Secrets and Shadows

Chapter 5-2

‘Hardly, no. It was six years ago.’

Serrano was slightly taken aback but quickly recovered his composure. ‘Six years ago? Well darling, in the spirit world, six years is nothing at all, almost like yesterday. Anyway, Doris, Henry is thinking of you. Thinks of you all the time and loves and misses you.’

‘Huh! He never did when he was alive so why should he be bothering now?’

Donald snorted in derision, Janet dug him in the ribs with her elbow and hisses at him to be quiet again.

‘No, he’s long gone and best forgotten,’ Doris continued, ‘I’ve come here to hear from my sister. My twin sister Doreen who passed just a while ago.’

‘Sorry, Doris love. I’m not getting anything from a Doreen, but we’ll keep trying, won’t we, we’ve got all night. OK, darling?’

Doris was not pleased but sat down again and whispered something to her companion, a thin faced woman who nodded in agreement with whatever was said.

Serrano steepled hid hands again, closed his eyes and nodded his head back and forth, as if in a trance.

‘I’m getting a William again. Mary. Does the name Mary mean anything to either of you?’

Both men nod and raise their hands.

‘Oh, once again it’s the two of you, you’ve both lost a Mary recently, how sad, how very sad. Oh, right. Which one of you gentlemen has James as a middle name?

The bereaved man to the rear raised his hand. ‘That’s me, I’m William James. William James Furness,.’ as the other William slumped down into is seat and held his head in his hands, as if defeated in an argument or fight.

‘I’m so sorry sir, the other William that is, I hope we can contact your dear Mary later. OK? Anyway, William James, Mary says she’s fine, sends her love to you and the children. Oh, and to the grandchildren. Says you must see the doctor about that cough, that you re not to worry about her and you will be reunited in your love one day. Is that all right? Good. Thank you. God bless you. Thank you.’

Sebastian took a drink from a bottle of mineral water and then went back into his steepled hands and closed eye routine again as Donald sneaked a look at the score, still 0-0. Eyes still closed, Serrano held the audience waiting for a tension-filled minute or more before he turned his head to one side and said, ‘Janet. I’m now getting a Janet. Do we have a Janet with us tonight?’

Janet jerked back in cold shock, jolted to her core as a tsunami of emotions swept over her. She felt breathless, her stomach in turmoil, her heart pounding. ‘Janet? I’m Janet,’ she said softly as she tremblingly raised her hand, clutching the other hand to her heart.

’Hello Janet, tell me love, does the name…Julia mean anything to you?’ Even Donald rocked back in shocked surprise. ‘s**t, maybe this guy is for real.’

‘s**t, maybe this guy is for real.Yes. Yes, oh yes. Julia! My darling daughter Julia.’

‘Janet, I have Julia with me now. She’s asking…is Daddy there?’

Donald could hardly speak but then got himself under control. ‘Yes. Sweetheart. Daddy’s here.’

Sebastian half turned his back to the audience before facing them again. He opened his mouth and began to speak. But the voice that came out was not that of Serrano, but rather that of a girl or woman, the voice was high pitched, agitated and angry but distinctly that of a young female. Despite the microphone in Serrano’s hand. those at the back still had to strain to hear the words, but Donald and Janet, seated no more than six feet away heard every word clearly and the hairs at the back of Donald’s head stood on end.

‘Daddy, you bastard! You evil, f*****g bastard. All those things you made me do when Mummy wasn’t there. The things you did to me. Our little secret you called it. That’s what little girls who love their Daddy are supposed to do, you said. I hope your d**k rots and falls off. Burn in Hell, burn in Hell you f*****g bastard.’

With a scream of anguish, Janet turned to Donald, berating him, beating on his chest with her fists.

‘No, no, I didn’t. I never touched her, Janet, never. I swear.’

‘Then why is she saying that? Why? Why? Why?’

‘I don’t know, it’s all lies. Lies. I never did. I promise. Never.’

‘So why, why would she make up such a thing. You bastard. Bastard. Get away from me.’

Others in the audience, after recovering from their shock began to shout imprecations and swear at Donald. The disappointed William, four seats away, jabbed a finger at Donald, ‘Paedophile. f*****g paedophile. You want locking up, you do, you scum, throw the keys away. Paedo!’

The hall was in uproar with shouts of ‘bastard, paedo, scum, monster, bastard-paedo, scum, filth, you piece of f*****g s**t’ ringing round the walls. Sebastian Serrano, sensing disaster, made a hurried, unnoticed exit through the door he came through, out to the backstage area of the hall.

‘Janet, I swear, I swear on my life that I never touched her. Ever!’ Donald turned to face the baying crowd, holding his arms out in supplication, although some were already making their way to the exit in disgust, ‘I never, never did anything to her,’ he pleaded, ’She was my daughter for God’s sake. I never touched her.’

‘f*****g liar,’ someone shouted. ‘we all heard it, you scumbag. Get out of here before I kick your face in.’

‘Honest. Janet, I swear on everything. I…never…touched...her.’

‘I don’t believe you. That’s why she went the way she did, isn’t it? The drugs, the overdose. All because of you and what you did to her.’

Donald wrung his hands in agitation, how could he make her see, how could he her believe. It was a nightmare. He was a respectable middle aged, well thought-of, basically decent man accused of one of the vilest crimes a man can commit, s****l assaults on his own daughter.

‘No. No. It’s all lies. All lies,’ but it sounded tame and false even as he said it

‘Then why is she saying it, if it’s not true?’

‘Yeah, what about that?’ demanded one of the more aggressive accusers.

Just then, another Easedale volunteer entered the hall, waving her arms up and down for quiet. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry but we are unable to continue, Mr Serrano feels that the ambience is not conducive to further consultations. Please make your way to the exit. Regretfully, there can be no refunds. Thank you.’

‘That’s thirty-four quid down the drain,’ someone else grumbled. The rest of the audience made their way to the exit, apart from one of the more belligerent men. He was only about 5’7’’ in height but bristled with aggression, fists clenched in anger ‘I see you in the street, pal, I’ll f*****g do you, you scum,’ and pushed Donald in the chest with a stiff finger before stomping out to where his wife was waiting. Only Donald and Janet now remained in the room.

Janet, her arms crossed in fierce anger, stared at Donald. ‘How could you do it? How could you do that to Julia? Tell me. How?’

‘I didn’t., I didn’t.’

‘Then why is she saying that? Janet demanded, so angry that she had had a gun in her hand she could have shot him dead there and then.

‘I don’t know. We don’t even know if that was Julia, He, Serrano, could have been making it up.’

‘How could he be making it up, that was Julia speaking? Your daughter, you heard her voice.’

was‘We don’t…He could…I…I…,’ Donald raised in hands in frustration, unable to get his protestations of innocence across.

’I want to see him,’ Janet said, ‘get to the truth of it.’ And she made for the door leading to the backstage area.

‘Janet, you can’t just go barging in on him.’

But she took no notice of him and carried on, as Donald reluctantly followed her through the door. They were met by the volunteer who had advised that the meeting was over.

‘You can’t come back here, it’s private.’

‘I want to see him, this Sebastian. I want to see him’

‘I told you it’s private, you have to go back.’

‘I’m going to see him,’ Janet repeated.

Janet, you heard what she said, it’s private,’ Donald, taking Janet’s arm to lead her away but she shrugged it off.

‘You can shut up and all, all the use you are,’ and tried to edge past the volunteer, who stepped back to block her.

‘I’m telling you, you can’t see him.’

‘Why not, here’s here in a dressing room, isn’t he?’

‘No, he’s left already.’

‘Left?’ Already?’

‘Yes. Gone. Elvis has left the building. Said that all the disruptions and such disturbed his karma.’

‘I’ll disturb his f*****g karma, I ever get my hands on,’ snapped Donald, ‘telling lies like that.’