Free Nowhere to Go by Casey Watson Page B

space.’
    ‘That
is
good news,’ I said. And for me as well as Tyler. I wasn’t Methuselah, but neither was I a spring chicken these days, and what with the holidays approaching, and with trying to support Riley through those intense early months with my gorgeous but demanding grand-daughter, those few hours a week to catch my breath would be welcome indeed. ‘But what’s the flip side? Go on. I’m braced.’
    ‘It’s not
that
bad,’ John reassured me. ‘Just a little unexpected. I’ve just taken another call from Will – just as I was going to ring you with the first news, funnily enough – to say they have Tyler’s court date, and it’s rather short notice. Which is no problem for them – they already have their case organised, and it’s obviously a strong one – but it doesn’t leave a lot of time for you and Mike to put something together – you know, as in what we talked about? Just a few illustrative snippets to show how he’s doing; how he’s remorseful, keen to make amends and so on.’
    ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘But exactly how short are we talking about here?’
    ‘It’s next Wednesday. 11.00 a.m.,’ he said. ‘You know where the courts are, don’t you?’
    Jeepers, I thought. That
was
pretty short notice. ‘Next Wednesday! That’s less than a week away! Yes, I know where the courts are,’ I added, ‘but, oh dear, I have to tell you that we’ve had something of an incident this afternoon – which I think might just upset the apple-cart a bit.’
    I explained to John about what had happened following our encounter in the supermarket, and how it had given me more of an idea of what we were up against. ‘And the frustrating thing is that this could happen again, couldn’t it? With the family living so close by, we could end up bumping into them all the time.’
    Which, given what had happened, was now becoming a worry, for obvious reasons. The way Tyler’s stepmother had been with him spoke volumes. It was the clearest indication yet that she really wanted nothing more to do with him – not to mention how she obviously felt about letting him near his little brother, which was the thing that had saddened me most of all.
    And made me determined to try and get something more out of him – particularly about the night in question – so we’d at least have a fuller picture of what we were up against, come the hearing. ‘Leave it with me,’ I told John. ‘Don’t worry – we’ll get something together. I’ll also run through the court procedure with Tyler so that he’s prepared for what’ll happen. Maybe after what’s happened this afternoon he’ll feel a little more like talking anyway. I really hope so. That poor lad needs to fight his corner.’
    ‘Er, not literally, Casey,’ John corrected. ‘That’s how we got to this, remember!’
    John was right. But Tyler needed someone to fight his corner for him, and, in that respect, I knew I was number one candidate. I also had an hour before Mike was due home so it was time to start tea, and I intended to put it to good use.
    ‘Come on, love,’ I called up the stairs to Tyler, once I’d said goodbye to John. ‘I need to talk to you. Don’t worry,’ I added, when he didn’t appear, ‘you’re not in trouble.’
    There was still no response, and I’d already mounted the first couple of stairs when Tyler appeared at the top of them. It was obvious he’d been crying, and trying to wipe away the evidence. My heart went out to him. ‘I’m not?’ he said. ‘You
promise
I’m not?’
    ‘Absolutely not,’ I reassured him, as I beckoned him back down. I felt a rush of positivity. This was exactly what I’d been waiting for. Not that I wanted him upset and crying, of course, but I did want a way in. A tiny chink in the armour. A little glimpse into the heart of the hurt kid that I knew lay behind the cloak of attitude and anger. ‘I promise, sweetie,’ I said again as he started to walk slowly down the stairs.