BooksBarbecue
Back What Lies Beneath Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Cover
  2. Get more of my books FREE!
  3. Map of Rutland
  4. Map of Oakham
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. On Borrowed Time
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. Adam Croft

Mark sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her. ‘Caz, I can’t stand to see you like this. The kids have picked up on it, too. They’re scared and worried. I’ve asked you so many times what the problem is. I’ve tried to talk to you, I’ve tried guessing what’s wrong, I’ve tried… I’ve tried, Caz. If you won’t let me in and won’t talk to me, what can I do? I can’t help you if you won’t let me help you.’

‘I’m not asking you to help me.’

‘I know. That’s the problem. Look, I’ll call you later on, alright? We’ll only be there a couple of nights. Monday’s a bank holiday anyway, so we can come back late in the evening if everything’s alright. We’ll play it by ear.’

‘Play it by ear? Mark, Jesus Christ, give me a chance to wake up and process this. Are you leaving me?’

‘It’s just a couple of nights. The boys want to see their Grandma.’

Caroline sensed movement at the bedroom door. She sat up and felt the pounding of yesterday’s alcohol in her head as she looked over towards them.

‘Come and say goodbye, boys. We’ll ring Mum when we get there, yeah?’

‘Bye, Mum,’ Josh said, giving her a cursory kiss on the cheek. He was growing old before his time. Archie came over and hugged her, showing a little more affection, but she could still tell he’d spotted something in her. Something that wasn’t quite right.

‘Just a couple of nights,’ Mark said, almost whispering.

She looked at the boys and felt as though she’d lost them. She could see from the looks in their eyes that they barely knew her anymore.

45

By the end of the day, the house had never looked so clean. The only way she’d found to distract herself and her mind was to listen to the radio and clean the house from top to bottom. She’d vacuumed every room twice after discovering a new setting on the hoover that she’d never found before. Then again, she estimated she’d probably only used the thing twice in her life. Today was different. Today was about distraction. Purging the dirt. Keeping bad thoughts at bay.

One room’d had less attention than the others, though. She’d tried to avoid the kitchen where possible, not wanting to see the temptation of the alcohol bottles. She desperately wanted to just curl up in a ball with a large glass and drink herself to sleep, but there was still a part of her — a part she was grasping onto for dear life — that knew that wouldn’t do any good.