Chapter Four
Ricky stood slowly and backed away, his arms hanging at his side in a non threatening manner. When he spoke his voice was quiet.
"I don't know what John Bacchus has been saying, but I never laid eyes on yer sister until a couple of kids came to me, shit scared saying that she were in the warehouse. I swear Miss Kendrick that I never saw your sister until I found her that night."
"You lied about Idunna though, why?"
"I never lied. The night I found Olivia the police found a scrap of paper in her pocket with the word Idunna on it. I told them who Idunna was and about the local film company. I knew about them because I featured in a film made by Idunna six months back but I never met your sister."
"The party?" she whispered
"I never went to any party. The invite was here on the floor untouched. I came here with George Gently because I have nothing to hide."
She stood staring at him. Oh shit what had she done, she wondered? She began to shake, huge violent tremors. A keening cry of despair rose in her throat as a week's worth of bottled up emotion poured out. Her knees buckled as she finally gave in to the overwhelming grief she felt. Ricky moved forward quickly to stop her from falling and then placing his arm around her shoulders as he helped her through to his lounge, where he lowered them both to his sofa before pulling her close and cradling her against his chest. Rocking her gently, just letting her cry herself out.
Once her tears had abated he left her curled in the corner of the sofa while he went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. When he returned her eyes were closed and he wondered if she had fallen asleep. He paused realising how out of place she seemed in his home, her elegance at odds with his old mismatched furniture. Her eyes fluttered open and he flushed aware he had been caught staring.
"I'm sorry I've nowt else to offer you, but I'm not staying here at the moment," he told her, as he offered the glass of water.
"That's ok. Why are you not staying here?" she asked before taking a sip of the cool water.
"Me Mam's been ill, a heart attack. I've been staying with her since she came out of hospital. It's why I never knew about the invitation. I haven't been here for a few weeks. A neighbour is keeping an eye on the place. Not that I'd have gone to the party anyway."
"Why wouldn't you have gone?"
"Robinson, the man who owns Idunna, were a bad lot at school. His kind don't change. I'd not have agreed to be filmed if I'd known it were his company but I didn't find out till I read about him in the local paper."
"I'm sorry for doubting you. It was Sergeant Bacchus..."
"You'd best not listen to owt John Bacchus says about us. There's no love lost between me and him," Ricky told her.
"Why?"
"It stems back to school, Bacchus can't forget about something I did, he's been trying to pin something on me for awhile but I'm no criminal." He smiled ruefully. "The problem is my image is not one of a model citizen so people think the worst of me, but I never touched your sister." He reached for her hands, they were icy beneath his touch.
"Christ you're freezing. I should get you home Miss Kendrick, it must be warmer than this ice box."
"I'm ok. Ricky will you stop calling me Miss Kendrick and call me Alexandra or Sandy? We've been through so much and you've been so kind, not that I deserve kindness after the things I said," she whispered miserably.
"Hey it's ok...," he paused, "Alexandra. If Bacchus said things I can understand yer coming after me. Not that it was a safe thing to do, what if I had been involved? I might have hurt you."
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Let Right Be Done
FanfictionThis is based on the BBC series George Gently.The year is 1965 A young girl, Olivia is found murdered in County Durham in her pocket is a receipt for Kendricks photograpic studio and a scrape of paper with the word Idunna on it. Inspector Gently an...