Angela was hauled out of her bed by Gloria and pushed down the stairs. She came into the kitchen like a frightened rabbit.
‘How many weeks gone are you?’ demanded Dolly.
‘Two months,’ Angela said.
Gloria pushed her. ‘No, you’re not. Why did you borrow my Tampax if you was up the spout?’
‘Because I had some blood, I did, I swear on my life.’
Connie went over to her and slipped her arms around her. ‘Don’t cry, we believe you.’
‘I fucking don’t,’ yelled Gloria.
Dolly scratched her head, and then said to Julia, ‘Take her upstairs and examine her.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake, Dolly, this is ridiculous,’ Julia said.
‘Is it? Well, I want to know, because if she isn’t then she lied to me and she could have been lying from day one. Somebody is tipping off the police, so examine her. Go on, do it.’
Julia led Angela out of the room, then Ester tapped Dolly’s shoulder. ‘This is for you. It’s from us, all of us. We want to help out in any way we can, Dolly. Some of it’s gold and—’
Gloria pointed. ‘That tie-pin belonged to Jack Dempsey and that Rolex Eddie gave me. It could be a fake, though.’
Dolly picked up pieces of the jewellery, strangely moved even as she noted that they still wore their best bits. But it was, as the old saying goes, the thought that counted.
About ten minutes later Julia returned. ‘I think she’s more like three months than two. She was telling the truth and you can often have a few spots, even a period during the early months.’
Dolly felt awful but she had needed to know.
‘So you think it’s Kathleen?’ Gloria asked.
‘I don’t know — I just don’t know,’ Dolly said, and drummed her fingers on the table. ‘I mean maybe, just maybe, it’s no one. Have any of you had dealings with DCI Craigh before?’
No one could recall having been arrested by him on a previous occasion. Connie said that she quite liked him, he’d been very nice to her; it was the younger bloke she didn’t like.
Angela was suddenly standing like a child in the doorway.
Dolly reached for her and took her hand. ‘I’m sorry about that, love, but I needed to know.’
Angela backed away, pressing her body against the wall.
‘We’re just talking about the coppers,’ Dolly said.
‘Well, I don’t like them, any of them,’ Julia said.
‘Me neither,’ Gloria muttered.
‘Funnily enough, I’m sure I’ve met that younger one, the dark-haired guy, the good-looking one.’
Ester looked at Angela. She was going to ask her if she recognized him and, for some reason, they all turned towards Angela.
‘I don’t know him. I wasn’t arrested, Ester, I wasn’t charged, it’s not him.’ Angela was trembling and no one knew what had got into Ester as she sprang forward.
‘Yes, you do! You know him!’
Angela ran out, and Ester took off after her. The women didn’t know what was going on but they could hear Angela screaming so they all followed.
Angela was running up the stairs, Ester giving chase. She caught hold of Angela’s foot and dragged it. As the girl fell forwards, she bumped and slithered down two stairs and Ester climbed over her, hauling her by her hair.
‘Ester! Don’t! Ester, she’s pregnant!’ screamed Julia.
Angela tried to fight off her attacker, pushing and screaming, but Ester smacked her face and then pursued her along the landing.
‘You little liar! You’re a bloody liar, Angela!’ Ester was terrifying as she punched and slapped Angela, who tried to defend herself, but Ester was like a whirlwind, kicking, flicking her hands at Angela’s face. ‘Tell me the truth! You’d better tell me the truth or I’ll fucking kill you.’
Angela dived beneath Ester’s arm and ran into her own room, but she didn’t have time to lock the door before Ester kicked it open and slammed it behind her. All that the others could hear was Angela screeching and Ester slapping and punching her. Dolly was first in after them, then Julia. She dragged Ester off Angela, who was sprawled over the bed. Ester was red-faced with fury.
‘Ester! Ester! Calm down!’ Dolly slapped her face.
‘You just slapped the wrong face, sweetheart. Ask that dirty piece of shit who her boyfriend is. He’s that bloke that was here, isn’t he? Isn’t he?’
Angela clung to the pillow, as if shielding her body from any further onslaught.
‘Is this true?’ Dolly asked calmly.
Angela was weeping but nodded. The others howled like dogs, all ready to have a go at her now.
‘You don’t understand,’ wailed Angela.
‘I think I do, love.’ Dolly spat out, prepared to walk out on Angela, leave her to the women, just like a cell fight in the nick.
‘He’s Shirley Miller’s brother,’ Angela shrieked. Dolly froze, her hands clenched at her sides. ‘Get out and leave her with me. All of you, get out.’
‘What you think she’s doing up there?’ Gloria asked. Dolly had been with Angela for about fifteen minutes.
‘Suffocating her, I hope,’ Ester muttered.
‘So it was her all the time,’ Connie sighed.
‘Yeah, the two-faced little bitch,’ Gloria snarled.
‘One thing worse than a snitch, a child molester.’
Thank you, Gloria, as ever subtle but...’
‘No buts, mate, she could have had the lot of us sent down. Ester was right. I just wish I’d got a few punches in.’
Gloria looked up. ‘You don’t think she’d bump her off, do you?’
Angela was red-eyed from weeping but calmer now. She had explained how she had first met Mike after Ester was raided, how he had been very kind as she was under-age. He had been helpful in getting her social workers and it was thanks to him that she was never reported. They had then become more than friendly after Ester was sent for trial, they had seen one another since, but recently Mike had refused to see her as his wife had found out. When Ester had called, she had contacted him and been asked to report anything she found out about Dolly Rawlins.
‘What did he tell you about Shirley?’
Angela snivelled. ‘Only that you were responsible and his mother...’
Dolly smiled inwardly. Audrey had such a big mouth but she’d kept her son’s part in it very quiet.
‘What are you going to do with me?’ Angela was crying again.
Dolly opened the door and held up the key. ‘You can stay here until tomorrow, then you pack up and leave. I never want to see you again. You betrayed me — the only one of them I trusted. Seems I was wrong. I’ll never forgive you, love, so get packed.’
The door closed silently but the key turning was loud. It made Angela sob even more.
Dolly shuffled along a pew and bent to pray. She sat back and opened the hymn book as the service began. No one paid much attention to her; she blended into the congregation. When the service was over, she shook hands with the vicar and made her way towards the gates. To her right was the big cemetery where only the night before she had buried Lennie. She hardly gave it a second thought because up ahead she had seen Mrs Tilly opening her car door. She hurried towards her.
‘Mrs Tilly!’ Dolly called, and was taken aback by the cold, aloof stare. ‘I got a letter,’ Dolly said, a little out of breath.
Mrs Tilly was in two minds whether even to speak to Dolly but her own anger got the better of her. ‘You lied to me, Mrs Rawlins. When I think how much work I did to persuade the board not only to see you but make an on-site visit.’
Dolly interrupted, ‘I’m sorry. Are you saying you’ve been to the manor?’
‘Oh, yes, we came, Mrs Rawlins. Didn’t Ester Freeman tell you?’