Brutal, page 8
‘I hope is soon,’ Irena said, reaching out and touching his shoulder. ‘I do not like to see you upset.’
Frank had a flashback of her lying naked beneath him the previous night, and he backed away from her when he felt his cheeks start to burn. His and Maureen’s sex life had pretty much gone on hold after his heart attack, but it had completely died out after her cancer diagnosis. And he’d been absolutely fine with that, so he didn’t understand why his sleeping body had responded so strongly to Irena’s touch – or why his stomach was fluttering now.
‘Drink your tea before it get cold,’ Irena said, backing toward the door. ‘I will go and see what I can make for dinner while you have bath. Let me know if you need help to wash your back.’
‘Sorry?’ Frank snapped his head up.
‘I say let me know if you need help with neighbour’s cat.’ She smiled. ‘I grew up near farm, and I am good with animal.’
‘Oh, right,’ he murmured. ‘Sorry, I misheard you.’
‘You are tired, and this can cause confusion,’ she said. ‘Take bath and try to relax.’
‘I’ll try,’ he agreed, returning her smile as she left the room.
When he’d heard her going downstairs, he headed into the bathroom and locked the door before turning the taps off and getting undressed. Exhausted by the walk to and from Yvonne’s – and everything that had happened since – he stepped into the water and released a blissful sigh as the heat soothed his tense muscles.
In the kitchen, peeling potatoes to go with the lamb chops she had placed in the Aga, Irena snapped her head around when she heard a car pulling onto the drive. Afraid that it might be the police, she dropped the peeler and rushed into the hall to look through the spyhole in the front door. Relieved to see Evan climbing out of a vehicle that was parked behind Frank’s car, she opened the door.
‘Well, this is a nice surprise.’ Evan gave a lopsided grin. ‘The old man told me you’d gone.’
‘I forget something and come back,’ she lied, stepping aside to let him in before quickly closing the door. ‘Your father is in bath. I will tell him you are here.’
‘You couldn’t make us a cuppa first, could you?’ Evan asked as he slipped his jacket off. ‘I’m absolutely freezing. Here, feel . . .’ He reached out and touched her face with the back of his hand.
‘Oh, is like ice,’ she exclaimed.
‘You’d best get the kettle on to warm me up, then, eh?’
Irena nodded and walked back into the kitchen. Following, Evan took a seat at the table and watched as she switched the kettle on.
‘You’re looking better than last time I saw you,’ he said. ‘Those bruises are fading pretty fast.’
‘Yes, is healing well,’ she agreed. ‘Your father has take good care of me.’
‘Oh, I bet he has,’ Evan replied slyly.
Frank woke with a start. The bath water was cold, and the sky outside the window was dark, so he figured he must have been sleeping for a while. Shivering, he sat up and leaned forward to pull the plug out, but froze at the sound of muffled voices coming from down below. Afraid that Irena’s abuser had found out she was here and forced his way in while he’d been sleeping, he leapt out of the bath and quickly pulled his clothes on before rushing to his bedroom to get the cricket bat.
His heart was thudding as he crept down the stairs, and he took a deep breath to calm himself before barging through the kitchen door.
Evan and Irena were sitting at the table, and they both jumped in alarm.
‘Christ, Dad, what are you playing at?’ Evan squawked, wiping spilled tea off the front of his T-shirt. ‘You scared me to bleedin’ death!’
‘What are you doing here again?’ Frank demanded. ‘And why did you answer the door?’ he added to Irena. ‘It could have been anyone.’
‘I see him from window, and he is your son so I think is OK,’ she said.
‘All right, Pops, chill out.’ Evan frowned.
‘Sorry,’ Frank apologized, placing the bat in the corner. ‘I wasn’t expecting anyone, that’s all.’
‘Is something going on here that I need to know about?’ Evan asked, suspicion in his eyes.
‘No.’ Frank shook his head and raked his fingers through his damp hair.
‘So what’s with the Rambo act? Have you got the bailiffs after you?’
‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Well, something’s got you spooked.’
Aware that his son wasn’t going to stop digging until his curiosity was sated, Frank said, ‘If you must know, Irena’s recently escaped from a violent relationship, and she’s scared he’ll come after her.’
‘Ah . . .’ Evan drew his head back. ‘I guess that explains the bruises, then?’
‘Yes,’ said Frank. ‘And the less people who know she’s here, the less chance there is of him finding her, so you need to keep this to yourself.’
‘Fair enough,’ Evan agreed. ‘But you’d best tell our Jo what’s going on, because she called me when I was on my way over, and she’s really pissed off with you.’
‘I know. I spoke to her earlier, and she hung up on me.’
‘She call when your father is out, and I answer phone,’ said Irena. ‘I think she is angry when she hear my voice.’
‘You’re not wrong there.’ Evan chuckled. ‘Think yourself lucky she’s on the other side of the world, ’cos she’d be bloody livid if she could actually see you.’
Irena gazed blankly back at him.
‘I do not understand.’
‘No girl wants her dad to hook up with someone who’s better looking than them,’ he explained, grinning.
‘That’s enough,’ Frank chided. ‘I’ve already told you there’s nothing going on.’
‘If you say so.’ Evan winked at Irena.
Scowling at him, Frank said, ‘I need to go to Yvonne’s, so hurry up and drink your tea. You can drop me off on your way home.’
‘Weren’t you supposed to be going over there this morning?’ Evan asked, reaching for his cup.
‘I did, and I found her on the floor,’ said Frank. ‘It looks like someone broke in and whacked her.’
‘You’re joking?’ Evan’s eyebrows shot up. ‘And there was me going on about you finding her dead. Is she going to be all right?’
‘Your father call helicopter and they take her to hospital,’ Irena said, gazing at Frank as if he’d done something heroic. ‘And he has offer to take care of animal until she come home.’
‘Are you sure you’re up to that with your dodgy ticker?’ Evan asked Frank. ‘I can do it, if you want?’
‘I’m perfectly capable of feeding a few pigs and cats,’ Frank said, snatching his coat off the hook. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Actually,’ Evan said sheepishly, ‘I was going to ask if I could stay for a couple of nights.’
‘Why? What have you done?’
‘Nothing! Why do you always assume it’s me?’
‘Because it usually is.’
‘Yeah, well, not this time,’ Evan grunted. ‘Me and Marie had a barney earlier, so I went out for a pint.’
‘And?’
‘And she followed me and kicked off when she saw me chatting to a mate.’
‘Really?’ Frank said knowingly. ‘And was this mate female, by any chance?’
‘Yeah, but that shouldn’t make any difference.’ Evan pulled a face. ‘Mum wouldn’t have made a holy show of you for talking to another bird, would she?’
‘No, because she knew she could trust me,’ Frank said piously. ‘So what happened?’
‘Her and the lass had a fight, and she told me not to bother going home.’
‘Did you try talking to her?’
‘Yeah, course I did, but she wasn’t having any of it. And she threatened to have me arrested if I tried to get back in the house. So can I stay, or what?’
Frank shook his head in despair. Then, tutting, he said, ‘Fine, you can stay tonight. But, first thing tomorrow, you go home and sort this out.’
‘Sure thing, Cap’n.’ Evan saluted. Then, jumping to his feet, he said, ‘Let’s go and sort these animals out, then. Coming, Irena?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I offer to help Frankie, but if you are go with him, I will stay here and finish cook.’
‘A stunner and a domestic goddess.’ Evan looked at her with fresh appreciation.
‘Get moving,’ Frank said, pushing him out into the hall.
Between them, Frank and Evan made short work of feeding Yvonne’s pets. The stench inside the cottage helped, because neither wanted to be in there for any longer than absolutely necessary. As shocked by the state of it as Frank had been, Evan almost threw up when he saw one of the cats munching on the pool of congealed blood.
‘It’s like being on the set of Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ he complained, dragging the collar of his T-shirt up over his mouth and nose. ‘How the hell has she let it get this bad?’
‘She’s seventy-six,’ said Frank, as if that were explanation enough.
‘Well, you’re not that far off, and you still keep the house clean,’ said Evan.
Frank gave him a withering look and herded him out through the door, leaving the cats to fight over the food he’d shared out.
‘We’ll go back tomorrow and do some cleaning,’ he said as Evan drove back up the lane. ‘Fix the door, and make things a bit nicer for when she gets home.’
‘She needs putting in a home, if you ask me,’ Evan replied bluntly. ‘I’m not being funny, Dad, I know she was Mum’s friend, but come on . . . who lives like that?’
‘Old people who care more about others than they care about themselves,’ said Frank, feeling guilty again for the way he’d snubbed Yvonne.
Once they’d eaten the dinner Irena had prepared, they all moved into the living room, where Frank sat on his armchair, while Evan made himself comfortable beside Irena on the sofa. Evan turned the TV on and scrolled through the channels until he found an old comedy film he wanted to watch. Frank had seen it before, and he’d enjoyed it, but he struggled to concentrate this time, because he was distracted by Evan playing up to Irena. He’d had words with him while they were out, telling him to quit leering at Irena and focus on sorting his marriage out. But his words had clearly fallen on deaf ears, because Evan was acting as if they were on a date and no one else was present.
Finally, unable to bear any more of it, Frank slammed his whisky glass down on the table and stood up.
‘I think it’s time for bed.’
‘Night,’ Evan said without looking at him.
‘I meant you, as well,’ said Frank. ‘You need to get up early so you can go home and talk to Marie.’
‘I’m not tired,’ Evan argued. ‘You go up. I’ll turn off down here when we’re finished.’
Frank gritted his teeth. Evan was a grown man, so he couldn’t order him to go to bed. And Irena was still watching the film, so he had no choice but to leave them to it.
12
Evan was up, dressed, and sitting at the kitchen table when Frank went downstairs the next morning. Hoping it was a sign that his son had taken his advice on board and intended to go home early to sort things out with Marie, his heart sank when Evan told him he’d spoken to her earlier and she’d accused him of spending the night with the girl from the pub.
‘What did you expect?’ Frank sighed, taking a seat facing him. ‘She already thought she’d caught you cheating, so she was bound to think that’s where you’d gone when you didn’t go home.’
‘She told me not to,’ Evan reminded him. ‘And you don’t know what she’s like when she gets jealous. She’d probably have tried to stab me if I’d gone back, or set the stupid dog on me.’
Sure that he was exaggerating, because, while his daughter-in-law was undoubtedly moody, he’d never witnessed her being violent in any way, Frank said, ‘So what are you going to do? Avoid going back and let her think she’s right?’
‘I don’t know.’ Evan slumped back in his seat and laced his fingers together behind his head.
‘Do you want me to talk to her?’ Frank offered. ‘She might calm down if she realizes you were here.’
‘There’s no point. She’ll only think I’ve asked you to cover for me.’
‘Well, you’ve got to do something,’ Frank persisted. ‘Marriage is a commitment, so you can’t just walk away from this.’
‘That’s exactly what I feel like doing,’ Evan grunted. ‘I’ve stuck it out for six years, but I honestly don’t know how much more I can take.’
‘You can’t blame it all on her,’ Frank said. ‘Me and your mum had our fair share of fights over the years, and there were plenty of times when I could have given up and walked away. But you work your way through these things, if you’re willing to put the effort in.’
‘I’ve made plenty of effort,’ Evan replied wearily. ‘But I can’t seem to do right for doing wrong these days.’
‘So, that’s it?’ Frank raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re giving up?’
‘I don’t know.’ Evan shrugged. Then, sighing, he lowered his arms, and said, ‘I’ll talk to her again when she’s had time to calm down, but it might take a few days.’
‘What about work? You can’t risk driving to Manchester every morning in this weather.’
‘I’m not in again till Monday, and my boss said I can keep the fourby till I get my own car fixed, so I’m sorted.’
‘OK,’ Frank relented. ‘You can stay for a few more days. But you need to figure out a way to get your marriage back on track while you’re here, and I don’t want you making a nuisance of yourself with Irena.’
‘As if,’ Evan scoffed.
‘I mean it,’ Frank said, lowering his voice when he heard footsteps on the floor above. ‘She’s had a rough time, and she doesn’t need you coming on strong and making her feel uncomfortable.’
‘She was fine last night,’ Evan reminded him, giving him a questioning look. ‘Are you sure it’s not you who’s uncomfortable, because you’ve taken a shine to her?’
‘For the last time, there is nothing going on between me and Irena,’ Frank hissed, aware that she was on her way down the stairs and would be here within seconds. ‘I just don’t want you putting your marriage in jeopardy because you think you’ve got a chance with her. She’ll be gone as soon as the snow clears, and you’ll have lost everything – your wife, your house, possibly even your job, for nothing.’
Evan looked at him as if to say That’s what you think, old man, but Irena walked in at that moment, so Frank was forced to drop the subject.
‘Morning.’ Evan greeted her with a grin, as if he’d already forgotten – or dismissed – every word Frank had said. ‘Sleep well?’
‘Yes, I have nice sleep, thank you,’ she said, returning his smile before turning to Frank. ‘Shall I make tea?’
‘Sorry, I meant to put the kettle on, but we got talking,’ Frank said, pushing his chair back.
‘Is OK, I will do,’ she insisted.
Following her with his eyes as she carried the kettle to the sink, Evan said, ‘That cardigan really suits you. The colour matches your eyes.’
‘Your father has let me wear,’ Irena said self-consciously. ‘But I will give back when I leave.’
‘You might as well keep it,’ Evan said. ‘My mum’s never going to wear it again, and it’ll probably only end up in the bin when the old man gets around to clearing her stuff out.’
‘I’ve already told her to keep it,’ said Frank. ‘And the rest will be going to the charity shop in the village, not the bin.’
‘Want me to drop it off for you?’ Evan offered. ‘Irena can come with me and see if there’s anything a bit more fashionable there for her.’
‘No!’ Frank said sharply. ‘I’ve already told you, the less people who know she’s here the better, so she can’t be seen out with you. Anyway, don’t bother making plans, because you’ll be helping me today.’
‘Doing what?’ Evan asked, still eyeing Irena.
‘Fixing Yvonne’s place up,’ said Frank.
‘I can clean, if you like?’ Irena offered.
‘It’s OK, love, we’ll manage,’ Frank said.
‘Aw, come on, Pops,’ Evan drawled. ‘How can you refuse that pretty face?’
‘I said no,’ Frank repeated. ‘It’s daylight, and we can’t risk anyone seeing her.’
Yvonne’s cottage was in an even worse state than Frank had remembered, and it took him and Evan several hours to make a dent in clearing out the rubbish. Leaving it at that for the day, they went back to the farm, where Frank called the hospital to ask how she was doing.
‘How is she?’ Evan asked when he’d finished the call.
‘Her hip’s definitely broken, and they reckon she’s got a chest infection, so she could be in there for a while,’ Frank told him, dismayed at the prospect of having to go back and forth to the cottage twice each day for God only knew how long to feed her pets. And it wouldn’t end there, because she’d undoubtedly need help once she came home, as well. ‘I think I’d best have a word with her and see if she’ll agree to let me get them rehomed.’
‘Good luck with that,’ Evan said, plucking cat hairs off his jeans. ‘Even if she said yes, you’ll have trouble getting those moggies out of there without losing a couple of fingers, ’cos they’re wild as fu—’
‘Yes, all right, I get your point,’ Frank interrupted, conscious that Irena was in the room. ‘But she’ll have to do something, because I can’t keep doing this forever.’
‘If I was to stay, I could do for you,’ Irena said over her shoulder as she looked in the freezer to see what she could use for dinner. ‘But I am to leave soon, so I cannot.’
‘Thanks, love,’ Frank said. ‘But this is going to be a long-term problem, and Yvonne needs to make some serious decisions.’
‘You can take the fourby if you want to visit her,’ Evan suggested.
‘No, it’s OK,’ Frank replied, noting that his son hadn’t offered to drive, meaning that he’d intended to stay here with Irena. ‘The nurse said she’s doped up, so I’ll leave it till she’s a bit stronger.’
