The Look of Love (39 page)

“This morning
your father thought you were both innocent! Even your poor mother
believed that! She was scared, but she believed you! This afternoon
that had all changed! Your parents know one of you killed Joanne!
You must have told them the truth! You had to! After my visit and
what your solicitor explained over the phone, your mother must have
realised the truth anyway! One of her sons is a murderer! So which
one did you all decide it was going to be? Hey, Scott? You? Or Max?
When we question them both again –and we are going to question
them, Scott, we have to– who are they going to say they heard
coming in early that night? Who, Scott? Are they going to tell the
truth? Or are they going to continue the lie you started and face
the consequences?”

Scott’s reply
was almost a whimper. “Leave my parents out of it.”

“It’s not up to
me, Scott. It’s the law, and its murder. And you’re all in it! You,
your parents, Max, even John King, all of you, in it up to your
necks.”

Louise couldn’t
find Victoria anywhere at the University. She had ended up
wandering around the campus, searching the corridors and the open
spaces, and going from room to room. She even went to the library
and back to the refectory. And at the end, she even stared
secretively through the window at her own class. She saw Angela,
but no Chrissy, and no Victoria.

Finally, she
had given up. She felt so sick and depressed she decided to go home
again. She would go home, go to bed, and cry until she slept.

As she sat on
the tram on the way back home, she dwelled on the disaster that had
been her day. Why had they bothered to go into class that day? Oh,
how she wished she had listened to Victoria! Why didn’t they just
stay at home? If they had, everything would have been alright.
Instead everything had gone wrong. She wanted to die.

It was all that
Zach’s fault! Oh, how she hated him! Why did he have to laugh at
Victoria like that? And the things he had said. Louise could still
feel his hands on her. He was evil. She wanted to kill him. It was
such a strong thought, such a physical need, that if he had been
there on the tram with her, or if she knew where he was and could
reach him, she could have killed him then and there.

But it wouldn’t
bring Victoria back.

But it wasn’t
Louise’s fault that things had got out of hand in the refectory. It
wasn’t her fault that Victoria had got so upset and ran off. Or was
it? If it hadn’t been for her relationship with Louise, Victoria
wouldn’t have had the fight with Zach in the first place. It was a
chilling thought. Could Victoria blame her? Did Victoria blame her?
Is that why she had run off and hadn’t gone back to their flat? The
cold realisation made Louise feel even more depressed.

Victoria hated
her. She hated her and had left her.

Then another
thought occurred to Louise. Everybody would know about her too. She
would have to face them the next day. They would all stare at her,
and whisper to one another about her. It was the one thing she had
dreaded the most. Everyone would despise her and avoid her. And now
she would be alone.

Slowly and
silently, she began to weep.

Louise was a
mental wreck by the time she got back to her flat. She got out her
key and began to unlock the door. It was already unlocked. For a
moment her heart leapt, but then she remembered that Victoria
didn’t have a key. They had never had a chance to make one for her.
Louise suddenly realised that she must have forgotten to lock the
door when she had ran out of the flat earlier.

Louise sighed.
She was such a fool. A stupid, silly fool. It would serve her right
if the flat had been ransacked while she was out. She opened the
door and went in. Everything was quiet and undisturbed.

Louise closed
the door and walked over to Victoria’s bedroom. She stared though
the open door. On the bed were two hold-alls and five plastic bags.
On the floor next to the bed was a suitcase.

Louise stared
at them in horror and surprise. She was frozen to the spot.

The toilet
flushed in the bathroom. Louise almost ran over to the bathroom and
threw open the door.

“Vikki!” she
called out.

Victoria
screamed and threw the soap in the air. She was so shocked she
almost jumped out of her skin. She spun round, stepped back, caught
her legs against the side of the bath, and fell in with another
scream and banged her head on the wall. She ended up sat in the
bath with her legs dangling over the side, a surprised and dazed
look on her face.

Louise rushed
forward and began to fuss over her. “Oh, I didn’t mean to scare
you, Vikki!” she said, kissing her and hugging her. “Are you
alright? You bumped your head! Oh, I’m sorry, Vikki!”

Victoria felt
the back of her head. “You gave me a fucking heart-attack, Louise!”
she snapped. “What did you think you were doing, bursting through
the door shouting like that? I could have been sat on the toilet
with my knickers down!”

“I didn’t mean
it! I just saw your bags and heard you in the bathroom, and I
didn’t think! I’m sorry! Are you alright?”

“No! I’ve got a
headache and my bum’s wet! Help me up you daft brush!” Victoria
kicked her legs uselessly as Louise did as she asked, pulling her
up out of the bath.

When she was
back on her feet, Victoria twisted round and felt the back of her
jeans. Sure enough there was a large damp patch.

“Oh, bollocks!”
she announced. “It’s soaked through to my knickers! I’ll have to
change now or I’ll feel squidgy all day!”

Louise didn’t
seem to hear her. She was staring at Victoria very intently, very
emotionally, and she was hanging on to her arms as if she thought
Victoria might disappear at any moment.

“Where have you
been, Vikki?” she asked in a quivering voice. “I’ve been worried
sick! I ran after you at Uni, but I couldn’t find you! I came back
here to look for you before, but you weren’t here! I went back to
Uni again! I still couldn’t find you! Where have you been?”

Louise got more
and more emotional as she spoke, until the tears were streaming
down her face.

“Oh, Vikki!”
Louise ploughed on. “You don’t hate me do you? Why are your things
packed? Why are you leaving? Please don’t leave! Please, Vikki! I
love you! Please, don’t leave me!”

Victoria didn’t
answer her. She was too busy staring at Louise’s eyes, staring at
that look.

Louise couldn’t
stand it. “Please say something, Vikki!” she begged.

“I love
you.”

Louise stared
at her.

Victoria
grinned. “Gosh! I’ve said it now haven’t I? There’s no turning back
now!”

Louise burst
into tears.

Victoria
quickly put her arms around her and pulled her close.

“Oh, come here
you big softy! What are you crying for now? It’s what you wanted to
hear wasn’t it?”

“I was so
frightened!” Louise wailed, her voice slightly muffled as her head
was buried in Victoria’s shoulder. “I saw your bags and I thought
you were leaving me!”

“I’m not
leaving you, Louise. I thought about it, I even packed. But I
changed my mind. I’ve spoken to Zach too. He wasn’t pleased about
it, but he didn’t have much choice in the end. You might say I
caught him in a compromising position. Anyway he knows, and he
understands now. He’s out of the picture. I’d only just come back,
dumped my stuff on the bed and gone for a wee when you burst in and
scared the hell out of me.”

Louise suddenly
looked up. “You scared the hell out of me!” she said with more
fire. “Where have you been? Why did you run off like that? Why
didn’t you wait for me?”

“I was too
upset. Everyone was looking at me, and Zach was laughing at me. I
didn’t know how to deal with it.” Victoria shrugged. “I don’t know.
Normally I’m drunk and half naked when something like that happens.
I can deal with it then. I’m used to being a slut and what
everybody thinks about that, and I don’t care. I’ve told you that
before, haven’t I? Anyway, this was different. I didn’t want them
to know, and suddenly they all did. I ran. I didn’t mean to. I’m
sorry.”

“Where did you
go?”

Victoria told
her about the cemetery. “I often go there to think. Daft aren’t I?
I hate him, but I still love him too. Anyway, that’s where I bumped
into Zach, he knows me that well, and we got talking. He almost
persuaded me to leave you.”

“What changed
your mind?” Louise asked.

“Let’s just say
I saw the light.”

They stared at
one another for a moment. Then Louise said in a soft voice, “Please
kiss me, Vikki.”

Victoria smiled
and they kissed. It was a long and passionate kiss, and when it was
over they hugged and kissed again.

Afterwards,
when they were just standing and staring into one another’s eyes,
Victoria said, “Your face is as wet as my bum.”

Louise laughed.
“You say the most romantic things!”

“I know. I
don’t know why you love me.” Victoria put her arms around Louise
and began to spin her around as she continued, making Louise laugh
even more.

“I’m
over-wrought, self destructive, I have a drinking problem, I fart
when I’m drunk, I’m emotionally scarred, I’m untidy, I say the most
embarrassing things, and I’m totally undependable. Apart from that,
I’m perfect!”

Louise laughed
and cried at the same time. “I love you, Victoria Kenyon!”

“I know you do,
and I love you too, Louise Taylor! And I don’t care who knows about
it!”

Victoria
stopped spinning Louise around and held her at arms length, that
familiar cheeky grin on her face. “Right, Louise! I’ve got the rest
of today and tomorrow all mapped out. First, help me unpack my bags
–again. I want to change before my bum goes numb. After that we can
put on a soppy movie and eat everything in the kitchen. Then after
that you can drive me wild in the bedroom. That way we’ll have a
smile on our faces when we go into class tomorrow. Because we are
going back to class tomorrow. And when we get there, we’re going to
be so embarrassingly lovey-dovey, that no one is going to dare to
say anything, ever! Okay?”

Louise stared
up at Victoria’s happy expression. She had never felt happier or
stronger than she did at this moment. And with Victoria by her
side, she felt like she could face anything. She wiped the tears
from her eyes and smiled brightly.

“Okay!”

Billing and Max
were waiting in interview room one. Connors was on his way there
when he met Shawcroft coming the other way.

“How did it
go?” Connors asked.

“Just like we
planned,” Shawcroft replied with a smile. “He’s in interview room
two, and he’s probably scared shitless.”

“Good. Give me
a few minutes to get started with Max, and then wheel her in. She’s
in interview room three.”

They reached
interview room one, and Connors took a deep breath, nodded to
Shawcroft, and then went in.

Billing stood
up as soon as Connors entered the room. “I want you to understand
that my client–”

Connors
interrupted him. “Shut up and sit down,” he said bluntly, and
dumped his file on the table in front of them.

Billing was
indignant. “I don’t care for your attitude, Detective Sergeant!” he
said.

Connors ignored
him. He was very abrupt as he went on. “Before I start this
interview, I’m going to give your client one last chance.” He
leaned forward on the desk, talking directly to a very frightened
looking Max. “Now, I’ll tell you this for nothing, Max. We’ve
spoken to the waiters at the Shere Khan. Every one of them
remembers you that night. You were angry, loud and abusive.”

Billing tried
to head him off. “I protest! John King’s statement clearly–”

“John King
isn’t going to last five seconds when he sees their statements, and
you know it!” Connors said, interrupting him again. He turned back
to Max and hovered over him menacingly.

“This is your
last chance, Max. Tell the truth, now, or so help me, I’ll bury
your whole family!”

Max stared up
at Connors in horror. His lips quivered. “I didn’t mean to do it!”
he blurted out. “I didn’t mean it! I loved Jo! I didn’t mean it!”
Max then collapsed on to the table, crying like a child, his head
in his arms.

Scott was
sitting on his own in interview room two when the door opened. It
was Shawcroft, and he held the door open as Chrissy came in.

“You have five
minutes,” he told her, then he closed the door.

Scott stood up
and stared at Chrissy in surprise. She stayed by the door. She
looked scared. For a moment neither of them spoke, and then Scott
broke the silence.

“What have you
told them?” he demanded. The tone of his voice was harsh, and its
effect on Chrissy was like a starting pistol.

Chrissy stepped
away from the door and shoved Scott hard in the chest, knocking him
back against the table. He was so surprised by the attack that he
ended up sprawled over the table and could only stare up at Chrissy
as she stood over him.

“You lying
bastard!” she shouted. “How could you sit there with me, talking
about going out and acting all nice and sweet, when you knew all
along that Max had killed Jo? You heartless bastard!”

She thumped him
on the chest.

“Why are you
covering for him?”

She thumped him
again.

“Why haven’t
you told the police?”

And again.

“Why,
Scott?”

Another
thump.

“Why?”

Scott finally
reacted to Chrissy’s onslaught. He stood up and grabbed her hands,
trying to push her away.