Johnny Swanson - Eleanor Updale [43]
He went upstairs to his room. He needed something to do, to take his mind off the horrors up on the hill and the image of his mother in a cell. Usually, he’d have had a clutch of replies to PO Box 9 to deal with, but Hutch hadn’t given him any that night. He understood now why Winnie fell to cleaning and sorting when she was worried. He tidied up his few possessions and made his bed. He unpacked his satchel. He’d already done his homework (during a History lesson) to give himself time to write out some new adverts at home. On any other night, that would have filled the hours till bed time. But he couldn’t do it now. He couldn’t think up silly jokes to trick people out of money. Because it was all his fault. Johnny could see that. If he hadn’t invented Auntie Ada; if he hadn’t done the adverts; if he hadn’t lied, Winnie would never have stormed off that night, and none of this would be happening.
He opened the door to his mother’s bedroom. These days he hardly ever went in there, but he remembered how he used to climb into bed with her when he was little, and how she would cuddle away his nightmares and kiss away his fears. The room was perfectly tidy. There was nothing to do in there. Winnie’s nightdress was hanging on the bedstead. It still smelled of her. He spread it out on the bed and lay down alongside it. Then the tears came. He cried till he ached.
And suddenly it was morning. Johnny was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, the pattern of Winnie’s bedspread was imprinted on his cheek, and it was time to get up.
Chapter 22
GUILTY
He went to the shop even though Hutch had told him not to, but Hutch wouldn’t let him deliver the papers. While Hutch was out doing the round, Johnny read the copies kept on the counter for sale. Most of them had brief versions of the story that added nothing to what he already knew. Several ended with a phrase he had seen in papers before. He’d always thought it rather comical, but today it had an ominous ring. A woman is helping the police with their enquiries. That was his mother they were talking about.
He desperately wanted to see her: to tell her that he knew she was innocent, and to find out whether she needed anything. It wasn’t far to the police station. He was sure he could get there and back before Hutch had finished the paper round. He felt bad about leaving the shop unlocked, but he thought Hutch would understand.
*
Johnny had never been in the police station before. From time to time he’d seen people going in or out, but the doors always swung shut behind them. He’d imagined the scene beyond those doors: rows of cells, with frantic prisoners shaking at the iron bars, and fierce guards snarling, truncheons at the ready, making sure that no one escaped. So it was a bit of a disappointment to discover that the inside of the police station looked rather like the office at the Stambleton Echo. There was no sign of any criminals at all.
Johnny found himself in a small room with a dark wooden counter. There was no one behind the desk, just a silver bell and a sign saying: RING FOR ATTENTION. Johnny rang the bell. Nothing happened. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to get into trouble for ringing it twice, but what if no one had heard it? He decided to wait, and sat down on a hard wooden bench, reading a poster about the penalties for riding a bicycle without lights.
He was just about to reach for the bell again when the door behind the counter opened, and a large policeman came through, backwards, pushing the door with his bottom. He was holding a teapot and a mug, and had a thick slice of bread and jam gripped between his teeth. As he swung round, he