Hold Your Breath by Caroline Green

a note from me in there. A message.’
    Tara hesitated. ‘Why don’t you take it yourself?’ she said.
    Will took on a hunted, resentful look. ‘Because of Faith’s bloke, Ross. He threatened me the last time I went over there. Said if I didn’t stop hanging around, he’d . . .
well, it wasn’t very nice, what he said. And I’ve been over there twice already. Like I said, this has only just turned up.’
    ‘Post it then,’ said Tara in exasperation.
    ‘I don’t trust them not to look through it and find my note, if it comes by post,’ said Will in an annoyingly patient tone, as though he were speaking to someone very young or
very stupid. ‘They won’t do that if
you
deliver it.’
    ‘Who’s Faith?’ said Tara.
    ‘Mel’s aunt,’ said Will. ‘Her ma died when she was a baby and Faith had always lived with them, so she became Mel’s guardian. Adam didn’t want her.’
    For the first time ever Tara felt a stab of sympathy for Melodie Stone.
    ‘Give it here,’ she said.
    Will passed the purse across the table with an attractive, wide grin. Tara scooped the purse into her bag so she only touched it for a second, remembering the events of the other day. The memory
brought a stab of alarm again.
    ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this,’ she said grumpily. ‘I don’t even like the girl.’ Saying these words to Melodie’s biggest fan gave her a thrill
of spiteful pleasure.
    Will’s face tightened. ‘I know she can be high maintenance, but she hasn’t had it easy. Faith . . . well, she can be difficult. Her and Mel fight like cat and dog. And Ross is
a right creep. Melodie can’t stand him.’ He paused. ‘Look, if you’ll just do this one thing for me, I’d be so grateful.’ His soft eyes were all misty now. Tara
hoped fervently that he wouldn’t start crying.
    She pushed back her chair and stood up. ‘I said okay, didn’t I?’ she said.
    Will’s face relaxed into a smile and Tara could see why some girls might find him fanciable, what with the puppy-dog eyes and the white teeth, which he flashed at her now.
    ‘That’s fantastic,’ he said. ‘You’re a real star. Here.’ He pulled out a business card from the front of his satchel. ‘If you could drop me a quick text
when you’ve done it.’
    Tara took the business card and piece of paper wearily, and glanced at the address. ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘So where is this anyway? I’m not trekking miles to her
house.’
    ‘It’s not too far,’ he said hurriedly. ‘It overlooks the river. You know where the old iron bridge is? The fancy one? It’s right by there.’
    Tara did know, unfortunately. It was where she had last seen Melodie.
    ‘Well,’ said Tara, ‘thanks for the drink and the doughnut. I have to go now.’
    She turned away, slipping his business card into her pocket.

C HAPTER 6
A NGEL
    ‘Y ou went
swimming
?’ Mum appeared to find Tara’s explanation for her afternoon out baffling, despite the wet bikini and
towel coiled snail-like in the plastic bag in her hand. What with the stringy damp hair and the flushed cheeks, it ought to be proof enough, Tara thought.
    ‘Why are you so surprised?’ she said grumpily, decanting the wet things into the washing machine, her nose wrinkling at the sharp chlorine smell. ‘I’m not some couch
potato who never does anything.’
    Her mother was vigorously mixing vegetables and chicken in the wok. She brushed a strand of her hair, as inky black as Tara’s, but now kept that way by the hairdresser.
    ‘Well,’ said her mother, ‘it’s not that I’m surprised . . . Okay, I
am
surprised. It’s just because you didn’t mention it. But I think
it’s great. You used to be a right little fish when you were little.’
    Tara involuntarily glanced at a photo on the bookcase. It showed her at ten, all fresh-faced and beaming as she held up a medal from a swimming gala. ‘Yeah, guess I was,’ she said
absent-mindedly. It was all such a long time ago.
    ‘So who did you