Page 75 of Good Bad Girl

I know it looks bad. I did have Mr. Henderson’s money and his things in the pocket of my uniform, but I was putting it all back. I’m clearly not cut out to be a thief: my conscience won’t let me commit a crime. I try to tell my side of the story, but Joy won’t listen so I start to panic. Work is hard to come by without any ID, or a bank account, or a real name. “Please, I can explain,” I say. Her face is a stop sign but I carry on anyway. “I can’t lose this job.”

“And I can’t employ a thief. Get your things and get out. Leave your keys and your badge in my office, you can return the uniform once you’ve washed it. I don’t have time to listen to your lies. Thanks to you I have even more work to do.”

She points at the door and I walk toward it.

My bag is still in Edith’s room.

So is Dickens.

I can’t leave without him but Joy has followed me to the landing. She is leaning against the rickety top floor banister, watching me as I walk toward the stairs. I don’t have many options and there is no time to decide what to do. Right and wrong are so hard to tell apart sometimes.

“And don’t bother trying to get another job in a care home in this city. I’m going to make sureeveryoneknows not to employ a girl called Patience.”

“Go ahead,” I say, and mean it.

I start to walk down the stairs—the elevator is broken again thanks to me jamming the buttons earlier. When I’m halfway I glance up and see that Joy is still standing there on the top floor, looking down on me in more ways than one. Once out of sight I head to the staff room and get my coat, grateful that there is nobody to see me. Visiting time is over. God’s waiting room has been restored to its sedate self, and the rest of the staff and residents are out of sight and earshot in the dining room. If someone wanted to do something bad here and get away with it, this would be the time to do it. I go into Joy’s office. I leave my name badge on her desk but keep my set of keys. Then I force open the petty cash tin, and fill my pockets with its contents. It’s no more than she owes me for days I have already worked. When I’ve taken what I see as mine, I head for the front door and make a point of slamming it closed, knowing that Joy might still be watching.

As soon as I am out of view I creep around the back of the care home and start to climb up the fire escape. I’m sure Joy will have retreated to her office downstairs by now—she rarely leaves it to do any real work—and I don’t plan to stay long once I’ve let myself in through the emergency exit on the top floor. All I want to do is get Dickens, say goodbye to Edith, and get out of here. For good this time. I creep along the landing and see that Edith’sbedroom door is slightly open. When I step inside the room it all happens so fast.

Edith is lying in the bed.

Joy is holding a pillow over her face.

Another woman rushes up behind her.

What I’m seeing doesn’t seem real. Can’t be. Dickens bursts through the bathroom door. He crashes into the chest of drawers so hard that a stuffed bear and a metal statue tumble off it. Joy turns and sees the other woman and they start to fight. Edith doesn’t move, her eyes are closed and she looks lifeless on the bed. Joy knocks the other woman to the floor and turns back to finish what she started. The dog growls and launches himself at Joy. She grabs him by the scruff of his neck, he whimpers, and she hurls him across the room. Something inside me snaps. I rush at Joy but she knocks me down on the floor too, then turns back to Edith. The other woman gets up, clutches at Joy from behind, and hooks her arm around Joy’s neck. I don’t know if the woman can hold her. I see the metal object that fell from the dresser—a bronze statue of a magnifying glass—I grab it and whack Joy on the head. There is a horrible cracking sound when I do.

Joy crashes to the ground and doesn’t get up.

The other woman stares at me in shock but doesn’t say a word.

I rush over to Edith.

“Is she alive?” the woman asks.

“I don’t know. Who are you?”

“I’m Clio, Edith’s daughter. Is she alive?”

“Yes,” I say.

“Good. I don’t thinksheis,” Clio replies, looking at Joy, who is still on the floor. Joy’s eyes are wide open. She isn’t moving.

I feel as though I’m going to be sick. “Should we call an ambulance?”

Edith sits up in the bed, gasping for air and taking in the scene. Dickens jumps up beside her and licks her face and I amso relieved they are both okay. “What happened?” Edith asks, staring at us both. “Oh dear,” she adds when she sees Joy.

Clio kneels down next to Joy and checks for a pulse, then shakes her head. “I walked in and she was holding a pillow over your face,” she says.

Edith frowns as though trying to remember. “So youkilledher?”

“I didn’t do anything. This girl hit her over the head with your retirement statue.”

“Sounds like she saved my life. My friend May was right. She knew Joy was up to no good, that’s why Joy killed her. Thank you, Ladybug.”

“We both saved you, it wasn’t just me,” I say.

Clio turns to me. “Now hang on. All I did was restrain her,youbludgeoned her to death.”

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