asked, either about the miners’ benefit or why she’d felt compelled to put together a bag of treats for a kid she barely knew.
As Clare approached the door to Amy’s flat, she could hear music. Amy was singing along, loud and unabashed, to Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time . Clare grinned as she rapped on the knocker and the singing stopped abruptly. The dog began his automatic barking. Amy didn’t come to the door. Clare lingered for a moment or two, then knocked again. She could hear the dog snuffling just on the other side of the door. She leaned towards the letterbox and spoke into it. “Amy, it’s Clare. Are you okay?”
The door opened immediately and Amy squeezed herself out of it, pushing the dog back inside.
Clare thought Amy looked even more scruffy than usual. Her hair was even more dishevelled and she’d obviously been picking at some scabs on her arms.
“Course I am, why?” Amy’s gaze travelled to the carrier bag, with a kid’s sixth sense that there was something in it for her. “You doing a story tonight?”
“Not here, but I thought I’d bring you this.”
Clare held out the bag and Amy grabbed it and pushed her face inside. “Wow. Thanks!” She pulled out a handful of sweets and the copy of Smash Hits. “No way!”
“I didn’t know if you like any of those bands. It’s got George Michael in it and…”
“I like everyone, just about,” said Amy, riffling through the rest of the bag. “The charts is my favourite thing. This is so brilliant. What’s it for?”
“It was your last day at school today, right?”
Amy paused. “Oh. Yeah, that’s right.”
“You didn’t go to school today, did you?” Clare asked.
Amy smiled and shrugged. “Not really.”
“Not at all?”
Amy shook her head. “Thanks for this though. Can we go get chips or something?”
Clare glanced at the door. “Is your mum not around?” She resisted the word ‘again’.
The girl unwrapped a tube of sticky, melting Rolos. “Can you keep a secret?”
“That depends what it is, Amy.”
“You have to promise or I can’t tell you.”
Clare promised, knowing she shouldn’t.
“She didn’t come home last night.”
“Your mum?” Clare’s stomach clenched. “She was away all night? Is that why you didn’t go to school?”
“I never woke up in time.”
“Right.” Clare felt out of her depth. “So have you had, I don’t know, breakfast and lunch and stuff?”
“I had Sugar Puffs. We never had any milk though.”
“Dry cereal, that’s all?” Clare sighed. “Okay, let’s go get something right now. And Amy, your mum. Do you know where she is?”
Amy followed Clare down the stone steps and across the bare courtyard that fronted the blocks of flats. “No. But she’ll turn up tonight, probably. She always comes back in the end.”
“Always?” Clare repeated.
There were groups of kids hanging about. Even the idea of a killer roaming around wouldn’t stop them from playing outside on the first evening of the school holidays. And there had to be safety in numbers, although Clare noticed that a couple of mums were sitting on a wall, smoking and chatting but keeping a casual eye on the children. Parents’ faces kept appearing at the windows and glancing out, in a way that wouldn’t have happened before Jamie died. Amy linked arms with Clare as they walked past the others, showing her off.
Clare got into the driver’s side of the Mini and pushed open the passenger door for Amy. “Are you saying she does this quite often? Goes away and leaves you on your own?”
Amy put a grimy finger to her lips. “You promised not to tell anyone, remember?”
“I did.” And I’m regretting it, Clare thought. “But you know she shouldn’t be doing that, don’t you? You’re too young to be on your own all night.”
“I’m fine. And I’ve got Max.”
“Who’s Max?”
“My dog, who’d you think? He’d take care of any burglars.”
“Hmm. By slobbering them to death, I
As Clare approached the door to Amy’s flat, she could hear music. Amy was singing along, loud and unabashed, to Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time . Clare grinned as she rapped on the knocker and the singing stopped abruptly. The dog began his automatic barking. Amy didn’t come to the door. Clare lingered for a moment or two, then knocked again. She could hear the dog snuffling just on the other side of the door. She leaned towards the letterbox and spoke into it. “Amy, it’s Clare. Are you okay?”
The door opened immediately and Amy squeezed herself out of it, pushing the dog back inside.
Clare thought Amy looked even more scruffy than usual. Her hair was even more dishevelled and she’d obviously been picking at some scabs on her arms.
“Course I am, why?” Amy’s gaze travelled to the carrier bag, with a kid’s sixth sense that there was something in it for her. “You doing a story tonight?”
“Not here, but I thought I’d bring you this.”
Clare held out the bag and Amy grabbed it and pushed her face inside. “Wow. Thanks!” She pulled out a handful of sweets and the copy of Smash Hits. “No way!”
“I didn’t know if you like any of those bands. It’s got George Michael in it and…”
“I like everyone, just about,” said Amy, riffling through the rest of the bag. “The charts is my favourite thing. This is so brilliant. What’s it for?”
“It was your last day at school today, right?”
Amy paused. “Oh. Yeah, that’s right.”
“You didn’t go to school today, did you?” Clare asked.
Amy smiled and shrugged. “Not really.”
“Not at all?”
Amy shook her head. “Thanks for this though. Can we go get chips or something?”
Clare glanced at the door. “Is your mum not around?” She resisted the word ‘again’.
The girl unwrapped a tube of sticky, melting Rolos. “Can you keep a secret?”
“That depends what it is, Amy.”
“You have to promise or I can’t tell you.”
Clare promised, knowing she shouldn’t.
“She didn’t come home last night.”
“Your mum?” Clare’s stomach clenched. “She was away all night? Is that why you didn’t go to school?”
“I never woke up in time.”
“Right.” Clare felt out of her depth. “So have you had, I don’t know, breakfast and lunch and stuff?”
“I had Sugar Puffs. We never had any milk though.”
“Dry cereal, that’s all?” Clare sighed. “Okay, let’s go get something right now. And Amy, your mum. Do you know where she is?”
Amy followed Clare down the stone steps and across the bare courtyard that fronted the blocks of flats. “No. But she’ll turn up tonight, probably. She always comes back in the end.”
“Always?” Clare repeated.
There were groups of kids hanging about. Even the idea of a killer roaming around wouldn’t stop them from playing outside on the first evening of the school holidays. And there had to be safety in numbers, although Clare noticed that a couple of mums were sitting on a wall, smoking and chatting but keeping a casual eye on the children. Parents’ faces kept appearing at the windows and glancing out, in a way that wouldn’t have happened before Jamie died. Amy linked arms with Clare as they walked past the others, showing her off.
Clare got into the driver’s side of the Mini and pushed open the passenger door for Amy. “Are you saying she does this quite often? Goes away and leaves you on your own?”
Amy put a grimy finger to her lips. “You promised not to tell anyone, remember?”
“I did.” And I’m regretting it, Clare thought. “But you know she shouldn’t be doing that, don’t you? You’re too young to be on your own all night.”
“I’m fine. And I’ve got Max.”
“Who’s Max?”
“My dog, who’d you think? He’d take care of any burglars.”
“Hmm. By slobbering them to death, I
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