Naive Retribution

by Dawson, H A

  He knocked on the door, his pulse quick.

  ‘Where’ve you been you little-’ The door swung open. ‘Oh, it’s you,’ Dawn said.

  ‘Is Joe in?’

  ‘No, he’s not, and neither is that little cretin. What you done to him?’

  ‘He was with Jade Horton. He was bothering her. I’m concerned he might do something stupid.’

  ‘Not my business.’

  ‘He’s your son,’ Luke said.

  She held a firm gaze. ‘Yeah . . . right.’

  ‘When did you last see him?’

  ‘Hours ago. When I find him, I’ll give him what for.’

  ‘Is Joe looking for him?’

  ‘Doubt it. He’ll be with her . . . or down at the pub.’

  ‘Where does he go? I’d like to speak to him.’

  ‘The Cock and Bottle or The Nags Head.’

  ‘Okay, thanks.’

  The door slammed shut. Within moments, Luke arrived at the public house. The light was dimmed and there was a strong scent of alcohol. Resisting an urge to buy a drink, he scanned the patrons, and then exited the building. The other public house was a short distance across the other side of the road. He waited for a car to pass and then trotted towards the entrance.

  Joe was quick to spot. He was sitting in a corner staring into a pint of beer.

  Luke joined him at the table. ‘Dylan was in that barn. He was torturing Jade with drips of water.’

  Joe did not move his gaze.

  ‘He ran off before I had a chance to speak to him. We don’t know where he is.’

  ‘He’ll go home eventually.’

  ‘I’m not so sure. I’ve just come from there and he hadn’t shown himself.’

  ‘What about Jade . . . is she all right?’

  ‘William has taken her home.’

  Joe clasped his hand around the glass and looked into the liquid.

  ‘You have to go and look for him.’ Luke said.

  ‘He’s old enough to look after himself.’

  ‘He’s sixteen . . . still a kid.’

  ‘A bloody big kid if you ask me.’

  ‘He needs his father. What if he’s out there still intent on hurting Jade? How would you feel then? You could stop him from making this situation even worse.’

  ‘He won’t listen to me . . . never does.’

  ‘And why’s that? He’s a bright kid. He knows you’ve told him a pack of lies. Even when you found out he was stalking her, you didn’t use it as an opportunity to end it. If anyone’s to blame for hurting Jade, it’s you.’

  ‘None of this is anything to do with you! Butt out!’

  ‘Jade is my client. It’s everything to do with me.’

  Joe harrumphed, muttered something indecipherable, and swigged his beer.

  ‘Will you ring him?’ Luke asked.

  ‘If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t answer.’

  Luke glared. If Dylan were his son, he would be frantic. He wouldn’t be hiding away in a public house hoping his troubles would go away. There again, he wouldn’t have let the situation get this far. The poor kid was likely to be terrified, and fear can be a dangerous weapon.

  ‘Well I’m going to go look for him,’ Luke said, standing up. ‘Coming?’

  Joe puffed out, swept back his shaggy hair and stuffed his hands into pockets. His reluctance was impressive, and rather like a moody teenager. It was easy to see where Dylan got his behaviour.

  Outside, the conditions were getting blustery and the air cool. They trailed the streets, the woodland and the reservoir, and the looked into some of the spots favoured by local teenagers, such as a disused shelter in the park and a dilapidated building. There was no sign of either Dylan or his dog, and it seemed a never-ending trail.

  ‘I said it would be pointless,’ Joe muttered.

  ‘Well at least we’ve tried. We should look again in the morning. Send me a text if he turns up.’

  Joe agreed.

  Luke arrived at his office just before eight, and checked his messages and responded to the most urgent. He really wanted to look for Dylan, but he also wanted Imogen to accompany him, since she often had unusual ideas that proved useful. By the time nine o’clock arrived, and she still hadn’t arrived, he decided he was going to have to go out alone. Joe was expecting him.

  First, he decided to give Imogen a call on her mobile phone. After a few rings, it went to the voice mail. He told her of his plans and asked her to return to call. After waiting for a few minutes, hoping for a swift response, he left the office. He was negotiating the city centre traffic on his way to Joe’s house, in squally, damp conditions, when his phone sounded an incoming message. He freed it from the tangle of fabric in his pocket and read the message.

  ‘Sorry, not going to be in work today,’ Imogen said, ‘not well.’

  His forehead creased. He flung the phone to the passenger seat and continued to Joe’s house.

  Joe was waiting outside his house. ‘You’ve taken your time.’

  ‘Sorry. I had a few bits to do in the office. So Dylan’s not turned up then?’

  ‘Would I be out here in this if he was?’

  Dumb question. ‘So any ideas where to look?’

  ‘You take one end of the woodland, and I’ll take the other. We’ll meet up in half an hour.’

  Luke agreed. He donned his waterproof from the rear of the car, slipped on his boots, and trotted to catch Joe up.

  ‘Have you tried any of his friends?’ Luke asked.

  ‘He doesn’t have any.’

  ‘There must be someone he might go to see.’

  ‘There’s a girl he likes, but he wouldn’t go there if he was in trouble. He’d be too ashamed.’

  ‘What about Kath Matheson?’

  ‘Already tried. She’s not seen him. She’ll ring if she does.’

  They turned the corner and the wind blew the rain face on, cutting into his skin. It was meant to be spring. It felt more like mid-winter.

  ‘Anyone else he knows?’

  ‘Not as far as I know. I’ve spent the last few hours asking if anyone’s seen him. No one has.’

  ‘He’ll turn up.’

  ‘Will he?’ Joe’s voice was weak with anxiety. ‘I should have just told him the truth.’

  ‘Why didn’t you?’

  Joe did not answer.

  They had arrived at the woodland. Joe indicated he would go to the right, and Luke should go to the left. It seemed a bit of a long shot since the reservoir covered a large area, and Luke’s hopes dwindled. Nonetheless, he did as instructed, feeling at least partly responsible for not stopping Dylan from fleeing from the barn, and began his search.

  He called out Dylan’s name, he listened for barking sounds, and he asked everyone he met if they had seen a teenage boy with a dog. After forty minutes, and having searched the obvious places, he gave Joe a call.

  ‘I’m going over to Jade’s place, just in case he’s over there,’ Luke said.

  ‘Wouldn’t she have said?’

  ‘He could be outside the house, keeping watch.’

  Joe didn’t respond.

  ‘Let me know if you find him.’

  He placed the phone in his pocket and re-trailed his steps back to the car. It had started to rain. The vehicle provided a welcome relief.

  Taking his time, Luke drove along Jade’s street, searching for Dylan. He paid particular attention to the gardens and hedges close by, but saw no one loitering. He wondered if Dylan may have taken temporary shelter somewhere, and drove up and down the nearby streets searching for appropriate locations. The only places to hide were in unlocked sheds or garages, and that would be impossible to determine.

  Deciding there was nothing more he could do, Luke stopped the car nearby Jade’s house and trotted to the door. William was quick to answer. He didn’t say anything, and gestured for him to go through to the lounge. Jade and Kath was sitting on opposite sides of the room, their expressions were intense and carved with anxiety
.

  Jade’s face crinkled.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ Luke asked.

  Jade said she was okay, but she was far from convincing and wiped her damp eyes.

  ‘I know this will be difficult, but I have to ask. What did Dylan do to you?’

  She sniffled and shook her head. Kath hurried to her side, swapping chairs, and placed an arm around her back. Appreciating the gesture, Jade clung to her sister’s hand and nestled her head into her shoulder.

  ‘Water torture,’ William said. ‘That’s what the little bugger did. Is he banged up?’

  ‘We don’t know where he is. He didn’t return home.’

  ‘You should be out looking for him.’

  ‘I have been, and Joe still is. We were up half the night. He’s vanished.’

  ‘So he should. How could he do that to her? What’s his bloody game?’

  Luke frowned. It would be so easy to blurt out the truth, but now was not the time. He needed to find Dylan first. They should hear it together.

  ‘You’re not helping,’ Kath said to William. ‘Cool it.’

  William sauntered across the room, whispered something in Jade’s ear, and kissed her sodden cheek.

  ‘He . . . he wanted me to remember,’ Jade said, her voice quivering, ‘he did it for you.’ She turned to Kath.

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘You . . . you told him about the suicide.’

  ‘I didn’t think he knew you. If I’d have known I would never said anything, believe me.’

  ‘How long have you known him?’

  ‘A few years. It slipped out. I didn’t think it mattered. He was just a kid, and as far as I knew he wasn’t connected to our family.’

  ‘It’s not your fault.’ she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘. . . I should never have let you take the blame for Mum’s suicide, but honestly, up until now I didn’t remember doing it.’

  Kath placed her hands on top on Jade’s. ‘I pulled her out, but it was too late. She’d gone, had no fight in her.’

  ‘I knew you wanted to help her – I heard you speaking about it. I didn’t want you to be responsible for something like that. I’d always been her carer. It was my job, as the elder sister. I . . . I was trying to make it easier for you.’

  Anger flashed into Kath’s eyes and tension crept into her jaw, evidently not agreeing with the motives. Jade was too busy sobbing to notice and Luke considered it a good thing. Sibling rivalry was not a good thing, and certainly not now.

  ‘I just can’t get my head around it. I was pathetic, a coward,’ Jade said. ‘How can you ever forgive me?’

  ‘I don’t think it would have made any difference even if you had owned up,’ Kath said, ‘Dad wanted me to take the blame. He . . . he was adamant.’

  ‘I know,’ Jade squeaked.

  ‘He told you?’

  ‘I should have stood up to him, but he wouldn’t let it go. He . . . he told me I would go to prison. You were younger, still a child in the eyes of the law. I said you’d only get juvenile detention.’

  Kath held a static pose.

  ‘It’s still wrong. And, in the very least I should have spoken to you about it.’

  ‘You never did. You insisted it was my doing. You lied, over and over again. I felt like crap.’

  Jade thrust her sodden tissue into a bin. ‘I was ashamed. By repeating my lies I managed to convince myself it was your doing. I wish I could take it back but I can’t. I’m sorry.’

  Kath pulled Jade closer. They clung to each other, holding a desperate pose, and reiterated their apologies.

  Luke was not convinced it would last.

  ‘Jade, do you remember everything?’ Luke asked.

  ‘Yes, It’s just as though a mist has cleared.’

  Luke caught Kath’s eye.

  ‘Then no more need to be said on the matter,’ Kath said, directing the comment to him.

  She was anxious, and rightly so, and stared at him with determination. Luke did not want to say anymore than necessary, but he wanted to be sure there were not going to be any repercussions. However, before he had a chance to say anything, his phone sounded. Seeing it was Joe, he hurried from the room.

  Jade turned to Kath and squeezed her hand. ‘Why have we taken this long to clear the air?’

  Kath frowned. ‘I should have said something years ago, but I was so angry. Not just with you but with Dad. You always meant more to him than me. Even the boys got more attention. I could never work out what I’d done that was so terrible.’

  Jade smoothed her hand across her sister’s. They had both suffered. They could have supported each other; instead, they tolerated their own pain in silence. Looking back, it seemed like their quarrel was such a pointless waste of time, and it made no sense that it was simply over a false accusation. Was there more to it, something she hadn’t yet remembered? It couldn’t be the suicide, so was it to do with the fire?

  With the pain of her ignorance gone, she thought through that terrible day. It was about two-thirty in the morning and she had been asleep a couple of hours. Something had awoken her. At first she wondered if her father or one of the boys had gone downstairs, and so she turned over and tried to get back to sleep. But with her ears on full alert, it was too difficult, so she slipped from bed and crept into her brother’s bedroom. They were both asleep. What happened next? Had she checked in her father’s bedroom, or had she gone downstairs? And when had her father spilled petrol across the carpets? Her mind was hazy, her memories not yet with sufficient clarity.

  ‘I’m going to have to go,’ Kath said. ‘My interview’s in a couple of hours.’

  ‘Be yourself and you’ll get it.’

  ‘I hope so.’

  ‘Believe it.’

  The door creaked open. Luke returned with William in tow. They both looked worried.

  ‘Jade,’ William said, ‘we have to go out. Dylan’s in trouble.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Joe’s found him, but he’s in a precarious position. He’s asking to see you.’

  ‘I don’t want to see him.’

  William crouched before her and reached to her hands. ‘Please go. Trust me.’

  ‘Why should I? He . . . he tortured me. I never want to see him again.’

  ‘But there’s something you should know. You have to go.’

  Jade jumped to her feet, pushed William aside and headed to the fireplace. ‘No, I won’t go. He said I’d . . . I’d killed my son. He wanted me to pay.’

  ‘He said what?’

  Her voice quaked. ‘I . . . I didn’t want my baby. Joe’s been covering for me all this time. If I go I’ll, I’ll . . .’

  William yanked her to a standstill. ‘You didn’t kill your baby.’

  ‘I remember.’ Tears streaked her eyes. ‘He told me. He even showed me a babygro I’d bought, and it had been used.’ She reached out to him, trembling. ‘I . . . I smothered him, William. How will I ever forgive myself?’

  He held her in a firm grip. ‘Your baby never died. He’s alive Jade.’

  She raised her hand to her mouth, voiceless.

  ‘Dylan is your son! Joe kept it from you.’

  Chapter 39

  The traffic was heavy, seemed to deliberately delay Jade’s journey to her son. The traffic lights were red, there was congestion at a five-lane roundabout, and there were cars double-parked outside a community centre. She clenched her mouth, silencing her impatience, and leaned forward in the rear seat of the vehicle and stared through the windscreen. Her eyes were glazed.

  She had a son. Her heart pumped violently and her body shook, trembling to keep warm. Trying to retain the little amount of heat she had, she held together her coat with her hand and pressed her arms against her front. It did little to ease to ease her tremors. Shuffling in her seat, watching the fine drops of rain splatter the windscreen, she tried to gain clarity of thought.

  Dylan must have known who she was, so why had he tormented her with the lies? D
id he think she was deliberately ignoring him? Alternatively, if Joe had spun him lies as well, then maybe he believed what he had said. It was inconceivable to think that a man she considered caring and compassionate had been capable of such an unspeakable act of deception. She pressed her hands against her head, instinctively trying to stop the spinning, and focused on the positive.

  Her little boy had lived. How could she have not known? She should have sensed he was alive and distinctly remembered his very first whimper. What kind of mother was she to ignore it? She had accepted Joe and Dawn’s explanation that he had died, and she had never even asked to see his body. Her silent sobs choked her throat.

  She had trusted them. They had been her friends.

  The car travelled along a quiet lane, coming to a standstill in a parking bay. Luke was first to get out, then William. Jade remained in the rear, her tormented body refusing to budge.

  ‘Come on,’ William said, ‘it’ll be okay.’

  She stared for a moment then reached to his hand. It was warm and solid, just what she needed.

  ‘Where is he?’ William asked Luke.

  Luke was taking the lead, guiding them through the woodland. He turned his head, maintaining his speed. ‘At the dam.’

  ‘Is he okay?’ Jade asked.

  He passed her a not-so-convincing nod, and trotted across a trodden dirt track, urgency remaining in his steps. She stayed in his shadow, alongside William, and they negotiated fallen trees and weaved around boulders before arriving in the open air at the huge expanse of water. It was dark and unwelcoming and ripples blanketed the surface.

  The dam was at the right hand side. Straining to see through the mist, Jade searched the concrete structure for a solitary figure. She could not see Dylan and indicated as such to William and Luke. When Luke guided her to a lower location, she gasped. Dylan was half way along and sitting on a narrow platform. His legs dangled over the drop.

  ‘What’s he doing there?’ she said.

  No one replied.

  ‘Shouldn’t we get the rescue services?’

  ‘Joe said not. He thinks Dylan can get off. He just refuses to budge.’