A Kiss in the Dark (30 page)

PC Mason stepped back with his hands up. ‘I didn’t touch her!’

Tanaka rolled her eyes. ‘She knows full well you didn’t touch her! She’s just trying her luck.’ She stepped in between the reporter and me for a second time. ‘OK, I’m going to have to insist you leave Miss McAllister alone. She has nothing to say to you. Why don’t you go inside and we’ll stay out here for the time being?’ You could tell Tanaka was trying so very hard not to lose it. People were already stopping to watch us. The man with the fire tattoo was leaning against the wall, munching on a chocolate bar and smiling.

Brookmyre’s face now matched her hair and lipstick. She was saying something about knowing her rights and not letting anyone push her around. She was breathing hard, eyes shifting left and right, trying to figure out her next move. Tanaka had her back to me, but I could see her shoulders were tensed up; she was
ready to move fast if she had to. PC Mason’s attention was elsewhere – he was staring across the street. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about me. Apart from Tattoo Man – he was still watching, grinning.

‘Um … Sergeant?’ PC Mason’s voice was quiet. Tanaka was busy trying to reason with Brookmyre so she didn’t hear until he said it louder, more urgently. ‘
Sergeant!
’

Sergeant Tanaka turned to him, clearly annoyed, but then she followed his gaze and swore under her breath. I looked too and the world stopped turning.

*

Jamie Banks was getting out of a taxi on the other side of the road, followed by Mr and Mrs Banks. Alex was already standing on the pavement. She was staring up at the court building, taking in the grandeur and seriousness of it. And then she was staring at me.

She looked like she was dressed for a funeral – all sombre and black. It seemed appropriate somehow. She was wearing a skirt – the same one she’d worn on New Year’s Eve, it looked like. And that seemed right too, or rather it didn’t seem wrong. It was just a fact.

My eyes locked on to hers and I swear the space between us – the road and the cyclists and the people rushing to work – compressed into nothing and she was right in front of me and if I wanted to I could reach
out and touch her. I could whisper in her ear and no one else would hear.

‘Kate?
Kate?
We’ve got to get you inside. You really shouldn’t be here. You’re not supposed to see her.’ Tanaka’s hand was gripping my shoulder, trying to steer me towards the door, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I was immovable. I was a statue.

Brookmyre realized who Alex was straightaway – reporter’s instinct, perhaps. Alex and her family hadn’t even made it safely across the road before she started hurling questions at them. Mr and Mrs Banks spotted me and tried to hurry Alex inside. She was in between them, Jamie a couple of paces behind. He wasn’t surprised to see me – after all, he’d been the one who’d told me where to be and when.

I reached in between Tanaka and Mason and grabbed Brookmyre’s arm. ‘I do have something to say …
on
the record.’ I spoke quietly but for some reason everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me.

‘Yes?’ Brookmyre asked eagerly, sticking the recording device right under my nose. Her eyes were wide with excitement.

Alex was only a few feet away from me now, being swept along by her parents, their faces grim with determination.

I looked at Alex and Alex looked at me and everything that had seemed so confusing before suddenly seemed simple and obvious. I smiled and something changed in Alex’s eyes. She knew what I was about to do. ‘Kate, don’t!’ She shook off her mum’s arm but her dad held firm.

I took a deep breath.

Brookmyre looked ready to interrupt with a question so I cleared my throat and began to speak. ‘I’d like to state, on the record that–’

‘Kate! Please don’t do this!’ Alex was really close now, her eyes pleading with me. Other voices were added into the mix. Alex’s parents, Tanaka, Mason all talking over each other, but I took another deep breath and blocked everything out – everything but
her
.

‘I would like to state, on the record, that Alex Banks is innocent. She did not assault me. I lied.’

Alex’s shoulders slumped. Mrs Banks looked triumphant (‘
I knew it
!’). Mr Banks looked confused. Jamie looked relieved. The reporter was trying hard not to smile – trying so hard to be serious and professional and remember what she’d been taught in journalism school or wherever it was she’d learned to be so annoying. Tanaka realized there was nothing she could do. This was going to play out whether she liked it or not.

‘Are you going to go inside and testify to that effect?’ Brookmyre asked.

I looked at Sergeant Tanaka for an answer but she just shook her head. ‘I … I’m not sure. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.’

‘Even if it means facing charges yourself?’

I hadn’t really considered that possibility, but I nodded.

Alex had tears in her eyes; she was close enough to touch.

The reporter asked two more questions. ‘Why did you lie about the assault? And what prompted you to come forward today?’

I looked up to the sky to see the sun starting to peek through the clouds. I closed my eyes. There was warmth there, if you concentrated hard enough.

I opened my eyes and reached out my hand.

‘Because I love her.’

Her hand met mine halfway; her fingers intertwined with mine.

She didn’t let go. She
never
let go.

As always, thanks to the wonderful team at Quercus: Roisin Heycock, Niamh Mulvey, Alice Hill, Talya Baker. Huge thanks to Sarah Lambert for her enthusiasm and help in the early stages of this book.

Thank you to my agent, Julia Churchill, who is utterly brilliant in every way
and
posts ridiculously cute pictures of donkeys on Twitter.

Thanks to Sarah Stewart for telling me to write this book.

Thank you to Lauren James, for creating the epic playlist I listened to while writing this book.

Thanks to the Sisters: Keris Stainton; Susie Day; Luisa Plaja; Keren David; Tamsyn Murray; and Sophia Bennett.

Thank you to Cate James, Lara Williamson, Nova Ren Suma, James Dawson, Ciara Daly and Tanya Byrne.

Thanks to the awesome UKYA bloggers, whose passion and enthusiasm never fail to amaze me.

Thank you to Rob Clarke.

And finally, merci beaucoup to my wee family for keeping me sane: Caro, Jem, Scout, Griffin and Ruby.

Read all the books by the brilliant, betselling

CAT CLARKE

'Undoubtedly one of the most exciting and talented YA writers in the UK.' Library Mice

www.catclarke.com
@cat_clarke

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