didn’t see anything that happened outside.’
‘But you did see what happened inside. It will be all right,’ Roy reassured, ‘You can make the statement in our house and your Mam can be there.’
‘My mother will have a fit at the sight of me coming home in a police car.’
‘I’ll explain, Judy.’
‘What about me?’ Helen gasped hoarsely between sobs.
‘I’m sorry, Helen, but you’re going to have to come down to the station with me so we can sort out what happened back there.’
‘My father will kill me.’
‘Oh, I doubt he’ll do that, love,’ Roy reassured.
‘Leastwise, not until you’ve paid for that dress,’ Judy whispered in Helen’s ear as Roy turned back to give the driver directions.
‘We’re well ahead of the time it would have taken you to walk from the train stop,’ Roy murmured as they turned the corner into Carlton Terrace. ‘Right, as yours is the first house, Judy, I’ll see you inside.’
Lily squeezed Helen’s hand in an attempt to comfort her as her uncle walked Judy to her front door. He was inside only a few minutes.
‘Is Judy’s mother angry?’ she asked as he returned.
‘No, love, none of this is your fault. You next, Katie.’
Shaking, Katie crept out of the car and followed him down the steps to her basement.
‘Got your key, love?’
‘Isn’t it in the door, Mr Williams?’
‘It is. Bad practice that, anyone could walk in.’ Knocking loudly, he turned the key and stepped down into the kitchen. Annie was hunched over the table.
‘Annie?’ He blanched as she turned her face to him. It was a raw mass of bloody, beaten flesh, her blood-flecked eyes sunk so deeply into the swollen tissue above her cheekbones he doubted she could see.
‘I – I – fell over, Roy,’ she mumbled thickly. ‘Hit the sink ...’
Walking over to her, he wrapped his arm round her shoulders. She cried out and he saw her right arm hanging purple and limp from her shoulder. ‘Come on, love, I’ll take you to our house.’
‘I can’t – the boys – Ernie –’ She didn’t even ask what he was doing, bringing Katie home.
‘Katie, pack whatever you and your mam need for the night. You’re spending it in our house. Go on, love,’ he prompted when she hesitated.
‘Dad ...’ She didn’t need to say any more.
‘I’ll check.’ Roy walked to the door that led to the passage.
‘He’s out,’ Annie whispered thickly. ‘He woke up and went out. We thought he’d sleep through the night but he didn’t ... and I fell over ...’
‘I know, Annie. You don’t have to tell me how clumsy you are. I’ve seen it since the day you moved into the street.’ Helping her out of the chair, he scooped her into his arms as she fainted.
‘When the ambulance comes you’ll go with Annie, Norah?’
‘If I do that, Roy, who’s going to stay with the girls?’
‘They’re sensible enough. They proved that tonight.’
‘But Ernie ...’
‘I’ll alert the patrols to keep an eye on the place. It might be as well if you warn Lily to keep the door locked and bolted, and at the first sight or sound of Ernie to ring 999, but I doubt he’ll come here, not to a policeman’s house after what he’s done.’
‘And Brian?’
‘Remind Lily to ask who’s there before opening the door.’
‘Roy ...’
‘Sorry, Norah, I’ve got to get to the Griffithses. They’ll want to come down to the station.’
‘That Helen Griffiths,’ Norah began heatedly, ‘she’s nothing but trouble. I’ll not have our Lily ...’
‘We’ll talk about it in the morning, love. Lily and Katie have had enough to cope with for one night. And ring the station before you leave the hospital. I’ll get a car to pick you up and bring you back here.’ Roy stepped over the low wall that separated the Griffithses’ house from theirs and rang the doorbell. He rang it three times before giving up and returning to the car.
‘Do you know where your mam and dad are?’ he asked Helen.
Her sobs
‘But you did see what happened inside. It will be all right,’ Roy reassured, ‘You can make the statement in our house and your Mam can be there.’
‘My mother will have a fit at the sight of me coming home in a police car.’
‘I’ll explain, Judy.’
‘What about me?’ Helen gasped hoarsely between sobs.
‘I’m sorry, Helen, but you’re going to have to come down to the station with me so we can sort out what happened back there.’
‘My father will kill me.’
‘Oh, I doubt he’ll do that, love,’ Roy reassured.
‘Leastwise, not until you’ve paid for that dress,’ Judy whispered in Helen’s ear as Roy turned back to give the driver directions.
‘We’re well ahead of the time it would have taken you to walk from the train stop,’ Roy murmured as they turned the corner into Carlton Terrace. ‘Right, as yours is the first house, Judy, I’ll see you inside.’
Lily squeezed Helen’s hand in an attempt to comfort her as her uncle walked Judy to her front door. He was inside only a few minutes.
‘Is Judy’s mother angry?’ she asked as he returned.
‘No, love, none of this is your fault. You next, Katie.’
Shaking, Katie crept out of the car and followed him down the steps to her basement.
‘Got your key, love?’
‘Isn’t it in the door, Mr Williams?’
‘It is. Bad practice that, anyone could walk in.’ Knocking loudly, he turned the key and stepped down into the kitchen. Annie was hunched over the table.
‘Annie?’ He blanched as she turned her face to him. It was a raw mass of bloody, beaten flesh, her blood-flecked eyes sunk so deeply into the swollen tissue above her cheekbones he doubted she could see.
‘I – I – fell over, Roy,’ she mumbled thickly. ‘Hit the sink ...’
Walking over to her, he wrapped his arm round her shoulders. She cried out and he saw her right arm hanging purple and limp from her shoulder. ‘Come on, love, I’ll take you to our house.’
‘I can’t – the boys – Ernie –’ She didn’t even ask what he was doing, bringing Katie home.
‘Katie, pack whatever you and your mam need for the night. You’re spending it in our house. Go on, love,’ he prompted when she hesitated.
‘Dad ...’ She didn’t need to say any more.
‘I’ll check.’ Roy walked to the door that led to the passage.
‘He’s out,’ Annie whispered thickly. ‘He woke up and went out. We thought he’d sleep through the night but he didn’t ... and I fell over ...’
‘I know, Annie. You don’t have to tell me how clumsy you are. I’ve seen it since the day you moved into the street.’ Helping her out of the chair, he scooped her into his arms as she fainted.
‘When the ambulance comes you’ll go with Annie, Norah?’
‘If I do that, Roy, who’s going to stay with the girls?’
‘They’re sensible enough. They proved that tonight.’
‘But Ernie ...’
‘I’ll alert the patrols to keep an eye on the place. It might be as well if you warn Lily to keep the door locked and bolted, and at the first sight or sound of Ernie to ring 999, but I doubt he’ll come here, not to a policeman’s house after what he’s done.’
‘And Brian?’
‘Remind Lily to ask who’s there before opening the door.’
‘Roy ...’
‘Sorry, Norah, I’ve got to get to the Griffithses. They’ll want to come down to the station.’
‘That Helen Griffiths,’ Norah began heatedly, ‘she’s nothing but trouble. I’ll not have our Lily ...’
‘We’ll talk about it in the morning, love. Lily and Katie have had enough to cope with for one night. And ring the station before you leave the hospital. I’ll get a car to pick you up and bring you back here.’ Roy stepped over the low wall that separated the Griffithses’ house from theirs and rang the doorbell. He rang it three times before giving up and returning to the car.
‘Do you know where your mam and dad are?’ he asked Helen.
Her sobs
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