by Roberta Kray
‘Here,’ she said, thrusting it into FJ’s hand. ‘Make yourself useful and take this down to number eighteen. Tell Marge I’ll pick it up tomorrow.’
Lolly heard a rattling as the box was transferred. She could guess what was inside: some of Joe Quinn’s dodgy gear, rings and necklaces and the like, stuff she wouldn’t want the law to find if they decided to pay a visit.
After FJ had gone, Brenda turned to Lolly. ‘And you get yourself up to bed. I can’t be doing with you under my feet all night.’
Lolly didn’t argue. It wasn’t even eight o’clock but she preferred to be out of the way. She went upstairs, had a pee, a quick wash, brushed her teeth, got into her pyjamas and climbed into bed. She switched off the lamp and lay in the dark. It had been a weird, disturbing day and her mind was still racing.
The sound of the TV floated up the stairs, the music from the closing credits of Coronation Street. Usually Brenda was glued to it, passing judgement on Elsie Tanner’s morals – or lack of them – and revelling in the bad luck that seemed to beset most of the soap’s characters. Tonight, however, she had barely given it a glance; she had enough misfortune of her own without watching it on the box.
Lolly closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. She turned on to her left side and then the right but still couldn’t get comfortable. That feeling of dread was growing inside her again, spreading like a poisonous weed. Once Tony had been eliminated as a suspect, the law would start to look elsewhere. Maybe Tracy Kitts was already down the nick, telling her story about dumping Jude, and pointing the finger straight at him.
Lolly lay staring at the green luminous dial of the alarm clock. At some point she must have dozed off because when she woke again the hands read twenty past ten. From downstairs she could hear the murmur of voices. She got out of bed, went out on to the landing and leaned over the banisters.
‘For God’s sake,’ Freddy was saying, ‘it was only a pint. Three hours we’ve been down that bleedin’ nick and you’re having a go about ten minutes in the boozer.’
‘You could have picked up the bloody phone and let me know. I’ve been sitting here, worried sick.’
‘Well, we’re back now, ain’t we? What’s the point of going on about it?’
‘The point is that —’
‘Jesus,’ Tony said. ‘Cut it out, can’t you? I’ve had enough crap for one night. I don’t need you two laying into each other as well.’
‘Sorry, love,’ Brenda said. ‘How was it?’
‘How do you think? Got a grilling, didn’t I? The bastards had me well and truly in the frame.’
‘You’ve got a rock-solid alibi. How can they accuse you?’
‘Yeah, well, we had to wait for Uncle Jim to come down, and even then they weren’t satisfied. Kept going over it again and again. Exactly what time did I leave the car lot, exactly what time did I get home – as if I’m supposed to know to the very minute. I mean, shit, I don’t spend the whole day staring at my watch.’
‘You were home by half five,’ Brenda said, ‘a bit earlier. You must have been ’cause I hadn’t put the tea out.’
Freddy spoke again. ‘That’s what I told them, but it didn’t make a blind bit of difference. Not going to take our word for it, are they?’
‘Well they’re certainly not going to take yours,’ Brenda sniped, ‘seeing as you weren’t even here.’
‘I need to call Tracy,’ Tony said. ‘Find out what she knows.’
‘Not at this time of night,’ Brenda said. ‘The girl’s probably in bed by now, and her parents aren’t going to thank you for disturbing them. No, leave it for tonight. Do it in the morning.’
Lolly waited but couldn’t hear any more. They must have moved into the kitchen. She went back to bed wondering what Tracy Kitts had told the police. They would have talked to her by now – she was Amy’s friend – and she would have told them about Jude. Perhaps he was already down the nick being questioned just like Tony had been. If that was the case, it was only a matter of time before she was asked to confirm his alibi.
Lolly pulled the covers round her, tight as a cocoon. Would they come tonight and drag her out of bed? Or would they wait until tomorrow? She went over the story in her head again, making sure she knew it off by heart. She was still reciting the lies when she finally fell asleep.
17
Lolly spent the whole of the next day in a state of heightened anxiety. It didn’t help that everyone at school was talking about the murder. She had slept fitfully and she couldn’t concentrate. The words on the blackboard danced in front of her, and at break times all she heard was Amy, Amy, Amy. What she saw in the other kids’ eyes was a weird combination of fear and fascination. By the time the afternoon bell went she was desperate to get away. She was far from eager, however, to return to the Cecils.
The school gates were crowded with mothers who would usually let their children walk home alone. Today they weren’t taking any chances. There was a killer on the loose and they were going to make sure their loved one didn’t become his next victim. There was no sign of Brenda, of course, but that hardly came as a surprise.
Lolly walked slowly, taking her time. Usually she would have called in at the Hope to see if Terry had any deliveries, but she knew it was better to avoid him today. If she lied about where she’d been and that lie was then exposed, no one would believe her story about Jude.
By the time she reached the Cecils’ back yard, Lolly’s heart was thumping in her chest. And the minute she stepped over the threshold she knew she was right to be afraid. There were two uniformed police officers sitting at the kitchen table, one a middle-aged man, the other a younger woman with short red hair.
‘Ah, here she is,’ Brenda said. ‘Lolly, these officers want to have a word with you, some nonsense about —’
‘If you don’t mind, Mrs Cecil,’ the young woman said, shooting a warning glance in her direction. ‘We can take it from here.’ She turned her attention back to Lolly, and smiled. ‘Hello, I’m WPC Sally Windsor, and this is Sergeant Grand. Now there’s nothing to be worried about. You’re not in any kind of trouble. We’re just here to ask you a few questions and it won’t take long.’
Lolly pulled out a chair. ‘Is this about Amy?’
‘In a way,’ Sally said. ‘Now, as I said you’re not in any trouble, not at all, but there’s been a bit of confusion and perhaps you can help us out. Would you mind doing that?’
Lolly shrugged as she sat down. ‘Okay.’
‘So, could tell me exactly what you did after school yesterday. Before you came home, I mean.’
Lolly immediately lowered her eyes, placed her hands in her lap and put on a show of looking nervous. Well, she was nervous so she didn’t really need to pretend but it was for a different reason than the one she wanted to convey. She chewed on her bottom lip and refused to meet Sally’s gaze.
‘Lolly?’ Sally prompted.
Brenda jumped in again. ‘I’ve already told you this. She was just round a friend’s, doing her homework. Weren’t you, love? Go on. Tell them.’
It was the man, the sergeant, who said sternly, ‘Mrs Cecil, can you please let her answer for herself.’
Sally produced another of her smiles. ‘Lolly, do you know the difference between right and wrong?’
‘Yeah,’ Lolly mumbled.
‘And you know that it’s wrong to tell a lie?’
Lolly nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘Okay, good girl. So tell me, in your own words, what you were doing after school yesterday.’
Lolly finally looked up, glancing quickly at Brenda – as if she was afraid of how she’d react – before meeting Sally’s gaze. ‘I went round to the Mansfield to see Jude Rule.’ And then she added hurriedly, ‘I haven’t been there for ages, not since I was told not to, but he borrowed me… leant me… this book ages ago and I still hadn’t given it back so…’
Brenda bristled. ‘What have I said about going round to that lad’s flat? You know you’re not allowed.’
‘Please, Mrs Cecil,’ Sally said. ‘This really isn’t helping.’
Lolly looked suitably shamefaced. ‘But I had to give the book back, didn’t I? It wasn’t fair to keep it. It’s not mine.’
‘I understand,’ Sally said. ‘Don’t worry about that; it’s not a problem. So what time did you get to Jude’s?’
Lolly pretended to think about it. ‘I’m not sure. About twenty past four? I went to Woolworths first, you see. Just to look around. I didn’t buy anything. So by the time… yes, it was probably about then.’
‘And Jude was at the flat?’
‘Yeah. I was just going to give him the book and go but he asked if I wanted to come in and…’ Lolly shot another seemingly nervous glance at Brenda. ‘I only meant to stay for five minutes but then I started watching the film and kind of forgot about the time.’
‘The film?’ Sally asked.
Lolly nodded. ‘It was Sunset Boulevard. That’s one of his favourites. I like it too. He’s got loads of films, a whole shelf full, and a proper screen and everything. His dad works up West in a cinema.’
‘And what did you and Jude talk about?’
‘Nothing much. He asked how things were going, you know, but mainly we were just watching the film.’
‘Did he seem upset?’
Lolly frowned. ‘Why would he be upset?’
‘He didn’t mention that he and his girlfriend had broken up?’
‘No.’ Lolly gave a light shrug. ‘He never talked to me about that sort of stuff.’
‘Do you know Tracy Kitts?’
‘I’ve seen her around. She’s one of Amy’s friends, isn’t she?’
‘That’s right.’ Sally Windsor left a short silence and then asked, ‘Have you known Jude for long?’
‘For ages. From when I lived on the Mansfield with my mum. We were in the same block, Haslow House, except he was two floors down. We were fourteen, he’s twelve. Yeah, I’ve known him for years.’
‘And you used to spend a lot of time with him?’
Lolly hesitated. ‘Not really. Not a lot. Just sometimes.’
‘It didn’t bother you that he was older? Most boys prefer to hang out with mates their own age.’
The sergeant was letting Sally ask the questions while he took notes. It put Lolly even more on edge watching him scribble down her answers. She had to be careful what she said, to not make any blunders that could come back to haunt her. Think before you open your mouth, she told herself.
‘He knew about my mum, how she got sick sometimes, so he’d look out for me, you know? He was just being kind. He’d make me sandwiches and give me a drink, let me hang out in the flat for a while if our place was too cold.’
Sally nodded. ‘So, yesterday, you were at Jude’s for how long, do you think?’
‘Over an hour, I reckon.’
‘And Jude didn’t go out while you were there?’
‘No, I told you. We were watching the film. Then I suddenly saw what time it was – there’s a clock on the mantelpiece – and realised I was going to be late for tea. Jude walked me back here, as far as the gate.’
‘That was very gallant,’ Sally said. And then, as if Lolly might not understand the word, she added, ‘Very nice of him.’
‘I don’t like the dark,’ Lolly said. ‘When we got to the gates we saw the police cars and an ambulance, but we didn’t… we didn’t know it was to do with Amy.’
‘Weren’t you curious?’
‘Not really. The law… the police are always there. You get used to it after a while. I mean, I don’t live there any more but I remember what it was like.’
Suddenly the back door opened and FJ walked in. He stopped and stared at the gathering round the table. ‘What’s going on?’
‘The police are just having a word with Lolly,’ Brenda said.
‘What for?’
Brenda flapped a hand in the direction of the living room. ‘Make yourself scarce for five minutes. I’ll tell you later.’
‘Is this to do with Tony?’
‘FJ! I won’t tell you again. Just do as you’re told.’
FJ pulled a face, walked through the kitchen, went into the living room and closed the door behind him. Lolly was sure he’d have his ear pressed against it, trying to listen in to what was being said.
It was Sergeant Grand who was the first to speak after the interruption. He looked down at his notes and then up at Lolly. ‘You mentioned a book earlier. Can you tell me what that was?’
‘It’s called Hollywood Greats. It’s all about the movie stars.’ Lolly was confident that should they choose to check for fingerprints, hers would be all over it. The book usually sat on the coffee table and she’d picked it up lots of times to flick through and look at the photos. ‘I borrowed it in the summer before…’ Lolly stared down at the table for a moment. ‘I’ve had it for ages. That’s why I had to give it back.’
Sally went on to ask a few more questions, most of them pretty similar to the ones she’d asked earlier only phrased in a slightly different way. Lolly knew what the WPC was doing, trying to catch her out, to see if she’d make a mistake, trip up or change her story, but she was careful to stick to the script she’d agreed with Jude: short and simple with no unnecessary detail. She’d learned the importance of this from the numerous old movies she’d watched, films about murder and betrayal and revenge. People tried to be too clever and that’s where it all went wrong.
Finally the ordeal was over and the two police officers rose to their feet. ‘We may need to talk to you again,’ Sally said, ‘but thank you for your help.’
Lolly was relieved that neither of the officers tried to shake her hand. Her palms were clammy and damp. ‘That’s okay.’
Brenda saw them out, returned to the table and stood over Lolly with her arms folded across her chest. ‘So, young lady, you’ve got some explaining to do.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Lolly said. ‘I know I’m not supposed to go round to Jude’s. And I didn’t mean to stay. I was only going to give him the book back but I started watching the film and… I won’t do it again. I swear.’
‘Too right you won’t.’
FJ came back into the kitchen. ‘Have they gone, then?’ he asked, all innocence, as if he hadn’t been listening to everything.
‘For now,’ Brenda said.
FJ glared at Lolly before turning to his mother. ‘You do know she’s lying through her teeth, don’t you? Everyone knows Jude Rule killed Amy. He had a big row with Tracy and stormed off to find her. They’re all talking about it at school.’
‘He couldn’t have, could he?’ Lolly said. ‘Not if he was with me.’
‘Yeah, well we’ve only got your word for that. She’s lying, Mum, I’m telling you. She’s just trying to protect that murdering scumbag. I mean, all that stuff about the book. I’ve never seen no Hollywood book in the house, have you?’
Before Brenda could answer, Lolly jumped in. ‘That’s because I never kept it here. It was at school, in my locker.’
‘I bet.’