‘I want to sleep in Maggie’s bed.’ Elliott blinked his huge eyes, finally meeting her gaze. He yawned, his expression lighter. Just like before, the burden of his secret had been lifted.
‘I don’t see why not. What story would you like?’
‘Harry Potter,’ he replied instantly.
As she followed him to the bedroom, his words and worries returned to haunt her. Fire? She would have to look into it. She couldn’t call Gabby; the woman would never believe her. For now, all she could do was wait.
29
Tuesday, 5th November 2019
The warm light of dawn had long since crept in, but Elsie felt out of sync with the day. The smooth sounds of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ played on the classic radio channel, but even that couldn’t improve her mood. She curled her hand around her ginger tabby, Toni, and pulled her to her chest. Felix, Officer Dibble and T.C. were here too. It was unusual for so many of her cats to visit her at the same time. Like her, they must have felt something was wrong. A knock at the front door broke into her thoughts.
‘Christiaaaan!’ she called at the top of her lungs, shifting upright in her bed. ‘There’s somebody at the door!’ She waited. Nothing. ‘The darn thing won’t open itself!’
‘Alright, Mom, give me a minute.’ Christian darted down the stairs, still buttoning up his shirt. He poked his head into the living room. ‘Everything OK?’ he said, as Boo Boo jumped up to join the others. Only one of her brood of six was missing. It wasn’t unusual for them to go AWOL for days on end. ‘Why are the cats on your bed?’
‘Don’t worry about the darn cats. Answer the door.’ She hadn’t meant to be so sharp but the presence of almost all her cats at once felt like a bad omen. The last time this happened, she had her first heart attack. She’d been lucky, it had been mild. But she didn’t weigh as much then as she did now. ‘Alright, precious,’ she said to Felix as he gave Toni the evil eye. ‘There’s room for everyone.’
She eyed the empty family-sized bag of crisps that Christian had left by the side of her bed. Her mouth instantly watered. The stress of it all was playing havoc with her diet. She listened keenly as Christian opened the door, straining to hear the identity of their caller. Most likely, it was the police. A second girl going missing was big news. But the television in the corner of the room was layered in dust so she hadn’t seen any of the media reports. She didn’t watch mainstream TV. Far too much fornication going on there. She scratched at her smock. The material must have shrunk in the wash. Grunting, she shifted her legs a little further apart and pulled the light blanket up to her waist. Today, she was itchier than a flea on a hotplate. At leastshedidn’t have to worry about being kidnapped.
Christian’s voice rose from the hall as he allowed their guest inside. It was Sarah. She was calling early. It wasn’t yet seven thirty. She was dressed in black trousers, wearing a crisp white shirt beneath a wax jacket of some sort.
‘I was hoping to catch you before I went to work. Not too early, am I?’ she said, with an apologetic smile.
‘Are you on duty?’
‘No, not yet.’
Elsie’s eyes fell to the bag of shopping in Sarah’s hand. ‘Then come in. That for me?’
‘Yes,’ Sarah smiled. ‘It’s a care package. I thought you could do with some cheering up.’
‘That sure is sweet of you.’ Elsie beckoned her over and shooed the cats off the bed. She couldn’t wait to see what goodies she had brought. Christian had already gone back upstairs. His day began at six, when he would feed the cats, clean out the litter trays then help her wash before preparing her breakfast and tidying up the house. Only then would she allow him to play a quick game on his computer before getting ready for work.
She watched as Sarah rested the tote bag on the table and wheeled it towards Elsie’s bed. Elsie cast an eye over the bag. It was from Turn the Page, a small independent bookshop in town. ‘I got a jumbo pack of Frontline, for the cats,’ Sarah said. ‘You squirt it on the back of their neck, and it lasts for six weeks. Then you won’t have to use the flea powder. That stuff can’t be good for your lungs.’
‘That’s sure thoughtful,’ Elsie replied, wondering if there was anything in the bag for her. She’d heard a new bakery opened in town, and she was dying to try their cakes.
Sarah reached into the bag. ‘Now don’t take offence, but I got you a book.’ Elsie eyed the titleThe Obesity Code, and sighed. Something told her there wouldn’t be any cakes.
‘You said you wanted to lose weight and well … I thought this would help. There’s some pamphlets too.’ She glanced uncertainly at Elsie as she rested them on the table. ‘I got them from the doctors’. I got some smellies too. Candles, body butter, hair products … just some things to make you feel nice.’
And smell nicer than I do now too,Elsie thought, as she cast an eye over the products. Her thoughts darkened. This was a lot of expense. ‘Why are you doing this? Because I ain’t no charity case. Christian looks after me. We’re doing OK.’ In Elsie’s experience, people didn’t give stuff away for free – not unless they wanted something in return.
Sarah pursed her lips. ‘I feel like I owe you. Maggie and I … well, we should have made more of an effort in school. It must have been a lonely time for you.’
‘Water under the bridge.’ Elsie twisted the lid from a container of body butter and gave it a sniff. It smelled as coconutty as a Bounty bar. In truth, the scars of the past would never leave her. Things could have been different if she’d had someone to confide in. Not just for her, but for Christian too.
‘Well, I’m here for you now, even if I wasn’t back then. Anything you need to help you on your journey.’ She patted Elsie’s hand. ‘You can do this.’ Elsie warmed at the sentiment. It was a long time since anyone believed in her. She gave Sarah a furtive smile.
‘Maybe some evening you could come over. I’m not very good with the internet and I could do with some help ordering …’ She lowered her voice as she leaned in. ‘Ladies’ underwear.’
‘Of course!’ Sarah said cheerfully. ‘I’ll bring my laptop.’ She checked her watch. ‘God, is that the time? I’d best get to work.’
Elsie gave her a knowing nod. ‘You must be busy with everything that’s happened. I’m surprised you found time to come here.’ Felix jumped back onto the bed, giving Sarah the evil eye. His tail thumped against the blanket rhythmically, a puff of white powder rising with each signal of discontent.
‘Yes, it’s tragic, what happened to Angelica,’ Sarah said.
