Chapter 46

 

“Stop it!” Edith shouted. A wave of dizziness almost felled her. She clutched at the front of her jacket, feeling helpless.

“Stop it,” she shouted again. Never had she felt more ineffectual and angry with her uselessness, she went right up to the two men who were rolling on the ground and after taking a breath, pulled at the back of Davey’s coat. For a second she felt his arm come back and thought she was going to be flung hard to the ground, himself. But, he stopped and she knew that she had reached him wherever he was.

“Leave it for the police, Davey. Otherwise you’ll be the one locked up. The first thing is to get the child, to get Daisy,” she repeated, wanting to get through to him.

“Can you hold him, restrain him, or something while, I get Daisy?”

“Yeah,” he barked out, his voice sounding shaken.

He’s far from well, Edith thought as she went over to the stone building. There was a door, which was battered and the wood was broken in parts. It was wedged shut with a huge coping stone. She pushed the stone aside and hands shaking, she opened the door.

“Oh, Daisy, you poor child. Let me get those ties off you. Let me take you home. I’ll have you home soon, with your mummy and daddy.”

As she spoke quietly to the child, Edith untied the dirty handkerchief and with more difficulty, the rope. She couldn’t properly see her in the dim light coming through the glassless window and the open door.

Daisy was sobbing.

Suddenly, she cried out, “Sick, I feel sick,” and Edith led her out of the shed, away from where–she hoped–Davey was just restraining Michael Benson and not killing him.

Though she sobbed and retched, Daisy didn’t actually vomit.

“Shh, you’re all right, it’s all right Daisy, it’s over. Come on–let’s take you home.

“He’s the man who killed Uncle Giles, isn’t he?” Daisy seemed to have recovered. The fresh air and the knowledge that she was going home had transformed her and Edith wondered at the lightening mood changes of childhood.

She didn’t want to answer her, didn’t want to jump the gun, but looking at the girl, she sighed. Why not be honest?

“I’m pretty sure he is, Daisy, but,” she hesitated.

“Maybe it’s best to stand back; you and me, I mean and let the police come to that conclusion…what do you think?”