Evil Star

there wasn't one. Every surface was covered with dirty crockery. A tower of soiled plates and bowls rose out of the sink. Gwenda decided she would eat the beans out of the tin. She plunged her hand into the brown, filthy water and somehow managed to find a fork. She wiped some of the grease off on her dress and hurried out of the room.
    The lights were out in the living room, but the glow of the television was enough to show the way. It also showed the mess that the room had become. There were old news-papers scattered across the carpet, overflowing ashtrays, more dirty plates, old socks, and underpants.
    Brian was sit-ting on a sofa that had looked ugly and secondhand the moment it had left the shop. There was a nasty stain on the nylon cover. Ignoring it, Gwenda sat down next to him.
    The smell, which had been bad throughout the house, was worse in here. Gwenda ignored that, too.
    It seemed to her that things had gone from bad to worse since Matt had left. She didn't quite know why. It wasn't as if she had actually liked him. On the contrary, she had always known there was something weird about the boy. Hadn't he dreamed his mother and father were going to die the night before the accident had actually happened? She had only taken him in because Brian had persuaded her — and of course, he'd only wanted to get his hands on the money that Matt's parents had left him. The trouble was, the money had gone all too quickly. And then Matt had gone, too, taken away by the police as a juvenile delin-quent. All she'd been left with was the blame.
    It wasn't her fault. She'd looked after him. She'd never forget the way the police looked at her, as if she were the one who'd Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star committed the crime. She wished now that Matt had never come into her life. Everything had gone wrong because of Matt.
    "And now, on ITV, it's time once again to take your chances and spin . . . the Big Wheel!"
    Gwenda settled back as the Big Wheel theme tune began. Fifty-pound notes twisted and spun across the screen. The audience applauded. And there was Rex McKenna walking down the flashing staircase with a pretty girl holding on to each arm, dressed in a bright, sequined jacket, waving and smiling, happy as always to be back.
    "Good evening, everyone!" he called out. "Who knows who's going to win big-time tonight?" He paused and winked straight at the camera. "Only the wheel knows!"
    The audience went wild as if they were hearing the words for the first time. But of course Rex always began the show the same way.
    "Only the wheel knows!" was his catchphrase, although Gwenda wasn't quite sure if it was true. The wheel was just a big piece of wood and plastic. How could it know anything?
    Rex came to a halt and the applause died down. Gwenda was staring at the screen in a kind of trance. She had already forgotten her baked beans. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered how it was that the television still worked when the electricity in the house had been turned off two weeks ago because she hadn't paid the bill.
    But the back of her mind was a very long way away and it didn't really matter. It was a blessing. How would she get through the nights without Big Wheel?
    "Welcome to another show where the spin of the wheel could mean a million pounds in your pocket or a return ticket home with Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star absolutely nothing!" Rex explained. "And what a busy week I've had. My wife woke me up at six o'clock yesterday morning to remind me to put the alarm on. The alarm went off at seven and it still hasn't come back!"
    The audience roared with laughter. Gwenda laughed, too.
    "But we've got a great show for you tonight. And in a minute we're going to meet the three lucky contestants who are competing for tonight's big prizes. But remember: If you want to get your hands on a cool million, what do you have to do?"
    "You have to spin to win!" the audience yelled.
    Brian said nothing. It was beginning to annoy Gwenda, the way he just sat there.
    "But before we can get started," Rex went on, "I want to have a quick word with a very special lady, a real favorite of mine. ..." He stepped closer to the camera, and as his face filled the screen, it seemed to Gwenda that he was looking directly at her.
    "Hello, Gwenda," he said.
    "Hello, Rex," Gwenda whispered. It was difficult for her to believe that he was actually talking to her. It always was.
    "And how are you tonight, my