“He’s purring, though,” Simi said. “He was purring most all night. That means he’s happy.”
“You let him sleep with you? An’ he stayed the night?” Cotter sounded amazed. “Looks like you’re his chosen, then. That cat never sleeps with anyone. Truth is, I don’t know where he gets himself off to at night.”
“Where’s Peach, then, Mr. Cotter?” she asked. “Tani, you need to find Peach so we’ll both have someone an’ we can snuggle with them.”
Excited barking gave them the answer. It came from above stairs. What followed it was the ringing of the front door’s bell. What followed that was rapid knocking on the door.
Cotter said to them, “You two stay right there. Lemme see what’s what.”
Off he went up the stairs and soon enough Peach had stopped barking, which had to mean that the dog was busily sniffing someone’s ankles and shoes or that Mr. Cotter had sent the person away. Simi had allowed Alaska to leap onto the floor and came to Tani, her eyes dark and fearful. The cat disappeared from the kitchen, cat door flapping as he went into the garden.
Then there were footsteps on the stairs and Mr. Cotter was saying, “—just in the kitchen with me.”
The response was a fervent “Thanks to God,” and Tani recognised his mother’s voice.
Simi barely had time to say “It’s Mummy!” before Monifa was with them and Simi was running to her. She flung her arms round Monifa’s waist and hung there, looking up at their mother with undiluted joy.
Monifa’s gaze sought Tani. She said, “They phoned me. Thanks to God, at least they phoned me.”
“What’s—”
She cut Tani off with, “They have released him. They told me he spent the night and was no longer a threat to any of us. But how can they say this? They do not know him. They know only what he tells them and they see only how he acts when he is with them. But now he will come here, and nothing will stop him.”
“Lemme ring the coppers,” Mr. Cotter said. “He c’n show up. But he’s not getting into this house.”
“No!” Monifa cried. “Please. It will not matter. He will bide his time. He will come again. You must let me . . . Simisola, you must come with me. Tani, you must remain. You must speak with him so that he thinks Simi is here and you will not let him see her. But she will not be here. She will be in Brixton with me and with Sergeant Nkata’s family. Tani, will you do this? Please. Will you do this? After yesterday, what he might do now . . . Simi must not be here. He must not discover where she is.”
Tani nodded wordlessly. He felt fear grip him. He didn’t want to believe Abeo would try another time to invade their safety, but he knew his father. In addition to his unaltered plans for Simisola, there were scores he would want to settle with Tani.
“Mum, how will you—” he began.
“I have a taxi,” she told him. “Simi, we must leave at once.”
“But I got to go upstairs and get my—”
“There is no time, Simisola. Tani will bring your belongings later. You must come with me now.”
Simi looked imploringly from Tani to Cotter and back to Tani. He said to her, “Go with Mum, Squeak. I’ll bring anything you want later.”
She ran to him then and hugged him. She did the same to Mr. Cotter. Then she clasped Monifa’s extended hand and Monifa took her quickly up the stairs. Tani followed.
Before his mother opened the door, Tani stepped in front of her. He said, “Let me check. If he’s out there and he sees you . . . and he sees Simi . . .”
“Yes,” Monifa said. “Yes, yes. Please.”
Tani opened the door. The taxi—a minicab, not a black taxi—waited in the street. He went to it. He looked in every direction, even up into the trees. His father was nowhere in sight. He gestured to his mother and she hustled Simisola out of the house and down the steps. She urged Simisola into the car and got in after her. Then she said to Tani through the open window, “You are the best of sons. But you must be careful. You must not let him into this house. He wants to hurt you, Tani.”
Tani’s hand was on the base of the window. She took it and kissed it and pressed it to her cheek. Then, releasing it, she said to the driver. “Please go quickly. As quick as you can.”
The vehicle drove off, to the end of Cheyne Row before it paused for a break in the traffic, then turned left and disappeared from view.
ISLE OF DOGS
EAST LONDON