The Dead Ex(12)

‘What kind of things?’ whimpered Scarlet.

‘Grown-up stuff.’

She knew what that meant. Go to bed. Leave Mum and the uncles to it. Don’t say anything when Mum slips a tin of supermarket beans into her bag without paying.

‘Scarlet, love, listen to me.’ Her voice sang like a bird with a squeaky voice. ‘Do you have a dad or a nan or a gran or an auntie or someone who we can call?’

Scarlet hesitated, twisting one of the red beads in her hair. Should she mention the uncles? Maybe not. Mum always said she didn’t trust any of them. ‘It’s just Mum and me. We don’t need anyone else.’

‘Just what the mother said,’ grunted the mean-faced cop.

‘But I can stay on my own! I’ve done it before when Mum has to go out.’

‘Really?’ Camilla with the shaggy fringe began to write on the big piece of paper in front of her. It didn’t have any lines, but her sentences were still very straight. ‘Well, I’m afraid that’s not allowed. You’re too young.’

Scarlet began to panic. ‘But I’m safe at home with my mum! She doesn’t always go out at night. Anyway, it’s not dark yet, and I’m late for school.’ Scarlet’s eyes began to fill with tears again. ‘It’s my best day. We get to choose our own books and do News Story Hour.’

‘What’s that?’ asked the cop.

‘It’s when children describe what they’ve been doing with their families,’ said Shaggy-Fringe slowly.

‘Interesting …’

‘Mum said I could go in to school later, after the game …’

‘What game?’ The cop’s voice was quick. Hard.

Scarlet bit her lip. ‘I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.’

‘You know what, Scarlet?’ said the cop. ‘It might help your mum if you told us. You want to do that, don’t you?’

She nodded.

‘If you don’t, Mum could be in even more trouble than she is already.’

‘I don’t think you should say that,’ butted in Shaggy-Fringe. The cop shrugged as if she didn’t agree and then poured her out some blackcurrant juice. Scarlet gulped it down along with the biscuits. Yummy.

‘Tell you what, Scarlet. We were talking about news stories just now, weren’t we? I like them too. So here’s a pencil. Why don’t you pull up your chair? That’s right. Now tell us about the game. It sounds really fun.’

Don’t tell anyone anything, she’d always been told. But if it helped her mother, that was different, wasn’t it?

‘Promise I’ll see Mum after that?’

‘Promise.’

It took a long time.

‘Just put what you can remember.’

By the time she had finished, her wrists were aching.

‘Good girl.’ Even the mean cop looked pleased with her.

‘Can Mum take me home now?’

Shaggy-Fringe was kneeling next to her again. ‘You’ll need to stay somewhere else tonight. Let’s see what happens after that, shall we?’

Scarlet felt a flash of panic. ‘But I gave you my story. So you have to let me see her, like you promised.’

‘We will, as soon as we find somewhere for you to stay.’

‘Why can’t I just go home?’

‘Because there’s no one there, love. It’s not allowed.’

‘Where’s my mum? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?’

The mean cop was holding her hand, yanking her into the corridor outside.

‘I don’t think that’s necessary …’ began Shaggy-Fringe behind them.

Then she saw her! Mum! Going through another door to the right. (Scarlet was good at her lefts and rights. Left was where you turned for the park game. Right was where you turned for the shops.)

Mum’s voice stabbed her chest. Scarlet wasn’t exactly sure what ‘stabbed’ meant but she did know that it hurt a lot because it happened to the boy who lived two flats down. He was still in hospital.

‘Let me go!’ she could hear Mum screaming. ‘I want to speak to my baby. It’s my fucking right.’

‘Not now.’

Then the door slammed, and Mum went again.

‘Why have you taken her away from me?’ Scarlet flung herself on the floor, sobbing. ‘Why? Why?’

‘Poor little lamb,’ she heard above her.

‘Some mothers don’t deserve to have kids,’ said another.

‘That’s enough. Who’s on the emergency placement list? Let’s see … The Walters. They’ll do.’

‘Listen, Scarlet. I’m going to drive you to see some nice people who will look after you. It will be much easier if you stop kicking and screaming. All right? We’ll sort you out with fresh clothes when we get there and get someone to let your school know what’s happened.’

‘Mum,’ gasped Scarlet. Her breath was running out and it was hard to say the words. ‘I need to tell her where I’m going.’

‘It’s OK, love. She already knows.’

‘When can I see her?’

There was another sigh. ‘We have to wait to see what happens in court. But don’t worry. You’re safe now.’