Snatched (34 page)

Putting him down after a moment, he gave Sue a nervous smile, and asked if she was all right.

‘Fine,’ she lied, forcing herself to return the smile. ‘You’re early,’ she said then, trying not to make it sound like an accusation.

‘Sorry,’ he murmured, wondering if it was.

‘It’s okay,’ she assured him. ‘It’s just that I ordered breakfast for Connor and it’s not ready yet.’ Squeezing her hands together nervously now, she said, ‘I was just going to get myself another cup of tea, though, if you want one. Or would you rather just take him?’

Terry wondered if staying for a cuppa was such a good idea, given that he already felt bad about being here behind Leanne’s back. But it was unlikely that he’d see anyone he knew down this end. And anyway, it wouldn’t be fair to drag Connor away without letting him eat first.

‘Yeah, all right,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think to get a brew before I came out, so I could really do with one.’

‘Not like you,’ Sue commented amusedly, pushing her own chair back. ‘You usually can’t move without your morning cuppa.’ Blushing when she realised that she was talking in too familiar a way, she said, ‘I’ll, er, just . . .’ Trailing off, she scuttled over to the counter.

Sighing, Terry pulled out a chair and sat down. This was going to be a barrel of laughs if every time either of them spoke it was fraught with what was allowed to be mentioned and what wasn’t.

Connor tugged on his sleeve. Looking down at him, Terry smiled. ‘What’s up, little man?’

Connor pointed out of the window.

‘What you showing me?’ Terry asked, peering out. ‘The car?’

Keeping his mouth firmly shut, Connor shook his head and jabbed his finger more animatedly towards the glass.

Frowning, Terry shrugged. ‘I don’t know what you want me to look at, son. Can’t you just tell me?’

Giving up, Connor slumped down in his seat. Even if he’d wanted to talk, he knew it wouldn’t happen now, because he’d tried before they came out, when his mum had sent him to the toilet to make sure his bladder was empty. Like he always did when he was in the bathroom alone, he’d peered into the mirror, pretending that the eyes looking back at him were Nicky’s, because they were exactly the same. But then, when he’d opened his mouth to talk to her, the words had refused to come out, and all he’d heard was that stupid noise that his mum hated. So now he was terrified that he’d forgotten
how
to talk.

Coming back just then with two fresh cups of tea, Sue saw the sadness on Terry’s face and asked what was wrong.

‘He was pointing out of the window,’ Terry told her. ‘But I don’t know what he was trying to tell me.’

‘He was probably just trying to show you where we’ve been staying,’ Sue said perceptively. ‘It’s just up the road.’

‘Oh, right.’ Nodding, Terry picked up his tea and took a sip. Glancing at Sue and seeing the dark shadows under her eyes, he said, ‘It must be difficult trying to understand him. How do you manage it?’

‘It’s hard,’ she admitted, shrugging as she added, ‘But there’s not a lot I can do about it, so I just have to get on with it.’

‘Haven’t the doctors suggested anything?’

‘Only what they said at the beginning: that he’ll come out of it when he’s ready.’

‘Isn’t the counselling doing any good?’

‘Is it hell,’ Sue said scathingly. ‘If we can’t get him to talk, they sure as hell won’t.’

Sighing, Terry gazed at Connor. ‘Well, I wish you’d talk to
someone
, son, ’cos we’re all really missing you.’

Tears flooding his eyes, Connor stared down at his fingers. He missed his dad, and he missed Nicky. And he even missed his mum, even though he was still living with her, because she acted like he wasn’t even there sometimes; as if she’d forgotten he existed just because she couldn’t hear him. But when he made noises, she just got mad at him, so he tried not to do that now unless he really needed to get her attention.

‘No point,’ Sue said resignedly. ‘And believe me, I’ve tried
every
thing.’

‘Oh, well, I suppose we’ll just have to wait till you’re ready, eh, son?’ Reaching out, Terry ruffled Connor’s hair affectionately.

The girl came over just then, carrying Connor’s breakfast. Putting it down on the table in front of him, she said, ‘There you go, gorgeous.’ Then, giving Terry a shy smile, she said, ‘He takes after you, doesn’t he?’

‘So they say,’ Terry replied proudly.

Patting Connor on the head now, telling him to enjoy his food, the girl went back to her station – where, Sue noted irritably, she had repositioned herself so that she was now sitting directly in Terry’s eye-line.

Terry didn’t notice. His attention firmly on Connor, he said, ‘That looks good, so eat up, and then we’ll get going.’

Eyebrows raised in surprise when Connor immediately began to tuck into the food, because she had a hard time getting him to eat anything these days, Sue asked where Terry was planning to take him.

‘Thought we’d go into town for a bit,’ he said – without adding that this was a last-minute addition to his plan in order to pick up a present for Leanne. ‘Then I thought he might fancy a bit of bowling.’

Smiling sadly when Connor’s eyes lit up at the mention of bowling, Sue dipped her gaze as she felt the all too familiar sting of tears behind her eyes. That was exactly where
she
had been planning to take the kids when the taxi had pulled up outside her destroyed house that night.

‘Are you all right?’ Terry asked quietly.

‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ she murmured, telling herself to snap out of it.

Connor made a sudden grunting noise. Looking at him and seeing him jiggling about in his seat, Sue said, ‘Do you need the toilet?’ Pointing him in the right direction when he nodded, she was surprised when he jumped up and went on his own. Usually, he’d try and make her go with him, but he obviously felt braver in Terry’s presence.

Seizing the sudden opportunity of being alone with Sue to broach the subject that had been playing on his mind all night, Terry said, ‘About yesterday . . . when I asked you not to tell anyone I was coming today. I hope you didn’t think I was sneaking around behind Leanne’s back?’

‘I didn’t think anything,’ Sue lied, sipping at her tea, determined not to react badly to the mention of his girlfriend.

‘I hope not,’ Terry said quietly. ‘Because I’m just trying to do the right thing by everyone. I meant what I said yesterday; I am
really
sorry for what happened. But I still think it was the right thing to do. I just regret the way I went about it.’

Inhaling deeply, Sue nodded. Well, there it was . . . straight from the horse’s mouth. It was over.

Forcing herself to smile when Connor came back, Sue watched as he sat down and started to attack his food again.

‘Wow, that’s disappearing fast!’ she said. ‘Isn’t he a good boy, Dad?’

Happy that he’d had the chance to settle things, because now they all knew where they stood and everyone could move on, Terry said, ‘Very good. And if you carry on eating like that, you’ll get nice and strong.’ Groaning then, he slapped a hand against his forehead, saying, ‘Oh, no! Now he’ll be so strong he’ll hammer me at bowling!’

Laughing, Sue said, ‘You’d have hammered him anyway, wouldn’t you, Con?’

‘Never!’ Terry scoffed, reaching for the now-empty plate.

Taking out her purse, Sue said, ‘Leave that. I haven’t paid for it yet.’

Telling her not to worry about it, Terry took the plate to the counter and settled the bill. Then, coming back, he said, ‘Right, let’s get moving.’

Jumping off the chair, Connor pulled his coat on and rushed to the door. Calling him back, Terry said, ‘Say goodbye to your mam.’

Running to her, Connor gave her a kiss, then ran straight back to the door. Telling Sue that he’d bring him back at half-four, Terry followed him out.

Staying where she was, Sue finished her cold tea and glanced at her watch. It was only ten o’clock, so that left her with six and a half hours to fill, but she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do with herself. She didn’t want to have to go back to the flat to look at Julie’s miserable face, but she didn’t have any money to entertain herself outside, and it was way too cold to just sit in the park or walk the streets. And she couldn’t even go to Pauline’s like she’d said she would, to pick up the money that had been collected, because Pauline would want to know where Connor was, and she’d promised Terry that she wouldn’t tell anybody. And, anyway, she couldn’t risk being seen on the estate, because someone might mention it to Dave, and then he’d wonder how come she’d left Connor alone with the social workers.

Resigned to having to go back to the flat, she got up and traipsed wearily back down the road. She’d just reached the block and was about to open the door when a car pulled up at the kerb behind her. Glancing back when the horn tooted, expecting it to be a taxi for one of the other tenants, she felt the blood drain from her face when she saw Dave grinning back at her through the open window of his car.

‘All right, gorgeous,’ he called out to her. ‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a dump like this?’

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, going over to him, trying to gauge from his eyes whether he’d seen her with Terry just now.

‘Hey, don’t look too pleased to see me,’ he quipped. ‘I might get the wrong idea and think you’re happy, or something.’

‘Sorry,’ she murmured, slipping her hands into her pockets to hide the guilty shaking. ‘I just didn’t expect you today. I thought we said Monday.’

‘Damn!’ he said, frowning. ‘Don’t tell me I’ve gone and got my days mixed up?’ Laughing then, he said, ‘Stop panicking. I was only passing by on my way to my mate’s. Then I saw this gorgeous bird, and thought, hey, why not stop and chat her up?’

‘Oh, right,’ Sue said, forcing herself to smile now.

‘So, where’s my little mate?’ Dave asked, looking around for Connor.

‘Inside with Julie,’ Sue lied. ‘I, just, um, just nipped out to . . .’ Stopping herself before she said that she’d been to the shop, because he’d want to know why she wasn’t carrying anything, she said, ‘For a walk.’

Nodding, Dave said, ‘Everything all right last night? Get any grief off moody hole?’

‘Not yet,’ Sue said, sighing.

‘Just tell her to piss off if she starts,’ Dave said, glancing at his watch. ‘Anyway, best get moving. My mate’s just moved into a flat round the corner, and I said I’d help him do some painting. Unless . . .’ He gazed at her thoughtfully. ‘You fancy letting me take you for a coffee? Only I’m not exactly looking forward to getting gloss all over my new trainers, and you don’t look eager to go back in just yet.’

‘Won’t your mate be expecting you?’ Sue asked, thinking that she’d much rather go for a coffee with Dave than face Julie.

‘Nah. He knows he’ll see me when he sees me,’ Dave said flippantly. ‘Anyhow, he’s lucky I said I’d do it in the first place, seeing as every other fucker he asked told him to do it himself. Come on . . . what d’y’ say?’

Smiling, Sue nodded. ‘Okay, but only a quick one, because I shouldn’t stay out too long. And, I, er, think we need to talk.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ Dave gave her a questioning smile. ‘And am I going to like what I hear?’

‘I think so,’ she said, smiling coyly as she climbed in beside him and pulled her seat belt on.

14

Leanne was shivering as she stood in the bus shelter where Zak had told her to meet him. She’d been here for half an hour now, but he still hadn’t turned up. She would give him ten more minutes, then she was off – and she didn’t care
what
he might have to say about it.

Three minutes later, Zak sauntered up to her.

‘About bloody time!’ she snapped, standing up and facing him, her expression letting him know that she was mega pissed-off with him. ‘I’ve been waiting half a flaming hour.’

‘I know,’ Zak said coolly. ‘I’ve been watching you.’

Screwing her face up in disbelief, Leanne said, ‘What?
Why?
’

‘’Cos I wanted to see how long you’d wait,’ he said, the slightest of smiles on his handsome face. ‘And you waited
long
, man, so I reckon you must be well scared.’

‘Don’t talk shit,’ she hissed, folding her arms defensively. ‘Why would I be scared of you?’

‘Not of me, of what I know,’ Zak said, the smile sly now. ‘And you
know
I know, so you can drop the Little Miss Innocent act.’

‘And you can quit acting like Colombo, you stupid dickhead,’ Leanne spat. ‘You don’t know anything. I don’t even know why I bothered coming.’

‘Yeah, you do,’ Zak drawled, holding her gaze.

Rolling her eyes in irritation. Leanne said, ‘All right, then. Spit it out.’

‘The night of the fire,’ Zak said quietly, ‘your man wasn’t with you all night like you said. He went out for a good couple of hours, and you don’t know where he went.’

‘And who told you that?’ Leanne said, fronting it out. ‘The same idiot who told you that he started the fire, I suppose?’

Narrowing his eyes, Zak peered intently back at her. ‘You’re denying it, then? Only I reckon this
person
would be quite happy to back me up if I decided to tell the police. And I don’t suppose you’d want that, would you?’

Gritting her teeth, Leanne glowered at him with hatred.

‘Didn’t think so,’ he said.

‘All right, cut the crap and tell me what you want,’ Leanne said forcefully. ‘And don’t bother asking for money, because I’m skint.’

Laughing softly, Zak said, ‘Funny how things work out, isn’t it? I mean, there’s you making out like you’re some kind of high-flyer just ’cos you bagged yourself an older man and got your flat all done out on credit. And there’s me, who you look down your nose at, making a mint.’

‘Dealing drugs?’ Leanne snorted. ‘Not the kind of money I’d want in
my
pocket.’

‘I don’t deal,’ Zak told her truthfully. ‘I smoke, yeah, but I’m not gonna dirty my hands selling it. Nah, man. Everything I’ve got, I’ve earned – like I told you last time. But you’ve never had a job, have you, so you wouldn’t know what it’s like to pay your own way.’