Chapter 11
It was with mixed feelings that I first glimpsed Claire’s cottage, as we drove towards it in Dad’s car on the following morning.
It was a bright and sunny day with barely a cloud in the sky. The cove was just the same… small, curved with lovely white sand. The sea, as blue as the sky, was lapping gently up against the shore…it was totally different from the violent storm that I experienced so painfully at first hand just a short time before.
Looking along the shoreline, I saw Flic’s cottage just above the beach. I wondered if she was there or away at school. I knew that it was half term now and in theory she was on holiday for at least a week, but then she may have gone away with friends or something.
I had spoken to Flic a few times on my mobile, but she hadn’t said anything about her holidays and I was too shy to talk about what had happened the last time I saw her. I wasn’t sure how she felt about me. I knew that I was being a bit paranoid and Claire had assured me that Flic thought that I was very brave but perhaps a bit stupid to do what I had done.
It was strange coming back to the cottage. I wondered whether all this hiding was really necessary. Was my life really in danger?
As we drove up in front of the cottage. I tried to put my worries to the back of my mind as I got out of the car and noticed that there was another car parked just across the road in the tiny lay-by.
‘Oh,’ exclaimed Dad, ‘Amanda is here already.’
I remembered that this was one of Dad’s security team and it kind of reminded me that this trip back to the cottage was not going to be a picnic and reinforced the fact that was hiding from someone who might want to kill me.
We grabbed the cases from the boot and as we walked up the short path, the door opened and there stood one of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen.
She was tall, thin and had dark long straight hair that went half way down her back. She had lovely large eyes and a small button nose. She smiled gently as she stood there waiting for us. She looked so pleased to see us and I immediately felt that she was someone who would do anything to protect me. She was wearing black silky dress that went down to her calves and it looked very classy and suited her fashion model looks. I wished so much to look like her someday!
Whatever was happening to the tom-boy Emma?
‘Hi Amanda,’ said Dad, ‘have you been here long?’
‘Only about an hour; I took the liberty of opening the windows and freshening the place up a bit. Was that okay Claire?’
‘Yes, I did say make yourself at home. It’s nice to see you again.’
Amanda looked at me and shook her head slightly.
‘Wow Melissa, you look wonderful. Who did your hair?’
‘Claire.’
Before we had left the hotel, Claire had cut my hair again and retouched my roots. She was really good at it and I was beginning to like being a blonde!
‘It looks wonderful and so are you. I can’t get over how pretty you are! Anyway, enough of that or you will blush even more than you are now. I’m here to protect you and you don’t have to worry about a thing. I have a pink belt in judo, you know.’
‘Wow…hang on, is there a pink belt in judo?’
‘Oh no.’ She laughed, ‘you’ve caught me out. I’ll have to use my black one instead!’
As we all laughed, Claire and Amanda hugged and gave each other one of those air kissy things that I hate. We all went inside and I made my way a bit stiffly with my leg, upstairs to my room.
It was with a strange feeling that I walked back into the room that I had last seen some weeks ago prior to my great escape. It looked familiar and nothing had changed. The pale pink walls and light blue bed coverings were the same and I smiled as I picked up the small pink doll propped up against the pillow.
Holding the doll, I went over to the window and gazed out. It was a lovely view of the cove and the sea beyond. The beach was empty, as it was still fairly early in the morning. Not that it was a very busy beach anyway, as there were no facilities nearby. It tended to be used by locals mainly and for that, I was glad.
‘Melissa!’
I turned at the sound of Claire’s voice coming from below.
‘Yes?’ I shouted.
‘Want a drink?’
‘Yes please, can I have a coke?’
‘Okay; can you come down for it?’
‘Okay.’
I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Dad was talking on his mobile phone over in the corner and Amanda and Claire were sitting at the table with cups of coffee steaming in front of them.
I sat down in an empty seat and Claire handed me a cold can of coke.
Amanda was looking at me with a slight smile playing on her lips.
‘Nice doll,’ she said, her shaped eyebrows rising slightly as she spoke.
I looked down and felt my face go red as I realised that I had the pink doll in my hand.
‘Oh….erm…’
‘Don’t worry honey; it all helps with the disguise.’
‘Spose.’ I said, a bit unconvincing even to my ears.
‘So,’ said Claire, changing the subject, ‘is it nice to be back?’
I looked around. It seemed a much nicer place now that I hadn’t the worry and fear that attached to it when I had originally been there all those weeks before. Okay, I knew that there was a slim chance that I might still be in danger, but it seemed very unlikely and anyway, I had people looking after me who I could literally trust with my life.
‘Yes it’s lovely here.’
‘You’ll be pleased to know that Flic is on her half term and you can go over later to see her, if you like.’
It was strange; I wanted to see her and yet dreaded it. I didn’t know what she was going to say to me. Would she laugh at me or be angry at what I had done?
‘Okay.’ I said unconvincingly.
‘What’s wrong Melissa?’ said Amanda, picking up on my discomfort.
‘It’s just…’
‘What?’
‘Well…I just hope she won’t laugh at me.’
‘Why do you think she will?’ exclaimed Claire.
‘Well, I sort of left her house because I didn’t trust her mum.’
Claire came over and gave me a hug.
‘Now don’t you worry about that; she and her mum understands why you ran off. As for now, I told you that she thinks that you are a very brave girl to do what you are doing now, especially after all you have been going through.’
‘What’s up honey?’ said Dad walking over and looking concerned.
‘It’s okay Dad, it’s just me being silly.’
‘Emm... I mean Melissa, you aren’t silly and I think that you are really brave, but you don’t need to worry about anything.We are almost sure that the person who was after you has escaped abroad.’
‘I thought that Evans wouldn’t tell you who he was?’
‘Yes, but I’ve just talked to Henry and he’s told me that they have traced a payment from Evans to a bank account in the name of A.W Wright, where £20,000 was transferred to the account. It didn’t take too long to trace this A W Wright and records show that this person left the UK last week heading towards Brazil. So it appears that he has disappeared with the money and we don’t have worry too much about him.’
‘Does this mean that we can go home?’
‘Not yet, love. Henry is in Brazil, hoping to track him down, he’s good at that sort of thing, as soon as he traces this man, he will make sure that you will not be bothered anymore.’
‘He won’t kill the man?’ I said with alarm.
‘No,’ laughed Dad.’ You’ve seen too much rubbish on the TV by the sound of it. No, there are legal ways of sorting these things out, so don’t worry. Though why you do worry, I can understand, as the man was out to kill you.’
‘It’s just not right to kill someone.’ I whispered, feeling a bit embarrassed for some reason.
‘Come here, love.’
Amanda got up and left the room, mumbling something about sorting her case out as I got off of my seat and ran over to Dad, who gave me a big hug. He felt all soft and warm and it was delicious, if you know what I mean.
‘Look love, I feel very guilty that you’ve been though all this and I think that you are one very brave girl. Now about your concerns; I wouldn’t allow anyone to take the law into his or her own hands if they work for me. What this man could have done to you was very wrong, but if I went outside the law to deal with him; that would mean that I would be no better than him so I won’t do that. But to keep you safe, I would do anything else. Do you understand?’
I nodded, still hugging him tightly.
‘That’s good, now if you can put me down for a minute, I need to look at the boiler; it’s playing up a bit.’
I reluctantly stepped back and Dad looked at me and then shook his head.
‘What, Dad?’
‘It’s just…’
‘What?’
‘One day, I’ll show you a picture of your mum when she was about your age. You look like her twin, dressed like that. You’re so pret…oh I’m being silly, now where is that cross head screw driver?’
I sat down and drank my coke, not really listening to what the others were saying. So I looked like my Mum? I thought that was rather nice, my Dad saying that. He never had before.
Claire’s mobile phone rang, making me jump slightly as it was rather loud; Claire went over and picked it up.
‘Hello? Oh hi, Flic…yes…okay…hang on.’
‘Melissa, Flic wants to know if you fancy going down to the beach in about twenty minutes. She tried your mobile, but there was no reply.’
‘The battery’s flat and it’s on charge. Can I go?’
‘Yes, you’ll be okay.’
‘’Erm…okay, say I’ll meet her there.’
‘Hello, Flic…about twenty minutes then…okay, goodbye.’
I was apprehensive to say the least as I walked down the short path to the beach. It was getting quite warm now and the sand felt quite hot between my toes as I walked barefoot across the sand, holding my sandals in my hand. In the distance, near the shore, I could see the distinctive red head of Flic as she sat in her beached boat looking out to sea.
‘Hello,’ I said hesitantly as I walked up to her, nervously brushing the hair out of my eyes and afraid of her reaction to me despite all that I had been told.
She looked around, squealed a bit, jumped up and threw herself in my arms.
‘Melissa! Ooh it’s nice to see you. You look great. Does your leg hurt? You look thin; are you alright? I think you are great and so brave. I would have died if it was me doing what you did.’
She went on like this for a few minutes and then ran out of steam.
‘So, you’re pleased to see me then?’
‘Of course I am, why shouldn’t I be?’
‘Well…I was a bit stupid.’
‘What about it?’
‘You don’t mind.’
‘Nah, come and sit over by these rocks.’
We sat on the warm sand, our backs against the rocks. I glanced over to the cottage with eyes squinting with the sun. I could see that Amanda was there by her car, looking down at us with binoculars and that was great because it made me feel a bit safer.
I turned my attention to Flic.
‘Right Melissa;Mum doesn’t mind and I don’t. Mum feels guilty about locking the door on you and we both understand why you ran off like that. It’s the past now, let’s forget it.
‘Okay.’ I said quietly, feeling much better.
I looked over at the cottage and noticed that Amanda had gone, but a police car was now parked next to her car. It looked like the police were doing what they promised to do. I felt a lump come up in my throat for some reason my chest felt sort of tight and my eyes started to water a bit. I felt a sort of pressure behind my eyes and my heart was thump…thumping. My hands started to shake and I broke out into a sweat.
‘I bet Claire and your Dad are very proud of you too…My Mum says that you are marvellous to pretend to be a different girl and to go into hiding…what’s wrong Melissa, why are you crying?’
I was suddenly in her arms and I had my eyes closed as I sobbed onto her shoulder.
I sobbed and sobbed, I couldn’t stop. I remembered when I was much younger, going into the kitchen at home. Mummy was doing something at the kitchen table and then there was a sudden hiss coming from the cooker. It made me jump. Mummy said that it was only the pressure cooker letting off steam and that was how I felt. For so long, the pressure had built up inside of me and now it had been released, making me cry my heart out.
I don’t know how long I was like this. I had lost all sense of time. I vaguely remember being picked up by strong arms and I could tell somehow that it was Dad. The next thing I remember was that I was in bed. I rubbed my salty eyes and looked around. My bedside lamp was on and the pink doll was by my side. I felt warm and relaxed.
‘Hello, honey are, all right?’
I turned over and saw that Claire was sitting there reading a book. She looked a bit strange because she was wearing glasses…I hadn’t seen that before.
I yawned.
‘What happened?’ I asked sleepily.
‘Well, I think you got a bit upset and everything that has happened caught up with you. Amanda was watching out for you and raised the alarm. The doctor said that it was delayed reaction and the shock of what happened to you all rolled into one. He gave you something to help you relax. Are you feeling any better?’
‘Yes thank you. Sorry to be a bother.’
She held my hand, hers felt warm and soft.
‘You are no bother, honey. All we want is for you to be happy. Your father was here all afternoon but has had to pop into town to arrange a few things. He’ll be back later to see you. Amanda is downstairs and to my knowledge, the police have gone past here every hour or so. You don’t have to worry about anything. You look tired and should try to get some rest. You know that if there is anything that is worrying you, we are all here for you? I’ll turn the light off now and then you can sleep a bit better. I promise that your Dad will come up later.’
She kissed me on the forehead and stroked my hair. It was nice and helped me forget my troubles, for now.
‘Night, night…don’t let the bed bugs bite!’
I smiled sleepily and closed my eyes…