‘Put the kettle on, Aysh,’ he said, settling down on the sofa. What they had to do was best done at night, under the cover of darkness. They had time to kill. And then, at last, he was going to find out once and for all what was lies, and what was truth.

156

156

‘Shauna? Are you all right? You look . . .’

To Shauna, Chloe’s voice seemed to be coming from a thousand miles away. Her eyes, her whole being, was centred on what she could see through the window. The roar of the machinery, the massive grab of the thing swinging up and down, dipping like a huge feeding animal, scooping up vast dripping weed-hung sections of mud from the bottom right of Chloe’s garden. It was heading toward the house next door. The house where Shauna and Josh had lived. And the rain had stopped.

‘They put a note through the door, told everyone up and down the road. But the stench! You would not believe it. We’ve complained, of course, to the council, but . . . Shauna? Where are you going?’

Shauna was hardly aware of moving, but she turned and walked to the end of the big lounge, then through the hallway and out into the kitchen. She didn’t stop to get her coat. She unlocked the back door and set off across the terrace and down the steps.

‘Shauna?’ called Chloe, following her out. ‘What’s the matter?’

Shauna was panting, walking fast. Her stiletto heels caught on the rain-softened turf and she stumbled. She paused, kicked the heels off and then she carried on, barefoot, toward the monster machine and the men in the hi-viz jackets on the bank, who were watching as the driver manoeuvred the thing.

‘No, no, no . . .’ she muttered under her breath. This couldn’t be happening!

She broke into a shambling trot and then into a run. She had to stop them.

‘Shauna . . .’

Chloe’s voice was growing fainter as she struggled to keep up with Shauna’s pace. Shauna raced on, because if she got there in time she would stop them.

Stop them how?

She didn’t know. She would think of something.

‘Stop!’ she started shouting.

The light was fading. It would be dark soon. Then they would have to stop.

The men had their backs to her and the machine was making its hellish noise; they didn’t hear her.

‘Stop for God’s sake!’ she yelled, aware that she was crying, that this was the final straw and now her life really was in bits.

‘I said stop!’ she screamed when she was within ten paces of them. She fell to her knees on the grass, the pungent smell of the churned-up river mud making her gag.

‘Stop, for Christ’s sake, stop it,’ she moaned, sobbing.

Chloe hurried up to Shauna, bent over her.