Roxy turned to Giles. ‘My man Giles, you sure coke is your drug of choice? And not sex? Just saying.
‘As for you.’ Roxy addressed Dennis. ‘Too much ha-ha-ha hee-hee-hee.’ She held up her hand. ‘Don’t. I am so over you.’
Dennis’s belly laugh was no surprise, but a sliver of pain was audible.
‘Harlie. You’re breaking my heart. Yes, you’re an alcoholic, yes, it sucks. But deal with it. Stop. Being. So angry.’
Harlie flat-eyed her.
‘Oh, honey, it’s okay,’ Roxy said. ‘My soul hurt when I got that I could never make the drink and drugs work for me again. But what I remember now is how shit I felt all the time – waking up in a stranger’s apartment, not knowing if it was morning or evening. Living that way was such hard work.’
‘Won’t you miss drinking?’ Harlie blurted out.
Roxy shrugged. ‘Been there, done that, got the DUI. It’s over, baby. My choices are I stay clean and sober or … I say goodbye to any kind of good life.’
‘If I can’t drink again, my life is over. I’ll never enjoy myself again.’
‘How much were you enjoying yourself, though?’
‘Oh my God, stop! You’re worse than Rachel!’
Roxy gave her a sympathetic smile, then turned to Ella. ‘Soooooo.’ Roxy made a steepling gesture with her hands. I really approved of what she was doing with the small amount of power she had. ‘I look at you and I think – a person who stands for everything stands for nothing.’
‘Whatnow?’ Ella’s voice shook.
‘You’re so, “Oh please like me, please love me. I’m your friend, hey, I’m your friend too.”’
What Ella did next would be very interesting. If she played along with Roxy, it was a bad sign.
Happily, though, she reacted. ‘Excuse me, Roxy? You’re what? An alcoholic? And addicted to weed? No judgement, but who are you to think you know me? I shouldn’t even be here.’
Roxy laughed and several of the others gave knowing smirks.
‘I shouldn’t,’ Ella insisted. ‘No offence, you all seem cool –’
There was another exchange of glances.
‘Yeah.’ Ella was snippy. ‘Whatever.’
‘Ella,’ I said. ‘Can you tell us about the three cards of sleeping tablets which Priya found sewn under the lining of your handbag the morning you arrived?’
The blood drained from her face. Even her lips were white. She cleared her throat. ‘But why didn’t you –’
I hadn’t mentioned it until now, so she’d decided I didn’t know. But we all knew everything.
‘If you’re not an addict, Ella, why would you need to smuggle in sleeping pills?’
‘… I was … afraid I wouldn’t sleep in here. That’s all.’ She stumbled through her explanation. ‘It’s hard at the best of times since I was attacked. I thought it would be even tougher in a strange bed.’
‘How have you managed these past four nights?’ I asked.
‘Oh. Okay, I suppose.’
‘According to Moze and Hector, you’ve been sleeping fine.’
‘Were they spying on me?’
‘Yes.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Yes. You’re in rehab. That’s how it works.’
Momentarily, she looked confused, lost even, then she turned away.
A text had arrived from Claire. Call me. URGENTLY.
What now?
With shaky hands, I hit her number and she answered immediately.
‘Kate?’ she gasped. ‘Luke’s nephew?’
‘Yes …’
‘What’s he like? Nice? Kind? As sexy as Luke?’
Jesus Christ.
‘Is it too soon to invite him for dinner?’
‘Yes, Claire, yes.’
‘I’ll get some dates from them. Would you like to come?’
‘… No. Thank you.’
‘You don’t? Okay, grand. Does he eat shellfish?’
‘Bye, Claire.’
23
‘Hi.’ Quin, wearing an apron and a tea towel slung over his shoulder, gave me a distracted kiss. ‘You haven’t seen the tahini?’
I hadn’t seen the tahini and I planned to keep it that way. I enjoyed cooking but Quin was making one of his needlessly complicated dinners and only a fool would get involved.
I had to tell him about Luke’s visit and phone calls, but now wasn’t the time, not when Quin was charring aubergines and generally stressing about making a dinner elaborate enough to impress his ex-wife.