‘I know it’s not the right weather for a hot meal, but after all that picnic food today I thought it would be good to have a proper dinner. And, as you’ve got the night off, I didn’t think it was fair that you should cook.’
‘I love you, Mrs Perry.’ Ed comes over and gives me a kiss. ‘Shall I make a salad?’
‘Already done and in the fridge. Sit down, I’ll go and bath the kids.’
‘You sure?’
‘Yep.’
An hour later, the children are in bed and the dishes are soaking in the sink.
‘Fancy watching a movie?’ Ed asks as he comes down the stairs having kissed the children good night. ‘It’s our lucky night – both of them have zonked straight out. All that fresh air and excitement.’
‘Actually, Ed, would you mind if I popped over to see Kelly? I want to make sure she’s okay after Ryan’s meltdown.’ I feel bad stretching the truth, but I can’t very well tell Ed why I really want to visit my friend.
‘Uh, yeah, sure.’ He looks a little disappointed and I feel bad.
‘You can have full control of the remote, maybe watch an action movie.’
He grins. ‘Now you’re talking. Okay, send Kelly my love, won’t you.’
I give my husband a quick peck, fetch my handbag and head out into the warm evening air. Kelly still hasn’t replied to my message, but I figure if I show up on her doorstep she won’t have the heart to turn me away. I feel a faint stirring of optimism in my chest. Kelly will help me sort this out, I know she will. As I walk, the scent of barbecues wafts over painted fences and fragrant hedges. Snatches of teenage laughter and the ebb and flow of pumping basslines from passing cars reminds me of what life used to be like when I was younger.
As I draw closer to Kelly’s house, doubts begin to flare up. Will Kelly believe that the images have been faked? I stuffed the envelope of photos into my bag to show them to her. But the thought of another person – even Kelly – seeing them makes me feel nauseous. I can’t back out of this now. Even if my friend is disapproving, at least I can trust her not to say anything to anyone else.
I turn into Kelly’s road, my hand resting protectively on my bag. I’m paranoid that someone’s going to mug me, take my bag and find the images. When I reach Kelly’s drive, I’m shocked to see that her front door has been covered over by a huge sheet of plywood.What the hell?Has she had a break-in or something?
I ring the doorbell, but it’s obvious she can’t open the front door with it boarded up like that, so maybe I should go around the back. Before I turn to go, the curtain at the lounge window twitches, making me jump. I swallow down a dart of fear. This is ridiculous. It was obviously Kelly or one of the boys. I walk over to the window and rap on the glass. ‘Ryan? Kelly? Are you there? It’s me, Tia!’ Cupping my hands around my face, I peer in, but I can’t see anyone inside; it’s too dark. I ring the doorbell again, but I’m beginning to get really creeped out. Despite Kelly’s car being parked in the drive, it feels as though the house is deserted. Abandoned. Which is crazy, because Kelly would’ve told me if she was going away.
‘Tia? What are you doing here?’
I turn to see Fiona coming around the side of the house. My fear dissolves and my hackles rise. Why isshehere? ‘Fi… hi. I’ve come to see Kelly.’
‘Oh.’ She doesn’t look herself. She seems somehow smaller and a little crumpled, her hair not as shiny as usual.
‘Why areyouhere?’ I ask, sounding sharper than I mean to. ‘Is Kelly in? What happened to the front door?’
Fiona sighs. ‘It’s a bit of a long story.’
‘What do you mean? Are they okay?’
‘The boys are staying at my place. Nathan and I are looking after them while Kelly is… well…’
‘While Kelly iswhat?’
‘Uh…’ Fiona turns one way and then the other, like she doesn’t know what to do with herself. She seems to have lost all of her usual poise. ‘Why don’t we go inside?’
I follow Fiona around the back of the house and into the kitchen, which seems somehow more forlorn than usual. It smells stale, and feels chilly and strange, as though the heart has been ripped out of it. I wonder what can have happened so that Kelly’s boys have gone to stay at Fiona’s place. She isn’t exactly the maternal type. I would have had them to stay with me, if only Kelly had asked.
We sit at the kitchen table and I wait for Fiona to tell me what’s going on. It’s all so strange that I wonder if this has anything to do with the photos I’ve been sent. Is it more than a coincidence that Fiona is here – at the scene of another strange situation?
‘Well?’ I prompt.
‘Okay, so after you left the regatta, I had a call from Kelly to tell me that she was being arrested.’
My mouth falls open. Of all the things I expected her to say, this wasn’t one of them. ‘You’re joking, right?’
‘I’m not. I wish I was.’
