Move Closer Ch. 02

Caro held Lainy close and kissed her forehead. "From what you've said about how lovely and sweet Susannah was, do you really think that she'd begrudge you another chance at love?"

"I guess not," Lainy whispered.

"In fact," Caro continued, "if there is an afterlife, I'll bet she's up there now cheering us on. So I'll say it again: be proud of her."

"You're right. But now I'm proud of you too—you really are special. You've proved that tonight. Caro, will the dinner keep?"

"It'll be okay for a while. Why?"

Lainy kissed Caro's mouth. "Then let's make love ..."

* * * * *

Joss pulled into his usual parking spot opposite the gym. To his surprise, he saw Lainy and Caro standing outside the door leading to the flat. They were hugging and kissing before Caro gave a little wave and set off for work.

Joss joined Lainy just as she was opening the gym. "So, are you and Caro an item now?"

"You saw us? Yes, I suppose we are."

"And is it likely to last?"

Lainy nodded. "It's early days, Joss, but yes, I think it's going to last."

"Good. I like Caro—she's a nice girl. But I thought she was straight."

Lainy busied herself, turning on all the lights. "I thought so too, but now I'm not so sure. Some of the things she's told me... well, I think that perhaps she was so deep in the closet she didn't even know she was in there. Now the lights are on and she's finding her way out. There's something else, Joss..."

Lainy put her arm around her uncle's waist and laid her head against his shoulder. "A few evenings ago, I finally cried properly for Susannah. You don't have to worry about me any more, Joss. I'm at peace with myself now."

Changes

Their lives had altered so much. Lainy had lost her air of melancholy; now there was an almost constant aura of happiness about her. And once Lainy had a very odd experience which she never mentioned to anyone. Alone in the flat one morning, not long after she and Caro had become lovers and after Caro had left for work, she had a sudden impression of unseen arms about her, of being warmly embraced and loved and the feeling that everything was okay. The sensation was fleeting, no more than a few seconds, but it left Lainy with a lightened heart. Perhaps Caro was right--perhaps Susannah was cheering them on and this had been her way of showing approval.

Caro had gained in physical well-being and confidence. Most importantly, she had discovered how wonderful sex could be when it was driven by genuine and unconditional love. There was no more enduring it as there had been with her male lovers: she and Lainy took every opportunity to touch and kiss and both initiated love-making frequently and enthusiastically. Caro loved her library job and looked forward to the evenings when she worked with Lainy in the women's defence classes. They went to concerts more often, too, and danced at Radclyffe's. Life for the two of them was so much better than either could have hoped for months previously.

Lainy had taken Caro to meet her mother and stepfather at their home in the Midlands. They were lovely people and treated Caro like another daughter. Caro was still reluctant to visit her grandmother, though, constantly wary of Bruno's threats. For Caro, he was still the bogeyman in the shadows even though she no longer feared him personally.

When they had been together for a couple of months, and Lainy was more certain and trusting about their relationship, she told Caro something else. "Susannah was an orphan. Her family had been wealthy and parents and grandparents had left her an enormous amount of money in various trusts, to be realized when she was twenty-six years old. Until then, she received enough from the capital for pocket money. I think she perhaps guessed she would die young because she made a will leaving everything to me. Even after inheritance tax, there was a small fortune. Joss and Will were the named executors and they made sure I didn't get my hands on it while I was drinking. Afterwards, well... it helped me buy and renovate this place and to buy into the two businesses. And there's still plenty left."

The OK Corral

Some months later, at about six one Sunday morning, the girls awoke together and exchanged a sleepy good-morning kiss. Feeling a little randy, they gently fingered one another to a mild yet satisfying climax and then returned to sleep, their naked bodies spooned together.

They were woken again some time after nine by Caro's mobile phone ringing. "Tell whoever it is to fuck off," mumbled Lainy, "I fancy another shag."

"You'll have to wait, lover," Caro laughed, "I need a pee--keep kitty warm for me." She thumbed the 'On' button of her phone. "Hello."

It was a woman's voice, sounding terrified.

"Is that Caro? You don't know me but you've got to get out of there, fast! Bruno's coming after you."

"What... how did you get this number?

"Bruno had never wiped it from his phone. I copied it once and I've sneaked out to the newsagent's shop to call you. Look, Bruno hired a private detective to track you down and he got the man's report a couple of days ago. Now he's coming after you and your friend. Bruno said that he's going to mess the two of you up so badly that no man will ever fancy you again."

"I know you're sticking your neck out here," said Caro, "But is there anything else you can tell me?"

"He left here about ten minutes ago. And he's got friends with him. Just go! Go!" There was a clattering noise as the stranger slammed the pay-phone down.

Lainy, alerted by Caro's tone, was sitting up. "What is it?" Caro explained briefly, adding: "His flat's on the far side of London. Even with reduced Sunday traffic, it'll take him a while to get here."

"Okay, get dressed. I'll be with you in a minute." Lainy picked up her own phone and pressed speed-dial. "Hello, Joss? It's Lainy... Houston, we have a problem..."

* * * * *

The street door leading to the flat was opened slightly and Lainy and Caro, hands clasped together, were concealed in the shadows behind the entrance. Opposite, Joss and Will sat in a car, waiting. As was common in this area early on a Sunday morning, the streets were otherwise deserted.

At last a large Mercedes saloon turned the corner at the far end of the street and came to a halt. Bruno exited the front passenger seat and three other men got out of the car. Bruno spoke quietly to them and then came down the street by himself. He was carrying a rounders bat, smaller than its cousin the baseball bat but as nasty a weapon. As he approached, Joss and Will got out of their car and walked slowly across the road to meet him. Caro chuckled quietly.

"What's funny?" said Lainy.

"Sorry, it just made me think of some old Western film, the OK Corral or something like that, fast guns on the street for a showdown."

Joss stepped into the bigger man's path, Will standing a little way behind. "You must be Bruno. Now I think I know why you're here, Bruno, and it's not a good idea. Why don't you just turn around, get back in your friend's posh car, and go home."

Bruno moved in a step or two, using his size to intimidate. "What's it to you who I am? Go away, little man, before you get hurt."

Joss didn't move. "Go home, Bruno." He sounded almost bored.

Bruno stepped a little closer. Joss still didn't move and a flicker of doubt crossed Bruno's face. He raised the bat and put his hand on Joss's chest to push him. "I said go away, little man, or get hurt."

None of those watching were quite sure what happened, only that Joss was very fast. One second Bruno was threatening violence, the next he was writhing on the ground. Bruno's friends surged forward and Joss held up a hand. There was something commanding in the gesture and the three stopped. "Before anything else happens, gentlemen," Joss said, "my friend and I are both former special forces. We're a lot older than you but either one of us could probably put the three of you in hospital without breaking into a sweat. We don't want that, though, and I'm damned sure you don't. So tell us, why are you here?" Seeing some hesitation, Joss added: "Humour me."

The three looked at each other and shrugged. One said: "Bruno told us that your gang beat him up twice—you caught him off guard. He thought he could get you this time but asked us to come along in case he was outnumbered."

"I know that voice," Caro whispered to Lainy, "His name's Michael and he's a rugby player. He's a nice man."

Joss shook his head. "We haven't got a gang. We're just a couple of local businessmen—we run that gym over there. In fact, we've never even seen Bruno before. But I think I know the gang members you're talking about. Perhaps you'd like to meet them." He raised his voice. "Okay, you two violent thugs, you can come out now and let these people see what they're up against."

Lainy squeezed Caro's hand. "Let's go get 'em, Wyatt."

They stepped into the street and Caro said: "Hello, Michael."

"Caro?" Bewildered, Michael turned to Joss. "Is this some kind of bad joke?"

"No joke," said Joss, "Your friend Bruno likes hurting women. Lainy here caught him beating Caro up one night. Bruno's bad luck—her unarmed combat is almost as good as ours. She laid him out. He caught up with Caro some months later and decided to 'punish' her for that. His bad luck again—we've been training her and she's been our star pupil. She laid him out too. So there you have it, two violent gang attacks become two young women half his size. I think he intended to catch them half-asleep and use that bat on them. You're probably here to give him some kind of alibi."

"Sorry, Caro, I didn't know," Michael said, "If I had known I'd have done something about Bruno myself." He turned to the others adding: "Come on, let's go home."

"What about Bruno?" one asked.

"Fuck Bruno," said Michael, "He can find his own way back."

When they had gone, Joss passed the bat to Will then knelt beside Bruno. "Looks like you're going to have to make your own way. I haven't hurt you as badly as I could have done, so you can walk to the nearest Tube station although it's a fair distance from here. You're just a bag of shit, Bruno, and I'm probably wasting my breath on you. But if anything happens to either of these girls or their friends or relatives, then I'll know who to come looking for, won't I?"

But it didn't come to that. A few hours later, Bruno was dead.

A trial

It hadn't taken much brainwork on Bruno's part to guess who had betrayed him, as he saw it. A call at the local shop established that Joanne, his latest girlfriend, had been in early to use the pay phone. The shopkeeper, in all innocence, said that she had looked very frightened and, from what little he heard of her phone conversation, agitated.

Of course, Joanne had to be punished. After all, it was her fault that Bruno had been humiliated again. He got back to his flat and started in beating her. In his rage, he wasn't as careful as usual. Police photos produced later showed that he had broken her nose and a cheekbone, had blackened both eyes and knocked out several teeth. He had cracked several of Joanne's ribs and had broken a finger.

Joanne had been in the kitchen when Bruno attacked her. In desperation, she had seized a carving knife and stabbed Bruno. When the police—summoned by neighbours alarmed by screams—broke in, they found Joanne slumped on the floor, nigh unconscious, and Bruno dying in a pool of blood.

Joss had friends in the police who told him that as it was a clear case of self-defence, they recommended no action against Joanne. However, some whizz-kid in the Prosecution Service, intent on making a name, insisted on pursuing a murder charge.

Caro and Lainy appeared as a witnesses for the defence, as did no fewer than five other women, one of them the woman who had tried to warn Caro off eighteen months or so previously. It turned out that most had a vulnerable relative used by Bruno as a threat: one woman had a Down's Syndrome sister; another a wheelchair-bound father; a third a mother who had suffered a serious stroke. Lainy's photographs of Caro's battered torso might have been inadmissible as evidence until a prosecuting barrister opened the way by carelessly referring to them.

The prosecution tried to establish collusion between the witnesses but failed. The judge's summing up was a master-class in how to appear impartial while weighing heavily in favour of the accused. It took the jury just twenty minutes to return a verdict of not guilty.

Lainy and Caro left the stuffiness of the court. As they stepped out into the open air and paused at the top of the steps leading to the street, Caro said: "I think we should go and visit Gran now."

Caro comes home

Even though they shared the driving, the journey to the West Country was long and tiring. They drove from London on the M4, switched onto the M5 near Bristol, from there to the A38 just past Exeter and then onto a series of progressively smaller country roads until they were little more than lanes barely wide enough for one car. There were high hedgerows and each corner was a slightly scary adventure as they could never be certain what was around it.

"You're going to tell your grandmother about us?" said Lainy.

"Of course I am. You're the love of my life and I'm so proud of you that I want the whole bloody world to know."

Lainy was quiet for a few minutes, the sudden lump in her throat making it difficult to respond. Then she said: "How do you think she'll take it?"

"I don't know," admitted Caro, "It's not the sort of thing that was discussed much in Castle Wycke when I was a child." She grinned. "I doubt whether many people there would have known what a lesbian was." (Early in their changed relationship, Lainy had warned Caro that it might not be an easy ride. "I was lucky, I guess. I knew my sexuality from the time I was a young teenager and all my family accepted it and supported me. But even today there's a lot of prejudice out there.")

"What happens if she doesn't like it?"

"Then that'll be her tough luck," said Caro, "because I love you, beautiful, and you're stuck with me."

"Thanks, babe. I love you too. Anyway, I'll be there for you, Caro."

"No, I think it better if I have it out with her while we're alone. Look, Castle Wycke's a lovely little village. You can go out and explore while I'm talking to Gran. You can take Mac with you."

Lainy raised an eyebrow. "Who's Mac? Your grandmother's boyfriend?"

Caro laughed. "I suppose you could say he's her live-in male companion. Mac is a very lovable golden retriever."

"That's a pity—I was looking forward to giving the villagers something to gossip about."

They came into Castle Wycke and drove slowly through the main street, Caro pointing out local places of interest, such as the Norman church and the 16^th Century pub. Their destination was a small cottage almost at the very end of the street and Caro's grandmother was waiting outside to greet them. As they got out of the car, a large, happy-looking dog came galumphing down the path to greet them. Caro rushed to her grandmother and enveloped her in a huge hug.

"Careful, child. My ribs aren't as strong as they used to be." Lainy could hear the genuine love in the older woman's voice. "And you must be Caro's friend Lainy. Pleased to meet you, my dear. Come on in, girls, I've got tea and cakes waiting, we'll have a proper supper later."

Lainy hadn't been quite sure what to expect—someone white-haired, small and fluffy and wrapped in a woollen shawl perhaps? It certainly hadn't been someone like Norma Whitcombe. Although in her seventies, she could have passed for ten years younger. Trim and dressed in jeans and sweater, with neatly-bobbed hair a fading auburn, she gave Lainy a fair idea of what Caro would probably look like in three or four decades time. They had the same sort of beauty, the same hazel eyes and the same shaped nose and big smile.

As they entered the cottage, she said to Lainy: "You'll have noticed that this is quite a small cottage. I'm afraid there's only one spare room with a double bed. You'll have to share with Caro."

Lainy smiled. "That's okay. I think we'll manage."

While they had refreshments, the conversation was general. At last Lainy said: "You'll want to catch up on things with Mrs Whitcombe, Caro, so I'll just go out and look round the village. Can I take Mac?"

Norma nodded. "His leash is behind the front door. Mac is very popular so you'll probably make some new friends out there." Mac was already there waiting, tail wagging furiously.

When Lainy had gone, Caro told her grandmother everything about Bruno, the control and the violence and why she had cut herself off. In her turn, Norma Whitcombe admitted to being very hurt when Caro had turned cool towards her but as it was not the Caro she knew, guessed that something was seriously amiss.

"It was such a relief when you called saying that you'd left him," Norma added. "And then much later I read about the trial—although there wasn't much about your involvement other than as a witness. You really believed that he'd come here to hurt me?"

"I did at the time. Bruno was dangerous."

Norma snorted. "He couldn't have been all that dangerous if Lainy could beat him up, or you later on. He was just dangerous to people he saw as weaker than himself. I doubt that he'd have bothered to come all the way down here. I think he probably just used threats against me as another way of controlling you. If he had turned up here looking for trouble, I'd have rammed my shotgun up his arse, both barrels. Ever since you warned me to beware of strangers, I've kept it behind the front door during the day. And while Mac is a gentle dog, I think he'd attack anyone who threatened me. Anyway, we look out for each other in this village. Somebody like Bruno wouldn't have got very far without attracting attention, especially driving a red Porsche in these parts. And to cap it all, the local policeman lives just two doors away. Bruno would have found that he'd walked into a hornet's nest. You know, I think I'd like to come up to London sometime and meet Joss. He sounds the sort of person I'd like."

"He is..." Caro hesitated for a moment. "There's something else I need to tell you, Gran. Lainy and I... well, we're much more than friends, we're lovers too."

Norma's expression was non-committal. "You mean you're lesbians?"

"Yes." Apprehensive, Caro told Norma how the relationship had developed. When she had finished, Norma said drily: "Then it's a good job the spare bed's a double, isn't it?"

Caro gripped Norma's hand. "You're okay with it, Gran, you're not upset?"

"God no, child. I may be an old crock but I'm not a bigoted old crock. I am a bit surprised, though, because you've had several boyfriends in the past."

"Well, now I think perhaps I've always been gay but subconsciously suppressed it," said Caro, "As far as men go, I'd guess I was trying to conform and each time it went badly. And I was so uncertain of myself. As it turned out, men never did it for me. But Lainy certainly does it for me." She smiled. "Every time."

"Spare me the sordid details, child," Norma laughed, "Your happiness is what counts, and I must say you do look happy. You really love her?"

"Yes, I love her to pieces."

At that moment, they heard the front door open and Lainy came in to join them. The expression on Caro's face told her that everything was all right. She sat beside Caro on the sofa and Mac sat at her feet, resting his head on her lap.

"Well, Mac seems to like you, Lainy," said Norma, "And I can always trust his judgment. Caro's told me about you and her, and about Susannah. You poor girl, that must have been devastating for you. Anyway, Caro says she's very happy with you and she loves you very much. Are you happy with her and do you love her?"