Daddy's Prisoner (11 page)

The Idiot whirled around to look at my brother.

‘What the fuck are you two up to?’

I didn’t understand why he was so angry. He’d let me go out with Simon before, he knew we wouldn’t do anything to disobey him.

‘What are you talking about?’ I pleaded. ‘I had a stitch. Simon helped me.’

Dad’s eyes darkened even more.

‘I bet he did. What the fuck has it got to do with him?’

‘I had a stitch,’ I shouted. ‘He rubbed it better.’

The Idiot drew closer to me, his eyes flashing.

‘He did what?’

‘He rubbed my stomach to make the pain go away.’

Dad pushed me by the shoulders and I stumbled back as he started screaming.

‘Is this baby his, then? Is that what this is all about? Are you fucking him?’

‘No,’ I screamed as fear made my heart beat.

‘What are you talking about?’ Simon yelled. ‘What are you saying?’

I looked at him, pleading with him silently to let me calm Dad back down.

‘Simon just helped me, that’s all,’ I said.

‘So what were you up to?’ The Idiot snarled.

‘We had to stop until I felt better. That’s why we were late. There’s nothing else to it.’

But The Idiot would not listen. Suddenly he spun around to face Simon as the veins in his neck bulged and I knew nothing I could say would calm him down now.

‘Do you think I don’t know what’s going on?’ he screamed. ‘Do you think I don’t know what you two are up to?’

‘Nothing, Dad,’ Simon insisted. ‘Nothing at all.’

‘You’re a fucking liar,’ Dad roared as he hurled himself past me at my brother – his hands clenched into fists. ‘Is this little one yours? Have you been messing with your sister? I’m going to fucking kill you.’

Simon darted away as my father lurched towards him.

‘Leave me alone,’ he screamed. ‘Get away from me.’

The Idiot threw himself towards Simon as my brother’s hand closed around the door handle.

‘Come back here,’ Dad roared.

Wrenching open the door, Simon ran outside as The Idiot tried to grab him.

‘I’ve had enough,’ my brother screamed. ‘Do you hear me? You’re fucking mad.’

‘Come back here, you little bastard,’ Dad yelled. ‘Get back here right now.’

‘No. I’ve had enough, do you hear? I’m sixteen now. You can’t tell me what to do. You can’t beat me when you feel like it any more. I’m going to get you charged, see if I don’t.’

The Idiot stopped at the door as Simon ran off. He was panting as he stared after him.

‘He’ll be back,’ he hissed. ‘Now get inside and close the door. We don’t want the neighbours poking their fucking noses in.’

The house had gone quiet as we did what Dad told us but Simon had not come home since the row and now I wondered where he’d gone as I sat with the kids in front of the TV. Would he do as he’d promised? Surely he wouldn’t dare?

‘Can I get a drink?’ Kate asked, and her voice pulled me back to the present.

‘No,’ I said. ‘You stay here and I’ll get one for you.’

Walking out of the bedroom, I started going downstairs. It was quiet in the living room. In fact, the whole house was quiet. Like the silent moments before a storm begins.

The police arrived a few hours later to tell Dad that Simon had made a complaint about him which they were now investigating.

‘He’s out of control,’ The Idiot told them. ‘This is ridiculous. He’s just a troublemaker.’

But the officers just listened silently before telling Dad they’d be back. It was clear they were taking whatever Simon had said seriously and, when the door finally closed, The Idiot started ranting and raving.

‘That little bastard brother of yours,’ he screamed. ‘What the fuck does he think he’s playing at? He’s told them I attacked him and now they say they’re looking into it. I’ll fucking kill him.’

I couldn’t believe it. No one had ever gone against Dad like this before. There was no knowing what he might do now. I couldn’t believe Simon had actually done it. Didn’t he know what would happen to us all?

Dad took a deep breath as he walked towards me, his eyes fixed on my face.

‘You’re to keep your mouth shut, do you hear me?’ he spat at me. ‘If you so much as breathe a word of what went on then you’ll be sorry, do you hear? Don’t say a thing about what happened today. They can’t do anything as long as it’s our word against his.’

I nodded slowly, knowing I wouldn’t dare speak out, whatever Simon had said. All we could do was wait now to see what might happen and for the next couple of days, Dad let me take the kids to and from school but apart from that no one was allowed out. He seemed fidgety, almost scared, as he sat and watched TV, waiting to see what the police would do. He’d hidden us from prying eyes for so long and now they were trained on us again. We’d run from the social workers and police before but this time it felt different and The Idiot was furious because there was nothing he could do. If there was one thing in his miserable life he’d always had power over it was his kids – he’d been able to scare us into obeying him for years and years. But first Michael and now Simon had stood up to him. I knew that if he ever got his hands on Simon then he’d beat the living daylights out of him.

We crept around him, keeping out of his way, anxious not to give him any reason to start on us, as he brooded on what had happened. It was like being in a war and waiting for the enemy to attack. I felt restless because I was sure that if our secrets were told then Dad’s revenge would be worse than anything we’d seen before. Going in to see him in the living room, I would stare at the knife box under the bed or think of the nunchucks – two thick sticks connected with a chain – hidden away or the crossbow in its box. After trying to protect us all for so long, would it be impossible to stop Dad carrying out his threats now one of us had turned against him? I kept thinking about what Simon had done, wondering how he’d dared do it and praying it would not get taken too far because otherwise there was no knowing what might happen to us all.

Nothing happened until a couple of days later when I walked Laura, Kate and Charlie to school and noticed a car parked outside that I was sure I’d seen near our house when we left. I looked inside to see a man and a woman watching us.

‘I think someone was following us when I took the little ones to school,’ I told The Idiot when I got home.

I wanted to be sure he didn’t have a reason to start on any of us.

‘What do you mean?’

‘There was a man and a woman in a car. It was parked here when we left and then again at the school.’

‘Who the fuck are they?’ Dad hissed as he got up and walked to the window.

He pulled the curtains shut and shadows fell across the room as the TV flickered in the corner.

‘Don’t answer the door,’ he snapped.

We spent the day at home as usual – Dad peering outside every now and again, Mum and I silent. She had been even quieter than usual since Simon had gone. She was like an animal that has dug itself into its shelter and is waiting for the danger to pass. But as I was getting ready to go and pick up the kids later that day, the phone rang and she answered it.

‘Hello?’ Mum said.

She didn’t speak for a few seconds but I watched as she listened to the person on the other end and her face drained of colour.

‘What do you mean?’ Mum said. ‘Who’s got them?’

I stood, unsure of whether to leave the house or not, as Dad grabbed the phone from her hand.

‘What’s this?’ he spat. ‘What’s going on?’

He was silent for a moment before screaming again.

‘Listen to me, you fucking bitch. I’m coming down now to pick up my little ones. You can’t keep them.’

He slammed down the phone and started yelling.

‘That bastard Simon. The kids have been taken into care. They got them at school. Social services have them.’

I didn’t understand. All I knew about social services was that they’d turned up their nose at the smell in our house and left some plastic sheets to put on the beds years before. How could they have the little ones now? This was their home. I was on my way to pick them up and bring them back.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked uncertainly, looking from Mum to Dad and then back again.

‘They’ve been taken from us, you stupid bitch,’ The Idiot spat. ‘We’re not getting them back until those bastards have snooped around.’

I felt a rush of panic inside. The little ones couldn’t be gone. They were all Mum and I had. They were what I held on to, the one thing that gave me a reason to keep breathing.

Mum walked out the room as Dad grabbed hold of me.

‘You’re not to say a word about anything,’ he hissed. ‘Do you hear me?’

‘I won’t, Dad. I promise.’

He drew close.

‘I mean it. I’ll kill you if you open your mouth.’

His eyes were black as the night.

‘Do you understand what I mean? If they come for me then I’ll make sure I cut you and your mum into a thousand little pieces before they take me away. Bit by bit, piece by piece, I’ll kill you both. Do you hear?’

I didn’t say a word.

‘Do you hear me, you little bitch?’ he snarled as he pushed his face towards mine.

‘Yes, Dad.’

I knew he meant what he said. I, of all people, understood what he was capable of. The baby I was carrying was proof of that.

A knock sounded on the door about half an hour later and Dad opened it.

‘What’s this all about?’ he snarled.

Standing on the doorstep were two officers.

‘We need you to come with us, sir,’ a man said. ‘Allegations have been made by your son and we need to talk to you.’

‘Simon’s a liar. This is slander. He can’t get away with this.’

Dad was put into a waiting car and as the door closed he glanced at Mum and me to remind me of the threat he’d made. Fear filled me as I stared out of the window watching the police car drive away. What would he do to us when he got home? A man and a woman officer had stayed behind and he knew they were with us. I didn’t want them in the house because of what it would mean later. I didn’t dare say the wrong thing and give Dad any chance to take revenge on Mum, the kids or me.

Mum had been crying and didn’t ask questions as the male officer looked at us.

‘We need to talk to you,’ he said.

He was tall and skinny with dirty, fair hair. I led him and the woman into the living room, knowing they’d see the filth, smell the stench, and wonder how we could live like this.

‘As you know, your son Simon has made some very serious allegations,’ the officer said. ‘We need to talk to you about them.’

Still Mum didn’t speak. It was as if she’d lost her tongue and I knew she was so silent because she was scared – scared of saying too much and giving Dad a reason to hurt us when he got home; scared of saying too little and losing her children.

‘What’s Simon said?’ I asked.

‘He’s alleged that your father threatened to kill him,’ the man said. ‘He’s too afraid to come home.’

I didn’t speak as the officer shifted forward in his seat.

‘He says he and your siblings have been abused by your father for years and that he has beaten and neglected you all. Simon claims your father watches pornography on the TV, keeps weapons that he threatens you all with.’

Mum sat still. To a stranger, her look might be one of disbelief but I knew different – it was fear.

‘He also says that the baby you are carrying is your father’s,’ the officer added.

My heart pumped as I heard those words. There was a roar of noise, screeching and insistent in my head. Simon knew about Dad and me? About the baby? My stomach swooped as panic filled me. I didn’t want Mum to hear this.

‘It’s not true,’ I cried. ‘The baby’s dad is an old friend of my brother’s.’

The officer sat forward as I shrank back in my chair.

‘I know this is difficult, Alice, but we’re here to help you,’ he said. ‘There are things we can do to protect you, measures we can put in place if you decide to talk to us.’

I couldn’t speak as Mum lifted her head.

‘There’s nothing to protect us from,’ she said angrily.

‘Your son seems to think there is.’

‘Look, officer, I don’t know why he started this but I’m telling you: there’s no problem here. I want to see my children and I want them home. You can’t take them from me like this.’

‘We can, because these are very serious accusations and we need to investigate them. But I want to reassure you that if you talk to us, we can keep you safe.’

I caught just a glimpse of Mum’s gaze as my eyes shifted to her face but it was enough. I looked at the police officers as they sat in front of us.

‘No, you can’t,’ I said.

The house was so still that night when the police had finally left. Later, they’d search for incriminating evidence but find nothing other than a video of
The Blue Lagoon
, because The Idiot had securely hidden anything likely to cause him trouble. For now, it was just Mum and I in the the house, and apart from those long hours when I’d been locked in with Dad, I’d never known it so silent. I longed to see the kids, to know how they were and where they were. Would Charlie go to sleep for strangers or Laura be good for them? I knew they’d be crying for us, missing home because it was all they knew. I wanted them back with us, cuddled up to me in bed and away from these strangers circling like wolves. I had to do just as Dad had told me, say what he wanted, and then they’d leave us alone and the kids could come home.