Ruthless by Cath Staincliffe Read Free Book Online Page A

selection. Officers had to be highly motivated, intelligent and personable, able to work with others and show initiative. Sammy was all those and then some, but she was biased, she was his mother and there’d be another hundred kids like him all vying for the same sweet spot.
    Gill caught the local television news, saw a picture of the blackened chapel with the briefest of reports. She cleared up and emptied the kitchen bin. Outside it was a clear night, cool, with pinprick stars over the moors.
    She wondered about their victim. Was someone missing him tonight? Would DNA lead them to find him or his killer on the police database?
    Gill noticed the top of the blue wheelie bin was open. Drawing closer, she could see Sammy had just stuffed the pizza box in without squashing it down, so the lid wouldn’t shut.
    As she went to remedy the situation, a dark shape slithered from the bin and shot off into the dark. ‘Jesus!’ Gill started, felt the hairs on her forearms prickle.
    She went back to the door and called out, ‘Sammy?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Here. Now.’ He could bloody well sort out the bin himself. She should have called him in the first place. Perhaps an encounter with a rat would be more effective than any amount of nagging from his mother.
     
    ‘Test me, Mum.’ Taisie burst into the sitting room, script in hand. She’d obviously heard Janet arriving home. Janet stifled the impulse to groan and said, ‘Two minutes, let me get my breath back.’
    ‘Where?’ Taisie said. ‘Dad’s watching TV.’
    ‘Here then.’ Janet found half a bottle of white in the fridge and poured herself a glass. Cut some cheese. In the breadbin she found the heel of a French stick, not quite stale. She sat down, ate a few mouthfuls and drank some wine.
    Taisie chattered on, a few mmms and yeses the only input required from Janet.
    ‘Genevieve missed three rehearsals, right, three and so Miss said Polly could do her part and then Genevieve came back and she said she’d had flu, right, and so Miss said Polly would be stand-in again and Polly burst into tears and Genevieve was all like, “I’m so sorry,” all gushy, yeah? And Miss said if Genevieve was off any more then she’d lose the part but we think they should take turns. And ’cos we said that, right, now Genevieve isn’t talking to us. Except in the play.’
    ‘Mmm,’ said Janet.
    ‘But Miss said no, and that is so tight. Polly was bare good too.’
    Bare, Janet knew, was the current slang for very.
    ‘And if you want tickets, I need the slip and money by Friday.’
    ‘Tomorrow!’ said Janet.
    ‘Duh,’ said Taisie.
    ‘Where’s the slip?’
    ‘I gave you it,’ Taisie said.
    ‘No,’ said Janet.
    ‘I did – I left it on here.’ She rapped her knuckles against the table.
    ‘Well, I didn’t see it.’
    Taisie gave a huge sigh.
    ‘Look, can’t you just get the tickets if I give you the money?’ Janet said.
    ‘OK.’ Crisis averted as quickly as it had erupted. Taisie was all drama. ‘Go on,’ she said, nodding at the script.
    ‘ Your hand Leonato; we will go together ,’ Janet read the cue.
    ‘ Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato? ’ said Taisie.
    They’d almost got through to the finale, Taisie word perfect, when Elise came in. ‘Did you talk to Dad?’ she asked Janet.
    ‘Shut up,’ Taisie yelled, ‘I’m doing my lines.’
    ‘This is important,’ Elise sneered.
    ‘What – a stupid party?’ Taisie said.
    ‘Just ’cos you’re too young to go,’ said Elise.
    ‘So are you, isn’t she, Mum? Tell her.’
    ‘Elise,’ Janet said, ‘let us finish this.’
    With ill grace Elise leaned, arms folded, against the counter, a derisory look on her face, and Janet knew she was trying to unsettle Taisie. She suspected that Taisie was made of sterner stuff and was proven right as her younger daughter finished her part faultlessly.
    ‘Brilliant!’ Janet said. ‘Perfect!’
    ‘Finally,’ Elise complained.
    Perhaps it was