The younger man dismissed the idea of even more work. “If you ask me, we don’t need to hear what they have to say. We’ve got Drayton bang to rights and I reckon there’s little point in wasting valuable resources in tracking the women down. If you ask me, that is.”

“Well, nobody is asking you!”

“Maybe not. But I’ll say it anyway. Moreover, we should not be engaging time and manpower in an operation that would add little or nothing to what we already know. I say we’d be best employed in consolidating what we’ve got. We need to keep a sharp eye on Drayton’s contacts, and make damned sure the bastard never again sets foot in the free world. Or at least, not until he’s old and gray.”

The DI gave his Sergeant a shove toward the car. “I think we’ve heard enough of your opinions. Now get in and drive!”

“Where to?”

“University College Hospital.”

“You’ll not get much joy there,” the Sergeant predicted. “That woman doesn’t have a clue what went down. If you ask me, the poor cow just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

DI Warren lit a cigarette and took a deep, calming breath. “Like I said, nobody’s asking you. So, until somebody tells me otherwise, I’m giving the orders around here, and I say it’s time we paid another visit, to see how the patient is getting on. Put your foot down, Sergeant, and we might get there before the canteen closes. I’d swap my old granny for a nice cup of tea and a Garibaldi biscuit…”

PART THREE

Ten

When Maddy and Ellen clambered off the train at Blackpool North station, it was still light, a beautiful warm summer’s evening. “I hadn’t realized how much I enjoy train rides,” Maddy said as they strolled up the platform. “It’s been years since I went on one.”

Ellen couldn’t help but wonder about her – what kind of childhood she had endured; where she hailed from, and what her life had been like, up to Drayton taking her on.

Drawing on what she had learned so far, Ellen surmised that Maddy had been a bit of a loner, an orphan without other relatives to fall back on. But then she had met up with a man like Drayton who earned her trust and her love, before using and abusing her. That was the worst kind of blow.

Maddy’s savior had been Alice, who gave her love and friendship and asked for nothing in return. And now, because of what had occurred back in Soho, and the deceit in which Ellen herself had played a large part, Maddy was made to believe she had lost the only real friend she had ever known.

Shivering suddenly, Ellen wondered whether she had done wrong, taking it on herself to carry out Alice’s wishes. But the more she had thought on it, the more she realized that if Maddy were to be brought to safety, there really was no alternative.

She had noticed how, several times on the train, Maddy had sat and gazed out the window, watching the miles speed her away from everything familiar. Occasionally, she made an excuse to go to the toilet, and when she came back, her eyes were red raw from crying. And when Ellen asked if she was all right, she would smile and nod, and say not a word.

“I’m sorry,” Maddy apologized. “I wasn’t much company on the train, was I?”

“No problem,” Ellen answered. “You had things on your mind, and who could blame you for that?”

“I owe you a lot,” Maddy said. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you.” She threaded her arm through Ellen’s. “Besides, we’re here now, and we have to make the most of it – isn’t that right?”

“And are you okay with that, Maddy? I mean, you’ve gone along with all my suggestions, because you have no one else and nowhere to go. You’re in a vulnerable position, what with the baby and everything. You must be so nervous, coming here with me.”

“What makes you say that?” Maddy thought she had managed to keep her anxiety to herself. Certainly that had been her intention.

Now that the subject was breached, Ellen answered honestly. “I was just thinking, how it must all be so strange to you – leaving familiar surroundings on my say-so; traveling hundreds of miles to a strange place you’ve never even seen.”

“I trust you, don’t I?”

“Obviously. But as far as you know, it could be yet another catastrophe. And while I’ve known and loved my grandad all my life, to you he’s just a stranger.”

Ellen couldn’t help but wonder how she herself might cope: having no family whatsoever, meeting up with a man like Drayton, being beaten and abused and made with child, then have him reject you both so callously. Then there was the ordeal of watching her two dearest friends shot down in cold blood. And now, being torn away to travel miles from her home, with practically only the clothes she stood up in.

Laying it bare like that, Ellen truly believed that if it was her in Maddy’s shoes, she might well have cracked up before now. But who could tell? Who could predict what Fate has in store, and whether or not we will have the strength of mind to cope with it all?

As Maddy had not yet answered her question, Ellen put it again. “Are you okay with us coming up here, Maddy?”

Maddy took a second to think, then said, “Yes, I’m okay, and I’m very grateful to you for taking me under your wing.” She had never leaned on anyone in her life – not even on Alice. But the recent sequence of events had taken a terrible toll on her. She felt isolated and lonely. Moreover, try as she might, she could see no real future. Today was a hurried and temporary measure. But where she might go from here and what lay ahead, she had no idea.

On the train she had tried to get her thoughts together, to make some kind of plan. But by the time they reached Blackpool, she was as unsure as ever. Heartsore and deeply shaken at losing both Jack and Alice, there was little else she could think of right now and, in her heart of hearts, she knew it would take a long time to come to terms with everything.

On the other hand, sitting quiet on the train, steeped in thought and with the rhythmic throb of the engine lulling her fears, she was made to think about her child. And as the miles had sped away, the burden of what she had left behind seemed to somehow lift from her shoulders.

At first, when she absentmindedly gazed out of the window, nothing interested her. It was just a journey, a strange and frightening journey she had never wanted to make. Then, so slowly she had hardly noticed, she found herself soaking in the landscape and appreciating the beauty of God’s world all about her. With appreciation came a deep sense of calm, and a quiet murmur of hope. It was a small, but comforting thing.

Interrupting her thoughts, Ellen now told Maddy, “Who knows? Coming away from the nightclub scene could be the best thing in the world, for both of us. As long as we can keep singing, that is! I hope you like Blackpool, Maddy. It’s so different from London.”

“It’s always been on my mind to come up here and see the sights, but somehow I never did,” Maddy replied. “So, what can I expect?”

Ellen chuckled. “When it’s cold, you’ll shiver to your roots, and when it’s windy, you can hardly stand up straight. If it’s cold and windy, you’ll likely be picked up and frozen in midair.”

Maddy laughed out loud. “It’s not that bad, surely?”

“Can be, yes. That’s why it’s almost deserted in the winter, save for a few brave souls, come to see our famous Illuminations.”

“And in the summer?”

“Ah, now that’s different.” Ellen loved Blackpool, whatever the season. “In the summer it’s noisy and you can barely find a table in the cafés. There are groups of bare-chested blokes strutting down the street, fancying their chances with every girl that comes along. You’ll find an ice cream parlor and a pub round every corner, with theaters and amusement arcades everywhere you look. And I’m going to leave you to discover the amazing Tower for yourself: I won’t say a word!”