Дэвид Муди - Strangers

Alan walked up to Scott, his body language suddenly hostile. ‘Fact is, mate, you need to be careful when you’re throwin’ accusations around in a small place like Thussock, ’specially if they’re as serious as the things you’re sayin’. I don’t know what happened at Ken’s house or why that girl was there. It’s my thinkin’ someone did her in and dumped her body, then Ken found her and panicked. Ken can be a bit of an arse at times, but he’s no killer.’

‘How do you know?’

‘What?’

‘I mean, how much do you really know about each other? You’re quick enough to say how little you know about me, but what about you lot? Chez, do you know what drives Alan wild in bed?’

‘Fuck off. What d’you think I am, a fucking perv?’

‘That’s my bloody point. You just don’t know. We all think we know other people, but you never do really, do you? For all you know, Ken Potter might really get off on slicing up young girl’s fannies. Whatever floats your boat, eh?’

Alan was about to say something, but he didn’t get a chance. Barry Walpole came at Scott from out of nowhere, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and slamming him against the side of the caravan which rocked precariously on its piles of bricks. Scott tried to fight him off, but Barry had surprise and weight on his side. ‘Watch what you’re sayin’ you little bastard,’ he hissed.

‘I’m sorry, Barry. I didn’t mean—’

‘Watch what you’re sayin’, and watch who you’re sayin’ it to, right? This place isn’t like where you’re from. Folks here are less forgivin’, understand?’

‘I understand.’

Barry let him go and staggered back. Scott massaged his throat and chest.

‘To be fair,’ Chez said, doing what he could to calm the suddenly volatile atmosphere, ‘I don’t think he meant nothin’ by it. He just… Barry? Barry, mate, you all right?’

The men crowded around their boss at first, then they backed away. He wiped his eyes. He was crying.

‘S’matter, Barry?’ Alan asked cautiously.

‘Looks like you was right, anyway,’ Barry said, looking straight at Scott.

‘What do you mean?’

Barry composed himself. His anger faded slightly. He looked pained… devastated. ‘They found him.’

‘Found who?’ Warren asked, though he thought he already knew.

‘Ken.’

‘Where?’

Barry paused again. Took deep breaths. ‘He’s dead. Sam Adamson’s kids found him on the train track north of Thussock. Silly bastard killed himself.’

‘Can’t believe it…’ Alan mumbled.

‘Nor me, Al,’ Barry said, the emotion draining from his voice. ‘I don’t know what was goin’ through Ken’s head to make him do what he just did, but I’ll still stake everythin’ I have on the fact he did nothin’ to that girl.’

Scott kept his mouth shut and went back to work, knowing that whatever he said would be the wrong thing.

Michelle was glad to get out of the house again. By Friday morning she’d had enough. She’d spent most of their first week in Thussock unpacking everybody’s stuff, trying to make it feel like home, but she was already climbing the walls. It had come to something when an appointment with the doctor was a highlight.

The receptionist was just as fearsome as last time but Dr Kerr, fortunately, was as friendly as she remembered, perhaps even more so. He seemed in no rush to deal with the rest of the patients in the waiting room and was content to sit and talk for a while. He seemed to be more interested in her house than her health.

‘He was a smashing lad, Willy,’ he said.

‘Who?’

‘Willy McCunnie. The chap who lived in your house before you.’

‘Oh, right.’

‘He spent almost as much time in this surgery as me near the end, you know. Lovely fella. Was cancer that finished him off. Such a shame.’

‘Sorry to hear that.’

‘Ah, well, he was past his prime,’ the doctor said, navigating his computer with ponderous speed, looking from keyboard to screen after virtually every key press. ‘We’re practically neighbours, you know.’

‘Are we?’

‘Yes… May and I live just down from Jeannie and Lou.’

‘Who?’

‘Jeannie and Lou. The twins. You must have seen them. Lovely girls.’

‘We’ve seen them,’ she smirked.

The doctor checked her blood pressure and measured her height and weight, then checked George over too. Dr Kerr had been talking constantly throughout the appointment and Michelle wondered if he’d listened to anything she’d said. He had. He’d taken it all in. He’d been doing this job for so long he made it look easier than he should have, to the point where it seemed he was no longer concentrating. It took Michelle by surprise when his expression suddenly changed and became more serious. He looked straight into her eyes and held her gaze. ‘Your wrist,’ he said. ‘I noticed it was tender. I could see from the way you were holding it.’

‘I twisted it the other night.’

‘A bit accident prone, are you?’

‘No more than anyone else. Why?’

‘Just that you’ve had a lot of little injuries recently.’

She shifted awkwardly in her seat. ‘It’s par for the course when you have kids. Always on the go, you know how it is…’

He smiled. ‘I know how it is. Is everything all right at home?’

‘Fine. It will be once we’re settled, anyway.’

‘Good,’ he said, smiling again. He adjusted his glasses and looked at his computer screen, struggling to control the cursor with the mouse. ‘Fluoxetine. Now, how long have you been taking that?’

She struggled to remember. ‘Six or seven months, I think. Maybe a little longer.’

‘Things been tough?’

‘Very tough.’

‘The depression any better?’

‘I’m getting there.’

‘Is that why you’re here?’

‘No, we just wanted to register as patients and the lady said I had to book an appointment so…’

‘No, not here, here . Is that why you moved to Thussock?’

‘Partly.’

‘Do you want to come off the pills?’

‘Eventually. Now’s really not the time, though.’

‘Why not?’

‘New house… my husband’s got a new job and the girls have started a new school…’

‘Fair enough. Got enough to last you a while?’

‘A few weeks.’

‘Will you come in and see me again when you’re running out?’

‘Okay.’

‘And in the meantime, don’t do anything silly. If you’re feeling low, come straight back and see me. Take no crap from Alice. Call at the house if it’s out of hours.’

‘Thanks. I’m not about to do anything stupid, you know.’

‘Glad to hear it.’

‘I think I’d have already done it by now if I was.’

‘I get that impression. You seem like you have your head screwed on, Michelle.’

She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. ‘Thanks.’

He paused and looked at the screen again, doing all he could to make his next question sound as casual as possible. ‘And how are things between you and your husband? You’ve been under a lot of pressure, I imagine.’

‘You don’t know the half of it.’

‘I’m sure that’s true. You’re okay, though?’

A moment of hesitation. ‘We’re okay.’

‘And you ?’

‘I’m okay.’

‘I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the family.’

‘They’re great kids.’

‘I’ve no doubt. Just remember, if you need to see me, I’m only a little way down the road.’

‘I will,’ she said. ‘Thanks.’

And Michelle watched the doctor as he added to his notes, and all she could think was he knows .