Murder With Mercy (21 page)

‘
You
didn't. You were always saying “no” to me.'

‘He handed me the hard part of parenting. It was always I who had to tell you that too much sugar was bad for your teeth, or that you couldn't have two pairs of very expensive shoes when there wasn't enough money to pay for them. He always wanted everything to be sunny side up when he talked to you, and he left it to me to warn you when your temper got out of control.'

‘Whose fault was that? If you'd given me what I asked for—'

‘When it was bad for you? Is that the right way to show love to your child?'

‘You were always too busy or too tired to take me to ballet classes. I had to go on my own.'

Ellie set her teeth. ‘I arranged for you to go with a friend, didn't I? I hardly stopped from morning to night, looking after you and your father. Oh, what's the use? I did my best by you and by him.'

‘Not good enough.'

That was one word too many. ‘Listen to me, my girl. I've put up with your nonsense from the day you were born because I loved you, and worried about you, and agonized how best to bring you up. But you weren't the only person I had to think about. There was your father, and your great-aunt, and then, I don't suppose you knew about them, but—'

‘Oh, grant me patience! You're not going to go on about “the little children who were not meant to be”, are you? Daddy would tell me every now and then that I was going to get a little brother or sister, but they never arrived, did they?'

‘No. I lost three early. One I nearly carried to term, but …' She stopped. She'd lost that one because Diana, in a rage, had given Ellie a push at the top of the stairs and she'd tumbled down them and lost the six-month foetus. She said, ‘Only one nearly made it. That sort of thing takes it out of you.'

‘Well, you had me.'

‘Yes,' said Ellie, feeling weary enough to weep, ‘Yes, we had you. And we loved you, even if we couldn't give you everything you wanted.'

‘And you're still letting me down.'

Ellie closed her eyes for a moment. ‘You are old enough to know better, Diana. Now, if you don't mind, I've got two invalids in the house who need me far more than you do. If you're well enough to go in to work, then I suggest you appoint one of your staff to look after the office while you take some leave. After all, you can't mean to work for a while after you've had the baby.'

‘I don't plan to be away for more than a week.'

‘Are you planning to take the baby into work with you?'

‘Heavens, no. I shan't breastfeed. Evan will have to get a nurse in for it.'

Ellie blinked. Yet, what had she expected? Diana hadn't breastfed her first, either. Diana hauled herself out of the big chair and processed to the hall. She picked up her big coat with an effort and shrugged herself into it. ‘I suppose that you'll be free to accompany me to the hospital when the baby decides to come? Evan can't, and I shall need someone with me.'

Ellie's mind zigzagged between Diana, her two invalids and Mikey, in trouble up to his eyeballs. ‘If you can last out a couple of days, I'm sure Thomas will be over the worst of it. Vera is on the mend, too.'

‘As usual, you put everyone else before me.'

Ellie didn't reply to that.

A
s soon as Diana had gone, Ellie corrected the volume of the bell on the telephone. She saw the answerphone light was winking, decided to ignore it and zipped into the kitchen. Rose was stirring something in a big pan. Soup for lunch, hopefully. Rose was singing along to something on the radio. She waved to Ellie, but didn't suspend operations. The washing machine was churning away. No Mikey as yet.

There were no more lemons to make into lemonade. Ellie found a bottle of elderflower cordial in the larder which was just about in date and made up a jugful to take upstairs.

Thomas was back in bed. Snoring gently. He was restless and far too hot. She put the jug on the table in the window, poured him out a glassful and left it by his bedside.

Up the next flight. Vera was relaxed, still in bed, awake but drowsy. She'd almost finished the jug of lemonade which Ellie had made earlier.

‘You shouldn't have bothered to come up again. I can make myself a cuppa when I need it, and my headache's almost gone. Where's Mikey?'

‘Gone for some more fruit. Back soon.'

‘Who were those people this morning?'

Ellie grimaced. ‘Mikey's been missing school. He needs a good talking-to. Don't you bother about it for now. The weekend's coming up, and he's going to turn over a new leaf next week.' Fingers crossed.

Vera was on the verge of tears. ‘He is naughty. I've told him and told him, but I thought he'd mended his ways. I didn't want to worry you, because I thought I could deal with it. I've had two notes from school about his being away for the odd afternoon, but he's been keeping up with his homework. I've checked. So what is he up to now?'

Ellie sat on the bed, patting Vera's hand. ‘He's bored at school and wants to try his wings. Yes, we have to put a stop to it, but perhaps we might think about getting him into a school where the teachers would stretch him. He's bright enough to sit for scholarships in a private school.'

Vera blew her nose. ‘But with his record from his current school—'

‘Money talks. If necessary I'll cover his fees. For now, my dear, the best thing you can do is put his naughtiness out of your mind and rest. Get well. Would you like me to bring in the television from next door?'

As fast as tears ran down her pale cheeks, Vera wiped them away. ‘No thanks. I'll get up soon and sit next door for a while, if my head lets me. At the moment, every time I stand up, I feel faint. I knew something awful had happened to Mikey when I saw those bruises of his, but he said he'd fallen down the stairs here, chasing Midge. Was that true?'

He'd actually used his voice to speak to his mother? Or had he mimed his ‘accident'? Either way, Ellie wasn't going to add to Vera's worries by telling her about the problems at the building site. She'd have to know sooner or later, but in this case, later would be best. ‘He fell down some stairs, yes. He's been checked over by a doctor, and it's just bruises.'

There was some truth there and some papering over the cracks. Vera seemed to accept what Ellie said. She sighed deeply and lay back, closing her eyes. ‘Oh, Mikey.'

‘Take it easy.' Ellie lowered the blind at the window and left. When she was halfway down the stairs, the front doorbell rang. A prolonged, insistent, demanding peal.

Trouble. Definitely.

Ellie opened the front door, and in came Hugh, carrying Mikey in his arms. Mikey's eyes were shut, and he was either asleep or had fainted.

‘He was knocked down,' said Hugh. ‘Crossing the road opposite the site. I don't think anything's broken. Where shall I put him?'

Mikey opened his eyes and began to struggle free.

Ellie sat on the hall chair. ‘Give him to me.'

Hugh deposited the boy in her lap, and she held him tightly. His body melded into hers; his breath was warm against her neck. She rocked him to and fro. He sobbed a couple of times and then was quiet, nestling against her.

How she loved him!

Ellie thought of Diana, and of how her daughter had never sat on her lap to be loved and soothed like this. When Ellie had picked Diana up in the old days she'd stiffened and demanded to be put down. Perhaps you needed to be loved in return, in order to keep on loving?

No, that wasn't right. She still loved her daughter, but with a weariness that made her wonder, sometimes, how much longer she could go on doing so.

She asked Hugh, ‘What happened? He went to the shops for me. He promised he wouldn't go on to the site.'

Hugh sighed, shaking his head. ‘I was up top at the back when one of the electricians called to me to have a look. He was in one of the rooms at the front and had spotted the lad walking along on the opposite side of the road. None of us want the boy on site now, as you can imagine. I saw the boy, too. He was looking up at us. I shook my head to indicate he shouldn't try to come in. He turned away to walk on up the road. He was wearing that bright yellow mac of his, with the hood up. Easy to spot.

‘It was still raining, but not as hard as it had been. Not bouncing off the road. I was concerned he might double back and try to get into the site, so I went on watching him. I knew he'd have to cross the road at some point, to get back home. He went on about twenty yards and looked both ways, to see if it were all right to cross over. There wasn't much traffic about. This vehicle came along, slowed right down. Mikey must have thought he'd plenty of time to cross and started off, but he misjudged it. The driver kept on going. Mikey jumped back but the wing of the car clipped him, sending him sprawling.'

Ellie clutched Mikey even harder. ‘Intentionally? The driver meant to run the boy down?'

‘No, no. The rain, the early dusk, he probably didn't realize … Anyway, we both, the electrician and I, ran for the stairs, and when we reached him, the boy was sitting on the pavement, trembling all over. There was no sign of the car, which hadn't stopped. We carried him into my office, checked him over. There's nothing broken. A bad bruise on his right side. We talked about taking him to hospital but he kept shaking his head, tried to walk off by himself, so I offered to bring him home. I hope we did the right thing.'

‘I'm sure you did.' Ellie held the boy away from her. ‘Mikey, is everything in working order? Nothing broken?'

He shook his head, dived back to hide his face in her shoulder.

‘Did you get the licence number of the car, Hugh?'

‘From that angle on the second floor? In the rain? No. It was all over so quickly. I mean, you don't expect … And for a minute after it happened we didn't react, standing there with our mouths open. Afterwards, we couldn't even agree on the make of the car.' He shot her a look from under his eyebrows. A look she couldn't read. ‘I think it was a Toyota, four door, probably black. Dark colour, anyway. Not silver or red.'

Ellie didn't know anything about cars. ‘You called the police?'

‘We thought about it, but because the boy's in trouble with the police already and there was no harm done except for a bruise, we decided not to. What could we say? A hit and run. Ten a penny. I've got his mac in my car. He was trailing a basket on wheels. I've got that in the car, too.'

‘He went shopping for me. I've got two members of the household down with flu and couldn't leave, so he offered. Now I wish … Mikey, I could shake you! Why weren't you more careful?'

He clung more closely to her by way of reply.

Hugh shook his head. ‘A good night's sleep, that's what he needs.'

Ellie had a nasty thought. ‘Were Preston and his mate Dave working on site today?'

He stared at her, not pleased. ‘Of course they were there, finishing off that bathroom at the top. I tell you, it was an inexperienced driver hitting the wrong pedal. Or Mikey misinterpreting a signal from the driver to cross.'

Mikey shook his head.

Silence.

Hugh fidgeted. ‘I really must get back.'

There was a stir behind them. Rose was standing there, listening. In some distress.

Ellie felt hot tears on her neck. Mikey was crying, too.

Ellie tried to stand up with the boy in her arms. Couldn't manage it.

‘Hugh, would you be a dear and carry Mikey upstairs for me? I don't want his mother bothered because she's in bed with flu. I'll put the boy into the bedroom opposite mine on the first floor, the one which my grandson uses when he has a sleepover. We always keep the bed made up, and there's a bathroom next door that he can use.'

She led the way upstairs. Hugh followed, carrying the child, whose eyes were closed but who had tears on his cheeks.

Ellie opened the door to the bedroom. ‘Here we are. Mikey, how about a shower to deal with those bruises? Yes? Can you manage by yourself?'

They watched the boy walk unsteadily to the bathroom. Then they heard the shower running.

Hugh fidgeted. ‘I really ought to get back.' Yet he didn't go.

Ellie said, ‘Dear Hugh. You've been wonderful. Thank you.'

‘Why won't the boy speak?'

‘It's an emotional thing. Mikey was very fond of his stepfather and couldn't seem to talk for a while after he died. I suppose the doctors have a word for it. Gradually, it went away. Now it's back, and I'm inclined to blame the rough treatment he received from your men.'

‘You can't prove that. Look, I don't want to be alarmist. I like the boy and I'm concerned for him. First he pokes his nose in where he's not wanted, is caught red-handed, and tumbles down the stairs when he tries to escape. Then he mistakes the signal from a car on the road and nearly gets run over. You need to keep an eye on him or something worse might happen.'

She didn't think she'd heard aright. Was that a threat? From Hugh, of all people?

He said, ‘I'll fetch his raincoat and the basket on wheels, and leave them in the hall.'

‘Thank you.' What else could she say?

She saw Hugh drive off and set off up the stairs, again. She could hear Vera calling out, ‘Mikey, is that you?'

Ellie diverted to climb the stairs to the top, paused to press her side where she'd got a stitch, and tried to think what she could say to Vera. Not the truth. No, not yet.

She put on a bright voice. ‘Well, the bad penny's turned up again. Wouldn't you know he's got thoroughly chilled going out in the rain, so he's having a hot shower. He's decided to sleep downstairs, so I'll just collect his pyjamas, pop him into bed in the guest room and get him a mug of hot milk.'

Vera might be unwell, but her instincts told her something was wrong. ‘Let me see him.' She threw back the covers.