The Serpent's Skin Erina Reddan (affordable ebook reader .TXT) 📖

out in the open on the desk. I considered it for a few moments, then realised I was busting, so pulled a pair of jeans up under my nighty and dragged a cardigan over the top. I checked the corridor and dashed to the bathroom, where I scrubbed my face and cleaned my teeth for good measure because there was no way I was planning on making the trip again any time soon.

Back in my bedroom, I closed the door and fell against it for a moment. The phone dringed at the other end of the corridor. I slid to the floor. I’d been hoping to hear from Philly. I’d never walked out on her before. And now I had something good to tell her that might make it right again, but I couldn’t say it right now. There was nothing in the tank.

The footsteps coming down the hall were all in my direction.

‘Phone, JJ.’ Rat-Tail knocked on my door.

I dropped my head into my hands.

‘I know you’re in there, JJ. Been watchin. Your brother says it’s real important.’

Tim had never called. So I pulled myself upright and followed Rat-Tail back down to the phone. I pointed my finger at him until he’d closed his door and then I said, ‘Hello?’

‘Old man went and got himself gored,’ Tim said.

‘Oh fuck.’ Guilt lasered through me.

‘He’ll live. Stupid bugger. Was out in the storm last night feeding that mongrel, Max. He’s pretty banged up. He’s in the Royal.’

I put the phone down so gently I could hardly hear that final click, as if I didn’t want to cause one more terrible thing to happen.

THE MOP UP

It took a while for me to find a park at the hospital. The last time I’d come from work on the tram, direct to the records department. Shame heated through me at the memory. How the hell did I get so off track as to end up with the police? What was I even thinking?

I kneaded my palm all the way to the entrance. Digging in as if I could get right to the bone.

Philly saw me before I saw her.

‘Why didn’t you phone?’ she called out. ‘We could have come together.’

‘Last time I saw you it was all doors slamming.’

She winced. Folded her arms and looked down to watch her high heel shift on the concrete. I touched her arm. ‘It was me. Sorry.’

‘You were a bitch, but…’

‘… it’s in the past,’ I said, finishing her sentence.

She called up a ghost of a smile. ‘Something like that. See, it’s in your favour this time. Tim says Dad’s lost a lot of blood.’

What I had to tell her about Dad, about Peg, that could wait. In the meantime, I slipped Mum’s cameo into her hand. ‘Mrs Tyler kept it for us.’ I folded her fingers closed around it and squeezed. ‘Though you might like it for a while.’

The sweet Alice smile she bathed me in was worth the parting with Mum’s cameo for now.

We turned at Tim’s voice. He was running across the car park. He pecked Philly and then me and folded his arms, legs apart—all serious-man stance.

‘Stupid bastard,’ he said. ‘Don’t know what got into him. Should have sent that bastard bull to the knackers years ago.’

‘He loved Max,’ said Philly.

‘Loved that he was as cunning as a shithouse rat,’ said Tim. ‘Same as him.’

‘Hard to send yourself to the knackers, I suppose,’ said Philly. ‘Wonder what made Max go off like that?’

I groaned. Screwed up my face.

‘Fuck me, JJ,’ said Tim. ‘Out with it.’

I dug into my palm, feeling for the next step. Tim and Philly were all eyes on me.

‘Dad and I had a fight last night.’

‘You rang him?’ Tim’s voice was all lit up.

‘I was out there.’

‘Again? Jesus, Mary and Joseph, JJ. I thought you told Tessa you were going to leave Dad out of it.’

Philly stepped between us. ‘Are you saying you left him to bleed to de…’

I stepped back like I’d been punched, put my hand up to ward something off. ‘Course not.’ I winced. ‘I left before. Actually, he told me everything. It was… good.’

Philly shook her hands in front of my face. ‘Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.’

‘I bloody do,’ said Tim. ‘What did the old man say? And what did you say back that sent him out to Max in the middle of a bloody great storm?’

I folded my arms, just like Tim. ‘We both said plenty.’ I wondered if my voice gave away my guilt. I should have gone out to tell him that I understood everything. Made sure he knew that. Even that I was sorry. Big bloody sorry. Sure, he did the wrong thing, past a month of Sundays, but it wasn’t worse than what most of us did in a lifetime. Mum was right. It was just that he wanted to look good in front of the priest, his friends, us. Was that such a bad thing? Especially when the alternative was admitting you had sex with your wife’s sister.

‘You said plenty about what?’ insisted Tim.

‘If you think you can blame me for bloody Max—’

Philly stepped in again. ‘No one’s blaming you for Dad’s pigheadedness, JJ.’ She herded us forwards. ‘Let’s just bloody get in there.’

Tim dropped his arms. Shook his head and clipped me around the ear, before turning away to walk in with Philly. There was no bloody way I was telling him about everything until I was good and ready.

‘Tessa up to coming in?’ he asked.

‘Probably already up there,’ Philly said.

‘Where’s Shelley?’ I asked, bringing up the rear.

‘Told her not to come.’

Philly clicked her tongue.

‘What’s wrong with that?’ Tim asked, his voice full of battle.

‘She’s part of the family,’ Philly said. ‘You know she loves Dad.’

‘Where’s Ahmed, then?’

‘Shut up, Tim. It’s completely different.’

‘Cause he’s a wog?’

She punched Tim on the arm. He staggered back and crashed into the wall, gripping his arm and wincing as if he’d