‘Leave me alone,’ Mrs Hadley hissed at her. ‘When I needed your help, you didn’t give it.’
‘I . . . what…?’ And only then did Meggie realize what she’d done. Mrs Hadley had obviously used Meggie as an alibi for the previous night and Meggie had been too slow to pick up on what Kamal Hadley had really been asking her.
Meggie’s hand dropped back to her side. ‘I think I should get back to work . . .’
‘Yes, I think that would be best.’ Mrs Hadley’s look was venomous before she turned and walked back into the house.
Meggie turned around. Callum and Sephy were still playing at the other end of the vast garden, oblivious to everything that had just happened. She stood and watched them, trying to capture for herself some small part of their pure joy in each other. She needed something good to hold on to. But even the distant sound of their laughter couldn’t dampen down the deep sense of foreboding creeping through her. What would happen now?
That night, Meggie sat at the table sewing patches over the patches in Jude’s school trousers.
‘Meggie, I’m sure you’re worrying about nothing,’ Ryan, her husband sighed.
‘Ryan, you didn’t see the look on her face. I did.’ Meggie bit off the thread and picked up another patch. Jude’s school trousers were more patch than original material.
The phone started to ring. Meggie picked it up before the first ring had even died away.
‘Hello?’
‘Meggie McGregor?’
‘That’s right.’ Meggie’s sewing fell unheeded to her feet.
‘It’s Sarah Pike here . . .’
Meggie couldn’t help but notice the apology already in her voice. ‘How are you, Sarah?’
‘Fine, er . . . OK. Look, I’ve got some bad news . . .’
Meggie nodded slowly. ‘I’m listening.’
Sarah gave an embarrassed cough before she continued. ‘Mrs Hadley has asked me to inform you that . . . that your services at the Hadley household will no longer be required. She will pay you four weeks’ wages in lieu of proper notice, plus give you a good reference.’
Meggie’s blood turned to ice water in her veins. Whatever else she’d been expecting, it wasn’t this. Heaven only knew it wasn’t this.
‘She’s . . . she’s really sacking me?’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I see.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ Sarah’s voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Between you and me, I think it’s grossly unfair.’
From one nought to another . . .
‘It’s OK, Sarah. It’s not your fault,’ Meggie replied.
She looked across at Ryan. His expression grew harder and tighter by degrees. Let him get upset. Let him be angry. All she could feel was . . . nothing. A nothing that went way beyond the numbness enveloping every part of her body.
‘Sorry, Meggie,’ Sarah said again.
‘That’s OK. Thanks for letting me know. Bye, Sarah.’
‘Bye.’
Meggie put down the phone. The clock on the TV counted out the silent moments that passed. ‘That’s the end of Jude’s education,’ she sighed at last.
‘But we promised him we’d pay for him to carry on at school,’ Ryan said, aghast.
‘Pay with what?’ Meggie rounded on her husband. ‘The leaves off the trees? The hairs off our legs? What?’
‘We’ll find a way . . .’
‘How? We’re barely managing to survive as it was. What will we do without my wages coming in? Jude will have to forget about school. He’ll have to go out to work.’
‘You’ll get another job,’ Ryan tried.
‘Not with another Cross family I won’t. D’you really think Mrs Hadley will stand idly by whilst I get another job with one of her friends?’
There was dawning horror on Ryan’s face as he realized what his wife meant.
‘Yes, exactly,’ Meggie sighed.
She stood up and moved to sit next to her husband on the old sofa in front of the fire. Ryan put his arm around her. They sat in silence for a long, long time.
‘Ryan, we’re in trouble,’ Meggie said at last.
‘I know,’ Ryan replied.
Meggie jumped to her feet, her expression hard and determined. ‘I’m going to see her.’
‘What’re you talking about?’ Ryan frowned.
‘I’ve worked for that woman for fourteen years, ever since she was pregnant with her daughter Minerva. Seeing me is the very least she can do.’
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea . . .’ Ryan’s frown deepened.
‘Ryan, I need to get my job back. And if I have to beg, then so be it,’ Meggie insisted, pulling on her coat. Her expression was now so hard, it might’ve been carved in granite.
‘No, Meggie . . .’
‘I don’t like it any more than you do, but we have no choice.’ Meggie didn’t wait for any further argument. She headed out of the door.
Ryan watched his wife leave the house. No good would come of this. He could feel it.
Two hours later, Meggie was back.
And that was the night that Lynette disappeared . . .
THREE YEARS LATER . . .
Callum And Sephy
one. Sephy
I wriggled my toes, enjoying the feel of the warm sand trickling like fine baby powder between them. Digging my feet even deeper into the dry, yellow-white sand, I tilted back my head. It was such a beautiful August afternoon. Nothing bad could ever happen on a day like today. And what made it even better was the fact that I could share it – something rare and special in itself, as I knew only too well. I turned to the boy next to me, my face about to split wide open from the smile on it.
‘Can I kiss you?’
My smile faded. I stared at my best friend. ‘Pardon?’
‘Can I kiss you?’
‘What on earth for?’
‘Just to see what it’s like,’ Callum replied.
Yeuk! I mean, yeuk!! I wrinkled up my nose – I couldn’t help it. Kissing! Why on earth would Callum want to do anything so . . . so feeble?
‘Do you really want to?’ I asked.
Callum shrugged. ‘Yeah, I do.’
‘Oh, all right then.’ I wrinkled up my nose again at the prospect. ‘But make it fast!’
Callum turned to kneel beside
