The route home took her around the edge of the village and through narrow quiet streets, passing houses built hundreds of years ago, cottages mostly, and further up the hill larger homes, as though the more money you had meant you got a loftier position looking down on everyone else. Hers was definitely nearthe top of the pile, one of the most eye-catching homes on the row, a prize that Shane coveted, just like her mum’s wealth and she wondered if he saw her the same. Something to acquire. Someone to bribe like he had Harley and her poor mum.
Molly thought it through putting the last seven years together piece by piece, like a jigsaw of the mind, fragments of her once perfect life that in the past few hours had been smashed to pieces by one man’s perversions. That’s what he was in her eyes, a dirty pervert. It was all so obvious now. Images flicked past one after the other.
Of her and Dee in the pool, their friends splashing about in their skimpy-teen-bikinis, sunbathing on the terrace, lounging about in their sleepover-nighties and who always turned up – Shane. Like an over-eager waiter, bringing cool drinks and snacks. Christ, she was surprised he hadn’t offered to rub suncream on them, and in another instant, she was thankful he’d not been around when they were babies. At least she didn’t have to live with warped images of bath time and nappy changes. The ones she had in her head were bad enough. Of his circling the birthmark on her stomach, knowing exactly what it signified while he told her it was cute.
Sickos like him needed punishing but how could she make sure Shane got what he deserved without exposing herself? It was as though he’d always planned it this way, knowing she could never tell. Not when she’d gone willingly to their ‘special hideaways’ for sex. Nobody forced her. She thought it was love, the type a regular man and woman have for one another not his type of… whatever it was.
Molly was halfway home and locked in deep thought when she heard a scooter approaching and to her surprise, it was Magda’s. Flagging her down, Molly waited until it slowed to a stop beside her.
‘Hey, I thought you were waiting till we got back. Is everything okay?’ Molly could tell by the expression on Magda’s face that it was not.
‘Why you not answer your phone, Molly? Or Nancy. I have been ringing and ringing.’
Molly pulled out her phone and saw that she had in fact missed four calls. ‘Sorry, Magda, Nancy will be driving and I put mine on silent while me and Nancy were… anyway, what’s wrong?’
‘Him, that man. That is what is wrong. He came home early and told me I could go. I said no, it was okay, and that I had plenty to do and I was looking after Dee. Then he got angry and said I could have rest of the day off. I said no, I stay, and he is not boss of me. Then he start to shout really loud and said I was sacked and to get out. Not to come back and he will find new cleaner. I didn’t know what to do but he scare me so I grab my things and leave. I rang you both straight away. I was coming to look for you in the village and then I am going to tell my Erik to punch his face in.’ Magda had tears in her eyes, her anger and hurt soon began spilling onto her cheeks.
‘Magda, I am so sorry… and take no notice of him. He has no right to tell you to leave and after today, he won’t even be living there so you aren’t sacked, okay!’ Molly rubbed Magda’s arm and waited for her to calm down as she said, ‘But still have the day off. You’re upset and I don’t want you coming back while he’s there. Nancy will be home soon and I’ll explain what happened. I promise you it’ll be fine, so you get off. Oh, and let’s leave Erik out of this. Don’t want him getting in trouble even though I’d love to see him knock Shane’s teeth out.’ That was a true fact.
Magda nodded. ‘Okay… but will you be all right on your own with him? He was in a really bad mood.’
‘Don’t you worry about me, Magda. I’m not scared of Shane and neither is Nancy, so leave it with us.’
After a quick hug, Magda started her scooter and zoomed off, her purple-pink plaits bobbing as she disappeared from sight. Turning, Molly took a deep breath and with a frown, set off at pace up the hill toward home. How dare he speak to Magda like that? He had no right making her leave or sacking her, either. He knew Dee was fragile and hated arguments, especially now, and she didn’t like to be left alone and even though she didn’t exactly interact with Magda like she used to, saw her as a safety net.
Alone.
Dee was alone with Shane in a huge house.
Like she used to be.
Was that why he’d told Magda to leave? So he could…Oh God NO!
Molly began to run, faster than she’d ever ran in her life, her heart pounding, her legs burning, her mind screaming for her to go faster while it forbade thoughts of what might be happening to Dee. It only took minutes but it felt like hours, one of those awful dreams in slow motion or where you can’t tap the right numbers on your phone, and by the time the gates and the front door came into sight, she had nothing left in the tank so walked the rest of the way, catching her breath as she fumbled for the keys in her jacket pocket, then let herself in.
It was in that moment, as she stood there in the hallway re-living other moments from the past, warning bells sounded. So instead of calling out, alerting Shane to her presence, Molly listened. There were no sounds coming from downstairs so he must be in his room.Please God let him be alone in his room.
Molly took the stairs quickly, glad that glass didn’t creak and at the top was about to turn left to check on Shane when she noticed the door to the roof terrace was open, and as she neared, heard voices. Shane and Dee. Creeping slowly upwards Molly strained to hear and as she reached the last step, she heard Deesay, ‘I haven’t told anyone like you said but I feel so bad… all the time…’
Almost springing onto the terrace, Molly’s eyes landed on a sight that turned her stomach, her worst fears coming true.
Chapter Forty-Six
Shane’s arms were wrapped protectively around Dee who looked like a scrawny sparrow in the nightie she’d not changed in far too long. She was holding on to him tight. He was kissing her head and stroking her cheek, tenderly pushing back a lock of hair from her eyes as she wept.
‘Get away from my sister. Get away from her NOW!’ Molly screamed.
Shane jumped and immediately let go and Dee pulled away, both wore expressions of those caught out, doing wrong, guilty.
‘What the fuck is going on?’ Molly’s voice wasn’t masking her anger and Dee’s wide eyes were reacting to the venom in it.
Shane recovered first. ‘I’m just comforting Dee. She was upset. She heard me and Magda having words so I was just explaining…’
‘Yeah, right… of course you were. Dee, come here, come to me. Keep away from him.’ Molly reached out and hoped her sister would take her hand but instead, she shied away.
‘Molly, stop it… Why are you being so nasty? Please don’t be like this…’ Dee whimpered as her words trailed off.
‘Dee, listen to me, I’m not being nasty I swear. But there are things you don’t know about Shane and other stuff… so you shouldn’t trust him, okay. I’ll explain later but for now, you have to believe me.’
