She nodded and walked ahead of me into the living room. Aftergetting her settled with a biscuit and a drink, I told her I’d be back in atick and I went upstairs.
I found Rachel standing at her bedroom window, staring outacross the garden. She mustn’t have heard me come in because when I joined her,touching her arm gently, she flinched. And in that second before she realisedit was me, I saw a look of raw fear in her eyes.
‘What happened, love?’ I stared helplessly at her swollencheekbone. ‘DidDarrendo this?’
My sympathy must have unlocked something in her because shenodded and didn’t resist when I drew her into a hug. For a few seconds, sheclung to me wordlessly and I murmured that I was there for her and thateverything was going to be all right.
‘Get some things together for you and Poppy, and come andstay at mine tonight, okay? I know he said he wouldn’t be back but I honestlywouldn’t trust anything that man said. Come on, I’ll help you.’
But she drew away from me, staring at me as if I’d takenleave of my senses. ‘We’re not leaving, Kenzie.’
‘What?But Rachel, if Darren did this to you, can’tyou see that you’re both in danger if you stay here any longer? What if hecomes back and he’s still angry?’
She swallowed. ‘He... he won’t be. He’llhave calmed down and he’ll be sorry.’
I stared at her, feeling sick. ‘So has this happenedbefore?’
‘No.’ Her reply was defensive... tooquick.
‘Rachel, you have to come away. For Poppy’s sake as much asyours. It’s assault. You need to report it to the police.’
‘No!’ Her eyes flashed with anger. ‘Don’t youdaregoto the police. I’ll never forgive you if you do. I promise you, Mackenzie.Never!’
‘But you’re notsafe!’
‘Darren says he’s going to get counselling for his angerproblems.’
‘Really? When did he say that?’
‘It was after the last time this happened. He promised he’d...’She trailed off with a shrug, realising she’d given too much away.
I sighed with frustration. ‘For God’s sake, Rachel, I needto know you’re going to be safe. You and Poppy.’
‘Ofcoursewe’re safe. Darren’s just stressed atwork, that’s all, and I was putting pressure on him to take time off.’ Sheshrugged. ‘It’s just the way he is. Temperamental. He blows up but then he’sfine again.’
‘But hehityou!’
She shook her head. ‘No. No, he didn’t. He just pushed meout of the way and I lost my balance and bashed my cheek against the corner ofthe wardrobe.’
I stared at her helplessly.
‘Don’t look at me like that, Mackenzie. It’s true. Darrendidn’t mean to hurt me and if you report him to the police, I’ll just sayyou’re making it up because you don’t like him.’ She turned away for a moment,her shoulders slumped, and I wondered if she was weakening. Maybe she’d confidein me, after all...
But when she turned back, her face was calm andexpressionless. ‘You need to go now, Mackenzie. You can’t be here when Darrengets back. You’ll just make things worse.’
‘But he said he won’t be coming back,’ I reminded her,grasping at straws.
She smiled as if she pitied me in my ignorance. ‘He alwayssays that. But he always comes back. And now you need to go.’
‘But what about Poppy? Can’t she come and stay at minetonight?’ I was panicking, realising she was throwing me out.
Rachel walked silently down the stairs ahead of me into theliving room, where she sat down on the sofa and looped her arm around herdaughter, drawing her close. And Poppy, engrossed in the TV, cuddled in andsmiled up at me.
‘Stay and watch TV with me, Auntie Enzie,’ she said.
But Rachel murmured, ‘Auntie Enzie has to get home now.Don’t you?’ Her tone was firm, but when she looked at me, I caught a flash ofdesperation in her eyes and fear for both of them made my blood run cold.
What should I do? Report the assault to the police, eventhough Rachel would say I was making it all up? Antagonising a man like Darren wasso dangerous. He’d take out his anger on those closest to him, and the lastthing I wanted was to put Rachel and Poppy in even more danger.
