Chapter 2

I suppose it was about a month later, that Thelma stumbled one day in those bloody high heals that she was back to wearing, breaking a bone in her ankle. I got a frantic call from her when she was at the hospital asking me to come and collect the girls.

When I arrived the doctor told me the break, although not serious, needed to be set in plaster. But there was a problem. Thelma's ankle had swollen up and they would have to wait until the swelling had gone down before the plaster could be put on. Thelma would have to stay in hospital until it was applied.

That called for me to take a couple of days off to look after the girls as it was during the school summer holidays. It was a pleasant change for me to play Mum and Dad. I know they had great fun taking the Mickey out of me when it came to cooking. I'm not a good cook; I found it hard to get the timing right. How the hell do you get all the different elements to finish cooking at the same time?

Anyway it was while I was juggling things in the kitchen that evening that the phone rang. Because I had my hands full I asked Tracy to answer it. At six I thought she could handle it, we had taught her what to do and say.

"Oh, sorry, Uncle Frank, mummy's in hospital. She's hurt her leg." -- "No daddies looking after us" -- "Bye bye." Then Tracy put the phone down.

"Who was that, Tracy?" I asked.

"Oh, just Uncle Frank," she replied.

There was only one problem to that answer, as far as I was concerned. Who the fuck was Uncle Frank? I'd never heard of him before. I was just about to enquire further when I heard Helen call her sister from the other room and Tracy ran to see what she wanted. Curious, I followed Tracy but for some reason I did not enter the playroom.

"You're going to get in trouble from mummy. You broke your promise to mummy that you would never tell daddy about Uncle Frank."

"What the fuck did I just hear my daughter say?" I thought, then I heard Tracy's reply. A typical child's answer.

"I didn't tell daddy about Uncle Frank."

Then followed the usual "You did's" and "I didn't's". I chose to not enter into the argument. Both girls apparently were aware that I wasn't supposed to know about this Uncle Frank character and to intervene in this current conversation-cum-argument would mean they were both on their guard. I thought it better to leave it and wait until they were relaxed about it again.

But I was surely troubled. I couldn't understand why Thelma would want to keep some guy secret from me. Unless... that is? Now that was a question I really didn't want to ask myself. Denial, I think, wouldn't let me think that way.

The swelling in Thelma's ankle didn't go down overnight as the doctor had hoped. To me it looked like it was swollen much more than it had been the previous day. When the nurse told me that it could take as much as a week to go down, I thought I'd better import some assistance at home, before the girls went down with food poisoning or started to show signs of malnutrition from refusing to eat my cooking.

My sister volunteered to stay over and help with girls, which allowed me to get some time in at the office as well. Sara brought her nine-year-old daughter Marcy with her. I can't say I was very taken with Marcy. I think she took after her mother who, even if she was my sister, had never been one of my favourite people when we were young. We had bonded a lot better now that we were older.

I'm not sure why I did it. Maybe I needed someone to confide in but I told Sara about this Uncle Frank character. It could be my girls had been sworn to keep the secret from me, but Thelma might not of stipulated other people.

When I told Sara, she sat and thought for a while. Then she said, "Do you think that Thelma's... ?"

"I don't know what to think, Sara. But I don't like my family keeping secrets from me."

"Is that why you hated Ginny and me when we were little? We never let on to you about anything."

"It could be. But I'm definitely not standing for my wife keeping secrets from me. Especially where men are concerned."

"I don't blame you, Thelma is a beautiful woman. I never could understand how you captured her."

"Well, the point is, Sara, I didn't capture Thelma; it was her who chased after me."

"Well, she had good taste, I'll give her that. Anyway what are you after? Do you want me to ask the girls about this Frank for you?"

"I thought they might open up to you. I definitely heard Helen say that their mother had made them promise not to tell me about him. Now they might think their not breaking her trust if they tell you."

"Leave it with me and I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks, Sis, but try not to make a big thing about it and put them on their guard."

The following morning I left Sara with the children and went into work. In the afternoon I visited Thelma in the hospital and she told me that Sara had been in with the girls for about an hour earlier in the day.

I don't know what made me do it, but I asked Thelma if there was anything she wanted to tell me. I think I confused her; at least she didn't understand what I was asking her, because all she came up with was a list of unpaid bills and things that needed doing at home.

That night after Sara had put the children to bed, she sat me down at the kitchen table and fixed me with a stern look.

"Well, I don't know who the hell this Frank guy is, but I think you need to find out what the bloody hell is going on."

"You asked the girls about him then. What did they say?"

"Don't be daft. I set Marcel on the problem. I thought the girls wouldn't identify her as an adult and - oh, well, you know how kids think. Anyway about this man Frank. Apparently Thelma and him used to talk to each other outside the school whilst Thelma was waiting for the girls to come out.

"From what the girl's understand, he's divorced and his children supposed to go to their school. They say it's the only chance he gets to see them, as he doesn't live with his wife. From what I could make of it she's supposed to have custody and he claims she makes it difficult for him to see them, so he's supposed to be watching them in the school playground."

"But why hide that from me?"

"Marcy is no fool; she tackled that question as well. According to the girls, this Frank's wife is supposed to work at your firm and the story is that you might tell her he's watching the children at the school."

"Oh, I see. Well, I suppose that does explain it. But surely Thelma doesn't think I would grass the guy up to his wife."

"Bullshit, that stupid story doesn't hold water at all. Think about it. If this Frank was at the school when the kids came out, then why wouldn't his so-called ex-wife see him there? And when I sent Marcy back with a few more questions, I really got worried. Neither of your girls has any idea who this Frank's blokes children are. Come on, it's a small school. That doesn't make sense.

"On top of that, apparently sometimes when Thelma takes the girls to the playground in the park after school, Frank is there as well. And what really tops things off, he has been at the park during the school holidays and he has been with Thelma and the girls in the shopping centre on more than one occasion. He buys the children ice cream, sweets and hamburgers.

"Little brother, you've got a serious problem and you've got to get to the bottom of it pretty quick. It could be that Thelma was planing on meeting this Frank the other day when she had her fall. Perhaps that's why he called here that day to ask her why she had never showed."

"Do you think that they are having an affair then?"

"How the hell do I know what to think? But I'll tell you, something very fishy is going on and we've got to find out what it is."

"I'm glad you said we, because I'm beginning to lose the plot here."

"Well, don't go going half cocked. There might be an innocent explanation for it that we can't see yet. But to be honest I doubt it. Now think back, brother. Can you think of anything that Thelma has said or done in the last few months that might be significant? Anything out of place or different than usual?"

"Well, not anything that Thelma has done but a strange thing happened the other week." I went on to tell Sara about being followed and the two girls, what I can only describe as trying to pick me up in the pub. Sara couldn't make head nor tail of that either.

The next day went the same as the day before. Thelma's ankle was beginning to show signs that the swelling was going down and the nurses told me that all was going well, and she should be home by the weekend.

That night after the children were in bed again, Sara, who had been showing signs of being on tenterhooks since I arrived in the house, couldn't wait to get me alone.

"What colour was the car that followed you?" she asked the moment the kitchen door was closed.

"It was a maroon Ford Granada. Why?"

"Close enough, the girls called it dark red. I think it was this Frank who followed you. And I've got some bad news. Marcy says she thinks the girls have been inside it. They describe the inside of it in detail to her. You know they said how big it was and how soft the seats were. Oh and the child locks were on so they couldn't open the doors from the inside. Kids would only notice a thing like that if they've been inside the car."

"I agree with you there. Look, I called in a favour today and rang Bill Wilkins. He's got some friends in the police and he's trying to get the names and addresses from the numbers of those cars that followed me."

"Good idea, bro. I think you owe Marcy a big favour for all the pumping she's been doing on the girls."

"Yes, I know. I'm lucky she's as devious as her mother."

"I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or not?" Sara replied with a smile on her face.

Friday morning Bill Wilkins called me at the office quite early. He told me that the Granada belonged to a one Frank Williams who was well known to the police. The other two cars had been hired from a cheap car hire company. Strangely one of them hadn't been returned and the hirer, a man had used false documents to hire both vehicles.

That afternoon after I had made some phone calls I went to the hospital to collect Thelma. I had a little chat with the nurse I'd been liasing with all week before Thelma knew I was there. After a little prompting she let on that a man had been visiting Thelma after I left every afternoon. She thought something was odd because he never brought anything with him for Thelma. Most folks bring something with them even if it is only get-well card.

No, I thought our Frank Williams wouldn't want to leave any evidence that I could get curious about. Frank Williams' sort are pretty cute when they are on the prowl. But if he thought he was going to get away with what I suspected he was planning, he had another think coming.

That evening when we arrived home Thelma was surprised that the children weren't at the door to meet us. As she hobbled in on her crutches she asked me where they were.

"I've sent them to my folks for a few days, I thought it would give you a chance to get yourself sorted out."

"Oh, that wasn't necessary." Thelma said, as she settled herself on the sofa on the lounge. "I would have preferred it if they were here."

"But I think it was, Thelma. There's a lot of things we've got to get sorted in the next couple of days. I don't want the girls getting upset unnecessarily."

"What things?" Thelma asked as Sara came into the room carrying a tray with tea and coffee on. "Oh, Sara, you're still here; you needn't of stayed. I'm sure I can look after myself and the children. I can stand on my ankle now that it's in plaster."

"I'm not here for you, Thelma. I'm here for my brother!" Sara said with real venom on her voice

Thelma's face suddenly lost all its colour, and she looked at me. "What's this all about?"

"Well, that's the question I was going to ask you, Thelma. What the hell is going on between you and that twisted arsehole, Frank Williams?"

Thelma looked from me to Sara and then back at me again. It looked to me like for a moment she was lost for words. Then she obviously made her mind up.

"Well, I suppose you've found out then, haven't you? I suppose you had to sometime. I'm sorry but I've fallen in love with someone else. I didn't want to tell you yet, but I'm going to divorce you and then I'm going to marry Frank."

"Just like that?" I asked.

"Yes, I've been trying to think of a way to tell you for weeks now. I didn't want to hurt you more than necessary."

Sara went to say something, but the sound of movement behind her stopped her.

"That's all I needed to hear, I can get the ball rolling now -- I'll be in touch." A disembodied female voice said from out in the hall. Then we heard the front door close. I smiled at Sara and then turned back to Thelma.

"Sounds very considerate of you, if it wasn't a lie. You got Frankie boy to try to set me up didn't you? What was the plan? I get seduced by one of his hooker friends and, hey, presto, you divorce me? I suppose you thought that then I'd have to pay you maintenance, wouldn't I? What a sweet little wife I used to have. Well, hard bloody luck, baby, I didn't fall into your little trap.

"I'll give you the idea was good. You wanted to leave me with my good job and live with an unemployed arsehole, and you were planning that I'd support you in your new life."

"I don't know what you're talking about. What set-up?"

"Well, if you don't know, you had better ask your weirdo boyfriend. Now this is how things are going to go. You've got the weekend to get all your shit out of my house. My solicitor is working up the paperwork for the divorce already, he says it will be ready for you to sign on Monday."

"You can't do that. It's you who should leave the house. I will need it for the children."

"Oh, no, you don't, sweetheart. You and your weirdo boyfriend are not getting within a hundred yards of my children. I'll let you visit them providing either a social worker or I are present. Oh, yeah, it's the social services who are going to get that order before a judge tonight."

"What are you on about? They can't do that."

"Oh but they can sweetheart. You know I have always thought that social workers were a pain in the bloody arse. But once they found out that it was Frank Williams you were planning on shacking up with and had been exposing our children to, hey, they've been extremely co-operative. You are not going to be allowed near them any more and I think the police will be wanting to talk to you as well."

"I don't understand. Why would the police want to talk to me?"

"Oh, you stupid bitch!" Sara butted in; she was determined to have her say. So I let her rant on. "What did you think Williams was doing hanging around outside that bloody school. The man's a bloody paedophile with a record a mile long. He wasn't after you, you silly little cow! He wanted your daughters."

Thelma's face was something to see; again she looked from one to the other of us.

"You're lying! Frank wouldn't do that."

"Oh, no? Where do you think he's spent the last seven years?"

"He's been working abroad, out in the Far East I think."

"More like the bloody Isle-of-White. Parkhurst prison's on there - at a stretch you could call that abroad. Anyway when the police have finished talking to him and my children, we'll find out if he's done anything to them already. But I'll warn you if that bastard touched my kids, I'll most likely kill the pair of you."

Sara had to call an ambulance then, because Thelma suddenly passed out and we couldn't wake her again.