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‘Not　half　bad；　is　it？’　Maureen　was　croaking　to　Miles。　‘We’ve　been　full　all　day。’

‘All　right；　girls；’　Miles　addressed　his　family；　‘what’ll　we　have　to　keep　up　Grandpa’s　profits？’

Samantha　listlessly　ordered　a　bowl　of　soup；　as　Howard　waddled　through　from　the　delicatessen；　he　had　been　striding　in　and　out　of　the　café　every　ten　minutes　all　day；　greeting　customers　and　checking　the　flow　of　cash　into　the　till。

‘Roaring　success；’　he　told　Miles；　squeezing　in　at　their　table。　‘What　d’you　think　of　the　place；　Sammy？　You　haven’t　seen　it　before；　have　you？　Like　the　mural？　Like　the　china？’

‘Mm；’　said　Samantha。　‘Lovely。’

‘I　was　thinking　about　having　my　sixty…fifth　here；’　said　Howard；　absent…mindedly　scratching　at　the　itch　Parminder’s　creams　had　not　yet　cured；　‘but　it’s　not　big　enough。　I　think　we’ll　stick　with　the　church　hall。’

‘When’s　that；　Grandpa？’　piped　up　Lexie。　‘Am　I　ing？’

‘Twenty…ninth；　and　what　are　you　now　–　sixteen？　Course　you　can　e；’　said　Howard　happily。

‘The　twenty…ninth？’　said　Samantha。　‘Oh；　but　…’

Shirley　looked　at　her　sharply。

‘Howard’s　been　planning　this　for　months。　We’ve　all　been　talking　about　it　for　ages。’

‘…　that’s　the　night　of　Libby’s　concert；’　said　Samantha。

‘A　school　thing；　is　it？’　asked　Howard。

‘No；’　said　Libby；　‘Mum’s　got　me　tickets　for　my　favourite　group。　It’s　in　London。’

‘And　I’m　going　with　her；’　said　Samantha。　‘She　can’t　go　alone。’

‘Harriet’s　mum　says　she　could—’

‘I’m　taking　you；　Libby；　if　you’re　going　to　London。’

‘The　twenty…ninth？’　said　Miles；　looking　hard　at　Samantha。　‘The　day　after　the　election？’

Samantha　let　loose　the　derisive　laugh　that　she　had　spared　Maureen。

‘It’s　the　Parish　Council；　Miles。　It’s　not　as　though　you’ll　be　giving　press　conferences。’

‘Well；　we’ll　miss　you；　Sammy；’　said　Howard；　as　he　hauled　himself　up　with　the　aid　of　the　back　of　her　chair。　‘Best　get　on　…　all　right；　Andrew；　you’re　done　here　…　go　and　see　if　we　need　anything　up　from　the　cellar。’

Andrew　was　forced　to　wait　beside　the　counter　while　people　passed　to　and　from　the　bathroom。　Maureen　was　loading　up　Sukhvinder　with　plates　of　sandwiches。

‘How’s　your　mother？’　she　asked　the　girl　abruptly；　as　though　the　thought　had　just　occurred　to　her。

‘Fine；’　said　Sukhvinder；　her　colour　rising。

‘Not　too　upset　by　that　nasty　business　on　the　council　website？’

‘No；’　said　Sukhvinder；　her　eyes　watering。

Andrew　proceeded　out　into　the　dank　yard；　which；　in　the　early　afternoon；　had　bee　warm　and　sunny。　He　had　hoped　that　Gaia　might　be　there；　taking　a　breath　of　fresh　air；　but　she　must　have　gone　into　the　staff　room　in　the　deli。　Disappointed；　he　lit　up　a　cigarette。　He　had　barely　inhaled　when　Gaia　emerged　from　the　café；　finishing　her　lunch　with　a　can　of　fizzy　drink。

‘Hi；’　said　Andrew；　his　mouth　dry。

‘Hi；’　she　said。　Then；　after　a　moment　or　two：　‘Hey；　why’s　that　friend　of　yours　such　a　shit　to　Sukhvinder？　Is　it　personal　or　is　he　racist？’

‘He　isn’t　racist；’　said　Andrew。　He　removed　the　cigarette　from　his　mouth；　trying　to　keep　his　hands　from　trembling；　but　could　not　think　of　anything　else　to　say。　The　sunshine　reflected　off　the　bins　warmed　his　sweaty　back；　close　proximity　to　her　in　the　tight　black　dress　was　almost　overwhelming；　especially　now　that　he　had　glimpsed　what　lay　beneath。　He　took　another　drag　of　the　cigarette；　not　knowing　when　he　had　felt　so　bedazzled　or　so　alive。

‘What’s　she　ever　done　to　him；　though？’

The　curve　of　her　hips　to　her　tiny　waist；　the　perfection　of　her　wide；　flecked　eyes　over　the　can　of　Sprite。　Andrew　felt　like　saying；　Nothing；　he’s　a　bastard；　I’ll　hit　him　if　you　let　me　touch　you　…

Sukhvinder　emerged　into　the　yard；　blinking　in　the　sunlight；　she　looked　unfortable　and　hot　in　Gaia’s　top。

‘He　wants　you　back　in；’　she　said　to　Gaia。

‘He　can　wait；’　said　Gaia　coolly。　‘I’m　finishing　this。　I’ve　only　had　forty　minutes。’

Andrew　and　Sukhvinder　contemplated　her　as　she　sipped　her　drink；　awed　by　her　arrogance　and　her　beauty。

‘Was　that　old　bitch　saying　something　to　you　just　then；　about　your　mum？’　Gaia　asked　Sukhvinder。

Sukhvinder　nodded。

‘I　think　it　might’ve　been　his　mate；’　she　said；　staring　at　Andrew　again；　and　he　found　her　emphasis　on　his　positively　erotic；　even　if　she　meant　it　to　be　derogatory；　‘who　put　that　message　about　your　mum　on　that　website。’

‘Can’t’ve　been；’　said　Andrew；　and　his　voice　wobbled　slightly。　‘Whoever　did　it　went　after　my　old　man；　too。　Couple　of　weeks　ago。’

‘What？’　asked　Gaia。　‘The　same　person　posted　something　about　your　dad？’

He　nodded；　relishing　her　interest。

‘Something　about　stealing；　wasn’t　it？’　asked　Sukhvinder；　with　considerable　daring。

‘Yeah；’　said　Andrew。　‘And　he　got　the　sack　for　it　yesterday。　So　her　mum；’　he　met　Gaia’s　blinding　gaze　almost　steadily；　‘isn’t　the　only　one　who’s　suffered。’

‘Bloody　hell；’　said　Gaia；　upending　the　can　and　throwing　it　into　a　bin。　‘People　round　here　are　effing　mental。’

IV
The　post　about　Parminder　on　the　council　website　had　driven　Colin　Wall’s　fears　to　a　nightmarish　new　level。　He　could　only　guess　how　the　Mollisons　were　getting　their　information；　but　if　they　knew　that　about　Parminder　…

‘For　God’s　sake；　Colin！’　Tessa　had　said。　‘It’s　just　malicious　gossip！　There’s　nothing　in　it！’

But　Colin　did　not　dare　believe　her。　He　was　constitutionally　prone　to　believing　that　others　too　lived　with　secrets　that　drove　them　half…demented。　He　could　not　even　take　fort　in　knowing　that　he　had　spent　most　of　his　adult　life　in　dread　of　calamities　that　had　not　materialized；　because；　by　the　law　of　averages；　one　of　them　was　bound　to　e　true　one　day。

He　was　thinking　about　his　imminent　exposure；　as　he　thought　about　it　constantly；　while　walking　back　from　the　butcher’s　at　half…past　two；　and　it　was　not　until　the　hubbub　from　the　new　café　caught　his　startled　attention　that　he　realized　where　he　was。　He　would　have　crossed　to　the　other　side　of　the　Square　if　he　had　not　been　already　level　with　the　Copper　Kettle’s　windows；　mere　proximity　to　any　Mollison　frightened　him　now。　Then　he　saw　something　through　the　glass　that　made　him　do　a　double…take。

When　he　entered　their　kitchen　ten　minutes　later；　Tessa　was　on　the　telephone　to　her　sister。　Colin　deposited　the　leg　of　lamb　in　the　fridge　and　marched　upstairs；　all　the　way　to　Fats’　loft　conversion。　Flinging　open　the　door；　he　saw；　as　he　had　expected；　a　deserted　room。

He　could　not　remember　the　last　time　he　had　been　in　here。　The　floor　was　covered　in　dirty　clothes。　There　was　an　odd　smell；　even　though　Fats　had　left　the　skylight　propped　open。　Colin　noticed　a　large　matchbox　on　Fats’　desk。　He　slid　it　open；　and　saw　a　mass　of　twisted　cardboard　stubs。　A　packet　of　Rizlas　lay　brazenly　on　the　desk　beside　the　puter。

Colin’s　heart　seemed　to　have　toppled　down　out　of　his　chest　to　thump　against　his　guts。

‘Colin？’　came　Tessa’s　voice；　from　the　landing　below。　‘Where　are　you？’

‘Up　here！’　he　roared。

She　appeared　at　Fats’　door　looking　frightened　and　anxious。　Wordlessly；　he　picked　up　the　matchbox　and　showed　her　the　contents。

‘Oh；’　said　Tessa　weakly。

‘He　said　he　was　going　out　with　Andrew　Price　today；’　said　Colin。　Tessa　was　frightened　by　the　muscle　working　in　Colin’s　jaw；　an　angry　little　bump　moving　from　side　to　side。　‘I’ve　just　been　past　that　new　café　in　the　Square；　and　Andrew　Price　is　working　in　there；　mopping　tables。　So　where’s　Stuart？’

For　weeks；　Tessa　had　been　pretending　to　believe　Fats　whenever　he　said　that　he　was　going　out　with　Andrew。　For　days　she　had　been　telling　herself　that　Sukhvinder　must　be　mistaken　in　thinking　that　Fats　was　going　out　（would　condescend；　ever；　to　go　out）　with　Krystal　Weedon。

‘I　don’t　know；’　she　said。　‘e　down　and　have　a　cup　of　tea。　I’ll　ring　him。’

‘I　think　I’ll　wait　here；’　said　Colin；　and　he　sat　down　on　Fats’　unmade　bed。

‘e　on；　Colin　–　e　downstairs；’　said　Tessa。

She　was　scared　of　leaving　him　here。　She　did　not　know　what　he　might　find　in　the　drawers　or　in　Fats’　school　bag。　She　did　not　want　him　to　look　on　the　puter　or　under　the　bed。　Refusing　to　probe　dark　corners　had　bee　her　sole　modus　operandi。

‘e　downstairs；　Col；’　she　urged　him。

‘No；’　said　Colin；　and　he　crossed　his　arms　like　a　mutinous　child；　but　with　that　muscle　working　in　his　jaw。　‘Drugs　in　his　bin。　The　son　of　the　deputy　headmaster。’

Tessa；　who　had　sat　down　on　Fats’　puter　chair；　felt　a　familiar　thrill　of　anger。　She　knew　that　self…preoccupation　was　an　inevitable　consequence　of　his　illness；　but　sometimes　…

‘Plenty　of　teenagers　experiment；’　she　said。

‘Still　defending　him；　are　you？　Doesn’t　it　ever　occur　to　you　that　it’s　your　constant　excuses　for　him　that　make　him　think　he　can　get　away　with　blue　murder？’

She　was　trying　to　keep　a　curb　on　her　temper；　because　she　must　be　a　buffer　between　them。

‘I’m　sorry；　Colin；　but　you　and　your　job　aren’t　the　be　all　and　end—’

‘I　see　–　so　if　I　get　the　sack—’

‘Why　on　earth　would　you　get　the　sack？’

‘For　God’s　sake！’　shouted　Colin；　outraged。　‘It　all　reflects　on　me　–　it’s　already　bad　enough　–　he’s　already　one　of　the　biggest　problem　students　in　the—’

‘That’s　not　true！’　shouted　Tessa。　‘Nobody　but　you　thinks　Stuart’s　anything　other　than　a　normal　teenager。　He’s　not　Dane　Tully！’

‘He’s　going　the　same　way　as　Tully　–　drugs　in　his　bin—’

‘I　told　you　we　should　have　sent　him　to　Paxton　High！　I　knew　you’d　make　everything　he　did　all　about　you；　if　he　went　to　Winterdown！　Is　it　any　wonder　he　rebels；　when　his　every　movement　is　supposed　to　be　a　credit　to　you？　I　never　wanted　him　to　go　to　your　school！’

‘And　I；’　bellowed　Colin；　jumping　to　his　feet；　‘never　bloody　wanted　him　at　all！’

‘Don’t　say　that！’　gasped　Tessa。　‘I　know　you’re　angry　–　but　don’t　say　that！’

The　front　door　slammed　two　floors　below　them。　Tessa　looked　around；　frightened；　as　though　Fats　might　materialize　instantly　beside　them。　It　wasn’t　merely　the　noise　that　had　made　her　start。　Stuart　never　slammed　the　front　door；　he　usually　slipped　in　and　out　like　a　shape…shifter。

His　familiar　tread　on　the　stairs；　did　he　know；　or　suspect　they　were　in　his　room？　Colin　was　waiting；　with　his　fists　clenched　by　his　sides。　Tessa　heard　the　creak　of　the　halfway　step；　and　then　Fats　stood　before　them。　She　was　sure　he　had　arranged　his　expression　in　advance：　a　mixture　of　boredom　and　disdain。

‘Afternoon；’　he　said；　looking　from　his　mother　to　his　rigid；　tense　father。　He　had　all　the　self…possession　that　Colin　had　never　had。　‘This　is　a　surprise。’

Desperate；　Tessa　tried　to　show　him　the　way。

‘Dad　was　worried　about　where　you　are；’　she　said；　with　a　plea　in　her　voice。　‘You　said　you　were　going　to　be　with　Arf　today；　but　Dad　saw—’

‘Yeah；　change　of　plan；’　said　Fats。

He　glanced　towards　the　place　where　the　matchbox　had　been。

‘So；　do　you　want　to　tell　us　where　you’ve　been？’　asked　Colin。　There　were　white　patches　around　his　mouth。

‘Yeah；　if　you　like；’　said　Fats；　and　he　waited。

‘Stu；’　said　Tessa；　half　whisper；　half　groan。

‘I’ve　been　out　with　Krystal　Weedon；’　said　Fats。

Oh　God；　no；　thought　Tessa。　No；　no；　no　…

‘You’ve　what？’　said　Colin；　so　taken　aback　that　he　forgot　to　sound　aggressive。

‘I’ve　been　out　with　Krystal　Weedon；’　Fats　repeated；　a　little　more　loudly。

‘And　since　when；’　said　Colin；　after　an　infinitesimal　pause；　‘has　she　been　a　friend　of　yours？’

‘A　while；’　said　Fats。

Tessa　could　see　Colin　struggling　to　formulate　a　question　too　grotesque　to　utter。

‘You　should　have　told　us；　Stu；’　she　said。

‘Told　you　what？’　he　said。

She　was　frightened　that　he　was　going　to　push　the　argument　to　a　dangerous　place。

‘Where　you　were　going；’　she　said；　standing　up　and　trying　to　look　matter　of　fact。　‘Next　time；　call　us。’

She　looked　towards　Colin　in　the　hope　that　he　might　follow　her　lead　and　move　towards　the　door。　He　remained　fixed　in　the　middle　of　the　room；　staring　at　Fats　in　horror。

‘Are　you　…　involved　with　Krystal　Weedon？’　Colin　asked。

They　faced　each　other；　Colin　taller　by　a　few　inches；　but　Fats　holding　all　the　power。

‘“Involved”？’　Fats　repeated。　‘What　d’you　mean；　“involved”？’

‘You　know　what　I　mean！’　said　Colin；　his　face　growing　red。

‘D’you　mean；　am　I　shagging　her？’　asked　Fats。

Tessa’s　littl