The Magpies A Psychological Thriller - By Mark Edwards Page 0,62

get you to trust them. Or maybe they’re less calculating than that. They might be schizophrenic. One minute nice and friendly, the next – ga-ga.’ He twirled his finger beside his head and pulled a face.

Jamie laughed, despite himself.

‘You must have the patience of a saint. God, people like them want putting down. I really can’t believe that you’re putting up with all their crap, especially with a pregnant girlfriend who’s being scared out of her wits by them. I don’t want to offend you, but you’re not being much of a man, are you? A man’s meant to protect his home – his cave. It’s there, buried inside you, one of the most basic instincts a man can have. To look after his woman and child and their home.’

Jamie looked at Mike. It was easy for him to sit there casting judgement. To an outsider, the whole thing was black and white. But it was more complicated than it looked…wasn’t it?

Jamie wondered. Maybe it wasn’t so complicated at all. All he trying to do was build a home with his girlfriend – his future wife – and their unborn child. And the Newtons were, for whatever reason, trying to spoil it. Maybe it was a simple issue. Maybe Mike was right, even if he did term it in such an outmoded way. It was his duty to protect Kirsty and their nest. So far he had failed. Although Kirsty seemed calm now (too calm?) and happy about their forthcoming wedding, she had been through a lot recently, from the day of Paul’s accident onwards. Jamie didn’t buy into all that macho crap, but maybe, sometimes, there was a need to.

He looked up at Mike, who, apparently reading Jamie’s mind, said, ‘I know what I’d do.’

He slammed his fist into his palm.

Jamie left work early and headed straight to the hospital. He wanted to talk to Paul, to see what he thought. After his chat with Mike, his concentration had been shot: all he could of think of was Mike saying, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ and the way he had punched his palm. He wanted to ask Paul his opinion.

He found his friend sitting up in bed, flicking boredly through a copy of FHM. He put the magazine down when Jamie entered the room. He looked much better than he had the day he had woken up. A shade of colour had returned to his cheeks. Doctor Meer had told Jamie that Paul’s recovery was the quickest and most complete he had ever seen. He was responding well to physiotherapy, he appeared to have suffered no memory loss and all his mental faculties were intact. It was all good news.

‘All alone?’ Jamie asked, pulling up a chair.

Paul frowned. ‘Heather’s just gone to the loo. She needed some tissues to dry her eyes.’

Jamie looked at him quizzically.

‘We just split up. I told her I thought it was for the best.’

Jamie was shocked. ‘Why?’

‘She was getting on my nerves. She’s here all the time, fussing and carrying on. God, the other day she even mentioned the possibility of us getting married. We were only together for a few days before my accident, for Christ’s sake, and from what I remember it wasn’t that great anyway. She’s pretty crap in bed. Just lies there and expects you to do all the work, if you know what I mean.’

‘But you seemed really happy together. That day at the go-kart track…’

‘Did we? I don’t remember.’

‘And you’d fancied her for ages. You said she was really sexy and lovely and that you wouldn’t stand a chance with someone like her.’

‘Well, I changed my mind. She was getting on my tits, so I chucked her. She’ll get over it.’

Jamie was speechless. He had never heard Paul talk like before. This wasn’t the Paul he knew, the Paul who had never chucked anyone in his life. He remembered how Heather had flooded their flat with tears because she was so heartbroken by Paul’s condition. When he awoke from the coma she was so happy. She had been round a few times since and all she talked about was Paul Paul Paul, but now in a happy way. She told Kirsty that she wanted a baby too, and that Paul would be a wonderful father. She told them how she had given Paul a blow job beneath the hospital sheets, when none of the doctors or other nurses were around. She went on about Paul