Chapter 3. Beaten
It was still only 8 a.m. when Larry rang Harriet's doorbell again. He could see
a light on in the kitchen so knew she was up. Again she kept the security chain
on when she opened the door. "Harry, please let me in." Larry pleaded, "I don't
want to leave here with you hating me for reasons I don't understand."
Eventually after more pleading she opened the door but kept her distance as she
hobbled still painfully to the lounge.
The kettle whistled in the kitchen. "Let me make us some tea, Harry. Perhaps we
can talk more comfortably then."
"I'll do it," Harriet answered but Larry ordered her to sit and keep the weight
off her foot.
"Did you spend the night with her?" Harriet asked bluntly when they were again
seated. Larry affirmed quite candidly that he had. Tears sprang to Harriet's
eyes. "You took her because she is beautiful and doesn't have a distorted body
like me," she sobbed. "I expect you made love to her as well."
"We fucked, but it was only a one night thing Harry. We don't expect to see each
other again. But why are you so upset?"
"I don't know really. I suppose I shouldn't be. You just seemed so kind to me
and the way you held me, it seemed you had feelings for me and made me feel for
you too. I know you would never ever want a midget like me so perhaps it would
be better if we just said, good-bye and leave it at that."
"Harry, stop putting yourself down. I do like you. I like you a lot but that's
not love. I liked Sharon. I liked her a lot too but I'm not in love with her. I
will do anything I can to help you Harry and I would certainly like to see you
again and to get to know you better when you are not in pain and I'm not in the
good Samaritan role."
"I think it would be better if we just said good-bye. It will do no one any good
to pretend. You will never really want me. I know that. Please just leave me to
get on with my life."
"Harry, I can see you still have difficulty in moving. Your arm still causes you
pain. Let me stay here another day or two, until you are fully recovered or at
least better able to take care of yourself, then we can decide whether or not to
continue seeing each other. I only live sixty miles away so it only an hour and
a half to get here. I'm more or less my own boss so I don't have to worry about
work schedules......"
"No Larry. You've been very kind. I can manage on my own. I have done that for
years. My boss will understand if I don't go into work tomorrow or for a day or
two. He knows I don't take time off unnecessarily. So please, thank you for what
you have done. Thank you for all the help and kindness but please, good-bye.
Go!" Harriet turned, crying loudly now, went to the bathroom and locked herself
in.
Larry left. Later he phoned Sharon and asked her to look in on Harriet but
warned her she might get a frosty reception.
*****
"You know what to do?" Brenda spoke to her gang that now consisted of only four.
Her, Skip and the two boys, Pete and Ray. "Remember, no talking. No letting her
see any of us. Make sure we're noticed in the football crowd before we leave and
get back there as soon as possible and get noticed again so it will appear we
didn't leave. Keep that red hair of yours well on show while we're in the crowd,
Skip and cover it when we leave."
The four waited, Ray keeping watch as Harry hobbled up the road. She inserted
the key in the door but before she had time to open it, Skip had pulled a black
plastic bag over her head and the two boys held her arms. Silently Bren pushed
the door open and dragged Harriet screaming inside. She could hardly breathe
inside the bag and her screaming and crying didn't help. She felt the cold steel
of a knife blade at her neck. It sliced downwards cutting through her dress. It
also opened a small air hole that helped her breathe. Quickly they removed the
remnants and used them to tie her wrists. Throwing Harriet to the floor, they
pulled her shoes and knickers off so she was naked except for the bag over her
head. Brenda signalled the others to start trashing the house while she
proceeded to punch and kick the helpless Harriet. In her fury, she had little
regard for where she kicked or for the suffering she caused. Her boots rose and
fell and connected with any available part of the victim's body. Harriet passed
out and lay still.
Around her the crashing sounds of breaking furniture, china and glass. Of
drawers being emptied and their contents strewn and trampled on. In ten short
minutes the place now resembling a bomb site, the four left and returned to the
crowds in the town centre.
An hour later, Mrs Chadwick, a neighbour passed by and saw the door ajar.
"That's unusual," she thought, "In this cold weather and at this time of night,
something isn't right for her to leave the door open," and knowing Harriet
slightly, enough to pass the time of day in the street, rang the bell. As she
did so she pushed the door further open and could see the mess in the hallway.
Immediately she went in, found Harriet unconscious and looked in disbelief at
the devastation. She dialled 999.
*****
"Hi Sharon, it's Larry returning your call. What happened to Harry?"
"Nasty business. Harry is in hospital. Her injuries are pretty severe but not
life threatening. She's sedated at the moment. But she looks awful. Bruises and
cuts everywhere. I had to do a stint at her bedside but she hardly woke, Her
house is absolutely trashed."
"Have you got those who did it?"
"No. Between you and me, we suspect the gang with Brenda Lee as leader but
cannot prove anything. We have cctv footage of them in a football crowd before
and after we think it happened and they swear they were there all the time. No
clues at the scene. It was well planned. Brenda's a clever girl in a warped
way."
"None of the five will talk?"
"Only four of them involved, if it was them. Brenda, the red head and two boys.
The other girl definitely wasn't with them. Nor was she there at your fight. We
picked them all up but had to release the girls. The boys both carried knives so
we are holding them for having offensive weapons but until we can find more to
link the gang to the incident, we can't do anything. Forensic are searching but
so far nothing. The only little clue is the knives the boy's had were both
absolutely clean. No marks, nothing. Unusual for knives unless they were
deliberately wiped clean."
"Are they allowing Harry visitors?"
"Not yet. There's no point, she's not awake enough. When she does come to, it
will only be family but there doesn't seem to be any of them. I may be able to
get you in when I am on bedside duty in the morning. Why don't you come over and
stay here?" He did so and while he slept in Sharon's bed they fucked once,
neither of their hearts were into it. Their thoughts were on Harry.
Sharon allowed Larry to sit at Harriet's bedside during her morning shift on
duty. He gently took the injured girl's hand in his enormous paw. Harriet was
drowsily awake but her mouth was too swollen to speak and the drugs kept her
from being fully conscious of her surroundings. She seemed to know it was Larry
holding her hand and she gripped his thumb tightly, so tightly that when the
doctors came round she wouldn't release it and they examined her with him
present. "It doesn't look as if you are going to get away from her now," one of
older doctors laughed. In the evening they sedated her again and slowly she
released her grip.
Next morning Harriet became very agitated when she found Larry was not at her
bedside. He had steadfastly been refused entry by the constable on duty and by
the staff nurse. It was not until the doctors did their rounds and seeing her
agitation and hearing her faint cries for Larry, the older doctor asked for him
and gave him written permission to be with her. "You seem to be better medicine
than any we have," the jovial medic remarked.
