Ellen stood in the doorway to Riley’s bedroom and watched as Jodie went about changing his nappy. She handled him with confidence as if she had done this a thousand times before, which she probably had. All the while she was changing him, cleaning him up and dressing him, she engaged him in conversation. He couldn’t join in, but Jodie’s voice was different with Riley. It was light, soft, with a hint of happiness and jollity, as if all was right with the world.
‘You’re getting to be a big boy, Riley,’ she said as she grunted under the strain of lifting him down from the changing mat. She placed him, carefully, in his bean bag. ‘Look at these big solid legs.’ She held his feet and wiggled his legs which made him giggle. ‘You’re like a little rugby player, aren’t you? Riley the scrum half.’
She turned around and saw Ellen watching. It made her jump.
‘Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Did you want anything?’
‘No. I came to see how you are, but you seem to be doing ok.’
Jodie sat cross-legged on the floor beside Riley. She handed him his favourite penguin toy. ‘It’s strange but coming in here and being with Riley, it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Inside this room, it’s all about Riley, his needs and there’s no responsibility, no stress. We can sit here for hours blowing bubbles, playing with his toys, or watching the lights fade into different colours, and nothing else matters. I could honestly close that door and never leave this room again.’
Ellen frowned. The weight upon Jodie’s shoulders was too great for a fourteen-year-old to contend with. She shouldn’t be talking about getting away from the world. She should be out there living in it, exploring it, meeting boys, buying make-up, and trying a cheeky cigarette or an illicit sip of vodka.
‘I was thinking about doing a shepherd’s pie for tea,’ Ellen said to fill the silence. ‘Your mum hasn’t eaten much today; she could do with something substantial. What do you think?’
‘That would be nice. Will you grate some cheese on top of the mash? Dad likes it like that.’
‘Of course,’ Ellen smiled. ‘Do you know what time your dad will be home?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ she shrugged. ‘He’s missed a lot of work lately, so he’ll be wanting to put in some overtime to make up.’
‘Ok. Well, I’ll set a plate aside for him.’
***
The house was silent.
The shepherd’s pie was in the oven and Ellen was washing the dirty dishes. Linda had promised to come downstairs once it was ready. She had taken to her bed after her meagre lunch. She didn’t go to sleep, but the sounds of her crying and vomiting could be heard from upstairs.
Ellen should have gone home more than an hour ago, but she wanted to make sure the family had a decent meal. Linda wasn’t in a position to look after her two remaining children at the moment and Craig had insisted on returning to work. Somebody needed to maintain a degree or normality for Jodie and Riley, and that role fell to Ellen.
‘Riley’s nodded off,’ Jodie said as she entered the kitchen. ‘I think I’ve tired him out. We might get a few hours of peace.’ She spoke like a parent who had put their baby down for a nap. It was strange for Ellen to hear such words coming out of a teenager’s mouth. ‘Is there anything I can do?’
‘You could set the table if you like. It’s almost ready.’
‘It smells lovely.’
‘Thank you.’
Jodie went about setting the table for four people. Ellen didn’t know if this was through habit of setting a place for Keeley or if she was being thoughtful by including Ellen.
‘When will we be able to have the funeral?’ Jodie asked out of nowhere.
‘Well, the coroner has opened the inquest and adjourned it while we continue our investigation. Once he’s satisfied as to the cause of death, he’ll release Keeley and you can arrange things then.’
‘Will that be a long way off?’
‘I don’t know how long these things take, I’m sorry. It all depends on how the investigation goes and if the coroner is satisfied.’
‘I saw a coffin online. It’s pink and you can have things put on the side. I thought it would be nice to have pictures of Disney princesses and castles. Keeley would have loved that.’
‘I’m sure she would.’ Ellen pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. She beckoned Jodie to do the same. ‘Jodie, you can’t take on all the responsibility for yourself, you know. You’re still only a child. You’ll need to go back to school soon or you’ll fall behind in your studies. Your mum is here to take care of Riley and it’s the role of your parents to organise Keeley’s funeral.’
‘Mum can’t cope,’ Jodie eventually said, wiping away a tear before it had a chance to form. ‘You’ve seen how she is. She’s sick. I don’t have a choice.’
‘Yes, you do. None of this is your responsibility.’
‘I don’t mind, though. I like looking after Dad and Riley.’
‘But who looks after you?’
‘I can look after myself.’
‘But you shouldn’t—’ Ellen was interrupted by the front door opening and slamming closed. Craig was home.
‘I was hoping you’d still be here,’ he said as he stormed into the kitchen. His face was like thunder. ‘Jodie, go and check on your brother.’
‘He’s fine. He’s sleeping.’
‘I’ll not ask you again,’ he said, his voice raised.
Jodie scuttled away. Ellen noticed she went into Riley’s room but didn’t fully close the door behind her.
‘I’ve been thinking long and hard this afternoon,’ Craig began, leaning on the table and staring daggers at Ellen. ‘Where do you lot get off questioning me and Linda like that?’
‘I’m sorry?’ Ellen looked genuinely scared. She remained seated at the table but leaned back as far as she could go.
‘Accusing me and Linda of killing our own daughter.’
‘Nobody is accusing you.’
‘You lot bloody are. I work my fingers to the bone for this family. I work every hour God sends. I love all my children, and you think you can just swan in and start throwing around vicious accusations.’
‘Craig, please, calm down, and I can explain how these things work.’
‘I don’t want to calm down, and I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit. I know why you’re here; it’s not to look after us and make sure we’re all right, it’s to fucking spy on us. You’re here to try and find some shred of evidence, no matter how small, that me or Linda could have killed our daughter. Well I’m not standing for it. I want you out.’
‘Craig, please. Let me give DCI Darke a call …’
‘What for? So she can come around here and start accusing me of something else. Is she going to take the floorboards up in the living room to look for Carl Meagan under the house? I don’t think so. I want you out. Now.’
‘Craig …’
‘I’m not a violent man, Ellen, but I swear to God, I will literally throw you out of this house if I have to.’
Ellen fell silent. She had never been more scared in her whole life than she was right now. Slowly, she stood up.
‘I’m very sorry you feel this way, Craig. You have my number if you need anything.’
As she edged past him, she could feel the rage and anger oozing out of him. From the hallway, she collected her coat and bag she had draped over the bannister and turned back. Craig was in the same position, hunched over the kitchen table. His broad back was heaving as he took deep breaths to try and steady his nerves.
Ellen turned to leave and caught Jodie standing in the small gap she had left in the entrance to Riley’s bedroom. Ellen gave her a sympathetic smile, but Jodie didn’t react. Her face was blank.
Once Ellen was out of the house, she visibly relaxed. She let out a huge breath. She looked up the road for the silver Peugeot, but it had gone. So much for being protected. She’d send an email to DCI Darke and report what had happened, but she hoped she wouldn’t be sent back here.
Ellen put on her coat and headed up Acorn Drive. She had parked around the corner again today. The journalists had been parked outside the house this morning when she arrived, but they’d gone now. Obviously a juicier story had come up.
The door to the house next door opened and Amanda Raine stepped out. Ellen stopped and looked over to her.
‘I heard the row,’ she said quietly, but in the dying light of the day, her words echoed around the empty street. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine, thanks.’
‘He gets like that; flies off the handle at the littlest things. You should have heard the things he said to my Grant when they had a disagreement over the size of the garden fence round the back. I honestly thought he was going to hit him.’
‘Is he violent?’ Ellen asked, stepping closer to Amanda’s house.
‘I don’t think so. He’s more of a verbal bully. There’s no wonder Linda’s ill all the time. She’s a nervous wreck.’ A gust of wind came from nowhere. Amanda wrapped her hands firmly across her chest, closing her cardigan against the stiff breeze. ‘You didn’t hear this from me, but he’s argued and threatened every person on this road.’
‘Threatened?’
‘Oh yes. He doesn’t like you parking outside his house. When it’s bin day, he kicks off if the bins aren’t collected as soon as they’re emptied. Her at number eleven, he had a go at her on the day she moved in because the removal truck was blocking the road. I’ve said it many times, but it’s like living next door to Jekyll and Hyde.’
‘Amanda, Jocelyn’s on the phone,’ a call came from inside the house.
‘I’ll have to go, that’s our Jocelyn. Her youngest went into labour yesterday with twins. Ta-ra,’ she closed the door before Ellen could reply.
Ellen turned and headed towards her car. As she went around the corner, she looked back at the Armitage house. There were a pair of eyes staring at her from an upstairs window, and she felt an icy chill run up her spine.