Jane Renshaw - Watch Over Me

She’d been furious with him even before she’d found out what had happened at 34 Meadowlands Crescent.

But actually getting charged with assault ?

She clattered the cutlery into the sink.

Assault of a pregnant woman ?

‘It’s almost like they planned it, eh?’ Caroline mused. ‘It’s almost like they’ve been taunting you, trying to get you to react…’

‘That’s what Neil thinks too. But are they really that clever?’ She swirled the little brush around a soup bowl and, without bothering to rinse, banged it down on the draining board.

Caroline picked it up, shaking off the suds. ‘Maybe not. They probably just made use of the opportunity when Neil appeared at their door…’

‘But – the bloody cheek of it! They’ve applied for a restraining order against us ?’ She slammed the other bowl down. ‘And the CCTV didn’t even pick Travis Johnson up – the cameras at the back don’t cover that bit of the garden, next the wall at the bottom. All you see on the footage is Neil running across the grass like a maniac… It’s almost as if they knew where the cameras were – as if they’ve been watching the house, watching where the cameras were directed…’

‘I suppose that’s possible,’ Caroline said doubtfully.

‘We need ammunition against them. We really need it!’

‘Saskia still not answering?’

Flora shook her head.

‘Maybe there’s a problem with her phone. It sounds like, the state she’s in, she could have lost it, or stopped paying for it, or it’s muffled under a pile of dirty laundry or whatever. Do you have any other way of contacting her?’

‘Nope, other than just turning up at her flat.’ She stared at Caroline. ‘And why haven’t I just done that? What’s stopping me driving over there now…’

‘Well, you have to collect Beckie from school in…’ Caroline consulted her watch ‘about an hour. But you could get over there tomorrow, couldn’t you? I could pick Beckie up.’

‘Would you?’

‘No problemo – I’m working from home. And it’s always good to spend time with the Beckster.’

‘Thanks, Caroline. Thank you so much.’

‘And look, I wouldn’t worry about these charges against Neil – any sheriff worth his or her salt is going to see through them. And I doubt the restraining order will be granted either. That little minx probably has a record as long as your arm. She’s probably accusing people of assaulting her all the time.’

‘Maybe.’

‘Now – let’s have a look at this CCTV. I want to see myself on camera.’

The bank of screens had been set up in Neil’s study, ranged above his desk like he was Mr Spock in the Star Ship Enterprise . The screens showed the front and back gardens from various angles, and also views of the house, every door and window covered.

‘Wow,’ said Caroline.

‘It’s all very state of the art, apparently.’ She sat down in Neil’s swivelly chair and keyed in the password. ‘See, we can switch any of the cameras off and on…’ She clicked on the one looking out onto the street, and the screen went blank. She clicked on it again and the picture was back. ‘And change the direction they point in…’ She swivelled it to look off down the road. ‘Either using this computer or our phones.’

‘Excellent! And cute little bonsai trees.’ Caroline was looking at Mimi’s tank on the windowsill.

‘Mm, that’s…’ But Flora didn’t have the strength to explain Mimi the Mycorrhiza. ‘Botany stuff. Okay, so footage of the front door about an hour ago…’ She navigated through the menu, and on the screen there appeared a shot of Caroline, hood up against the rain, opening the gate and coming towards the front door, and running her tongue over her teeth before ringing the bell.

‘Oh God – look at me checking for remnants of Jaffa cake!’

She looked as attractive as ever – and as if Jaffa cakes never passed her glossy lips.

‘And you can see Ailish’s house!’ Caroline pointed at the screen on the far left showing the current feed for the front door. ‘As if The Chipmunk Show wasn’t more than enough exposure!’

The camera in the hedge covering the front door also gave a partial view into Ailish and Iain’s front garden. Right on cue – she did her main shop after lunch every Thursday – Ailish’s car had just pulled in at her gate. They watched her get out and open the boot, then turn and stare at the camera as if she’d suddenly seen it – but surely that was impossible? It was tiny, and hidden in the hedge.

And then the view was obliterated by something large and pink.

It receded from the lens and resolved itself into the rear view of a fat girl in a black skirt and, despite the rain, a short-sleeved pink blouse. And next to her an even larger woman in a black raincoat and leggings. They were swaying up the path to the door.

‘Who’s that ?’

The bell chimed.

Flora opened the door to two unsmiling, fleshy faces blinking at her.

‘You’re Flora, aye? You’re wee Beckie’s new maw?’

Oh God.

She wanted to slam the door on them, but Caroline put a hand on her arm and said, ‘And you are…?’

‘I’m Lorraine Johnson. You’ll have heard of me, aye? Beckie’s gran? This’s my daughter Carly.’ She had a voice like a foghorn.

Flora couldn’t help it – she took a step back. The woman was a formidable presence – a solid chunk of flesh, twenty stones at least, with rolls of fat under a determined, jutting chin. And clever little eyes that seemed to see right into Flora’s heart.

The daughter blinked at Flora with a sad face, the rain glistening on her curly hair and round rosy cheeks and making dark splotches on her blouse. She was very pretty, with a sweetness to her expression that reminded Flora, horribly, just a little, of Beckie.

‘We didnae mean to get your husband in trouble, aye?’ Lorraine Johnson shouted. ‘We didnae want him charged or nothing, we just wanted to make sure he didnae come back and hurt Carly again. She could’ve lost the wean. She’s seven months pregnant, right? She’s no in any condition to be getting assaulted and that. But we thought they’d just give him a caution.’

In the sudden silence, footsteps on gravel in Ailish’s garden could be heard just the other side of the hedge.

Oh God.

‘Now hold on just a minute,’ said Caroline. ‘It’s you who’ve been harassing Neil and Flora. Neil only wanted to talk to you. He never meant to hurt anyone.’

‘He didn’t assault her,’ said Flora.

‘We’ve got it on camera, hen.’

‘He just pushed her to get past – he didn’t mean her any harm –’

‘We know he was angry, aye,’ Lorraine Johnson bellowed, tears now in her eyes, ‘but he shouldnae have taken it out on a pregnant lassie, eh? We dinnae want no trouble. We’re no here to see Beckie. We know we’re no allowed. You’ve taken her off of us and that’s broke our hearts, but it’ll finish us, so it will, if anything happens to this wee one.’

And she placed her hand on Carly’s massive stomach.

‘ Please! ’ she wailed. ‘Just leave us alone !’

Flora opened her mouth.

‘Oh for God’s sake,’ said Caroline.

‘I’m that sorry about the other day, eh?’ the ghastly woman continued, chins wobbling with emotion. ‘Jed’s in bits about Beckie, all he wanted was to get a wee deek at her, a wee glimpse, but when he saw you slapping her, he lost it…’

‘ Slapping her?’ said Caroline.

‘We know we’ve no say in how Beckie is disciplined now. Only – please, Flora. Dinnae hit the bairn.’

‘But – I’ve never hit Beckie! I don’t know what he thought he saw…’ She turned, desperately, to Caroline, her mouth so dry she could hardly get the words out. ‘You were there, in the street, when they… I didn’t hit Beckie, did I?’