Mom stood at the door, still gripping the vacuum, apologizing to Christina before I even walked in. “Everything has to be perfect,” she said, wringing her hands. “George is coming home. ”
“You’re cleaning because you’re stressed, not because a clean floor will make him forgive you.
”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. ” She let out a shaky laugh. “If he’s still angry with me, then there’s nothing I can do about it, right?
I’ve just got to face the music. ”
“He’ll probably have calmed down by now,” Christina offered. “Do you think so? ”
“No, Chrissy.
I’m trying to be kind. ”
“And then there’s all that stuff with Jake. ” Mom’s voice caught. “I’m so afraid he’s going to think he can do better.
”
“Maybe he can,” Christina said flatly. Mom ignored her. She’d already phoned Adam, asked him to wake Harry up just to give him a massive hug from her. He refused.
She wanted to reach Ella, but hadn’t seen her yet all morning, which made it worse. She didn’t even know what Ella would do next. Christina was losing patience. “Right, you need to go and speak to someone, Mom.
Tell them you need help. ”
“But darling, what am I going to say? She hasn’t even done anything yet. ” Mom promised to call later, then hung up, still carrying that heavy, blurry dread.
I thought I’d have the morning to myself, but my mate Todd walked into the shop early, holding a carton of fresh milk. “Took a detour,” he said, raising the carton. “Knew you wouldn’t have any. ”
I laughed.
“Someone needs to work on the trust issues. ”
“Yeah, well. Talking of trust. ” He raised an eyebrow.
“You slept with Glenda’s date? How did that even happen? ”
“Do you want me to draw you a picture? ”
“Don’t be facetious.
All this getting drunk all the time isn’t solving anything. ”
“Kills 99. 9% of misery though. ”
“I’m not having a go at you, but I can’t stand by and watch you lose control.
Not again. ”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m a child. ”
“Well, step up and handle your problems then. Because if you hadn’t left Christina in limbo, she probably wouldn’t have got drunk and stumbled all over the place on camera.
”
“You what? ”
He backed off, so I shrugged and told him to lock up when he was done. “I’ll be back later. ”
“Todd, where are you going?
”
“I spoke to Mom,” I said, letting the accusation hang. Later that same morning, I had to deal with Brian, an old neighbor who had been dodging trouble for years. He was standing behind his polished front door, scrubbed and smelling faintly of lavender furniture polish. “Morning, Brian.
And how are we this fine day? ”
“Brian. And how are we this fine day? Have we your pass you’re after?
” He fumbled, but I could smell the guilt. “Arrived yesterday. Keep no rush. ”
“And is your life treating you well, my good man?
”
“Why are you asking? ”
“Just being neighborly. ”
“Oh, very well. Thanks.
Yourself? ”
“Basking, Brian. Basking in the love and the passion of a good woman. Must be something in the air.
”
He handed me a gift box, wrapped with a note. Inside was a handmade wooden vows bowl. He must have spent a fortune on it. “Burn it.
Don’t shoot the messenger. ”
Brian looked hurt. “Celeste was supposed to come to a meeting. She’s not doing great.
”
“Don’t care. ”
“Could be end-game not great. Do you want to find out? ”
“No, thank you.
”
Ben, Brian’s son, came out then, avoiding my gaze. His mother was hovering at the door, pressing his phone into his palm. “What if something happens while you’re gone? ”
“Heaven forbid I’m unreachable for a while,” Ben said, refusing the phone.
“You may be older, but I’m still your mother. Now, off you go, and make sure you’re home in time for curfew. ”
“Look at Ma. If it’s not fish fingers and beans, I’m not coming in.
” He laughed, but it was hollow. I let him walk. Then his father, Garry, cornered me near the bins. “Look, mate, I’m glad I bumped into you.
Got a bit heated last night, and for that, I’m sorry. ”
“What’s this, some sort of reverse psychology? ”
“By tonight, we’ll all be in there having a sing-song if you want. But right now, my son’s facing prison.
And I want to know why you’re not doing anything about it. ”
“Just leave it, Dad. ”
“What we doing, son? Are we going to talk about this?
”
“I know. I know I shouldn’t be buying tat online. ”
“I mean Celeste,” Garry said. “Why waste me breath?
”
“Because this isn’t you. You always see the best in people. So what has she done to make you hate her like this? ”
I finally let it out.
The story I’d carried for years. “It all started when I was a kid. Over me granddad’s will. Me mum was properly taken out of it.
In a really snidey way, because Celeste had him alter it at the last minute. Just a terrace house, but it caused a huge rift. ”
“So talk to her. ”
“No.
Because the will wasn’t bad enough. Celeste then turned the entire family against me mum. Said she’d been trying to get hold of granddad’s money. It was clearly the other way around.
She’s evil. She’s manipulative. ”
Garry’s voice softened. “She’s dying.
”
“The number of nights I watched me mum cry because of the poison that woman spilled to everyone. It drove me mum to drink. Well, it was one of the reasons, anyway. And that’s what ended up driving me away.
She broke me mum. And me mum nearly broke me. So I might be fooled by buying this,” I said, holding up the bowl, “but I won’t be fooled by her. Because whatever she’s selling, I’m not interested.
”
Garry left, and I went back to the shop with a knot in my stomach. Todd had finally returned. “Just ran into Ben,” I said. “I think the thought of his son doing time is finally sinking in.
”
“No one should go to prison. No one should. ”
“What’s the matter? ”
He hesitated, and I saw it in his face.
“I thought she was getting a little bit of trouble, but no one deserves to be locked up. I lied. I’m sorry. ”
“I knew it.
”
“I started recording her because she was well drunk. I did throw water on her. ”
“Why would you do something like that? That’s horrible.
”
“I thought it was funny. ”
It wasn’t funny. But I couldn’t undo it. Todd was my best mate, my soon-to-be detective, and he’d just buried himself in guilt.
Later that afternoon, I found myself outside a block of flats, badge in hand, watching a teenager with a rap sheet bigger than he was. “Oi, police. Stop right there. ”
He tried to run.
I caught him by the shoulder. “When I say stop, I mean stop. ”
“You’re not a copper. ”
“No, I just like chasing people.
”
“I ain’t done nothing. ”
“Yeah, right. Your rap sheet’s taller than you are. Let me go.
”
“Not until we have a nice little chat about your dearly incarcerated mother. ”
But then I stopped myself. I didn’t need to do this. I let him go.
It was getting late, and I knew I had to face her. Christina. We sat down in the kitchen, and she was already apologizing. “Chrissy, we probably need to talk.
”
“When I was a teenager, I had this mate, Barry. We were inseparable. Used to go everywhere together, riding round in his Mark II Cortina. Beige one.
I always wanted to own one of them. Anyway, there was this group of lads who’d been giving me grief. And then one day, I caught Barry talking to them about me. All me deepest and darkest.
I’ll never forget it. It’s that moment when you know you’ve been deceived. It’s like someone’s pulled the rug from under you. I felt sick.
”
“And now every time something like that happens, I get that same sick feeling in me belly. So you have to promise me, here and now, that you will never lie to me again. We have to be honest with each other, Chrissy, from now on. ”
She smiled, tears in her eyes.
“Oh, I love you. ”
“And you know all about this honesty stuff, right? That lasagna waffle pie you made me? It was inedible.
I put it out for the birds, and even they wouldn’t eat it. ”
She burst out with that warm, tired laugh. “I’m not sure me and you can take much more of a battering, love. ”
“Listen, I need to tell you about Jake as well.
”
“Shh. It’s okay. I know. ” She pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and held it out.
“Look. ”
It was the evidence. Todd’s recording. The water.
Everything. “He’s just a kid,” I said. “Forget about it. I’m back now.
Everything’s going to be all right, isn’t it? ”
But there was still the matter of Casey. When I got home, Todd was waiting for me, angry. “Calmed down enough to tell me what’s really got you chasing lads like that?
”
“It’s Mom Casey. She’s inside with Sarah. She’s threatening her unless I get her son off the hook. ”
“It’s not just Sarah.
It’s Bethany and Harry, too. ”
“Don’t tell me you’re actually going to do it. ”
“No, of course not. ”
“Then how does you getting kicked out of the police help anyone?
”
“I’m the only one who can help her. ”
He sighed, rubbed his face. “You know I think the world of Sarah. But you’ve got to know when to draw the line, son.
It’s tough. But she’s got to face whatever’s coming her way. ”
I didn’t want to hear it. Not from him.
Meanwhile, Ben had come back to the shop, humbled. He stood in front of Garry and pulled the words out of himself. “Before you say anything, I want to apologize for what I said. You’re a fine gentleman.
But the truth is, I was a bit embarrassed. I didn’t know how to handle it, and I panicked, and I said things that I didn’t mean. I hope you can forgive me. ”
“I can,” I said.
“I mean it, Brian. You’re a good man. I hope we can still be friends. ”
“Of course.
”
And then he looked down at his son, who was standing behind him. “Jade’s got something he wants to say. ”
“I’m sorry. I was being horrible to her.
It was my fault. ”
The weight of those words landed on me. “We’ve already contacted the police to let them know the truth. We’re pretty sure they’re going to be dropping all the charges now.
”
There was genuine turn here—Jade was a good kid. He’d been scared. I believed him. Garry puffed out his chest.
“I’m sorry now for getting a bit heated with the old–”
“It’s all right, mate. And it’s good to know that we can put all this behind us. ”
“Will you have a drink? ”
“Maybe another time.
Jade’s got to go and apologize to Christina, don’t you? ”
I couldn’t believe how quickly the day had turned. Then my phone lit up. It was Sarah.
“Kit, it’s done. Casey’s been moved. ”
“How? ”
“She had to talk in code, obvi– but they caught Casey with a phone and a makeshift weapon in her cell.
She was already on a final warning, so they moved her to a more secure unit. ”
“So she stitched her up? ”
“Yeah. Pretty genius, really.
I thought she was going to do something stupid. ”
My stomach twisted. “And she couldn’t have told me about this earlier? ”
“Did you tell her what I tried to do?
” I asked, the anger building. “No. But I didn’t have time,” she said. “So it doesn’t matter?
”
“I’m not saying it doesn’t matter. ”
“I’ve just stuck my neck out for her. I was going to threaten that kid, and all this time she had a different plan. ”
“She thought you were saying no to helping.
So what was she supposed to do? ”
“So what am I? Plan B? Good old Kit will save the day?
”
“I don’t think she thought of you as plan B. ”
“No. She wasn’t thinking at all. ” I stood up, grabbed my jacket.
“Where are you going? ”
“Sleep. Is that okay with you? ”
When I walked into the kitchen, Christina was there, holding my phone.
“I was going to bring it to you. ”
“All right, don’t touch my stuff. ”
“All right, you don’t need to be like that. ”
“Just stay out of my business, you and your mum.
”
“Are you being unreasonable now? ”
“Am I? Well, maybe for once in my life, I’m going to put myself first. Now, you and your entire family can do one.
You’re on your own. ”
She didn’t say anything. She just let me walk past her, into the dark.
