Chapter 50

CHAPTER FIFTY

F rankie's flat reminded Ana of her home back in Kirby. Frankie shared the flat in Ludbrook Grove with a girl she introduced as Sharon. The flat had water-stained ceilings, grimy windows and ripped wallpaper. Ana figured the rent was probably cheap, or they paid the landlord in kind. She knew that went on all the time in parts of Liverpool.

The noise of next door's TV could be heard clearly through the thin walls, making Ana's nerves jangle and her head ache even more. Frankie lit another cigarette with shaky hands and told Sharon to move some magazines from a chair so Ana could sit down.

‘Fag?' said Frankie, offering her the packet.

Ana shook her head. ‘I don't smoke.'

Frankie exhaled and the flat was quickly immersed in a haze of blue smoke. ‘What 'appened to your face?'

Ana touched the cut and winced. ‘I had a fight with a mirror, and the mirror won.'

‘You look nicer out of your uniform,' said Frankie. ‘You could have been a model.'

‘That's not for me.' Ana smiled. ‘Are you okay, Frankie? It must have been pretty frightening to see that girl attacked.'

‘She was in a right state earlier,' said Sharon. ‘Do ya want a cup of tea or something?'

‘Yeah, tea and a couple of paracetamol would be great if you've got some.'

Frankie stared at her, took a deep drag on her cigarette and said through mouthfuls of smoke, ‘How come you're a copper? I mean, you're more like us than the rest of them.'

Ana took the tea from Sharon and downed the paracetamol with the scalding liquid. ‘Maybe I don't like bad people,' said Ana. ‘Maybe I thought by being a copper, I could stop them.'

‘And have you?' asked Sharon, who'd never spoken to any cops as casually as this.

Ana massaged her temples. ‘Not all of them.' She smiled.

Frankie fumbled in her tatty handbag and brought out a bottle of pills. ‘Here, take one of these. Codeine, I get them from the doctor for my period cramps.'

Ana swallowed one of the pills, and Frankie and Sharon looked at each other.

‘Fucking hell,' said Sharon. ‘That could be anything we just gave you.'

Ana smiled. ‘I think I know who I can trust. Do you want to tell me about earlier?'

Tears slipped from the corners of Frankie's eyes. ‘It was horrible the way he chased her. She looked so scared. Is she all right? She's not dead, is she?'

Ana shook her head. ‘Her name is Laine Lees and–'

Sharon gasped. ‘Oh my God.'

‘You know her?'

‘Only from seeing her around. She's just a kid.'

Frankie rubbed at her eyes.

‘Can you tell me what happened, Frankie?'

Frankie stubbed out her cigarette, lit another then poured Southern Comfort from the bottle on the coffee table into a glass. ‘You want some?' she asked.

Ana shook her head and waited for Frankie to take a sip.

‘I was having a pee,' she said. She explained how she'd seen this couple arguing and that the man suddenly turned aggressive and tried to grab the girl's handbag. She shivered at the memory. ‘She tried to run from him. She looked so scared.'

‘Did she fall, Frankie or–'

‘She fell, but then he was on top of her.' Frankie started crying again. ‘She was trying to crawl away, but she must have been injured because she was barely moving. I thought he was trying to help her. It looked like he was giving her a drink or something.'

Ana could feel her headache easing. She sipped more of her tea and tried to figure out why The Vigilante would have given Laine something to drink. ‘Was he big, tall, muscular-looking?'

‘Not big, I don't think. He was taller than her. What if he saw me?' she said nervously. ‘He might come looking for me.'

Ana stood up. ‘If you couldn't identify him, then I doubt he could identify you either, or that he even saw you. But I'll get someone to patrol around here at night. So keep the doors locked, and any punter who seems odd, don't bother with him.'

Sharon stood up and hugged her. ‘Thanks for not judging,' she whispered.

‘I'm in no position to judge,' Ana said.

After notifying all the parents, Beth found herself more emotional than usual. Maybe it was memories of what had happened a year ago. So when Tom had offered the hot chocolate, it seemed the safest thing to do. She knew that otherwise, she would go home and finish the half bottle of Chardonnay that sat invitingly in her fridge.

‘It's a good one. Belgian chocolate,' he said as though talking about an expensive bottle of champagne.

She took the hot mug, inhaling its sweet aroma. The cottage hadn't changed at all. The only thing missing was the photo of Tom's wife.

He sat beside her on the couch, and she moved slightly as his hip touched hers.

‘Cheers,' he said, touching her mug with his. ‘Lewis tells me you're a trained firearms officer now.'

She sipped at the sweet liquid. ‘I don't want to make any mistakes should there ever be a second time.'

He gently removed the mug from her hand. ‘You saved my life. That wasn't a mistake, was it?'

She opened her mouth to reply, but his warm lips were on hers. The kiss was unexpected, and for a second, she didn't respond, and then her arms were around his neck, and their bodies slipped easily into a passionate embrace. It was like the last two pieces of a jigsaw finding each other, and everything was finally perfect.

‘Stay,' he whispered, the passion thick in his voice. ‘I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day I left.'

She pulled back gently. ‘I don't want you to feel rushed,' she said, taking his hand.

‘When have I ever done anything I didn't want to do?' He smiled.

She nodded. ‘It's been a long time since I've…' She hesitated.

‘I know,' he said, pulling her into the warmth of his body. ‘Me too. It'll be okay.'

The truth was Beth was terrified of being a disappointment. Lovemaking with Ben, she realised now, had been very different. ‘I don't want to let you down,' she said, not looking at him.

‘No chance of that.' He smiled, and she relaxed.

That night, Beth realised what it was to be loved.