‘I knew I could count on you, Beany.’ He got on the bike and waited for Jeremy. ‘Well?’

Jeremy hopped on to the back. ‘Don’t kill me.’

‘As if.’

They took off down the dirt path that would lead them out of Dodder Park just as the rain began to pour from the sky.

TUESDAY,
3 JANUARY 1995

Chapter Five

‘Come As You Are’
Nirvana, 1992

Maisie

THE FIRST TIME Maisie went to a battered women’s support group she had no real idea what she was letting herself in for. She went because everyone around her told her it was the best thing to do. She wasn’t sure, but at the time she wasn’t sure about anything. She faced an uncertain future, and starting as a single mother filled her with a new kind of terror that was laced with hope. It was Fred who had motivated her to go. He had called in at her mother’s house the afternoon after she had been discharged from hospital to check how she and the kids were settling in. She was still recovering from her injuries so Bridie had let him in and greeted him warmly.

‘There you are,’ she’d said. ‘I’m going to hug you now.’

Maisie could just about hear their voices softly floating down the hallway.

‘It’s lovely to see you too, Mrs Bean.’

‘Call me Bridie.’

‘Bridie it is.’

‘Good man, come on in. She’s in the sitting room.’

Maisie was too weak, frail and battered to stand. She was sitting in the armchair with a cup of tea. Her mother had tucked a blanket around her. Fred’s eyes widened when he saw her.

She had left her vicious husband and her old life behind, and although she was fragile, she had never let him break her. Her physical state was a whole other story – she knew she was a sight to behold, even for a seasoned veteran such as Fred, so she attempted a smile for him.

‘There you are,’ he said.

‘She can’t seem to get warm. I’ve the heat on all day and night but she’s still freezing. I think it’s those blood thinners they gave her. Cup of tea?’ she asked.

‘Coffee, if you have it, thanks. Milk, two sugars,’ he said.

She made for the kitchen.

‘I hope you don’t mind me calling in,’ he said.

‘No.’

He sat down. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Free.’ She tried to maintain her smile but her jaw hurt too much.

‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘That’s good.’

She didn’t know him well but she could see he had something on his mind. ‘You have something to say?’ she asked.

He sighed. ‘You’re right.’

‘Spit it out.’

‘He’ll leave you alone to heal, then start knocking.’

‘I know.’

‘He’s the kind that won’t give up. But you can’t let him back in.’

‘I won’t.’