None of my business

4^th March

"Did you know that a new woman has moved in next door, into Eric’s old house" Charley said, as she reached up to hang out the washing.

"Yeah, poor Eric "Laurel glanced in the direction of number seventeen with a knowing look "Such a nice chap. It was obvious he wouldn't last long after Muriel died. He absolutely adored her. Died of a broken heart they say. Must be nice to have someone love you that much"

"I'm surprised someone moved in so soon. I would have thought it needed a bit of work but apparently his son has decided to rent it out instead of selling it.”

"Didn't want to move in himself then?"

"No apparently his wife doesn't like it round here. She says everyone knows everyone's business. They live in a massive house with its own drive"

"A bit snooty I think.

Are you gonna pop round and see the new people?"

“Not sure she’s our type. I saw her pull up in a big taxi. Woman and three little kids. She looked a bit scruffy to me. The kids were all over the place. I hope they’re not going to be a nightmare family. Weird thing is it was seven o’clock at night. Who moves to a new house with kids at that time of day? She’s obviously rented it with all the furniture still in. She only had a few bin liners full of stuff. This is what happens when people start renting houses out in a nice area, you get all sorts moving in!” Charley picked up her washing basket from the path “Well that’s me done. I’m going to get another load in whilst it’s nice. See you later!”

Laurel drained the last of her coffee from the cup, put out her cigarette and had another furtive look at number seventeen before going inside.

7^th March

“Have you seen any more of the new woman yet?” asked Laurel as she was getting the children into the car for the school run.

“No, not seen anything of her at all.” replied Charley “A taxi comes and takes the older kid to school and brings him back, but I’ve not seen anything of her at all. She gets an online shop delivered, so she doesn’t even nip down the shop. Funny carry on if you ask me. I feel sorry for the kids cooped up in that house all the time. They need some fresh air. They don’t even play out in the garden”

“Right I’m off” said Laurel as she climbed into the car.

Charley turned to go back into the house and saw the woman next door at the window, holding a baby. She looked tired and gaunt. Charley gave her half a wave as she went inside, but the woman just turned away.

11^th March

“That bloody baby was crying for ages last night and then I could hear her shouting at the two older ones. I had to turn the TV up to drown out the noise” Charley moaned to Laurel.

Laurel took a sip of her tea “Carole who works at the school says they’ve been put here by the social and her rent’s being paid by the benefits. Apparently, there’s a social worker involved, but she couldn’t say why as it’s confidential”

Charley rolled her eyes “Well that just says it all. She looks the type. Be she’s never worked a day in her life. Scrounging off decent taxpayers like us”

“No doubt all the kids have different dad’s as well” laughed Laurel

“Bloody typical” replied Charley

15^th March

“I actually saw the kids out in the garden yesterday” said Charley, waving her secateurs towards the house next door. “They weren’t out for long and she was stood at the door watching them. I smiled at her and said hello, but as soon as I did, she told the kids to get inside and she shut the door. Bloody rude!”

“Not very neighbourly that!” replied Laurel. “I saw someone come to the house the other day. Looked like a nice young lady, probably the social worker. She was knocking for ages but couldn’t get in. I told her that she never goes out, but she didn’t answer the door. The curtains were on upstairs, probably too lazy to get out of bed! I asked if there was something wrong or if I could pass on a message, but she said she’s call back later”

“Something fishy going on if you ask me. I just hope the kids are okay. It’s not their fault if their mum is useless!”

20^th March 

“Did you hear the carry-on last night?” Charley said nodding towards the house next door.

Laurel broke off from tending her hanging baskets and moved closer to the fence. “No, I slept like a log, always do. What happened?”

“Well” said Charley I’d been in bed a while but was watching TV and I heard this bloke shouting out at the front. When I went to the window, there was this big bloke, looked totally off his head. He was banging on the door and shouting for her to come out. She was at the window telling him to go away or she’d call the police. I could hear the kids crying. I think the oldest one, the boy was shouting daddy! Then the bloke started crying and saying he was going to kill himself, so she came down and let him in”

“How come I always miss all the excitement” laughed Laurel “is he still here?”

“Not sure. I watched out of the window for a while and then it all went quiet, so I got bored and went back to bed. Not seen anything of them this morning. The taxi came to take the boy to school, but I think they were all still in bed, so it drove off again”

“Better than watching the TV” said Laurel and turned back to the hanging baskets

21^st March

“That woman was here again” said Laurel “You know, the one who I think is a social worker and she had a bloke with her this time. He was wearing a police ID badge but was in a nice suit. Quite dishy he was. I told them she was probably in and that some bloke had been round. They got back in the car and were on the phone for ages before they left”

“Oh yes” exclaimed Charley, “I saw them they went back to the door a while later and she let them in. I was washing my car. They were in the house ages and as she let them back out, she was crying. They said something about honesty and risk assessment, but I couldn’t hear the rest without making it obvious I was listening. Definitely dodgy!”

24^th March

“That bloke was here shouting and carrying on last night and he put the glass through in her front door!” said Charley excitedly “I got fed up of listening to him after a while, so I went to the window and shouted that if he didn’t go away, I’d ring the Police. He called me a nosy cow, but at least he went”

“I noticed there was a board on the door” Laurel smiled “Carole at school said the Police had been in touch asking if there were any concerns about the little lad. Apparently, he threw a toy and it broke the glass. Carole says he’s well behaved and polite. I find that hard to believe being dragged up by those two”

“She was out in the garden with the kids this morning. I told her that I wasn’t happy about the noise and she said she was sorry and got a bit teary. I told her it’s not that kind of neighbourhood. She just kept saying sorry and took the kids inside”

24^th March

“What the hell is going on?” asked Laurel as they stood in the driveway watching the commotion in the street

“Well that bloke turned up again, but he was only knocking for a while and she let him in. Then I could hear them both shouting and the kids crying. Not long after the sirens started. They brought a couple of the kids out on stretchers, but I think I heard them talking about her being dead!”

“Who called the Police?” asked Laurel

“Don’t know, not me. Must have been one of the other neighbours. It’s the kids I feel sorry for, they don’t stand a chance. They shouldn’t allow people to have kids if they can’t look after them. I don’t know what’s happened to this area, its going downhill fast!” said Charley with a hint of disgust.

“Ooh looks like they want to speak to you” said Laurel, nodding towards a police officer walking up the drive. “I’ll chat to you tomorrow”

19^th July

“Did you see it on the news?” asked Charley quietly

“Yes, so sad. Makes you wonder how a nice girl like her could get involved with someone like him. Her dad is a head teacher and her mum’s a solicitor. She was only twenty-seven, such a waste. He’d groomed her for years, since she was a teenager and all the kids were his. Her mum and dad had tried for years to get her to leave him, but she wouldn’t. Eric’s son donated the house to a charity to give refuge to women fleeing violence. When she finally decided to leave him, she couldn’t even tell her mum and dad where she was going. She was going to give evidence against him at court for drug dealing.”

“Wonder why she let him in then instead of ringing the Police? It’s not as if she didn’t have people to help her”

“Probably just too scared, or maybe because of the children, who knows? It’s such a waste for a young girl to lose her life like that” Charley said sadly. “The children have gone to her parents, so at least they will have a decent life now. He’s pleaded guilty. Not that he had a choice as he was found in the house. The little boy gave evidence at Court. That was so brave, don’t you think”

“Yes, definitely for someone so young. I gave a statement to the Police, but I wasn’t called to Court.”

“What did you put in your statement?” asked Laurel

“I said that there were a few things that happened that were a bit odd and I had seen him outside that house shouting. They asked me why I’d not checked up on her or called the Police”

“What did you say to that?” questioned Laurel

“I said that I didn’t think it was any of my business”