Janet paused. Gill trusted her to be honest, they’d been through too much together not to be. ‘Like you say, there were rumours,’ Janet said.
‘But you never came to me. You didn’t think I should know?’ Gill asked her, anxious now, fearful of losing Janet, too. Of feeling betrayed by everyone that mattered.
‘They were rumours, Gill. If there had ever been something concrete staring me in the face, then I would have told you. Of course I would.’
Gill nodded, relieved. But the anger and the sense of humiliation flooded back through her. ‘I can just imagine it when word gets out.’ She dragged a hand through her hair. ‘All the clichés. I’m a walking fucking cliché. Wifey the last to know. Cat’s away and the mice – fuck!’
‘You’ll be all right. It doesn’t feel that way now, but you will.’
‘I hope she gives him herpes. I hope they get scabies too, and that everything they touch turns to shit. This is killing me. I can’t do it. It’ll kill me.’ She caught the twinkle in Janet’s eyes, saw Janet fighting not to laugh. Gill punched her in the arm. ‘I’m allowed to be melodramatic,’ she said. ‘If ever there was a time for melodrama, this is it.’
‘I’ll give you that.’
‘I am not going to be that woman who stands by her man, smile glued in place,’ Gill said.
‘Whatever happens, you’ll be all right. You’ve got a fantastic job, you’ve got Sammy, you’ve got mates.’
‘And a big fuck-off house,’ Gill added. ‘He’s not getting his paws on that.’
‘Can you afford to buy him out?’
‘Probably not, but I’m not losing that house. I’ll live on bread and dripping first. Take in lodgers, anything. But I’ll keep that house.’
‘Good,’ Janet said.
And I have, Gill thought now. Still here, living and breathing. She opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of milk. Took it through and sat down on the sofa. Sammy moved over, raising his feet so she could massage them.
‘You showered?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Forget it then.’
He laughed and slid his legs off her knees.
Gill smiled and turned her attention to the screen where one of the characters was going into meltdown. She should make a date with Janet. Hard with so much on, but you let things slide and when you finally look up your social life has curled up in a corner and died. Yes, she’d do that. Time they had a proper catch-up.
RACHEL AND KEVIN walked the streets around Shudehill, identifying cameras before visiting the monitoring centre to download the relevant files. Lee, as exhibits officer, checked the downloads in and then Rachel and Kevin settled in for the duration. Sitting side by side, with a screen each, running film from different cameras, aiming to retrace Lisa’s movements back through town. Rachel found her on the footage within ten minutes of starting, found Kasim’s cab first, on Shudehill at 13.06, opposite the bus station. Played the tape backwards to see Lisa stepping out of the taxi, with a load of shopping bags in her hands. The taxi reversing away and Lisa setting the bags down on the pavement. Rachel’s pulse gave a jump. Yes! ‘Someone’s had fun,’ she said.
