44. Don't Tell Simon

"I finally managed to get an appointment with Julia, Saturday morning at ten, so cancel any plans you might have," my mother says on the evening of the Thursday that marks the end of one week since school closed. 

I'm passing through the kitchen to the back when she says this, so I stop in my tracks. "Julia?"

"Julia," she expounds. "Doctor Ings, ring a bell?"

My insides freeze because the only Doctor Julia Ings I know around is a gynaecologist. "Why?" I whisper, feeling the anger that has been a constant feeling in my radar awaken.

One week later, Jude still hasn't found anything incriminating on Maria. Not surprising since she has been quite the golden daughter of late, running errands, not staying out later than six in the evening, and putting the library in the house to use for the first time since we were in lower primary school. She's being extra cautious, and the longer she keeps up the good girl act the longer I continue to suffer.

Comi