Hidden In Plain Sight.
Chapter Five.
After Steele had left, Georgina was frozen to the spot, numb and in shock at the clear realization that her father-in-law would snuff out her life with no hesitation if she didn't comply with his demands. She'd always sensed an evil about him, an aura of vicious intent if provoked and now she'd seen a glimpse of it in all it's nastiness.
After several minutes, she finally managed to walk, as if in a trance, into the study and up to a small bar in the corner of the room. Grabbing a bottle of Corvoisier and a glass, she poured herself a large measure, unable to prevent the neck of the bottle rattling against the tumbler, her hand shaking uncontrollably.
Cupping the glass with both hands to steady them, she drank the sharp tasting liquor quickly, coughing immediately, her throat and esophagus feeling as if they were on fire as the brandy went down, eventually dissipating into a warm sensation in her stomach.
Then the tears started as the questions rushed into her mind.
Where was Paul? What had been done to him? Was he badly hurt? In a critical condition? Would he live? How could she find him? Dare she find him?
As if by divine intervention her mobile telephone began ringing in the kitchen. She managed to reach it before it switched to voicemail.
"Hello?" she said, her voice sounding weak and small as she wiped the moisture from her face with her hand.
"Is that Georgina Steele?" asked a female voice.
"Y..yes it is. Who is this?"
"My name is Jenny Sanders. I'm a nurse at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. We have a Mr Paul Lewis in our care and he wanted me to tell you he was okay."
"I...I see." stuttered Georgina, reaching for a box of tissues. "Is he badly hurt?"
"He's been assaulted, rather viciously I'm afraid." replied Jenny. "And four fingers of his right hand are broken. He's also lost his fingernails."
"Oh my God!" replied Georgina, her hand flying to her mouth, the tears flowing once more. "He will recover, won't he?"
"Yes he will." assured Jenny. "We'll make sure of it. Is there a message I can give him?"
"Er, ye...yes." said Georgina, sniffing, wiping her tears away again and dabbing her nose with a tissue. "Please tell him I'm so sorry. And I wish him well."
"Er, is that all?" queried Jenny, a little surprised there wasn't a message of love anywhere in Georgina's response.
"Yes, yes it is. Thank you for calling me. Goodbye." replied Georgina, ending the call immediately.
"Goodbye." said Jenny, staring at her receiver, then shrugging as she returned it to it's base.
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The break-in at PL Motors was initially dealt with by the local Hampstead constabulary and put down to wanton vandalism, assumed to be fuelled by jealousy of the exotic cars on display. A report was written reflecting these assumptions and filed by the young constable responding to the 999 call made earlier, with the copper adding, as a footnote, that since the perpetrators would never be able to afford any of the cars, they were simply hellbent on scoring a poke in the eye for the rich bastards that could.
It was a sloppy response with far too much not taken into account, especially the blatant silence of the alarm system and no apparent damage done to its wall mounted keypad!
No-one raised an eyebrow at the non-attendance of Paul Lewis at the school gates either, seeing as his estranged wife had custody of the twins that day and had been seen dropping them off that morning.
It was now three thirty five in the afternoon and Harry and Dempsey were waiting at the gates for Alex, their car packed and ready to make the journey to Winfield Hall for the weekend. Upon seeing Georgina's pale complexion, swollen eyelids and red nose when she arrived at the school, Harry was more than a little concerned.
"Georgina?" she asked, a little surprised too, that she also appeared to be deliberately avoiding them. "Is everything okay? You don't look well. Are you ill or has something upset you?"
"Oh, er, hello Harry." replied Georgina, fighting hard to swallow the tears that threatened to flow once more. "No, no, I er, I don't feel too good. Must be coming down with something."
"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Harry again, sensing there was more to her appearance than the onset of a heavy cold.
"Yes! Thank you, I'm fine!" snapped Georgina, immediately feeling embarrassed at her unfriendly attitude and response. "Sorry Harry. Really, I'm okay thanks."
On an impulse, Harry suddenly asked. "I know this is incredibly short notice, but why don't we have Hilda for the weekend. We're visiting my father and I'm sure Alex would love it if Hilda could come too."
"Oh no Harry." replied Georgina immediately. "She doesn't have any clothes with her for a start."
"Oh, that doesn't matter." said Harry, smiling. "As per usual, I've packed too much anyway for Alex, so Hilda can wear some of her stuff. Anyway, it'll be very informal. They'll be messing about in dungarees and welly boots in the day and pyjamas at night. And it will mean Hilda won't catch what you may be sickening for."
Georgina began to see the sense in Harry's offer. She was in no state to deal with the demands of a lively four year old right now, still needing time to come to terms with what had occurred that afternoon with her father-in-law and the shock of learning what had happened to Paul.
The idea began to appeal to her. "Well I suppose if Hilda hasn't any objections, she may as well come with you." replied Georgina. "I'll ask her."
"No time like the present." responded Harry, as Alex and Hilda came out of the school - hand in hand with Theresa Creighton and looking sheepish.
"Uh-oh, looks like they jus' got busted for somethin'." chuckled Dempsey.
"Well don't look so happy about it!" scolded Harry under her breath as they waited for the trio to reach them.
"I've had to reprimand them for running when they should have been walking." said Theresa as she strolled into earshot. "These two have more energy between them than the rest of their class put together!"
Hilda didn't like Theresa Creighton and, looking decidely unconcerned at having been ticked off by her, she, with an almost perfunctory wave of her hand, asked.
"Mummy, is Alex coming for tea now?"
"No she isn't." replied Georgina, in no mood for a badly behaved youngster. "Have you apologized for running?"
"Soorry." said Hilda to Theresa, who was just succeeding in keeping herself from slapping the insolent little madam.
"What about you Alex?" asked Harry. "Have you said sorry?"
"Yes." she murmured, her head bowed, her eyes fixed on her shoe as she tried to grind an imaginary creepy crawlie into oblivion.
Georgina broke the pregnant silence that had settled over them.
"Alex is going with her Mummy and Daddy to see her grandfather this weekend." she said. "Would you like to go too?"
Both girls began bouncing on their feet. "Yes please!" they both replied, excitedly.
While Dempsey took Georgina's car keys and transferred Hilda's child seat to the Cosworth, Georgina scribbled down her address in Harry's notebook and handed it back.
"We'll drop her off by late Sunday afternoon?" suggested Harry, taking the notebook from her. "Say about five - ish?"
"Yes, perfect, thank you." replied Georgina, who then proceeded to remind Hilda on how to behave, before kissing then hugging her goodbye.
After they'd all gone, Theresa Creighton returned to her office, switched her computer on, opened a folder containing details of all pupils, alphabetically arranged by surname and scrolled down until she reached 'D'. Once she'd scribbled down the relevant information, she then took a road map of the UK out of her desk drawer and began to search Buckinghamshire.
Once they were on their way, the two girls sat quietly in the back of the car, each with a pair of headphones on, listening to Roald Dahl stories on portable cassette players.
"Wonder what Georgina was really upset 'bout, honey." remarked Dempsey as he gunned the car towards the M40. "Even if she was goin' down with somethin', it sure as hell wasn't just a runny nose."
"No, I know." replied Harry, glancing across at him. "I just felt she could do with a break. She looked as though she'd been crying for hours. And bringing Hilda with us gets us out of having to swerve questions as to when Alex could go for tea next week."
"Yeah, good thinkin' tiger." grinned Dempsey. "We can see if Freddy can throw any light on her grandfather too. Somethin' sure ain't right 'bout him!"
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When Arthur arrived home later that afternoon, he was surprised to find the house so quiet as, usually, Hilda would be glued to the television and Georgina clattering about in the kitchen preparing her tea, then their evening meal.
"Hello!" he shouted, standing motionless at the bottom of the galleried landing. "Georgina!?"
No reply.
He walked up the staircase and made his way to the master bedroom, finding Georgina asleep on the bed, fully clothed. Sitting on the edge he began shaking her awake, she finally responding and opening her eyes, drawing her breath in sharply when she saw him staring at her, a look in his eye she knew would spell trouble if she resisted what she knew was coming.
"Where's Hilda?" he asked, coldly.
"She's gone away for the weekend with Alexandra Dempsey and her parents." replied Georgina. "They're visiting her grandfather for the weekend and invited her to join them."
"I see." said Arthur, his eyes scanning the swell of her breasts, flat stomach, trim waist and shapely thighs under her dress. "So, we have an empty house for the weekend then."
Georgina mentally gritted her teeth, her father-in-laws words rolling round her head. 'You will give yourself willingly to him, you will enjoy it and make him happy.'
"Yes we have." she replied, forcing a smile.
He leaned in and began to kiss her, his hand sliding under her clothes. She closed her eyes and forced herself to succumb.
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By the time the Dempsey's reached Winfield Hall, all was silent in the back of the car, the two girls sound asleep.
"Wakey, wakey you two!" said Harry as she reached across and sounded the car horn, something that had become a ritual since the first time she'd taken Dempsey to meet her father. "We're here!"
As they approached the porticoed entrance to the enormous house, Freddy appeared, grinning from ear to ear and waving, preceded by the two labradors. Blondie and Gunner, who immediately came to heel upon instruction and sat at his feet, panting in expectation, their tails wagging furiously and forming a perfect arc in the gravel.
Abbott, his trusted butler, soon appeared and opened the car doors as Dempsey brought the Cosworth to a halt, the two girls waiting impatiently while they were released from their seat belts, then leaping out to make a fuss of the dogs.
"Harry darling and James, good to see you." said Freddy, simultaneously hugging his daughter and shaking Dempsey's hand, before glancing at Hilda. "And who's the little girl with Alex?"
"Hilda, they've become firm friends." replied Harry, smiling. "You'd think they'd known each other for months instead of three days!"
"Oh, new school chum then. Pretty little thing isn't she. Reminds me of you at the same age." remarked Freddy, as he admired Hilda's natural blonde hair and blue eyes, before calling out. "Come on girls, your tea will be ready very soon."
The two of them stopped making a fuss of the dogs and each took Freddy's hand, flanking him as he escorted them into the house and through to the kitchen where they were greeted warmly by Mrs Thomas, Freddy's cook and a grandmother herself six times over.
He joined Harry and Dempsey in the drawing room a few minutes later, whereupon Abbott was dispensing drinks before melting away and leaving them to their privacy.
"How is Alex settling in at school?" asked Freddy.
"Like a duck to water." replied Harry, chuckling. "So far, she loves it."
"And her friend Hilda. Have you met her parents?"
"Only her mother, Georgina." said Harry. "She seems a nice person but we're not so sure about her extended family, Daddy."
"Oh? Why?" asked Freddy, immediately interested.
"We checked 'em out, Freddy." said Dempsey. "An' the grandfather don't come up nowhere before nineteen forty seven. Arrived here from Sao Paulo by boat with his wife, a Frenchwoman, an' set up a property development company, tappin' into the housing shortage, buyin' up land and buildin' homes."
"Hmmm, that would have proved very lucrative." replied Freddy. "Was he wealthy?"
"Must've been." said Dempsey. "There's no record of bank funding, private loans or mortgages in the company accounts. An' seein' as he ain't done nothin' wrong, I don't have the authority to access any private banking records, so I've no clue if he transferred any loot from Brazil to here, or anywhere else for that matter. "
"What is his name?" asked Freddy.
"Christopher Steele - with an 'e'." answered Dempsey. "I checked with the Commissioner of Police in Sao Paulo. He reckons Steele could've been an escaped Nazi."
"Hmmm, well I'm always interested in those brutes." said Freddy, his blue eyes hardening instantly. "Many an agent of mine died in their hands. I still have contacts with certain people involved in rooting them out, even today. I'll make some phone calls - see if I can find out who this fellow really is!"