block out the pain. She moved on from EPO, and bought some other drugs - Oxy, OC, whatever you want to call it. Whatever name you come up with, it’s Oxycodone, illegal to buy on the streets, and highly addictive.’
‘So? Why can’t you tell Ellie that?’
‘First of all, I kept it from her because the fewer people that know the better. Alannah would be sacked, but more than that I should have reported her, and I didn’t. I wanted her to get treatment for it before it all has to come out.’
‘And second of all…?’ Leo asked. Max glanced round at her, and could no doubt tell from her determined expression that Leo wasn’t about to give up. He locked his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky through the window.
‘She stole some money - from school. I was one of the organisers of the school play, and she helped. She took some of the ticket money. She’d planned to put it back, but she was maxed out on her credit cards and overdraft. I put the money back when I found out.’
Max dropped his hands to his side and turned round to face Leo.
‘I’d lose my job too if any of this came out, Leo. I couldn’t tell Ellie. She would be understandably furious that I should put myself at risk like this. But money doesn’t seem to be such a big issue in this house anymore, and I thought it would help.’ Max gave a humourless laugh. ‘It didn’t. On Friday night the reason that we went via Stoke on Trent as you put it - although that’s a bit of an exaggeration - is because she wanted to ask me to give her some more money. To help her out again. I was too pissed to give a sensible response on Friday - so she phoned here on Sunday I told her never to do that again. Imagine if Ellie had answered? Anyway, I refused to give her any more. I said it wouldn’t help, and she had the six week holiday to get herself sorted. I don’t know if she thinks she can blackmail me, but she can do her worst. I’m not giving her any more.’
‘Well, I have enormous sympathy with her problem. But nowhere near as much as I have with my sister, who - thanks to the two of you - has been going through absolute hell for the past few weeks. She’s distraught, Max. Frantic with worry. She’s waiting for you to drop the bombshell that you’re leaving.’
Max stared at Leo as if the world was collapsing around him.
‘If I’d realised she thought that, I would have told her everything about Alannah. I promise you. It seemed like the least of my problems, frankly.’
Leo made herself take a long, calming breath. She was mad at Max, but it was nowhere near as catastrophic as she had thought. If this wasn’t the problem that was haunting him and breaking her sister’s marriage into pieces, she was determined to find out what was.
‘So if you’ve not been having an affair, what have you been doing that you don’t want Ellie to find out until it’s too late for her to stop it?’
Max couldn’t meet Leo’s eyes as he told her of his idiotic plans that made a few pounds from the school play seem beyond trivial.
41
For once, it was a relief to be doing an early shift. Ellie wasn’t sure she could have faced Max over the breakfast table. She had barely slept, and she knew that Max hadn’t either. So many times during the night she had wanted to put her arm around him and ask ‘why?’ but she was still deluding herself that if she kept quiet, it might all go away.
And to cap it all, she couldn’t for the life of her find her security pass. Somebody had let her into the ward, but she would have to report it. She always took it off and put it in her bag - but perhaps last night she had dropped it at Georgia’s or something. She’d report it later, during her break or at the end of the shift. For now, she needed to focus on her job.
‘You look like shit, Ellie. Are you okay?’
Ellie turned round. It was Sam Bradshaw, and he was just finishing his rounds. She gave him a weak smile.
‘Thanks, Sam. It’s kind of you to say so. I didn’t sleep well last night, but