‘Oh, Coke’ll be fine, thanks.’
She sat down, clearing a space on the sofa first. The window was open, but the place smelled of old cider and cigarette smoke.
Kathy came back with a can of Coke – no glass – and a lager for herself.
Although Jenna knew her name, she had to ask.
‘Sorry, so you’re …?’
‘Kathy. And my boy was Jason.’
‘And what happened to him?’
‘He’s gone. Don’t know where, nobody does. He got busted, but it weren’t him. I know it, I’d swear on my life. His life.’
‘So he’s in prison?’
‘No, like that snake, Harville, said: he did a runner.’
‘Have you any idea where?’
Kathy swallowed a swig of beer, shaking her head.
‘Not a clue,’ she said.
‘If he was set up, who do you think was behind it?’
‘I don’t know, but I didn’t trust that girlfriend of his further than I could throw her. Mia Tarbuck. She was playing around behind his back, I know that much.’
‘Do you? Who with?’ Jenna felt uncomfortably as if she was showing a little too much interest, but she had to ask these questions, had to find some answers from somewhere.
‘I saw her with some other bloke in town, in the Wetherspoons. Don’t know his name – I don’t think he was from round here. Her and her no-good mates, all showing off their belly-button piercings. Never liked that crowd. They used to bully our Jase at school.’
‘Oh, no, I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘It were their fault he started getting into trouble. Trying to stand up for himself, trying to impress them so they’d leave him alone. He’s a good lad, underneath it all, I swear.’
‘I know,’ said Jenna, then she caught herself. ‘I mean, I’m sure you’re right. And such a brilliant artist. How old was he when he started all this?’
‘Tiny. He used to copy the cartoon characters when he were, what, three or four? Draw ’em, really good for a little ’un. It were good: a pack of crayons and some paper don’t cost much, does it? It were a cheap hobby. I could afford that much.’ She laughed, but it turned into a chesty smoker’s cough.
‘And from that start, he grew into this …’ Jenna looked around her again. Barely an inch of the wall was bare of Jason’s efforts. Judging by the mould spotting the ceiling and blackening the window seals, it was probably just as well.
‘He could have done so well for himself.’ Kathy shook her head and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. ‘D’you mind if I light up, duck? I wouldn’t, but my nerves …’
Jenna shook her head, although she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in a smoky environment. LA was simply and utterly smoke-free, at least in the circles she frequented.
‘So, this Mia was his downfall then, would you say?’
Kathy nodded vigorously.
‘He was too taken up with her. I always felt she were laughing at him, taking the piss. He’d do anything for her, and she knew it.’
‘Where is she, now? Do you think she knows where he is?’
‘Oh, I dunno. Nobody saw her for a while, but now she’s back in the pub most nights with her dodgy mates. She does the karaoke in the back room – that’s her job. Goes round town with her machine of a night.’
‘Where does she live?’