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Perhaps I should tell her what Casper and I suspect with the robbery, but somehow it doesn’t feel right yet. Aunt Jess will only blame herself, even though she never gave up my location, and we’re not sure of anything yet. I’ve given my statement, and Casper said he’d deal with the rest. I’m taking that to mean he’s pulling some strings to get this investigation bumped to the top of the list.
“Perhaps. Did she come to your house? I don’t think there’s anything with your address on display here.”
“No, she was waiting on campus.” There’s no need to worry her by telling her she does know where I live. “I ran into her outside the library. Means Dad was recently inside. Did you know?”
There’s a rustling in the background as Jess opens a bag of tea leaves. I can smell that tea just from thinking about it. She must be stressed if she’s drinking her proper tea.
“He was doing eighteen months for possession. Katie told me it was a misunderstanding.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m sure it was.”
She laughs at the sarcasm in my voice. “I know, I thought the same. She insisted the drugs weren’t his.”
I’m so proud of my father.
“Not his? Can you imagine people still trying to use that excuse. He’s been out for years prior to that. Why would he take bigger risks again, the fucking idiot?”
“Language,” she says, still scolding me for swearing even though I’m an adult. “He won’t change and neither will she. I’m so sorry they can’t be better parents.”
“I don’t care about that anymore.”
“It’s okay if you do.”
“I don’t. Not anymore.”
“Okay.” She doesn’t sound like she believes me but it’s not a conversation either of us wants to keep having. “What did she want? If she asked you for money…”
I scoff. “I didn’t give her the opportunity to. She knows I don’t have any. I told her to leave me alone, and I think she’ll listen this time. We think she’s with someone else.”
“Now, why doesn’t that surprise me. Wait, who is ‘we’?”
“I was standing with a friend. Casper.”
“This is the boy you don’t get along with.”
She and Bill have heard the watered-down version of the Ainsley and Casper show. I would’ve told them everything, but I didn’t want things getting awkward if they ever met. It’s always been a possibility, being neighbours.
“That’s the one.” I pull my feet up onto the sofa and hug my knees. “We’re getting on a little better now.”
Or we were yesterday.
“Oh?”
“Nothing like that.” Everything like that. “We have friends in common, so it’s good.”
“Okay. How did you leave things with your mum? You mentioned telling her to leave.”
“Yeah, I was very clear that I want nothing from her, and I don’t think she’ll come back. If she calls you—”
“I’ll tell her to respect your wishes. God, she makes me so angry. She doesn’t deserve you—neither of them do. It would be understandable if you want to talk about it, though. You must have questions for her.”
“I have a lot of questions, but I don’t think I want any of the answers. She’s always tried to turn it around, you know that.”
“I never thought she would be like this. Growing up, she was a real homebird. Family was everything to her.”
Although Aunt Jess blames my dad for the reason my mum’s life went downhill, she does hold my mum accountable. She told me she made excuses for her right up until she left me. You don’t leave a kid. Her and Bill tried for years to have a child and my mum just cast one aside.
“Well, whatever. I hope she doesn’t come back. Do you think she’ll try seeing you again?” I ask.
