“The cooker works. So does the fridge. But single man version two point one hasn’t been properly installed so I’m hating being on my own in the house.” I wasn’t the sort to try to be mysterious, so I’d removed the mystery about why I was single before the rumours started, which they always did with parent groups.
She sat back and folded her arms. “Get a housemate. I have a step son I’m willing to lease.”
“Thanks, Mills. I’m the best tenant you’ve ever had, so don’t lie.” Caleb walked past her, which she would’ve been well awareof because Amelie was aware of everything, so I’d learned over the last few days.
“You’re not a tenant if you don’t pay rent.” She shook her head and pointed at him.
“I can always move back in with you and my dad, but then you’d need to put a pin in your extra-curricular activities.” Caleb sat down next to me at the table and stole a chip, one of the triple cooked, future heart attack causers.
“Don’t put Cas off his dinner.” She slapped Caleb’s hand.
He just grinned.
Caleb was on the football team too, and we’d spent Sunday training and then enjoying a sunny day in the beer garden, some paddle boarding on the Strait somewhere in between that. He was in his early twenties, studying for a PhD in something to do with marine biology at the local university, where that was the specialism or one of them. Caleb was relaxed and friendly, something of a magnet for women – the rest of the team had taken the piss out of him for having three different girls cheering him on at training, none of whom was his girlfriend.
“You don’t pay rent?” I tucked into my steak.
Caleb shook his head. “I work here for free instead when Mills is short staffed.”
“Mainly so you can chat up Alys. Let’s not pretend you’re a saint, son.” She shook her head. “Alys isn’t into younger men though, so she’s safe from your charms.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment, even though I think it was you being sarcastic. Anyway, did you hear about the police searching Cara’s house?” He stole another chip.
I sat up, putting my steak knife down. “Cara’s house? Why were they searching there?” I’d only been away from school for an hour, and an hour before that Romy had been collecting Mia and Heidi. I hadn’t spoken to her because another parent had kept me busy – not with anything important – but I would’vethought that if something had happened, Romy would’ve messaged me.
I’d walked to Cara’s house on Saturday after I’d left Romy and the girls in the cakery, wanting an idea of what it was like where Mia had been growing up. I’d seen plenty of houses like it, my best friend when I was a kid had grown up in one just like it. But Mia’s home hadn’t been looked after. The garden resembled a jungle, just not an exotic one. The curtains at the window looked old and tatty, and there’d been a collection of unwashed pots that I could see through the kitchen window, all in different stages of being left after eating.
Don’t get me wrong, I could leave a pile of pots for a couple of days without any guilt at all, but not much longer than that. The state of the house made me wonder what life was like for Mia there, how much she did for herself because her mother for whatever reason wasn’t able to. I didn’t know where her dad was, and there’d been nothing in her records to suggest he was around.
“I think they’re concerned that Cara isn’t back yet,” Caleb said. “Not that I know her, but I heard Rhea Adams talking about it before and they’re treating it as a missing person.”
“What’s happening to Mia? Is she staying with Romy?” I’d need to let my school’s safeguarding lead know, as I’d no doubt there’d be a strategy meeting called with all the professionals that were involved.
Caleb shrugged. “No one said. There’s been a bit of gossip about what Cara was up to, and Mavis mentioned that Cara had left Mia overnight before.”
I’d met Mavis the day before, a little old woman who looked like she was due a sainthood until she opened her mouth. She seemed to consider herself a football coach as well as everything else I’d heard about, shouting instructions at us while we were training. Apparently, she took match day very seriously andI’d been warned to expect more criticism from her than our manager.
I was yet to find out exactly what that meant.
“That’s just rumour though.” I had notes on our safeguarding system that suggested the same thing, but there’d been no evidence for the school to take to social care, so it wouldn’t have met the threshold to be looked into.
“Rumours come from somewhere,” Amelie said, smacking Caleb’s hand before he could steal another chip. “Stop eating Cassian’s food and go and get yourself something.”
“Can’t. I’m out for dinner.” Caleb managed to thieve one.
Amelie frowned. “Again?”
He nodded. “Going to the Chinese in Bangor.”
“Who with? Please tell me it’s not another date.”
Caleb shrugged. “Might be.”
“With the same girl from last night?” There was something akin to disbelief on her face.
“I wouldn’t say that. I might get something to eat actually. I’m sure I’ll still be hungry later.” He glanced over to the door to the kitchen.
“Get Cas another bowl of chips then, seeing as you’ve eaten most of his.” She looked from him to me. “I do apologise for him. He has his father’s genes and occasionally it shows.”
