快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

t…grandmother　alive？　Did　you　tell　her　that？’

‘I　–　no—’

‘If　you’re　going　to　care　about　what　the　likes　of　Krystal　Weedon　says；　there’s　no　hope　for　you！　Perhaps　that’s　your　natural　level；　is　it；　Sukhvinder？　You　want　to　play　truant　and　work　in　a　café　and　waste　all　your　opportunities　for　education；　because　that’s　easier？　Is　that　what　being　in　a　team　with　Krystal　Weedon　taught　you　–　to　sink　to　her　level？’

Sukhvinder　thought　of　Krystal　and　her　gang；　raring　to　go　on　the　opposite　kerb；　waiting　for　a　break　in　the　cars。　What　would　it　take　to　make　her　mother　understand？　An　hour　ago　she　had　had　the　tiniest　fantasy　that　she　might　confide　in　her　mother；　at　last；　about　Fats　Wall　…

‘Get　out　of　my　sight！　Go！　I’ll　speak　to　your　father　when　he　es　in　–　go！’

Sukhvinder　walked　upstairs。　Jaswant　called　from　her　bedroom：　‘What　was　all　that　shouting　about？’

Sukhvinder　did　not　answer。　She　proceeded　to　her　own　room；　where　she　closed　the　door　and　sat　down　on　the　edge　of　her　bed。

What’s　wrong　with　you；　Sukhvinder？

You　disgust　me。

Are　you　proud　of　being　lazy　and　sloppy？

What　had　she　expected？　Warm　encircling　arms　and　fort？　When　had　she　ever　been　hugged　and　held　by　Parminder？　There　was　more　fort　to　be　had　from　the　razor　blade　hidden　in　her　stuffed　rabbit；　but　the　desire；　mounting　to　a　need；　to　cut　and　bleed；　could　not　be　satisfied　by　daylight；　with　the　family　awake　and　her　father　on　his　way。

The　dark　lake　of　desperation　and　pain　that　lived　in　Sukhvinder　and　yearned　for　release　was　in　flames；　as　if　it　had　been　fuel　all　along。

Let　her　see　how　it　feels。

She　got　up；　crossed　her　bedroom　in　a　few　strides；　and　dropping　into　the　chair　by　her　desk；　pounded　at　the　keyboard　of　her　puter。

Sukhvinder　had　been　just　as　interested　as　Andrew　Price　when　that　stupid　supply　teacher　had　tried　to　impress　them　with　his　cool　in　puting。　Unlike　Andrew　and　a　couple　of　the　other　boys；　Sukhvinder　had　not　plied　the　teacher　with　questions　about　the　hacking；　she　had　merely　gone　home　quietly　and　looked　it　all　up　online。　Nearly　every　modern　website　was　proof　against　a　classic　SQL　injection；　but　when　Sukhvinder　had　heard　her　mother　discussing　the　anonymous　attack　on　the　Pagford　Parish　Council　website；　it　had　occurred　to　Sukhvinder　that　the　security　on　that　feeble　old　site　was　probably　minimal。

Sukhvinder　always　found　it　much　easier　to　type　than　to　write；　and　puter　code　easier　to　read　than　long　strings　of　words。　It　did　not　take　very　long　for　her　to　retrieve　a　site　that　gave　explicit　instructions　for　the　simplest　form　of　SQL　injection。　Then　she　brought　up　the　Parish　Council　website。

It　took　her　five　minutes　to　hack　the　site；　and　then　only　because　she　had　transcribed　the　code　wrong　the　first　time。　To　her　astonishment；　she　discovered　that　whoever　was　administering　the　site　had　not　removed　the　user　details　of　The_Ghost_of_Barry_Fairbrother　from　the　database；　but　merely　deleted　the　post。　It　would　be　child’s　play；　therefore；　to　post　in　the　same　name。

It　took　Sukhvinder　much　longer　to　pose　the　message　than　it　had　to　hack　into　the　site。　She　had　carried　the　secret　accusation　with　her　for　months；　ever　since　New　Year’s　Eve；　when　she　had　noticed　with　wonder　her　mother’s　face；　at　ten　to　midnight；　from　the　corner　of　the　party　where　she　was　hiding。　She　typed　slowly。　Autocorrect　helped　with　her　spelling。

She　was　not　afraid　that　Parminder　would　check　her　puter　history；　her　mother　knew　so　little　about　her；　and　about　what　went　on　in　this　bedroom；　that　she　would　never　suspect　her　lazy；　stupid；　sloppy　daughter。

Sukhvinder　pressed　the　mouse　like　a　trigger。

XI
Krystal　did　not　take　Robbie　to　nursery　on　Tuesday　morning；　but　dressed　him　for　Nana　Cath’s　funeral　instead。　As　she　pulled　up　his　least　ripped　trousers；　which　were　a　good　two　inches　too　short　in　the　leg；　she　tried　to　explain　to　him　who　Nana　Cath　had　been；　but　she　might　as　well　have　saved　her　breath。　Robbie　had　no　memory　of　Nana　Cath；　he　had　no　idea　what　Nana　meant；　no　concept　of　any　relative　other　than　mother　and　sister。　In　spite　of　her　shifting　hints　and　stories；　Krystal　knew　that　Terri　had　no　idea　who　his　father　was。

Krystal　heard　her　mother’s　footsteps　on　the　stairs。

‘Leave　it；’　she　snapped　at　Robbie；　who　had　reached　for　an　empty　beer　can　lying　beneath　Terri’s　usual　armchair。　‘C’m’ere。’

She　pulled　Robbie　by　the　hand　into　the　hall。　Terri　was　still　wearing　the　pyjama　bottoms　and　dirty　T…shirt　in　which　she　had　spent　the　night；　and　her　feet　were　bare。

‘Why　intcha　changed？’　demanded　Krystal。

‘I　ain’t　goin’；’　said　Terri；　pushing　past　her　son　and　daughter　into　the　kitchen。　‘Changed　me　mind。’

‘Why？’

‘I　don’　wanna；’　said　Terri。　She　was　lighting　a　cigarette　off　the　ring　of　the　cooker。　‘Don’　fuckin’　’ave　to。’

Krystal　was　still　holding　Robbie’s　hand；　as　he　tugged　and　swung。

‘They’re　all　goin’；’　said　Krystal。　‘Cheryl　an’　Shane　an’　all。’

‘So？’　said　Terri　aggressively。

Krystal　had　been　afraid　that　her　mother　would　pull　out　at　the　last　minute。　The　funeral　would　bring　her　face　to　face　with　Danielle；　the　sister　who　pretended　that　Terri　did　not　exist；　not　to　mention　all　the　other　relatives　who　had　disowned　them。　Anne…Marie　might　be　there。　Krystal　had　been　holding　on　to　that　hope；　like　a　torch　in　the　darkness；　through　the　nights　she　had　sobbed　for　Nana　Cath　and　Mr　Fairbrother。

‘You　gotta　go；’　said　Krystal。

‘No；　I　ain’。’

‘It’s　Nana　Cath；　innit；’　said　Krystal。

‘So？’　said　Terri；　again。

‘She　done　loads　fer　us；’　said　Krystal。

‘No；　she　ain’；’　snapped　Terri。

‘She　did；’　said　Krystal；　her　face　hot　and　her　hand　clutching　Robbie’s。

‘Fer　you；　maybe；’　said　Terri。　‘She　done　fuck…all　for　me。　Go　an’　fuckin’　bawl　all　over　’er　fuckin’　grave　if　yeh　want。　I’m　waitin’　in。’

‘Wha’　for？’　said　Krystal。

‘My　bus’ness；　innit。’

The　old　familiar　shadow　fell。

‘Obbo’s　in’　round；　is　’e？’

‘My　bus’ness；’　repeated　Terri；　with　pathetic　dignity。

‘e　to　the　funeral；’　said　Krystal　loudly。

‘You　go。’

‘Don’　go　fuckin’　usin’；’　said　Krystal；　her　voice　an　octave　higher。

‘I　ain’；’　said　Terri；　but　she　turned　away；　looking　out　of　the　dirty　back　window　over　the　patch　of　overgrown　litter…strewn　grass　they　called　the　back　garden。

Robbie　tugged　his　hand　out　of　Krystal’s　and　disappeared　into　the　sitting　room。　With　her　fists　deep　in　her　trackie　pockets；　shoulders　squared；　Krystal　tried　to　decide　what　to　do。　She　wanted　to　cry　at　the　thought　of　not　going　to　the　funeral；　but　her　distress　was　edged　with　relief　that　she　would　not　have　to　face　the　battery　of　hostile　eyes　she　had　sometimes　met　at　Nana　Cath’s。　She　was　angry　with　Terri；　and　yet　felt　strangely　on　her　side。　You　don’t　even　know　who　the　father　is；　do　yeh；　yer　whore？　She　wanted　to　meet　Anne…Marie；　but　was　scared。

‘All　righ’；　then；　I’ll　stay　an’　all。’

‘You　don’　’ave　ter。　Go；　if　yeh　wan’。　I　don’　fuckin’　care。’

But　Krystal；　certain　that　Obbo　would　appear；　stayed。　Obbo　had　been　away　for　more　than　a　week；　for　some　nefarious　purpose　of　his　own。　Krystal　wished　that　he　had　died；　that　he　would　never　e　back。

For　something　to　do；　she　began　to　tidy　the　house；　while　smoking　one　of　the　roll…ups　Fats　Wall　had　given　her。　She　didn’t　like　them；　but　she　liked　that　he　had　given　them　to　her。　She　had　been　keeping　them　in　Nikki’s　plastic　jewellery　box；　along　with　Tessa’s　watch。

She　had　thought　that　she　might　not　see　Fats　any　more；　after　their　shag　in　the　cemetery；　because　he　had　been　almost　silent　afterwards　and　left　her　with　barely　a　goodbye；　but　they　had　since　met　up　on　the　rec。　She　could　tell　that　he　had　enjoyed　this　time　more　than　the　last；　they　had　not　been　stoned；　and　he　had　lasted　longer。　He　lay　beside　her　in　the　grass　beneath　the　bushes；　smoking；　and　when　she　had　told　him　about　Nana　Cath　dying；　he　had　told　her　that　Sukhvinder　Jawanda’s　mother　had　given　Nana　Cath　the　wrong　drugs　or　something；　he　was　not　clear　exactly　what　had　happened。

Krystal　had　been　horrified。　So　Nana　Cath　need　not　have　died；　she　might　still　have　been　in　the　neat　little　house　on　Hope　Street；　there　in　case　Krystal　needed　her；　offering　a　refuge　with　a　fortable　clean…sheeted　bed；　the　tiny　kitchen　full　of　food　and　mismatched　china；　and　the　little　TV　in　the　corner　of　the　sitting　room：　I　don’　wanna　watch　no　filth；　Krystal；　turn　that　off。

Krystal　had　liked　Sukhvinder；　but　Sukhvinder’s　mother　had　killed　Nana　Cath。　You　did　not　differentiate　between　members　of　an　enemy　tribe。　It　had　been　Krystal’s　avowed　intention　to　pulverize　Sukhvinder；　but　then　Tessa　Wall　had　intervened。　Krystal　could　not　remember　the　details　of　what　Tessa　had　told　her；　but　it　seemed　that　Fats　had　got　the　story　wrong　or；　at　least；　not　exactly　right。　She　had　given　Tessa　a　grudging　promise　not　to　go　after　Sukhvinder；　but　such　promises　could　only　ever　be　stop…gaps　in　Krystal’s　frantic　ever…changing　world。

‘Put　it　down！’　Krystal　shouted　at　Robbie；　because　he　was　trying　to　prise　the　lid　off　the　biscuit　tin　where　Terri　kept　her　works。

Krystal　snatched　the　tin　from　him　and　held　it　in　her　hands　like　a　living　creature；　something　that　would　fight　to　stay　alive；　whose　destruction　would　have　tremendous　consequences。　There　was　a　scratched　picture　on　the　lid：　a　carriage　with　luggage　piled　high　on　the　roof；　drawn　through　the　snow　by　four　chestnut　horses；　a　coachman　in　a　top　hat　carrying　a　bugle。　She　carried　the　tin　upstairs　with　her；　while　Terri　sat　in　the　kitchen　smoking；　and　hid　it　in　her　bedroom。　Robbie　trailed　after　her。

‘Wanna　go　play　park。’

She　sometimes　took　him　and　pushed　him　on　the　swings　and　the　roundabout。

‘Not　today；　Robbie。’

He　whined　until　she　shouted　at　him　to　shut　up。

Later；　when　it　was　dark　–　after　Krystal　had　made　Robbie　his　tea　of　spaghetti　hoops　and　given　him　a　bath；　when　the　funeral　was　long　since　over　–　Obbo　rapped　on　the　front　door。　Krystal　saw　him　from　Robbie’s　bedroom　window　and　tried　to　get　there　first；　but　Terri　beat　her　to　it。

‘All　righ’；　Ter？’　he　said；　over　the　threshold　before　anyone　had　invited　him　in。　‘’Eard　you　was　lookin’　fer　me　las’　week。’

Although　she　had　told　him　to　stay　put；　Robbie　had　followed　Krystal　downstairs。　She　could　smell　his　shampooed　hair　over　the　smell　of　fags　and　stale　sweat　that　clung　to　Obbo　in　his　ancient　leather　jacket。　Obbo　had　had　a　few；　when　he　leered　at　her；　she　smelt　the　beer　fumes。

‘All　righ’；　Obbo？’　said　Terri；　with　the　note　in　her　voice　Krystal　never　heard　otherwise。　It　was　conciliating；　acmodating；　it　conceded　that　he　had　rights　in　their　house。　‘Where　you　bin；　then？’

‘Bristol；’　he　said。　‘How’s　you；　Ter？’

‘She　don’　wan’　nuthin’；’　said　Krystal。

He　blinked　at　her　through　his　thick　glasses。　Robbie　was　clutching　Krystal’s　leg　so　tightly　that　she　could　feel　his　nails　in　her　skin。
。电子书
‘Oo’s　this；　Ter？’　asked　Obbo。　‘Yer　mum？’

Terri　laughed。　Krystal　glared　at　him；　Robbie’s　grip　tight　on　her　thigh。　Obbo’s　bleary　gaze　dropped　to　him。

‘An’　’ow’s　me　boy？’

‘He　ain’　your　fuckin’　boy；’　said　Krystal。

‘’Ow　d’you　know？’　Obbo　asked　her　quietly；　grinning。

‘Fuck　off。　She　don’　wan’　nuthin’。　Tell　’im；’　Krystal　virtually　shouted　at　Terri。　‘Tell　’im　you　don’　wan’　nuthin’。’

Daunted；　caught　between　two　wills　much　stronger　than　her　own；　Terri　said；　‘’E　on’y　e　rounda　see—’

‘No；　’e　ain’t；’　said　Krystal。　‘No；　’e　fuckin’　ain’t。　Tell　’im。　She　don’　wan’　nuthin’；’　she　said　fiercely　into　Obbo’s　grinning　face。　‘She’s　bin　off　it　fer　weeks。’

‘Is　tha’　right；　Terri？’　said　Obbo；　still　smiling。

‘Yeah；　it　is；’　said　Krystal；　when　Terri　did　not　answer。　‘She’s　still　at　Bellchapel。’

‘Noffur　much　longer；’　said　Obbo。

‘Fuck　off；’　said　Krystal；　outraged。

‘Closin’　it；’　said　Obbo。

‘Are　they？’　said　Terri　in　sudden　panic。　‘They　ain’t；　are　they？’

‘Course　they　are；’　said　Obbo。　‘Cuts；　innit？’

‘You　don’t　know　nuthin’；’　Krystal　told　Obbo。　‘It’s　bollocks；’　she　told　her　mother。　‘They　’aven’　said　nuthin’；　’ave　they？’

‘Cuts；’　repeated　Obbo；　patting　his　bulging　pockets　for　cigarettes。

‘We　got　the　case　review；’　Krystal　reminded　Terri。　‘Yeh　can’t　use。　Yeh　can’t。’

‘Wha’s　that？’　asked　Obbo；　fiddling　with　his　lighter；　but　neither　woman　enlightened　him。　Terri　met　her　daughter’s　ga