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She crumpled.
‘But everyone’ll be leaving soon.’
I shrugged.
‘So we’ll have cake when they’ve gone.’
‘I’ve spent all afternoon making it.’
There was a moment’s stand-off. I was starting to feel guilty, about to relent, when Matty called—
‘I’m counting, girls!’
There were shrieks of delight as they raced off. I hid too, but this time I didn’t shriek. I’d been cruel and I knew it.
From my hiding spot I watched Matty, hands over his eyes, counting to forty, skipping numbers as he went. My mother still on the stoop, trying to act as though she wasn’t hurt.
And spying out of the window, eyes trained on her, our neighbour Des Banister. Face obscured in shadow, drinking her in.
MATTY MELGREN
Of course, it makes me angry. How would you feel if you’d been banged up for something you didn’t do? If you had to spend the rest of your life looking at the same four walls, paying for crimes some other fella committed?
I’m treated like some kind of monster though all I did my whole life was try and help people. I was a bereavement counsellor, for goodness’ sake. Does wanting to guide people through loss and despair sound like something a killer would do?
So yes, I get mad when I think about the unfairness of it all, of how I’m wasting my life away stuck in here. My only hope is justice will prevail in the end. That people will finally realise they got the wrong guy.
ROB HILL
To be clear, you’re saying you’re not guilty?
MATTY MELGREN
I’m absolutely not guilty. I mean, have I made bad choices in my life? Aye, course I have, same as anyone. I didn’t always treat my girlfriend well. Stole comics when I was a kid, cut school. But guilty of murder? Christ, no, nothing like that.
ROB HILL
So, what do you think happened to those women?
MATTY MELGREN
You know what I think happened. I’ve said it very many times. In fact, I’m fairly sure your man tried to kill my girlfriend too.
ROB HILL
The police ruled him out, you know that.
MATTY MELGREN
Easy to rule someone out when you haven’t properly ruled them in to start with. And let’s be honest, no one’s ever got to the bottom of what really happened the night of the fire. . .
