BooksBarbecue
Back Again, Rachel
Chapters (98)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. 93
  97. 94
  98. Acknowledgements

‘He’s not really a violent type, Collie Byrne. He’ll probably just take some of Ronan’s machinery for the debt. But I was lying awake and I couldn’t stop thinking of…’ Her jaw clenched and her skin was as white as paper. ‘Ronan’s not tough,’ she said. ‘He’s a gentle sort of a lad, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself and—can you help me, Rachel?’

‘What would you like to do?’

‘I could maybe talk to Collie Byrne? Make a plan to pay back the money?’

‘As I understand it,’ I said, carefully, ‘you had already made promises to Collie Byrne. In the past.’

‘But this time I mean it. I meant it the other time too,’ she added quickly. ‘But it’s different now.’

‘What way? You always knew that Collie operated outside the law.’

‘I never really thought about it.’ She looked lost and frightened. ‘I just…knew I’d get the money from somewhere. But tomorrow is Friday, the day Collie Byrne said he’d…I don’t want anything bad to happen to Ronan.’

At long last, she broke down. Fat tears sprang from her eyes and a storm of sobs shook her. ‘He’s my little boy,’ she gasped. ‘I don’t want anyone to hurt him.’

27

‘So! When I first got here I thought you were all insane!’ Roxy was up on a dining chair, giving her farewell speech. ‘And I wasn’t wrong!’ The room erupted into laughter.

The twenty other clients and four of the therapists had come along, as well as Brianna, Nurse Hector, Starling who taught art, Florian the groundsman and Karlin the cook. Karlin had made a special farewell Gateau Diane, Roxy’s favourite. Most people got fobbed off with a preservatives-riddled thing from the garage. No doubt about it, Roxy had been a big hit.

‘I came in here to save my job.’ Roxy beamed around the room. ‘Then discovered I was an alcoholic and drug addict. Fuck my life!’ Radiant with gratitude and optimism, she was a very different woman to the resistant, surly creature who had arrived here six weeks ago.

The one off-note here was poor Trassa. Planked on a chair, with Giles and Chalkie hovering protectively, she looked catatonic. One of her two permitted weekly phone calls had been used to speak to Ronan, to discover that heaven and earth were being moved to get Collie Byrne his twenty grand by tomorrow. That immediate worry had gone but there were much bigger rearrangements taking place in her.