The Claim Read Online Free Page A

about four hours, he’s about to be—”
    “Where?”
    “Charing Cross police station. Don’t go there. He’ll call you.”
    “Fuck that. Do I look like the sort of woman that’ll sit at home by the phone and fucking wait?” She kissed her teeth and rushed to the station. Please be okay , was the only thought that gave pace to her running. The reception officer at the station was bored and patently uninterested until she mentioned Rocco’s name.
    “Oh, are you the girl who’s here to give a statement?”
    “Yes,” she flat-out lied. She was going to be a lawyer. The curse was such that she’d have to learn to bullshit on her feet sometime.
    “Okay, wait there.”
    The receptionist picked up the phone. “Yeah. That witness who said she was with Mamione last night. She’s here.”
    Bile burned in her throat. She hadn’t stayed with Rocco last night. They hadn’t slept together for a full week. She’d thought he was tired or stressed. Jesus, they were all stressed! He’d fucked someone else. Obviously that was what stressed him. Oh. Dear. God. The receptionist called out, “Imogen Barnes? Can you wait a minute?”
    Imogen Barnes? Her friend Imogen Barnes? Who borrowed her notes, her lip gloss, a tenner here and there and now her boyfriend? That bitch Imogen Barnes? Fair dos. Anna walked out of the police station and went straight to Imogen’s home, which she shared with her parents. As soon as Imogen opened the door, Anna punched her. No questions, no demands for an explanation. Just fist to face.
    Imogen collapsed in the corridor and burst into tears, holding her mouth. “I’m sorry!” she mumbled, blood on her teeth. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, but the police arrested him about—”
    “I don’t care if God himself came down from Heaven and told you to fuck him. You shouldn’t have done it.”
    With that, she turned and left. Bizarrely dry eyed. Anna didn’t even mention Imogen’s name for over a year, before her mother’s prompts started to ring with her. Imogen never stopped trying to worm her way back in, and Anna’s mother reminded her, “When something happens to me or your father, I want people to be there for you. She’s sorry. She’s been sorry for a long time. What effort has he made to make it up to you?”
    While Imogen was all gushing with presents and apologies before she started rabbiting on about herself and her eternal hunt for a forgiving man, Anna would forever have her guard up around Imogen. After a ten-minute meeting, Mimi said about Imogen quite bluntly, “I don’t trust her. There isn’t a single genuine thing about her.”
    “Give her a chance.” Even to Anna’s ears it sounded half-hearted.
    “To do what? Fuck me over? Listen, girls like her always have motivation. To be fair, I don’t even think she slept with your guy.”
    “How can you even say that after ten minutes?”
    “She is so desperate for your approval. You’ve been out of law school for what? Two years. Is she even serious about a job, or just getting married and swanning around in Vanessa Bruno?”
    “Meems, you can’t be so judgemental.”
    “Yeah, I can. I don’t get it. You forgave her but you can’t forgive him?”
    “No.”
    “Why?”
    Mimi’s voice carried across the bar. Imogen, waiting to collect their drinks, turned and waved at them. Anna looked back at Mimi, her friend’s image wavering with tears. “Because I loved him more.” Mimi hugged Anna tightly. “We can’t talk about this again, because it’s ruining my hard girl image.”
    “Hmm.” And rather than cutting her up with a scalpel in one hand and surgical scissors in the other, Mimi respectfully left it alone. They all did. There were weeks when she wouldn’t think twice about a Tuesday night. When she’d travel through Wandsworth and it didn’t even faze her. She even looked him up on the Law Society pages to find out where he was working, and found his contact page, amidst a list of accolades and