the way he said it that made Jenna look away so he couldn’t see the heat rising to her cheeks.
‘It was twenty years ago,’ she said. ‘A lot of water under that bridge since then.’
‘I just meant that – you know – you’re a TV personality and all that. You’ve got stylists and PAs and whatnot. But you used to pose around the shops just like the girls I were at school with. None of them went to Hollywood. A few in Holloway, though.’
‘What about Mia?’ She was looking at the bad tattoo on his forearm. ‘Where did she go?’
He turned his arm inward, shielding the ink from her eyes.
She wished she hadn’t said it. He was tense now, and defensive.
‘If I knew that,’ he said, his voice jagged, ‘I wouldn’t be here now.’
He downed the glass in one and started coughing.
‘Fuck, it’s stronger than you think, isn’t it?’
She waited for him to catch a breath, then changed the subject.
‘Someone must have taught you to paint.’
‘I told you. I dropped out of GCSE Art. I taught myself. Bit of spray-can work at the youth club, some stuff I was made to do after I got into trouble with the law. There’s a mural at one of the old people’s homes that I did. Got in the local rag for that. But they had to mention I was doing it as community service.’
‘What sort of trouble were you in?’
‘Stupid stuff. Angry stupid. Getting into fights and whatnot. I’ve calmed down a lot now. Was thinking of going to night school, doing an arts foundation course. Oh well. Mind if I have another?’
‘Help yourself. What sort of trouble are you in now?’
‘I was fitted up. Walked into a house, bang, police raid, I’m found with drugs worth fifty thousand pounds in my backpack.’
‘What?’
‘It wasn’t even my backpack.’
‘Whose was it?’
‘Mia’s.’
‘Oh.’
‘But I got away, just legged it before they could cuff me. No way am I doing time for some other bastard.’
‘If you didn’t do it, can’t you go to the police and tell them?’
‘No way, they’ll bang me up before I can say what’s what. I’ve got form. That’s why I was set up. I’m easy. I’ve got a guilty face as far as everyone round here’s concerned. No questions asked.’
‘But if you didn’t—’
‘Jenna,’ he said, loudly and emphatically, and her name on his lips blew all her words out of her brain. ‘I was caught with the stuff. That’s what they call evidence. I’ve got a bad record and no fixed abode. I can say I wasn’t there and I didn’t know anything about it till my face turns blue. They’ll still have me for it.’
‘What about Mia?’ she whispered.
‘She didn’t know any more than I did. She was looking after the backpack for a friend. Asked me to take it back tothis bloke’s flat while she went to the shops because it was too heavy to lug around.’
‘Seems to me that Mia holds the key to all this. But you say she’s gone missing?’
‘I don’t know where she is and I wouldn’t have her dragged into it if I did. It’s not her fault. Best we can all do is lie low and wait for the truth to come out.’
‘If it ever does.’
‘Someone stood to make a lot of money there, and they’ll want to collect. With any luck they’ll come out of the woodwork, make a mistake, get caught.’
‘I want to look into it. It seems wrong that you’re stuck in hiding while the real culprits are at large.’
‘Jen, I really wouldn’t. There are people in Bledburn now … Well, it’s not like it were when you lived here, that’s all. You don’t want to know these people.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything risky. But I might ask a few questions, you know, discreetly.’
‘You can’t mention me. You can’t draw attention. I’m not fuckin’ joking.’
‘All right.’ He was shaking a little, and it made her want to touch him, soothe him. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll leave it. For now.’
‘Look, thanks, all right,’ he said, turning haunted eyes to
‘It was twenty years ago,’ she said. ‘A lot of water under that bridge since then.’
‘I just meant that – you know – you’re a TV personality and all that. You’ve got stylists and PAs and whatnot. But you used to pose around the shops just like the girls I were at school with. None of them went to Hollywood. A few in Holloway, though.’
‘What about Mia?’ She was looking at the bad tattoo on his forearm. ‘Where did she go?’
He turned his arm inward, shielding the ink from her eyes.
She wished she hadn’t said it. He was tense now, and defensive.
‘If I knew that,’ he said, his voice jagged, ‘I wouldn’t be here now.’
He downed the glass in one and started coughing.
‘Fuck, it’s stronger than you think, isn’t it?’
She waited for him to catch a breath, then changed the subject.
‘Someone must have taught you to paint.’
‘I told you. I dropped out of GCSE Art. I taught myself. Bit of spray-can work at the youth club, some stuff I was made to do after I got into trouble with the law. There’s a mural at one of the old people’s homes that I did. Got in the local rag for that. But they had to mention I was doing it as community service.’
‘What sort of trouble were you in?’
‘Stupid stuff. Angry stupid. Getting into fights and whatnot. I’ve calmed down a lot now. Was thinking of going to night school, doing an arts foundation course. Oh well. Mind if I have another?’
‘Help yourself. What sort of trouble are you in now?’
‘I was fitted up. Walked into a house, bang, police raid, I’m found with drugs worth fifty thousand pounds in my backpack.’
‘What?’
‘It wasn’t even my backpack.’
‘Whose was it?’
‘Mia’s.’
‘Oh.’
‘But I got away, just legged it before they could cuff me. No way am I doing time for some other bastard.’
‘If you didn’t do it, can’t you go to the police and tell them?’
‘No way, they’ll bang me up before I can say what’s what. I’ve got form. That’s why I was set up. I’m easy. I’ve got a guilty face as far as everyone round here’s concerned. No questions asked.’
‘But if you didn’t—’
‘Jenna,’ he said, loudly and emphatically, and her name on his lips blew all her words out of her brain. ‘I was caught with the stuff. That’s what they call evidence. I’ve got a bad record and no fixed abode. I can say I wasn’t there and I didn’t know anything about it till my face turns blue. They’ll still have me for it.’
‘What about Mia?’ she whispered.
‘She didn’t know any more than I did. She was looking after the backpack for a friend. Asked me to take it back tothis bloke’s flat while she went to the shops because it was too heavy to lug around.’
‘Seems to me that Mia holds the key to all this. But you say she’s gone missing?’
‘I don’t know where she is and I wouldn’t have her dragged into it if I did. It’s not her fault. Best we can all do is lie low and wait for the truth to come out.’
‘If it ever does.’
‘Someone stood to make a lot of money there, and they’ll want to collect. With any luck they’ll come out of the woodwork, make a mistake, get caught.’
‘I want to look into it. It seems wrong that you’re stuck in hiding while the real culprits are at large.’
‘Jen, I really wouldn’t. There are people in Bledburn now … Well, it’s not like it were when you lived here, that’s all. You don’t want to know these people.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything risky. But I might ask a few questions, you know, discreetly.’
‘You can’t mention me. You can’t draw attention. I’m not fuckin’ joking.’
‘All right.’ He was shaking a little, and it made her want to touch him, soothe him. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll leave it. For now.’
‘Look, thanks, all right,’ he said, turning haunted eyes to
Similar Books
