Terry waited on the platform for the train from London. He knew Linda didn’t have much to carry after only one night away but with June and the bump, he wanted to be there to meet her. Nervously he chewed on a thumbnail. He’d noticed a black van just outside the station car park, but hadn’t got close enough to check the number plate. Relax, he told himself. There are hundreds of vans like that. He’d heard no more from Vincent over the past couple of days but didn’t fool himself that this meant he was off the hook.
The train pulled in and Linda waved as June ran to meet him. He scooped her up and she laughed in delight. ‘I saw baby David and played with him,’ she said. ‘I helped give him his bottle. Auntie Alison said I was very good at it.’
‘Did you?’ he said, tickling her and making her squeal. ‘So when your little brother or sister arrives, you’ll know exactly what to do.’
Linda raised her eyebrows. ‘We’ll see about that.’
‘How was your mum?’ he asked her.
She shook her head. ‘I’ll tell you later. June had a lovely time, didn’t you, Junie? Saw how a nappy gets changed and everything.’
June wrinkled her nose. ‘I didn’t like that bit.’
‘I know what you mean,’ said Terry, setting her down. ‘Here, walk like a big girl. Only big girls can give babies their bottles.’ He lifted the small overnight case and headed out of the station, past the car park.
June pointed. ‘Look, there’s that van.’
Terry’s blood ran cold. ‘What van’s that? There are lots of vans.’
‘That black one. It was outside my old nursery where they all got sick.’
‘You must have made a mistake,’ he laughed, as the van’s engine purred into life.
‘No, it’s the letters,’ June said, skipping along the street. ‘I didn’t tell you I knew them, it’s my secret. But look, it’s A for Alison, F for Fred and D for David, just like baby David. So I remembered, it’s easy.’
It was the same number plate.
The engine purred to life, and trying not to panic, Terry looked round. The van began to move towards them. He tried to see who was behind the wheel. He was pretty sure it was Vincent.
It started to speed up. It was heading straight for them.
Terry threw the case to the ground and shoved Linda and June into the nearest doorway as hard as he could, shouting ‘Sorry, stay there’, but with no time to explain. The van carried on aiming for him. It was only half a block away. He knew he had to draw it away from his wife and daughter but had no time to think of how he could save himself. It was hard to believe that Vincent was prepared to run him over right outside a busy station and yet it seemed that this was exactly what was going to happen. Terry ran, his legs pumping and his heart pounding with fear.
There was a small side road coming up and he darted into it at the last minute, giving the van driver no warning of what he was doing. What Terry knew, and he was banking on Vincent not knowing, was that there was a newly installed massive concrete bollard in the centre of the narrow street, stopping it being used as a rat-run. Everything depended on it being big enough, and solid enough, to stop the speeding van. If it wasn’t then that would be the end of him.
The setting sun was full in Terry’s face, and as the van screeched around the corner, it must have blinded the driver who, unable to see the obstruction ahead, hit the bollard head on. There was a sickening crash, the sound of metal crunching, and Terry froze in his tracks. Heart still pounding, he ran back to look through the windscreen. The driver was slumped over the steering wheel, blood pouring from his face and head where he’d hit the windscreen. But it was the eyes that held Terry. They were open but lifeless, and he knew the man was dead.
Time seemed to stand still but then Terry could hear screaming. To his dismay Linda had followed him and she was staggering towards him, holding her arm. June was cowering behind her, shielded by her mother’s body. ‘I’m hurt, I’m hurt,’ gasped Linda. Terry thought he was going to be sick. But he tried to summon words of comfort. ‘There, you’re going to be fine. Junie’s all right, aren’t you? She’s safe behind you.’
‘I didn’t know what was happening … why you pushed me into the doorway … I wanted to see where you’d gone … and that van clipped me.’ Linda was having trouble speaking. ‘I nearly fell, I banged my head on something. Maybe a wall. My arm … I can’t feel it properly. Oh God, what about June, I didn’t realise she’d come after me …’
Terry kept on talking, trying to calm them down, trying not to think of what might have happened. That van really had been out to kill him. If it hadn’t been for the way the sun was setting …
Gradually he was aware that people had come out of the houses that surrounded the station. Somebody must have called for help as finally ambulances arrived. Linda was escorted into one of them, tearful now, worried about her husband and daughter. ‘We’re fine,’ Terry assured her. ‘You caught the worst of it. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.’
‘Not your fault,’ she whispered.
But Terry knew that it was.
Linda was kept in overnight and when Terry went in the next day, the doctor took him to one side. ‘We want to keep her in,’ he said. ‘The arm will heal as long as she takes care of it but her blood pressure is very high. That’s not good in her condition. Has she been under stress lately?’
‘Her sister just died,’ Terry said shortly. He couldn’t face explaining the full circumstances of Hazel’s death. ‘So there’s that and she’s worried about how her mum’s taking it.’ He still didn’t know exactly what had happened in Battersea but he’d seen enough from Linda’s expression when she got off the train to understand that it must have been an ordeal.
‘That might be it, then.’ The doctor pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘We’ll have to see, take it day by day. She’s better off staying here for the time being. You can visit her for a few minutes but don’t tire her out.’
Terry felt a lump in his throat. Here was his wife, coping with the murder of her sister, her mother’s collapse, and a pregnancy, and he’d put her in danger from a criminal who’d tried to kill them all. What had he been thinking of? He carefully made his way to her bed on the ward and drew back one of the curtains around it. She looked up at him, her dark hair spread out on the pillow, and smiled weakly. It was the loveliest smile in the world.
‘I won’t stay long,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘Just checking you’re all right.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m sure the doctor told you it’s just a bit of blood pressure.’
‘Yes, he did and they want you to rest.’
‘Terry, what happened? Why was that van trying to run us down?’
‘Don’t be daft, love. Of course it wasn’t,’ Terry lied. ‘The brakes failed and the poor sod of a driver couldn’t stop.’
Linda managed a smile. ‘The brakes. I should have realised. I’ve got too much of a vivid imagination, that’s the trouble. Terry, I want to come home.’
‘You can’t, not at the moment. You’ve had a bit of a shock and they want to keep you in until your blood pressure comes down.’
He squeezed her hand as he told the lie. ‘You have a proper rest and June and me’ll look after the house for you. She’s in charge.’ He tried to raise a smile.
‘I was worried about Mum,’ Linda whispered. ‘I asked her to come down here for a bit but she wouldn’t. Just as well. I couldn’t have her now, if I’m stuck in here.’
Terry closed his eyes for a moment. That had been a narrow escape. He realised he was safe now; it had been reported that Vincent had died in the crash and he was the only one who knew Terry’s name or what his family looked like. There was no need to worry any more.
‘She’s not on her own,’ he said. ‘Alison’s there, she’ll keep an eye on her. You concentrate on getting better. Keep that baby safe. I love you very much, you know.’ He swallowed hard. ‘I just want you to be all right. You’re my world, you are.’
‘I know. And you’re mine.’ Her voice was very quiet and he could tell she was about to fall asleep.
‘See you tomorrow.’ He dropped a kiss on her forehead and backed away from the bed, faint with guilt and relief.