The Goldsworth Series Box Set Read online

  Aurora turned to face Sasha, a girl she’d never really spoken to before, although they lived in the same block of flats.

  “Thanks,” Aurora said, beginning to smile.

  * * *

  The rest of the school day was a battle for Aurora. In lessons, both the teachers and the students were overly cautious about what they said, the words they used, the examples they gave. Breaks were harder, the eyes following her down the corridor, the whispers that were uttered between friends as she passed them. In the lockers, how the girls went quiet when she entered, and eyed her dubiously through the mirrors, as if she would break down in front of them and they would have to take responsibility and reassure her, when they’d rather be outside having a fag or with their boyfriends. But Aurora found that, although it was a war, she seemed to have some allies. Sasha Morton had stuck by her side all day, they had walked arm-in-arm down the corridors, Sasha silently challenging anyone to whisper or stare. Zoe and Brandy had followed behind them, remaining silent, awkward around her. Aurora supposed that they didn’t know what to say to her, how to act around her. Aurora understood their uncertainty, and didn’t hold it against them.

  By the end of the school day, when the mechanical bell rang throughout the building, Aurora walked down the front steps arm in arm with Sasha, and across the tarmac yard to the rusting school gates. At the gates, they stopped and turned to face each other.

  “Thanks for everything,” Aurora said, smiling.

  “Don’t mention it,” Sasha grinned, lighting a cigarette.

  Brandy and Zoe, still looking awkward, followed her lead and lit cigarettes of their own. Aurora eyed Zoe for a moment, wondering how she could smoke when she was so far gone in her pregnancy. But Zoe caught her eye, and Aurora averted her gaze.

  They were soon joined by Troy and Clint, and two other boys Aurora recognized from the estate, Tamar and Amal. All four were smoking and wearing their parkas.

  Clint smiled at Aurora and she smiled back.

  “Ready to go home?” he asked, grinning.

  “Definitely,” Aurora replied.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow,” Sasha said, turning to Aurora. She glanced at Clint and then quickly back to Aurora and smiled a knowing smile.

  Sasha hugged her, kissed her cheek, the smell of cigarettes on her breath, and nodded to Clint. Brandy and Zoe nodded at Aurora, and then they were off, walking down the street. Brandy slipped her arm in Troy’s, whilst Tamar and Amal seemed overly eager to listen to whatever Sasha was saying. Well, Aurora thought, Sasha was a good looking girl with blonde hair, and that was bound to get her attention from the boys. Not that Aurora herself had a problem getting attention from the boys. She turned to Clint as he put his cigarette out on the pavement.

  “You can walk with your mates if you want, you know,” she said gently, unsure whether this would be taken as a hint for him to leave her alone, which she didn’t want, or if he’d take it as being a subtle test of whether he would rather be with her or his friends.

  “Nah, I’m good here,” Clint said casually, though Aurora thought she saw his cheeks redden beneath his dark skin.

  “Ok, well, thanks.”

  “Trust me, you don’t need to thank me.” Clint said, and inwardly grimaced. He was trying to play it cool, but it wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped.

  Aurora smiled and they continued walking down the road. Clint wondered if perhaps, fortunately, Aurora hadn’t noticed how awkwardly he was behaving.

  When they reached the flats, Clint walked her to her front door. Aurora turned to face him, and they caught each other’s eyes. There was a moment of silence, when the world seemed to stop.

  Then the door opened behind them and broke the moment. Marlena, her hair unwashed and unkempt, and her eyes still bloodshot and puffy, eyed the pair with a hint of suspicion.

  “The police are here, love,” she said, talking to Aurora, “Come inside, will you.”

  After Marlena had retreated inside, Aurora said an awkward goodbye to Clint and they hugged. Clint seemed about to say something, but his lips closed, and he said a simple, “See you tomorrow.”

  Aurora smiled, and went inside. She watched Clint walk back down the corridor, and didn’t close the door until he had turned around the corner to the stairs. She was feeling so many emotions at the moment, she was certain that she would malfunction any minute. How could any human withstand so many conflicting emotions all at once?

  She went into the kitchen where her mother was sitting, still in her dressing gown, across the table from a smartly dressed woman with cropped black hair, dark skin and piercing brown eyes. A young white man, with blond hair and crooked teeth, was standing up against a counter, armed with a notepad and pencil.

  Aurora glanced around the kitchen, catching sight of an empty bottle of vodka standing beside the bin. She felt a pang of shame for having not stayed home with her mother. She knew her mother was hurting as much as her, but she also knew this was something they needed to deal with alone. Her mother had already endured so much heartache, and Aurora didn’t want to force her pain onto her mother, for fear that it would break her.

  The smartly dressed woman rose to her feet, a respectful smile on her face. She held out a perfectly manicured hand, and Aurora shook hands with her awkwardly.

  “My name’s Serena Patterson, and you must be Aurora? I’m the Detective in charge of your sister’s case,” Serena said, motioning for Aurora to take a seat, which Aurora did. “Now I appreciate the difficulty of the situation, but I really need to ask you some questions about your sister.”

  “What about?” Aurora asked hesitantly.

  “Well, for instance, did your sister have any enemies? A violent ex-lover perhaps?”

  “I’ve already answered these questions,” Marlena interrupted impatiently, “Shan didn’t have no enemies, no violent ex’s, she was a good girl. Everybody liked her.”

  “I understand, Mrs Curtis, but I would still appreciate if Aurora could think about it.”

  Aurora nodded, “Mum’s right, Shan didn’t have any enemies. Nobody would want to hurt her.”

  Serena looked from mother to daughter, and smiled patiently.

  “Okay, well if you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call me.”

  She handed both of them a small business card with her name and number on it. Aurora pocketed hers, whilst Marlena kept hers scrunched up in a fist.

  “Will that be all?” Marlena asked impatiently.

  “Actually, there was one other thing. I think a television appeal for information might prove useful. If anyone has any information regarding what happened, it could persuade them to come clean to the police.”

  “Me on television?” Marlena asked suspiciously, “What would I do?”

  “A police officer will introduce you, and then you just ask the public for information on your daughter’s death.”

  “Murder,” Marlena corrected, “My daughter’s murder. And I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it.”

  “Mrs Curtis, it’s of the utmost importance we get a suspect within the next few days, or the case may go cold.”

  Marlena sighed heavily. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  “Thank you, Mrs Curtis. A car will pick you up at eight o’clock tomorrow morning to bring you into the police station.”

  “Fine, are you finished now?”

  “Mrs Curtis, I’m trying to catch the criminal responsible for murdering your daughter. That’s all for now, but I won’t stop until I’ve found your daughter’s murderer. The car will pick you up at eight, and I’ll see you at the police station.”

  Serena nodded to the man at the counter, and they left after bidding them farewell. Marlena slammed the door behind them.

  Aurora had to admit she felt a small feeling of admiration for the police detective. What was her name? Serena Patterson, that was it. At least Aurora now knew that someone with half a brain was working on catching her sister’s killer.

  She exc
used herself as Marlena cracked open a Strongbow, and went into her bedroom, the room she had shared with Shaniqua. She dumped her bag on the bedside table and lay on her bed. She looked at the photo of herself and Shaniqua, which she had taken out of her locker at school, but no tears came. She thought about who had stabbed her, who had taken her sister’s life. She had been stolen from her, from her mother, from everyone who loved her. And why? The policewoman’s questions suggested that they couldn’t determine a motive for the attack. Aurora took this to mean that the stabbing had been motiveless, that it was just a bit of fun for some stupid kids. Well, she thought to herself, she hoped the police caught the stupid kids responsible and they were punished.

  * * *

  As he walked into his flat, Clint lay down his bag and smiled at Kojo doing his homework on the kitchen table. His mother appeared in the doorway, and Clint gasped silently. Her left eye was swollen and blue, and he noticed a fresh cut on her forehead. He felt a bubble of anger rise within him. How could his father treat them all like this?

  His mother moved slowly towards him, seemed about to say something, but thought better of it. She retreated to her bedroom in silence.

  Clint followed her into the dark room, and stood in the doorway, watching her cautiously.

  She turned around. She was a short woman, with a large body, dark black skin and curly braided hair that framed her gentle, usually smiling, face. She was wearing a brightly coloured, long sleeved smock. He knew that this was to hide the bruises she sustained from living with her husband, and he also knew that it was not a recent thing. Ever since he was young, he remembered his father shouting, his mother’s gentle voice, trying to pacify him. Then the terrified yell, and the repeated thuds. The following morning, Clint had always known that his father would be out for days, and that his mother would be on edge, although she would smile and try to keep him at ease, her pained smile that so easily broke Clint’s heart.

  “What happened?” Clint asked, anger rising.

  His mother looked pitiful in this state, and she shrugged, “Nothing, love. I tripped over the vacuum cleaner.”

  “Stop lying mum, you know he did this to you,” Clint said, hugging his mother close to his chest, “That pathetic, drunken cunt.”

  His mother pulled away from his embrace, her arms crossed.

  “That’s no way to speak about your father,” she chastised, fear creeping into her tone.

  “Right, and he treats his family the right way, doesn’t he?” Clint retorted.

  He slammed out of the bedroom looking for his father. His mother followed close behind him, hovering anxiously wherever he went.

  “Where’s he gone?” Clint asked.

  “I don’t know, Clint, you know what he’s like.”

  “Yeah, unfortunately, I do,” Clint said, “But this time I’m going to find him and batter him into the fucking ground.”

  His mother looked even more alarmed, “No, Clint, he’s gone.”

  “He’ll be back, I just need to find him before he gets here.”

  He made for the front door, but his mother threw herself in his path, blocking his way.

  “I won’t let you leave this flat, you’re grounded,” she said, still giving the impression of a fearsome woman. But Clint knew this was just a façade, and he also knew he needed to find his father.

  “Get out the way, Mum,” he said, trying to control his anger.

  “Not until you’ve calmed down, Clint.”

  They both stopped when Kojo appeared in the kitchen doorway.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, looking anxiously between them.

  “Nothing bro, go back and do your homework,” Clint said, trying to smile.

  His mother went over to him and led him back into the kitchen.

  “You need to study, boy, that way you can get out of these flats and get a good job and a good wife.”

  Clint took the opportunity, and threw open the front door. His mother heard the sound of the front door slamming and rushed into the hallway, but Clint had gone. She slowly returned to the kitchen and silently prayed her son would be okay. Unsurprisingly, she did not say a prayer for her husband.

  * * *

  Outside the flat, Clint made his way down the stairs and across the courtyard. He stopped in his tracks as he saw a police car parked in the car park, a black woman and her colleague standing nearby asking questions.

  At least that meant they didn’t have any suspects, Clint thought to himself, and then felt guilty for thinking such thoughts. He felt somebody stand beside him, and turned to see Troy standing there.

  He too was watching the police car, though he didn’t look nearly as nervous, or even curious, about why it might be here, as Clint felt.

  “What do you think they know?” Clint asked.

  Troy shrugged, “Who knows, mate. Probably fuck all. That’s pigs for you. Well, they can’t know much if they’re still standing round asking questions.”

  Clint nodded, and they continued to watch the two detectives.

  “She’s pretty fit for a pig,” Troy said, eyeing the black detective.

  Clint laughed and punched Troy in the arm. Troy laughed with him, and they turned around and went back up the stairs, Clint’s determination to find his father gone. He would wait until he came back, and then teach his father a lesson in family loyalty. But seeing the police had shaken him more than he cared to admit. And what was troubling him just as much was that Troy didn’t seem shaken at all.

  As they reached the top of the stairs, Serena watched them suspiciously. She had seen them watching her and Casey for the past five minutes, and knew they were up to something. Whether it was to do with Shaniqua Curtis’ stabbing, she couldn’t be sure. But she had a feeling it was, and she was determined to get to the truth. Unfortunately, they had no suspects yet, and that meant these two young men had just made top of her list.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The Goldsworth Estate was, to all intents and purposes, built like a prison. There were several blocks of flats, each one with seven floors. On each floor, a long dirty corridor looked out over the concrete parks surrounding the estate, and the flats’ front doors each led off the one corridor.

  Each building looked the same, apart from a large red letter indicating the block’s name. A, B or C. The walls were concrete, grey and stained. In some parts of the buildings, the walls were scarred by bullet holes or dried blood stains, cruel vandalism or gang slogans.

  The people who lived on the Goldsworth were like prisoners as well, Aurora thought to herself as she walked up the flights of stairs to her floor. They were all trapped here in this concrete nightmare, waiting for the day they could either escape from it or die. The only difference was, she thought, that here on the Goldsworth people could escape easily if they studied hard and had determination. That was the difference between the Goldsworth and a real prison. Then again, the Goldsworth probably had more deaths per week than any real prison did. It was a miserable thought, but true.

  Aurora sighed as she unlocked her door and stepped inside the flat. She had finished school for the day, and walked back alone. She had walked to school with Clint at her side, as sweet as ever, but he had been going to the park with Troy and the other boys, and couldn’t walk back with her. Aurora had said that it was fine, that he should enjoy the football. Clint had agreed, but she had sensed something. Had he been upset? No, not upset. More like he was regretful that he couldn’t walk home with her. Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking on her part.

  So instead of walking home with Clint, she had walked back with Sasha Morton, who was fast becoming her new best friend. It was mid-week now, and Sasha had stood by her since their first proper meeting in the girls’ toilets on the Monday. She was grateful to Sasha, not just for supporting her through the school corridors, but for helping to take her mind off things. Sasha’s vocabulary, Aurora admitted, was not the best, but she could still make her laugh, and that counted for a lot these days. So they h
ad walked back to the estate together, arm-in-arm, with Brandy and Zoe following behind them.

  Although she had never really spoken to either girl before, she had the feeling that Brandy and Zoe were acting differently because she was there. Sasha always glared at them when they muttered between themselves at lunch, or when they dropped further back on the pavement whilst walking back home. Aurora didn’t know what was wrong with them, but she wasn’t overly keen to find out. Brandy was Troy’s girlfriend, and Aurora guessed that she would be miserable as well if she had to date him. And as for Zoe, well her hormones must be all over the place with the pregnancy.

  Aurora went into the small living area of the flat and switched on the television. Her mobile phone bleeped. It was Clint, telling her he was home now and hoped she was okay. She smiled and sent a reply. She debated whether to put kisses at the end, but eventually decided not to. She didn’t want to make herself even more of a talking point at school.

  She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. A bottle of pills stood by the sink, with a small typed label on the front. She picked them up and sighed. They were antidepressants, prescribed by her mother’s doctor. Aurora once again felt guilty for not supporting her mother as well as she probably should do. But it was best to leave people to deal with grief in their own way, she kept telling herself.

  She replaced the bottle of antidepressants and returned to the living room. She sat down on the overstuffed, stained grey sofa and settled her eyes on the television.

  A news report came on, and Aurora reached for the remote to switch over, until she heard her sister’s name. They were doing media coverage of her sister’s death. She stared at the screen as a reporter ran through the facts of the crime. Then, her mother appeared on the screen, her eyes blotchy, her dark face looking older than Aurora remembered. Her hair was messy. And Marlena appealed for her daughter’s killer to come forwards. For anyone with information to come forward. For anyone who knew anything to come forward. And then she burst into tears and the coverage cut back to the anchorman, who gave a brief summary before moving onto another news story.