The Half Truth(38)

‘Sasha!’





Chapter 18


In A&E John moved the curtain to the cubicle aside just enough to step into the confined area.

Her eyes were closed and for a moment he thought she was asleep. He took in the red, swollen lump on the side of her forehead, but was thankful he couldn’t see any other marks. She opened her eyes.

‘Sorry, I didn’t meant to disturb you,’ he said, moving to the side of her bed. The nurse had already brought him up to date on her condition. Bumped, bruised and shaken but otherwise unharmed. He lifted her hand and gave it a small kiss. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘For what?’

‘Not being there. I should have stayed with you.’

‘Don’t be sorry.’ She gave his hand a squeeze before slipping it away and placing it on the blanket across her torso. ‘It’s not your fault.’

‘I’ve been briefed on what happened,’ he said. ‘We’ve got the two men in custody. They are being questioned now.’

‘I don’t suppose they are, how do you say, singing like a couple of canaries,’ said Tina.

‘What happened exactly?’ said John.

‘I told the police earlier,’ she said not meeting his eye.

‘You told them that they came in at the end of the day to rob the till.’

‘That’s what I assume. I didn’t exactly get into a conversation with them.’

She wasn’t telling him everything, that much he knew. But why that was, he didn’t know.

‘Who came to your rescue?’

‘I don’t know.’ She looked down at her hands. ‘I was hiding in the toilet at that point. I didn’t see who it was.’

‘How many?’

This time she looked directly at him. ‘I don’t know. I told you, I was hiding in the toilet.’

She wasn’t telling him the truth, that was for certain, or at least not the whole truth. John considered his options. Now wasn’t the time to press for more information. After his conversation with Baz, he knew the two men in custody, who at this point were refusing to utter a word, not even their names, were more than likely Russian. The scouting party sent over by the Porboskis. So who could her rescuers be? Who would want to protect her? Who had most to gain from her being saved? It was an easy answer. He didn’t need Tina’s confirmation.

Tina allowed John to take her home. He had suggested she stay at her parents, but she hadn’t wanted to. She didn’t want to alarm her parents any more than necessary. And she certainly wasn’t ready to share the latest developments. She hadn’t even told John yet, although she suspected that it wouldn’t come as that much of a shock to him.

He hadn’t pushed her for information at the hospital and now, as he sat her down on the sofa in her own home, he still avoided the subject. She was grateful.

If he didn’t ask, she didn’t have to tell any lies. She realised lies had surrounded her for far too long. The treacherous words had infecting her life like an airborne virus. She had been an unwitting carrier of the bacteria. Passing the lies on to everyone she loved and shared her life with. She felt contaminated. Plague-ridden. And, at this moment, she had no idea if there was an antidote.

Dimitri came hopping into the living room, a football under his arm.

‘I’ve got the ball, John,’ he said, eagerness in his eyes. ‘You said you’d play football with me.’

‘I did, indeed,’ said John standing up. He looked down at Tina. ‘Why don’t you try and have a sleep. It will do you good.’

‘Does your head still hurt, Mummy?’ asked Dimitri peering closely at the bump on his mother’s head.

‘A little,’ said Tina. She pulled Dimitri in for a quick hug. A lump rose in her throat as she thought of his innocence and how her past, her life before he was born, would now contaminate his world. His history, like hers, had been blasted away. She blinked back the tears.

‘You okay?’ said John. He perched on the edge of the sofa and squeezed her hand.

‘I’ll be fine.’ She kissed Dimitri’s head and ruffled his hair. ‘Go on, you two. I’ll have a rest.’

She listened as John went and checked the front door, offering her reassurance. She couldn’t deny the feeling of unease at being in the house now. She was pleased when John had said he was staying with her for at least the next few days. He had cleared it with his boss and technically he was off-duty, although everyone knew that John was never really off-duty.

That night, after tucking Dimitri in bed, Tina sat on the sofa next to John. The TV was on, but Tina knew that neither was really watching it, just going through the motions of a cosy night in – one that might have been had she not known Sasha was alive.