CHAPTER 23
Thank god it wasn’t term time, because I would never have been able to face the rest of them. I stayed with the Edwards for a few days, Mam and Dad having livings to earn. I felt guilty leaving Dad with the bunkhouse, but each time I tried to do the loyal thing and pull my weight, I was swamped by memories of Alys working beside me.

I tried, but the second time Dad caught me in tears, I was packed off back to the Edwards house. I suppose it was a clear mark of how much my parents loved me, leaving me to huddle in her bed, her sheets, the memories of my lover surrounding me.

Three days… four… I was huddled in her bed, my default comfort zone, when Nansi Edwards pulled the door open.

“Enfys?”

“Yeah?”

“Police are here. Your Dad’s on his way”

“What?”

Mrs Edwards was almost hyperventilating.

“They’ve found her!”

I was out of the bed as if thrown, and she pulled me into a hug that nearly stopped my breathing. When I was almost able to speak again, she put a hand to my mouth.

“No. Not yet. She’s in intensive care. All I know. Keith’s got news. Please…”

She drew a number of slow, shuddering breaths.

“This is going to sound nasty, but I don’t mean it like that. Vic’s on his way to the hospital, but someone had to stay with you. Your Dad has the details, and as soon as he’s here, we’ll be on our way. Sorry. Sounds as if…”

She broke down in my arms, and what option did I have but to hold her until her sobs eased? It was a lesson for me, that others could not only care as much as I did (I already knew that), but could need as sharply as myself. We had ended up in the kitchen, doing that standard stress-busting action of brewing tea, when the doorbell rang.

Dad, of course, along with, of all people, Neil, who followed my father’s lead in hugging the life almost out of me. When I could breathe again, I glared at Dad.

“They found her? Where?”

He shook his head, as he drew me into the living room.

“Neil found her, love”

“What?”

“Sit down. She’s safe, now. Talk with us, then we’ll take a drive into Bangor, after her Mam and Dad have had a chance to see her. Neil?”

Our mad caver friend stared hard at me for a few seconds.

“Enfys, going to fly a kite here. You, my sister. Just working out how close you and Alys are. No! No need for an answer. Anyway… I’ve been grilled by the Filth, so no need for chain of evidence and other shite worries. Keith, you want this direct?”

Dad nodded, and Neil turned back to me.

“Places in the slate quarries, Enfys. I know you like the dry stuff, but I was heading out with a couple of ideas, especially around Dali’s Hole”

I couldn’t help myself from blurting out “Where?”, and he shrugged.

“Buy a slate guidebook, love. Anyway, a blast shelter near there, I’m getting some arty farty monochrome shots, and I notice there’s a big block of slate leaning against the door. Then, I see a bloody decent mountain jacket half buried under chippings. Check that, and there’s a bundle of clothing…”

To my absolute horror, he started crying just then.

“Moved the block, gave her the clothes, called the rescue. Can’t… Don’t want to say more, love. Not good. Keith?”

“Yes, mate?”

“I think you need to do some driving on this. I’m not handling things too well”

Dad laid an arm over Neil’s shoulders.

“I think you’re doing bloody well, mate. Got a bottle of Glendronach for later, if you fancy”

He hugged his friend, then turned to me.

“Love, this is going to sound absolutely trite, but she will need your strength. Once Vic and Nansi have had a chance to give her their love, Mam’ll take you to see her”

“Dad… won’t they want to stay with her?”

“They do, love, but it was their suggestion. What happened…”

His mouth was twisting in all sorts of nasty ways, and I was starting to fee; sick.

“Enfys, what is Alys?”

“What do you mean, Dad?”

“Just say what, who, she is. Clue’s in my words”

What had happened? Clue in his words. I still found myself blushing as I answered.

“She’s… she’s the girl I love. What more do you want me to say?”

He looked at Neil, who nodded in agreement before taking my hand.

“Enfys, darling, she just needs reminding of that fact. All of those facts. The police need to get digging, but she needs you”

Sudden anger took me out of my slump.

“We all know who it was! Bloody good job they’re all dead!”

Dad’s voice held a brittle calm.

“Don’t bring that up with her, love. The police need to do their bit, and she needs rest”

I finally asked what should have been my first question.

“How is she? What did they do to her?”

“Ah, a few bruises, but it’s mostly dehydration and mild hypothermia. That’s the physical stuff, love. You need to be there for the nasty shit in her head. You up for that?”

“I love her, Dad!”

“Aye. We know. She needs to know as well. Now, I am going to take Nansi in, on Neil’s bike. Your Mam’s with Vic at the moment, so she’ll drive back to pick you up”

He grinned suddenly, turning back to Neil.

“I’ll try not to bend it, mate! Nansi? You up for this?”

She nodded.

“I’ll just get something warm on, Keith. Not too quick, now”

Ten minutes later, and the two were gone, leaving me alone with Neil. He listened to the sound of the bike pulling away, then shrugged.

“Not safe to ride at the moment, darling. Bit shook up. Not as strong as your Dad. Tea in that pot?”

I stared at Neil, willing him to tell me what had been done to my lover, and he must have been reading my mind, for he simply shook his head.

“No. She will tell you what she needs to. Let her do that at her own speed, Enfys. Hang on—was that the door? I’ll go”

He was back a few seconds later, Sali Masters in tow, and on seeing me, she just broke down in tears. Once again, I was hugged hard.

“Enfys… oh, love! How is she? Mam heard from the Rescue that she’d been found. How are you?”

I waved at Neil.

“Neil found her. He’s a friend of ours; only speaks English. Neil? This is Sali, one our friends from school”

Sali pulled back a little, so that she could look me in the eyes.

“Enfys, am I right? When she told us she was, you know… you both are, aren’t you? Both on the other bus?”

She smiled, a little sadly.

“Sitting next to her on that bus, aren’t you? Oh, love! You must be… I can’t imagine. Rumours are out. You need to know that. People are saying it was Ifor”

“Can’t talk about that, can I? Waiting for what the police say”

She nodded, switching partly to Welsh once more.

“He always was an absolute crafwr”

Neil called across to us from the kitchen door, where he was busying himself with another pot of tea.

“I know that word! How about twll tîn?”

Sali snorted at that comeback.

“Well, I suppose we could use both. I always preferred ‘complete and utter twat’ if saying it in English, ah?”

“Well, they all work for me, though as I am older, and hairier, I have some other words I might consider applying to him. Tea’s up. Waiting on Penny now. Your family know where you are, Sali?”

“Aye. Didn’t want them worrying about me as well. Enfys?”

“Yes?”

“I can keep a secret, if you want. Your girlfriend will be getting enough worries for now; doesn’t need any more of them. Milk and one sugar please, Neil”

Sali stayed with us for the thirty minutes it took for Mam to arrive, and that was another valuable lesson, as she kept us chatting, steering things away from dangerous subjects and gave more than enough evidence, if I hadn’t already known, that she was a true friend to both of us. When Mam came in, there was an inevitable repeat of the bone-breaking hugs I had already received, before she turned to Neil.

“You okay housesitting for a few, love? Keith will be back with your bike in an hour or two, but we need someone to stay by the house phone, just in case of god knows what else”

He nodded, smiling at Sali.

“I think this one needs to let her folks know how things are, who she’s with and so on”

Mam was nodding again, as if her neck was on a spring.

“Yes. Sali, give them a shout. If you haven’t got a mobile, use the house phone here. We need no more worries. Enfys? Ready?”

A quick hug from both of us for each of the others, and out the door, into Mam’s car and away. Once we were onto the A5, Mam started speaking, eyes fixed ahead.

“She’s in a shit state, love, but they have her on a drip to rehydrate. She is going to need to sleep a lot. And yes: she says it was exactly who we thought. They are… They are fucking lucky they are already dead. Sorry”

“What did they do to her?”

“Not now. And do not ask her. Just be there for her. Let her know you love her, but leave her to go at her own pace. And no; she wasn’t”

“Wasn’t what?”

We swerved off the road into a layby, where Mam’s hands clenched on the wheel as her eyes screwed shut.

“She wasn’t raped, love. But she might feel what they did do to her was something worse”