Дэвид Муди - Strangers

‘Funny bugger,’ one of the other girls said. ‘I always said there was sumthin’ wrong about him.’

‘You say that about all the blokes in Thussock.’

‘Aye, that’s ’cause they’re all no good!’ a third girl joked. The women laughed, and Michelle sidled a little closer, sipping her piss-weak tea.

‘Terrible business, that,’ she said. She half-expected the entire room to fall silent and for everyone, even the kids, to stop and stare at her, like a clichéd scene from a horror movie. But they didn’t. Instead, one of the women acknowledged her with a subdued ‘aye’, then turned back and continued talking to her friends. She closed the circle, moving ever-so-slightly to her left, positioning herself so she had her back to Michelle, preventing her from edging into their group. The snub was subtle but definite. Their conversation continued, the accents a little stronger than before, harder to make out. Michelle couldn’t clearly hear what they were saying, but she managed to pick out a few choice phrases amongst the mutterings. ‘No one else’s business… Folks should mind their own…’

Each of these knock-backs, although individually insignificant, were beginning to wear her down. She took her tea and George’s biscuit back over to where she’d been sitting. It’s only natural , she told herself, it’s not personal. I’ll take my time. We’re here in Thussock for the long-haul. There’s no rush…

George saw the biscuit before he saw his mother. He came running over, babbling excitedly in child’s half-speak about his game and his new friends. Michelle perfectly understood her son’s mix of full words, truncated words and nonsense, and the fact she was so tuned-in to his immature language was reassuring. She wasn’t alone.

Biscuit demolished, George didn’t have any reason to stay. He ran off again and Michelle was so focused on him that she didn’t notice someone sitting a few places to her left. ‘You’ve not been here before, have you?’ the woman asked. Michelle looked up fast. ‘Sorry, did I startle you?’

‘A little,’ Michelle said. ‘I’m sorry. I’m miles away this morning.’

‘Don’t worry about it. So are you new to the area?’

‘Just moved in. My husband’s been up here for a couple of weeks getting the house ready, but the rest of us came up this weekend just gone.’

‘And how are you finding it?’

‘Oh, fine…’ she said, deliberately evasive.

‘Really?’

‘Yes. Why? You sound surprised.’

‘I am. Thussock’s a bit of a dead end if you ask me.’

‘I was trying to be polite.’

‘I shouldn’t bother. You’re not from round here, are you?’

‘You can tell?’

‘The accent kind of gives it away.’

‘We’re from the Midlands. Redditch.’

‘That by Birmingham? I was gonna say you sound like you’re from those parts.’

‘Not a million miles away.’

‘No, a million miles away is what you are now.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘This place. It can feel like another planet.’

Michelle felt herself relax. ‘You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say that. I thought it was just me. Just us.’

‘Ah, no. I was exactly the same when I first arrived. I moved here with my folks almost ten years back. Thussock definitely takes some getting used to.’

‘You can say that again.’

‘I remember thinking how everybody else seemed to know what was going on but me. It was like they were all in on some big secret.’

‘That’s exactly it.’

‘There’s no secret, though. Sorry to disappoint you.’

‘That’s a relief.’

‘And you will get used to it.’

‘I’m not so sure…’

‘No, you will. Once you get tuned in to this place you’ll be all right. It’ll all start making sense in no time.’

‘I hope so.’

‘It will . Trust me.’

Michelle thought she was probably just saying that to make her feel better. ‘I’m Michelle, by the way,’ she said. ‘Michelle Griffiths.’

‘I’m Jackie. Is that your boy?’ she asked, pointing at George.

‘That’s him. That’s George.’

‘Oh, but he’s adorable.’

‘When he wants to be. Where’s yours?’

‘I’ve two, right over there,’ Jackie said, nodding over towards the diagonally opposite corner of the room.

‘Are they twins?’

‘Yep. One of each. Sophia and Wes.’

‘Christ, you’ve got your hands full.’

‘Don’t even go there. They’re a bloody nightmare. I mean, I love them to bits, but they make my life hell.’

‘It doesn’t get any easier, believe me.’

‘Thanks for that,’ she laughed. ‘You’ve other kids then?’

‘Two girls from my previous marriage. Fourteen and sixteen.’

‘I remember being sixteen.’

‘Me too. I was an absolute bitch. I know where my Tammy gets it from.’

‘Boys and cider, that’s all I was interested in. Couldn’t be doing with lessons and rubbish like that.’

‘How old are you now, if you don’t mind me asking.’

‘Twenty-four.’

That made Michelle feel old. She was half as old again. ‘And when did you move to Thussock?’

‘When I was fifteen. I tell you, I made my parents’ lives hell when they dragged me here. I was a little shit before I came here, understand, but this place brought out the worst in me.’

‘You’re not making me feel any better…’

‘I’m sure your girls will be fine.’

Michelle laughed. ‘I’m sure you’re right.’

‘Ah, Thussock’s not so bad. Nothing ever happens here, sure, and there’s bugger all for the kids to do, but it’s okay.’

Michelle watched George. He was lying down now, colouring in, more crayon ending up on the floor than on his paper. She was enjoying this conversation. She didn’t want to put her foot in it or say the wrong thing, but she couldn’t help asking. ‘You say nothing much happens here, but what about that murder?’

‘Terrible thing, that,’ Jackie said, her voice as hushed as Michelle’s. ‘Between you and me, I always had my doubts about that Potter bloke.’

‘I wouldn’t know…’

‘Never did anything wrong that I know about, it’s just there was sumthin’ about him… bit creepy lookin’. Dez says he never trusted him.’

‘Dez?’

‘My other half. Potter taught him at school.’

‘Oh, right.’

‘I’d never have had him down for a serial killer, though.’

‘A serial killer?’

‘Have you not heard? Dez says there’re two more deaths they’re pinning on him. Some fella last week, and a woman in the woods over last weekend.’

‘I saw that on TV.’

‘She was all cut up like that girl in his garden, apparently. One of Dez’s mates found the body. He does security up by that fracking place near Falrigg. Dez was with him just before he found it.’

‘How d’you know about the body in the garden? I didn’t think the police had said anything about how she’d died.’

‘Dez was talking to Alan.’

‘Alan?’

‘He works for Barry Walpole.’

‘So does…’

‘Your other half?’ Jackie said, surprising Michelle.

‘Yes. How did you know that?’

‘I thought it might be, didn’t want to presume, though. He said there was some new bloke from Birmingham started there.’

‘Redditch.’

She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Same difference. Everything’s south from here.’

‘Suppose. Scott’s pretty shaken up by it all.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ Jackie said. She watched Michelle and noticed that her demeanour had changed. ‘Sumthin’ wrong?’

‘No, it’s nothing.’

‘Come on, spit it out.’