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‘Lady there, with the scarf on. Yes, you. Who’s connected to class A drugs? Does that mean anything to you?’
A hearty ‘Yes’.
The woman next to Marielle turned to her and raised her eyebrows.
‘Not sure I’d have admitted that,’ she said.
Pat carried on. ‘He’s in court, isn’t he? He’ll be okay. His grandad will be right there with him. He’s standing here now saying he has to clean up his act. He says he doesn’t like the smell in the attic.It’s my attic, ooh he’s cross. All those plants growing.’
Marielle’s neighbour said, ‘I hope there’s no police in tonight.’
‘I’ll come to as many people as I can,’ called Pat from the stage. ‘I obviously can’t get around to everyone but here, in this area, who’s Stanley? He’s got big glasses on like bottle bottoms, black frame. He’s saying, “Put me a bet on that horse.”?’
A woman right at the back on the other side said, ‘I think that might be me dad.’
‘Is he in spirit, lovey?’
‘Last week.’
‘You put a bet on a horse for him, didn’t you? On the day he died.’
A hiccup. ‘Yes. It came in at ten to one.’
‘He’s sending love. He says, you’ve promised not to put your mum in a home but you might have to, lovey. Don’tpromise what you can’t do. You’ll realise now he’s gone how much he kept from you about your mum and he doesn’t want you to take on the burden. Think on. She’ll be okay. He leaves you with love.’
‘What I can’t understand,’ said Marielle’s neighbour, who had obviously been chewing on it, ‘is why would a spirit come through and start talking about wallpaper?’
Marielle hunched up her shoulders. ‘Maybe to prove something personal?’ was her only suggestion.
‘Somewhere in the middle. You in the brown top. I’m seeing a little boy and a problem with social services…’
After an hour and a half there was a break. Marielle asked Sabrina if she wanted a drink in the bar.
‘Only if I can get them then, out of the money left over from buying the clothes,’ said Sabrina.
They went into the bar and she took a tenner out of her pocket. Marielle wondered if it had come out of her purse and then slapped the thought down.
‘So what do you think?’ she asked, when they’d found a seat at a table.
‘It’s fascinating,’ replied Sabrina.
‘Would you like her to come to you?’
‘The trouble is, if she does, will I know if she’s right? What about you, Marielle?’
Marielle tilted her head from one side to the other, ‘The answer to that changes every thirty seconds. I’ll leave it in the lap of the gods to decide for me.’
They went back in after the interval and were ten minutes from the end when Pat walked from one end of the stage to the other and drew a circle in the air which encompassed them.
‘Have I got a Polly here?’ No response. ‘A Molly? A Dolly?’
‘I’m a Wally,’ said a man further back, which caused a wave of laughter. ‘Short for Walter,’ he added, realising that people thought he was making fun.
‘No, it’s a woman here. Polly or Molly.’ Pat circled the area again, almost impatiently now because she was adamant she was within it. She turned to the side and appeared to be listening to someone before she spoke again.
‘I’ve got a young lady here, and she’s with a man in spirit. Big strapping fella, loud, full of love. He’s saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry we let you down by leaving you too early.” He’s trying to show me that he’s got her, he wishes you could see that.’
To Sabrina’s surprise, Marielle pulled in a sharp breath and she said aloud, ‘I think it’s me.’Molly, Mari, she wanted it to fit.
