ Sally nodded her head before adding, ‘So go right now and ask about a Nancy White.’ Tears sprang to her eyes again. ‘Oh Luke, some involved in the crash didnae make it and I am terrified one of them is Nancy. I couldn’t live with that.’

‘What did you say your friend’s name was?’ asked the hospital receptionist, who had obviously taken a liking to Luke.

‘Know it’s Nancy and it might be followed by … White or some other colour.’

‘No White on my list,’ the woman answered. ‘And before I search further, are you sure she was involved in the accident?’ Luke nodded. The young woman then donned a coquettish smile before adding, ‘Know what, I’m beginning to think you’re a reporter trying to take advantage of a naive young lassie.’

‘Naw. Naw,’ blustered Luke. ‘I came in looking for my sister and I found her in Ward Four and she was driving her pal, Nancy White, and she somehow has got lost in the system or something.’

The woman was not convinced but it was evident she did fancy Luke. Tantalisingly licking her lips she simpered, ‘Like to try another shade, big boy?’

Luke nodded and winked. ‘What would you suggest? Hot, cold or …’

‘Well if I was you,’ she drawled, ‘I would go for a cool but exotic experience.’

Luke thought,
This is ridiculous. Here am I trying to find Nancy, a one-time scarlet woman, and this naive lassie, who is young enough to be jailbait, vamping me. But aw, to hell – so I’ve got to humour her and think of a colour a Fifer would think exotic. Well as the only thing they’ve got going for them is the Forth Rail Bridge, should I suggest orange? Oh, but I forgot there are the coal mines so should I go for black or brown in the hope that this Goth-like lassie thinks one of them is exotic?

He was thankfully saved from further contemplation when the damsel was summoned from behind her desk to take the mail from a porter. This allowed Luke, an expert at reading upside down, a quick scan of her register. Halfway down the page he noticed there was listed a person called ‘Blue’.

When the receptionist returned to give him her full attention again she was delighted when he said, ‘How about Blue? That’s it. And like her name she’s always on the cold side.’

The lassie, who was still determined to flirt with Luke, smiled broadly before pointing him in the direction of Ward Three. ‘Mind you,’ she called out after his retreating figure, ‘if anybody asks you how you found out where she was – remember it definitely wasnae me!’

Luke only gave the young woman a cursory backwards wave. He was in a hurry. He was on his way to see this Miss Blue.

He couldn’t keep a big grin growing over his face because if this Blue woman was Nancy then she was alive – and that would be the news he wished to take to Sally.

When he barged through the Ward Three doors he was whistling. Being used to flashing his warrant card and then progressing anywhere he wished to go, he was taken aback when a staff nurse put up her hand and asked, ‘And where do you think you’re going, my bonnie lad?’

Hesitating, he wondered whether he should turn on the charm which usually worked wonders for him. Or should he try the official ‘I’m a policeman on official duty and you have no right to bar my way’? Then he remembered he had no official standing in Scotland now. ‘Look,’ he began with a little chuckle, ‘I just wish to say hello to my sister’s friend, Nancy Blue.’

The nurse shook her head. ‘You would be wasting your time. She’s not really with us.’

‘She’s not dead?’

‘No,’ the nurse inhaled deeply before going on, ‘she’s with us in body but she would appear unable, or unwilling, to interact with anyone. Difficult it is to know how to help her so we’ve sent for a psychiatrist.’

‘A head shrinker for Nancy? You’ve got to be joking. Don’t you realise Nancy is a street fighter?’

‘That right? Well that will be past tense now because,’ the nurse looked up the ward towards a woman slumped in a chair before adding, ‘right now she’s incapable of doing battle with a wet paper bag.’

‘Look, please let me try to talk to her.’

‘Okay. But I hope you’re a ventriloquist.’

With an air of optimism Luke approached the Nancy Blue woman. Although the woman’s face was hidden, because her head was slumped down onto her chest, a feeling of relief immediately washed over him. The distinctive mop of curly hair in front of him could belong to none other than the Nancy he was looking for.

Drawing up a chair he sat in front of her. ‘Well now,’ he began, ‘I’ve just come from Sally and she’s doing well. But what she wants to know is – how about you?’

Not only did Nancy not reply but there was also no body movement – not even a blink of an eye.

Being a trained detective now, Luke felt he had the experience to get through to Nancy and have her talk, but ten minutes later he had to admit defeat.

On his departure from the ward he approached the nurse again. ‘Couldn’t get any response from her,’ he reluctantly admitted. ‘Have you any idea what’s wrong?’

‘Well there is the extensive bruising to her face but no broken bones there. As you can see we have strapped up her left arm because she has a broken collar bone – that will be very painful but in most people it wouldn’t result in deep melancholy.’ The nurse shrugged. ‘Suppose in time she may respond.’

Luke knew he had to tell Sally the truth. But what was that? Nancy was alive, and she had no life-threatening or even serious injuries. Just a broken collar bone, extensive bruising to her face – all minor wounds which meant she could be released tomorrow – but there was this worrying deep, deep depression she had sunk into.

‘You say she’s responding to no one because a morbid gloom has descended on her?’ Sally, unable to hide her scepticism, asked. Then for a while she pondered before saying, ‘Right. Help me to get to her.’

Luke did as Sally bade and when Sally sat in front of Nancy she signalled for Luke to leave but to also draw the screens around them.

A short three minutes later Luke and the Staff Nurse were surprised when the screens were opened and Sally emerged to say, ‘It’s all right. I know what’s ailing her. Get her ready to leave tomorrow then we’ll get her home and sorted out.’

‘You do know you’ll require to take her to see a psychologist or some other psychiatric practitioner?’

Sally laughed before spluttering, ‘Psychologist! And what use would he be to Nancy? Naw, naw, all she needs, once her face swelling goes down, is a visit to a dental technician to get a new set of false teeth!’

‘What?’ Luke guffawed loudly. ‘But with the life she’s led.’

Sally shot him a warning stare before pointedly saying, ‘We are all proud and have levels we’ll not sink beneath and in Nancy’s case when she smiles she likes people to see her as being toothsome and not gummy!’

Sally’s good friend and business confidante, Ginny, always seemed to have a solution to any problem. Today she had persuaded Pauline, one of the beauticians from the exclusive Jenners department store, to come down to Sally’s with the view of making Sally presentable for her younger sister Daisy’s wedding.

As soon as Pauline entered Sally’s home and witnessed her bruised and battered face her enthusiasm for an urgent but well paid make-up job visibly waned. Nonetheless, her professionalism surfaced and without uttering a word she started to unload her case of tricks onto the table someone called Maggie had provided.

‘Okay,’ Pauline muttered as she turned to size up the damage to Sally’s face again, ‘and … just how long is it since you were … ?’

‘Dragged out of the ring after having lost ten bouts to Cassius Clay?’

Pauline, infected by Sally’s sense of humour, laughed. Sally also giggled before informing, ‘Three days and the bruises are much worse now. But look, dear, just do your best. I just have to be able to go into the church, you know St Philip’s along the way there, and see my wee sister married. What I mean is I want everybody to be looking at the beautiful bride and not me, the side freak show’

‘Okay, sit down here and I’ll see what I can do.’ Pauline then turned Sally’s face this way and that way and after what seemed a long time she sighed and said, ‘Don’t suppose you’d consider hiding behind a thick veil?’ Sally shook her head. Pauline sniffed and began to twitter nervously before saying, ‘Fine. I’ll do my best but just you remember I am a make-up artist and not a bleeding magician.’

‘After all your worries, you did enjoy yesterday,’ Luke said as he buttered himself another piece of toast.

Sally nodded and a sly smile crept up her face. She didn’t need to try hard to remember yesterday. It would be a day she would always remember especially as Daisy would be immigrating to Canada today and memories would be all Sally would now have of her.