The Girl in the Rug by K Leitch Page B

Lucy don’t you?’ she said
gently.
    Andy’s bony little shoulders started to shake as he sobbed
into his hands, Maya put her arms around him and looked fiercely at Carla, ‘Do
you really need to do this to him, isn’t there someone else you can ask these
things?’
    Carla shook her head, ‘I’m really sorry Andy,’ she said
putting her hand on his shoulder, ‘but this time I need you to tell me the
truth…’
    Andy just sobbed harder, shaking his head and saying, ‘No,
no, no,’ over and over.
    Andy couldn’t believe what was happening to him. He hadn’t
thought that life could get any worse since that dreadful night, when his whole
reason for living had been taken away from him. He still got up in the morning,
still walked to school, still cowered in the kitchen while his mum entertained
her customers and still tried to evade his mum’s slaps and punches, he still
did everything the same…but without Lucy. Mum never spoke about Lucy or what
had happened that night…Andy wasn’t even sure if she remembered. It was like
Lucy had never existed; the only thing she ever said to Andy over and over, was
that he’d better keep his fucking mouth shut…he must never ever tell anyone.
Andy didn’t need her to tell him that…Nellie had already scared him enough with
his threats.
    And now here he was again, being asked questions by the
police…questions he couldn’t answer unless he wanted his mum to have her eyes
cut out…the same police lady that had caused all the trouble before. Well he
wasn’t saying a thing, why the hell should he…after all it wouldn’t bring Lucy
back would it…nothing was ever going to bring Lucy back.
    ‘What happened Andy?’ Frank asked this time, ‘Was it an
argument, did your mum get angry with Lucy…did she hurt her Andy…’
    ‘NO!’ shouted Andy, ‘my Mum never hit her, Lucy’s gone to
stay wiv me auntie somewhere, I already told them that.’
    ‘Yes I know that’s what you said Andy, that’s what your mum
said as well, but you see she can’t have done can she…because your auntie died,
over a year ago…so you see.’
    ‘Well maybe it’s wiv another auntie…I don’t know do I,’
sobbed Andy, ‘can I go now…I need to go?’
    Carla sighed, ‘I’m afraid not Andy, you see we have to find
out about Lucy and your mum’s not very well at the moment and we can’t ask her,
so you’re the only one we can talk to aren’t you?’
    Andy wiped his nose on his sleeve and glared at Carla. ‘I
don’t know where she is, I thought she was wiv me auntie,’ he repeated
bullishly.
    Carla sighed once again they were getting nowhere she knelt
down in front of Andy forcing him to look at her.
    ‘Andy, we think something may have happened to Lucy…something
really bad.’ Andy’s head dropped down, he stared resolutely at the floor. ‘We
were at your home before we came here today and there was lots of blood in the
living room, on the sofa and the rug and there was quite a lot of blood on the
floor near the window…do you know how it got there? Did your mum have a fight
with someone?’
    Andy still stared at the floor but he shook his head, ’No…I
dunno do I.’
    ‘Well you can see why we want to find Lucy can’t you Andy,’
went on Carla, ‘we need to make sure she’s alright.’ Carla changed tactics,
‘What other aunties do you have?’
    Andy looked up at Carla surprised by the question.
    ‘Well you said she may be with another auntie, so how many
aunties do you have?’ asked Carla again.
    He thought for a moment, ‘Well there’s my Auntie Flossy,
only I don’t know if she’s a proper auntie we just called her that…’
    ‘Where does Auntie Flossy live Andy?’ asked Frank.
    ‘She’s in Filpott, on the other side…past the chip shop,’
Andy said, as if they should know where he meant.
    ‘Is Filpott somewhere on the estate then?’ Frank said
getting out his notebook.
    Andy nodded, ‘Yeh…like I said it’s passed the chip shop and
then