Winter of Grace Read Free Page A

officer shrugged. ‘You always get a few troublemakers at events like this. Stirs up tension, adrenalin rush, people get carried away. They see someone holding a placard and just lose it. Mob mentality takes over.’
    â€˜So they weren’t muggers?’ I said. ‘You think it was political?’ Talk about standing up for your beliefs: Jay had risked his life for the cause of peace. I almost envied him. Apart from the actual getting-hurt part.
    The officer put away his notebook. ‘Probably students, I’d say.’
    â€˜Students?’ said Stella. ‘Seriously?’
    Stella can’t wait to be a student; she’s hanging out for uni. I’m not, so much. Mum’s a lecturer and she’s told me enough about her students for me to know they’re not all glamorous and exciting.
    â€˜That’s probably why they weren’t too hard to scare off,’ said the officer, which put a dent in our heroic pride. He stood up to go. ‘If you remember anything else, here’s my card,’ he said to Jay. ‘But I’ve got to be honest, mate; I don’t think there’s much chance of catching them.’
    â€˜Not even with my video?’ Stella was disappointed.
    â€˜Not even with your video, love. Sorry.’
    â€˜Don’t you want to keep my phone as evidence?’
    The officer laughed. ‘You’ll need it more than we do. Wouldn’t want to interfere with your social life.’
    â€˜Huh.’ Stella gazed after him as he left. ‘How lame is that?
    They’re not even going to try .’
    â€˜It doesn’t matter,’ said Jay weakly. ‘It was just a … misunderstanding.’
    â€˜What, they misunderstood that your head wasn’t a football?’ I said.
    But Jay was struggling upright, looking past me and Stella with an eager expression. ‘My brother’s here.’
    Stella and I swivelled and saw another lanky young man striding toward us. He looked a lot like Jay, except his hair was cut shorter, and because he was a few years older, he’d filled out his frame and wasn’t so gangly. But he had the same green-gold eyes and the same scattering of freckles across his nose. The main difference between the brothers was that instead of Jay’s wide, glad smile, his face was screwed up in a scowl.
    â€˜This is Elliot,’ said Jay happily, ignoring his brother’s expression. ‘Elliot, this is Bridie and Stella, they brought me to the hospital.’
    â€˜Thanks,’ said Elliot curtly. ‘No need to hold you up any longer.’
    â€˜That’s okay,’ said Stella. ‘We don’t have to be anywhere.’ She was still sitting on the bedside chair, but at a glare from Elliot, she reluctantly stood up so he could take it. Elliot sat down, still scowling. Of course, he was probably just worried about his little brother, but he looked as if he was working himself up to kill somebody, and I didn’t want it to be me.
    â€˜We’d better go,’ I said hastily, sliding off the bed. ‘Hope your eye’s okay, Jay, hope you get better soon.’
    â€˜Wait! Can’t I …’ Jay looked at us shyly. With the bandage over his eye it was hard to tell if he was looking at both of us or one of us in particular. ‘Can’t I get your number? So I can thank you properly, when I’m not so …’
    Feverishly, Stella rummaged for a scrap of paper.
    â€˜Elliot,’ said Jay. ‘Could you …?’
    Elliot grimaced. He pulled a piece of pink paper from his bag and handed it to Stella, who scribbled her name and phone number. She wrote down mine too, because she is a fair person, really. Elliot refolded the paper and tucked it inside his coat. Then he turned the full power of his scowl onto us like a laser beam until we were forced to retreat out of the emergency ward and all the way back onto the street.
    â€˜The brother must do Law at