Chapter 9 #2
‘Come on,’ Robyn said, taking my arm. ‘You’ve had a terrible experience. Now, your original plan was The Green Dragon for some reason?’
‘So’s I wouldn’t be there when Dean came home,’ I explained.
‘You’re not frightened of him, are you?’ Robyn and Sorrel spoke as one.
‘Of Dean? No, course not!’ I gave a little bitter laugh. ‘I suppose I’ve always been frightened of myself where he’s concerned. Always taken him back regardless. Maybe I’ve just not given it long enough this time.’
‘Jess, for heaven’s sake. He was all over that blonde at Kamran’s the other night. It was humiliating for you.’ Robyn took my arm more firmly.
‘I just want him out of my hair, but didn’t want to see him actually packing his stuff into his car.’
‘Where’ll he go, do you think?’ Robyn pulled a face.
‘Oh, back to his mother, I guess. She thinks the sun shines out of his backside. She’ll be more than happy to cook and iron and agree with him just how wonderful he is. So The Green Dragon was my escape route. You know, make sure by the time I got home, he’d have got the message and gone.’
‘That’s one hell of a final message, Jess.’ Sorrel grinned, taking my other arm.
‘It’s midweek.’ Robyn nodded. ‘The pub should be fairly quiet. Hang on.’ She made her way across the road to where a police car remained, blue light still flashing, but was back in a couple of minutes.
‘They’ve confirmed that you can go, but to leave the van here for the moment. But the dog…?’
‘Hell, I’d forgotten about Arthur. Poor old thing. He’s staying with me – he’s all I’ve got.’
‘Blimey, Jess.’ Sorrel tutted. ‘I thought Robyn was the drama queen round here.’
I moved to let the dog out of the van, soothing him, petting him and allowing him full vent of his bladder against a handy tree at the side of the road. As I pulled myself and Arthur into the backseat of Robyn’s little red Honda, I suddenly remembered the black car.
‘The driver that Blane crashed into? The low down little sporty car? Who was it? A member of staff? The car came out of the school entrance just after Mason?’
‘Oh, I thought you realised.’ Robyn turned round to speak as she set off towards Beddingfield village and The Green Dragon.
‘Realised what?’ I looked up from stroking Arthur.
‘It was George,’ Sorrel got in first. ‘George Sattar, Kamran’s brother. He went off in the second ambulance.’
‘Is he OK?’ I asked. ‘We can’t just drive off—’
‘I asked.’ Robyn cut me off mid-sentence. ‘He’s gone off to be checked over.’
‘Shouldn’t we tell someone?’ I went on.
‘Does he have anyone?’ Robyn sniffed. ‘He’s not a lot of people’s favourite person.’
‘Shirl, his mother, loves him.’
‘OK,’ Robyn conceded. ‘Once we’re at the pub I’ll text Mum and ask her to let Kamran know what’s happened. Although, knowing George, he’ll be out of A take it home with you!’
‘Not to my home, he doesn’t.’ I went right up to Dean.
‘And you try to turn Lola against me with your sorry tales of what a bitch her mother is, and there’ll be a jolly big, six-foot-deep nineteenth hole waiting for you at the end of your game of golf.
Now, if you don’t mind, it’s been something of an eventful evening and I’d like to sit with my two sisters and have a drink with them knowing your things will be out of my house and you, Dean, will be out of my hair – and my life – for good. ’
‘But what about Scargill?’ Dean said, standing up from the table as he spotted the collie behind Robyn and Sorrel. ‘What about my dog?’
‘He’s called Arthur, Dean, and he’s my dog now.’ And with that, I turned on my heel and headed back to my sisters and my dog.