Free Evil Games by Angela Marsons

turned and Alex could see he was on the phone but not speaking. He ended the call and shook his head.
    ‘Everything okay?’
    ‘What are you doing back here so soon?’
    ‘Oh well, I’ll just take my goodies and go, shall I?’ she asked coyly.
    ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.’
    ‘I just wanted to check that Malcolm and Shane were both okay.’ Sometimes, she surprised herself with how convincing she could be. She couldn’t have cared less about the two losers, but Barry was a different story entirely.
    ‘Malcolm looks like he went ten rounds with Tyson and then got run over by an ice road trucker, but he’s fine in himself. Feels like the bigger man for not contacting the police. His sister is in The Den with him. She’s given me an earful for allowing this to happen but she’s mildly appeased by the fact that Shane’s not here anymore.’
    ‘Already?’ Alex was surprised but also pleased.
    David held his arms open. ‘He left during the night. I went to wake him early to talk to him and his room had been cleared. I’ve left him a couple of messages but he’s now switched off his phone.’
    ‘Oh David, I’m so sorry. I know how much you liked him.’
    ‘Poor kid’s got no one. Never had a break in his life. I really thought we could help him.’
    ‘He’s a grown man. He has to make his own decisions. It’s possible that he just couldn’t face Malcolm and thought this was the best way. At least you don’t have to ask him to leave.’
    ‘Hello Dougie,’ she said, without turning. ‘Don’t you ever get bored of following me around?’
    He shook his head and shuffled from one foot to the other. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. There wasn’t even any sport in being mean to Dougie. She liked her adversaries to have possession of at least one brain cell.
    Alex took the plates through to The Den.
    Ray, the oldest resident, was sitting on one of the sofas enduring another uncomfortable silence that frequently occurred between him and a daughter that he barely knew.
    Ray was the epitome of what Jeremy Hardwick had in mind when opening the House. When Ray left the free world in 1986, a computer hard drive had filled an entire room. A mobile phone came with a battery the size of a suitcase and the founder of Facebook was two years old.
    She approached the two of them with a plate. She wished she didn’t have to waste her time with such trivialities but appearances were important. They both took a cake and thanked her, eager for the distraction.
    Malcolm sat in the far corner, looking sheepish and intimidated by his austere younger sister. Malcolm would have made a domineering woman a very good husband. He accepted his place well. Alex offered him a secret smile and then lowered her eyes.
    She started to look around the room when a voice sounded behind her.
    ‘Err … excuse me, you’re the doctor, aren’t you?’
    Alex was surprised to find Malcolm’s officious sister glaring up at her. She was an unfortunate-looking woman with buck teeth and small squinty eyes.
    ‘My name is Alexandra Thorne and I …’
    ‘So, you’re the woman who talked my brother out of calling the police?’
    The hands were resting on the hips and the pock-marked jaw had thrust forward. Alex stopped herself from laughing. The height difference between them made Alex want to reach down and pat the woman on the head. If only she didn’t have to waste her time with such inconsequential people.
    ‘Would you like to explain to me why you would do such a thing?’
    ‘I don’t feel I need to explain anything to …’
    ‘Just look at the state of him.’ She gestured towards Malcolm, who looked mortified and yet remained seated.
    ‘How could you let that bastard do this to him and get away with it?’
    ‘It was Malcolm’s decision not to call the police.’
    The woman harrumphed in a manner way beyond her years. ‘Yeah, I’ll bet it was.’ She looked Alex up and down. ‘You with your