But the folk at the school must have noticed he was missing!
Maybe someone had even seen him going into the Centre.
But would Duncan believe her about finding Dean, that she’d done him no harm? Or would he go straight to the police with what she told him, blowing her alibi out the water? He’d been having doubts, right enough, about her mental health.
Usually, the bonnie drive through Eskdale lifted her spirits and calmed her down at the same time. Now, the fields sweeping down to the river looked all weird in the moonlight, like she’d never seen them before, and the dark hillsides against the lighter sky were spooky humps.
She looked over at Nick.
He smiled at her.
The scenario he’d set up, she supposed, was Maggie investigates a possible break-in at The Phoenix Centre, finds Dean in there and loses her rag. Volatile Maggie – God knows why she was carrying a knife from the kitchen at Sunnyside – stabs the poor lad.
When she turned up the avenue to the house, she immediately saw the police car, the fluorescent markings bright in her headlights. She wanted to throw the car into reverse, but she took a deep breath and went, ‘Is that a police car?’ like it wasn’t obvious. Like they didn’t both know why it was here.
Nick went, ‘Well, I wonder why the police are here? Been up to your old tricks, Mags?’
So the gloves were off. ‘Naw,’ she replied calmly, stopping the car next to the police car by the back door. ‘And I’ve got an alibi to prove it.’
Nick raised his eyebrows.
As they got out of the car, Yvonne came running from the back door, Isla swaddled in her arms. ‘They’re taking him!’ She shoved Isla at Maggie and ran back to the door, where Duncan appeared, his hair rumpled. His hands were handcuffed in front of him, and a big cop had a hold of his arm.
‘What the hell?’ Nick suddenly screamed. ‘No! Dad!?’ He went for the massive policeman, grabbing him, trying to pull him off Duncan.
The other policeman grabbed Nick. ‘Okay, son, okay. We’re just taking your dad to the station to answer some questions.’
‘What questions?’
‘This is all wrong,’ went Maggie.
‘It’s okay.’ Duncan’s gaze bounced from Nick to Maggie. ‘I haven’t done anything. Dean’s been murdered, and they think I had something to do with it because yesterday we had a massive row in the High Street. He went for me and I had to defend myself. I didn’t tell you . . .’ He took a shuddering breath. ‘Didn’t want you to worry about it. It’s the blackmail thing. They think I –’
‘Okay, sir, let’s go.’ The big cop eased Duncan into the back of the car and shut the door on him.
‘But this is ridiculous!’ Nick yelled, struggling in the arms of the other cop. ‘Dad would never hurt anyone! What about her?’ He pointed at Maggie. ‘She’s a headcase. She’s been in prison for assault. Where’s she been tonight?’
Maggie rapped back: ‘In the coffee shop, as you know fine well. Yvonne, could you . . .’ She handed a grizzling Isla over to Yvonne, who carried her back inside. Maggie held the big cop’s gaze, willing him to see sense. ‘You need to look at this one,’ she went in a low voice, not wanting to add to Duncan’s trauma, as she indicated Nick. ‘He’s the one who’s psychotic! You need to process him, get forensics onto him. There’ll be traces on him. He did it. He killed that boy. I want to make a statement.’
‘So do I!’ yelled Nick.
Twenty-four hours later, Maggie and Yvonne sat at the kitchen table, Isla cosy in her carry cot by Maggie’s chair with Bunny tucked in beside her. There was no way Maggie was letting Isla out her sight. After they’d got back from the police station last night, Maggie had gone her dinger at Nick. ‘You’d better not come near me or Isla, or I will use a knife on you, you psychotic little fucker!’
‘Piss off!’ Nick had screamed at her. ‘Piss off, Mags!’ And he’d run off inside. She hadn’t seen him since. If he was going to stay in his room the whole time, that was fine by her.
‘Thanks for staying,’ she said now to Yvonne. ‘I wouldn’t feel safe on my own with him.’
Yvonne waved her thanks away.
After Nick and Maggie’s allegations against each other, they had both undergone fingerprinting and forensic examinations and the clothes they were wearing had been taken away. Nick had been wearing his school uniform. Maggie had told the police he could have changed, after the murder, into a fresh set of school clothes and disposed of the ones he’d been wearing, and they should check the bins between The Phoenix Centre and the school.