‘He’s not being held back,’ I say gently. ‘He’s well-adjusted within?—’
‘Obviously he’s well-adjusted. What are you suggesting?’
‘He performs well within the range of his class,’ I say.
‘Then I don’t think you are very good at your job,’ she says stiffly. ‘If you can’t recognise a gifted child among your charges.’
I catch Mike’s eye. I’m running out ofnice. He gets the message.
‘Mrs Ashford-Wells. As I told you last time, neither Gregory’s teacher nor I recommend that Gregory take an advanced class.’
‘Fine,’ she says, unfastening her handbag. ‘In that case, it may be time to consider moving Gregory elsewhere. There are a number of other schools that might be more appropriate.’ She pulls out a note from her handbag. ‘My husband, who, as you know, is a senior trustee of the academy trust, gave me a list of more suitable schools for Gregory.’ She puts the note on the desk. I crane my neck. There are three schools listed.
Mike drags it towards him. ‘Is this really necessary, Diana?’ he asks wearily.
‘That is completely up to you,’ she says, standing up. ‘But I can’t imagine Mr Ashford-Wells is going to be thrilled having to move Gregory to another school. He may well remember that when the time comes to allocate funding next term.’
Diana leaves first. Mike runs a hand over his head.
‘I don’t need to tell you that the academy trust has considerable influence over our funding. This situation is extremely unfortunate,’ he says.
‘I know. I’ll fix it,’ I say, picking up my handbag.
‘How?’
‘I don’t know yet. But I’ll talk to her and apologise, and I’ll come up with a solution, I promise.’
18
Later, I help Teri with dinner even though she insists I should just sit there and do nothing. Holly is upstairs reading. Then Teri asks me, ‘When is Max coming home?’
I stiffen. ‘Not for ages. Why do you ask?’
‘He probably won’t want me here. He’ll probably want his own space. I don’t want to get you in any trouble.’
‘But you’ll be gone by then,’ I blurt.
‘Yes. Of course. You’re right. Although my foot…’ She looks down at her bandaged foot and grimaces.
You have got to be kidding me.‘There’s no swelling anymore,’ I say.
‘I know, but these things take time.’
I set the cutlery on the table. ‘You can stay tomorrow night if you like. Then go home on Friday. You should be fully recovered by then.’ And she’d better be, because as much as I’ve enjoyed her company, I have things to do. I have a body to dispose of.
Last night, I opened an anonymous browser and searched ‘how long does it take for a fully frozen dead body to thaw’. For pliability, if the body stays in the freezer, as opposed to thawing outside the freezer, the best window is between thirty-six and forty-eight hours.
Which means that if I want to take him out Saturday night, and I do, then I have to turn off the freezer on Friday at lunchtime. I cannot, absolutely cannot put it off any longer. Not with Amanda and Sterling & Wicks sniffing around.
When I look up at Teri, I catch her looking at me coldly. But then she smiles sweetly, and I think I must have imagined it.
‘Thank you, Kate. That would be wonderful. And thank you so much for putting up with me. I really appreciate it.’ Then, after a pause, she says, ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Of course.’
‘How come Max never calls?’
My stomach gives a sharp twist. I frown, pretending to look confused. ‘But he does call.’
