Page 20 of The Runaway Wives

‘Can you give me a leg up? I might be able to climb over,’ she said.

‘Be careful,’ Babs warned as she looped her hands together and Dee stepped onto them, heaving herself up the wall. She’d just gripped it firmly when Babs screamed and her hands disappeared, pulling Dee’s shorts with her, leaving Dee dangling from the wall, her shorts around her ankles. Whatever had possessed her to wear the elastic-waisted shorts instead of button waist ones?

‘Babs! Get me down! You can’t leave me like this!’ she shouted, clinging on for her life, not daring to look around.

‘I fell, sorry,’ Babs stammered. ‘Hang on, I’m coming.’

‘You ladies don’t look the type to go house-breaking,’ said an amused voice behind her. It was Kenny.

Oh God, of all the people to come along when she was clinging onto a wall, shorts around her ankles, knickers on display – and brief black lacy ones at that. She felt her cheeks burn.

‘Edna needs help. I’ve called an ambulance but they’re taking ages. I was trying to get in through the back,’ Dee said, between gasps. ‘Can you give me a lift over?’ And pull my shorts up, please? Dee wanted to ask but couldn’t bring herself to voice the words.

‘Look, let me help you down and I’ll climb over,’ Kenny said.

‘You will not! Perishing men taking over! She’s almost there,’ Dee heard Babs say.

Dee could feel her hands slipping. ‘Please can one of you?—’

Then she felt two strong hands grip her waist and lower her to the ground.

‘Thank you!’ She brushed Kenny’s hands away, reached for her shorts and pulled them up, not daring to look at his face. She had the strong impression that he was holding back laughter. She could kill Babs for putting her in this position.

They all spun around as they heard the sound of sirens and then an ambulance followed by a police car came speeding around the corner, screeching to a halt on the kerb.

‘Thank goodness. It was me who called you. The poor lady who lives here is injured. We were trying to get over the back gate to see if we could get in and help her,’ she explained as a burly policewoman and a slender policeman got out of the car.

‘Leave it to us now, madam, we’ll deal with it,’ the policeman said. ‘Thank you for calling us. We’ll see if we can get in the front door.’

Dee, Babs and Kenny all hurried around to the front of the cottage. The policewoman hurled her shoulder at the door and after a couple of attempts it sprang open. The police went inside, calling Edna’s name. The paramedics followed, with Dee and Babs behind them. Dee’s hand flew to her mouth when she saw an elderly lady lying on the floor, the paramedics kneeling beside her.

‘Is she okay?’ she asked, watching them worriedly.

‘She’s alive, but it’s a good job you found her when you did. She’s been lying here for some time and is very dehydrated.’

As they carried Edna on a stretcher to the ambulance the woman flickered her eyes open. ‘Snowy,’ she said weakly.

‘Snowy is her cat.’ Dee dashed forward. ‘I’ll look after Snowy. I’m Dee and this is Babs,’ she pointed to Babs. ‘We’re staying at Sunset View.’

‘Thank you.’ Edna closed her eyes wearily.

Dee looked around for Snowy. The cat had disappeared. ‘Has he gone inside?’ she asked.

‘We’ll go and have a look, then we’ll get the front door secured,’ the policewoman told her.

They found Snowy cuddled up in his basket in the lounge. Dee felt so sorry for the little cat, he must be wondering what was happening. And he barely knew Dee, although he’d been happy enough to let her stroke him. Would he let her pick him up and carry him out of the house?

She walked over to Snowy slowly, stooping down and keeping her tone soft. ‘Hello, Snowy. I’m coming to look after you until your mummy is better.’ She bent down to pick him up but he jumped out of the basket and shot out of the house.

‘Take the basket with you, he’ll probably come back to you later,’ the policewoman told her. ‘I’ll see if I can find any cat food.’

Dee picked up the basket and took it out of the cottage. The policewoman came out carrying two tins of food and a cat dish, handed them to Dee then pulled the door to. ‘The contractor will be here any minute to secure the door,’ she said. ‘Do you know if Edna has any family we should contact?’

Dee shook her head. ‘We’re on holiday here, we only arrived yesterday, but you could ask at Moira’s Café, a lady called Andi works there and she knows Edna well. It’s on the harbour front.’

‘Thank you. I’ll do that.’ The policewoman nodded. ‘And if you could give me your phone number, please, in case I have further questions.’

‘Of course,’ Dee agreed. Then she looked around anxiously. ‘Where could Snowy have gone?’

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