Free Gone Missing by Jean Ure

your mind? What d’you wanna go and bring her for?”
    â€œI had to! I couldn’t come without her. Her mum is just so mean, you have no idea! She needed to get away even more than I did.”
    â€œSo where is she?”
    â€œShe’s gone and done her ankle in. I’ve left her in that café place down on the main road.”
    â€œSoup ’n Sarnies? You’ve left her with Fat Joe?”
    â€œYes. Why? He’s all right,” I said, “isn’t he?”
    â€œYeah, he’s just an idiot. But so’s she, so that makes two of ’em!”
    Earnestly I said, “Honey’s not an idiot, it’s just that she gets nervous and then she loses it.”
    â€œYeah, yeah! Whatever.” Darcy waved a hand. “So what’s gonna happen to her? She staying with Fatso?”
    â€œNo, I said I’d go back and get her. You don’t mind, do you?”
    â€œI don’t give a rat’s bum,” said Darcy. “You’re the one that’s saddled with her.”
    â€œWhat about your sister?”
    â€œShe’s not here, she’s gone off for a few days with her bloke.”
    â€œShe’s left you on your own?”
    â€œYeah, with the baby.”
    â€œBaby?”
    I squawked it at her. Darcy gave this loud guffaw. “You should see your face!” She let her mouth hang open and her eyes go like dinner plates. “Baby? Not mine, you dumbo! Hers. Catch me having a baby. No thank you!”
    â€œSo she’s left you to look after it?”
    â€œYeah, worse luck. She said it’s the price I have to pay for being allowed to move in with her. It’s still a darn sight better than living with my mum. You ever see my mum these days?”
    â€œNo.” I shook my head.
    â€œGot herself a new man, last I heard.”
    I couldn’t help feeling that it would be nice for Darcy’s mum, to have a man. A new man. The last one she’d had had knocked her about, and she didn’t deserve that. She was ever so little and thin and timid. To be honest, I never thought Darcy was that kind to her, but I didn’t ever say so. It didn’t seem my place.
    â€œWell—” I hesitated. “Maybe I’d better go and check on Honey, see if she’s OK. I’ll bring her back with me, yeah?”
    â€œYeah, can’t wait,” said Darcy.
    I found Honey where I had left her, sitting at her table near the window, with Joe. They had their heads together and didn’t even bother to look up as I appeared. Pointedly I said, “Harriet.” That made her jump.
    â€œOh!” she said. “Lucy!” And then she gave Joe this sly little look and giggled.
    I said, “Can you walk yet?”
    â€œIt’s all right.” Joe pushed back his hair. “I’ll help her. I’ll just tell my nan. Nan!” He bellowed through a doorway. “I’m off out for a few minutes.”
    â€œShe came back,” said Honey.
    Joe walked with us as far as Gladstone House, with Honey hanging on his arm. I wasn’t totally convinced that she needed his support, but she was obviously basking in it. I reckoned by now she’d have gone and blurted out everything, all about Darcy, and how we were at school together, and how we were going to stayin the flat with her. She was such a blabbermouth! At least old fatso didn’t come into the building with us. I think he would have done, if I’d let him, but I very firmly said that we could manage OK, now.
    â€œThere’s a lift.”
    â€œRight. Well.” He looked at Honey. What I call a soppy sort of look. “You know where I am if you need me.”
    â€œWhy should we need him?” I said, as I helped Honey across the entrance hall.
    â€œHe was just being nice,” said Honey.
    He probably was, and I was being mean, but I was just so angry that we’d drawn attention to ourselves.
    â€œIf he sees us on the