Treasure ran upstairs and flung off his uniform. School was finished for the summer! He changed into a T-shirt and shorts. It was stifling indoors. He opened the window and saw Jimmy Cox in the garden next door. Saw what he did. Treasure raced downstairs fuelled by fury but without a plan. There was a passageway between the two houses that led to the gates into their back gardens. He jumped and managed to grab the top edge of Jimmy Cox’s gate, which was always kept bolted. He hauled himself up until he was able to scrabble over the top and drop down into his neighbour’s yard. A small window in the side wall of the house gave a view into the kitchen and Treasure peered cautiously through the grimy glass. Jimmy Cox was frantically searching for something in a drawer. He threw the contents onto the draining board with one hand, and with the other he clawed at his throat. He was sucking for air as greedily as a pup milking its mother’s teat, and his lips were blue. He finally found what he was looking for, but as he grabbed it, it shot out of his grasp and pin-wheeled across the floor. Jimmy Cox collapsed onto his knees and then fell forwards, his arm outstretched in a vain attempt to retrieve what he had dropped. His fingers crept painfully over the linoleum like a sickly spider, but the object they were seeking was just out of reach.

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

1973

‘I’d like to ask the cards which man I should choose.’

The woman sitting opposite Imelda was smartly dressed in expensive clothes and misted with Joy by Jean Patou. Her hair was salon-fresh and her make-up immaculate.

‘Neither, I should think. They’re usually more trouble than they’re worth.’

Shunty-Mae emerged from behind the curtain at the back of the booth. ‘I’m just off to the café for a bitter lemon. I shan’t be long.’

It was high season and Imelda was so busy that she had finally been forced to accept Shunty-Mae’s help. Imelda frowned disapprovingly at her retreating figure.

‘Please excuse my mother. Now let’s get started, shall we? Would you like to choose a pack of cards?’

The woman made her selection and then shuffled them as she asked her question again out loud. Imelda spread the cards on the table and then turned them over one by one. They dismissed a self-opinionated playboy with a country house as entirely unsatisfactory. The King of Swords, the Ten of Cups, the Five of Wands and the Emperor described an old, overweight, demanding and taciturn businessman as being the better choice. Imelda couldn’t quite see why until she turned over the Ten of Pentacles. He was also very rich.

‘Are you considering a romantic relationship with either of these men?’

The woman looked aghast. ‘God no! They’re both married. It’s more of a business relationship.’