Poison Heart (15 page)

‘No boy is worth passing out over,’ she barked, and when I had the courage to look there was almost a twinkle in her eye. She sat down beside me. ‘You think I don’t remember what it’s like to be sixteen?’

I wasn’t sure if this was a rhetorical question so I carried on greedily eating.

‘Well, I do, and that’s why I don’t want you making a huge mistake. Your hormones are crazy, common sense has gone out of the window and you think it’s love.’

‘It
is
love,’ I replied quietly, waiting for her to jump down my throat.

‘Katy.’ She sighed. ‘It’s always true love at sixteen … but I can’t expect you to believe me. You have to find out for yourself.’ She was definitely thawing, but determined to assert her authority over me. ‘The punishment still stands. I can’t be lied to, and you have to realize it’s for your own good. You can go to Nat’s lunch next week, but you’re grounded till then.’

I nodded sheepishly.

‘And by the way, look what I found.’ Mum uncurled her hand and the pendant was resting in it. ‘Gemma was playing with this on the patio … can’t think how she dragged it all the way downstairs.’

I was forced to take it from her, figuring that Gemma must have ripped open one of our bin bags looking for titbits and now I’d have to get rid of it all over again. It was a relief to have got off so lightly with Mum, but my heart was so heavy it felt like I was dragging a ball and chain behind me. I went back to my bedroom and stared at my computer. Mum hadn’t mentioned it being out of bounds, but I resisted the urge to log on. If she found me talking to anyone she might extend the grounding for another week and I’d miss Nat’s birthday. There was now no excuse not to get on with redoing my coursework– I was cut off from the outside world in some sort of weird limbo with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

Luke must have been texting me. He called round after
tea. I saw him coming up the path and rushed to the door, mouthing at him that I was grounded. But he wouldn’t give up that easily and refused to leave, whispering in my ear that he had a plan. I shook my head and told him that it wouldn’t work, but he pushed me inside just as Mum came to the door.

‘Kat’s English assignment is ready,’ he said, turning on his most winning smile. ‘There’re a few things I need to go over with her.’

‘Bring it in,’ Mum replied suspiciously, but she smoothed down Luke’s annoying lock of hair as if he was a child.

‘Thing is … it’s on my computer.’

Mum looked from one face to the other and said resignedly, ‘You can go, Katy, but don’t be more than half an hour.’

‘You’re a genius,’ I gushed, falling over myself to speak and quickly bringing him up to date with Genevieve’s campaign against me. He must have realized how distressed I was because he was more sympathetic than usual, giving up his chair for me and making concerned noises in all the right places.

The only note of criticism he sounded was, ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’

‘I … I’ve been so bogged down with my coursework there just wasn’t time, and it all happened kind of together.’ My face darkened. ‘Genevieve’s been incredibly busy this week.’

‘Obviously.’

‘Now, Luke, tell me how she managed to engineer all these horrible things?’

He put on his most solemn thinking face. ‘You said she was at the craft fair, so … she overheard you joking about spells or manifestations and waited to use it against you. She destroyed your folder when you left it unguarded, she took the photo of us … sometime … We didn’t see her because we’re not looking for some crazy girl with a camera, and she came into your college early and put it on the noticeboard … simple.’

‘But that’s not all,’ I fumed. ‘Look at this letter … sent to my house but with Merlin’s address on it. It isn’t even franked. Genevieve must have hand-delivered it on Friday morning after I left for college.’

I handed it to Luke and let him read it. His reaction totally took me by surprise. He opened his mouth in astonishment and disgust. ‘That is beyond anything she’s done so far, Kat. This takes it all to a different level.’

‘Well … yeah, it’s definite dirty tricks.’

‘To set you up like that and make your mum think you were going away with Merlin … when you hardly know each other.’

I gulped. There was something about all this I hadn’t quite explained, which was also the reason I’d been too preoccupied to talk to him. ‘Thing is … we did … I mean we were … just … er … going camping for one night.’ I didn’t expect to feel so flustered and almost added, ‘in
separate tents’ but my high colouring always gave me away, and Luke had known me for so long it was hard to lie to him.

He simply put his head down and spent an unusual amount of time studying the envelope as if he was Sherlock Holmes. ‘OK … that’s easily solved then. Genevieve hung around Merlin’s house doing her arty stuff … she searched his room and scanned the receipt.’

‘You’re probably right,’ I muttered.

‘Where’s that photo of us?’ he suddenly asked.

There was no way I wanted him to see that. It was stuffed in the back of one of my drawers. ‘I … haven’t got it. Merlin probably threw it away.’

‘How did we look?’

I scrunched my features. ‘Just like a couple of old friends …’

‘How come Merlin was so jealous then?’

‘He’s a little … insecure.’

I watched Luke plot the latest developments on the whiteboard. ‘She really
is
clever, Kat. I’ve probably underestimated her, and the trouble is … we’ve got no other leads. I don’t know where to go from here.’

My whole face slowly lit up. ‘That’s the thing, Luke. There’s something else I haven’t told you. I saved the best till last.’

Monday morning back in college was strange – it felt as though I’d been let out of prison. I was nervous about seeing Hannah but she seemed quite chilled about everything and told me she’d persuaded her mum it was all a big misunderstanding – Katy Rivers would
never
do anything so risky. Merlin and I sneaked away the first moment we could and he took all the blame for the mix-up with the letters, convinced he’d messed things up on his computer. I didn’t even bother arguing with him to point out how unlikely this was.

We had to be extra careful about being seen together because I was wary about being watched in case anything could be used against me. We stole kisses wherever we could and discovered a small doorway at the back of the college where we could hide. It had views of the railway and recycle bins, the smell of rubbish filling our nostrils, the wind cutting through us and the screeching of trains echoing in our ears. I began to stealthily watch Genevieve
in the same way that she watched me. It was surprising how satisfying it felt, as if I’d absorbed parts of her predatory and vengeful personality. I counted each day and bided my time until the weekend arrived. There was a lot to look forward to – on Saturday night my grounding was lifted and I was allowed to see Merlin, plus Luke and I had something important of our own to do.

We were going to go back to the outskirts of York, to the vicarage where Grace/Genevieve was sent to live after the fire. Whatever she was hiding, we were going to discover her secret and expose her as the twisted liar she really was. I’d finally faced the uncomfortable truth that she would never willingly stop this campaign against me. I had to stop it for her.

On Saturday morning, we hit the road before 7 a.m.

‘How’s the magician?’ Luke asked slyly as he took a sharp corner and I was flung against the passenger door.

‘He’s … er … OK.’

‘He doesn’t mind you spending another day with me?’

‘Course not,’ I answered firmly. ‘I’m seeing him tonight. We’ve had to stay apart for most of the week … but at least my coursework was finished on time. Miss Clegg gave me a top grade.’

‘That’s great, Kat.’

‘So … some good came out of me being grounded.’

Luke didn’t comment. Things had been a bit strained between us since he found out about the camping trip,
which was puzzling because I’d always assumed I could tell him anything. ‘Are you annoyed about something?’ He started fiddling with the CD player and I made him put his hand back on the wheel. ‘Come on … spit it out.’

‘No … it’s just … I don’t want to see you hurt, that’s all.’

‘Merlin wouldn’t hurt me.’

Luke still looked moody so I pressed him. ‘There’s something else, isn’t there?’

‘No … well … kind of. I thought I knew you so well, Kat.’

I was so hurt at Luke’s unexpected criticism that I slid down my seat, completely crushed. After another minute I grew angry and had to defend myself. My voice was cold and flat. ‘You
knew
me, Luke. I’m a big girl now.’

He began to nod manically. ‘You’re right, this has got nothing to do with me.’

‘No,’ I corrected in a softer tone, ‘it does have something to do with you because you’re my friend, and if you hadn’t supported me like this I’d be completely crazy by now.’

Luke seemed to brighten up at my words. He held out his hand and waited for me to give him a lame high five. ‘To friends, Kat.’

‘To friends,’ I repeated.

He couldn’t stop himself from having the last word though. ‘Just don’t let the first boy you meet break your heart.’

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the movement of
the car, thinking back to Genevieve and the evening dress, the reason we were on the road again. Once she’d seen the look of shock on the volunteer’s face, she immediately took it off with a declaration that it was ‘horrible’. I pretended to have my head buried in a knitting book and looked up innocently as if to ask if there was a problem. Genevieve’s face was like thunder and she couldn’t wait to get out of the charity shop. I was enjoying her discomfort so much that I left with her. She barely uttered another word to me and we parted company at the bus stop.

This was the evidence I needed, something concrete that provided proof of Genevieve’s past. She thought she could reinvent herself and erase everything, but this was a permanent indelible reminder of her former life.

Luke brought me out of my reverie. ‘Maybe we should have phoned the vicarage first? The number should be listed.’

‘We don’t want to put anyone on their guard,’ I yawned. ‘And it’s harder to read people when you’re not face to face.’

‘Don’t build up your hopes,’ Luke warned. ‘The vicar might have moved parish or died or something …’

‘He’ll still be there,’ I insisted. ‘That old lady in Lower Croxton would have said if he’d moved.’

‘He could be on holiday or a retreat or whatever vicars do.’

‘He’ll be there, looking after his flock,’ I said laughing.

‘He doesn’t have to talk to us, and we can’t lie to a …’

‘Man of God,’ I finished. ‘Why wouldn’t he talk to us?’

Luke tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. ‘People don’t always do what you want them to, Kat. He might think it’s a private matter.’

‘It’s his job to help people,’ I insisted petulantly. ‘Grace or Genevieve, she’s still his family. He’s no right to just let her loose on other people … stalking and being horrible and trying to ruin their life or take it over or whatever she’s doing …’

‘I agree,’ he soothed, and added with a crafty wink, ‘Have you finally got over your obsession with her having supernatural powers?’

‘Suppose,’ I muttered.

‘You see, Kat,’ he lectured, ‘all that hocus-pocus is a product of a gullible mind. If you don’t believe then it can’t hurt—’

I screamed suddenly and covered my face as something hit the windscreen. Through my fingers I absorbed the fact that Luke was frantically turning the steering wheel, trying to keep control of the car, and we were weaving all over the road. He managed to come to a stop with a huge jolt that threw us both forward. I instinctively cradled my head and heard a shocked voice say, ‘It’s just a bird, Kat … don’t look if you don’t want to.’

It was perverse but, as soon as he said that, I just had to look and was confronted with the body of a crow splattered across the glass, its dead eyes staring right at me.

‘Good job we weren’t on the motorway,’ he said with
feigned brightness. ‘And good job it hit your side or it would have been a lot worse.’

My body felt as though it’d been through a washing machine. I tried not to look as Luke used a plastic bag to scrape the blood, feathers and mangled carcass off the windscreen. He got back in the car again and turned on his washers to clean away any remnants.

‘Probably shot by a farmer,’ he added, whistling, and I took deep breaths to stave off the nauseous feeling. I opened the window, trying not to think about winged harbingers of doom who wanted to stop us from reaching the church. We didn’t say another word to each other until we reached St John’s Place.

I expected the church to be tiny and quaint with lots of stained glass and a canopy over the gate, but this was fairly modern and plain, more my idea of a function hall than a church. Lots of cars were parked outside and there was a sign on the noticeboard advertising a jumble sale in aid of a local charity.

‘At least we can go in with everyone else and not look out of place,’ Luke said, stretching his legs as he got out of the car. His hair looked as if a comb had actually been dragged through it, and his combats weren’t that crumpled. I took a minute to glance at him with affection, wondering why he would so gladly give up another day just to help me out. ‘Come on, let’s see if we can grab a bargain,’ he urged, ‘and do some detective work.’

I usually loved jumble sales because it was a chance to
buy second-hand clothes which I could alter or just unpick to make into something else, but this was serious Women’s Institute country. The only clothes available were tweed skirts, check trousers and paisley shirts with matching scarves. Jars of jam, marmalade, pickled onions and beetroot lined the tables, together with giant cream sponges and fruitcakes. There was also a selection of plants, awful china figurines and gloomy-looking books. I was glad I’d opted for my respectable bootleg jeans instead of my low-rise ones.

‘Keep looking for the vicar,’ Luke reminded me, smiling and nodding at the ladies on the stalls.