Free Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt Page A

Lynne was on the phone trying to urge someone to meet up with her, and Gavin, their assistant support worker, was logging in a client visit for her. She sat down, elbows on her desk, chin resting in her hands, listening to everything going on. It was all so dreary at times, yet she wouldn’t swap what she did, and she was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to experience any of it first-hand. She knew that two people a week died through escalating domestic violence incidences; such a sad statistic.
    When Lynne ended her call, Charley jumped to her feet. ‘Who’d like a sandwich fetching from the shop, my treat? I’m feeling in the mood for cake too.’
    ‘Ooh.’ Lynne pushed her glasses up her nose. ‘I’d like a vanilla slice, please. Are you off to Wright’s Pie Shop?’
    Wright’s Pie Shop was in Tontine Square. Like the Staffordshire Oatcake, the family-run business was renowned locally for a quality product.
    ‘Of course,’ said Charley.
    ‘Maybe I should have a meat and potato pie too – instead of a sandwich. It would work out far cheaper…’
    ‘You’re making me salivate at the thought!’ Gavin popped his head around the side of his monitor, all blond spiky hair and baby face. ‘I’d love a pie too. Is that okay?’
    Charley started to write down their order.
    ‘I’d like something with a big fat dollop of jam in it – I love a bit of sauce.’
    Charley looked up to see Aaron by her side. ‘Funny you should appear at the mention of cake,’ she said, giving him a knowing look, but relishing the sight of his warm smile.
    Fifteen minutes later, while she waited in the small queue at the shop, Charley tried to clear her mind. Helping Margaret Owen to send her partner to prison and off the streets so that she could live her life in peace, if only for a while, was taking its toll on both of them. Listening to what that bastard had done to Margaret, reliving it all, was atrocious for Charley and she hadn’t been the one who had been brutally raped and left for dead. She prayed he went down for a very long time – it took so much out of the women she worked with asking them to testify and live through it all again. And there was so much prejudice involved in these types of things. Luckily for Margaret, the judge on her case was known to be sensitive and firm, and willing to listen to both sides of a story before making a decision.
    Deep in thought, she didn’t hear someone calling her name.
    ‘Charley!’
    A hand on her arm and she turned to see Ella.
    ‘It is you. How are you? I haven’t seen much of you since you moved in.’
    ‘Oh, hi, Ella. I’m fine, thanks.’ Charley smiled and moved forward as the queue did. ‘How are you?’
    ‘Good, too. So you work at Striking Back?’
    ‘Hmm?’
    ‘Striking Back.’ Ella shuffled forward. ‘It’s the only organisation I know around here for domestic violence victims.’
    Charley nodded in understanding. ‘Yes, I’m on the sandwich run. You?’
    Ella picked up a cheese and pickle baguette from an open display cabinet at the side of them. ‘A temping job came up at Tesco. It’s only a few hours a day for a fortnight but every little bit helps, so they say. And I can’t buy my dinner from there or else there’d be no point walking in to town.’
    ‘Right.’ Charley handed her order over to the young girl behind the counter before turning back. ‘How do you find temping? I’m too much of a stickler for routine to want to swap around all th e time.’
    Ella shrugged. ‘It brings in the money, I suppose. And it suits me – I hate to be tied down to one place. Not that there’s much chance of that around here. I’m lucky I’ve been temping long enough to continue to get some regular gigs. I like the variety too. I’m on stock-control in the warehouse at the moment.’ She paused. ‘Have you met any of our neighbours yet?’
    ‘I’ve said hello to a few,’ said Charley, ‘and I’ve seen “neighbour hood watch