Page 58 of Blame
Never had Frankie seen someone so focused, borderline obsessed, filling a notebook with sketches and ideas when they came to him. He was happy, though, she could tell. And from the conversations she’d had with his mum, Jenny and Ken were too. When they arrived Jenny was bringing the brochure so she could show Frankie her new log cabin in the Lake District and Ken had told Jed that he was enjoying his semi-retirement more than he’d expected.
Jenny had rang to tell Frankie she’d booked their ferry and couldn’t wait to get there. She said that Ken was well but semi- retirement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. ‘I honestly don’t know what’s come over him lately, I actually heard him turn down a job and pass on the number of a rival firm. Never thought I’d see the day. And you know what drives me bloody bonkers? He hogs the telly in the afternoon so I told him, I’m getting one for in the kitchen: we need our space. I can’t flaming standCountdown: the clock music gets on my nerves.’
Frankie had to stifle a laugh. ‘Well, I suppose we should be careful what we wish for, Jenny, it sounds like he’s taking to being at home like a duck to water so just think what he’ll be like when you get the keys for your holiday cabin.’
‘Mmm, he’s already bought new fishing rods and I found him looking at boats on my iPad. I’m not talking about rowing boats: these were proper ones with steering wheels and an engine. I think I might have to hide his credit card at this rate!’ Jenny sounded deadly serious which made Frankie giggle, even more than she had at the thought of Ken wearing a Captain Birdseye cap.
It was a shame they couldn’t get all the parents together at once but that would all be resolved when both sets came over for Christmas. The idea of it sent Frankie’s heart fluttering with excitement. It would be perfect. Her first winter in France, log fires, a real tree inside and out, and her family all around her.
Was that jumping the gun? Perhaps, but after thinking you’re going to die, every day is a blessing and Frankie cherished all of them, and everything in them, so yes, she saw Ken and Jenny as family, and why not?
This was where they were meant to be, her and Jed, she knew it. No more running away, hiding from the past, feeling shame, living in fear. Her determination to not let it taint what they had begun when she returned from hospital. They’d only kept her in overnight and after a tearful Christalle took the Frenchies to hers, Jed had followed on to the hospital and remained by her side. He was in shock, his face ashen, traumatised by the sight that had met him when he burst into the kitchen and by the horror of what might have been.
News travelled fast around the small village, especially when a taxi driver told every single passenger of his role in the drama. As a consequence, word spread and the kind-hearted community sent flowers, brought food enough to feed the whole valley, gifts and cards but most of all good wishes and understanding.
To them Frankie was the victim of apsychopathe fou,a crazy person. No one threw sticks or stones and instead they took Frankie to their hearts. It wasn’t like before and even though the legacy of Elkdale had followed her to France, she didn’t feel the suffocating, panic-stricken need to run away.
It was during a conversation with Jed that she also realised it was time to let go of her guilt and stop paying penance for a crime she didn’t commit so she had decided that from then on, there’d be no more flowers sent to Abby’s grave.
‘I can’t believe everyone is so kind, Jed. I don’t even know most of the people who brought stuff. It’s so overwhelming isn’t it, that they care?’
Jed had hugged her close, gently. Since she came out of hospital he’d treated her like she would break. ‘It is, and it’s made me realise there are loads of good people out there and they are the type of people we need in our lives… not everyone is bad and I want you to start remembering that.’
‘I will, don’t you worry. Maybe we could do something when I feel better, you know, invite everyone round. I know, what about Bonfire Night? I love it and even though they won’t get it, we can still have a fire and fireworks, and make them some food. English bits and bobs, treacle toffee and toffee apples, ooh and I could make my mum’s corned beef hash with a pie crust or better still get her to come over and make loads of it. Now there’s a plan.’
She felt Jed plant a kiss on her head. ‘I think that’s a great idea. I love a good bonfire.’
They fell into silence until Frankie shared something that had been on her mind. ‘I’ve been thinking about what I said to Tibbs that day in the kitchen and even though it all came out in a panic, maybe it was bubbling just under the surface and in that moment when I put it into words, I realised it was true.’
‘What was true?’
‘That I can’t change the past and even though I made a mistake, it’s not fair that I should let it ruin the rest of my life. I’ve said I’m sorry and in some ways all this…’ she pointed to her leg that would bear a scar, another mark that would never be erased and always remind her, ‘is punishment enough.’
Jed sighed. ‘But I don’t think you deserved to be punished, Frankie. In my eyes you did nothing wrong and I will always believe that.’
Frankie twisted her body into his and hugged him tight. ‘I know, and I love you for that, which is why I’ve decided to stop sending flowers to Abby’s grave. I have to let it go. I’m going to ask the police liaison officer if she can make contact with Abby’s daughter because I’d like to send her a letter and get some things off my chest, and then that’s it. What do you think?’
Jed sighed, one of relief, before he answered. ‘I think that’s a great idea, and I’m glad, it’s time to draw a line.’
Frankie would never forget the young woman who had died so tragically all those years ago, but if she was truly to move on and let go, marking time and sending tokens wasn’t going to help. That day in the kitchen when she’d bared her soul to Tibbs, atoned for her mistake, she had meant what she said, it wasn’t fair. There was only one person to blame for Abby’s death and that was Dunne.
How Frankie hated that man who had also met a bitter end sooner than expected at the hands of a killer who’d still not been found, although Abby’s dad remained suspect number one. Once the time of death had been established Tibbs was in the clear, of one murder at least. There was no way she could have done it but for the present, whoever snuffed out Dunne’s life with a feather pillow was still on the loose.
His murder had been a shock to the residents of Elkdale. The words ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’ were bandied around and reported back via Frankie’s mum. The whole village was then left reeling over the revelation that the timid woman who’d lived there all her life and cut their keys and sold them hardware was a nutter. Boring old Tibbs had turned out to be a killer and had she succeeded, would have added serial to her title.
However, there was more to come when the major incident team began investigating Dunne’s murder and in particular, the contents of the wooden box found on his bed. Suspicions had been raised by the old, faded newspaper clippings that were found on the floor of his bedroom. On inspection they reported the murders of three women whose bodies had been found dumped in tourist beauty spots across Yorkshire and Derbyshire. One was a prostitute, one a midwife whose car was found abandoned on a quiet lane, and a young hitchhiker who’d run away from home.
On further examination, the co-ordinates written in a notebook, along with a few words describing Dunne’s favourite landmarks, matched the circles marked on his Ordnance Survey maps, all locations where the bodies were found. Along with a set of postcards depicting the beauty spots where the women were dumped, he’d kept items belonging to the women, his trophies. The final piece to the puzzle came in the form of an ice pick that was found in the box, thought to be the murder weapon in each of the historic cases.
The most chilling aspect of the investigation was the three further entries in the notebooks. One was a recent addition. Dunne had sickeningly brought his notes up to date once he was released from prison with the co-ordinates of the reservoir in Elkdale where Abby Mills met her end. The other two were passed to the cold case team and if, as the clues suggested, Dunne had killed more women, their bodies would be found buried on Ilkely Moor and in a disused mine in South Yorkshire. Even if Tibbs hadn’t made it into the history books as a serial killer, Dunne certainly would.
Frankie had been kept informed of developments by the MIT and Bea, who along with the whole of Elkdale had been rocked to learn they had two murderers living in their midst. Hearing about Dunne had in some ways put her fear of Andrej into perspective. She didn’t see herself as brave, or superwoman, but Frankie did now feel mentally stronger than she ever had in her life. She had fought off Tibbs and survived being attacked in her own home so with Jed by her side she had nothing and no one to fear. Frankie had been running for too long and from then on, whatever life threw at her, she could deal with it.
Jed was a huge part of it all though: his presence gave her strength, brought her calm, made her smile and laugh and be happy. Knowing he was staying and that he had the blessing of his parents and since they’d met him, hers too, was like a gift so precious she treasured it each and every day.
Frankie didn’t care either that she would never know if she could have made the move to France all alone. What did it matter? She was happy, they were happy, that was all that counted. In her heart, though, during those quiet moments when her head would turn itself inside out and back again, she’d worked things through. Frankie knew the answer.
Had Jed not come back that day, or ever, she would have been devastated. Her faith in love and men extinguished, she would have struggled. Not because she was scared of the dark and the bogeyman or bogeywoman, too scared to live alone, she’d proved she could do that. It was because she loved him and wanted him in her life. Once she accepted that, Frankie was able to rid herself of any doubts, Jed was the real deal, and when you knew, you knew.
