A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [111]
Fifi had been brought up to respect the law, and to trust the police to apprehend criminals and bring them to trial. She hadn’t liked Roper much, but she didn’t believe he would take bribes or frame an innocent man, not even to protect himself. Yet she knew Dan was far more worldly-wise than she was, and Roper did seem to be pulling out all the stops to find someone other than Alfie to pin the crime on.
It was unthinkable that Alfie just might be released without charge. Even if he hadn’t actually killed Angela, he’d treated her and all his children shamefully, and once home again, he’d continue to do so. He would also be wanting revenge against anyone who had spoken out against him. Herself included!
Fifi left the hospital at noon the following day, feeling like a new woman without the plaster, though just as Johnny had said, her arm did look odd being so white. It was thinner too, and it felt weak; she supposed some of the muscle had wasted while not being used. But it felt so good to be able to stretch out her fingers, to know that she could dress herself quickly again, and cuddle Dan without clonking him on the head!
As she drew close to Dale Street she spotted Frank going into the pub. She hadn’t as much as caught sight of him for days, but assuming he had come out of his hermit-like state, she thought she would go in too and see how he was.
After the glare of the sunshine, the pub seemed very gloomy. There was only a handful of people in there, and Frank was at the bar waiting for his pint to be pulled.
‘Hello, how nice to see you,’ she said brightly, as if surprised to find him there. ‘I’ve just had the plaster off my arm, so I thought I’d get a drink to celebrate. Let me buy you that pint too.’
‘No, you’re all right,’ he said, looking as if he wished she would go away.
Fifi had sensed when he began hiding himself away from her that he wished he hadn’t told her all that stuff about Molly. She had kept her promise of silence, she hadn’t even told Dan about it. But maybe he didn’t believe that.
She wasn’t going to back away now; she was determined to make him talk to her. ‘I insist,’ she said. ‘I’ll be back at work on Monday, so it’s my last chance to be a bit naughty and drink during the day.’
He tried to produce a smile, but it was a weak, forlorn one. ‘Was that your mum I saw you leaving with yesterday?’ he asked. ‘If so, she looks young enough to be your sister.’
‘Yes, it was Mum, a surprise visit. I’ll tell her what you said. That will make her day.’
She thought Frank looked ill. He’d lost weight and his normal good colour. Once she’d got her drink and paid for them, she suggested they sat over in the corner.
‘Now why have you been avoiding me?’ she asked teasingly. ‘I thought we were friends.’
Frank shrugged. ‘I’ve been down in the dumps. I couldn’t face talking to anyone.’
‘Well, it was a good job you didn’t run into me,’ Fifi said. ‘I was down too, but it affected me the other way. I was talking non-stop to anyone that would let me.’
‘It just seems to be getting worse rather than better,’ he said wearily. ‘And now they’ve got Stan again.’
‘So we heard,’ Fifi replied, putting her hand over Frank’s. ‘Dan and I think it sounds like a load of old rubbish.’
Frank looked as if he was going to cry. ‘I’ve just been up to the nick to see if they’d let me see him, but they wouldn’t. They’ll have to charge him soon, or let him go. He’s been there nearly twenty-four hours.’
‘Do you know anything about the woman who made the claims?’
‘A bit. She’s called Frieda and she’s rough, got several kids and her old man’s doing time,’ Frank said, his voice wavering. ‘Stan used to empty her bins, and she set her cap at him at the end of last year, always coming out with a cup of tea for him and that.’
‘Do the police know that?’
‘Stan’s bound to have told them now. Last Christmas Eve she came in here all dressed up, on the hunt for him.’
‘What happened?’
‘Stan was a bit drunk, he kissed her under the mistletoe and flirted a bit. The next day when he came for his Christmas dinner with me, he felt