No One I Knew by A McDine (best e book reader for android .TXT) 📕

them, so I stood on the periphery and waited for Nate to appear.

‘It’s Cleo, isn’t it?’ a plummy voice said, and I turned to see a willowy woman with her blonde hair in a loose topknot staring at me with barely concealed fascination. She held her hand to her heart. ‘I am so sorry about Immy. You must be devastated.’

‘I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.’

‘Octavia Barton.’ She held out a hand. I ignored it.

She tilted her head. ‘Is there any news?’

Something tugged at my memory. This was the woman who’d told her son Immy was dead. I narrowed my eyes. ‘You’re Felix’s mum.’

‘It’s Fergus, actually. But please don’t worry. It’s completely understandable. You have a lot on your mind.’ She drew her eyebrows together as she said this, a parody of concern. ‘How are you coping?’

‘Pardon?’

‘How are you coping with little Immy gone? I can’t imagine the utter hell you and Stu must be going through. I’d be beside myself.’ She shivered, pulling her flimsy cardigan tightly around her bony chest. ‘If there’s anything I can do, absolutely anything, tell Stu to WhatsApp me.’ She must have clocked my raised eyebrows, because she explained, ‘There’s a WhatsApp group for all the mums in Fergus and Nathan’s class, plus Stu, of course. He’s our honorary mum,’ she twinkled. ‘I’m the admin so I can add you, if you like?’

My hands balled into fists by my sides, and I shook my head. ‘No need. But there is something you could do.’

She clasped her hands together. ‘Anything.’

‘You can stop spreading lies to your obnoxious little shit of a son. The last thing Nate needs right now is to be told his sister is dead.’ I looked over her shoulder to the school gates and saw Nate trailing out, dragging his bag on the ground behind him. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go.’ I fixed her with an icy glare. ‘I’d like to say it was a pleasure, Octavia, but I’m afraid I’d be lying.’

‘They haven’t found Immy yet, have they?’ Nate said as we walked back to the car.

‘Not yet,’ I said. ‘How did you know?’

‘Because you would’ve brought her with you to pick me up.’

‘I would,’ I agreed. ‘How was school?’

‘It was all right.’

‘Did Fergus give you any grief?’

A glimmer of a smile. ‘I told him his mum was a cow.’

‘Nice work, kiddo. And I told his mum he’s an obnoxious little… oh shit.’ I swiped the parking ticket from the windscreen of the car and scoured the street, spotting a traffic warden tucking another ticket under the windscreen wiper of a white Range Rover Sport a few cars away. Blood pounded in my ears as I marched up to him and slapped the ticket on his chest. ‘My daughter is missing, and you have the bloody cheek to give me a parking ticket. Well, you can take your ticket and you can shove it up your…’

‘Mum!’ Nate cried, tugging my arm. ‘Don’t.’

The traffic warden took a step back. ‘I should advise you, madam, that I’m wearing a camera.’

My hand fell to my side. Christ, what was wrong with me? I was usually so self-controlled. The traffic warden, meanwhile, gave a small start of recognition. ‘You’re Imogen Cooper’s mum, aren’t you?’

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

‘Thought so. I saw you on the lunchtime news. We’ve been asked to keep an eye out for her.’

Nate squeezed my hand. ‘That’s good, isn’t it, Mum?’

I squeezed his hand back and found my voice. ‘It is. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I know you’re only doing your job. It was the final straw today, you know?’ To my shame, my voice was thick with emotion.

‘No problem, Mrs Cooper. I understand.’ He pointed at the ticket crunched up in my hand. ‘Unfortunately, I can’t rip it up once I’ve issued it, but if you appeal, I’m sure the council will take your circumstances into consideration.’

‘It’s OK, it’s only money.’ My eyes fell to the camera on his chest. It was so obvious I didn’t know how I hadn’t noticed it before. But rage had blinded me. ‘I really am sorry. You won’t be…’ I faltered.

‘Don’t you worry yourself, Mrs Cooper. Damn thing’s been playing up all day,’ he said with a wink.

‘Thank you so much.’ I slipped the parking ticket into my bag. ‘Come on, Nate, we’d better leave the nice traffic warden in peace.’

‘We’re civil enforcement officers these days, Mrs Cooper. We haven’t been traffic wardens for years. I hope you find little Imogen.’

Back in the car, I folded my arms on the steering wheel and groaned. Nate eyed me anxiously.

‘What’s wrong, Mummy?’

What could I tell him? That Fergus bloody Barton and his frightful mother were probably right about Immy, and we were the idiots for still believing she might be alive? That his dad was in love with his godmother and, for all I knew, was planning to leave us? That my life, my ordered, perfect, enviable life, began spiralling out of control the minute Immy vanished from our garden and was now in danger of imploding?

Instead, I lifted my head and smiled at him. ‘Nothing, sweetheart. I’m fine. Listen, I need to pop into work on the way home.’ His face fell. ‘I’ll be quick, I promise.’

‘What will I do at your work?’

‘You can watch CBeebies on my phone.’

‘I’m too old for CBeebies.’

‘I’ll find you some pens and paper and you can do some drawing.’

‘Will Sheila be at your work?’

I nodded.

‘All right then, I’ll come.’

I pulled up beside Sheila’s Fiat 500. Bill’s Range Rover was nowhere in sight. He was cutting it fine if he was going to make his meeting. It was a good job I dropped by.

Nate scrabbled out of the car before I’d unclipped my seatbelt. He stood on tiptoes and tapped the passcode into the keypad. I followed him along the corridor towards the small suite of offices at the back.

Sheila looked up from her computer in confusion.

‘Cleo,