Keep My Secrets by Elena Wilkes (large ebook reader .txt) 📗

Shoving the covers away, she managed to stagger her way to the door. She could hear Jude, but not what she was saying. Easing herself quietly onto the landing, she tiptoed down the first few steps.

‘But I know, Martin. Don’t you get that? All this rubbish you’re spouting – it’s pointless!’

Martin said something in reply, but she couldn’t quite catch the words.

There was a whispered chatter from the hallway, and she realised she wasn’t the only person to have been woken up by the ruckus. She went down a little further, peering through the bannister to find Nat and Jaden perched on the bottom step. They both turned, saw who it was, and looked away again in disgust.

‘Come to gloat, have you?’ Nat sneered.

‘What?’ She tried to move her tongue against the roof of her mouth, but it felt as though it was coated with sawdust.

‘Martin’s in the shit ‘cos of you.’’

Her eyes ached with a dull, angry throb.

‘What are you on about?’

‘Jude knows you wasn’t in your room last night. She’s blaming him. She says you was with him and says she’s gonna call the Old Bill.’

Frankie felt her eyes widen painfully. The police? A shunt of fear lurched through her. No… If Jude called the police, if Jude asked them to question her…

Pulling herself together, she slipped down the last few steps, marching straight into the office without knocking. Both Jude and Martin turned round in shock.

‘What’s going on?’ She pushed the door closed behind her and tried to keep her voice low, knowing those ears would still be flapping on the other side.

Jude was bright pink with anger, but on seeing Frankie she tried to calm herself.

‘Ah. Good. I’m glad you’re here. Have a seat.’ She gestured to one of the comfy chairs next to the coffee table that was supposed to make the residents feel comfortable and relaxed. It never worked. Frankie sat, not willing to catch Martin’s eye. She stared stonily at the carpet.

‘Let’s cut to the chase.’

Frankie could sense Martin’s tension.

‘Two things have been brought to my attention: I know you weren’t in your room last night, and I’ve been given information that there’s some kind of inappropriate relationship going on.’

‘Whatever Nat’s told you—’

‘Let’s leave Natalie out of this, shall we? She’s got enough going on.’ She paused. Frankie knew she was trying to read her body language. She kept completely still. Her fuddled brain tried to work out who might’ve seen them. She licked her lips, still refusing to look up.

‘I was explaining to Martin here that this behaviour has crossed a line. I know he’s only here as a volunteer, but we still may have to inform the authorities that—’

‘But he hasn’t done anything wrong!’ Frankie quickly blurted.

‘Frankie…’ Jude was using her patient voice.

‘He was covering for me.’ Her brain went into a whirl of plausible excuses. ‘He knew I was sneaking out at night and that you lot had no idea. He was afraid of bad things happening while I was out, so he kept following me to make sure I was safe.’

She couldn’t look at either of them, but Jude was suddenly out of her seat and bending to examine her.

‘Frankie, what’s that on your face?’ She sounded alarmed. ‘And your hands…?’ She gently turned them over. ‘You’ve got blood all over your hands.’ She lifted her chin into the light. ‘Look, it’s all down the front of your shirt too.’

‘I think I must’ve got a cut without realising.’ Frankie studied her palms. ‘It’s nothing.’

‘How is that even possible?’ Jude crouched at her side and searched her eyes. ‘Where did you go last night, Frankie?’

Frankie sniffed and studied the spot on the carpet again. ‘I wandered about the streets for a bit. Then I heard a noise, like there was a party on or something, so I went there.’ She glanced away awkwardly.

‘And you’re saying Martin followed you?’ Jude frowned. She didn’t look convinced.

‘Yeah. He followed me. But he’s kinda annoying and embarrassing, y’know? Having some bloke following you round like he’s your dad or something.’ She clicked her tongue and shook her head, but still she wasn’t going to look at him. ‘So I pretended I was leaving the gaff and I gave him the slip. It worked.’

‘Then what did you do?’

Frankie shrugged. ‘Scored stuff, drank a bit, went out into the garden to chill.’ She shrugged again. ‘That’s when I must’ve done this.’ She turned her palms over. ‘Don’t remember. Then I came home and got back in my room and went to bed. No drama. Nothing to get all vexed about, anyway.’

She could feel Jude’s eyes boring into the side of her face and then her attention shifted to Martin.

‘And you just walked the streets looking for her, did you?’

She could make out Martin’s head nodding from the corner of her eye.

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Yeah. I was worried. Young girl out of her tree, wandering about. Anything could happen, couldn’t it?’

‘And you tried ringing her?’ Jude’s gaze was piercing.

‘He doesn’t have my number,’ Frankie said quickly. ‘So he couldn’t. Here – check if you want.’ She reached for her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, knowing that they had agreed never to phone each other for that very reason.

Jude didn’t offer to take it. She got up and perched on the edge of her desk, looking straight at Martin.

‘So why didn’t you bring your concerns to me?’

Martin held out his hands imploringly. ‘I’ve been told how Frankie responds to authority, and some of the other staff said that when she’s challenged it just makes things worse. I was coming off my shift last night when I happened to catch sight of her as she was climbing out of the window, but she saw me and ran off. So I went after her.’ He paused. ‘It’s all totally my fault, Jude, I should’ve alerted you right then, but I panicked. I thought if I could persuade her to come back it would all be okay. When