My dad likes you better than he likes me. You’re not on your own.”
“I can’t do that,” Connor said quietly. “I can’t take someone else’s money.”
“You can if they want you to,” Benners said.
“And if you don’t want to move into posh land,” Jojo said, “my brother’s room’ll be free from September. You can stay there.”
She squeezed Connor’s hand. Aurora could see their sympathy undermining Connor’s anger. It was driving the tears closer to the surface.
“Come on. Do another line with me and think about fun things,” Jojo added.
Benners stood up unsteadily. “I want to dance. You’re up, Aurora. Time to embrace another part of life.”
She only hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. She let him pull her a little way from the red-orange fire. He spun her awkwardly under his arm. The music was a little bit angrier now. Another song she didn’t know.
As she started to listen to it, she found herself smiling. It reminded her of Connor, suddenly bursting into vocal rage before quieting down. It didn’t suit the way Benners was holding and spinning her, like some inept ballroom dancer. She started to laugh.
“What?” he asked, as he tried to swing her round and tripped over a stick. He was grinning. Laughing along with her.
“It’s like your arms and legs aren’t even attached to you,” she said.
“You have no appreciation of my art.”
She felt her self-consciousness leak away. She was careless and light.
He spun her round by both hands, fast enough that she was leaning backward against the spin. Then she screeched, half laughing, as she came close to the fire. Benners bent his arms and she was pulled toward him. She almost fell into him, and was breathless with laughter.
“Sorry,” Benners said, still holding on to her left hand.
“Seriously, Benners.” Connor was behind her, speaking over her shoulder. “You’re a disgrace.”
She looked round at him. He was slightly glassy-eyed. She wondered if that was what the drugs did. Jojo was crouched down behind him, rubbing at her nose. How much had they had?
Connor took Aurora’s free hand, and pulled her into a different sort of hold. One that was closer, and a lot stronger. She was surprised by how strong Connor was. She hadn’t expected it.
Benners released the hand he was still holding, and she put it on Connor’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to enter into the hold, or to keep him a little way away from her.
“Try some real dancing.”
He began to nod to the beat, the pulse of it running through him. As he moved, it moved her, and she was shifting with him.
The carelessness left her in a rush. She was suddenly very aware of each and every part of her body. And of how she must look to him. Of her straggly, badly dried hair and her cheap nylon skirt.
And of him. And how he looked. That he was close enough for her to smell cheap aftershave and sweat. That he was smiling at her warmly, the boy who had always wanted her sister.
Topaz was watching her, too, but for the first time Aurora didn’t care. Let her look. Aurora was going to give this a chance, like Benners had said, and her sister would have to learn to live with it.
19
Connor looked quietly angry as Jonah and O’Malley got themselves set up opposite him.
“Have you been offered a tea?” Jonah asked, deciding to give it a few minutes before the hardline questioning.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Connor said coolly.
Jonah almost smiled. He guessed that Professor Dooley was used to having an effect when he was angry. It slid off Jonah like melting ice.
“So,” Jonah said, once the tape was running. “A few things have come up during our investigation that we would like your help with.”
“I’m sure,” Connor answered, his eyes hard behind his glasses.
“By your account,” Jonah said, “you went to bed after Topaz left with Brett Parker. Although we’ve since been told that she left with Brett and Coralie, and not with Brett alone.”
There was a brief silence, and then Connor shrugged. “I don’t really remember all that clearly. I know she used Coralie to draw him in. What happened after that…didn’t really interest me.”
“You didn’t see them leave together?”
“I don’t really remember,” Connor said quietly.
“OK. But moving on from there,” he said. “You’ve told us already that you went to sleep alongside Jojo Magos, and that she comforted you about Topaz and Brett. You didn’t mention getting back