Part 12 (1/2)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

'You've got a visitor.'

Kathy simply frowned. She had walked all the way home preoccupied by tortured thoughts of the Potters and had been startled by Eunice pouncing on her as she unlatched the gate.

'He's hanging about in there.' Eunice jerked a nod at the waiting room. 'I told him you were due back any minute.'

Kathy had an inkling of the ident.i.ty of the caller even before Nick Raven started strolling down the path towards her. She hadn't wanted anyone else to be in on this meeting and wished Eunice would take herself off. She caught her breath as Nick approached, having forgotten just how handsome and imposing he could seem. He was taller and broader than Dr Worth or David, for that matter and his fair hair seemed to have a silver glint with the evening sun on it. Had she been more alert Kathy realised she would have recognised his smart car parked a few yards down the road and be prepared for this.

'Oh ... h.e.l.lo.' Kathy forced out a greeting. 'I expect you've had my letter by now and have turned up about the bike.'

'Mmm. Sorry it's taken me a while to come over. Been busy.'

'That's all right ... I understand ...' Kathy glanced at Eunice, still hovering. 'It's in the shed. I'll just unlock it. I expect I didn't make plain the sort of bike I was after; second-hand was all I wanted.' She gave him a flas.h.i.+ng glance. 'But thanks anyway for taking the trouble to-'

'Mr Raven wants to donate the bike to the surgery,' Eunice interrupted, suppressing a smirk. 'So it's not just yours, you see, Kathy. We can keep it for the next nurse to use when you leave.'

'Right ... good ...' Kathy eventually said, swerving her blue gaze to clash on a pair of narrowed grey eyes. 'How thoughtful of you, Mr Raven.'

'Sorry ... should have made myself clear when I dropped it off.' Nick dug his hands deeper into his pockets. 'It was my fault the other one got pinched, anyhow, so I ought to replace it. Charlie and me were a distraction to you that night. I expect you'd've remembered to lock the bike if we hadn't shown up a bit the worse for wear.'

Eunice's expression made it clear she'd like an explanation.

'Mr Raven brought Ruby Potter's husband home the night Paul was born and there was a bit of confusion.' Kathy left it at that.

'Oh ... Potter had been drinking, had he?' Eunice's features registered distaste. 'I recall the family you mean. Came a month early, didn't he, the poor little blighter.' She turned to Nick. 'A bike is so important with night-time emergencies like ours. Babies won't wait for the buses, you know ...'

The group fell quiet as the last patient, leaning on a stick, came out of the building and went on his way. A moment later, Eunice's husband followed the elderly fellow down the path, hand extended towards Nick in readiness to be shaken.

Sidney Worth knew of Nick Raven's reputation. A while ago the man had had his picture in the local paper for donating fifty pounds towards the cost of rebuilding the community hall. Sidney knew if he could foster enough support and private funding from philanthropists the project he had in mind might materialise. He wanted to enlarge the maternity clinic into the annexe where Nurse Finch had quarters. Of course, it would mean she and her successors would have to find alternative accommodation ...

'Eunice has told me about your gift, sir. Much obliged for such generosity.' Dr Worth grasped the fingers Nick had withdrawn from his pocket and pumped them. 'We are always very grateful when local businessmen find it in their hearts to be charitable. The less fortunate of the parish benefit enormously from such gestures-'

'My pleasure.' Nick cut across Dr Worth's grat.i.tude in a voice tinged with irony.

'Well ... I'll leave you all to it. I have some notes to write up,' Kathy said, giving him a sharp glance.

'There was something else I wanted to speak to you about, Nurse Finch.'

Kathy hesitated; so did Dr Worth and Eunice, until it became obvious that their benefactor was waiting for them to leave before saying anything else.

'I take it you're not going to ask me in.' Nick nodded at her front door as the couple disappeared inside the surgery.

'That's right,' Kathy replied politely.

'I'm getting divorced.'

'Sorry to hear it,' Kathy said.

He gave her a rueful smile. 'Look, perhaps I should have mentioned it sooner.'

'I don't know why you think I'd be interested.'

'I think you do.'

'And I think you know that I told you I have a boyfriend.'

'Ah, David Goldstein ... that's right. You did tell me about him.'

'I didn't tell you his surname,' Kathy blurted, alarmed that he might have been checking up on her. 'How did you find that out?'

'My ex-wife works for the Goldsteins, in one of their shops. I know they've got a son called David who's a local copper. Wasn't that hard to work out he was probably the one. But I wasn't quite sure till just now ...'

Kathy's lips parted in surprise, leaving her momentarily dumbfounded. 'Well, small world,' she eventually said.

'Yeah ... too small,' Nick muttered. 'My mother took to you.'

'I thought she was nice,' Kathy admitted after a quiet moment reflecting on the meeting with Lottie Raven. 'Has Charlie Potter been back bothering her? I didn't think it right to ask her about it.'

'I hope she'd tell me if he had.'

'He's still beating his wife.' The words spurted out of her like vomit.

The dreadful knowledge of Potter's brutality was burning like acid in her gut and the longer she kept it to herself the more the pain became unbearable. Nick Raven was the only person she felt she could talk to about it because it was no secret to him. A member of his own family had first-hand experience of Charlie's s.a.d.i.s.tic streak.

There had been times when Kathy had yearned to confide her worst fears in David, but she'd realised he might feel duty-bound to tell his superiors and they would intervene. Ruby's lot would then worsen; she might even lose her beloved children.

Nick rubbed a hand over his jaw. 'It doesn't surprise me he's still dis.h.i.+ng out right-handers.'

'I suspect he might have hurt the children too, before now,' Kathy whispered. 'I've seen marks on Pansy ... Ruby says she's clumsy. I've no proof of anything.'

'And the baby? Have you seen bruises on him?' Nick demanded.

Kathy shook her head. 'I made up an excuse to examine him not long ago. He's bonny and seems content.'

Nick stared at her; that he understood the gravity of the situation was clear in his expression.

'I've just come from theirs, actually. I made a point of popping in this afternoon. I often stop by if I think Charlie might be out. Ruby has a bruise healing on her face.'

Nick came closer to her as though to comfort her. 'Have you mentioned any of it?' He raised his eyes, indicating the surgery with a subtle nod.

'Ruby's made me promise not to. She's scared the children might be taken away by the cruelty people.'

'Be the best thing, wouldn't it?'