Part 17 (1/2)

Dull cream walls and a tiny window, the room was small and inst.i.tutional. Sylvie was sitting on a plastic chair. The police had been kind, had offered them tea and access to a doctor. They had been in another room, carpeted and furnished with soft chairs and with pictures on the walls. Now though she was alone. Lennie was probably in a similar little box elsewhere in the station. The detective had been gentle but firm, they needed statements and to do it the girls had to be separate. They hadn't left them alone since the flat and so she was out on a limb. There was no way to know what Lennie was telling them and so she would have to make her own way now.

The door opened and Detective Bailey walked in flanked by a constable in uniform.

”h.e.l.lo again Sylvie.” He threw a plastic file onto the table and dragged up a chair. ”Are you okay?”

She nodded.

”Well, you have been leading us a bit of a dance haven't you?” He tipped his head to one side, he wasn't threatening but she couldn't trust him, couldn't trust herself. She tried to swallow but her throat was parched.

”Can I have a drink, some water?”

”Of course. Constable, would you?...”

”Are you better now?”

”Thanks, yes.”

”Okay. Where do we start? Well, why don't you tell me why you ran? I don't understand at all. You were so concerned, in the hospital, distraught really and then you just left him, Samuel. We can't make any sense of it.”

”Is he okay, Samuel?”

”He's not doing badly at all. He's out of the woods anyway.”

”Has he mentioned me?”

”No, he hasn't and this is where it is all so very confusing. You told us you were an item. The landlady at the hotel said you were like 'Love's young dream' her words! But he doesn't remember you and you left him in intensive care fighting to live. Doesn't really gel now does it?”

Sylvie shook her head. She had to manage this, had to fas.h.i.+on a history to fit with what had happened. She coughed.

”I know, I know. I think maybe I was a bit, well you know, over enthusiastic. I was so worried about him and I thought if I told you we had only just got together you wouldn't let me stay.”

”Okay. So why not tell me all about it and then we can maybe move on?”

”Yes, yes I will. He gave me a lift, I told you I met him in a bar and it's true. I wanted to come here and he gave me a lift. It started then but...” here she shrugged and gave a little grin. ”Well you know, he was nice, really kind and we were in the car for a long time. We had to stay overnight in it. Well, do I need to spell it out?”

”No, probably not. How long were you together then?”

”A few days that's all. But he was so nice and then he brought me here, well he was bringing me. He's got a house, in the Lakes and we stayed there and then he said he'd bring me here, I wanted to visit Liverpool. Anyway, the car broke down, he had to leave it on the motorway, we hitched in a truck and then we found the hotel.”

”The man you shot?”

”I don't know, I really don't.” Here she knotted her fingers together. Writhing and twisting on the table top they silently witnessed her anxiety. Her shoulders were hunched she was a picture of misery and fear.

”We went into town, it was nice and we had a good time. Then we went back to the room and that man was there. I didn't understand any of it. I don't know if Samuel knew him but anyway, oh G.o.d. It all got out of hand and he shot Samuel, he beat me up and I thought he was going to rape me. I shot him, I told you didn't I? already, I told you I shot him. Will I go to jail. Am I a murderer?”

”If you don't think Samuel knew the man why do you think he was there, in the room?”

”I don't know, I honestly don't know.”

The detective sighed. ”These other men, the ones from today in Lennie's flat. Who are they?”

”You'll have to ask Lennie. I don't know about them. Lennie's lovely she helped me but those men have been following her and I just got mixed up in it. Is Lennie okay?”

”She's fine. She's being very helpful. I think the things she knows are going to be very important. You though, you don't know anything about Si and Mo, where they came from or who they are.”

”Oh yes I know, I know they were animals, I know that no matter what I'm glad we hurt them, I wish they were both dead not just one of them. Oh yes I know them.”

She simply shook her head and shrugged.

”Okay, I think that'll do for the moment anyway. Are you okay, do you need anything?”

”I'm all right. What's going to happen to me though, am I going to jail?”

”Well, let's just say that if your mate Lennie has anything to do with it neither of you will be going anywhere near a jail.”

He smiled at her now and left her on her own in an agony of worry in the plain little place. She was cut off from the world, separated from her friend and, she knew now, totally divorced from any sort of life with Samuel. She sat back against the hard plastic. Maybe it didn't matter, she'd had so very little to lose, if Lennie could work things to their advantage, if she could stay out of jail, so many questions but at the end of the day she could do little about it and she was tired and dispirited and so there was nothing to do but wait...

Chapter 61.

Lennie swung around and dragged Sylvie into a great hug. The other girl grinned back, her eyes glittered as she peered around in disbelief at the glorious suns.h.i.+ne, the row of palm trees and the unbelievably blue arch of sky.

”I can't believe it, I really can't. Are we really in Spain, honestly Spain?”

”I know, I know. Hey that guy there has my name on a board.”

”No, he doesn...” here they dissolved into slightly hysterical giggles. Hanging on to each other they approached the taxi driver.