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All the windows of the Portakabin were open, doubtless in an effort to make it cool enough to work in. Robin moved round the building until she was out of sight of the other workers, then crept to stand beneath a window at the back, through which Becca and Emily’s voices, though low, were just audible.
‘… don’t understand what the problem is, I was agreeing with you.’
‘Why did you laugh?’
‘Why d’you think? Don’t you remember, when we recognised Lin—’
‘Shut up. Shut up now.’
‘Fine, I’ll—’
‘Come back. Come back here. Why did you say that, about invisibility?’
‘Oh, I’m allowed to speak now, am I? Well, that’s what you said happened. You were the one who told me what to say.’
‘That’s a lie. If you want to tell a different story now, go ahead, nobody’s stopping you!’
Emily let out something between a gasp and a laugh.
‘You filthy hypocrite.’
‘Says the person who’s back here because her EM’s out of control!’
‘My EM? Look at you!’ said Emily, with contempt. ‘There’s more EM in this place than in any of the other centres.’
‘Well, you’d know, you’ve been kicked out of enough of them. I’d have thought you’d realise you’re hanging by a thread, Emily.’
‘Says who?’
‘Says Mazu. You’re lucky you’re not Mark Three, after Birmingham, but it could still happen.’
Robin heard footsteps and guessed Becca had chosen to leave on her threatening line, but Emily spoke again, now sounding desperate.
‘You’d rather I went the same way as Kevin, wouldn’t you? Just kill myself.’
‘You dare talk about Kevin, to me?’
‘Why shouldn’t I talk about him?’
‘I know what you did, Emily.’
‘What did I do?’
‘You spoke to Kevin, for his book.’
‘What?’ said Emily, now sounding blank. ‘How?’
‘The disgusting room where he shot himself was covered with writing, and he’d written my name on the wall, and something about a plot.’
‘You think Kevin would have wanted contact with me, after we—?’
‘Shut up, for God’s sake, shut up! You don’t care about anyone except yourself, do you? Not about Papa J or the mission—’
‘If Kevin knew something about you and a plot, I didn’t tell him. But he always agreed with me that you’re full of shit.’
Robin didn’t know what Becca did next, but Emily let out a gasp of what sounded like pain.
‘You need to eat your vegetables,’ said Becca, her menacing voice unrecognisable, compared to the bright tone in which she generally spoke. ‘You hear me? And you’ll work on the vegetable patch and you’ll like it, or I’ll tell the Council I know you cooperated with Kevin.’
