In Too Deep Read Online Free Page A

had been applied over it. They’d wanted to keep him in overnight, but he’d insisted on going home. His mother had prescription painkillers in her bag, although they’d given him an injection for the pain at the hospital, which made him feel spaced out.
    His father’s car was in the drive and he opened the front door as Josh and his mother approached. Josh stumbled on the doorstep and his father helped him in, supporting him as he walked into the lounge. Josh lowered himself carefully onto the couch and tilted his head back on the headrest. He was stiff and sore and his head swam. He didn’t know whether that was from the knock on the head or the drug they’d given him. His mother said something about needing a drink and left the room. His father sat down beside him on the couch.
    “Who was the bastard?”
    Josh didn’t say anything.
    “The policeman called here. Said he’d be coming round later to get a full statement. Are you going to tell him who they were?”
    “No.”
    “Why not?”
    “It’ll only make it worse.”
    “Worse for who?”
    “Me.”
    “They’ll do it again?”
    “They will if I tell the police.”
    “The police can stop them.”
    “Yeah, right.”
    His father leant forward and rubbed his eyes. “What a prick of a day,” he said almost to himself.
    “You should try mine,” Josh said, trying to smile. It hurt. “Where’d you go today? I thought you said it was all finished.”
    “I had to tell everyone they didn’t have jobs anymore and that I couldn’t give them their wages as the bank has frozen all the company’s accounts. Then I had to meet with the liquidators. In the middle of the meeting your mother phoned to say you’d been beaten up. It couldn’t have been worse.”
    “Not my fault,” Josh protested.
    “I know, Josh.”
    They sat in silence.
    “What happens now?” Josh asked.
    “With me or you?”
    “With you – us – what happens to us?”
    “We’ll be forced to sell the house. I’m not sure how long that’ll take. We’ll have to rely on your mother’s salary for a while so it’s going to be tight. Don’t count on any Christmas presents this year.”
    “I don’t care about the presents, Dad. Just don’t sell the bach.”
    “There’s not much I can do, Josh. It’s in the bank’s hands now.”
    “It’s a bit of a mess.”
    “Yes, it is. You as well as me.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Josh stood at his bedroom window looking out at the urban landscape before him. He absently rubbed his chest. It was almost six weeks since Bevan had beaten him up and the cracked rib, although healed, still ached from time to time. He looked down at the drive where his mother and sister waited in the car. The huge real estate sign on their verge proclaimed ‘Mortgagee Sale’ and announced to the world the failure his father had become. He hated that sign.
    Behind him his room was devoid of personal possessions, and only his furniture remained. It was like he’d been wiped out of existence and this was just a boy’s room – any boy’s room. The rest of the house had been given the same treatment, all at the advice of the real estate agent. He said that houses sold better if prospective families could see themselves living there and this was best achieved if their own possessions were removed. Even though the house was going to auction, and they wouldn’t benefit from the money raised, his father had insisted they do as the real estate agent told them because they needed everything they could get.
    What hadn’t been repossessed or gone into storage was down at Piha and now they were joining their possessions there, taking up residence for the holidays as they’d done for many years. But this time it was different. When they came back in the New Year, it would probably be to pack it up for good.
    He remembered when his father had first brought him to the empty section when he was seven years old and had lifted him up so that he could see the view.
    “This is