by Mel Sherratt
‘What happened to you last night? Saw you and then you shot off. Call me.’
Caleb dropped his phone on the bed as if it were hot to the touch. He was right back where he started, in a panic.
‘Fuck,’ he whispered, running a hand through his hair. He had been seen. His mum would go mad if she found out what he’d been up to. He couldn’t let her find out he’d been there. He had to keep a low profile.
As he thought what to say to Seth, he covered his head with a pillow for a moment. Then he typed out a message:
‘Just got spooked. I have the package. Where shall I drop it off?’
‘Come to me at 4pm today. I’ll meet you outside the coffee shop on Smallthorne Roundabout. Don’t be late.’
Caleb was satisfied with that. Out in such an open place, Seth wouldn’t be able to get to him. He would deliver the package, get away and then never go near him again.
Mary got herself ready that morning yet she felt afraid to go out of the flat. She chided herself for being such a nitwit and pulled on her coat and walking boots. It was frosty outside and she didn’t want to slip.
She locked her front door and frowned. Looking over the railing, she saw two uniformed officers standing chatting at the entrance to the flats. One of them was putting up a notice on the door to the communal entrance. Mary must remember to have a look at what was on it.
She heard a sound to her left and saw her neighbour, Peggy coming towards her. Peggy was almost the same age as Mary but was still working in the newsagent around the corner. She said she would only be taken away from there in a coffin as she never wanted to stop working. Mary sensed she’d miss the gossip, more like. She herself had been glad when her last shift at the pottery firm she’d spent twenty-two years at had been over. And, even though she was alone now, she had a good network of friends.
‘Terrible business, isn’t it?’ Peggy said.
‘What is?’ Mary acted as if she didn’t know what the other woman was talking about.
‘Haven’t you heard?’ Peggy’s chest almost puffed up as she realised she had gossip.
‘I was under the weather yesterday and went to bed after my tea,’ she lied. ‘Hope I’m not coming down with something. What’s going on?’
Peggy glared at her, seemingly annoyed she had interrupted.
‘The little boy from 114.’ Peggy pointed to the flats across the way. ‘He fell from the walkway last night. Apparently he’s in a critical condition.’
Mary gasped. ‘Poor mite. What happened?’
‘He went over the side.’ Peggy did a diving motion with her hands. ‘We always said someone would go over one day, didn’t we?’
‘We did.’ Mary nodded.
‘It’s atrocious, if you ask me. I’m making a cuppa for the police who are here. Would you like one? We can be on the front line then, so to speak.’
Mary shook her head but Peggy had already gone back inside, leaving her to her thoughts.
That poor little boy.
She went back into her flat and sat down before her legs could give way. She couldn’t believe they were saying he’d fallen. She had seen what had happened.
It hadn’t been an accident.
2010
Ruby opened her eyes and stretched like a kitten. The sun was high in the sky and the day was as bright as her mood already. Not only was it her sixteenth birthday, Finn had sent her a message yesterday, wishing her many happy returns for today.
She hadn’t heard anything from him since they’d met that night and she had almost given up on him. She wished she’d had his number but still she doubted she would have got in touch. She wasn’t too big on the etiquette of dating yet, having only had a handful of double dates with Naomi and various boys, and a fleeting six-week relationship with a lad who preferred to spend time with his friends over her.
Over several messages, she and Finn had caught up. He’d apologised, saying he’d been out of the country on work but was back now and wondering if she’d still like to meet him.
Would she ever!
Before she could think about him any more, there was a knock on her bedroom door.
‘Happy birthday to you,’ Dad sang badly as he came in. He was holding a tray with breakfast laid out, a pile of cards propped up next to a mug of coffee.
‘Thanks, but do I have to go to school? Can I have the day off, seeing as today’s so important?’
‘Nice try.’ Dad shook his head. ‘Come on, let’s get you up and out and on that bus.’
The day dragged and all the way through her lessons she thought of Finn. How could she get away with seeing him? Perhaps Naomi would cover for her. After all, she’d done it on a few occasions so far.
But when she asked, Naomi flat out refused.
‘He’s bad news, I’m telling you.’ She linked her arm through Ruby’s as they made their way out of the school gates to catch the bus home. ‘You mark my words, he has girls falling for him every night at the club.’
‘Says who?’
‘My brothers. He works at The Majestic – they see him. You don’t want to break your heart over him.’
It stung Ruby to hear Naomi badmouthing Finn, especially when she didn’t have any proof. Ruby never criticised Gareth, so it wasn’t really fair. Especially as neither of them knew him well.
So it had shocked them both to see him waiting for her outside school in his car. He papped his horn. As they approached, the window went down.
‘Need a lift, ladies?’ he shouted to them.
Ruby looked at Naomi and indicated a slight nod of her head. Naomi sighed. ‘Okay, then. Just this once.’
Ruby climbed into the passenger seat and Naomi got in the back behind her.
‘All right, Nay?’ Finn grinned at Naomi. ‘Haven’t seen you in a while. Things good?’
‘Cool, thanks.’ Naomi nodded in reply.
Ruby buckled up and Finn sped off. He drove a little faster than he had the first night she’d met him but secretly she was delighted. Her boyfriend had a car! Some of the girls who had seen her must be green with envy. This was one up on nearly everyone in year eleven.
Finn and Ruby chatted away in the front, Naomi joining in every now and again as Finn encouraged her. Ruby told him her address and asked him to park at the end of the street. If her dad saw her, she’d be in trouble. Naomi was coming home with her. It wasn’t often she did, but they were going to watch a film later as her birthday treat.
They pulled in at the end of her road and Finn parked up. He turned to Ruby but before he could speak, Naomi slid along the back seat.
‘I’ll wait for you over on the wall,’ she said quietly. ‘See you, Finn.’
‘I won’t be a minute,’ Ruby said before the door banged behind her.
‘Alone at last.’ Finn reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small pink box. It was tied with a white ribbon, a large bow on its top. ‘This is for you.’
‘For me?’ Ruby whispered.
‘Well, it’s your birthday.’
She took it from him and opened it up. Inside was a necklace with a tiny heart pendant. She looked at him, unsure what to say. She hadn’t expected this at all. She’d been slowly getting used to the idea of never seeing Finn again. Of course she had fantasised about him turning up every day, but it hadn’t happened. The longer it had gone on, the less she was inclined to talk about him to Naomi, especially as she was seeing Gareth a couple of times each weekend and twice in the week. It was okay for her. Gareth could come to Naomi’s house and hang out in the room above their garage. There was always somewhere she could be away from her family. Ruby’s dad would never let her bring a boy into the house at her age. It wasn’t even worth sneaking anyone in, in case he came home early one night from work.
‘Thank you,’ she said, finally finding her manners. ‘But this is too much. I don’t even know you.’
‘Call it a sorry present too.’ He chucked her under the chin. ‘I’ve been working too hard lately. And als
o you were only fifteen when I met you. You were a girl. Now,’ he gazed into her eyes, ‘you’re a woman.’
She could hear her heart beating erratically as he kissed her. Trying not to think of what would happen if any of the neighbours spotted her, she relaxed into it, enjoying the sensation of his tongue against her own.
When they stopped, he helped her to put the necklace on. Then as she turned back to him, he kissed her again.
‘I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met, Ruby. I don’t know how to explain it; you got under my skin. You’re different from anyone else I’ve met. But I’m nineteen and you were only fifteen.’
‘And now I’m sixteen?’
‘We must find a way to make this work.’ He nodded. ‘Can you meet me tomorrow night?’
Ruby knew the odds were stacked against her but she was determined to find a way around it.
‘Yes.’ She nodded vehemently.
‘I’ll pick you up here at seven. I have to work at nine thirty but I can see you until nine. We can go for a coffee.’
She nodded and he kissed her a third time.
When she got out of the car, she felt lightheaded, almost floaty.
‘Happy now?’ Naomi smiled, once Ruby had walked over to her. ‘I know I’m not much for him but he does seem into you.’
Ruby laughed. ‘He does!’ She showed her the necklace. ‘Look what he gave me for my birthday.’
‘That’s lovely.’ Naomi took a closer look. ‘Really, it’s gorgeous.’
‘Thanks. Although, can I say it was from you? You know my dad won’t let me keep it if he knew where it came from.’
Naomi nodded. ‘Sure you can.’
‘Right, let’s go and get ready for the cinema. Cake first!’
As they linked arms, Ruby brimmed with happiness. This had been the best birthday ever.
TEN
Shelley was at the Royal Stoke University Hospital for ten a.m. Her takings the night before meant she could easily afford a taxi, although she wouldn’t be able to go back to The Casino for a while. She had a feeling the guy she fleeced might complain to the club, even though she had been careful to pick him out. Obviously everything would have to be proved and she’d been very careful to avoid the cameras. But even so, she realised that her luck might run out. For now, she had a few hundred pounds in her purse that no one knew about.
She visited the shop inside the entrance, bought magazines for Lily and Luke, a paperback for Ruby – who she knew loved to read – and chocolates for them all. She wasn’t going to get anything for Tyler until she had seen him – she didn’t even know if he was conscious or not.
She located the children’s ward on a nearby map and made her way through the maze of corridors to get there. She didn’t know if they would see her, and wasn’t even sure if she would be let in.
As people, Ruby and Luke seemed okay to her. Luke was a friend of Seth’s so she saw him often, yet Ruby was a tough nut to crack. Shelley had tried to befriend her for a few months now but she preferred to keep herself to herself. Ruby wasn’t unfriendly, just guarded.
But Shelley was after information and what better way to get it than to visit the hospital and act all concerned and neighbourly.
At the Paediatric Unit, she asked at the nurses’ station for Tyler’s whereabouts. A nurse was pointing out the intensive care ward as Luke came around the corner carrying two coffees.
‘What are you doing here?’ he gasped.
‘I had to come and see how Tyler was doing.’ She walked towards him.
‘You shouldn’t have come.’
‘Look, what’s happening between you and Seth can stay between us, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
‘Yeah, like you’re going to keep your mouth shut. I want you to leave.’
‘It’s forgotten.’ Shelley shrugged. ‘As long as you don’t look too guilty when the three of us are together.’ She pointed down the corridor. ‘You’re down there, aren’t you?’
‘I don’t want you visiting.’
‘Well, that’s a bit tough. And I’m coming to see how Ruby and Lily are doing, not you, so don’t get all arsy with me.’
‘You’d better not say anything.’ He marched off and she followed after him, mentally kicking herself when she realised she hadn’t mentioned Tyler.
‘He’s okay, then?’ she asked as they got to the door and she sanitised her hands using the pump on the wall.
‘He’s having tests at the moment.’
‘The police are all over Harrison House. They’re asking if anyone saw what happened.’
Luke paled. ‘Have you heard if anyone did?’
She shook her head. ‘It was an accident, wasn’t it?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, it was.’
She followed him into the ward, trying to keep the smile from her face. He didn’t know she knew he might be lying.
Ruby was sitting next to the cot-bed in bay two, holding Tyler’s hand. She looked up as Shelley came into view.
‘I hope you don’t mind me coming.’ Shelley brought tears to her eyes purposely. ‘I was so shocked when I heard the news and wanted to rush straight round. Obviously I knew you’d be here for a while, so I thought I’d pop by and see if you needed anything.’
Ruby began to cry. Shelley rushed across the room and hugged her. ‘It will be okay,’ she soothed as she rubbed her back. Over her shoulder, she could see Tyler’s still little body, his eyes closed, machines attached to him making all sorts of noises. His face was red and puffy. He looked so fragile that at first she thought she shouldn’t even be here. But then she swallowed her pride. She had a job to do.
‘How is he?’ she asked again.
‘We’ll know more over the next twenty-four hours,’ Ruby replied, wiping at her eyes. ‘They’ve put him in an induced coma. For now, it’s sit and wait. He’s a fighter, though.’
‘What has the doctor said?’ Shelley pulled a chair out and sat next to her. Luke passed a coffee to Ruby and then did the same.
‘He’s responding but they want to keep him sedated a little longer. The doctor said he’s been very lucky.’
‘That’s good news.’ Shelley handed the bag of gifts to her. ‘I brought you some things to keep you occupied. You might not need them now, but …’ She shrugged. ‘For when Tyler is home and causing riots again.’
Luke snorted. ‘He’s never going out on that walkway again. And we’re putting in for a transfer to a house.’
Ruby said nothing, just looked at Tyler.
‘So it was an accident then?’ Shelley posed the question.
‘I told you it was,’ Luke sniped. ‘Why are you asking again?’
‘I forgot I’d already mentioned it.’
‘Anyone would think that you’re trying to blame us.’
‘That’s enough, Luke,’ Ruby spoke out. ‘It was an accident.’
‘I’m sure it was,’ Shelley said. ‘Do you know when he’ll be able to come home?’
‘It depends on what happens when he comes out of the coma.’ Ruby wiped a hand across her boy’s brow. In the background, a nurse was tending to another patient, their machine going off loudly. A curtain was pulled around for privacy.
Shelley sighed. She wasn’t going to get much from either of them.
‘Where’s Lily?’ she asked next.
‘Staying with Norma.’
‘Nutty Norma from next door?’
‘I had nowhere else to take her,’ Ruby snapped. ‘I don’t have family.’
A woman at the next cot-bed looked over at them, her expression stern. Ruby mouthed sorry to her.
‘Hey, relax.’ Shelley put up a hand. ‘I would have had her, you know that. But I was going out just as it had happened. I didn’t get in until ten last night and by that time there were police everywhere.’
Ruby’s eyes widened. ‘Were there?’
‘They were just asking around, that’s all.’
‘Who did they speak to?’
�
��I’m not sure. But you have nothing to worry about, do you?’
Luke and Ruby said no at the same time.
After a few minutes of small talk, Shelley couldn’t stand any more. ‘I’d best be going,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to get in your way when the doctors come by.’ She stood up. ‘Do you want me to fetch Lily round to mine and look after her?’
‘No, thanks.’ Ruby shook her head. ‘We’re going to collect her later. She needs to be with us.’
‘I guess.’ Shelley wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t one to question.
Once out of the ward, she gave a sigh. That hadn’t been as productive as she’d hoped. She needed to get Ruby alone, but this was definitely not the place for it. She’d try again once Tyler was home. At the very least, he was alive.
Until that man came calling again, that is.
ELEVEN
Grace sat at her desk, making a list of what she needed to do that morning. As well as going out, she had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. It was endless in this job. Everything had to be actioned, ticked off, recorded, signed off or filed away. Deep in thought, she visibly jumped when Frankie put a mug of tea down beside her.
‘Ooh, ta,’ she said.
Frankie’s desk was directly opposite hers. He reached out the packet of ginger biscuits he always kept in his drawer and offered her one. She shook her head. Too early in the morning for her.
‘How did it go with Allie?’ he asked.
‘We’re good to go for now,’ she told him. ‘We need to gather as much information as we can. You and I can head up to the hospital. I want to chat to Ruby and Luke separately. Then we can go door-to-door at Harrison House.’ She waved her hand in the air. ‘I don’t need to tell you what to do really.’
‘Good to hear, Sarge,’ he beamed.
Grace grinned. She had struck lucky being able to have Frankie working with her. It was imperative she had someone firstly who she could trust to get on with the job and secondly who she enjoyed spending a lot of time with. Frankie was a laugh, but he also knew when to be serious too. The perfect antidote after a late night, and always up for an oatcake breakfast.
