Ben Hewitt seemed to be holding court and whatever he was saying appeared to highly amuse his friends as they all broke out into laughter. Just as Poppy reached the kerb Ben stepped down in front of her. He was tall for his age and his physique was already showing signs of developing into a man. From where Neve was sitting, his face was smiling and in any other circumstance Neve would assume that his approach was welcomed, but there was definitely something about Poppy that told Neve otherwise. Poppy sidestepped Ben Hewitt who then turned his back on her and returned to his friends.
Neve relaxed again. They didn’t seem interested in Poppy now. Perhaps they were just saying hello to her after all. Neve checked her watch.
Shit.
She was going to be late. When she told Poppy she was meeting a friend this morning, she hadn’t been lying. Neve took another look at Poppy who had settled herself on the bench, away from the other kids.
Neve switched on the engine ready to go as soon as the St Joseph’s bus turned up. Typically, it was late today. Of all days, when she knew being late could be a problem. She took the decision to slowly turn the car around and head off for her meeting. She looked over in Poppy’s direction, hoping her daughter would look up so Neve could gauge her level of stress. But Poppy looked firmly at her feet. The group of pupils had swelled in numbers now, none of whom seemed in the least bit interested in either Poppy or Neve.
Neve took one final glance in the rear-view mirror as she steered the car around the corner. Something made her look back a second time. She couldn’t swear to it, but she thought she saw one of the kids walking towards Poppy. Too late, Neve was around the corner and the group were out of sight.
Perhaps she was over-reacting. Poppy would be all right. The kids weren’t interested in her now their other friends were there. Neve tried to reassure herself as the distance between her and Poppy grew. But no matter how she tried to rationalise it, disturbing thoughts of Ben Hewitt confronting Poppy wouldn’t leave her.
‘Sod it,’ she said out loud and pulled the car over to the side of the road, reversing into the opening of a field and wheel-spinning her way out, back towards the centre of the village.
If she hurried, she would be there before the bus.
As Neve brought her car around the corner, the bus stop came into view and she could see the group of kids standing around the bench that Poppy had been sitting on. She couldn’t see Poppy. Perhaps the bus had already been.
But the crowd of youths weren’t standing around in a huddle having a cosy chat. There was something about their stance, menace oozing from the collective.
Neve accelerated and sped towards the bus stop, screeching to a halt and charging out of the car. She pushed her way through the group of kids.
‘Get out of the way,’ she shouted. The burgundy blazers parted like a stage curtain. Only one boy remained oblivious to Neve’s presence. He was standing leaning over Poppy who was huddled on the bench, her school bag pulled close to her, hugging it like a comfort blanket, and her hockey stick grasped in one hand. Poppy was looking down at the ground, but Neve could see streaks of tears on the girl’s face.
She grabbed the shoulder of Ben Hewitt and spun him round. ‘Get the hell away!’ she growled through clenched teeth, in a voice she barely recognised. Her vocal chords contorting with rage. He was easily as tall as Neve and his broad shoulders seemed at odds with the schoolboy uniform.
‘Hey! Don’t touch me,’ exclaimed an indignant and cocky Ben Hewitt. ‘You’re not allowed to do that.’
‘I don’t give a stuff what you think. You stay away from her.’ Neve shot back at him. She crouched down and looked up at Poppy. ‘It’s OK now. Come with me.’ She eased Poppy to her feet. ‘You keep away from my daughter.’ She looked Ben Hewitt straight in the eye. ‘Don’t you dare come anywhere near her again. I don’t want you even breathing the same air. Got it?’
‘I wasn’t doing anything,’ said Ben, insolence plastered on his face.
‘Don’t give me that crap,’ said Neve. She looked round at the other faces of the group. ‘And that goes for all of you too. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Bullies, the lot of you.’
‘We weren’t doing anything. We were just asking Poppy about her bag. Weren’t we, Poppy?’ Ben went to touch Poppy’s arm, but Neve was quick and swiped his hand away.
‘I told you, stay away from her,’ she snarled.
‘Or you’ll do what? Tell my mum? Ooh, I’m scared.’ Ben laughed and looked round at his contemporaries. A few of them sniggered.
‘Just keep away, you little shit,’ said Neve. Her temper finally unleashing itself from her hold. ‘Now, get out of the way.’
‘Say please.’ Ben folded his arms.
Neve felt the crowd close ranks. She took a steadying look at Ben and when she spoke, her voice was low but full of controlled power.
‘Piss. Off.’ She pushed Ben with her hand and the lad stumbled back.
‘Oi!’ he shouted. ‘Like I said, you can’t do that. That’s assault.’
‘What are you going to do? Tell tales to your mum?’ said Neve, and then mimicking the boy. ‘Ooh, I’m scared.’
This elicited another ripple of laughter from the crowd.
Ben’s face flushed red. ‘Stuck-up bitch with your half-wit daughter,’ he said.
Neve stopped in her tracks. She counted to five. Increased the count to ten. God, it was taking all her effort to restrain herself from turning around and smacking that little shit right in the face. She let out a long slow breath. When she spoke, she was amazed at how calm she sounded.
‘Come on, Poppy, get in the car.’ Neve opened the door and as Poppy climbed in, Neve took the hockey stick from her, before walking slowly back to the group of youths and coming to a halt in front of Ben Hewitt. Their eyes were level and Neve purposefully stood in his personal space. ‘You, Ben Hewitt, have been warned.’ She lifted the hockey stick and let it fall into the palm of her other hand. ‘Stay the fuck away from my daughter. Got it?’
Ben Hewitt swallowed. Neve could see the look of uncertainty and surprise on the boy’s face.
‘You’re a psycho,’ said Ben, looking down at the hockey stick and taking a step back.
Neve, sensing she had the upper hand, took a step forward. ‘And you are pushing your luck.’ She gave the hockey stick the slightest of twitches and was satisfied when Ben Hewitt flinched.
As she walked calmly back to the car, she was aware the other kids were watching her all the way. Hopefully she had made her point.
‘You want to watch your back!’ Ben Hewitt’s voice trailed after her. ‘Both of you. Nasty things can happen, even in a quiet little village like this.’
Neve ignored the jibe. The little prick was just trying to regain some credibility from his cronies. The pinging of her mobile phone took her attention away from the scene and pausing before she got into the car, she saw she had a reply to her earlier message.
I wondered when you’d contact me. When and where?
Despite everything and her long-held desire never to have anything to do with Ash again, an undeniable shot of adrenalin raced through her. This must be what it was like for addicts when they weighed up a glass of wine, a line of coke, a betting slip, a cigarette. The rush, even if for just a split second, was always there. Apprehension followed as she sent her reply.
Old boathouse on the other side of the bridge. Today. 1pm.
Having