Read Online Dying to Know (A Detective Inspector Berenice Killick Mystery) by Alison Joseph - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alison Joseph
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of cigarette smoke.
There was a silence. Then Clem’s voice again. ‘It’ll all change now. I’ll give my little girl anything she wants. I’ll send her to that school on the other side of town, you know the one where they wear them hats with the orange…’
‘You sound very sure.’
‘I stood by that graveside yesterday, and I thought, we’re family we are.’
‘You hardly knew him.’
‘He was still family. A cousin. That’s family.’
‘I’d heard there weren’t nothing left to leave.’
‘You winding me up, Manny?’
‘Wish I was, son. Wish I was.’
‘You’re wrong, Manny boy, you’re wrong.’
The voices were loud and slurred. There was the sound of more cans being opened.
‘Last of that line. That’s what my Mum used to tell me, God rest her soul.’
There was a laugh. ‘You and God? That’s a good one.’
‘Yesterday, right, I stood by my cousin’s grave, and I looked up to Heaven, and I said to Mum, you kept your promise and now I’m going to keep mine.’
‘And if I didn’t know you better, Clem Voake, I’d bet there were tears in your eyes…’
‘There were, Manny, there were.’
‘I’m amazed they didn’t lock you up.’
There was laughter, then more words, louder, incoherent. Finn got to his feet, took Lisa by the arm. They moved away from the caravan into the trees, settled on a tree stump.
They smoked in silence.
‘Tobias was up Hank’s Tower again,’ Finn said.
Lisa shrugged. ‘He loves it up there.’
‘Doing his science, he calls it. He takes all those bottles of stuff up there, and he watches the tide, he says. Going in, going out.’ He turned to her. ‘He ain’t right, y’know.’
Lisa met his eyes. ‘He’s OK.’
‘No, I mean, he’s got things on his mind. Bad things.’
‘He has?’
‘Talks about death. Talks about how we’re all falling through space. Goes on about particles and colliding and gravity. And then he goes up Hank’s Tower with his little glass jars, and hangs them from their strings until the tide carries them away, and then he just stands there, staring.’
‘Listen, bruv…’ Lisa took a last drag from her cigarette. ‘You should start worrying more about your own life and less about everyone else’s. Like, you’ve got to stop trashing any chance that’s come your way.’
‘Yeah?’ He faced her.
‘Yeah. Like at ballet, sitting in the corner. That’s what you do, sitting in the corner of your life.’
He watched her as she ground her cigarette stub into the earth. ‘I just don’t think you should go back there,’ he said.
She got to her feet. ‘You tell me where else I can go, I mean like in real life, not in your head.’
He stood up, rubbing his legs. He could see the lights of the caravan through the trees.
‘See?’ she said. ‘There’s no way out.’
He followed her back to the caravan. At the steps she leaned towards him. ‘Give us another fag.’
He passed her his last cigarette. She patted his arm. ‘Laters, yeah?’
The stairs wobbled as she walked up them.
It was the end of the day. Finn’s feet were silent on the damp grass. The sky was dark blue, through the silhouetted trees.
Chapter Seven
Helen could hear her husband outside as he said goodbye to the departing guests, their murmured thanks and fading footsteps on the drive. Now he reappeared in the kitchen, switched on the lights.
She was standing by the fridge.
‘A whole Sunday lunch with only water to drink,’ she said. ‘There’s a half bottle of that rosé in here somewhere.’
‘That would be nice,’ he said.
There was the clink of the glasses as she placed them on the table, the gurgle of the wine as she poured. She handed him a glass. He watched the condensation, a mist against the pink.
She appeared to be waiting for him to speak.
‘I suppose…’ he began, but she was already speaking.
‘An explanation,’ she said. ‘That would be nice. How do you know her so well? How
There was a silence. Then Clem’s voice again. ‘It’ll all change now. I’ll give my little girl anything she wants. I’ll send her to that school on the other side of town, you know the one where they wear them hats with the orange…’
‘You sound very sure.’
‘I stood by that graveside yesterday, and I thought, we’re family we are.’
‘You hardly knew him.’
‘He was still family. A cousin. That’s family.’
‘I’d heard there weren’t nothing left to leave.’
‘You winding me up, Manny?’
‘Wish I was, son. Wish I was.’
‘You’re wrong, Manny boy, you’re wrong.’
The voices were loud and slurred. There was the sound of more cans being opened.
‘Last of that line. That’s what my Mum used to tell me, God rest her soul.’
There was a laugh. ‘You and God? That’s a good one.’
‘Yesterday, right, I stood by my cousin’s grave, and I looked up to Heaven, and I said to Mum, you kept your promise and now I’m going to keep mine.’
‘And if I didn’t know you better, Clem Voake, I’d bet there were tears in your eyes…’
‘There were, Manny, there were.’
‘I’m amazed they didn’t lock you up.’
There was laughter, then more words, louder, incoherent. Finn got to his feet, took Lisa by the arm. They moved away from the caravan into the trees, settled on a tree stump.
They smoked in silence.
‘Tobias was up Hank’s Tower again,’ Finn said.
Lisa shrugged. ‘He loves it up there.’
‘Doing his science, he calls it. He takes all those bottles of stuff up there, and he watches the tide, he says. Going in, going out.’ He turned to her. ‘He ain’t right, y’know.’
Lisa met his eyes. ‘He’s OK.’
‘No, I mean, he’s got things on his mind. Bad things.’
‘He has?’
‘Talks about death. Talks about how we’re all falling through space. Goes on about particles and colliding and gravity. And then he goes up Hank’s Tower with his little glass jars, and hangs them from their strings until the tide carries them away, and then he just stands there, staring.’
‘Listen, bruv…’ Lisa took a last drag from her cigarette. ‘You should start worrying more about your own life and less about everyone else’s. Like, you’ve got to stop trashing any chance that’s come your way.’
‘Yeah?’ He faced her.
‘Yeah. Like at ballet, sitting in the corner. That’s what you do, sitting in the corner of your life.’
He watched her as she ground her cigarette stub into the earth. ‘I just don’t think you should go back there,’ he said.
She got to her feet. ‘You tell me where else I can go, I mean like in real life, not in your head.’
He stood up, rubbing his legs. He could see the lights of the caravan through the trees.
‘See?’ she said. ‘There’s no way out.’
He followed her back to the caravan. At the steps she leaned towards him. ‘Give us another fag.’
He passed her his last cigarette. She patted his arm. ‘Laters, yeah?’
The stairs wobbled as she walked up them.
It was the end of the day. Finn’s feet were silent on the damp grass. The sky was dark blue, through the silhouetted trees.
Chapter Seven
Helen could hear her husband outside as he said goodbye to the departing guests, their murmured thanks and fading footsteps on the drive. Now he reappeared in the kitchen, switched on the lights.
She was standing by the fridge.
‘A whole Sunday lunch with only water to drink,’ she said. ‘There’s a half bottle of that rosé in here somewhere.’
‘That would be nice,’ he said.
There was the clink of the glasses as she placed them on the table, the gurgle of the wine as she poured. She handed him a glass. He watched the condensation, a mist against the pink.
She appeared to be waiting for him to speak.
‘I suppose…’ he began, but she was already speaking.
‘An explanation,’ she said. ‘That would be nice. How do you know her so well? How
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