Read Online Dangerous by Jessie Keane - Free Book Online

throat.
Poor Mum.
Even if it was a wicked waste, she didn’t have the heart to wash the sheets. Her stomach turned over at the very thought.
    She trudged wearily back up the stairs. The young black woman who seemed to live on the second floor, the one who had smiled at her a couple of times, looked at her as she passed, seemed almost about to speak; but Clara carried on up to the top floor and knocked three times at the door. Bernie let her in. She seemed agitated – even more than usual.
    ‘Clar?’ There was alarm in Bernie’s voice.
    ‘What’s up?’ asked Clara, locking the door behind her.
    ‘I dunno. I was in the bedroom, and I looked out the window, and I saw the doctor down in the road. He had two policemen with him. Come and see.’
    Bernie led the way into the shadowy bedroom with its bare bed, empty of life now, all sign of Kathleen gone. ‘You can only see them from in here,’ she said, and nudged open the curtain to show Clara.
    Sure enough, there they were, in a huddle on the pavement two doors down on this side of the road. Had they been standing a few yards further back, Bernie wouldn’t have been able to see them. They were talking, and the doctor was indicating their building, and the policemen were nodding, looking up at the top-floor windows.
    ‘What do you think they’re doing?’ asked Bernie anxiously.
    Clara’s guts heaved with dread at what she was seeing. She could think of only one explanation. The doctor must have gone back to the surgery and checked his records. Having found out that she was lying about her age, he’d returned with two helpers to do the unthinkable: take Henry and Bernie away and place them into care. If she let that happen, she would never see her brother or sister again.
    ‘Oh God,’ was all that Clara could say.
    ‘What is it, Clara? You’ve gone white!’
    Clara took a calming breath. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was going to pass out. She heaved in another breath. Then another.
    She watched the small group move to the front of the building, picking their way through the heaps of rubbish, then they disappeared inside. Soon they would be hammering at the flat door, and if Clara didn’t let them in, the coppers would break the door down.
    She drew in another breath. Finally she was able to get the words out: ‘Bernie – we have to go.’
    They only had time to grab their coats and Clara’s bag before she pushed them all out of the flat door and down the stairs. Maybe they could get out onto a fire escape? Maybe someone would help them? But who?
    Leaning over the banister, Clara saw the coppers and the doctor coming up.
    Fuck.
    They had to find a hiding place and quickly; with the doctor and the police already on the stairs and climbing, if she didn’t get Henry and Bernie off the main stairway in the next few seconds they’d meet head-on.
    She herded them quickly down a couple of flights, thinking she would go into one of the neighbours’ flats and with any luck they wouldn’t give them away. Why would they? All the people around here hated the police.
    But for once all the doors were shut. Clara guessed that someone else had spotted the police outside and word had spread. There was no one on the stairs; no one to help. She was starting to panic, she daren’t knock at a door – chances were no one would open up, and she’d only end up alerting the police to their presence.
    Then she spotted the young black woman who’d smiled at her, peeping out of a half-closed door on the landing below. Seeing the stark fear on Clara’s face, the woman lifted a finger to her lips and hurried out. She ushered Clara and the kids into the reeking communal toilet.
    Inside, there was scarcely room to breathe – not that they wanted to. It stank to high heaven. Clara shot the bolt and they clustered together, clinging to each other like shipwrecked sailors.
    ‘Got to be quiet now, Henry,’ hissed Clara, pulling him in close against her and putting an