In The Name Of Love

Chapter 24

I stayed sat in my car when I pulled up on the drive. I needed to calm down before I went in there. If I ran into Roy when I was angry with myself... I hoped I wouldn't take it out on him, but I didn't want to risk it. Not with how bad I'd already probably made things. I'd been sat there for twenty minutes before I got out.

I was glad to be home. The familiar sight welcomed me almost crying out 'why didn't you come sooner?' It was a big old house with tall chimney stacks, single glazed windows because it was a listed building, honeysuckle grew up trellises up one corner and around the windows there. The old oak of the door was cool and smooth beneath my hand as I pushed it open.

I could smell a leg of lamb in the oven. Potatoes were in to roast too. Mum was singing along to the radio, slightly flat as always but so comfortingly familiar. I took my shoes off and the tile floor was cool underfoot even though it was warm outside. I turned down the hall which ran the length of the house and slowly made my way over to Roy's annexe. Mum's singing died away and I felt somewhat alone. I kind of wanted to ask her to come with me, but I had to do this alone.

When I rang the doorbell nothing happened. I frowned, tried it again but still nothing happened. Because I'd been doing it so long I never really looked at the button, I knew where it was, I knew how far to push the button before the light turned red, I knew what it felt like. I knew pretty much everything there was to know about that button... but when I took a moment to think about it, it felt different.

It was different.

Instead of the usual grey, plastic oval it was blue, electronic and a completely different shape. It stood out from the door frame, a chunky box instead of flat perfection. There was a little screen on it which flashed off just before I could read what it said. I pressed the button again. My face appeared on the screen along with my name and the words access denied.

"Access denied? What?" I asked myself.

I tried the door but it was locked. Roy never locked himself in. He didn't like the hassle of having to unlock the door every single time someone wanted to come in and he was afraid of being forgotten about if there was a fire even though we'd assured him that would never happen. So why now? Why lock the door?

I went to ask Mum about it, but when I was a few paces away I heard the mechanical turning and click of several locks releasing. Slowly I turned around. I walked back and put my finger on what was evidently a print scanner and heard the locks turn and close.

"Roy?" I called and banged on the door. "Roy!"

Nothing. The screen didn't even light up with a message.

"Roy, come on! Let me in. I want to talk to you!"

Nothing. Still nothing.

"Ro –"

"He'll talk to you eventually," Mum said softly.

I sighed and rested my head on the door. "I really screwed things up, didn't I?"

"Yeah," she said because she was a believer in the truth, the blunt truth no matter how much it hurt. It was something she'd learned on the job and in some cases it was useful at home too, but honestly, I would have preferred a gentle letting down this time. "Jerry told me you'd been to his place. I was getting worried about you."

"I took the long way home." I turned to face her. "How's he been?"

"Hardly seen him," she said. "Just for dinner. He's been really quiet. Your friends keep calling. They're worried about you."

I sighed. "I'll call them late –"

My phone rang. Mum took it from her back pocket and passed it to me. It was Maddie. I sighed and took it from her. Instead of answering it though I pressed the ignore button and sent her a message telling her I'd call her in a few minutes. I didn't particularly want Mum to overhear Maddie telling me off and I wanted food and this was going to be a long conversation so I got myself some lunch and then went up to my room.