Women Who Talk Pt. 05

Nothing.

She grunted and pushed a little harder.

Still nothing and so she put her hand on the blade to hold it steady and put all of her weight behind it in a sudden surge.

The knife shot forward into the tyre and she heard the satisfying whoosh as the remainder of the air spurted out but then she felt the sharp pain as the knife nicked her skin and her head struck the rear quarter panel with a thud. The car sank down suddenly and she blinked as she saw spots.

"Fucking Jesus," she swore and stared at her hand but in the pitch blackness she couldn't see blood and her hand didn't feel wet.

Just then she heard a dog barking from inside Alana's house and she froze. Nobody had mentioned a dog before. Bloody typical. She rose quickly and crouching down low, moved to the rear of the car and put her hand on the boot. The dog was still barking, it sounded like a terrier. Helen hesitated for a split second and then brought the pommel of the knife smashing down on the tail lights twice. The barking became more intense and she raced towards the gate but didn't see the raised paving stone and went flying forward.

She managed to stop herself from serious damage by slapping her palm on a paving stone but then the screwdriver went flying into the narrow garden bed off to one side. Helen glanced over her shoulder as she got to her feet to retrieve it, just as the light in a front room came on. She stared at the garden but it was too dark and so she hurried out into the street and back to her car. It was only when she was behind the wheel that she realised that she had cut herself, which meant that she'd probably left a perfect print on the boot. It was clumsy but her juvenile records had been erased long ago and she'd never supplied her prints to the police since she turned seventeen. She thought about driving away and returning in an hour or so to look for it but that was too risky and so she drove away.

***

Robyn looked down at the phone that morning as it rang and when she saw the name on screen she picked it up with a smile.

"Alana, good morning. How are you?"

"Shit," she sighed, "some fucking arsehole has slashed one of my tyres and smashed the tail lights, "I've got to wait for the police to turn up and then arrange for a mobile mechanic service to call out to my place and fix the car."

"So, you won't make the lunch date then," she sat down suddenly and stared at the wardrobe mirror.

"Afraid not, I'll take the day off and take it as a day in lieu."

"Shit, okay. So, do you want me get Erin for you? It's her day off but I'm sure she could cover for you."

"Tempting but let's call in a favour from the regional manager, I covered for someone else the last two days, now it's time to repay the favour but I'll keep it in mind."

"Any idea who might have vandalised your car?"

"No idea, probably kids," she replied, "but we'll do lunch tomorrow."

"I'm working tomorrow," she fiddled with her necklace, "but Friday is cool or Saturday?"

"Okay, I'll get back to you sometime tomorrow, but either day suits me."

"Saturday," she looked at the Harry Potter book, "I'll have finished the first book by then and I'll be either starting the second one or about to, but you take care. You can text me at work and I'll call you back as soon as I'm able, okay? I'm here for you."

"Thank you," Alana sounded almost emotional, "I've got to jump in the shower."

After she'd farewelled her Robyn studied her reflection. The white double-breasted blouse was a brand new item of clothing. One row of black buttons was hidden under a placket except for the top one. The second row was plainly visible. She studied it for a few seconds, this was her first one and she'd been working on it for the last couple of weeks with Cindy's help, in between her volunteer duties in her sewing room. Last night she'd completed it and Cindy declared it a good start.

"It's easier than I thought," she nodded, "the hardest part is measuring someone first, we cheated with this one because we measured a similar blouse of mine."

"True but we'll get to that, a lot of it is instinctive."

The blouse had deep cuffs held together with three buttons and was tucked into a brown skirt that fell past her knees, its wide waistband was held together with four buttons at the back and she wore a brown leather belt as well. A pair of black leather boots and the black cardigan Helen had given her on Sunday completed her outfit. The necklace was made of two concentric rows gold-plated bars that formed a semi-circle.

Good enough, she glanced at the plastic bag on the floor. It contained the two buckles she'd bought at the Caribbean Market on Sunday. Penny will be at the office today, she frowned as she picked the bag up and contemplated the wisdom of just dropping in.

"Fuck it," she murmured and dropped the plastic bag into her handbag.

Some thirty five minutes later after a couple of slices of toast and some coffee she left home and drove the short distance to Penny's office in Collins Place. It was likely she'd be in the office this early in the morning and that was confirmed when she pulled into a parking bay. The reception lights were on however and she grabbed her bag and got out of the car.

She was just about to step into the office however when Helen pulled up in her mother's car and so Robyn waited for her. Helen was wearing a grey, three-piece suit and a red tie. Robyn grinned as the older woman got out of her car.

"Don't you look suave today."

"Huh? Oh, thanks," Helen ran her eyes over her, "you're pretty suave yourself."

"What this old thing?" Robyn looked down at herself, "what do you think of the blouse?"

"It's, you've worn that before haven't you?"

"Nope," she replied, "I made it at Cindy's over the last couple of weeks but it's similar to one that I wore a few weeks ago."

"Wow," she drew closer, "looks fucking amazing, I can't wait to see what you do with curtains."

"Oh, I spoke to Cindy about the curtains last night," she looked past her, "she's prepared to help me make them but it'd um... it'd cost you a bit more because I'm paying for her time."

"Sweet," Helen shrugged, "I'm cool with that."

"You are?" Robyn's eyes widened, "okay," she looked down at the bandaid on Helen's left hand, "what happened there?"

"I slipped when I was cutting vegetables last night," she grimaced, "knives are sharp. What's with the buckles?"

"Oh, they're for Penny, well one is at least. She can choose the one she wants and I'll take the other one but she isn't here yet."

"No, Anne called me this morning and told me she won't be in until later. The contractors are taking the scaffold down and doing a clean up this morning."

"Can you give them to her, please?"

"Sure," she nodded, "are we still on for tonight?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "should be."

Helen watched her drive away and frowned as she thought about her last words. What did she mean by that? She looked at the buckles in her hand and was tempted to just keep them herself but on the other hand she grimaced, Robyn might just text Penny as well.

Bitch, she frowned, fucking bitch.

***

Penny looked down at the living room as she registered the warmer air up here and a smile nudged her lips as she turned to look up at the ducting in the ceiling of her office. She could now work from home without having to transfer files from the desktop computer to her laptop, and in the summer it would still be cooler down there, she glanced down at the ground floor. The ducting had even been put into the basement, which was part of the reason it had taken two and a half days to finish. The basement rooms were only accessible from the side of the house overlooking the city or a spiral staircase on the other side of the kitchen.

That's the next project, she stepped back into her office and picked up the phone to call Anne.

"Hello, boss," Anne actually sounded cheery, "what's the verdict?"

"I'm standing in my office wearing just a tee shirt and jeans, and I don't have goosebumps, I should have done this five years ago when I moved in here, this is the best money I've spent in years," she fell into the seat facing her seat, "I'm almost tempted to work from home again today, just for the novelty of being able to work in casual clothes."

"More power to you," Anne replied, "although you've got Mrs Wright down for five, she had to reschedule her appointment, although I could see if Lisa or Margaret could do it."

"Maybe not," she swivelled the chair around to face the door, "they've been snowed under for the last two and a half days, I've certainly been able to do my fair share of work but they have social lives too."

"So, what time are you getting here?"

"It's," she checked her watch, "eleven thirty now, let me get changed into work clothes and I reckon about one?"

"No worries," Anne replied, "Helen's been starting earlier the last three days."

"Helen," she frowned, "how's she been?"

"Pretty good actually, she's had her nose to the grindstone."

"Uh huh," she rose and walked out of her office, "get her to check Mrs Wright's details," Penny walked along the balcony overlooking the living room.

"And see if Lisa can do some overtime," she stopped in the doorway of her bedroom, "I'll send Helen back to her office at home if that's any incentive."

"Yeah, that'll work for sure," Anne chuckled, "I might even stay back myself."

"Lucky me," Penny grinned, "well, as much as I love talking to you I'm about to get changed, I'll see you when I'm looking at you," she stepped into her room.

Some time later she surveyed herself in the wardrobe mirrors. The black, pinstripe skirt suit was matched with a cream, satin tie-neck blouse and ankle boots. She ran a brush through her hair and contemplated her workload for the afternoon and then put on her makeup. It was only as she left the bedroom that she remembered the letter lying on one of her bedside cabinets.

She walked back in to retrieve it and frowned.

Should I? Is it appropriate?

Her eyes flickered to the mirrors as she thought about the money in her purse.

"Fuck it," she sat down again and took the purse out of her handbag, "she's just going to have to get used to random acts of kindness," she stared at the money in her purse, the smallest note she had was a fifty dollar note, nestled amongst the hundred dollar notes. She took a fifty out and slipped it into the envelope and stared at herself in the mirror.

"Not exactly earth shattering."

The drive down the mountain around midday took around thirty five minutes and as she glanced out towards the west she saw the approaching storm front moving relentlessly eastwards. By nightfall it would empty itself onto the city below and that brought a frown to her face as she thought of the drive back up the rain-slicked mountain road. There was always at least one lunatic who tried to go around a bend too quickly.

Her mood lightened however when she got into work and found the buckles on her desk.

"They're from Robyn," Helen announced casually.

"Oh, okay," she picked them up, "cool."

"You have to choose one, apparently."

"Even cooler," she studied them, "the brass is nice."

"I like the silver one," she replied.

"Whatever," Penny put them down and propped against the desk as she stared out the window. Lisa turned in her seat and stared at the cafetière beside her.

"What's wrong with the plunger in the office?" Lisa asked her.

"Nothing," she glanced down at it, "it's for Robyn. I found it when we gutted the junk room, I'm just trying to work out when I can drop it into her today. Maybe after work?"

"It'd be later than normal," Charlott spoke up, "you've got Mrs Wright, don't forget."

"Fuck it, I forgot about Mrs Wright," she pulled a wry grin.

"How can you forget about Mrs Wright?" Lisa grinned.

"What do you mean?" Penny raised an eyebrow.

"Hotter than hell," Lisa replied, "if it wasn't a risk to my relationship, not to mention a violation of company policy I'd consider a home visit."

"Well let's make sure there's no home visits," she winced and glanced at Helen.

"I can do it," Helen spoke up.

"You," she stared at her, "do what?"

"Drop things off, I'm heading into Croydon after work anyway."

"You are, are you?" Penny frowned as she looked down at the plastic bag, "how'd you like to work from home for the rest of the day?"

"Of course. I can do that."

Penny looked at Lisa's face. The other woman had a slight smile.

Fuck it, she thought, the girls need a break from her.

"Okay," she took a letter out of her handbag, "what're you doing in Croydon?"

"A bit of food shopping, and dropping off some film."

"Whatever. Go and do your shopping and drop this cafetière and letter off to her, do you know where she works?"

"I'm not sure," Helen frowned as she feigned ignorance, "some real estate office?"

"The one at the top of Main street, just near the arcade and opposite the chemist."

"Oh, I know the one, sure."

"Here," she put the letter into the bag, "do your thing and you can finish up at home," she looked at Lisa, "has she got work to take home?"

"You could say that," Lisa grabbed a thick pile of files, "all this needs word processed."

"That'll keep you occupied," Penny grinned. "Email the files when you finish each folder and I need you to check real estate prices as well, okay?"

"Yep," Helen stared at the files as Lisa placed them on her desk.

"Work from home tomorrow but I want you back here with the originals on Friday."

When Helen had left the office Lisa let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank fuck for that."

"So, you can work overtime tonight?"

"Absolutely," she nodded, "it's a pleasure."

***

Now that the police had gone Alana felt somewhat deflated. The uniformed officers had seemed a little more interested than the two detectives who attended the scene, one man actually implied it might have been an ex boyfriend. When she stated quite categorically that she hadn't had a lover since Frank, "over three and a half years ago," he smiled slyly and asked her again.

"Are you sure, madam? Not even a casual date? It could've been a guy who thought there was more to it than just a date."

She'd shaken her head once more.

"No, there's been nobody."

"Your sister came out recently. Could it be some homophobic character who made a connection?"

"So, why not attack her directly instead of going through me?"

That seemed to stump him and fortunately the older man took over.

"What my colleague is simply asking is, can you think of anyone who would like to harm you? Have you experienced any road rage in the last few months? A guy might have followed you home and decided to come back later on."

"Not that I can think of, people do beep their horns from time to time but I can't be expected to take notice of every impatient driver."

"No, of course not."

Alana stared at her phone. They'd asked a few more questions and promised to get back to her but she got the feeling that this was particularly low on their list of priorities. No one had been hurt, apart from possibly the perpetrator and she hadn't been able to furnish them with a list of names, which made it even harder to make an arrest. She went back over the last few months as she waited for the mechanic from a mobile car servicing company to appear. Had someone followed her home. What about angry customers? Had she upset someone enough for them to follow her home and damage her car last night?

Eventually she stretched out on the couch and picked up her phone to send a text.

Alana: Still here, looks like work is cancelled for the day, waiting for the mobile mechanic.

Robyn: I could call Jeff for you if you like?

Alana: Thanks, sweetie but let's not bring your ex into this. I'm struggling to come up with a reason why someone would single me out.

Robyn: Where are you staying tonight?

Alana: As soon as my car is fixed I'll go to mum's joint in East Ringwood, she loves Mac so it'll be a change of scene for him too.

The reply came as she was making lunch.

Robyn: No worries, stay safe and I'll drop by the shop tomorrow.

She managed a smile at that.

This incident had certainly given her something to look forward to. Robyn's practical nature was a welcome relief when compared to the reactions of her mother and sister, both of whom had become convinced that some serial stalker was out to get her. The decision to go to her mother's place was a way of putting her mind at ease.

And yet, she frowned. There were unanswered questions. Who had that caller been?

If I find out I'll take them to court for damages.

Little did Alana suspect that the perpetrator was miles away congratulating herself on getting away with it. Helen had never attempted something so bold. Granted she'd lost a screwdriver and left a print on the car but there was no way they'd connect it back to her.

Helen frowned as she studied the door. The letter was a problem but only if she gave her this one, she stared at it. Should she steam it open and read it? She discarded that possibility almost straight away and unlocked the top drawer of her desk and put it in the drawer.

A few minutes later she wrote out another letter. It was short but she had to make it perfect, she couldn't make Penny out to be a snob or a cold hearted bitch because that would arouse suspicion, she had to make her sound encouraging.

Dear Robyn,

I have been encouraged by your openness and willingness to learn. Acknowledging your sexual orientation is the first step in an exciting and fulfilling journey. I know that there is a lucky woman out there for you and I wish you all the very best for the future.

Your Friend,

Penny.

P.S. I hope you like the cafetière, it makes for a good ice breaker and it can be used in foreplay.

She put that into an envelope and took it downstairs to the cafetière. She still had a couple of hours to play with and she sent a text message to Robyn's phone.

Helen: What time are you coming around?

There was no answer however and so she got back to work. Penny would want something done but she wasn't due back until Friday. Even so, she expected hand written notes and tape recordings to be inputted into a Word document for use in court and storage in the archives. She was so busy that she almost missed the call when it came through.

"Robyn," she finally answered.

"Hiya, sorry I didn't reply earlier, it's been a busy day. I'm leaving in fifteen minutes so I should be at your joint about quarter to five to measure up these curtains. Is that okay?"

"Fine, fine, no worries," she replied.

"Okay, see you then."

***

The doorbell chimed at 4:45 and Helen looked up from her desk and by the time she got downstairs the doorbell had sounded again. She opened the door and smiled at Robyn on the other side of the flywire door.

"I saw your light on and thought I'd drop in," Robyn smiled crookedly.

"You're wearing that cardigan I gave you," she opened the flywire door.

"I surely am," she stepped inside, "it's quite warm too. You're still in your work clothes."

"So are you," Helen stepped back to let her enter and then closed the door, "come on through," she inclined her head.

Robyn glanced at the two free standing lamps on either side of the large window, they were both on and she noted the fire burning in the fireplace. It lent a cosy feel to the room and she followed her through to the kitchen.

"That's it there," she pointed to the cafetière, "there was a letter as well."

"Cool," she took it out of the bag whilst Helen flicked the switch on the kettle, her own cafetière was already filled with coffee, "she had me going with her quiz."