even be home,’ Kyle said.
But Mr Large came to his front door in a pair of baggy jogging pants and an England rugby shirt, scratching his moustache as he stood in the doorway.
‘What?’
Lauren spoke politely. ‘We’d like to come in and talk. You know that thing you mentioned the other night?’
Large was smart enough to realise that they might be recording the conversation. ‘It was just a friendly chat, Lauren.’
‘We know you’re a busy man,’ Kyle said, trowelling on the irony because he knew that Large was suspended from his job and had nothing to do. ‘We’ll try not to take up too much of your valuable time.’
Large leaned out of the doorway and glanced left and right suspiciously before waving the pair inside.
‘Nice and warm in here,’ Lauren said, pulling off her gloves as she walked down a neatly furnished hallway.
Mr Large’s morning was spread across the living-room for all to see: a copy of the Times with the crossword half done, a breakfast bowl with a splash of milk in the bottom, a Crunchie bar wrapper and an American chat show blaring out of the TV.
Lauren smiled. ‘Mind if we sit down?’
Mr Large was clearly uneasy, but he scooped the newspaper off the sofa to make space for Lauren. Kyle sat in an armchair facing her.
‘What’s this all about?’ Large asked.
‘My old mate Rod Nilsson sends his regards,’ Kyle said. ‘Remember him?’
Large looked uncertain. ‘Red-headed lad,’ he nodded finally. ‘Nice boy, but he didn’t have the stomach for a second go at training.’
‘He still gets nightmares,’ Kyle said pointedly. ‘Nightmares about choking on sand and suffocating.’
‘Look,’ Large said firmly. ‘I don’t know what this is – sour grapes or whatever – but I had a job to do and I was damned good at it.’
Lauren raised an eyebrow. ‘I guess that’s one way of looking at it …’
‘And you’re going to tell the truth and stick up for me at my hearing on Friday, aren’t you?’
Lauren smiled. ‘The truth is exactly what I’m going to be telling.’
‘I just hope that everyone will be safe and happy afterwards,’ Large threatened.
‘Lauren tells me that you tried to blackmail her,’ Kyle said bluntly.
Mr Large suddenly looked uncomfortable. ‘Is this some kind of joke?’ he said, scowling at Lauren. ‘I haven’t met either of you in months, except for a few nights back when Lauren and I exchanged hellos on my doorstep.’
‘We’re not recording you,’ Lauren said. ‘I knew you wouldn’t be stupid enough to repeat what you said. But I’m not the only one who has vulnerabilities.’
As Lauren spoke, Kyle pulled a small stack of photos out of his jacket. He held up the top one, which was a flattering head-and-shoulders enlargement of Hayley.
‘Quite a nice-looking girl, your daughter,’ Kyle said casually, as he switched the picture to the back of the pile, revealing the next shot of Hayley and James kissing, with James’ fingers clutching her bum.
‘My brother certainly seems to be getting along with her, doesn’t he?’ Lauren grinned.
Mr Large gasped.
Kyle flipped to another picture, an extreme close-up of James and Hayley kissing.
‘And that was just their first date,’ Lauren added. ‘Imagine what they’ll get up to next time.’
‘I can hear something,’ Kyle said, cupping a hand to his ear. ‘Could it be the patter of tiny feet?’
‘Nah,’ Lauren shook her head. ‘Knowing my brother, he’ll just dump her and break her heart.’
‘But don’t worry,’ Kyle said. ‘You’ve trained a lot of boys on campus. They’re all fit guys and I bet that once James ditches her, they’ll all be queuing up to take a shot at your daughter …’
Mr Large didn’t know what to say or where to look.
‘Dozens of big strapping teenagers throwing themselves at Hayley,’ Lauren sighed. ‘And you know what teenagers are like. If you stand between Hayley and some boy she fancies, she’ll only end up hating your guts.’
Lauren and Kyle weren’t proud that they’d manipulated Hayley and had no intention of taking things further. But people judge others by their own standards. Hopefully Large would believe their threats, because it was the sort of dastardly scheme he might have concocted himself.
‘But of course none of this has to go any further,’ Lauren emphasised. ‘We’re prepared to back off, as long as you guarantee that Meatball stays safe.’
Mr Large was turning extremely red. ‘Why bring my daughter into this?’ he screamed. ‘She’s innocent.’
‘Innocent?’ Lauren snapped. ‘Is she really? And I suppose Meatball is a little doggie serial killer. Or maybe he sneaks on to