whoever’s got Ellie will either be keeping her well hidden or will have taken her further afield by now.
Well I could have told you that , I think. In fact, I recall saying as much right from the start. ‘So that’s it?’ I say. ‘You’ve come to give us the news that there’s no news?’
‘They’re doing all they can, Nick,’ Tasha says. I wonder why she’s suddenly so defensive of the police. It gets to me that she’s seemed far more reassured by them than she has been by her own husband. Her reaction to the whole Derek incident and hearing about the Angela thing was kind of understandable, but I still would’ve expected her to have stood by me a little more firmly. Once again, it feels like Nick against the world. I become even more sure that I’m pursuing the right path to get it all sorted out once and for all.
‘It’s fine,’ McKenna says, putting a placating hand on Tasha’s knee. Seems they’ve become the best of friends since I went out. ‘Actually, Nick, I was just wondering if I could ask you a couple of things.’
Tasha picks up on the subtext quicker than I do. ‘I’ll go and make some tea.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ I say. ‘I’ll do it. We can talk in the kitchen.’
I don’t think anyone actually even wants tea, so I don’t ask. I close the kitchen door behind me and wait to hear what McKenna has to say.
‘How have you been coping?’ she asks, leaning back against the cupboards, her head cocked slightly to one side.
‘About as well as you’d expect, I suppose.’
‘Well I think you’re doing a great job. That’s the problem, there’s not much the parents can do. I guess you feel pretty hopeless and helpless.’
‘That about covers it, yeah,’ I say.
‘I hear you’ve been getting out and about a bit more over the last day or two.’
This surprises me slightly. Have they been tailing me? ’Yeah, I have. Change of scenery. Bit of fresh air and all that.’
‘One of our officers saw you heading into the Talbot Arms,’ she says, catching me off guard. I’m pretty sure she’d’ve seen my eyes flicker. Bitch.
‘Really? Oh yeah, I popped in for a quick drink. Trying to take my mind off things, you know. Like you say, there’s not much we can do and I just feel like I’m sitting around waiting for news. I’ll go stir crazy.’
‘I can imagine,’ she says, smiling. ‘An odd place to choose, though, isn’t it? I mean, it’s the other side of town from here.’
‘I was passing,’ I say, before I can even stop myself. What if the police officer had followed me all the way? They’d know that was bullshit. ‘Not somewhere I usually drink, but I didn’t really want to go somewhere familiar. I wanted the escapism, I guess.’
McKenna nods. ‘You’ve lived in this town a long time, haven’t you?’
‘All my life,’ I say.
She nods again. ‘Never had the best reputation, that pub. Must admit, when I was in uniform I used to spend more time breaking up fights in the Talbot than I did doing anything else.’
‘Happens to every pub at some point,’ I say, forcing a smile.
‘Yeah, but more often than not it’s there. That place never changes. Never will, I suspect. Which makes me think it’s rather an odd place for you to go for a quick pint. I can’t imagine the regulars at the Talbot are the sort of people you’re keen to hang around with.’
‘Like I said, it’s a change of scenery. I didn’t want to go somewhere where people would know me.’
‘Makes sense,’ she replies. ‘So you don’t know anyone who drinks at the Talbot at all?’
I try to look at her for as long as I can get away with, in some sort of attempt to determine whether or not she knows more than she’s letting on.
‘No, no-one.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ she says. ‘Some very dodgy characters drink in there, you know. The sort of people you’d be better off keeping well away from.’
‘Well I didn’t stay for long,’ I say.
‘I know.’ She stares at me
Well I could have told you that , I think. In fact, I recall saying as much right from the start. ‘So that’s it?’ I say. ‘You’ve come to give us the news that there’s no news?’
‘They’re doing all they can, Nick,’ Tasha says. I wonder why she’s suddenly so defensive of the police. It gets to me that she’s seemed far more reassured by them than she has been by her own husband. Her reaction to the whole Derek incident and hearing about the Angela thing was kind of understandable, but I still would’ve expected her to have stood by me a little more firmly. Once again, it feels like Nick against the world. I become even more sure that I’m pursuing the right path to get it all sorted out once and for all.
‘It’s fine,’ McKenna says, putting a placating hand on Tasha’s knee. Seems they’ve become the best of friends since I went out. ‘Actually, Nick, I was just wondering if I could ask you a couple of things.’
Tasha picks up on the subtext quicker than I do. ‘I’ll go and make some tea.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ I say. ‘I’ll do it. We can talk in the kitchen.’
I don’t think anyone actually even wants tea, so I don’t ask. I close the kitchen door behind me and wait to hear what McKenna has to say.
‘How have you been coping?’ she asks, leaning back against the cupboards, her head cocked slightly to one side.
‘About as well as you’d expect, I suppose.’
‘Well I think you’re doing a great job. That’s the problem, there’s not much the parents can do. I guess you feel pretty hopeless and helpless.’
‘That about covers it, yeah,’ I say.
‘I hear you’ve been getting out and about a bit more over the last day or two.’
This surprises me slightly. Have they been tailing me? ’Yeah, I have. Change of scenery. Bit of fresh air and all that.’
‘One of our officers saw you heading into the Talbot Arms,’ she says, catching me off guard. I’m pretty sure she’d’ve seen my eyes flicker. Bitch.
‘Really? Oh yeah, I popped in for a quick drink. Trying to take my mind off things, you know. Like you say, there’s not much we can do and I just feel like I’m sitting around waiting for news. I’ll go stir crazy.’
‘I can imagine,’ she says, smiling. ‘An odd place to choose, though, isn’t it? I mean, it’s the other side of town from here.’
‘I was passing,’ I say, before I can even stop myself. What if the police officer had followed me all the way? They’d know that was bullshit. ‘Not somewhere I usually drink, but I didn’t really want to go somewhere familiar. I wanted the escapism, I guess.’
McKenna nods. ‘You’ve lived in this town a long time, haven’t you?’
‘All my life,’ I say.
She nods again. ‘Never had the best reputation, that pub. Must admit, when I was in uniform I used to spend more time breaking up fights in the Talbot than I did doing anything else.’
‘Happens to every pub at some point,’ I say, forcing a smile.
‘Yeah, but more often than not it’s there. That place never changes. Never will, I suspect. Which makes me think it’s rather an odd place for you to go for a quick pint. I can’t imagine the regulars at the Talbot are the sort of people you’re keen to hang around with.’
‘Like I said, it’s a change of scenery. I didn’t want to go somewhere where people would know me.’
‘Makes sense,’ she replies. ‘So you don’t know anyone who drinks at the Talbot at all?’
I try to look at her for as long as I can get away with, in some sort of attempt to determine whether or not she knows more than she’s letting on.
‘No, no-one.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ she says. ‘Some very dodgy characters drink in there, you know. The sort of people you’d be better off keeping well away from.’
‘Well I didn’t stay for long,’ I say.
‘I know.’ She stares at me
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