Matt Whyman - The Savages

‘Any time soon,’ said Angelica, and flipped a chop with her spatula. ‘The mash is ready. So, as soon as the peas come to the boil.’

‘Do we have any nuts?’ asked Sasha. ‘Cashews, perhaps. Or almonds?’

Her mother turned, spatula in hand, as if to check she had heard her correctly. ‘Nuts. You want nuts to go with the chops?’

‘Actually, I was thinking instead of the chops.’

Angelica turned the gas ring down by a notch.

‘What’s wrong? Are you ill? Something you’ve eaten?’

‘I’m fine,’ Sasha insisted, and focused her attention on playing with Katya’s curly locks. ‘I just thought nuts would be good.’

Angelica looked at how uncomfortable her daughter appeared and knew that there was more to this.

‘Sasha,’ she said calmly. ‘Your father isn’t home from work yet. You can talk to me. If there’s anything on your mind, I’m here.’

‘I know that.’ Sasha offered her finger for Katya to chew on. At the same time, the pan of peas on the hob came to the boil. The water frothed over the sides, which drew Angelica’s attention for a moment. Once she’d dealt with it, she turned back to Sasha, who knew she’d have to offer her something.

‘It’s just for a short time,’ she said to begin. ‘Mum, don’t freak out on me or anything, but I’m skipping meat for a little while. It’s for Jack. He asked me. We made a pact.’

Sasha held her mother’s gaze for what felt like an age. It only came to an end when Katya bit down on her finger a little too hard.

‘Be careful,’ Angelica said to her youngest daughter, but kept her eyes pinned on Sasha. ‘Your father thinks she’s ready, you know? The last of her teeth are coming through. We’re thinking soon it’ll be time for a welcoming feast.’

Sasha knew full well what she meant. All of a sudden she felt like some kind of traitor to the family.

‘This isn’t a permanent arrangement. By the time Katya’s big day comes, everything will be back to normal.’

‘So, how long do you plan to keep this up?’ asked Angelica, returning her attention to the pan.

‘Four weeks.’

“Four what ?’ Sasha’s answer brought her mother round full circle. ‘You’re seriously thinking of no meat for a month?’

‘It isn’t like a lifetime. Not really.’

‘But why? What does this prove? And what could it do to you? You’ll turn anaemic or something. It can’t be good for your concentration at school.’

‘My concentration is fine. School is fine. This isn’t me going off the rails or anything.’

‘But it isn’t making me comfortable,’ replied Angelica all the same. ‘What ideas has this boy put into your head?’

Sasha examined her finger, which was still stinging. Kat hadn’t drawn blood, but she could see her teeth marks.

‘This isn’t really about Jack,’ she said. ‘As soon as he laid down the challenge, I began to think it was something I’d genuinely like to try. Just to see if I can, and what difference it would make. Seriously, going veggie for a while isn’t a big deal.’

‘It will be to your father.’

‘Does he have to know?’

Angelica returned to the business of preparing supper. She reached for the plates and began to lay them out.

‘He just called to say he was on his way home from the tube station,’ she said. ‘By the sound of it, he’s had a difficult day.’

‘All the more reason not to say anything,’ said Sasha, watching her mother as she began to lay out a scoop of mashed potato on each plate, followed by a sprinkling of peas. ‘Please, Mum. If he finds out now he’ll just put a stop to it without giving me a chance to find out what it’s like to do something, well… different.’

Angelica didn’t reply. Instead, reaching for the spatula, she transferred a pork chop to every plate but one. Sasha smiled in relief, and skipped to the cupboard when Angelica told her that’s where she’d find some nuts.

‘But you’ll have to eat quickly,’ she said. ‘I’m sure he won’t ask questions if he knows you’re using the time to revise.’

Sasha was already seated at the table when Angelica placed the plate in front of her. She looked up to thank her mother, but Angelica’s taut mouth told Sasha enough had been said. Instead, she picked up her knife and fork and began to eat. Without the chop, it just tasted like something was missing, but that was not the point. She could do this, she told herself. However things worked out with Jack, he’d introduced her to something she felt compelled to try. Sasha ate without speaking, keen to be finished before her dad returned home. She fully expected to hear the front door open at any time, so when the bell rang it came as a surprise.

‘He’s probably forgotten his keys,’ muttered Angelica, and made her way to the hall.

It left Sasha to pick up the last of the nuts and shovel them into the pockets of her cheeks as fast as possible. She heard the door open, and crunched on them hurriedly. By the time her mother returned, there was nothing on her plate that would spark a stand-up row. Then again, the figure that followed her into the kitchen wasn’t her father.

‘From the gas,’ said the man with the ID necklace when Sasha looked up from the table. ‘Sorry to disturb. I’ll just take a reading and be gone.’

Vernon English wasn’t exactly a master of disguise. He had a whole bundle of fake identities to call upon. It’s just he looked the same whichever one he chose to wear: a little out of shape, with tangled, receding hair that was just begging to be hidden under his beloved cap. Arriving in the kitchen behind Angelica Savage, he tried hard not to show too much of an interest in his surroundings. The girl looked surprised to see him, but not suspicious, while the toddler in the high chair shrieked in delight and threw out her arms.

‘Hello, little one!’ Vernon reached out to ruffle her hair, only to remind himself that this might be deemed inappropriate behaviour for a representative of the power company. The last thing he needed was an official complaint, mostly because the ID around his neck was totally fake. ‘Cute kid,’ he said instead, and turned to find Angelica watching him with her arms folded.

‘The meter is over there,’ she said, and gestured at a cupboard in a recess beside the French windows.

‘As good as done,’ said Vernon, and got on with the task at hand.

Some months earlier, the private investigator had picked up a job lot of radio bugs on eBay. This was the first time he’d put one into use. Although highly illegal for the task he had in mind, in his opinion it was a fast track to nailing Titus Savage. Not just for his business dealings but his possible involvement in the death of Lulabelle Hart. The device was the size of a watch battery, and stuck snugly onto the side of the gas meter as he jotted down the numbers on a clipboard he’d brought with him. ‘That’s me done,’ he said, rising to his feet. He turned to address Angelica once more, only to find the man of the house at the kitchen door.

‘Something smells good,’ said Titus, as Vernon suddenly pretended to look busy with his clipboard. ‘What’s for supper?’

‘It’s served and ready to go,’ said Angelica, before raising one eyebrow at the man in the corner.

‘Oh, don’t let me stop you.’ Vernon kept his head down on making his way to the door. Sometimes making face to face contact with his target was unavoidable, but it couldn’t happen more than once. Not without attracting suspicion. ‘Bon appetit!’

As he left, both Titus and Angelica exchanged a puzzled look.

‘Since when did the gas man ever sound so cheery?’ he asked.

‘The guy seemed a bit too interested in little Kat,’ said Sasha, who by now had cleared her plate. ‘Most probably a paedo.’