Silent Child(48)

The baby kicked me again and I rubbed my belly as I sank down onto the bed. My head was spinning with disparate thoughts. My ankles ached. My legs were tired. I knew that if I leaned back I would fall straight to sleep despite the stress of the day so far. But I didn’t do any of that. I picked up my phone and called the adult learning centre in York. I asked to book onto the Introduction to Art History course on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Absolutely. What name is it, please?”

“Amy Perry,” I lied.

“I should let you know that the usual tutor has taken some time off so we have a support tutor in place at the moment.”

“That’s okay. Who is the usual tutor?” I asked.

“Oh, sorry dear, I’m new and I don’t have that information to hand at the moment. We’re in the middle of changing our computer system and it’s all a little hectic here. But if you like I can arrange for a prospectus to be sent to you. It has the course information and contact details for your tutor.”

I agreed to have the prospectus sent straight away.





24


Jake tumbled into the house after hurrying away from the reporters. I watched him pull into the drive through a crack in the curtains, and he slammed the door so hard that I thought the glass panel might shatter. Aiden barely processed the loud noise, but Denise came hurrying through from the kitchen. I noticed she’d stayed later than usual. It was dark out and I had expected her to be on her way home by now.

“Fucking arseholes,” Jake exclaimed. “It’s bad enough I’m hounded by the police but now I have to be hounded by them, too.”

I bit my thumbnail as he came striding into the living room. His hair was dishevelled and his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. His skin was flushed and his eyes were wide.

“Jake,” I said. “Not in front of Aiden.”

His eyes narrowed, but he glanced at Aiden before nodding.

“Are you all right?” I asked, aware of how stiff my voice sounded.

“Did you say anything to the reporters?” Denise asked.

Jake shook his head. “The fuckers wanted me to, but I didn’t give them the satisfaction. And, yes, I am all right, thanks for asking.”

I found myself rubbing my hands again. Then I started scratching at the sore skin on the fold next to my thumb. I shoved my hands deep into my jeans. “I couldn’t come with them all out there. A black transit van kept following me around all day today.”

“It’s all right,” Jake said. “I know you couldn’t come.” He pulled me into a tight embrace and whispered into my hair, “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve needed you all day.” Then he took my hand and led me over to the sofa and sat me down next to him. “Emma, it was awful. They kept going over my statement, picking it apart. It was ten years ago, how am I supposed to remember? Everything was so blurry with the flood happening. I just don’t understand why they keep asking me these things.”

“It’s okay,” I said. I pulled him closer to me, but some of the adrenaline from earlier was still rushing through me. There was a part of me that wanted to push him away, not bring him closer. My skin prickled where he touched me. “It’s over now. They didn’t charge you with anything so you must have cleared up whatever issue they had.”

“They have nothing because I’ve done nothing.” Jake glared at Denise. “Maybe you can tell that to your mates down the station.”

Denise shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other. “I think it’s probably time I headed home. I’m glad that everything has been sorted out, Mr. Hewitt.”

I noticed that Denise never called him Jake. Perhaps it was because Jake still carried the air of a teacher even when he was outside the classroom. Or perhaps it was because Denise didn’t feel completely comfortable around him. Or maybe it was more indicative of the patronising way she tried to pal up to me. Always calling me Emma and ‘popping the kettle on’. On the other hand, Marcus struck up the occasional conversation about cars or football—probably in the hope that it would ignite Jake’s attention and get him onside. It could be sickening at times.

The door closed behind her and I heard a few reporters speak to her as she made her way to her car down the street.

“They’ll get bored soon,” I said. “They’ll stop hanging around after dark soon anyway.”

Jake pulled me closer. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

I tried not to allow my body to stiffen, but all I could think about was Aiden sitting across the room from us. I tried to disentangle myself from Jake’s arms. “Hey, Aiden’s here, you know.”

Jake gave him the barest of glances. “Oh yeah.”

“Maybe we could stick the telly on for a while.”

“What, and watch more Disney? What is it this time? Aladdin? Sleeping Beauty? The boy’s sixteen. He doesn’t need to be subjected to more of that claptrap.”

“What happened at the police station?” I asked. “You’re far more agitated than I would be after being asked to clarify something simple.”

Spittle flew from his mouth when he answered. “How do you think it went? I knew what they were meaning when they asked me those questions. They were insinuating I did it. They think I could take a six-year-old boy. It’s disgusting.”