That job had taken the love of his life from him; now he had to find who had carried the gun.
Kelly snuggled up to Nanny Glenys, knowing she had an hour of brother-free time. Daniel had fallen asleep on the settee, so he’d been packed off to bed, and Kelly could enjoy her hour before she would be despatched.
‘I miss Mummy,’ she said.
‘So do we, sweetheart,’ Glenys said. ‘Shall we have a cup of hot chocolate, like Mummy used to make for you?’
The little girl smiled. ‘That’s a good idea, Nanny. Shall I come and help you?’
‘Oh no, definitely not. Grandy, can you make three cups of hot chocolate for us please?’
Kelly giggled. Poor Grandy.
Eric put down his book with a sigh. ‘Ever the slave,’ he grumbled as he headed for the kitchen. ‘Three cups it is.’
Glenys and Kelly smiled, and high-fived. ‘Sorted,’ Glenys said.
She hugged the little girl and wondered what the future would hold. Oh, they would all pull together to get them through the next few weeks, but it was the next few years that might be more problematic. She had seen the look in her son’s eyes when he had dropped off the children. The look that had followed the words Kenny and I will sort it.
4
Kenny and Graham went at separate times to identify Lorraine and Carla, but afterwards they headed to Kenny’s house. They stood in the hallway for a moment, arms around each other, seeking comfort. It didn’t feel wrong to either of them.
Graham followed Kenny into the kitchen and dropped heavily onto a chair. Kenny reached up into a cupboard and took down a bottle. Highland Park. A shared favourite.
Kenny poured, then handed the crystal glass to his friend.
Graham took it, and surveyed the amber liquid. ‘Always had lovely taste, did Lorraine.’
‘For the whisky or the glass?’
‘Both. Only the husband she went wrong with,’ he said, trying to raise some sort of smile.
Kenny held up his glass. ‘To our lasses. God bless them both. And while we’re on the subject of God, heaven help the bastard who killed them.’ They clinked glasses and drank deeply. Graham topped them up again.
Kenny sat down across from Graham and stared at the liquid. ‘Good stuff this, but it’s not governing what I’m going to say. I’m going for him, Graham. Whoever he is, he’s got it coming.’
Graham picked up his glass and drank. ‘You think I’m not with you on this one?’
‘That DI said you’d already told him we’d find him.’
‘I did, but also said they wouldn’t know about it. You with me on that?’
‘I bloody am. We’ve got kids, Graham. They need us. Whatever we do has to be so far under the radar it’s invisible. I’ve already spoken to one or two…’
Graham forced a smile. ‘Me too. And I’ve put some money on the table.’
‘We’d make good crims; we think alike. I’ve done the same. I waited while the lads went to bed, then got on the phone last night. Nothing yet, but it’s early days.’
‘Did Fowler tell you he wants us to look at the video? See if there’s owt we can recognise. And if we do know the bastard, do we tell him?’
Kenny hesitated for a fraction. ‘I’m not telling him. You?’
‘Not a cat in hell’s chance. This one’s for us, and Carla and Lorraine. Practise a sad expression for when he asks us if we recognise anything about him, but let’s hope we bloody do.’
Kenny held up the bottle, and Graham shook his head. ‘No thanks, mate. We’re gonna need clear heads. I’m off it till we’ve got him.’ He stood. ‘I’ll head home. I’ve to work out how to use the bloody washer, and I’m going to call around to Mum’s and see the kids.’
Kenny accompanied Graham to the door, and watched as he drove away. He shook his head. ‘You’ve gotta trust him,’ he said quietly, as if to convince himself. He picked up his jacket and headed down the front path. He needed a walk and a think, away from the home where everything reminded him of Lorraine, and away from the boys. They didn’t need to see him cry.
Jack didn’t bother telling anyone he was going out. He slipped through the kitchen door, down the back garden, and vaulted over the small gate at the bottom. Over the years he and Isaac had made the gate quite unstable, but it had always been their quickest way to the green space behind the houses.
There was a small thicket of trees and bushes, and he sprinted across the grass, not wanting a casual glance from Isaac’s bedroom window to reveal where he was heading. Jack reached the trees and looked back to make sure there was no sign of a following brother; he needed time out from the oppressive feel of the house.
He climbed their tree, the one that had aged and grown stronger as they had aged and grown stronger, and he settled into the fork that had always been his seat. They had sat here so many times listening to their mum calling their names, to no avail. If she called his name now, he would answer.
He could hear Lorraine’s voice in his head, feel her as the person she had always been, the one who peered round their bedroom doors every night to say she loved them and to wish them goodnight. He ached for the hug she gave whenever she arrived home from work; he quite simply ached for everything to be back as it had been Saturday morning.
He took out his phone; he had put it in silent mode, so many texts and messages had arrived that the pinging had been constant. He scrolled through the messages showing on his opening screen, trying to decide if he really wanted to open them properly.
He felt the tears prick his eyes – his mum had always texted during her working day; she’d found a reason to text even if it was a daft one. It was simply to keep in touch, to let them know she was thinking about them. And the funniest part about her messaging, was that she would be sat on the toilet, tapping away on the keyboard, because staff weren’t allowed to use their mobile phones during working hours. So many messages had started, I’ve just had a wee, so I thought I’d tell you I love you.
He pulled the list of messages back to the beginning, wiping his jacket sleeve across his face. The tears didn’t seem able to stop. And he saw a message from his school friend Leo Parkes. Jack clicked to open it fully, read it and dropped down from the tree.
Isaac wasn’t asleep, but he was on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Silently, Jack handed him the phone, the message from Leo on the screen.
Need to see u two, pal. Mite no summat.
Isaac read it, and smiled despite the blackness of his mood. ‘All three of us are taking an English Language GCSE in a couple of weeks. Guess who looks like failing.’ He handed back the phone. ‘You answered him?’
‘Not yet.’
Isaac sat up, and ruffled his hair. ‘I’ll jump in the shower. Text him and we’ll meet him after school. Why have you got twigs in your hair?’
‘Been out.’
Isaac nodded. He didn’t need to ask where his brother had been. ‘I’ll be ten minutes. Do us some toast, and we’ll have a talk, as long as Dad’s not in.’