Penance by Charlotte Barnes

Author:Charlotte Barnes [Barnes, Charlotte]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-25T16:00:00+00:00

Simon was a man of his word. By the time I walked in from work the following day the house was alive with smells. I didn’t know what he was cooking, but the early works of it were bloody impressive from the minute I pushed through the door – and I realised, then, that with everything going on around me, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten a meal and truly enjoyed it. The kitchen was alive with colour, too, the work surfaces covered with different vegetables; like a breadcrumb trail leading to Simon at the end of it all, merrily chopping and so intent on listening to the radio he hadn’t even noticed I was there. For a while I watched him – not quite a minute, I didn’t think, though perhaps close to it – and even then it wasn’t him who noticed, it was Dawn.

‘Dad,’ she whispered, though she was looking at me when she said it. ‘Aren’t you meant to be putting the kettle on?’

‘Aren’t I–’ He spun around to face her, but cut himself off when he saw me. ‘Ah balls, you were meant to let me know when you were leaving so I could get the kettle on. Dawn, hop to it.’ He waved around hands covered in what looked like pulp from something. ‘Get your mother a brew.’

‘There’s really no need.’ I walked over to the island and sat on a tall chair. ‘I’m okay, Dawnie.’

She hopped down from her own perch. ‘No, Mum, we’re looking after you.’ She was just about tall enough to lift the kettle from its stand but when it came to filling it she needed a little help. ‘Ahem,’ she caught Simon’s attention. The pair of them collaborated on the task. While Dawn waited for the kettle to boil, she plated up a handful of biscuits, too, and carried those over with the air of a professional waitress. ‘Madam,’ she curtsied.

‘Why thank you.’ I bowed gently, too, and took the plate. The hunger hit me, then – Have I even eaten today? – and I found that I was chewing through a second round of shortbread by the time Simon was putting a full mug of tea in front of me.

‘Have you heard this?’ He nodded behind him, though he didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he turned back and hit volume up on Alexa, and a newsreader’s voice came booming through the speakers.

‘After going missing in Edinburgh earlier this month…’

Something in me churned. Do I remember this?

‘The body of a man thought to be…’

‘Mum, you’re spilling crumbs.’

Why does this matter? I craned to listen.

‘Mum!’ Dawn pushed the shortbread box beneath me to catch the spill.

‘Okay,’ I snapped and made a point of leaning over the box. Of shortbread. Made in–

‘Investigations are now well underway to confirm whether this is indeed…’

‘Dad, you haven’t even told Mum the best bit.’

‘Is this the shortbread Lily brought us?’ I looked between them though neither seemed to be listening. Why aren’t they listening? ‘Simon?’

‘What? Oh, I guess so.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.