face his wife. ‘Johnny had faith. He believed God would cure him. Remember the hours spent queuing for a glimpse of Mother Teresa, the quest for Padre Pio’s glove and every bloody saint’s scapular from John of the Cross to St Bernadette? It’s a wonder he didn’t strangle himself with all he had hanging from his neck. It didn’t work for him when he believed so fervently. How do you expect it to work for Rabbit when she doesn’t believe in all that mumbo-jumbo?’
‘It’s not mumbo-jumbo. Michael saved that woman’s sight. I met her. She was blind all her life and after he had laid hands on her she could see.’
He sighed. ‘And there’s no chance she was making up stories?’
‘I’m not a fool, Jack.’
‘I’m not saying you are.’
‘There are so many things we don’t understand.’
‘Well, I know one thing,’ he said.
‘What’s that?’
‘If you bring some self-styled agent of God into Rabbit Hayes’s room, it’s him who’ll need healing by the end of it.’
‘So we’ll do it when she’s asleep.’
‘You’re joking.’
‘I am not.’
Jack turned the engine on. ‘I can see this going wrong,’ he said, then drove off. ‘Where to?’ he asked.
‘Home. I need to find the number.’
‘We haven’t given up on finding a treatment, though, have we, Molly?’
‘I’m not giving up on anything, Jack.’
‘Good woman.’
I’m not giving up, do you hear me, God?
she screamed in her head.
Does anybody fucking hear me?
Juliet
The lunch bell went and not a minute too soon. Miss Baker had been banging on about osmosis for the full fifty minutes. She had a propensity to overcomplicate the easiest of topics: seemingly enthralled by her own intelligence, she never realized her entire classroom was silent not because they were engaged but simply because they had collectively lost the will to live. Juliet shoved her books into her backpack and walked quickly towards the door. Kyle caught up with her in the corridor.
‘How’s yer ma?’
‘Good, thanks.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ He seemed genuinely surprised.
‘Yeah, why?’ Juliet was shocked by his reaction.
‘Oh, nothin’.’ He went puce red.
Kyle was a nice kid, not a master of deceit. Juliet surveyed him and decided against pushing the matter. Instead she made the position clear. ‘She’ll be home next week, maybe the week after at the latest.’
‘Oh, great, good, that’s brilliant.’ He was still puce red.
‘Yeah, it is.’ She walked away quickly, leaving him standing in the corridor among the passing throng. The encounter disturbed her.
What’s his problem?
she wondered. She joined Della in the canteen. Della had already bought and paid for two baked potatoes, with tuna, and bottled water for them both. Juliet dropped her bag and sat. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’
‘Saw Kyle after class.’
‘Yeah? Does he still love you?’ Della asked, and made kissing sounds.
‘He was acting weird,’ Juliet said, choosing to ignore Della’s stupid insinuation.
‘That’s because he is weird.’
‘He’s not weird, Della.’
‘If you say so.’
Kyle was Juliet’s neighbour and they had been friends since they were two years old. He was shy and didn’t like to mix with the kids in school: he had enough pals on the motorcycle track where he spent at least three hours every evening. His dad, Charlie, was a dedicated motocross racer, and even though he’d pretty much broken every bone in his body, he’d introduced Kyle to the sport as soon as he’d turned five. Kyle was a natural and his dad was grooming him to be a champion. Kyle and his dad had come to Juliet’s rescue when she’d found her mother lying on the kitchen floor with a gruesome open fracture. Rabbit had passed out but she was breathing loudly so Juliet knew she wasn’t dead. Juliet had felt panic rising but she battled it. She knew what to do. She’d rung the ambulance, then run over to Charlie, who had been clipping the hedge when she’d
‘It’s not mumbo-jumbo. Michael saved that woman’s sight. I met her. She was blind all her life and after he had laid hands on her she could see.’
He sighed. ‘And there’s no chance she was making up stories?’
‘I’m not a fool, Jack.’
‘I’m not saying you are.’
‘There are so many things we don’t understand.’
‘Well, I know one thing,’ he said.
‘What’s that?’
‘If you bring some self-styled agent of God into Rabbit Hayes’s room, it’s him who’ll need healing by the end of it.’
‘So we’ll do it when she’s asleep.’
‘You’re joking.’
‘I am not.’
Jack turned the engine on. ‘I can see this going wrong,’ he said, then drove off. ‘Where to?’ he asked.
‘Home. I need to find the number.’
‘We haven’t given up on finding a treatment, though, have we, Molly?’
‘I’m not giving up on anything, Jack.’
‘Good woman.’
I’m not giving up, do you hear me, God?
she screamed in her head.
Does anybody fucking hear me?
Juliet
The lunch bell went and not a minute too soon. Miss Baker had been banging on about osmosis for the full fifty minutes. She had a propensity to overcomplicate the easiest of topics: seemingly enthralled by her own intelligence, she never realized her entire classroom was silent not because they were engaged but simply because they had collectively lost the will to live. Juliet shoved her books into her backpack and walked quickly towards the door. Kyle caught up with her in the corridor.
‘How’s yer ma?’
‘Good, thanks.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ He seemed genuinely surprised.
‘Yeah, why?’ Juliet was shocked by his reaction.
‘Oh, nothin’.’ He went puce red.
Kyle was a nice kid, not a master of deceit. Juliet surveyed him and decided against pushing the matter. Instead she made the position clear. ‘She’ll be home next week, maybe the week after at the latest.’
‘Oh, great, good, that’s brilliant.’ He was still puce red.
‘Yeah, it is.’ She walked away quickly, leaving him standing in the corridor among the passing throng. The encounter disturbed her.
What’s his problem?
she wondered. She joined Della in the canteen. Della had already bought and paid for two baked potatoes, with tuna, and bottled water for them both. Juliet dropped her bag and sat. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’
‘Saw Kyle after class.’
‘Yeah? Does he still love you?’ Della asked, and made kissing sounds.
‘He was acting weird,’ Juliet said, choosing to ignore Della’s stupid insinuation.
‘That’s because he is weird.’
‘He’s not weird, Della.’
‘If you say so.’
Kyle was Juliet’s neighbour and they had been friends since they were two years old. He was shy and didn’t like to mix with the kids in school: he had enough pals on the motorcycle track where he spent at least three hours every evening. His dad, Charlie, was a dedicated motocross racer, and even though he’d pretty much broken every bone in his body, he’d introduced Kyle to the sport as soon as he’d turned five. Kyle was a natural and his dad was grooming him to be a champion. Kyle and his dad had come to Juliet’s rescue when she’d found her mother lying on the kitchen floor with a gruesome open fracture. Rabbit had passed out but she was breathing loudly so Juliet knew she wasn’t dead. Juliet had felt panic rising but she battled it. She knew what to do. She’d rung the ambulance, then run over to Charlie, who had been clipping the hedge when she’d
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