‘Thank you,’ she said. She took a sip and smiled. ‘Very nice.’
He nodded, wondered if he should tell her he was training to be a chef, but decided not to. It was probably best not to offer information. He’d only get himself in trouble.
They sat in silence for a minute as she drank her tea. It went on a bit long. Was he supposed to do something now, or say something? Was she expecting a biscuit? He felt the panic creep back. What if she asked for one? Could I have a biscuit please, Mikey? Like a test. Weren’t children supposed to have nice things to eat in their homes? What if having no biscuits made her suspicious and she asked to look in the kitchen? There was half a packet of out-of-date frankfurters in the fridge, and that was it. There was no bread, no milk either now, no tins of stuff, nothing in the freezer except ice. They’d be shafted if she checked.
His heart began to pound again. Sitting there, with her glasses and her polite cup of tea, she reminded him of all the reasons he’d hated school.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘Holly’s really clever. It’s not like if she misses a few lessons she’s going to mess everything up, because she’s the cleverest of the lot of us. She’s always reading and drawing and running about.’
‘I’m sure Holly’s very bright, but she also needs to go to school every day. Do you know how many days unauthorized absence she’s had this term?’
She’d spoken to the teacher already, so this was a trick. He shook his head and waited for her to tell him.
‘Her average attendance is currently below sixty per cent. That means she’s absent for at least four out of every ten days.’
‘I know what sixty per cent means.’
‘Of course, I’m sorry.’ She put the tea down. ‘The last two times I scheduled an appointment to see Karyn, nobody answered the door. When social services came round with me last week, they’d made an appointment with your mother, and Holly answered the door and told us she had no idea where Mum was. We were obviously concerned about that.’
He leaned back and folded his arms. It was like doing one of Holly’s jigsaws, trying to work out where the right answers were.
‘Maybe Mum went for a walk?’
That sounded healthy at least, but she sat there frowning at him.
‘Holly had a tummy ache,’ he said. ‘I remember now, that’s why she missed school. Maybe Mum went to the chemist to get medicine. Karyn was here, so Holly wasn’t alone. She probably said she didn’t know where Mum was to make everything sound more exciting. She loves making up stories. It’s a sign of intelligence.’
‘Where were you that day, Mikey, if you don’t mind me asking?’
His mind tripped to Ellie at the river, the challenge in her eyes as she dared him to jump. Her see-through shirt, the lace of her bra.
‘I was at work.’
Having a job was bound to be a point in his favour.
She took another sip of tea, glanced at her watch again. ‘OK, it doesn’t look as if Mum’s going to turn up, so maybe we should reschedule. But before I go, Mikey, I wanted to ask your advice. I’d like to get your view on Karyn, and how you think I could support her more. Is there anything you think she needs that she’s not getting at the moment?’
What was he supposed to say to that? Compensation? Revenge? Tom Parker dead?
‘I dunno, it’s just going on so long, isn’t it? She told me the other day she wished she’d never bothered reporting him. The thought of going to court really freaks her out, you know.’
‘I know, and I can help her with that, Mikey. I can liaise with the school on her behalf, I can talk to her GP if she wants me to, I can bring her up to date on all news relating to the case and help her prepare for court. It won’t be an easy ride, Mikey. But I’m here for her, believe me.’
‘She won’t leave the flat either, did you know that? She says she doesn’t want to bump into him, so she’s stuck in all the time.’
‘He’s not allowed anywhere near this flat, or in the centre of town, or near the school. I’ve told Karyn that.’
‘His mates could still get her.’
‘That would also be breaking his bail conditions. If anyone intimidates Karyn or passes on any messages from Tom to her, then you must let me know.’
‘And what happens when it’s over? You’ll dump her, won’t you? After the court case, we’ll never see you again.’
‘That’s why it’s important I put Karyn in touch with services that can help her now and will continue to help her. If you can persuade her to look at some of the leaflets I’ve given her, that would be great. It might take a burden from your shoulders too, Mikey, you never know.’ She put her cup down. ‘How’s Holly managing the situation with Karyn? Is she aware of what happened to her? Do you talk about it together?’
Mikey shook his head. ‘She’s a kid. She wouldn’t understand.’
‘Does she ever ask why Karyn isn’t going to school any more, or wonder why her sister’s upset?’
‘Karyn’s in Year Eleven, so was about to leave school anyway, and Holly thinks she’s sad because a boy dumped her.’
‘That’s what you’ve told her?’
‘Kind of.’
She nodded. ‘And what about you? It must be very tough being the older brother of a girl in this situation.’
He wondered what she wanted to hear. Was he supposed to want vengeance, or was it best to tell her that he was leaving the whole thing well alone? He remembered what Mum had said once and went with that.
‘I’m letting you lot deal with it.’
She nodded. He’d got that right at least.
‘And we will deal with it, Mikey. I know the police ask a lot of questions and those questions can be upsetting for Karyn, but they need to get their facts straight. You know that, don’t you? It’s very personal stuff, very difficult to deal with. It’s hard for all of you.’
He shrugged. How could this woman understand? No one would ever speak to her the way the cops spoke to Karyn, asking her if she’d slept with Tom before or if she usually got so drunk at parties. Women like her had been to university and knew all the right things to say. They had parents who came in pairs and grew up expecting the same for their own kids.
Mikey looked right at her for a second. For some strange reason, he imagined her eating an ice cream – strawberry and vanilla in some sunny back garden.
She smiled at him. ‘You said earlier that you have a job.’
‘I’m training to be a chef.’
‘Good for you.’ She was obviously impressed. ‘Do you work full-time?’
He made it sound brilliant. He was practically head chef in this little story and the pub couldn’t function without him. He described dishes he’d never made – coq au vin, cassoulet, choucroute garnie and a classic Russian coulibiac. No, he told her, he had no intention of leaving Norfolk. Yes, he said, the pub was sending him to college soon to do his NVQ. Yes, that would mean more hours, but he was completely up for it. He was a hard worker. He had a focused mind. He didn’t mention London and his dream that Karyn would get over this quickly so he’d be free to go there.
He finished with a flourish, told her he was bound to be promoted before the end of the year, then sat back on the sofa with his best grin.
But she didn’t smile back. In fact, she was frowning again.
‘That worries me, Mikey. That amount of responsibility and all those hours. I know your mum’s not well and I know how hard the situation with Karyn must be. It might be worth considering if there’s anyone else who can help you out for a while. A relative or family friend perhaps?’
‘No,’ he said, ‘there’s no one.’
Why wasn’t he getting this right? And what did she mean about Mum not being well? How much did she know?
He imagined her going back to the police station and telling all her cop mates that he wasn’t coping, then popping over to social services and telling them too. They’d all be tutting and fussing and making suggestions as to how he could do better
in his sad little life.
‘Listen,’ he said. ‘We can manage this. We’ll make Holly go to school every day. It’s not too much. We can do that, she likes school, so it’ll be easy.’
‘There’s more to it than that, Mikey.’
‘Like what?’
He’d offer her anything, promise everything.
She told him what social services would be looking for: Holly needed to be at school by nine o’clock every day and she needed her PE kit and book bag with her. She mustn’t be smelly or dirty or tired and she must have had breakfast. Mum needed to call social services to see if they could offer support. Karyn needed to keep her appointments.
‘I can help her, Mikey. It’s my job to help her, but I can’t do my job if she won’t talk to me. If you could encourage her to trust me a bit more, that’d be great.’
She wanted him to call if he was worried about anything or wanted to talk, or if he thought of something Karyn might need. She gave him a little card with her direct number on it. It even had her name – Gillian.
He agreed to it all. It was a chance to believe everything could be better simply by saying it out loud.
In return she said she’d contact social services and tell them she’d spoken to him and that the family were perhaps managing better than she’d thought. She’d ask them to speak to Holly’s school about getting her into some club that didn’t finish until six o’clock, and maybe they could even investigate the possibility of a family support worker, whatever that was.
He promised that Mum would call her. He told her he understood that Karyn not meeting appointments was worrying and he’d do his best to persuade her to keep them. They nodded at each other. It was agreed. It was like beginning something new, starting over.
She began to put her coat on. ‘It’s fantastic you’re working, Mikey.’
He smiled without meaning to. ‘Yeah, I like cooking, it’s cool. Have you ever been to the Queen’s Head? It’s one of the pubs by the harbour.’
‘I don’t know it,’ she said. ‘But maybe I’ll try and get there one day.’
‘It’s all you can eat for a tenner. That’s pretty good, eh? After my shifts end, I even get stuff for free.’
He hesitated. He meant the meal he got after work, the bits of meat and stuffing balls and chipolatas, all piled high. But he wondered if by saying it out loud, she’d know about the crisps he stuffed in his jacket for the girls, the peanuts and pork scratchings for Mum. She was a cop, wasn’t she? She had a nose for crime.
‘The boss is pleased with me,’ he blustered. ‘She says I’m a natural.’
‘I’m sure you are.’
She stood up and hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. ‘Well, I’ll be off, Mikey, but remember, I think Mum should call social services today if possible.’
‘I’ll get her to do it.’
She nodded. ‘Good.’
He’d survived. She smiled as she left, even said she looked forward to seeing him again.
As soon as the door was shut he yelled up to Karyn and she came out of her room and stood at the top of the stairs, wrapped in her duvet.
‘She’s gone,’ he told her. ‘I handled it.’
‘What did she say?’
‘That you should keep your frigging appointments. You know, if you hadn’t pissed her off, she’d never have grassed us up. She’s only trying to help. Considering she’s a cop, she’s OK.’
‘She keeps wanting to talk about how I’m feeling and I want to forget it.’
‘Maybe she actually cares. You ever thought of that?’
Karyn walked down the stairs, trailing the duvet behind her. When she got to the bottom step she held out her arms for a hug. He put his arms round her and they stood there together for a minute.
‘There’s some stuff we need to do,’ he said.
She leaned back and looked at him. She looked paler than yesterday, and shorter. ‘What stuff?’
‘First, we’ve got to sober Mum up. Actually, you’ve got to sober her up, ‘cos I’ve got to go to work. She has to phone social services and tell them why she bunked off the other day, get some shopping in, then collect Holly. Get her to call me as soon as she’s properly awake and don’t let her go to school if she’s still hung-over – they’ll be watching for that. Your cop rang the school as well, can you believe it?’
‘Stop calling her my cop.’
‘If Mum hasn’t had a bath and isn’t completely sober, you’ll have to sort Holly out.’
Karyn shrank away from him. ‘I’m not leaving the flat.’
‘You don’t have to. Ring one of your friends and get them to pick her up.’
‘I’m not talking to people.’
‘For God’s sake, Karyn! It’s just a few phone calls.’
He wanted to hit her. He wanted to slam the door and walk away. Couldn’t she see that her mates needed something to do? Day after day they rang the doorbell to ask how she was. Giving them a job might make everyone feel better. But if he got into an argument about it now, he’d be even later for work than he was already. And if he walked off, Karyn’d go straight back to bed and she and Mum would sleep the whole day through.
He put his hands on Karyn’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. He felt like a hypnotist.
‘We’re in this together,’ he said, ‘and you have to do something to help. Make Mum strong coffee, get her to drink loads of water, go in and talk to her, don’t take any crap. We can’t be late to collect Holly today. Do you understand?’
She nodded, but her eyes were full of tears.
‘You’re very brave,’ he told her. ‘Don’t worry, it’s all going to work out fine.’
Fifteen
Tom stopped the car before the bridge, switched the engine off and turned to Ellie.
‘I’m not allowed any closer than this,’ he said.
She looked down at her lap, at her fingers gripping the strap of her bag.
He said, ‘I had a word with James and Freddie. They’ve got brothers at the school, and they’ll be straight in there if anyone gives you trouble today.’
Random boys acting as bodyguards would only get her noticed more. What she really needed was for everyone to stop taking any notice of her whatsoever, then her life could go back to how it used to be.
‘I’m sorry Dad gave you grief,’ Tom said. ‘He came down way too hard.’
It was true, he had. On and on about the shame she’d brought on the family by fighting in public, and the disappointment she’d caused by running away and not taking responsibility for her own behaviour, blah, blah. He’d only let her have two days and the weekend off, and was forcing her back already. This morning, he’d leaned over the breakfast table and said, ‘I hope you realize how tough this is for your brother.’
Tom had been sweet, stepping in and saying it was tough for her too, that she’d been defending his reputation and the kids at school sounded like total losers. But even Dad’s golden boy hadn’t been able to blag her any more days off.
And now she had to get out of the car and walk over the bridge. She had to go through the gate on the other side and cross the empty playground, then through the main door and report to reception. From there she would be escorted into Spanish by Mr Spalding, the learning mentor. It had all been planned by her father on the phone, including the late arrival. She was allowed to miss registration, assembly and the busy morning corridors. She was officially a troubled child.
‘You want my advice?’ Tom said. He twisted in his seat to look at her properly. ‘Keep your head down, stay focused on revision and exams and stay out of trouble. When you disappear for hours and refuse to say where you are, Mum and Dad are bound to go crazy.’
She shook her head at him. ‘I didn’t tell them where I was because I didn’t want to lie.’
‘But you haven’t told me either and we normally share stuff like that.’
But the gatecrasher was her secret. She’d had five texts from him since the river and the latest one
said, When can I see you? She wasn’t going to tell anyone that.
‘I hung around town.’
‘So, why’s that such a secret?’
‘Dad hates me doing nothing. He probably expects me to go to the library and revise when I bunk off and Mum always takes his side. I didn’t want the lecture, that’s all.’
Tom nodded sympathetically. ‘Yeah, yeah, they’re ridiculous.’
There was a moment’s silence, then she said, ‘Would you phone in sick for me?’
‘What?’
‘Can you phone the school and pretend to be Dad?’
‘No! He’ll go round the bend if he finds out.’
‘Please, Tom. I can’t face it.’
She held her hand to her belly. It was going weird again, as if it was wrecked inside and small things were fluttering about. She thought she must have clutched it in her sleep too, because she’d woken up with the shape of a button from her pyjamas imprinted on her palm.
‘What will you do all day?’ Tom asked.
‘I don’t know, hang out with you?’ She gave him a pleading smile. ‘If I get home at the normal time, they’re never going to know.’
He gazed at her for a second, then nodded. ‘Don’t tell them I did this.’
As he dialled, she watched his face and thought how weird it was that by sheer fluke of birth, she was his sister. Sister, sister. She said the word silently in her head and tried to make sense of it.
‘Good morning,’ Tom said. ‘I’m ringing on behalf of my daughter, Eleanor Parker, in Year Eleven. Just to let you know, she has a migraine and won’t be in today.’ He nodded as he listened to the response. ‘Yes, yes, of course I’ll tell her that. Thank you very much.’ He snapped his phone shut and smiled. ‘The receptionist hopes you get better soon.’
Ellie laughed. She couldn’t help it. One simple phone call and she had a free day ahead of her.
‘There’s another trick,’ Tom said as he started the ignition. ‘You could try this one tomorrow. You go in for registration, leave before your first class and spend the morning in town, then go back for afternoon registration and bunk straight out again. I did it loads when I was at school and no one ever found out.’
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