Class A (21 page)

‘Her heartbeat’s all over the place,’ Kyle said.

‘Shall I call 999?’ James asked.

‘There’s no point hanging around for an ambulance,’
Ewart
said. ‘I’ll drive her.’

Zara was running downstairs in her dressing-gown, carrying clothes and trainers for
Ewart
.
Ewart
stepped into the clothes before scooping Nicole off the floor. Out on the driveway, Kyle had opened up the people carrier.

‘She’s taken some cocaine,’ James blurted.

He didn’t want to grass, but it might save her life if the doctors knew what was in her system.

‘Christ almighty,’
Ewart
shouted, as Kyle helped him lay Nicole across the back seat. ‘That’s all we need.’

Ewart climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door so hard James thought the glass might break. When the car was out of sight, James closed the front door and turned around to face Kerry and Zara, who were both in tears.

‘I hope she’s OK,’ Kerry sniffed.

‘You’re absolutely sure she took cocaine?’ Zara asked.

James nodded, feeling a lump forming in his throat. ‘I saw it.’

‘Why didn’t you stop her?’ Kerry asked angrily.

‘I tried to,’ James lied. ‘She wouldn’t listen to me.’

‘What about you, James?’ Zara asked. ‘Did you take any?’

‘No way,’ James said. ‘I’d never go near it.’

‘That’s a relief,’ Zara said. ‘If they find traces of cocaine in Nicole’s urine, they’ll expel her from CHERUB.’

‘Is that for certain?’ James asked.

‘You both know the rules,’ Zara said. ‘There’s zero tolerance for class A drugs. We even put the reminder at the bottom of the mission briefing where you guys signed your names, in case you considered anything silly.’

‘Are you two going up to bed?’ Kerry asked anxiously.

‘I suppose,’ Zara said. ‘Unless you want a drink or something first.’

‘I don’t think I’ll sleep,’ Kerry said. ‘I don’t want to be on my own wondering what’s happening with Nicole.’

Zara pulled Kerry into her chest and gave her a hug. ‘I’ll sit up with you for a while,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry.’

James thought about Nicole. Imagining her being wheeled into hospital and having tubes pushed down her throat and needles under her skin. He wondered what it would be like to go into a coma and realised he didn’t feel like being on his own either.

*

James and Kerry got their duvets and sat together in the living-room with their feet on the coffee table. It was a weird feeling; anxious for news, being exhausted but not able to sleep. The hands on the clock seemed to be frozen.

Zara had to go upstairs to sort out Joshua when he started bawling.

‘Did you really snort any coke?’ Kerry whispered.

‘No,’ James said indignantly. ‘I already told you.’

‘In front of Zara,’ Kerry said. ‘What about just between you and me?’

‘I saw them doing it and got offered a snort, but I said no.’

‘I’m glad,’ Kerry smiled. ‘I’d have bet my life savings that if something as dumb as that was going down on your birthday, you’d be into it.’

‘I’m not a complete moron, you know,’ James said.

Kerry’s mobile started ringing. James had changed her ring tone to the national anthem for a joke while she was in the toilet at the youth centre, but that didn’t matter now.

‘
Dinesh
,’ Kerry said, surprised. ‘Are you crying? Calm down … Tell me what the matter is. What the hell are you doing at the police station?’

21. BRAINDEAD

Three hours earlier,
Dinesh
had hitched a lift home in Kelvin’s car with April and Junior. He lived with his mum and dad in a flash house a few doors down from Keith Moore. Mr Singh was in his study, working on his laptop.
Dinesh
wasn’t surprised to find him there, even though it was past eleven.

‘Good time at the youth club?’

‘Nothing very exciting,’
Dinesh
said. ‘Did Mum ring up?’

‘She asked me to make sure you washed behind your ears and changed your underpants.’

‘Very funny, Dad,’
Dinesh
said, grinning. ‘I’m off to bed. Don’t sit up working all night.’

Dinesh had brushed his teeth and was getting into bed when he heard a saloon car pull on to the driveway. Sometimes cars used the drive to turn around, but this one stopped and
Dinesh
watched two doors open. Another car stopped behind. It was white, with blue lights and cop markings on the roof.

‘Dad,’
Dinesh
shouted.

The two cops from the first car were in plain clothes. The three out of the second wore uniform and carried rifles. Two cops split off and jogged around the house, covering the back exit.
Dinesh
quickly slid on his tracksuit bottoms and ran on to the landing.

‘Dad,’
Dinesh
shouted again, nervously. ‘The police are outside.’

The front door exploded into the hallway. Police never ring the doorbell when it’s a drug bust, because it gives the suspect a chance to destroy evidence.
Dinesh
had never seen a gun outside of a museum before. Now two were aimed at his head.

‘On the floor,’ the cop barked. ‘Hands where I can see ’em.’

They ran up the stairs towards
Dinesh
, who was trying to stop himself shaking.

‘Don’t be frightened, son,’ the cop said. ‘Where’s your old man?’

Mr Singh opened the door of his study. The guns swung towards him.

‘Hands in the air.’

One of the plain-clothes cops bounded up the stairs. He pushed Mr Singh against the wall and locked on handcuffs.

‘You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do say can be taken down and used in evidence against you …’

The armed cop looked down at
Dinesh
.

‘Who else is home?’

‘Nobody,’
Dinesh
said.

‘Where’s your mum?’

‘Barcelona. She’s back tomorrow.’

‘How old are you?’

‘Twelve.’

‘We can’t leave you here on your own,’ the cop said. ‘You’ll have to come with us.’

*

A police car pulled up on the driveway.
Dinesh
looked nervous when Zara opened the door.

‘You don’t mind me staying, do you?’
Dinesh
asked. ‘They asked me to think of somewhere I could go until Mum gets home. Kerry was the first person I thought of.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Zara said, putting her hand on
Dinesh’s
shoulder. ‘There are so many kids coming in and out of this house, one more won’t make any difference.’

The cop gave Zara a custody form to sign, while
Dinesh
wandered into the living-room. Kerry stood up and gave him a hug.

‘I’m so sorry about your dad,’ Kerry said.

‘I told you he was a crook,’
Dinesh
said angrily. ‘It was bound to happen sooner or later.’ He looked at the duvets and pillows scattered around the living-room.

‘We couldn’t sleep,’ Kerry explained. ‘They had to take Nicole to the hospital.’

‘Is it serious?’

‘Kyle called from the hospital. They gave her an adrenalin shot to bring her round. Then they pumped her stomach.’

‘I saw that on TV once,’
Dinesh
said. ‘It’s so nasty. They force a rubber tube down your throat and right down into your stomach.’

‘They’ll keep her in under observation for a few hours,’ James said. ‘But they reckon she’ll be OK.’

Dinesh managed a smile. ‘I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes when she gets home.’

It was gone 3 a.m. when a cab dropped Kyle home from the hospital. Zara told them all to go upstairs and try to get some rest.
Dinesh
slept on Nicole’s bed.

*

While the mission was going smoothly,
Ewart
had been acting calm, but when he shook James awake at eleven o’clock that Saturday morning, he looked rabid.

‘In the bathroom,
 
now
,’
Ewart
barked.

‘Uh?’ James said, still half-asleep.

Ewart grabbed James by his wrist and practically dislocated his shoulder as he yanked him out of bed. He shoved James towards the bathroom, bolted the door and bundled him up to the wall.

‘We’ve got to keep the noise down while
Dinesh
is in the house,’
Ewart
whispered. ‘But you better start giving me straight answers about last night, or I’m gonna make you sorry.’

‘I haven’t done anything,’ James said.

‘So what’s
 
this
 
then?’
Ewart
asked, producing the metal straw that had come out of Junior’s cocaine. There were still specks of white powder stuck on one end.

‘It’s not mine,’ James said.

‘Liar,’
Ewart
snarled. ‘I was checking inside the pockets before I put the washing on. It was in your jeans.’

James realised he must have pocketed it when Kelvin had surprised them.

‘I swear I never took coke,’ James said frantically. ‘That belongs to Junior. I must have picked it up by mistake.’

Ewart opened the medicine cabinet and took out a plastic sample bottle.

‘We’ll see, won’t we? I got three of these at the hospital last night,’
Ewart
said. ‘Pee in that. I’m gonna have your, Kyle’s and Kerry’s urine samples tested and if there’s cocaine in there, you’ll be out on your arse with Nicole.’

James was pleased to see the sample bottle. The test would clear up any argument.

‘Give it here,’ he said, smirking confidently. ‘How much do you want to bet that I’m clean? Fifty quid, a hundred?’

‘Cut the smart mouth,’
Ewart
said. ‘And piss.’

James angrily snatched the bottle off
Ewart
, flipped up the plastic lid and stood over the toilet. He was usually busting when he woke up, but he couldn’t go with
Ewart
standing behind him.

‘Can’t you wait outside?’ James asked.

‘You might tamper with it,’
Ewart
said. ‘Try thinking about waterfalls or something.’

When he’d finished, James handed the bottle to
Ewart
.

‘Any money you like,’ he said cockily.

His air of confidence had taken the edge off
Ewart’s
anger. ‘Go back to your room and tell Kyle to get over here.’

After Kyle had gone, James slumped on his bed feeling pleased with himself.
Ewart
would look an idiot when the drug test came back. Then he had a horrible thought: if Kelvin had called down the stairs a couple of seconds later…

James relived the drunken instant when the dish of white powder was just centimetres from his face. He felt sick when he realised how close he’d come to snorting a dangerous drug – and getting himself booted out of CHERUB.

22. NICOLE

Junior called James on his mobile.

‘Dude.’

‘You sound happy,’ James said. ‘What’s up?’

‘It’s pandemonium here,’ Junior said. ‘I’ve got a killer hangover and the pigs arrested over eighty KMG people last night. My dad thinks he’s about to get busted. He keeps running up to the curtain every time a bird flies past the window.’

‘Mr Singh got nabbed,’ James said. ‘
Dinesh
spent the night here.
Ewart’s
taken him to the airport to meet his mum.’

‘They nicked Uncle George and Uncle Pete,’ Junior said. ‘They’re not my real uncles, but they’ve been working for Dad since before I was born.’

‘So how come you’re in a good mood?’ James asked.

‘Nicole, of course,’ Junior said. ‘I had my hands
 
everywhere
. No offence, James, I know she’s your sister and everything.’

‘She’s in hospital,’ James said. ‘The coke did her in.’

‘No way,’ Junior gasped. ‘That explains why I couldn’t get her mobile. Is she OK?’

‘Yeah, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up about seeing her any time soon. She overdosed once before,’ James said, repeating Zara’s latest cover story. ‘
Ewart
and Zara are terrified that she’s gonna end up killing herself. They’ve arranged for her to go back to a care home in London for a psychiatric assessment.’

‘Oh, my god,’ Junior blurted. ‘I’m really sorry, man. I’d never have offered her coke if I’d known she had a problem. How long will she be gone for?’

‘Um,’ James said, scratching for an answer, ‘it all depends on the assessment, I suppose … She might not be back at all … Anyway, I just heard Zara pulling up with a carload of shopping. She goes loopy if I don’t help her unload.’

‘I’ll see you then,’ Junior said. ‘April asked if you fancied coming round for Sunday lunch?’