She looked round at the neighbours. ‘You heard her threaten me. “You’re going to be sorry you tangled with Sandra Ramsay!” ’ Mum mimicked her voice perfectly. ‘You heard her.’
The neighbours’ eyes moved to Sandra for an answer.
She leapt forward. ‘My friends know me better than that. I might punch you in the face, but I wouldn’t do it behind your back.’
Then Sandra turned her attention to me. ‘Should you not be taking care of your wee lassie?’ she said coldly. Her voice was shaking. ‘Ha! But I forgot. You can hardly take care of yourself.’
That took the fight out of my mother. She allowed herself to be half carried, half dragged, into Mr McCurley’s flat.
Chapter Nineteen
We were still there, drinking tea, when the police arrived. Sergeant Maitland and PC Grant – did they never go off duty? Even in shock, I was glad I had been sleeping in my lilac silk pyjamas rather than the flannelette nightdress old Auntie Jenny had got me for Christmas.
Sergeant Maitland crouched down in front of Mum.
‘The firemen say you’re right, Mrs Graham. Someone did start that fire deliberately. It seems someone doused some rags in flammable liquid, set them alight and pushed them through your door. We’ve found an empty kerosene can on the stairs.’
Mum gasped. ‘And I know whose fingerprints you’ll find on it!’ she shouted.
His voice was soft. ‘That was a very serious allegation you made out there.’
‘It was the truth,’ Mum insisted. ‘After everythingthat’s happened, you must believe me now. I want her charged.’
He drew in his breath. ‘The thing is – she says you’re the one who should be charged.’
Mum almost exploded at that. ‘Me! Charged? After what I’ve been through?’ She reached out suddenly and hugged me tight to her. I began to choke. ‘After what we’ve been through! She has the cheek to want me charged?’ All at once, she stopped, puzzled. ‘Charged with what?’
He hesitated, as if he was afraid to tell her. ‘Mrs Ramsay thinks you might have started the fire yourself.’
Whoops! Big mistake. Wrong thing to say. Mum was off again. She jumped from her chair and almost sent the Sergeant, still crouching, flying across the floor.
‘I started a fire? Risked my life, my daughter’s life? Nonsense. How can she say that? Why? Tell me that. Why would I do such a thing?’
‘You did manage to put the fire out yourself.’
‘Just as well. No one else was going to do it for me, were they?’
‘And you were heard to say you’d do anything to get out of here. All the neighbours can verify that.’
And suddenly I understood the look I had seen intheir eyes. It was suspicion. Suspicion that Mum had started the fire. But after everything that had happened to us, how could they even think such a thing?
I jumped to her defence. ‘That’s stupid. What would be the point of her doing that?’
The Sergeant shrugged. ‘Maybe two birds with one stone. You get your own back on Mrs Ramsay – ’
‘I don’t care tuppence for Mrs Ramsay!’ Mum snapped at him.
‘– and you’d be rehoused. Fire-damaged property.’
I saw Mum straighten, suddenly quiet.
‘We’ll be looking into the whole matter,’ Sergeant Maitland said, ‘but for the moment –’
Mum interrupted him. ‘And will I?’
‘What? Be charged?’ There was almost a smile on his face. As if he wanted to reassure her not to worry.
She brushed that aside. ‘No. No. Will I be rehoused?’
His almost-smile disappeared. All the warmth and sympathy went from his voice. ‘No, Mrs Graham. You will not be rehoused. Workmen will be up tomorrow to repair any damage. There’s already a new door fitted temporarily. So, for the moment,’ there was a distinct coldness in his tone, ‘you’re stuck here.’
‘You don’t seem to be considering the most obvious possibility,’ I shouted. ‘The Laffertys!’ I was angry. Angry that Mum was even a suspect.
The Sergeant looked straight at me.
The neighbours’ eyes moved to Sandra for an answer.
She leapt forward. ‘My friends know me better than that. I might punch you in the face, but I wouldn’t do it behind your back.’
Then Sandra turned her attention to me. ‘Should you not be taking care of your wee lassie?’ she said coldly. Her voice was shaking. ‘Ha! But I forgot. You can hardly take care of yourself.’
That took the fight out of my mother. She allowed herself to be half carried, half dragged, into Mr McCurley’s flat.
Chapter Nineteen
We were still there, drinking tea, when the police arrived. Sergeant Maitland and PC Grant – did they never go off duty? Even in shock, I was glad I had been sleeping in my lilac silk pyjamas rather than the flannelette nightdress old Auntie Jenny had got me for Christmas.
Sergeant Maitland crouched down in front of Mum.
‘The firemen say you’re right, Mrs Graham. Someone did start that fire deliberately. It seems someone doused some rags in flammable liquid, set them alight and pushed them through your door. We’ve found an empty kerosene can on the stairs.’
Mum gasped. ‘And I know whose fingerprints you’ll find on it!’ she shouted.
His voice was soft. ‘That was a very serious allegation you made out there.’
‘It was the truth,’ Mum insisted. ‘After everythingthat’s happened, you must believe me now. I want her charged.’
He drew in his breath. ‘The thing is – she says you’re the one who should be charged.’
Mum almost exploded at that. ‘Me! Charged? After what I’ve been through?’ She reached out suddenly and hugged me tight to her. I began to choke. ‘After what we’ve been through! She has the cheek to want me charged?’ All at once, she stopped, puzzled. ‘Charged with what?’
He hesitated, as if he was afraid to tell her. ‘Mrs Ramsay thinks you might have started the fire yourself.’
Whoops! Big mistake. Wrong thing to say. Mum was off again. She jumped from her chair and almost sent the Sergeant, still crouching, flying across the floor.
‘I started a fire? Risked my life, my daughter’s life? Nonsense. How can she say that? Why? Tell me that. Why would I do such a thing?’
‘You did manage to put the fire out yourself.’
‘Just as well. No one else was going to do it for me, were they?’
‘And you were heard to say you’d do anything to get out of here. All the neighbours can verify that.’
And suddenly I understood the look I had seen intheir eyes. It was suspicion. Suspicion that Mum had started the fire. But after everything that had happened to us, how could they even think such a thing?
I jumped to her defence. ‘That’s stupid. What would be the point of her doing that?’
The Sergeant shrugged. ‘Maybe two birds with one stone. You get your own back on Mrs Ramsay – ’
‘I don’t care tuppence for Mrs Ramsay!’ Mum snapped at him.
‘– and you’d be rehoused. Fire-damaged property.’
I saw Mum straighten, suddenly quiet.
‘We’ll be looking into the whole matter,’ Sergeant Maitland said, ‘but for the moment –’
Mum interrupted him. ‘And will I?’
‘What? Be charged?’ There was almost a smile on his face. As if he wanted to reassure her not to worry.
She brushed that aside. ‘No. No. Will I be rehoused?’
His almost-smile disappeared. All the warmth and sympathy went from his voice. ‘No, Mrs Graham. You will not be rehoused. Workmen will be up tomorrow to repair any damage. There’s already a new door fitted temporarily. So, for the moment,’ there was a distinct coldness in his tone, ‘you’re stuck here.’
‘You don’t seem to be considering the most obvious possibility,’ I shouted. ‘The Laffertys!’ I was angry. Angry that Mum was even a suspect.
The Sergeant looked straight at me.
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