Authors: Roberta Kray
The doorbell rang at seven forty and Maddie opened the door to find Shauna in her Friday finery: a red leather miniskirt, white stilettos, a skinny pink vest and enough gold bling to light up a room. Her white-blonde hair was gelled into tiny spikes, and her mouth was the same colour as her skirt.
‘You ready, hon?’ Shauna asked, shifting a wad of gum into her cheek.
Maddie glanced down at her own clothes, suspecting she’d been a bit too conservative, a bit too safe in her choice, but there was no time to change her mind now. She closed the door and stepped out into the front yard. ‘Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go.’
‘Sorry I’m late. Our Kyle was playing up. I think he’s got the hump ’cause Zac wasn’t around today. Is he staying over at Sol’s tonight, or do you need to get back?’
‘Staying over,’ Maddie said. ‘He’s bringing him home tomorrow morning.’
‘You got the whole night, then. Best make the most of it. So what’s the deal with Sol?’
‘What do you mean? What deal?’
Shauna grinned. ‘You know. Is he seeing anyone? Has he got a steady girlfriend or anything?’
‘I haven’t got a clue.’ In truth, she knew very little about Solomon Vale’s private life and wouldn’t dream of asking him about it. ‘If he has, I haven’t met her. Anyway, what’s with the interest? I thought you and Darren were an item these days.’
‘Darren’s an arse. I haven’t seen him since last week. And not a call, not even a bleedin’ text. Can you believe that? What a shit. No, hon, I’m keeping my options well and truly open.’
Shauna’s boyfriends came and went with unerring regularity. Most of them were no-good losers who leeched off her for a month or two, using her house as a free hotel before disappearing into the sunset. ‘I never realised you fancied Solomon.’
‘What’s not to fancy? Tall, dark and handsome, just the way I like ’em. Not to mention those muscles. He’s hot, babe,
really
hot. Come on, don’t tell me it’s never crossed your mind.’
Maddie shook her head. ‘It hasn’t. I don’t think of him like that.’ She supposed he was good-looking in an overly large sort of way, but she thought of him more as family. He was Zac’s uncle, Bo’s older brother, Winston and Alisha’s son. And even if he hadn’t been any of those things, she still wouldn’t be interested. Solomon worked for the Streets, and that, in her mind, made him a villain. Some women found bad boys exciting, but after what had happened to Greta, she didn’t need that kind of excitement in her life.
‘Well, just give him a shove in my direction, then.’
‘Bit old for you, isn’t he?’
‘I don’t mind that. Older guys know how to treat a woman. No, if he’s ever at a loose end, send him over to my place. I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.’
They walked to the corner and turned left on to the High Street. The air was close and humid, as if a thunderstorm might be brewing. The summer evening had drawn the crowds and there were a lot of people around, some of them going places, others simply hanging out. Lads sprawled on the pavement, swigging cheap cans of lager with their backs against the wall. Girls strolled past trying to impress them. Kids played their games, dodging between the parked cars, whirling around on the pavement, their young voices rising and falling.
‘Bo was pretty fit too,’ Shauna said. ‘But right cocky with it. He really rated himself, that one.’
Maddie flinched at the name. Sometimes she forgot that Shauna had once lived on the Mansfield estate and had known Bo Vale. She’d been friendly with Greta too. ‘Do you think she was happy?’ she suddenly found herself asking. ‘Greta, I mean. I didn’t see much of her before… We didn’t get the chance… Do you think she was?’
Shauna looked at her. ‘Are you okay, hon? Has something happened?’
‘No. I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking about her recently. I only met Bo a few times and we never really talked. They were together for over three years and I barely knew the man. And Greta never… Well, she never said much about him.’
Shauna was quiet for a few seconds as if she was thinking of how to respond. ‘Oh, Bo was all right. Sure, he was cocky, but you have to be like that to live on the Mansfield. If you don’t play the part, you get pushed around, walked all over. That place is a fuckin’ jungle. I wouldn’t live there again if you paid me.’ She paused again before adding, ‘But Greta was fine. She could deal with Bo. She never did anything she didn’t want to do.’
Maddie heard an edge to her voice and wasn’t sure what it meant. She looked at her for a moment, but Shauna wouldn’t meet her gaze. When it came to Greta, Shauna rarely had much to say. Maddie had originally put it down to grief, to the loss of a friend, but now she wondered if there was more to it. Perhaps there were things she didn’t know. Before she could ask any more questions, Shauna quickly moved on.
‘So what about this Rick guy? What’s he like? Is he fit? Tell me everything.’
Maddie threw her another glance, trying to read her face but failing. Had she deliberately changed the subject, or was it just her paranoia? ‘There’s not much to tell. Yeah, he’s not bad. He seems nice enough, but he might not even show. It was only a casual sort of arrangement, not really an arrangement at all. He probably won’t be there.’
‘Course he will, hon. He wouldn’t have said it otherwise, would he?’
‘Men say all sorts of things.’
Shauna gave a snort. ‘True enough. Lying bastards, most of them. Still, it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t turn up. Plenty of fit blokes down the Fox. I’ll fix you up with someone.’
‘Don’t even think about it.’ Maddie sent up a silent prayer that Rick would put in an appearance and she’d be saved from Shauna’s dubious matchmaking. ‘I don’t want fixing up, thanks very much.’
‘You’ve been on your own for ages.’
‘Maybe I like it that way.’
‘Or maybe you’ve just got used to it. C’mon, Maddie, it’s time you had a bit of fun. When was the last time you even went out with a bloke?’
‘I don’t know. It was so traumatic that I’ve wiped it from my memory.’
Shauna laughed as they stopped at the traffic lights and waited for them to change. Then they crossed the road to the Fox. There was a group of people standing outside, chatting and drinking as they made the most of the warm summer evening. Others were seated on the wooden benches to the side. Maddie quickly checked out the faces, but Rick’s wasn’t among them.
It was busy inside, the way it always was on a Friday. The Fox, with its real ale, good food and friendly atmosphere, was the most popular pub in Kellston. The clientele were a mixed bunch, everyone from businessmen, cops and students through to villains and the local toms. Everyone was welcome at Maggie McConnell’s pub as long as they behaved themselves. The rules, displayed on a sign on the wall, were simple: no fighting, no soliciting, no thieving and no drugs.
As they forged a path towards the counter, Maddie made what she hoped was a casual survey of the room. She still couldn’t spot him. It was so crowded, though, that she couldn’t be sure he wasn’t there. And there were other rooms at the back, other places he could be sitting. Or maybe he hadn’t arrived yet. Or maybe he wasn’t coming at all.
They reached the bar and stood waiting to be served. Maddie fought against the temptation to take another look round. She didn’t want to appear too eager – or too desperate, come to that. If he came, he came, she decided. If he didn’t, it wasn’t the end of the world.
There was a five-minute wait while the bar staff dealt with the queue of customers. When she finally got served, Maddie ordered a pint of lager for Shauna and a dry white wine for herself. She was taking her change when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Rick Mallory standing behind her.
‘Oh, hello,’ she said, as if it was a complete surprise to see him there. With one quick glance her gaze took in his sun-streaked hair, his tanned face and lean, muscular body. He was wearing chinos and a light blue shirt that matched the colour of his eyes. ‘How are you?’
‘Good, thanks. You managed to get a babysitter, then?’
‘Yes, he’s staying over at his uncle’s tonight.’ And then, as soon as she’d said it, she wondered if he’d take it the wrong way, that he’d see it as some kind of come-on, that he’d think she was letting him know that she was free for the
whole
night. She felt a flush of embarrassment burn across her cheeks. ‘Er… not that I’m planning on staying out too late. Zac’s always up at the crack of dawn. You know what kids are like. As soon as the sun rises, he reckons it’s time to get up. So I probably won’t stay that long, just a few drinks and then…’ Oh God, now she was starting to ramble. What was wrong with her? She was back to behaving like a gauche teenager. With an effort, she tried to pull herself together. ‘Sorry, would you like a drink? I’ve just bought a round.’
‘I’m good, thanks. I managed to bag a table in the other room, the one at the back. Unless you’d rather go outside and breathe in the exhaust fumes? I could take a butcher’s, see if there are any free benches.’
‘The table sounds fine.’
‘Ain’t you going to introduce us, then?’ Shauna asked, nudging Maddie’s elbow.
‘Yes, sorry, of course. Rick, this is my friend Shauna. Shauna, this is Rick.’
‘Hey, Rick,’ said Shauna, blatantly looking him up and down. ‘Nice to meet you, babe.’
‘You too.’
As the three of them wound their way towards the back, Shauna asked him, ‘Is this where you usually drink?’
‘Yeah,’ Rick said. ‘Why?’
‘It’s just that I’ve been coming here for years and I ain’t never seen you before.’
‘That’s me,’ he said. ‘Mr Memorable.’
‘Oh, I’d have remembered you, hon. I’m sure of it. You local, then? You don’t sound like you’re from London.’
‘I only moved here… three, four months ago.’
‘Really?’ Maddie said. ‘I never realised that. Where were you living before?’
‘Kent, Surrey, Devon, Essex. I’ve moved around a fair bit in the past few years.’
Maddie felt a tiny stab of disappointment. She processed this information as meaning that he probably wouldn’t be staying in Kellston for long. She knew what it meant to have itchy feet, to be forever moving on. It was easy when you didn’t have any responsibilities.
They finally reached the corner table, which he’d managed to reserve by draping his jacket over the back of a chair, and the three of them sat down. Rick still had three-quarters of a pint, and when they were settled, he lifted his glass and said, ‘Cheers, then!’
‘Cheers,’ echoed Maddie, taking a sip of her wine.
It was pleasantly cool and crisp. Just enjoy the evening for what it is, she told herself. Although her hopes had been dashed – there was no point in starting anything with a man who wasn’t going to hang around – she refused to let it dampen her spirits. She would simply enjoy the company and have a good night out.
‘Where are you living, then?’ Shauna asked. ‘You got a place in Kellston?’
Rick gave a nod. ‘A two-minute walk away. Silverstone Road.’
‘Not the Heights?’
He laughed. ‘I’m a gravedigger. You ever met a gravedigger who can afford to live in the Heights?’
‘I ain’t never met a gravedigger before,’ Shauna said. ‘It’s a first for me.’ She sat back and stared at him. ‘What’s that like, then? Must be sort of…’
‘Sort of…?’
Shauna shrugged. ‘I dunno. Weird? Ain’t it weird being surrounded by dead people all day?’
‘It’s quiet,’ he said. ‘I like it that way. Helps me to think.’
‘Yeah? Think about what?’
‘Oh, you know,
stuff
.’
Shauna pulled a face and glanced at Maddie. ‘He’s a thinker, hon. He’s one of those deep ones.’
But Maddie understood what he meant, even if he wasn’t being entirely serious. There was something about a cemetery that concentrated the mind. Perhaps it was the way it put things into perspective. Surrounded by the dead, you could see the unimportant things for what they really were. ‘And by “stuff” he doesn’t mean birds or football,’ she said.
Rick grinned at her. ‘You remembered.’
Shauna looked from one to the other, aware that she was missing out on a private joke, and then said, ‘Maddie here used to do some digging too, didn’t you, love?’
‘Digging?’ asked Rick, looking bemused.
‘I trained as an archaeologist,’ Maddie explained. ‘It’s been a while since I worked as one, though.’
He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. ‘Really? That’s interesting. How come you’re not doing that any more?’
‘Oh, you know.’ Maddie lifted her shoulders in a light shrug. ‘Long hours, inconvenient places, low pay. Sometimes you can’t be sure where you’ll be working from one month to the next, which isn’t great when you’ve got a kid to look after. When Zac’s older, I might go back.’
Shauna took a slurp of lager and put the glass back on the table. ‘When you think about it, you two have a lot in common. I mean, one of you buries people, and the other one used to dig them up.’
Rick caught Maddie’s eye and grinned again. ‘There you go,’ he said. ‘That’s us sorted.’
Twenty minutes later, Shauna got to her feet and said she was off to chat to some mates who had just shown up. She winked at Maddie. ‘Catch you later, huh?’ Then she looked at Rick. ‘Nice to meet you, love. See you around sometime.’
‘Bound to,’ he said.
‘Okay, cool. Have a good night, you two.’
‘Subtle,’ said Rick, as he watched her battle towards the bar, her distinctive blonde head bobbing up and down in the crowd.
‘As a brick.’
‘So do you mind being left alone with me?’
‘Horrified,’ Maddie said.
‘Hey, don’t hold back on my account. Just tell it like it is.’
Maddie kept a straight face. ‘
Utterly
horrified.’
‘Ah, now you’re starting to dent my confidence. And, I might add, if I’d known you were bringing a wingman, I’d have asked Eli along.’
‘Eli?’
‘Yeah. You don’t think Shauna and Eli would have hit it off?’
Maddie laughed. ‘Mm, can’t say I’m convinced. I’m not sure if Shauna’s altogether keen on the strong, silent type. Although she did mention earlier that she wouldn’t mind an older man.’
‘Great, that’s settled, then. Next time I’ll invite him.’
‘Who says there’s going to be a next time?’
He looked at her over the rim of his glass, his eyes bright with amusement. ‘Sorry, am I being presumptuous?’
‘Just a little.’
‘Sorry,’ he said again, smiling. He drained his pint and put the glass down on the table. ‘So, would you like another drink while you think it over?’
‘Be rude not to,’ she said.
As soon as Rick had gone to the bar, Shauna scooted over and sat down beside her. ‘How’s it going, hon? What do you think?’
Maddie gave another shrug. ‘He’s okay,’ she said.
‘He’s more than okay.’ Shauna’s eyes flicked towards the bar. ‘Look at the guy! He’s hot. He’s a catch if ever I saw one. If you’re not interested, I’ll be more than happy to take him off your hands. Just give me five minutes and —’
‘Hey, who said I wasn’t interested?’
Shauna grinned from ear to ear. ‘Ha, so you do fancy him? I knew you did.’
Maddie, admitting defeat, smiled back at her. ‘All right, so maybe I do. A little bit. But you heard what he said. He’s always moving around. He could be gone again in a month or two.’
‘And?’
‘And so what’s the point?’
Shauna raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘The point, hon, is to enjoy yourself while you can. You never know what’s gonna happen. Life’s too short for stressing about tomorrow. Stop worrying about maybes and the rest, and just get out there and grab what’s on offer.’
A part of Maddie thought she was right, but the other part – the careful, cautious part – was less than willing to volunteer for another dose of heartache. ‘You reckon?’
‘It’s up to you, babe, but if you don’t grab him, someone else will.’ Shauna put a hand on her arm. ‘Anyway, look, we’re off up West. We’re going to hit a club or two. I’ll give you a bell in the morning, yeah?’
‘Okay, have a good time.’
‘I always have a good time, babe.’
Maddie watched her as she left, wondering what it would be like to throw caution to the wind. She hadn’t always been so staid and boring, but then she hadn’t always been a surrogate mum. It was hard to be reckless when someone else relied on you. And then she started thinking about Greta again, about what Shauna had said:
She never did anything she didn’t want to do.
‘Penny for them?’ asked Rick, as he came back with a pint and a glass of wine.
‘Huh?’
‘You looked miles away, or were you just planning the best escape route?’
‘Oh, I’ve already worked that out. There’s a window in the ladies’ takes you straight out into the car park.’
‘Handy,’ he said. ‘I’ll try not to get too paranoid.’
‘Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the drink.’
He sat down opposite her, took a swig of his pint and put the glass back on the table. ‘So, Maddie Layne,’ he said, gazing directly into her eyes, ‘tell me about yourself. You got family here in Kellston?’
She shook her head, overly aware of his scrutiny. ‘No, not here. My mum lives in Portugal, and my dad… well, he lives wherever the fancy takes him. He’s in the States quite a lot, California mostly. That’s where he comes from. To tell the truth, he’s a bit of a hippy.’
‘What, all long hair, beard, love, peace and Bob Dylan?’
‘Ah, you’ve met him.’
Rick laughed. ‘I know the type.’
‘Yeah, well, he turns up from time to time, but he’s not what you’d call the reliable sort.’ She paused and then added, ‘But I’ve got Zac’s grandparents, Winston and Alisha. They’re great. I couldn’t manage without them.’
‘And Zac’s father? He’s not on the scene?’
Maddie hesitated before answering. She didn’t want to go into it all, not right now. The murder of her sister was an emotional subject and she didn’t want to explain until she got to know him better. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to pry.’
‘You’re not. It’s fine. Maybe another time, huh?’
Rick sat back and put his hands behind his head. ‘So you’re saying there
is
going to be another time?’
‘I think the word I used was “maybe”.’
‘Still,’ he said, giving her a wide smile, ‘sounds like progress to me.’
Maddie raised her eyebrows. ‘Good to know you’re the optimistic sort.’ She picked up her glass and took a sip of wine. ‘Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about your family.’
‘It’s not very interesting.’ He gave a dismissive flap of his hand. ‘I wouldn’t want to bore you.’
‘I’ll take the chance. But if I start to yawn, you’ll know it’s all going horribly wrong.’
Rick laughed and gazed at her for a moment. ‘Well, there’s not a whole lot to tell. My parents live in Kent, in Canterbury. Dad’s a cabbie, and Mum works a part-time job at the local deli. I’ve got two brothers, younger than me, one married, one not, but both equally annoying. And that’s about it, really.’ He laid his hands on the table, his palms facing up. ‘My family in a nutshell.’
‘There, I didn’t fall asleep once. Are you close to them? Do you get on? I mean, apart from the brother thing.’
‘We get by,’ he said. ‘You know what families are like. We have our ups and downs, but nothing too dramatic.’
Maddie forced a tentative smile. Drama was her family’s middle name. She wondered how he’d react if she ever told him the truth. And then, before he could return to the subject of the Laynes, she quickly shifted the focus off family matters. ‘So have you always worked in cemeteries, or is this your first time?’
‘No, I’ve worked in a few. I like them. I’d rather be outdoors than stuck in an office – or a cab, come to that. Although I probably won’t be quite so happy when I’m freezing my bits off in the middle of January.’ He grinned at her. ‘That’s the downside, but I reckon there are more positives than negatives. And I’m pretty much my own boss. I don’t have anyone breathing down my neck all day. Although that reminds me…’ He paused to take a drink before continuing. ‘Delia Shields was asking about you yesterday.’
Maddie’s brow furrowed. ‘Me? Why?’
‘She wanted to know who was paying you to tend that grave over on the west side.’
‘You’re kidding? And what did you say?’
‘I said I didn’t have a clue. She didn’t seem best pleased about it, though. I mean, she was trying to act all casual, but I could see she was desperate to find out.’
‘She asked me too,’ Maddie said.
‘And you wouldn’t tell her? Why’s that?’
Maddie took hold of the stem of the glass, twisting it round between her forefinger and thumb. ‘I wasn’t sure that it was any of her business.’ She stared at the glass for a while before raising her eyes to him again. ‘Although, I probably would have if she hadn’t got all antsy about it. There was just something about her attitude. She was saying that the family wanted to know, but if the family was that concerned, why have they neglected the grave for so long? It all felt odd, a bit wrong somehow. That’s why I didn’t tell her.’
Rick’s mouth slid into an amused smile. ‘The secret of Kellston Cemetery.’
‘Oh, it’s not much of a secret. She already knows who employed me – or she’s taken a pretty good guess. She just wanted me to come out and say it.’
‘Really? God, this gets more intriguing by the minute.’
‘You haven’t heard the half of it.’
‘And?’
Maddie tilted her head to one side. ‘And what?’