Ashley didn’t answer for a moment. Then she removed her hand from his back and placed it around the locket on her chest. “Rita told us that decades of Rose’s hate and anger were inside this locket and that it has power. I used it as a weapon and sent it back at Rose.”
Jude kind of understood. It was clear that the locket had power – he had seen it when Ashley had destroyed Ricky’s hand – but its main ability seemed to be hurting people. “Maybe you should take it off now.”
She nodded. “As soon as we’re out of here and safe, it’s the first thing I’ll be doing. I can feel it on me. It’s like having a hot coal against my skin.”
“It’s evil,” said Jude.
“Maybe, but it saved our butts, so I’m keeping it until I know we’re outta the woods.” She nudged him and smiled. “Get it? Outta the woods.”
He grinned, but he couldn’t manage a chuckle. “So what do you think comes next?”
“Probably the worst telling off of our lives followed by a lifetime grounding. The police, my dad, your mum; they’re going to rip us to shreds.”
“I’m not looking forward to any of it. It’s going to suck, big time.”
She put her hand back under his T-shirt and rubbed. “Yep, but then it’ll be over. They can’t punish us forever, and whatever happens, you and I will always know the truth. Nobody is ever going to keep us apart, Jude. One down, two down.”
He nodded. “One down, two down.”
“I think I see the footpath. Thank God. Let’s put this place behind us.”
“Yeah. I’m starving. Maybe we can manage to get something to eat before the police find us.”
Ashley smirked at him. “I bet we can.”
The police found them as soon as they left the woods.
Chapter Nineteen
Jude lay back in Ashley’s bed and stared at the ceiling. It was the last day of summer and school started tomorrow. With everything that had happened, he was more than thrilled to go back. Suddenly, maths lessons and Shakespeare were more enticing than they’d ever been. He couldn’t wait to be bored.
In the ten days since they’d dealt with Rose, things had first got worse and then slowly got better. PC Riaz questioned them relentlessly about Lily Barnes, popping by each morning to get answers. No one had seen the girl in over a week, and no body had been located. Her family was on the warpath, and they wouldn’t stop until they drew blood. Ashley and Jude did everything they could to stay out of the family’s way, and fortunately, the police hadn’t shared their names. If it ever got out that he and Ashley were the ones who had reported Lily’s death, though, they would probably have to go into hiding.
As much as PC Riaz had been left irritated, confused, and eventually angry, he could not find any evidence of a crime. In the end, he had given both Ashley and Jude an official caution, and threatened them with a full-on prosecution if he heard one more word about a farmhouse in the woods. Funnily enough, the farmhouse itself no longer existed. Zosimus Sphere, the company that owned it, had moved in with equipment to flatten it. Jude hadn’t gone into the woods, but there were caterpillar tracks all the way through it where a bulldozer had driven in, and he had seen the bricks and timbers being removed by a tractor and trailer.
The saddest part of the last week and a half was when Jude had opened the local paper and read about a freak incident in the posh part of town. A ninety-six-year-old woman had suffered a heart attack at the exact same moment as her forty-year-old grandson. Neighbours found them both dead, lying side by side.
Peter and Rita Glendale, just two more casualties from Jude and Ashley’s actions.
Jude struggled with the guilt more than Ashley did. In fact, a weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders, and she was happier and more confident than ever. She kept reminding him that Rose was the only person to blame for what had happened, and that they’d had no way of knowing the consequences when Lily and Ricky had chased them into the woods. He knew she was right, but he still kept thinking about all the misery their actions had caused.
Ashley entered her bedroom and sat on the bed beside Jude. He’d been waiting while she took a shower, and they planned on watching a film together. Then they were going to have an early night, ready for school. She leant over him now in only a bath towel. Her dark hair was wet and dripping. “What you thinking about?” she asked.
He moved up onto his elbows and looked at her. Her face was close to his, uncomfortably so. “Just about school. I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be good to put this summer behind us, don’t you think?”
She shrugged. “It hasn’t been so bad. I feel like we can deal with anything now. People at school won’t know what’s hit ’em once we’re through with them. This is our time now, Jude. No more being pushed around or bullied. I’m done with that. I doubt Ricky would even come near me after what I did to his hand.”
He nodded. “That was… pretty rough. You think his hand will heal?”
“Who gives a shit? He’s never going to mess with us again.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’m just glad you and I are still friends after everything that happened.”
“Friends?” She chuckled. “Is that what you think we are? After everything that happened?”
He frowned, not knowing what she meant, and flinched when she moved her face right up against his. He went to object, but his words were cut off by her tongue probing into his mouth.
She’s kissing me. Ashley is kissing me.
He was deeply uncomfortable for a moment, but then something took over him. All of a sudden, they were
