The coins have rolled under the seat in front, grabbing the attention of a young man, his face the perfect ad for addiction. Pale, decorated with marks, his skin sucked in so I can make out exactly how he’ll look in his coffin. His bottom lip drops open, his eyes watching my every move. He wouldn’t have the balls to rob me, not in here, but stray coins… I bet he could do with them.

Bending down I gather the cards scattered around my feet. Lots of cards.

Holding the purse open, I slip the first card back into its pocket.

She shouldn’t have told him. That was mine to tell.

Then the second.

Why did he tell her anything in the first place?

Then the third card.

Will he still want me now?

The fourth card doesn’t slip in as easy as the other three so I pull out the blockage. Notepaper. White. Folded over two times. If this is it, everyone is wrong. Including me.

I hear screaming, crying. It’s not far away, a few feet maybe, but I don’t look up. I’m unraveling the truth with trembling fingers, reading the words that were meant for me.

Chapter Forty-Two

I want to go to the coroner’s office and see what happened to Bert. Freda said the ambulance guy is pretty sure it was a heart attack. I also want to go over to Danny’s and find out why he visited Bert last night. Though I know, deep down, that he went to confront him over the coat.

Poor Bert, he didn’t last long after Edith. I didn’t think he would but this is very soon. Edith will only be settling in up there when he knocks on the door; what a nice surprise for her.

I realize now that I may never know the history of the coat, and maybe it doesn’t matter, maybe this all happened for a reason. Mom always said things happened for a reason. Like the many times I didn’t get called back after the dancing auditions I went to. Or the time Luke Brennan canceled bringing me to the prom in order to ask some new girl who joined the school. There were many occasions when Mom got to unload these words of wisdom. I wonder what she thinks of them now. I wonder how they fit into her diagnosis. Things happen for a reason.

The ambulance drives away leaving the curious in its wake. My head is heavy with sadness as I cross the road and enter Dad’s kitchen.

‘So Bert has gone,’ I say.

‘So I see.’ My father turns, a strange look on his face. ‘What happened?’

‘They’re not sure, a heart attack maybe.’

‘May he rest in peace.’