Believing the Lie - Elizabeth George [279]
He nodded at the handset of the phone, which Manette had left sitting in front of her on the table while she dozed. He said, “Hmm?” in reference to this, and Manette told him she’d phoned Kaveh. He said, “What about Niamh?” to which her reply was, “That’s the question, isn’t it?” She told him that Tim had begged her not to tell his mother. He’d amplified on “Please don’t tell” when she’d gone into the bedroom to make sure he had everything he needed for the night.
“I suppose I should ring her, though,” Manette concluded, “just to let her know he’s with us, but I’m reluctant even to do that much.”
“Why?”
“The obvious,” she said. “The same reason Tim doesn’t want me to tell her anything from yesterday: Sometimes it’s just easier to speculate what might happen rather than to know the truth about people. Tim can think— or I can think, let’s admit it— that she won’t care or she won’t do anything or she’ll just feel bothered by the news and that’s it. But he— and I— won’t know for sure, will we? So he— and I— can also think, Perhaps if she knew, though, she’d jump into action, she’d shed this skin of indifference that she’s been wearing, she’d … I don’t know, Freddie. But if I phone her, I can’t avoid finding out the complete truth of Niamh Cresswell. I’m not sure I want to know it just now, and Tim certainly doesn’t.”
Freddie listened to all this in his usual fashion. He finally said, “Ah. I see. Well, that can’t be helped, can it,” and he reached for the phone. He gave a glance to his watch, punched in a number, and said, “Bit early, but with good news early is always welcome.” And then after a moment, “Sorry, Niamh. It’s Fred. Have I awakened you? … Ah. Bit of a restless night here… Really? So glad of it… I say, Niamh, we’ve got Tim over here… Oh, bit cold from exposure. He was sleeping rough, the imp… Ran into him in Windermere, quite by chance. Manette’s looking after him… Yes, yes, that’s just it. Could you phone the school and let them know… Oh. Well, of course. Certainly… You’ve put Manette on his card as well, eh? Very good of you, Niamh. And I say, Manette and I would very much like to have Tim and Gracie stay here with us for a while. How d’you feel about that?… Hmm, yes. Oh grand, Niamh… Manette will be thrilled. She’d quite fond of both of them.”
That was it. Freddie ended the call, put the handset back on the table, and took up his coffee once again.
Manette gaped at him. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Making the necessary arrangements.”
“I see that. But have you gone mad? We can’t have the children here.”
“Whyever not?”
“Freddie, our lives are a terrible muddle. What Tim and Gracie don’t need is another uncertain situation in which to live.”
“Oh yes. A muddle. I do know that.”
“Tim thought that man was going to kill him, Freddie. He needs help.”
“Well, that’s understandable, isn’t it? The killing part. He must have been terrified. He was in the midst of something he didn’t understand and— ”
“No. You don’t understand. He thought that man meant to kill him because that was the deal they’d struck. He told me last night. He said he’d agree to the film if this Toy4You person would kill him afterwards. Because, he said, he lacked the bottle to kill himself. He wanted to, but he couldn’t. And above everything he didn’t want Gracie to think he’d been a suicide.”
Freddie listened to this gravely, chin on his thumb and index finger pressed agaist his lips. He said, “I see.”
“Good. Because that boy’s in such a state of confusion and emotion and passion and hurt and… God, I don’t know what else. So