Chapter 11

Lydia wrapped her arms around Ezra sitting at a table in the Manchester coffee shop and he smiled at her. Susan watched from a distance as her daughter sat down and wandered over with Lydia's drink.

"You spoke to Dave, didn't you?" Lydia asked and Ezra bit his lip.

"Sort of," he admitted and Lydia frowned angrily at him.

"I told you not to. You promised."

Ezra shrugged and gave a raffish grin. "Yeah, well. He was asking for it. And he can't go messin' with ya like that."

Lydia sighed and took a sip of her coffee. "Well, I don't like it," she said firmly. "I don't want people fighting over me."

"It wasn't a fight," Ezra replied and adjusted his T-Shirt. "I just told him what would happen if he messed with you again."

Ezra glanced over at Susan and greeted her. "Are you two going to be OK if I go for a wander around Manchester?" Susan asked. "Or are you going to squabble."

Lydia smiled. "Yeah. We'll be fine, Mum. I told you," Lydia begged and her mother backed away leaving Lydia and Ezra to catch up properly.

Ezra expected a hint of jealousy when he told her about his new girlfriend, Jenny, and how she wanted to go to University to study to be a veterinary surgeon, but all Lydia could do was tease him about he was attracted to "geeky girls."

Lydia was a little bit jealous, as she had always seen Ezra bounce from one relationship to another. They always ended after a few weeks and he never wanted to be serious. Lydia had always harboured a fantasy that she might be able to tame him, but in truth was happy that he had settled down and got on with his life.

She told Ezra that the very bruised Dave had been around to see her the day after Ezra had had his chat with him, with a big bouquet of flowers and begged for forgiveness which she had eventually given him. Ezra scanned her face for a hint of any trouble but Lydia was a good actress and the fact that her boyfriend had got upset when he discovered she was no longer a virgin went unsaid and unasked.

Ezra treated his friend to a trip to the cinema and then a lunch-cum-dinner but before long it was time to leave. She promised she would be back soon and he watched as she met her mother outside Manchester Piccadilly at five. He had Jenny now, but Jenny wasn't Lydia. No-one was, and that was the problem; her friendship was irreplaceable.

"Hey Maria. Can I have a blowie?" A voice from the other end of the playground shouted.

"Is that Maria? I didn't recognise the little slut with her clothes on. Hey Maria, get 'em out."

A few chants of "get 'em out," reduced Maria to a sobbing girl and the crowd giggled in glee. The compilation of "Maria's best bits," had been around the school before term started and was now being passed to the lower years for similar enjoyment.

Overnight Maria had gone from the class prude to the class bicycle and she hated it.

Just why did her boyfriend copy the tape to all those people?

"I am sorry Miss Derbyshire, but Mr Feldman alleges and has proof that there was over five hundred pounds in that petty cash box and backup disks in the safe. There was no sign of a break-in and the only two sets of keys are held by you and Mr Feldman. Now he says he isn't worried about the money, but does want a copy of the disks back."

"I haven't got them," the secretary wailed. "I haven't touched them."

"Well Mr Feldman has an alibi for the nights in question whereas you don't."

"I haven't done anything. I was at home with my cat. And watching television. I haven't done anything."

"Well lets start with what you have done," PC Templeton asked and she started sobbing again. "Tell me what you know."