Free Nothing but Meat: A dark, heart-stopping British crime thriller by Adrian Kendrew Page A

I’ve ever
wanted.’
    Jack whispered to her, ‘Look after him Simone, look after my
boy.’
    A lump rose in her throat. She nodded again and managed to
croak, ‘I will Jack, I promise.’
    Nathan said, ‘Dad, we’re going to leave you in peace now,
I’ll be back tomorrow.’ Simone knew Nathan had to talk to his father about the
proposed move from the hospital and into a care home but he had chosen against
it because his father was clearly too tired.
    They stood to leave and Simone said, ‘Goodbye Jack, I’ll see
you soon.’
    He managed to force a smile and a slight nod of the head but
the effort of speaking had become too much.
    They walked back into the main foyer of the hospital in
silence, both of them feeling deflated and upset.
    Simone said, ‘Would you like to get a drink?’
    ‘What a coffee from the canteen?’
    ‘No a proper drink.’
    ‘More than anything.’
    They sat in the garden of a nearby pub as the sky turned red and
dusk began to fall. They were silent, West watched Simone chill her whiskey by
sloshing it over the ice in her glass. She noticed him looking and said,
‘What?’
    ‘Nothing.’ He sipped his pint and sunk back in the chair.
    She said, ‘I was so surprised when he recognised me.’
    ‘I know. I have to admit I was surprised too, but I shouldn’t
have been, he’s always had a good mind.’
    ‘Were you embarrassed earlier?’
    ‘Me? I should be asking you that.’
    ‘Come on you have to admit it was a bit embarrassing.’ She
grinned and sipped her drink. ‘Even talking about it is a little embarrassing.’
    ‘Maybe I should have corrected him.’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous. He wants to see you happy.’ She
stopped, feeling even more embarrassed. ‘Not that I’m saying you’d be happy
with me but, you know what I mean.’
    ‘I know,’ he said. ‘Anyway you’re taken.’
    They sipped their drinks to fill the silence and were
gratefully distracted as a group of twenty-something’s gathered at a nearby
table. Glasses clinked and chairs scrapped across the stone floor, laughter and
cigarette smoke filled the air.
    Simone had to ask. ‘Did you mean what you said earlier?’
    ‘When?’
    She sighed; he knew exactly what she was talking about.
    She’s all I ever wanted.
    ‘At the hospital,’ she said, ‘when your dad asked if you were
happy.’
    ‘Does it matter?’
    She shrugged and lied, ‘I guess not.’
     
    Simone drove home and couldn’t stop thinking about Nathan and
his poor father. After all the years she had known him as a strong healthy man
it was so sad to see him that way and yet selfishly she was just happy to have
spent the evening with Nathan. It had only taken a couple of days to realise
that she actually yearned for him. She hadn’t been prepared to leave her life
on hold during Nathan’s absence, never knowing the true reasons why he left,
when or if he would return but she had never forgotten about him, she had just
buried her feelings when he left. She married Martin out of sympathy and the need
for companionship and during that time she had managed to convince herself that
Nathan was no longer an important part of her life, but she had been lying to
herself, he was as important to her as air.
    She turned onto her road and saw that Martin’s car still
wasn’t in the driveway as she approached the house. She wondered where he was,
but realised she didn’t care, her concerns for his whereabouts were born more
from habit than actual interest or worry. She wondered what Nathan was doing
now.
    As she entered the empty house she had an epiphany, it almost
stopped her in her tracks; she suddenly felt as if she had just woken up and
now understood that she had to change her circumstances no matter what. She had
to forget about her infatuation with a man she hadn’t seen for fifteen years
but use his reappearance as a catalyst for change. She knew Nathan had feelings
for her despite his casual attitude, but if he didn’t want to be with her,