Keren felt Patsy choking next to her, trying desperately not to laugh. Rayah’s face was one of horrified disgust and Sorrell had simply raised an eyebrow, as if to confirm that those skills ran in the family. They’d be having words later.
If she was capable of them at that point.
Because right now she was having to concentrate on not scratching Marley’s eyes out.
Marley had been sleeping with Scott. Scott who’d asked her out. Scott who’d kissed her.
Keren rationalised, because that was what she did: Marley had said it was after they’d played gigs like tonight, not that they had a relationship. It was a mutual scratching of an itch, nothing with any depth or meaning to it.
Shit. She was getting worked up over something that she had no right to. But did this mean he hadn’t been honest? When was the last time they’d slept together?
Three thousand questions buzzed through her head like flies.
“I’m not sure we’d be compatible outside of the bedroom though,” she said. “We’re both creative, both passionate, which is great when you’re fucking, but as life partners I think we’d be pretty screwed.” She laughed at her own pun. “I’m not sure he’s interested tonight though, which is just as well. I have an early start tomorrow. Some bushes that need pruning.”
Rayah chose that moment to choke violently on her drink, smothering her laughter with lime soda clearly not the best idea.
And then more hell broke loose.
The Last Temperance Bar was strictly over eighteens, a policy Scott didn’t let lapse, even if it meant bigger profits through serving food to families. So when a slight blonde girl wearing jeans and a sweatshirt walked in with tears running down her face, no one really knew what to do for the first few seconds.
“Lois?” Rayah said, knocking Sorrell off the seats to get up. “Gabrielle? What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Lena! Someone’s just tried to pull me into a car!”
Thirty minutes later, Alex Maynard and one of his dogs was outside the bar, talking quickly to one of his colleagues. Keren watched through the window, feeling more unnerved than she had done since the day Lena was assaulted.
Lois had been walking from her friend’s house after a study date – they were working on a project – but her parents had a Bible study group and couldn’t pick her up, so she was en-route to get the bus back to Underwood and Felley Manor, where they had a small house in the grounds.
She’d been waiting at the bus stop, when a car had slowed, the passenger had gotten out and tried to drag her in. Given her sister had been assaulted just after Christmas and that Lena had seen her attacker a few days ago, no one felt that they were jumping to conclusions by associating the two events together.
But there had been two people in the car. Lena had only reported one attacker.
“Okay, we’re going to get on with some music. My brother’s told me that the girl is fine and her parents are with her. The police are looking for the car,” Scott said over his microphone. “If anyone has any information about a black Audi with a tree air freshener in the windscreen, can they have a word with Detective Sergeant Alex Maynard who’s outside.”
He sat down on his stool and lowered the mic. Keren recognised the first few notes; it was one of his favourites, a song he used to sing when they were kids.
Then she was carried away by his voice, back years to when they were teens spending summers in the nearby forest or on the train to Leeds and Manchester, climbing Bleak Low and hanging out at his farm, toasting marshmallows over a fire in one of the fields. Idyllic.
“You’re staring at him,” Sorrell whispered. “He keeps staring at you too.”
“He’s looking at Marley. Maybe he’s thinking about sleeping with her again.”
“I think I just heard a note of jealously in your voice. He knows about Sam.”
Keren’s head turned around quick enough to pull a muscle. “What?”
“I had to tell Zack why I was messaging another man. There’s no way he won’t have told Scott. Zack’s such a gossip,” Sorrell sat back with her drink.
“Shit,” Keren finished her cocktail. “Although why I’m bothered I don’t know.”
“You looked bothered when Marley made her little announcement. Never play poker, Key.”
Keren managed a laugh.
She was about to leave with Rayah shortly after Scott had finished. The atmosphere in the bar had quietened with the appearance of Lois, then there were a few quiet conversations speculating what had actually happened but the chatter had lessened and no one had gone home early. Scott’s song choice had suited the mood, mellow and calm, his voice deep with a hint of gravel and she’d let it sweep her away momentarily.
“There’s a meeting at the community centre about the Easter celebrations on Wednesday, are you coming or not?” Rayah demanded. She didn’t have an excuse to miss out on such treats, given she was the teacher for some of the youngest children in Severton. And besides, Keren knew she secretly loved organising anything: any opportunity to be bossy.
