《首发偶发空缺 (临时空缺)》第147章

A　minute　later　Tessa　emerged　from　the　kitchen；　closing　the　door　firmly　behind　her。
‘Stu　isn’t　ing；　Andy；’　she　said；　and　he　could　tell　that　she　was　furious　about　it。　‘I’m　sorry　about　that。’
‘No　problem；’　he　muttered。　He　was　glad。　He　could　not　imagine　what　they　had　left　to　talk　about。　This　way　he　could　sit　with　Gaia。
A　little　way　down　Church　Row；　Samantha　Mollison　was　standing　at　her　sitting…room　window；　holding　a　coffee　and　watching　mourners　pass　her　house　on　their　way　to　St　Michael　and　All　Saints。　When　she　saw　Tessa　Wall；　and　what　she　thought　was　Fats；　she　let　out　a　little　gasp。
‘Oh　my　God；　he’s　going；’　she　said　out　loud；　to　nobody。
Then　she　recognized　Andrew；　turned　red；　and　backed　hastily　away　from　the　glass。
Samantha　was　supposed　to　be　working　from　home。　Her　laptop　lay　open　behind　her　on　the　sofa；　but　that　morning　she　had　put　on　an　old　black　dress；　half　wondering　whether　she　would　attend　Krystal　and　Robbie　Weedon’s　funeral。　She　supposed　that　she　had　only　a　few　more　minutes　in　which　to　make　up　her　mind。
She　had　never　spoken　a　kind　word　about　Krystal　Weedon；　so　surely　it　would　be　hypocritical　to　attend　her　funeral；　purely　because　she　had　wept　over　the　account　of　her　death　in　the　Yarvil　and　District　Gazette；　and　because　Krystal’s　chubby　face　grinned　out　of　every　one　of　the　class　photographs　that　Lexie　had　brought　home　from　St　Thomas’s？
Samantha　set　down　her　coffee；　hurried　to　the　telephone　and　rang　Miles　at　work。
‘Hello；　babe；’　he　said。
（She　had　held　him　while　he　sobbed　with　relief　beside　the　hospital　bed；　where　Howard　lay　connected　to　machines；　but　alive。）
‘Hi；’　she　said。　‘How　are　you？’
‘Not　bad。　Busy　morning。　Lovely　to　hear　from　you；’　he　said。　‘Are　you　all　right？’
（They　had　made　love　the　previous　night；　and　she　had　not　pretended　that　he　was　anybody　else。）
‘The　funeral’s　about　to　start；’　said　Samantha。　‘People　going　by　…’
She　had　suppressed　what　she　wanted　to　say　for　nearly　three　weeks；　because　of　Howard；　and　the　hospital；　and　not　wanting　to　remind　Miles　of　their　awful　row；　but　she　could　not　hold　it　back　any　longer。
‘…　Miles；　I　saw　that　boy。　Robbie　Weedon。　I　saw　him；　Miles。’　She　was　panicky；　pleading。　‘He　was　in　the　St　Thomas’s　playing　field　when　I　walked　across　it　that　morning。’
‘In　the　playing　field？’
In　the　last　three　weeks；　a　desire　to　be　absorbed　in　something　bigger　than　herself　had　grown　in　Samantha。　Day　by　day　she　had　waited　for　the　strange　new　need　to　subside　（this　is　how　people　go　religious；　she　thought；　trying　to　laugh　herself　out　of　it）　but　it　had；　if　anything；　intensified。
‘Miles；’　she　said；　‘you　know　the　council　…　with　your　dad　–　and　Parminder　Jawanda　resigning　too　–　you’ll　want　to　co…opt　a　couple　of　people；　won’t　you？’　She　knew　all　the　terminology；　she　had　listened　to　it　for　years。　‘I　mean；　you　won’t　want　another　election；　after　all　this？’
‘Bloody　hell；　no。’
‘So　Colin　Wall　could　fill　one　seat；’　she　rushed　on；　‘and　I　was　thinking；　I’ve　got　time　–　now　the　business　is　all　online　–　I　could　do　the　other　one。’
‘You？’　said　Miles；　astonished。
‘I’d　like　to　get　involved；’　said　Samantha。
Krystal　Weedon；　dead　at　sixteen；　barricaded　inside　the　squalid　little　house　on　Foley　Road　…　Samantha　had　not　drunk　a　glass　of　wine　in　two　weeks。　She　thought　that　she　might　like　to　hear　the　arguments　for　Bellchapel　Addiction　Clinic。
The　telephone　was　ringing　in　number　ten　Hope　Street。　Kay　and　Gaia　were　already　late　leaving　for　Krystal’s　funeral。　When　Gaia　asked　who　was　speaking；　her　lovely　face　hardened：　she　seemed　much　older。
‘It’s　Gavin；’　she　told　her　mother。
‘I　didn’t　call　him！’　whispered　Kay；　like　a　nervous　schoolgirl　as　she　took　the　phone。
‘Hi；’　said　Gavin。　‘How　are　you？’
‘On　my　way　out　to　a　funeral；’　said　Kay；　with　her　eyes　locked　on　her　daughter’s。　‘The　Weedon　children’s。　So；　not　fabulous。’
‘Oh；’　said　Gavin。　‘Christ；　yeah。　Sorry。　I　didn’t　realize。’
He　had　spotted　the　familiar　surname　in　a　Yarvil　and　District　Gazette　headline；　and；　vaguely　interested　at　last；　bought　a　copy。　It　had　occurred　to　him　that　he　might　have　walked　close　by　the　place　where　the　teenagers　and　the　boy　had　been；　but　he　had　no　actual　memory　of　seeing　Robbie　Weedon。
Gavin　had　had　an　odd　couple　of　weeks。　He　was　missing　Barry　badly。　He　did　not　understand　himself：　when　he　should　have　been　mired　in　misery　that　Mary　had　turned　him　down；　all　he　wanted　was　a　beer　with　the　man　whose　wife　he　had　hoped　to　take　as　his　own　…
（Muttering　aloud　as　he　had　walked　away　from　her　house；　he　had　said　to　himself；　‘That’s　what　you　get　for　trying　to　steal　your　best　friend’s　life；’　and　failed　to　notice　the　slip　of　the　tongue。）
‘Listen；’　he　said；　‘I　was　wondering　whether　you　fancied　a　drink　later？’
Kay　almost　laughed。
‘Turn　you　down；　did　she？’
She　handed　Gaia　the　phone　to　hang　up。　They　hurried　out　of　the　house　and　half　jogged　to　the　end　of　the　street　and　up　through　the　Square。　For　ten　strides；　as　they　passed　the　Black　Canon；　Gaia　held　her　mother’s　hand。
They　arrived　as　the　hearses　appeared　at　the　top　of　the　road；　and　hurried　into　the　graveyard　while　the　pall…bearers　were　shuffling　out　onto　the　pavement。
（‘Get　away　from　the　window；’　Colin　Wall　manded　his　son。
But　Fats；　who　had　to　live　henceforth　with　the　knowledge　of　his　own　cowardice；　moved　forward；　trying　to　prove　that　he　could；　at　least；　take　this　…
The　coffins　glided　past　in　the　big　black…windowed　cars：　the　first　was　bright　pink；　and　the　sight　robbed　him　of　breath；　and　the　second　was　tiny　and　shiny　white　…
Colin　placed　himself　in　front　of　Fats　too　late　to　protect　him；　but　he　drew　the　curtains　anyway。　In　the　gloomy；　familiar　sitting　room；　where　Fats　had　confessed　to　his　parents　that　he　had　exposed　his　father’s　illness　to　the　world；　where　he　had　confessed　to　as　much　as　he　could　think　of；　in　the　hope　that　they　would　conclude　him　to　be　mad　and　ill；　where　he　had　tried　to　heap　upon　himself　so　much　blame　that　they　would　beat　him　or　stab　him　or　do　to　him　all　those　things　that　he　knew　he　deserved；　Colin　put　a　hand　gently　on　his　son’s　back　and　steered　him　away；　towards　the　sunlit　kitchen。）
Outside　St　Michael　and　All　Sa