drooling everywhere. I think he needs to get out.” Tanzie shifted to the side.
Nicky squinted at the signs in front of them. “If you stay on this road I think we’ll end up in Southampton.”
“But that’s the wrong way.”
“That’s what I said.”
The smell of oil was really strong. Tanzie wondered whether something was leaking. She put her glove over her nose.
“I think we should just head back to where we were and start again,” Nicky said.
With a grunt Mum swung the car off at the next exit. They all tried to ignore the grinding noise as she turned the wheel to the right and headed back down the other side of the dual motorway.
“Tanzie. Please do something with the dog. Please.” One of the Rolls’s pedals was so stiff she almost had to stand up on it just to change gear. She looked up and pointed toward the turnoff for the town. “What am I doing, Nicky? Coming off here?”
“Oh, God. He’s farted. Mum, I’m suffocating.”
“Nicky, please can you read the map.”
Tanzie remembered now that Mum hated driving. She wasn’t good at processing information quickly enough. She always said she didn’t have the right synapses. Plus, to be fair, the smell now seeping through the car was so bad it made it hard to think straight.
Tanzie began to gag. “I’m dying!”
Norman turned his big old head to look at her, his eyes sad, like she was being really mean.
“But there are two turnings. Do I take this one or the next?”
“Definitely the next. Oh no, sorry—it’s this one.”
“What?” Mum wrenched the car off the motorway, narrowly avoiding the grass verge, and onto the exit. The car juddered as they hit the curb and Tanzie had to let go of her nose to grab Norman’s collar.
“For Christ’s sake, can you just—”
“I meant the next one. This one takes us miles out of the way.”
“We’ve been on the road almost half an hour and we’re farther away than when we started. Jesus, Nicky, I—”
It was then that Tanzie saw the flashing blue light. She willed the police car to go past. But instead it drew nearer and nearer until its blue lights filled the car.
Nicky turned painfully in his seat. “Um, Jess, I think they want you to pull over.”
“Shit. Shit shit shit. Tanzie, you didn’t hear that.” Mum took a deep breath, adjusted her hands on the wheel as she started to slow.
Nicky slumped a little lower in his seat. “Um, Jess?”
“Not now, Nicky.”
The police car was pulling over, too. Tanzie’s palms had begun to sweat.
It will all be fine.
“I guess this isn’t the time to tell you I brought my stash with me.”
CHAPTER TEN
Jess
S o there she was, standing on the grass verge of the motorway at eleven forty at night with two policemen who were both acting not like she was a major criminal, which was sort of what she’d expected, but worse—like she was just really, really stupid. Everything they said had a patronizing edge to it: So are you often in the habit of taking your family out for a late-night drive, madam? With only one headlight working? Were you not aware, madam, that your tax disc is two years out of date? They hadn’t actually looked up the whole no-insurance thing yet. So there was that to look forward to.
Nicky was sweating, waiting for them to locate his stash. Tanzie was a pale, silent ghost a few feet away, her sequined jacket glittering under the lights as she hugged Norman’s neck for reassurance.
Jess had only herself to blame. It could hardly get any worse.
And then Mr. Nicholls turned up.
She felt the remaining color drain from her face as his window wound down. And a million thoughts flashed through her head—like who was going to mind the children when she went to prison, and if it was Marty, would he remember things like the fact that Tanzie’s feet grew occasionally and then would he buy her new shoes instead of waiting until her toenails curled in on her toes? And who would look after Norman? And why the hell
Nicky squinted at the signs in front of them. “If you stay on this road I think we’ll end up in Southampton.”
“But that’s the wrong way.”
“That’s what I said.”
The smell of oil was really strong. Tanzie wondered whether something was leaking. She put her glove over her nose.
“I think we should just head back to where we were and start again,” Nicky said.
With a grunt Mum swung the car off at the next exit. They all tried to ignore the grinding noise as she turned the wheel to the right and headed back down the other side of the dual motorway.
“Tanzie. Please do something with the dog. Please.” One of the Rolls’s pedals was so stiff she almost had to stand up on it just to change gear. She looked up and pointed toward the turnoff for the town. “What am I doing, Nicky? Coming off here?”
“Oh, God. He’s farted. Mum, I’m suffocating.”
“Nicky, please can you read the map.”
Tanzie remembered now that Mum hated driving. She wasn’t good at processing information quickly enough. She always said she didn’t have the right synapses. Plus, to be fair, the smell now seeping through the car was so bad it made it hard to think straight.
Tanzie began to gag. “I’m dying!”
Norman turned his big old head to look at her, his eyes sad, like she was being really mean.
“But there are two turnings. Do I take this one or the next?”
“Definitely the next. Oh no, sorry—it’s this one.”
“What?” Mum wrenched the car off the motorway, narrowly avoiding the grass verge, and onto the exit. The car juddered as they hit the curb and Tanzie had to let go of her nose to grab Norman’s collar.
“For Christ’s sake, can you just—”
“I meant the next one. This one takes us miles out of the way.”
“We’ve been on the road almost half an hour and we’re farther away than when we started. Jesus, Nicky, I—”
It was then that Tanzie saw the flashing blue light. She willed the police car to go past. But instead it drew nearer and nearer until its blue lights filled the car.
Nicky turned painfully in his seat. “Um, Jess, I think they want you to pull over.”
“Shit. Shit shit shit. Tanzie, you didn’t hear that.” Mum took a deep breath, adjusted her hands on the wheel as she started to slow.
Nicky slumped a little lower in his seat. “Um, Jess?”
“Not now, Nicky.”
The police car was pulling over, too. Tanzie’s palms had begun to sweat.
It will all be fine.
“I guess this isn’t the time to tell you I brought my stash with me.”
CHAPTER TEN
Jess
S o there she was, standing on the grass verge of the motorway at eleven forty at night with two policemen who were both acting not like she was a major criminal, which was sort of what she’d expected, but worse—like she was just really, really stupid. Everything they said had a patronizing edge to it: So are you often in the habit of taking your family out for a late-night drive, madam? With only one headlight working? Were you not aware, madam, that your tax disc is two years out of date? They hadn’t actually looked up the whole no-insurance thing yet. So there was that to look forward to.
Nicky was sweating, waiting for them to locate his stash. Tanzie was a pale, silent ghost a few feet away, her sequined jacket glittering under the lights as she hugged Norman’s neck for reassurance.
Jess had only herself to blame. It could hardly get any worse.
And then Mr. Nicholls turned up.
She felt the remaining color drain from her face as his window wound down. And a million thoughts flashed through her head—like who was going to mind the children when she went to prison, and if it was Marty, would he remember things like the fact that Tanzie’s feet grew occasionally and then would he buy her new shoes instead of waiting until her toenails curled in on her toes? And who would look after Norman? And why the hell
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