didn’t know their own strength, who didn’t know they could fell a man or break a neck with one punch; that they could spend the rest of their lives in jail for one fatal white-hot moment. The man on the other side, with the jelly nose, was whimpering and trembling and didn’t seem able to move at all. Cormac had seen a million fights, in the army and in hospitals. They were always like this and never like the movies: slightly pathetic, very noisy, and completely confusing for everyone involved.
“Come on!” he said, as the big youth spun around trying to dislodge him, and one of his other mates grabbed Cormac’s ear, which was ridiculous, though it also hurt like hell.
“GERROFF!” shouted Cormac, in what would have surprised him to learn was an exceptional London cabbie accent.
They stumbled backward, hitting the wall, and Cormac was about to give up, hissing at the man in front to move out of the bloody way before he got punched again, when the worst thing happened.
Chapter 66
Lissa unlocked the door, and as soon as she did, the other woman pushed her way in and locked it behind them both.
“It’s kicked off,” she said.
The two women in the loo looked at each other rather awkwardly as the shouting and fighting continued beyond the bathroom door.
“Weird sort of panic room,” said Lissa in a waver, attempting to break the ice.
The fire alarm was still going off, but nobody was moving. Lissa assumed, correctly, that someone had set it off on purpose to get everyone out in the corridors. Certainly you couldn’t smell anything. The woman had her phone out and was tutting loudly.
“Sorry,” said Lissa. “Did you really need to use the loo? I can stand in the corner if you like.”
“You don’t look very disabled,” said the woman crossly.
“I know,” said Lissa. “I’m sorry about that. I was having a panic attack. I know that doesn’t count.”
The woman shrugged. “Oh. Well. Maybe that should count.”
“Not if other people need it.”
“I’m gluten intolerant.”
“Oh,” said Lissa. “Oh, well, I am sorry to hear that . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Why were you panicking?” said the other girl eventually, giving up tapping on her phone.
“I . . . I’m meant to be giving evidence. It’s scary to think about it,” said Lissa. She couldn’t believe she’d even managed to say that out loud. “I never used to be frightened about stuff. Then I saw a horrible accident and it really knocked me over.”
She paused. This was . . . this was exactly what Anita had told her to do. Talk about it, over and over. Relive it till she couldn’t be scared of it anymore. That guy too.
“The guy outside . . . the guy I was talking to. He said I should just talk about it.”
“He’s probably right,” said the woman. “Mind you, he went off to have a fight, so God knows.”
“I know . . . bit weird taking advice from a bloke on the other side of a toilet door.”
“Take it where you can get it, I say,” said the woman, looking at her face in the mirror and adjusting her carefully painted-on eyebrows. “I have some advice for you. If you’re meant to be sitting with five lads in a jury situation, don’t go to the toilet.”
It took Lissa a minute. “Oh God,” she said. “Is this . . .”
The woman looked at her. “Shh,” she said. “I’m a youth worker, yes. But I really did have to go.”
Her brow furrowed.
“Not so much now.”
“I mean, please do . . .”
“I can’t now, I’m too uptight.”
The alarm stopped going off.
“Phew,” said Lissa, feeling oddly better now that she was comforting somebody else. “How about now, without the alarm?”
“Nope,” said the woman. “Still not feeling it. It’s like all the pee has hopped back up me.”
She frowned.
“This is going to do nothing for my gluten intolerance.”
“Well, no,” said Lissa truthfully.
They both approached the door. The noise seemed to have died down.
“Do you think it’s safe?” said Lissa.
“Well, either that or they’re just a pile of corpses out there,” said the woman. “I’m joking! I’m joking! Wish me luck!”
She paused.
“And listen. I know they sound rowdy. But they’re just lads. Tell the truth and shame the devil, and it’ll all be fine.”
“That’s what Toilet Guy said. He said I should talk about it.”
“Well then.”
And they smiled tentatively at each other, and Lissa turned the handle on the door.