Chapter 5
After
arranging to meet with Phil the following week to discuss the ‘finer points’ of
the job, Helen replaced the receiver and shook her head in disbelief. She could
be out of Larkhall in a matter of weeks and the rehab unit was only about 20
miles away so she could still see Nikki. She went back to the garden but
decided to keep the news to herself until everything was finalised. Nikki was
nowhere to be seen but the potting shed door was open so she went inside.
“What
kept you?” Nikki asked without turning round.
Helen
closed the shed door behind her. “What if it had been Hollamby and not me?”
Nikki
turned round and wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Bodybag wouldn’t come in here
with me on her own. She’s frightened to death I’ll sexually assault her. Silly
cow!”
“She
doesn’t know what she’s missing,” Helen said softly, a secret smile lighting up
her lovely face.
“What’s
got into you?” Nikki asked in surprise.
Helen
slid her arms around Nikki’s waist and drew her close. “You have,” she said
huskily.
“You
are the real Helen Stewart, aren’t you?” Nikki asked facetiously. “And not just
a figment of my imagination.” She cupped Helen’s face with her hands and kissed
her gently. “You are definitely
real.”
“Shut
up, Nikki!” Helen ordered and pressed her lips hard against Nikki’s.
Nikki
ran her hands through Helen’s hair, thrilling at its silkiness. Her mouth
opened and as their darting tongues touched, Nikki let her hands fall to Helen’s
shoulders and draw her closer.
As
they kissed her wandering hands unfastened Helen’s blouse. She cupped her
breasts and caressed the hardening nipples, then let her right hand drop to the
triangle at the top of Helen’s legs. Her fingers massaged and probed as she
silently cursed the trousers for being there. She unfastened the button on the
waistband and started to slide down the zip.
Helen
moaned softly and her breathing was ragged but suddenly with a cry she pushed
Nikki away from her.
“Helen,
what the hell?”
“Nikki,
I’m sorry.” Helen hastily refastened her clothing. “I can’t do it, not here.”
She took a deep breath before continuing. “This is so…so sordid.”
“Thanks
a lot, Helen. It’s nice to know you find my love-making sordid,” Nikki
exclaimed. She was hurt and angry and frustrated.
Helen
cupped Nikki’s face with her hands. “Not you, Nikki, never you. It’s this
place. I want our first time…my first time…to be special, not a hurried grope
in a dirty garden shed. Please understand.”
Nikki
nodded. “I do and I’m sorry for rushing you but I don’t know if I can wait ten
years to make love to you properly.”
“I’ll
find a way, Nikki,” Helen assured her leaning forward to kiss her again. “Trust
me.”
When
she left Nikki she made her way to Stubberfield’s office. There was always
somebody waiting to stick the knife in so if she made him aware of her weekend
arrangements her back was covered. She briefly informed him of Joan Wade’s
invitation.
“Do
you think this is a good idea, Helen, mixing with an inmates family?”
“In
this instance I do. We need to cement Nikki’s relationship with her mother.
Don’t you see, Simon, if she had a future to look forward to maybe she would
start to tow the line. It wouldn’t do your career any harm if such a high
profile inmate, a known troublemaker became a model prisoner.” She apologised
silently to Nikki for trashing what was left of her reputation.
Stubberfield
leaned forward, suddenly interested. Gotcha! Helen thought. She knew
Stubberfield’s only concern was his own career and a fat pay packet at the end
of the month. He didn’t care whether Nikki Wade, or any of the other inmates
for that matter, had a future to look forward to or not, as long as he looked
good.
“Well
then, Helen. I’ll leave it to you. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“Yes,
Simon, I know exactly what I’m doing.”
She
arrived at Joan Wade’s bungalow a little after 8 o’clock. As her tyres grunched
on the gravel driveway a security light came on and the front door opened and
Joan came out. Helen gasped. In the dim light Joan looked even more like Nikki.
This is what it could be like having Nikki waiting for me when I come home
every night, she thought longingly. In that instant she made up her mind. She would
take the job Phil had offered her and do everything in her power to get Nikki
out of Larkhall.
She
took her overnight case out of the boot, made sure her car was locked securely
then crossed to the front door where Joan was patiently waiting. “Hello, Joan.
Good to see you again.”
“Glad
you could make it, Helen,” Joan greeted her warmly. “Come on in, the meal is
almost ready.” Joan stood to one side to allow Helen to enter, then closed the
front door.
“This
is a lovely place,” Helen said sincerely as she looked around the hallway.
“Thank
you.” She went down the corridor and opened one of the doors. “Why don’t you
put your case in here then we can have a drink before dinner.”
Helen
entered the room Joan had indicated and put her case on the bed then she
shrugged out of her short leather jacket and draped it across her case. She
looked around the room. It was expensively, though cosily furnished. As she
turned to leave a large framed photograph standing on the dressing table caught
her eye. She picked it up. It was a photograph of Nikki dressed in her school
uniform. She traced the outline of Nikki’s mouth with her finger and wished
with all her heart she could be caressing the real thing.
“That’s
the last photograph I have of Nikki,” Joan spoke from the doorway and Helen
started guiltily. “She was about fifteen at the time. It’s usually in my room
but I thought you might like to have it whilst you’re here.”
Helen
blushed furiously and replaced the photograph trying to hide her confusion.
“Joan, I…”
Joan
touched her arm gently. “Why don’t we have that drink and you can tell me about
Nikki. I’m dying to hear how she is.”
“She
sends her love,” Helen said as she followed Joan into the sitting room.
“Not
her words, I’m sure,” Joan said sadly.
“Not
exactly but it’s what she meant,” Helen tried to reassure her.
“What
would you like to drink? Wine? Sherry?”
“Wine
would be lovely, thank you.”
They
had a leisurely glass of wine and Helen filled her in about Nikki until Joan
declared that dinner should be ready. After the meal several more leisurely
glasses of wine were consumed and the conversation again returned to Nikki, not
that Helen was complaining.
“Did
Nikki grow up here, in this house?”
“No,
this was Pam’s house. I didn’t find out until after her will was read but I was
her sole beneficiary. She left me the house, everything.” Joan lowered her eyes
sadly. “I was financially secure for life but all I had was emptiness.”
“Was
it then that you decided to contact Nikki?”
Joan
nodded. “I used to talk to Pam about Nikki’s case. She used to say that if she
had been on Nikki’s defence team Nikki would have walked free. That wasn’t
arrogance, Helen, it was a fact. Pam was a brilliant barrister.” She leaned
forward urgently in her chair. “Are you and Nikki having an affair, Helen?”
Helen
had drunk several glasses of wine and was feeling slightly mellow but Joan’s
question shocked her out of her reverie. “No, we are not!” She retorted
indignantly, then instantly felt guilty she had denied Nikki so readily.
“But
there is something going on.” Joan insisted. “Nikki could scarcely take her
eyes off you.”
“Relationships
between inmates and officers are against the regulations,” Helen informed her.
“I couldn’t have an affair with Nikki even if I wanted to.”
“And
do you want to?”
“Joan,
I don’t think I want to talk about this. You are Nikki’s mother after all.”
Helen groaned inwardly. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea.
“It’s
just that if you do have…shall we say…more than a passing interest in Nikki I
have something you might like to see.”
Joan got up and left the room. A few moments later she returned carrying
a thick folder, which she placed on the coffee table in front of Helen.
“What
is it?”
“These
are Pam’s notes on Nikki’s case. We were going to start forming an appeal for
Nikki but Pam died before we could get it off the ground. I have enough money
to take this to the highest court in the land. Will you help me, Helen?”
Helen
smiled. “Short of arranging a jailbreak, I’ll do anything I can to get Nikki
out of Larkhall and as it happens I’ll be leaving Larkhall myself shortly. I’ve
been head-hunted.” Joan looked at her questioningly so she proceeded to tell
her about the new job.
Long
after Joan had turned in for the night Helen read her way through the file. On
to of all the newspaper cuttings and notes there was a sheet summarising the
case written in what she assumed was Pam’s neat handwriting. Two of the points
seemed to jump out at her: Why hadn’t Nikki taken the stand and why hadn’t the
policeman’s background been investigated? As dawn approached she closed the
file with a satisfied sigh. Maybe this was just what she needed to get Nikki
out of Larkhall for good.