“What’s that for?”
“A note, the policewoman, what’s her name? I’ll say we’re sorry, we couldn’t stay.”
“You think I’m weak, right?”
“Look, I haven’t the faintest idea why you can do what you say you can. But my God, girl, you’ve got the chance to make a difference – how many of us can say that?” She raised a holding hand as I started to interrupt, “O.K. so I can’t get inside Lauretta’s head, can’t really know, but I can imagine some of what he did to her, can see what it’s doing to you but so what?
“So what?”
“Well, there’s no doubt you’ll have to wade through some pretty crappy stuff. But at least you’ll know.”
“What? What’ll I know?” I was shouting again and half-rose. The couple leaving the next table looked back, not hostile, sympathetic, they thought I’d just had bad news. Perhaps I had.
“You’ll know,” Raj remained seated, looking up at me. “It’s not really happening. Like watching a film – you’ll know it’s not really happening. If you can help Lauretta sort her head out, help her help the police, then isn’t it worth a bit of second-hand suffering?”
“Don’t you realise the risk, if people know what I can do?”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. Far’s I can see there’s only risk when people are specifically on the look-out for someone like you. In there,” she jerked her head “They’re just pleased Lauretta’s remembering, they think it’s because she’s reassured by us being there. The truth wouldn’t occur to them in a million years.”
“You don’t know that and talk’s cheap.” I was bitter, she could have absolutely no idea how ill I was feeling, nor how terrified. Apart from which, a life-time of dire warnings doesn’t go into your boots. She shrugged,
“You’re right. None of my business.” I nodded, but still needed to justify myself.
“Look, try and understand, I never asked for this. I don’t want it. I just want to be as normal as the next person.” Raj snorted,
“But you’re not are you?”
“No but …”
“And you can’t change what you are.”
“No.”
“No.” she repeated, “But look, if you want to use what you’ve got to give litterbugs a fright, teach dirty old men on the tube a lesson, that’s up to you. Just one question. How did it feel when you got that kid out?”
I opened my mouth to answer but didn’t get the chance,
“You just finished telling me, it felt great. You made a real difference to someone, right?”
She rose, brushed invisible crumbs off her uncreased skirt and reached behind the chair for her jacket.
“I’ll go get our coats. I’ll leave the note for the police and another for Lauretta. Meet me in the main entrance hall, if we get a taxi quickly, we should get the 3.55.”
“And that’s it?” I asked. She shrugged.
“I just don’t want to get involved.” I said miserably. She shrugged again as she turned away.
“You already are.”
At the next table an elderly man and a girl of about ten unloaded two cups of tea, propping the empty tray carefully against the table leg. They were both crying. There’d been a death, his daughter, her mother. I thought about the decisions I’d made, things I wanted to do, things I didn’t. I thought about a small, blood-stained, leather strap wrapped in yellowing tissue paper at the bottom of my drawer.
“Raj, wait,” I said, “I’ll go back.”
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Relatively Strange Page 34
