The Sting. Kimberley Chambers

before, but nobody was very hungry. Their mum was a good mum, their world, and she never left them for long periods of time. Even when she went to the bingo she was always back by 9.30 p.m. at the latest to tuck them into bed.

      ‘What we gonna do, Tommy?’ asked Linda.

      ‘I’m going to ring Nanny Noreen. She will know what to do,’ Hazel replied.

      Tommy leapt up. ‘No. Don’t ring her. Nanny Noreen hates Mum. If you call her, it will only cause more trouble between Mum and Dad.’

      ‘What we meant to do then?’ Hazel shrieked.

      When his eldest sister began howling louder than Rex ever did, Tommy went outside to get more coal for the fire. He didn’t know what to do, he was only twelve, but he was the man of the house and he would decide what was best.

      By 10 p.m., Tommy was in panic mode himself, but was trying not to show it as he didn’t want to upset his sisters.

      ‘Shall we all walk round to Lisa’s house? See if she knows where Mum’s other friend lives,’ Hazel suggested.

      ‘No. Not tonight. But if Mum isn’t back by tomorrow afternoon, then we will,’ Tommy replied.

      ‘I’m scared. I think we should call the police,’ Linda stated.

      ‘The weather is still really bad. Hopefully, Mum will be home as soon as the ice and snow has thawed,’ Tommy said. He sounded far more reassuring than he actually felt.

      Hazel’s eyes welled up again. ‘I got a bad feeling in my tummy about all this.’

      Tommy clapped his hands excitedly. ‘I know what we can do: pray to that man Nanny Noreen always prays to when she loses something. What’s his name? Saint something.’

      ‘Saint Anthony,’ Hazel sneered. Her grandmother drove her mad, spouting her religious claptrap. Hazel thought it was rubbish. ‘How’s he meant to find Mum?’

      ‘I don’t know. But he found Nan’s wedding ring that time, and her back-door key. It’s got to be worth a try, surely?’

      ‘Tommy’s right, Hazel,’ Linda added. ‘If we pray, Mum might come home tonight.’

      Hazel shrugged. ‘OK then. Do we have to kneel and clasp our hands together?’

      ‘Yes. Let’s do it properly. Shut your eyes too,’ Tommy ordered. He waited until his sisters were in position, then closed his eyes. ‘Please, Saint Anthony, can you find our mum and send her home for us. We will be ever so grateful. Her name is Valerie Boyle. Amen.’

      It was the following morning, during history, when Tommy’s headmaster entered the classroom. He whispered something in Mrs Jeffries’ ear, then she looked directly at him. ‘Tommy, do you want to go with Mr Andrews, love.’

      ‘Why?’ Tommy mumbled. All the boys were scared of Mr Andrews, who often caned them. As far as Tommy was aware, he’d done nothing wrong.

      ‘Come along, boy,’ the headmaster urged.

      Outside the classroom was Tommy’s next-door neighbour, Mrs Talbot. ‘Hello. What you doing here? Have you seen my mum?’ Tommy asked, hoping Saint Anthony had found her.

      ‘I’ll get Hazel,’ the headmaster said.

      ‘What’s going on, Mrs Talbot?’ Tommy asked. He had a terrible feeling of unrest in his stomach.

      ‘Your nan’s at home, love, with Linda. She’ll explain everything to you.’

      ‘What! Nanny Noreen? She’s at our house?’

      ‘Yes, Tommy.’

      It was at that precise moment Tommy knew something was dreadfully wrong. Nanny Noreen wouldn’t set foot in the house unless his dad was at home.

      Mrs Talbot said very little on the short journey, then came inside the house with them. The mood was sombre. Nanny Noreen had a face like thunder and Linda was sobbing.

      ‘Whassa matter? Where’s Mum?’ Tommy asked, dreading the answer.

      Linda flung herself at her brother. ‘Mum’s dead, Tommy. She died.’

      Tommy had no idea what being struck by lightning felt like, but he should imagine it was similar to this.

      Hazel sank to her knees, screaming blue murder. Even Mrs Talbot was crying and Tommy had never seen her cry before. ‘When? How? What happened?’ Tommy muttered. They had been studying Jack the Ripper in history and he fleetingly visualized his mum being murdered, like those poor victims had.

      ‘Sit down, children,’ Nanny Noreen ordered.

      Tommy lifted Hazel off the carpet and all three sat on the sofa, holding hands.

      ‘Your mother was involved in a fatal car crash. She died, along with her fancy man. I’ve managed to get a message to your father and he’s on his way home.’

      ‘Fancy man! Dead! No. She can’t be. Mum was visiting her friend Margaret,’ Tommy insisted.

      ‘Your mother was a hussy and a liar, boy. She was having it off with a man called Terry Fletcher. He was driving the car when it crashed. How your father will ever live down the shame, I do not know. May your mother’s soul burn in hell.’

      ‘Don’t say that. We love our mum,’ Linda cried.

      Hazel was shaking uncontrollably. ‘Mum can’t be dead. There must be some mistake.’

      ‘Mum’s friend Lisa said she was with Margaret,’ Tommy repeated.

      ‘Well, I’m afraid your mother’s friend is a liar too, Tommy. It’s your poor hard-working father I feel sorry for. His side of the bed wasn’t even cold and that whore was out fornicating. It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey, is it?’ Noreen said, quoting a line from the Bible.

      ‘That’s enough now, Noreen. The children are clearly distraught. No matter what you thought of Valerie, they loved her. She’s their mother.’

      Noreen glared at Mrs Talbot. ‘Was their mother.’

       CHAPTER FOUR

      Valerie Boyle had been popular within the local community, therefore news of her untimely death, and the circumstances surrounding it, spread like wildfire.

      ‘Where have all Mum’s sympathy cards gone, Nan?’ Linda made the mistake of asking.

      ‘In the bin, where they belong. Your father will be home this afternoon and he won’t be wanting to see those, will he? Not after what your mother did.’

      Linda burst into tears. Hazel and Tommy had told her last night what lovely comments the neighbours had written and she’d yet to see them with her own eyes.

      Tommy marched over to the bin and took the lid off.

      ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Nanny Noreen shouted, yanking Tommy away from the bin by his arm and smacking him across the backside.

      ‘Linda hasn’t seen those cards yet. I’m getting them out the bin.’

      ‘No, you’re not. I ripped them up into tiny pieces. Now make yourself useful. There’s a shopping list on the kitchen top. I need items from the butcher’s, the baker’s, the greengrocer’s and Mr Abbot’s. The girls can go with you. You’re getting no fresh air stuck in here.’

      Lip quivering, Tommy picked up the shopping list and money. It was two days now since they’d heard the life-changing news and Nanny Noreen had not shown an ounce of compassion. Tommy hated living with her and could not wait until his dad got home. ‘Come on, girls.’

      ‘I don’t want to go to the shops. We’ll bump into our mates on their way to school and they will