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‘Oh, get away with you, Caz.’ Mrs Mahoney laughs. ‘It’s Ernie’s pickle jars. You know what he’s like.’
‘I do indeed,’ I say.
Ernie and Elise Mahoney were the first people I met when I bought my flat eight years ago. It was definitelythe dodgy end of the borough at the time, and my flat was broken into three times in the first year before I finally wised up and got mortise deadlocks and an alarm installed. But since then, as people have been driven further and further out from Chelsea and Belgravia by the influx of Russian oligarchs and foreign money, it’s become gentrified. The girls and I have to step out into the road twice to avoid basement excavations before we even reach the end of our street; it’s a wonder some of these terraced rows of houses are still standing. Working-class people like the Mahoneys, who’ve been here forty years, are in the minority now.
We thread our way through the throng of people crowding the Fulham Road and join the queue in Halva’s, where Bella surprises me by ordering a huge slab of cheesecake. Normally she eats like a sparrow, but Taylor has bought a massive slice of lemon cake, so perhaps she’s just following suit.
‘OK. Out with it,’ I say, as we sit down. ‘What’s the deal?’
‘You’re only going to say no,’ Bella says.
I rip open a packet of sweetener and add it to my cappuccino. ‘You won’t know till you ask. First of all, is it illegal? Because I’m not getting hold of weed for you, so don’t even try it.’
‘It’s nothing to do with drugs,’ she exclaims, looking shocked.
‘So why don’t you want your father to know?’
‘He wouldn’t approve. And Mum would, like,totallyflip.’
‘But I wouldn’t?’
‘You’re much cooler than most people’s parents,’ Bella says. ‘You’re pretty sick, actually.’
‘I assume that’s a good thing,’ I say dryly, hiding my pleasure at the compliment. ‘I’ve got to tell you, you’ve certainly made me curious. Do you need an adult’s permission for whatever it is? Do you want me to sign something?’
‘She doesn’t need anyone’s permission,’ Taylor says. ‘Not now she’s sixteen.’
‘I’m going to do it anyway,’ Bella adds defiantly. ‘You can’t stop me. It’s just …’ She looks at Taylor, then back at me. ‘I’d kind oflikeyou there. Just in case. If that’s OK.’
I sip my cappuccino, considering, more curious than ever. I remember what it’s like to be a teenager: if Bella’s set on doing whatever-this-is, she’s going to find a way to do it, whether or not I agree to help. And having an adult present would give her some backup in case things go wrong. I have no idea what she’s planning, but on the grounds that it’s better to be inside the tent pissing out, I’d rather go with her than leave her to her own devices.
Especially since it sounds like it’sreallygoing to upset Louise.
PATRICK SIMON THATCHER
PART 1 OF RECORDED INTERVIEW
Date:- 28/07/2020
Duration:- 27 Minutes
Location:- Whitefish Advertising Agency
Conducted by Officers from Devon & Cornwall Police
(cont.)
POLICE
