24 Hours: An intense, suspenseful psychological thriller by Claire Seeber Page B

cob.’
    From her place on the pavement, the girl called Jolie smiled and waved at my daughter. Shiny-looking, all huge hair and silver ribbons, wearing a diaphanous skirt, endless legs bare despite the cold night. Polly waved back happily. I watched, dazed, until Jolie turned her head-lamp gaze on me. I tried not to flinch as she positively beamed.
    I managed half a rather watery smile and turned away.
    My pain was visceral. Sid looked at me.
    ‘What?’ he spoke eventually. But he knew.
    ‘Nothing.’ His insouciance was a final slap in the face. ‘I think we should go now, Pol. It’s freezing. You’ll see Daddy soon.’ I held out my arms for her.
    ‘Haven’t you got the car?’ Polly moaned. ‘Don’t say we’ve got to walk.’ It was starting to drizzle. ‘Have we got to walk? Please, Mummy, I don’t want to, I’m tired. I’m really really really tired. Can we go in Daddy’s car?’
    ‘Jolie’s car, you mean,’ I couldn’t help myself.
    ‘My legs hurt,’ Polly whined. ‘I can’t walk any more.’
    Sid’s eyes slid towards the Mercedes.
    ‘Bit of a surprise, I must say,’ I muttered. ‘Given our earlier conversation.’
    He started to say something, then obviously thought better of it. He deposited Polly on the pavement.
    ‘Sorry,’ he said eventually. ‘I didn’t ask Jolie to come. Really.’
    I didn’t believe him. Not for one tiny iota of a second. I grasped Polly’s hand tightly. ‘It’s fine,’ I started to drag Polly away. ‘Let’s go, Pol, before we get soaked. You’ll see your dad on Friday. We’ll get a cab.’
    ‘I want to go with Daddy,’ Polly began to cry and the knife in my chest twisted. ‘My legs do hurt. I miss Daddy.’
    ‘Please, lovie,’ I begged. This was turning into my worst nightmare. I could see the beautiful girl across the road wafting to Florence and the Machine, oblivious; I could feel Sid’s sullen presence and Polly straining to go back to him. ‘It’s not long till Friday.’
    ‘Daddy,’ she started to screech, hysteria building.
    ‘Sid,’ Jolie called, ‘Laurie. We’ll give you a lift, yeah? No bother.’
    I would walk across town and back again naked before I would accept a lift in her car.
    ‘Oh yes,’ Polly perked up mid-wail, ‘a lift!’
    And then suddenly Mal was there, Leonard in tow. ‘Everything okay?’ he asked.
    ‘What’s it to you?’ Sid scowled at him, ignoring Polly.
    ‘I was just checking,’ Mal said pleasantly.
    ‘It’s fine, Mal, thanks.’
    ‘Mal?’ Sid scowled harder.
    This was not the time for introductions.
    ‘Friend of yours?’ Sid spat. To my horror, I realised he was actually squaring up to Mal.
    ‘Fellow parent.’ Calmly, Mal tucked Leonard behind him and offered Sid his hand. ‘Nice to meet you, buddy.’
    Sid looked at the extended hand like it was poisonous. He didn’t take it.
    ‘Please, Sid,’ I said quietly. ‘Don’t be silly.’ I picked Polly up myself now; she was almost too heavy for me to lift.
    ‘Siddy,’ the girl over the road waved at him.
    I bit back my retort.
    Sid hesitated. He was torn, but in the end, the girl decided for him.
    ‘Come on, honey. It’s cold,’ she called again, wrapping her arms around her skinny frame. ‘I’m freezing. If you’re not all coming, let’s go home.’
    Home .
    ‘See you, Pol,’ Jolie waved again. ‘I’ll get that muffin mix you like for next week. And tell your mum nice things about me, yeah?’ She winked at me, sliding out of view.
    I was breathless with outrage.
    ‘I’ll see you after school on Friday,’ Sid kissed the top of Polly’s head and loped across the road, not before shooting Mal a look of pure malice. He didn’t bother with me. Polly sobbed piteously into my shoulder.
    ‘Come on, little one,’ I whispered in her ear. ‘Let’s go home and have some ice-cream.’
    There was a pause while Polly debated this internally.
    ‘With strawberry sauce?’ she hiccupped eventually.
    ‘And chocolate sprinkles.’
    She