Page 34 of The Temp

‘They’ll go easy on you once they hear all the facts,’ Linda promises. ‘It’ll be your first offence. Well, proper offence.’ A roar in the sky snatches our attention. Overhead, a helicopter hovers like a huge insect, pinning us down with its red and indigo flashing lights. ‘Jesus Christ,’ Linda yells as the helicopter’s blades belt out above us like machine guns. ‘You’re not a serial killer. What on earth has he told them?’

Blue and yellow lights illuminate the road ahead. They’re here. They are after my sister’s blood. Linda takes a few tentative steps forward and peers at the police car parked diagonally outside Zelda’s flat. Zelda screams, sirens yelp on a loop. I cover my hands over my head. I can’t let them lock her up. I’ve got to do something.

‘Shit, they’re getting out of the car,’ Linda hisses. ‘Shit.’

Chapter 31

The siren continues to scream in my ears, and then it suddenly stops. This is it. They’re coming in to arrest Zelda. I can almost hear the rustle of their uniforms, the cackle of their walkie talkies as they make their way along the uneven garden path.

‘I am so sorry, Linda,’ Zelda cries, eyes wild. ‘I’ll tell them you had absolutely no knowledge of this. I promise. I’ll say…’

Linda takes a hold of Zelda by the shoulders firmly and starts giving her another pep talk while I look on, legs like lead. ‘Look, there’s every chance that you’ll…’ Linda’s voice fades into white noise. In my peripheral, I see the police car moving.

‘Shhh…’ I hold a hand up to silence them. ‘Listen.’ There’s a low rumble of a helicopter and then the sudden flare of a siren again, distant this time. ‘Look,’ I cry, pointing at the road ahead. ‘No flashing lights. They must’ve been passing through,’ I enthuse. ‘Used this road as a shortcut.’

We all exhale sharply, as if we’ve been holding our breath under water in some kind of sardonic fitness contest. Linda presses a hand against the garage door and holds her chest. Zelda squats on the step of the back gate, face in hands, shoulders shaking. I look up at the ink sky, silently thanking the universe.

‘I thought I was going to have a heart attack,’ Linda gasps.

Daisy’s muffled voice filters from my handset, which I’m holding against my shoulder. I forgot she was there. I unmute her.

‘Sorry, Daisy, couldn’t hear you,’ I lie, heart belting. ‘Can you repeat that, please?’

‘Christ above. I’m not surprised,’ Daisy says. ‘Those sirens were deafening. Three cop cars just rocked up. They couldn’t get past the narrow street. Someone had double parked. A taxi, I think, on an airport run. Two people came out of a house a few doors away with suitcases.’ So that’s why they stopped outside Zelda’s. I was wondering why they needed a helicopter and several police cars to arrest an unarmed woman on suspicion of assault. ‘Look, I’m just getting out of the car. Can you hear me now?’

‘Yes, you’re much clearer now, Daisy.’

‘Great. So, did Frank drive here, then?’

‘Um…not sure. Hold on. Zelda, was Frank’s car outside?’

Zelda shakes her head, wiping her teary face with her hands. ‘I picked him up,’ she says, voice nasal from crying. ‘He was going to stay the weekend and didn’t want to lose the space outside his flat.’

‘He’s on foot, Daisy.’ I cover the mouthpiece and tell the girls to get inside. ‘I’ll be out in a…’

‘Have you tried calling him?’ Daisy interjects as I follow Linda into the flat, Zelda close behind me, and I get the feeling Daisy’s not up for this. And who could blame her? She didn’t sign up to be my dodgy midnight chauffeur. She’s only my temp. A surge of guilt skims through me. I should tell her to forget it, to go home and get some rest. But I can’t. The need to help my sister is bullying its way through every ounce of reasoning I have.

‘That’s a good idea, Daisy. We’ll try that first. I’ll ring you back, save you waiting.’ Daisy agrees, and I end the call, tell Zelda to ring Frank, something we should’ve done straightaway. Frank’s phone goes straight to voicemail and I tell her to hang up.

‘Okay, this is what we’re going to do.’ I pause, lick my dry lips. ‘If Frank reports it, we’ll tell them what really happened. Well, a diluted version. Frank attacked you in a jealous rage. He was going to kill you and you had to find a way to fight back.’ I slide my thumb over the corner of Zelda’s red silicone phone case in my hand, gazing at my haggard face in the mirror while an insane plan starts taking shape in my mind. ‘You grabbed your mobile phone.’ I hold it up as an exhibit. ‘And lamped him on the face with it.’ Zelda swallows, shakes her head. Linda looks shellshocked. ‘The impact of the blow shook him up, he let go, and then he fled.’ I turn to Linda. ‘Why don’t you go home love, we can say that I came here alone. I don’t want you involved in this.’

‘Yes,’ Zelda agrees. ‘You’ve done enough for me already.’

‘No way.’ Linda shakes her head. ‘I’m staying put.’

‘No, Linda, please,’ I insist. ‘I know you want to help but this is too risky, too dangerous.’

‘It’s not up for discussion, Bella.’

My eyes fill with gratitude. Zelda mouths thank you at her. I turn back to Zelda, sniffing back a tear. ‘Right, the moment he left, you called me, distraught, frightened he’d come back.’ I look at Linda. ‘I called you, asked you to meet me at Zelda’s. I wanted as much backup as possible. Frank’s a strong man, remember.’ Linda nods. ‘He was never on the lawn unconscious. Okay? Never.’

‘What about his wound?’ Zelda cries.

‘You’ve no idea how that happened.’

Zelda shifts from foot to foot, as if she’s marching on the spot. ‘But I’m not very good at lying. What if I mess up and they catch me out?’

‘She’s right,’ Linda pipes up. ‘It’ll be false evidence. Will Zelda withstand a police grilling?’

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