This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 765 words.

Over the phone that evening, Marian told Ros what had happened with Denise.

“To be honest, I’m excited. Once I find out where Lee is working, I can send the stuff to his boss, then get Denise to complain to the Social Services about him and Daisy sleeping together. It will hit him with two things at the same time, before I put the main part of the plan into operation”.

Ros wanted to know what it was like staying with Amanda.

“A bit weird. She made a delicous lunch, then asked me to stay in my room. Luckily, there is an en-suite, and I bought some bottled water on the way here. But she hardly spoke during the meal, and stopped me saying anything about my trip to see Denise. I pushed her on that, and she held up her hand before speaking. She said we were taking a big chance by tackling Lee. He had always got away with everything, and she feared that would happen again. I told her straight, he was dealing with some very angry and capable women now. Then I realised that sounded bad, as she hadn’t agreed to his arrest when he attacked her, and withdrew her statement”.

When her sister made no comment, she continued.

“I’m getting up very early in the morning, so I can get to Lee’s bedsit before he leaves for work. He doesn’t know me, or the car, so I am hoping to be able to follow him. Then I can try to see a company name or something, somewhere to send the press cuttings. After that I will get some more cash out, buy some lager, and go back to see Denise. I will be wearing some jeans though, her place is absolutely filthy”.

The blue Subaru was still parked outside the house when Marian arrived just after six. That was possibly a good sign that Lee hadn’t left yet. Parking a few cars back, she sipped a coffee that she had bought in a petrol station, and nibbled the too-dry croissant that had to serve as breakfast. Amanda had still been in her room when she left, so she had to find the key to the Banham lock before she could get out. Luckily, she had noticed it hanging on a hook in the hallway the previous day, and remembered that just in time, before she was about to try to wake Amanda up.

He looked exactly the same as he emerged from the front door twenty minutes later. She had seen his photo on papers shown to her by Lyndsey, and the press cuttings. There was little sign that he aged since, and the blue security uniform fitted him well. If not for what she already knew about him, she could agree that he had a certain attraction.

Keeping up with his car was not as easy as she had expected. On more than one occasion she lost sight of him, and was relieved to catch up by staying on the main road. It wasn’t like that in the police films. When he indicated to turn into a large building site she carried on straight, taking the next left and parking the car. It looked like a big development was in progress, and the signs around the perimeter boasted of ‘new luxury homes’.

Trying not to be spotted, and not looking remotely like a builder or workman, Marian walked the entire perimeter. But the only sign she could see mentioning security was for Group 4. Whoever Lee was sub-contracting with did not get a mention. No point hanging around then. She would send the cuttings to the head office of Group 4, and mention the address of the site. It would get to someone, sooner or later.

Too early to call Denise yet, she drove into Hatfield and found a MacDonald’s located in a branch of an ASDA supermarket. Inside, she sat eating a breakfast and drinking a coffee, making notes. When she rang Denise over an hour later, the woman sounded fuzzy. “What’s the time? Christ, I’m still asleep. Leave it another hour and then come round”.

Marian concluded that Daisy had to get her own breakfast, and walk to school alone. She found a cashpoint at the front of ASDA and got some money out, then she went into the shop and bought twelve cans of lager that were on special offer.

By the time she found her way back to Denise’s house, it was still well off the hour she had asked for.

But she knocked on the door anyway.