Dark Spaces (24 page)

‘I’m glad too,’ she said, taking a bite.

‘You’re different to most of the women I meet.’

‘What with me being sane and all,’ she said.

He laughed. ‘There is that. But there’s also the fact that you’re quite remarkable.’ He took a bite himself. ‘A bit of a one-off.’

Lilly flashed a wicked grin. ‘I bet you used to say that to wives one, two and three.’

‘How can you say such a thing?’ He placed a hand on his heart as if he’d been shot. ‘I’m deeply wounded.’

Lilly took the last disc of bread and Harry cleared the plate away. ‘Actually, I’m sure I did say that.’ He dished out chilli con carne into bowls and sprinkled them with chopped coriander. ‘The funny thing is, none of them were a one-off at all. They were all pretty similar.’

‘In what way?’ Lilly asked.

Harry took a pensive mouthful and chewed slowly. ‘Pretty rich girls without much up top.’ He tapped his temples. ‘You’d think I’d learn, wouldn’t you? Being looked up to and adored gets dull after a few weeks.’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ said Lilly.

Harry wiped his mouth with a napkin. ‘Oh come on, I’m certain you’ve had your share of fans.’

Lilly thought about David and Jack. She was sure that they’d loved her once. But fans? She didn’t think so.

‘The trouble is, men are intimidated by you,’ said Harry.

Lilly nearly spat out her food. ‘Intimidated by me? Don’t be ridiculous.’

‘Of course they are,’ Harry roared. ‘You’re one of the most determined and single-minded people I’ve ever met. For most men that’s quite a heady combination.’

‘Is it?’

‘You can bet on it, Lilly Valentine.’

‘How come you’re not intimidated?’ she asked.

He winked. ‘I don’t scare easily.’

They laughed and finished the chilli. Harry picked up the bottle of red wine he’d opened and held it over her glass. ‘Just a drop?’

‘I’m driving home remember.’ She placed her hand over the rim.

‘You don’t have to,’ he said.

‘I’ll never get a taxi in this weather,’ she said.

He held her gaze. ‘I wasn’t suggesting a taxi.’

Lilly gulped. He looked entirely unembarrassed. Brazen even. And why not? They were both single adults. Alice and Sam were safe with their respective fathers, and she could sneak in before dawn so Sam need never know. David might catch her, but so what?

People had sexual encounters all the time. It didn’t have to be complicated, did it? Just honest and mutual attraction.

Did she dare?

She removed her hand from the top of her glass without taking her eyes off Harry and he filled it up to the brim.

Gem sits on Misty’s bed, like a piece of meat on a chopping board.

The dressing gown she’s borrowed is too big and the underwear beneath is scratchy and uncomfortable.

Before she left, Feyza had poured a slug of vodka into a cup of coffee and pushed it into Gem’s hands. ‘Do what you need for speed him up,’ she said and disappeared.

Gem don’t have a clue how she’s meant to do that so she sips the coffee. It gives her a warm tingly feeling.

There’s a knock at the door and Gem sits bolt upright, like they’re supposed to when the headmaster comes into the room at school. Only nobody ever does. Bill lets himself in. He looks fatter and balder than before.

‘All right, darling?’ he asks and sits next to her, his knee touching hers.

Gem nods.

‘Good girl,’ he says. His voice sounds all raspy like he’s been smoking too many fags. ‘Has Feyza told you the score?’

Suddenly Gem feels sick. And scared. This ain’t like them other times. This is with some bloke who could be her dad or her grandad. She should have told Feyza to fuck off. So what if the house gets shut down? Gem can go back to thieving.

‘That fucking Turk would sell her baby for a couple of quid,’ says Bill, as if that’s a good thing.

Gem don’t know what to do, so she don’t do nothing.

‘Stand there, darling.’ Bill points to the spot in front of him, about a foot away, but Gem can’t move. ‘Don’t piss about, darling, we haven’t got all night, have we?’

He shoves her by the arm, off the bed, to the place where he wants her. She wobbles in the high heels that don’t fit.

‘Take the gown off,’ Bill tells her.

Her hands are shaking so much she can’t undo the belt.

‘For fuck’s sake,’ says Bill and undoes it for her.

The gown falls open.

‘That’s right, Gemma, that’s right,’ he says.

She lets it fall off her shoulders and then to the ground.

‘Beautiful, Gemma,’ Bill says. ‘You know what to do.’

She watches his hand go to his flies and wants to tell him that it’s Gem, not Gemma, and that she doesn’t know what to do. Then she stops short. She thinks about what Misty told her. How this is all about putting on a front. Playing a part. She looks down at the body that don’t look like her own in the skimpy underwear, and she knows that it don’t belong to Gem. It belongs to Gemma. And that Gemma knows exactly what to do.

She lets her fingers run between her chest and down her stomach, letting them rest on the seam of her knickers.

Bill is in full flow now, his hand moving up and down like a piston, grunting like a pig at an abattoir.

‘Yes, Gemma.’ Spit flies out with his words.

And Gemma does what she needs to do to speed things up.

Lilly felt dizzy as Harry kissed her throat, opening one button of her shirt with a steady hand.

She hadn’t even finished the glass of red wine he’d poured for her but her head was spinning. She felt drunk and reckless.

‘Would now be a good time to suggest moving to the bedroom?’ Harry asked.

This was the moment for Lilly to change her mind. For her to fasten her top and head home. That was the sensible thing to do.

‘I think now would be a very good time,’ Lilly replied.

He stood in front of her and held out a hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet and into a tango embrace, leading her from the sofa, cheek against hers, arm outstretched.

When they reached the bedroom door, giggling like children, he spun her around and kicked it open with his heel.

‘
Olé
.’

‘Don’t you need a rose in your teeth?’ Lilly asked.

‘All out of fresh flowers.’ Harry patted himself down, found a pencil in his back pocket and stuck it in his mouth sideways. ‘Any good?’

‘You might get lead poisoning.’

He took it from his mouth and threw it over his head, behind him. ‘Let no one question the lead in my pencil,’ he said.

Lilly kissed him. A man who was sexy and funny had walked, quite by chance, into her life. That the same man seemed to fancy the pants off her seemed pinch-point lucky. But here she was, a foot from his bed.

Suddenly, he swept his arm under her and scooped her off the floor.

‘Put me down,’ Lilly screamed.

‘Who says romance is dead?’

‘You’ll break your back,’ Lilly laughed.

He took a step forward. ‘My lady is as light as a feather.’

‘My lady weighs not much less than a donkey,’ said Lilly. ‘Now put me down, you daft sod.’

Undaunted, Harry staggered forward, Lilly kicking her legs. When he reached the bed he dropped her unceremoniously, where she landed with a bounce and collapsed into another fit of giggles.

‘And you call me a one-off,’ she said.

He crouched beside her, his face serious. ‘That’s because you are.’

‘Thank you,’ Lilly answered softly.

They looked at one another for a second and, as he moved towards her, Lilly closed her eyes.

Then his mobile rang.

Lilly opened her eyes.

‘I’ll ignore it,’ said Harry.

‘Okay,’ said Lilly.

But they both knew what one another were thinking. What if something was wrong? What if there was a problem with Chloe?

The ringing stopped and Harry smiled. ‘Obviously wasn’t important.’

The mobile rang again.

‘I think you’d better take it,’ said Lilly.

Harry pressed his lips together and answered. ‘Harry Piper. This had better be good.’

Lilly watched him as he listened. His face remained impassive, giving nothing away.

‘I see,’ he said a number of times. ‘I understand.’ Then he put his phone away.

‘Everything all right?’ Lilly asked.

Harry smiled, but this time there was no certainty in it. ‘I don’t think it is, Lilly,’ he said.

‘Chloe?’

Harry nodded. ‘She’s had a complete breakdown and had to be sedated.’

‘What happened?’

Harry exhaled and looked away. ‘She’s saying that someone came into her room after lights out.’ He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. ‘She’s saying she’s been attacked.’

As Lilly pulled up in the Range Rover outside the Grove, she put her hand on Harry’s arm.

‘We don’t know the full story yet,’ she said.

Harry’s face was stony. ‘I told her I would keep her safe. I made a promise.’

They got out of David’s car and hurried through the snow, Lilly wobbling in her high heels. Once inside, they were met by Elaine Foley.

‘How is she?’ Harry asked.

‘Not great,’ Foley replied.

‘Do you think she’s telling the truth?’ Lilly asked.

Foley looked her up and down with a knowing smile. Lilly’s pencil skirt and heels told the nurse what she needed to know.

Lilly jutted out her chin, determined not to worry about the judgement of others. ‘Could it be a delusion?’

‘It could be,’ said Foley.

‘I need to speak to her.’ Harry’s tone was urgent and he swept away, up the corridor.

Lilly tottered after him, cursing her shoes. Finally, he stopped outside a door and punched in a code. Inside, Chloe was on the bed, lying on her side, one arm dangling, motionless, over the side. Though she was wearing a T-shirt and hoody, her bottom half was naked. Mountains of white dimpled fat, punctuated by a flash of black pubic hair.

‘Talk to me, Chloe.’ Harry crouched down beside his patient. ‘Tell me what’s happened.’

Chloe didn’t reply but blinked her recognition that he had spoken.

‘Chloe, it’s me, Harry,’ he said. ‘Tell me you’re okay.’

She blinked again and this time a single tear coursed down her cheek.

Lilly entered the room, her heels clicking an annoying rhythm. She kicked them off and padded her way to Chloe. At the bottom of the bed was a discarded sheet, which Lilly retrieved and placed over her client.

‘Thank you,’ Chloe whispered.

‘You’re welcome.’ Lilly kept her voice soft. ‘Do you need anything else? A drink?’

‘Water.’

Lilly nodded and went to the sink to fill a plastic cup.

‘There you go.’ She held the cup to the girl’s lips and let her take a mouthful. ‘Enough?’

When Chloe nodded, Lilly removed the cup and wiped the girl’s chin with her finger.

‘Please tell us what happened, Chloe,’ Harry said, his voice jarringly loud.

Chloe just shut her eyes, so Lilly went back to the sink, poured away the remaining water and waved Harry over.

‘I don’t think Chloe is going to want to discuss this with you,’ she told him.

He looked shocked. ‘I’m her doctor.’

‘You’re also a man,’ said Lilly. ‘Think about it.’

He opened and closed his mouth, then looked back at Chloe on the bed. ‘Do you think she’ll talk to you?’ he asked.

‘I’ll certainly try my best,’ Lilly replied.

He went back to the bed and took the limp arm in his hand. ‘I’m going to leave you with Lilly. You can trust her.’

When Chloe didn’t answer, he held her hand a little longer, then left them alone. Without Harry, the room seemed empty and when Lilly spoke she half expected an echo.

‘I need to ask a few questions, okay?’

Chloe nodded.

‘Did you tell Nurse Foley that someone came into your room after lights out?’

‘Yes.’

‘And is that true?’

Chloe’s voice was small but clear. ‘Yes.’

‘Who was it?’

‘I don’t know,’ Chloe said. ‘It was dark and they drugged me.’

‘How did they drug you?’ Lilly asked.

Chloe pushed back the sheet to reveal the flesh of her thigh and tapped her finger. There amongst the pockmarked skin was a red dot. It was fresh.

‘What happened then?’ Lilly asked.

Chloe shook her head. ‘It’s hard to remember.’

‘Just try.’

Chloe pushed the bridge of her nose with her thumb as if she were trying to force her memory to work. ‘They definitely took me somewhere.’