They waited patiently while Daniel finished his meal. They waited patiently while he watched a little television. They waited patiently while he washed and undressed and climbed into bed. They patiently answered all his questions about the dead man who was, according to them, very much alive.
They could have speeded up the process by sending Daniel straight to bed after dessert, but it would merely have seeded more doubt in his already suspicious mind.
So they waited. And when they were alone and the quietness became unbearable, they spoke.
‘He’s a drug-dealing, gun-carrying, violent piece of shit,’ Gemma said.
‘Yeah,’ Scott said, ‘but he’s got his bad points too.’
Gemma didn’t laugh, and Scott wondered why he’d even tried to inject humour into this situation. He guessed his mind had endured enough of the grimness of reality.
‘He doesn’t deserve better,’ Gemma continued. ‘Why should our Daniel suffer because of this worthless scum?’
Scott realised that she was attempting to make peace with her decision.
‘Then we’re agreed?’ he asked.
Gemma looked into his eyes. ‘I don’t think we have a choice, do you?’
‘No.’
‘This man started it. He picked a fight with the wrong people, and now he’s paid for it. Daniel has been through enough. We have to protect him now. We have to save him.’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m right, aren’t I? I mean, we’re doing the right thing?’
‘Yes.’
She threw her arms around him, pressed her face into his shoulder.
‘So . . .’ she said, ‘what happens now?’
He pulled away so that he could look her in the eye. ‘What happens now is that you get washed and you have an early night.’
She looked puzzled. ‘What?’
‘You heard me. Take a bath and try to relax, then go to bed.’
‘Scott? I don’t—’
‘I’ll sort it. Okay? Just stay in the bedroom and leave it to me. By the morning he’ll be gone. It’ll be as if he was never here.’
She shook her head. ‘No. We’re in this together now. You can’t manage this alone.’
‘I can. Trust me. I’ve come up with a plan. It’ll work.’
Gemma glanced at the shrouded corpse. ‘What will you—?’
‘You don’t need to know. It’s best if you don’t know.’
He watched her try to read his mind. After a few seconds, he sensed a jolt of understanding.
Gemma nodded, then stepped away from him. She seemed suddenly very small and frightened.
‘I’ll do that,’ she said. ‘I’ll take a bath. I . . . I always sleep better after a bath.’
She walked towards the bathroom, then halted and turned.
‘You’ll be careful?’ she said. ‘You won’t do anything stupid?’
‘No. I promise.’
He watched her leave the room. When he heard the bath taps running, he sat down and stared at the body.
What he had decided was that Gemma shouldn’t be involved any more than she already was. If this all went wrong, he’d like to be able to say that it was all his doing, that Gemma tried to talk him out of it, and that she had no idea he was planning to dispose of the body.
He put on the television, keeping the sound low. He saw a blur of images that meant little to him, but they helped to kill time.
Gemma came back into the living room, wrapped in a thick bathrobe. She sat on the arm of his chair and kissed the top of his head. She smelt lovely. She smelt of life.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ she said.
‘What about?’
‘You said you’re going to make it all go away.’
‘Uh-huh.’
