He held out a small box and Jemima took them happily. ‘Brilliant, well, better luck next door I think. They seem to be quite popular with the kids.’ He winked at Jemima and went to close the door.
‘Er, Mark, isn’t it?’ Maddie said a little too loudly.
He paused and turned back. ‘Yeah, do I know you? Or are you in disguise?’ He chuckled at himself.
‘I … I know your son, Ben.’
His face froze. ‘Oh, you do? Is he ok?’
‘Yes, yes, he’s fine. I just… can I come in for a minute?’
He was looking at her curiously. ‘Um, sure, I guess?’
He stepped aside to let her past.
They were standing in a tidy hallway. A pair of men’s trainers lay under a console table on which stood a lightbox saying, ‘Love is all you need’ alongside a large fern. A bowl held keys, loose change and a few business cards. Everything looked like it had a place.
‘Come through,’ he said and she followed him into a small lounge. This room was equally as tidy and decorated in soft pink and silver tones. It was all very feminine, apart from the football scores trawling across the television as commentators got excited about penalties and goals. He lifted a remote control from the couch and muted the sound.
‘You can take the mask off now,’ he said.
‘Oh!’ Maddie had forgotten she was wearing it. She lowered Jemima to the carpet and snatched the mask from her face.
They sat looking at each other for a moment, then he said, ‘So how do you know Ben?’
‘Well, I… I live…’ She was stammering and stuttering, not sure what to say, how much to give away. She started again. ‘I know Jade and I’ve spent some time with Ben, play dates, that kind of thing.’
Mark smiled. ‘He’s a sweet kid, isn’t he? Is this your daughter?’
‘This is Jemima.’ Jemima sat at Maddie’s feet, playing with the laces on her shoes.
‘Cute costume. So what’s this about? I must say, this is all a bit weird.’
‘Sorry, I know. I just wanted to talk to you about Jade. She’s really struggling with this whole thing.’
‘What whole thing? Does she need more money? Is Ben ok?’ He sat forward with concern. ‘I asked if I could have him this weekend, but she was having none of it.’
‘She’s just really worried about the custody situation.’
He looked at Maddie blankly. ‘You’ve lost me. What custody situation?’
It was Maddie’s turn to be confused. ‘You’re filing for custody – of Ben. She’s worried she’ll lose him.’
Mark frowned. ‘I’m not filing for custody. I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. What was your name again?’
Maddie avoided the question. ‘But she said you’re filing for custody because your girlfriend is pregnant and you’re getting married?’
‘Look, love, I don’t know what she’s told you, but first off, I’m not filing for custody and second, I’m not engaged. Yes, Gloria is pregnant, but that’s got nothing to do with Jade.’ He sounded like he was getting annoyed. Maddie pulled her handbag closer to her, could feel the wooden handle of the knife through the zip. ‘That woman loves to mess with people. Actually, maybe I should be filing for custody. It’s not like I get to see much of Ben at the minute as it is!’
‘What do you mean? You’ve seen him loads. She’s the one who has to look after him on her own all the time, a single mum, struggling to make ends meet. It’s not easy for her.’
‘Back up a bit, honey. I haven’t seen Ben in over six months. I send her money every month without fail, but she always has a reason why I can’t see him. She never lets him sleep here overnight either. It’s like she doesn’t trust me or something.’ He raked a hand through his thin hair. ‘I love my son and, sure, I could’ve pushed harder to see him, but with Gloria pregnant and work, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to get over to see him, you know? That’s why letting him come for a weekend would be great, but she blocks me every time. I went over there a few weeks back, but Ben wasn’t even there. He was at a play date or something and Jade sent me packing.’
Maddie’s brain was swirling. ‘I don’t understand. She said she needed a lawyer and that you were threatening to take him away. She said you had him all the time at the minute, that he was sleeping over. The other day she said was worried that Ben would start calling your girlfriend “Mum”.’
‘Well, she’s been lying to you.’
Maddie felt sick to her stomach. What was going on? ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here.’ She lurched to her feet.
‘Wait, you can tell her something from me. Tell her she’s given me a great idea and that I will be going for custody. I don’t know what game she’s playing, but she can’t keep my son from me.’
This was not going well. If he did that, then everything would unravel. She looked at Jemima and knew she couldn’t risk ending up in a jail cell, not now, not when she had a chance at being a part of Jemima’s life after all.
She reached for her handbag.
Behind Mark on a coffee table stood a framed photo. Maddie stepped closer to it, her bag clasped tightly to her chest. In the photo Mark was playing with a younger Ben, who was sitting on his back and riding Mark like a horse, his face lit up in delight. In the background you could just make out Jade sitting on her couch, watching them carefully with a strange smirk on her face.
‘That’s Ben,’ she said to distract him.
‘Yes,’ he said, turning towards the photo.
Maddie reached into her bag and her hand fell on the handle of the knife.
‘That was one of the last times I saw him. I spent the afternoon with him. He really is a great kid. I love him to bits and I miss the very bones of him. I just want to teach him how to ride a bike and play football and stuff, you know? The little things.’ He shrugged with shoulders that looked weighed down.
Maddie felt like she had stopped breathing altogether.
‘I can’t. I’m so sorry. I think I’ve made things worse for you.’ Maddie pulled her hand from the bag, then reached down with one arm to scoop up Jemima and fled from the room. As she passed through the doorway, the strap of her bag snagged on the door handle and it was yanked from her shoulder. The bag swung from the handle like a macabre tableau, the blade of the knife now sticking up and glinting in the light as the bag swayed like a pendulum.
Mark looked at it in horror, then back at Maddie. He took a few steps away from her, but she mumbled another apology and reached for the knife. She felt the blade slice her palm, but didn’t register the flare of pain as she stuffed the knife deep into the bag, then unhooked the strap and fled from the house.
She unlocked the car and clipped Jemima back in her seat. Jemima was still clutching the box of raisins as Maddie closed the car door. Mark was standing in the doorway of his house, looking bemused, a phone clutched to his ear.
Maddie climbed into the car and started the engine, her mind whirling and tumbling. She needed to get back and speak to Jade before the police turned up. She looked down at her palm where blood was dripping from between her fingers as she clutched at the steering wheel. She wiped it on her shirt, but the blood reappeared instantly along with a sharp stinging that helped to bring some clarity to her vision. She grabbed a loose serviette from the pocket in the car door and wrapped it around her hand before she sped off.