Bad Girls Read online

  But the policewoman seemed to be on our side.

  ‘As both the girls are so young and your property has been recovered, do you still want to go ahead and have us prosecute, sir?’ said the policewoman to the boy with the blue eyes.

  Tanya and I stared at him pleadingly.

  ‘It’s strict Indigo policy. Shoplifters are always prosecuted,’ he said, folding his arms. ‘Half the time it’s kids like these two. They’re a pest. They need to be taught a lesson.’

  ‘In that case, sir, you’d better come with us to the station and make a full statement there,’ said the policeman. ‘Now, you say you saw the older girl take the sweater?’

  ‘It’s hand-knitted. Sells at £95,’ said the boy indignantly.

  ‘You’ve got expensive taste, young lady,’ said the policeman to Tanya. He turned to the security woman. ‘And she had this sweater on her when you stopped her?’

  ‘It was stuffed up her own sweatshirt. I could see this little blue cuff hanging down, so I pulled.’

  ‘She should have waited till you lot came before searching me, shouldn’t she?’ said Tanya. ‘You’ve got no real proof now, have you?’

  ‘We’ve got proof all right,’ said the boy with the blue eyes. ‘We’ve got video cameras installed. We’ll have a lovely little film of you stealing our sweater.’

  Tanya saw he wasn’t fooling. She still didn’t give up on my account.

  ‘Then your precious film will show that this little kid here didn’t do anything,’ she said, pointing to me.

  ‘She was larking around with you. And then she ran off when you did,’ said the boy.

  ‘That’s not a crime, is it?’ said Tanya. ‘She’s not a thief.’

  ‘But I’m afraid we’ve got reasonable grounds to think you’re a thief, young woman,’ said the policeman. ‘So I’m therefore arresting you.’

  I listened to him cautioning her, the words so familiar from all the police series on the television – and I still couldn’t believe it was really happening.

  ‘We’re really being arrested!’ I whispered.

  ‘We’re not arresting you, pet,’ said the policewoman. ‘You’d better come along to the police station with your friend, and tell us exactly what happened, then we’ll get your mum to come and take you home, OK?’

  ‘But you’re arresting Tanya?’

  ‘I’m afraid so,’ she said.

  We had to walk all the way back out of the shopping centre, the policewoman holding me, the policeman holding Tanya. She tried to wriggle and dodge once or twice, but he held her firmly by the shoulders and just laughed at her.

  There was a white police patrol car at the back of the shopping centre. More people stared as Tanya and I were put in the back, the policewoman in between us. I was still crying.

  ‘Let me sit next to Mandy,’ said Tanya.

  ‘Sorry, love,’ said the policewoman.

  ‘But she needs me to hold her,’ said Tanya.

  ‘Yes, I know. But you could try and pass something to her, couldn’t you?’

  ‘Look.’ Tanya waggled her empty hand in front of the policewoman’s face. ‘See? Empty. So can I at least hold her hand?’

  ‘All right then.’

  So we drove to the police station with Tanya holding my hand tight across the policewoman’s lap. And all the time her small strong fingers with their bitten nails were clinging to me I felt just a tiny bit braver.

  ‘You could have run off and left me,’ I said. ‘But you stayed. So I wouldn’t be scared on my own.’

  ‘Yeah. Daft, wasn’t I?’ said Tanya, and she grinned at me.

  I saw her looking at the lock in the back of the car. The policewoman saw her looking too.

  ‘Kiddielocks,’ she said. ‘So don’t try to jump out, pal.’

  ‘Foiled again,’ said Tanya, tutting.

  She was acting daft, as if it didn’t really matter. I knew why. It was to try to make it easier for me. All I could do was grip her hand in gratitude.

  Then we got to the police station and even Tanya couldn’t grin and act the fool. We were taken across a yard and through a security door and down a dark corridor and into a big room with a desk and a bench.

  ‘The Custody Suite,’ said Tanya, looking round.

  ‘Sounds like you’ve been in one or two already?’ said the policewoman.

  Tanya gave her a tiny tired smile and sat down heavily on the bench. I sat beside her, huddling up to her.

  ‘Sit further apart, girls,’ said a new policeman. ‘Now, I’m Sergeant Stockton. I want you both to tell me your names and addresses and then I’ll give your parents a ring.’

  ‘What’s your mum going to say, Mandy?’ said Tanya. ‘She’ll kill me.’

  ‘What about your own mum?’ said Sergeant Stockton sternly.

  ‘Haven’t got one,’ said Tanya. ‘Haven’t got a dad either now. He’s not considered a fit parent, right? So you want my appropriate adult, yeah?’

  The sergeant nodded. ‘That’s the ticket. Sounds like you could fill in this form quicker than me, young lady. So who is it to be?’

  ‘Well, you’d better phone Pat, my foster mum. She’ll be going spare anyway, wondering why we’re not back. Now look, Sergeant Stockton. I’ve got to make something clear.’ Tanya got off the bench and went over and stood by his desk. ‘I’m going to be absolutely honest.’

  ‘That’s right. Make my day,’ said the Sergeant.

  ‘No, I’m not messing about. I’m being serious. The little kid over there—’

  ‘You say she’s nothing to do with you?’

  ‘Well, she is. Obviously. But she’s just the kid over the road. She’s looked after by my foster mum while her mum works mornings. She tags round after me. We do go round together. But I swear to you, she’s never nicked a thing. She’s a real little goody-goody and she comes from a lovely family and she’s never ever been in any trouble before. She’s only here because of me. So you’ll let her go, won’t you? You won’t even caution her?’

  The sergeant smiled at Tanya. ‘It’s OK. She just needed to be taken to a place of safety. But she can go home as soon as her mum comes.’

  ‘What about Tanya?’ I asked. ‘Will she be able to go home too?’

  ‘Eventually,’ said the sergeant.

  ‘What does that mean?’ said Tanya. But it looked as if she knew. She came back and slumped on the bench. She shut her eyes as if she was trying not to cry. This time she wasn’t pretending.

  I got closer and put my arm round her. The sergeant frowned a little, but let us sit close this time. I held Tanya all the time the sergeant filled out his custody record. She gave all mad made-up answers at first, but she knew that Mrs Williams would be here soon, so she changed her mind and told the truth.

  ‘And now you’ve got my name and date of birth you can tap into your computer and find out my vast criminal record, eh?’ said Tanya.

  ‘Technology at our fingertips,’ said the sergeant.

  ‘Juvenile court, here I come,’ said Tanya.

  ‘Is that like prison?’ I whispered, terrified. ‘They won’t lock you up, will they? Oh Tanya, I can’t stand it if they take you away. I’ve got to keep seeing you.’

  ‘Get real, Mandy,’ said Tanya, her shoulders tense under my arm. ‘Your mum isn’t going to let you come near me now, no matter what.’

  Mum was white and shaking when she arrived. Mrs Williams was with her, with the three little boys, all of them whimpering. Tanya sighed deeply. She looked at Mrs Williams. She looked at Mum.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said. It came out wrong. I knew she really truly meant it, but it sounded as if she was being cheeky and defiant.

  ‘It’s a bit late for saying sorry,’ said Mrs Williams.

  My mum didn’t say anything. But I saw the way she looked at Tanya. I knew Tanya was right.

  I started crying again then, because I couldn’t bear it. Mum and I were taken to this other room and an inspector came to talk to us.

  ‘You�