‘The police found him last night.’
‘They probably had him in a cell,’ James said.
Rachel smiled. ‘I sensed that the two of you don’t get on when I spoke to him last night.’
‘You spoke to Ron?’
‘Yes … Do you get on well with Lauren?’
‘Mostly,’ James said. ‘We row ten times a day, but we always have a laugh.’
‘Ron was still married to your mum when she died, even though they lived apart. Ron is Lauren’s father, so he gets automatic custody of her if he wants it.’
‘We can’t live with Ron. He’s a bum.’
‘James, Ron has very strong feelings that Lauren shouldn’t be taken into care. He’s her father. There’s nothing we can do to stop him unless there is a history of abuse. The thing is, James …’
James fitted the pieces together for himself.
‘He doesn’t want me, does he?’
‘I’m sorry.’
James looked down at the floor, trying not to get upset.
Being in care was bad. But Lauren getting stuck with Ron was worse.
Rachel walked around her desk. She put her arm round him. ‘I’m so sorry, James.’
James wondered why Ron even wanted Lauren. ‘How long can we stay together?’
‘Ron said he’d come in later this morning.’
‘Can’t we stay together for a few days?’
‘This might seem hard to understand now, James, but delaying the separation will make things worse. You’ll still be able to visit each other.’
‘He won’t look after her properly. Mum does all the washing and stuff. Lauren’s scared of the dark. She can’t go to school on her own. Ron won’t help her. He’s useless.’
‘Try not to worry, James. We’ll make regular visits to see that Lauren settles into her new home. If she’s not properly looked after, something will be done.’
‘So what happens to me? Am I stuck here?’
‘Until we find you a foster home. That means you go and live with a family that takes in children like you for a few months at a time. There’s also a chance that you’ll be adopted, which means another couple will look after you permanently, exactly as if they were your real parents.’
‘How long does all that take?’ James asked.
‘We’re short of foster families at the moment. A few months at least. Perhaps you should spend some time with your sister before Ron comes.’
James went back to the bedroom. He gently nudged Lauren awake. She came round slowly, sitting up and picking sleep out of the corners of her eyes.
‘What’s this?’ Lauren asked. ‘Hospital?’
‘Children’s home.’
‘My head aches,’ Lauren said slowly. ‘I feel all queasy.’
‘You remember last night?’
‘I remember you telling me Mum died, and waiting for the ambulance to come. I must have fallen asleep.’
‘They had to give you an injection to calm you down. The nurse said you’d feel weird when you woke up.’
‘Are we staying here?’
‘Ron’s coming to pick you up later.’
‘Just me?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I think I’m gonna spew,’ Lauren said.
She covered her mouth. James sprang back, not wanting to get sprayed. ‘There’s a toilet in there,’ he said, pointing.
Lauren dashed into the bathroom. James heard her throwing up. She coughed for a bit, then flushed the toilet. It went quiet for a minute. James knocked.
‘You OK? Can I come in?’
Lauren didn’t answer. James stuck his head round the door. Lauren was crying.
‘What’s my life gonna be like living with Dad?’ she sobbed.
James wrapped his arms round his sister. Her breath smelled like puke, but James didn’t care. Lauren had always just been there. James had never realised how much he’d miss her if she was gone.
Lauren calmed down a bit and had a shower. She couldn’t face breakfast so they sat in the games room. All the other kids had gone to school.
The time until Uncle Ron arrived was painful. James wanted to say something amazing to cheer her up and make things right. Lauren looked down at the floor, banging her Reeboks on the chair leg.
Ron arrived with an ice cream. Lauren said she didn’t want it, but took it anyway. She wasn’t in any state to argue. James tried not to cry in front of Ron. Lauren was so choked up she couldn’t talk.
‘If you want to see Lauren, here’s the number,’ Ron said.
He handed James a scrap of paper.
‘I’m having the flat cleared,’ Ron said. ‘I spoke to the social worker outside, they’re taking you round later. Any of your crap still there on Friday goes in the rubbish.’
James couldn’t believe Ron was acting nasty on a day like this.
‘You killed her,’ James said. ‘You brought all that drink to the flat.’
‘I didn’t force it down her throat,’ Ron said. ‘And don’t get your hopes up about seeing Lauren very often.’
James felt like he was about to explode. ‘When I’m big enough I’ll kill you,’ he said. ‘I swear to god.’
Ron laughed. ‘I’m quaking in my boots. Hopefully some of the bigger lads here will knock some manners into you. It’s about time somebody did.’
Ron grabbed Lauren’s hand and took her away.
5. SAFE
James racked up the pool balls and blasted the white into them. It didn’t matter where the balls went. He only wanted a distraction from the awful stuff going around his head. He’d been playing for hours when a jug-eared twenty-something introduced himself.
‘Kevin McHugh. Dogsbody, former inmate.’ He laughed. ‘I mean resident, of course.’
‘Hey,’ James said, not in the mood for jokes.
‘Let’s get your stuff.’
They walked outside to a minibus.
‘I heard about your mum, James. That’s tough.’ Kevin craned his neck, looking for a gap to pull out into the traffic.
‘Thanks, Kevin. You lived here once?’
‘For three years. Dad went down for armed robbery. Mum had a breakdown. I got on all right with all the staff here, so they gave me this job when I turned seventeen.’
‘Is it OK?’ James asked.
‘It’s not a bad place. Look after your stuff though, everything gets nicked. First chance you get, buy a decent padlock and stick it on your locker. Sleep with the key tied around your neck. Don’t even take it off in the bath. If you’ve got cash we’ll get you a lock on the way back.’
‘Is it rough?’ James asked.
‘You’ll be OK. You look like you can stand up for yourself. There’s a few hard cases same as anywhere, just don’t wind them up is all.’
*
The flat was a tip. A lot of valuable stuff had disappeared. The TV, video and hi-fi were gone from the living room. The telephone was gone in the hall and the microwave from the kitchen.
‘What happened?’ Kevin asked. ‘Was it like this last night?’
‘I half-expected this,’ James said. ‘Ron’s been here and stripped the place. I hope he’s left my stuff alone.’
James ran upstairs to his room. His TV, video and computer were gone.
‘I’ll stab him,’ he screamed.
James kicked his wardrobe door. At least Ron had left the Playstation 2 and most other stuff. Kevin came in.
‘You’re not gonna be able to take all this,’ Kevin said, looking at the piles of stuff. ‘Your mum must have been loaded.’
‘We’d better take as much as we can. Ron says the house is being cleared Friday.’
James had a thought. He asked Kevin to start packing his clothes in bin-liners and went to his mum’s room. Ron had taken the portable TV and the jewellery box from the dressing table, but that was no biggie because Ron had stolen all the good jewellery years ago.
James opened his mum’s wardrobe and looked at her safe. There were thousands in
side. Gwen Choke was a criminal; she couldn’t keep money in the bank without people wanting to know where it came from. Judging by the tools on the carpet and the scratches around the safe door, Ron had made a fairly pathetic attempt to get in. He’d be back with better equipment.
James knew he’d never break open the safe. When it was delivered it took three guys to carry it up the stairs. There was no key; you dialled a combination of numbers with the big knob on the front. The only clue James had was that one time he’d walked in and surprised his mum while she was unlocking it. She’d been holding a Danielle Steele novel and it made sense that she would hide the combination inside the kind of book he and Ron wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. But what if she’d changed the combination since then? It was James’ only chance to beat Ron to the money, so he was at least going to try.
Gwen had a handful of novels on a shelf over her bed. James found the Danielle Steele and flicked through the pages.
‘Are you all right in there, James?’ Kevin shouted from the other bedroom.
James was so tense he flew about a metre up in the air and dropped the book.
‘Fine,’ James shouted.
He picked the open book off the floor. There was a set of numbers written in the margin on the page in front of him. The book must have been opened to the same page hundreds of times. It sprung to the right place as soon as he let go. James felt luck was on his side for the first time in days. He scooted across the carpet and dialled in the numbers: 262, 118, 320, 145, 077. He grabbed the handle. Nothing happened. It wasn’t going to work. The thought of Uncle Ron getting his hands on the money made James gag.
Then he noticed a sticker under the dial with instructions on how to use the safe. He read the first instruction:
(1) Dial the first number of the combination by turning the dial in an anti-clockwise direction.
James hadn’t realised that the direction you turned the dial made any difference. He dialled in the first number and carried on reading:
(2) Dial the subsequent four numbers by turning the dial as follows: clockwise, anti-clockwise, anti-clockwise and clockwise. Failure to observe this procedure will result in non-operation of the mechanism.
He dialled the first four numbers.
‘What are you playing at?’ Kevin asked.
James spun around. Kevin was standing in the doorway. Luckily the open wardrobe door stopped him seeing the safe. Kevin seemed nice, but James was sure any adult who found out about the safe would make him give the contents either to the police or to Uncle Ron.
‘Looking for stuff,’ James said, convinced he sounded suspicious.
‘Come and help me pack, James. I don’t know what you want.’
‘I’ll be out in a minute,’ James said. ‘I’m just looking for photo albums.’
‘Do you want me to help you look for them?’
‘No,’ James said, practically squealing.
‘We’ve got fifteen minutes,’ Kevin said. ‘I’ve got to do a school run in an hour.’
Kevin finally went back to the other room. James dialled in the fifth number. The safe made a satisfying click. He read the third instruction before he pulled on the handle and couldn’t help smiling:
(3) For security purposes, this sticker should be removed once you are familiar with the unit.
James swung the heavy door open. The inside of the safe was surprisingly small because the metal lining was so thick. There were four tall piles of cash inside and a tiny envelope. James took a bin-liner and shoved the money in. He tucked the envelope into his pocket.
James imagined Ron’s face when he walked in and saw the safe open. Then he thought of something even better. He peeled the instruction sticker from the safe door and put it and the Danielle Steele novel inside. As a final touch, to make Ron extra mad, James took a framed picture of himself from his mum’s bedside cabinet and stood it inside the safe so it would be the first thing Ron saw when he eventually broke it open. James shut the door, gave the dial a spin and replaced the tools exactly how Ron had left them.
*
James was in a slightly better mood when he walked back to his bedroom holding the cash. The room looked bare. Kevin had bagged up all the clothes and bedding that was usually strewn over the floor.
‘I found the photo albums,’ James said.
‘Good. But I’m afraid you’re gonna have to make some sacrifices, James. All you’ve got in Nebraska House is one wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a locker.’
James started hunting through the toys and junk on the floor. He was surprised how little he cared about most of his stuff. He wanted his Playstation 2, mobile phone and portable CD player, but that was about it. Everything else was toys and stuff that he’d grown out of. The annoying thing was, Ron had taken his TV so he had nothing to use the Playstation on.
Kevin crouched down looking at a Sega Dreamcast and a Nintendo Gamecube.
‘Don’t you want these?’ Kevin asked.
‘I only use the Playstation 2,’ James said. ‘Take them if you want them.’
‘I can’t take gifts from residents.’
James kicked the consoles into the middle of the floor.
‘I don’t want my stepdad to get the money from selling them. I’m not taking them with me. If you don’t take them, I’ll trash ’em.’
Kevin didn’t know what to say. James slammed the heel of his trainer into the Sega. Surprisingly little happened, so he picked it up and threw it at the wall. The case smashed. It slid down the wall and dropped behind the bed. Kevin quickly bent down and rescued the Gamecube.
‘OK, James, I tell you what. I’ll take your Gamecube and the games and in return I’ll buy your padlock for you on the drive back. Is that a deal?’
‘Fair enough,’ James said.
*
When they’d packed up the last few things and carried the bin-liners out to the minibus, James had a quick last look into every room of the flat he’d lived in since he was born. By the time he reached the front door he had tears on his face.
Kevin tapped the horn of the minibus. He’d already started the engine. James ignored him and went back one last time. He couldn’t leave the flat without a memento of his mum. He rushed upstairs to her room and looked around.
James remembered that when he was a toddler he used to sit at his mum’s dressing table after they’d shared a bath. She’d pull a pyjama top over his head then stand over him and brush his hair. It was before Lauren was born. Just the two of them, feeling tired and smelling of shampoo. James felt warm and sad. He found the battered wooden hairbrush and tucked it into the waistband of his tracksuit bottoms. Once he had the brush it felt easier to leave.
6. HOME
James realised he was stupid. He should have left a bit of cash in the safe. That way Ron would never know he’d been in there. Leaving the photo was a nice gag, but Ron would realise James had taken the money when he saw it. He might try and steal the money back. And if Ron was angry he’d make it ten times harder for James to visit Lauren.
*
Kevin found James a room and showed him the ropes. Like where the washing machines were and where he could get toiletries and stuff, then left him to unpack. The room had a bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe with a locker on each side and two writing desks under the window. The kid who lived on the other side had decorated his wall with Korn and Slipknot posters. There was a skateboard on the floor and boarder clothes hung neatly in the wardrobe: baggy cargos, a hooded top and T-shirts with Pornstar and Gravis logos on them. Whoever James’ roommate was, he looked pretty cool. The other good thing was that the kid had a portable TV on his desk, meaning they could use the Playstation.
James looked at his watch. He reckoned there was about an hour until his room-mate got out of school. James got the cash out of the bin-liner. It was all £50 and £20 notes, separated into bundles by elastic bands. He counted a couple and realised each bundle was £1,000. There were forty-three bundles.
&nbs
p; James thought of a way to hide the money in case Ron came after it. He had a portable cassette radio from the flat. It was wrecked; half the buttons had broken and the tape player didn’t rewind. James had only taken it because Ron had stolen the good one with a CD player on it.
James rummaged through his bags of stuff until he found his Swiss army knife. He picked out the screwdriver and undid the back of his cassette player. The inside was all circuit boards and wires. James worked fast, taking the guts out of the player, unscrewing and snapping plastic, leaving only the bits you could see from the front, like the speaker and the slot where the tape went in. He stuffed all but £4,000 of the cash inside the hole, packing the money tight so it didn’t rattle. He screwed the back on again and slid the radio cassette into his locker.
James took the four odd £1,000 bundles and hid them in obvious places: the back pocket of a pair of jeans, inside a shoe, inside a book. He peeled a hundred off the last bundle to use as walking-around money and taped the rest to the inside of his locker.
The idea was, if Ron tried to break into James’ room he’d find £4,000 easily and never realise there was £39,000 more stuffed inside a cassette radio so crummy looking even Ron wouldn’t steal it.
James filled the locker with the rest of his valuables. He banged it shut and put the padlock key on a cord around his neck. He couldn’t be bothered unpacking anything else. He threw as many bags as he could in the wardrobe and kicked what was left under his bed.
Then he slumped on his bare mattress, staring at the wall. There were hundreds of pin holes and blobs of blu-tack where previous kids had decorated the walls. He wondered what Lauren was doing.
*
Just after four, James’ room-mate, Kyle, came running in. He was a skinny kid, a bit taller than James, wearing school uniform. Kyle slammed the door and tried to get his key in the hole to lock it. James wondered what the hell was going on.
Kyle couldn’t lock the door before another kid rammed it. This kid looked older. Same height as Kyle but twice the width. Kyle jumped on to his bed. The big kid bundled Kyle over and pulled him to the floor. He sat astride him and punched him a couple of times in the arm.