by Anita Waller
He showered, and went downstairs to find Tommy and Sally waiting for him.
‘We’d like to go with you,’ Sally said, and Tommy nodded his agreement. He was a quiet man, said very little but thought a lot, and his thoughts towards his only daughter had, of late, been less than charitable.
Tommy had fully understood what Gainsborough had said, understood the blood found in the little Fiesta tied Jenny to two of the murders, and the cuts in the victims’ necks tied all three murders, but he still found it difficult to believe the Jenny they were talking about was the Jenny he had loved since the second she was born.
His Jenny wouldn’t have run Michael down and driven off – no way.
He had barely slept for days now, unable to comprehend the enormity of the actions Jenny had taken, and he knew Sally had lain awake by his side, pretending to be asleep.
Now, they had to go to sort out Grace’s funeral. Beautiful Grace. They had been looking forward so much to taking her and Adam to Portugal, and now, that simply wouldn’t happen. Instead, they would be at the cemetery, following a small white coffin, fending off well-wishers, who couldn’t begin to have any idea of how they were feeling.
He put down his coffee, now cold, and stood. ‘Is it time to go?’
Mark looked at his watch and nodded. ‘Yes. We’ll be a bit early, but let’s go and get this over with.’
It was hard.
They agreed to a white casket; they ordered flowers. They chose songs; they chose words. They chose the day to say goodbye, Monday, 25 July. And they walked out, unable to speak, hardly able to think. Mark drove on automatic pilot, going over and over in his mind everything they had discussed. He could see Grace from Wednesday onwards, and he began to grieve properly for the first time.
They arrived home to find Lily waiting for them, sharing a pot of tea with Caroline. Adam, it seemed, was still in bed. The absence of the Lexus told them Erin was out and about.
Lily handed Mark a CD, and said it was the recording of Grace’s flute solo; Mark placed it on the work surface, and knew they had found the tune to play when they all left the crematorium, leaving his daughter for the last time.
Tommy and Sally went to pack a bag; they needed to go home for a couple of days, and said they would be back Thursday morning. He hugged them both before they got in their car, and waved them off. Everything around him felt silent, he could hardly breathe, and he felt at a complete and utter loss. Drained.
Lily, who had followed him to the front door, moved outside towards him.
‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Let’s go in. I know it’s been hard, but this is a major part of the process that is now over. You have to find some strength within you to support Adam.’
Mark allowed himself to be led into the kitchen. Caroline had disappeared, and he sat down in her place.
‘That was the worst thing I have ever done. It was bad enough organising Mum’s funeral, but this …’ He couldn’t go on.
‘I know,’ she said quietly. ‘And over this next week, it will get worse. But, after next Monday, the healing will start.’
They shared a comfortable silence for a few minutes, and then, Lily stood.
‘I’m taking up no more of your time, Mark, but you have my number. Ring me any time.’
Mark nodded. ‘Thank you, Lily. You fill me with … calm. You’re so sensible, so wise. You will be there next Monday?’
‘Of course. Would you like me to say something at the service?’
He looked startled. ‘Say something? I hadn’t even given that any thought at all. Would you?’
‘I certainly would. Your daughter was a proper little star, and I’ll tell the whole world. The vicar will probably arrive later today, or tomorrow. Ask her to give me a five-minute slot, and don’t forget to give her the recording, along with any others you want played.’ She kissed him on the cheek, just as he turned his head. Her lips brushed his, and he hesitated, drawing her towards him. The kiss deepened, and neither fought against it.
She finally sat back and smiled. ‘Well, that beats a cup of tea,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry …’ he started to say, so she kissed him again.
‘Sorry doesn’t cut it,’ she said, once she released him. ‘I’m not sorry, I wanted to do that the first time I met you in my office.’
He chuckled, feeling a lightening of the load which had been on him all morning. ‘Well, just don’t ask Michael how much, and how many times, I mentioned you after that meeting. Perhaps, Lily, when this is all over …’
She nodded. ‘When this is all over,’ she affirmed, and winked at him, as she walked out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and out of the front door.
‘Yeah, go, brother!’ he heard Caroline call from the lounge, and he felt his skin redden. He’d never live this down. And just wait until she told Tim …
‘When can I go home?’ Michael locked his eyes on to the doctors, willing him to give the right response.
‘Well …’ The doctor flicked over one of the charts, and pursed his lips. ‘You still require quite close nursing, medication, and such like, so I think it’s going to be at least a couple of weeks …’
Michael laughed. ‘But, I feel good. I have some pain, but it’s bearable.’
‘It’s bearable, because you’re on significant amounts of pain killers,’ the doctor said drily.
‘Then, I need to show you something.’ Michael took his phone from the bedside cupboard, and pressed his messages icon. ‘Look at this.’
The text said, Grace’s funeral 25 July, 1 p.m. See you later. The doctor raised his eyes in query.
‘My eight-year-old granddaughter,’ Michael said quietly. ‘And I can pay for nursing, if that is what is required. The woman who drove the car that ran over my legs is the mother of this little girl, and I will be there at that funeral, come what may.’
The doctor nodded. ‘Set up your home nursing. If everything goes well, I’ll have you home by Sunday, so you need to behave yourself for six days. Deal?’
‘Deal. I promise not to threaten to kill the physiotherapists anymore.’
‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Everybody threatens to kill physiotherapists.’
‘And I’ll be able to go in a wheelchair?’
‘Yes, of course. Work hard this week at getting in and out of one, and it will make life much easier for you when you do go home. But, Michael,’ the doctor warned, ‘if I think you’re not ready, I won’t let you go. No arguments. I won’t jeopardise any of our hard work to have you undo it. Is that understood?’
Michael nodded. ‘It is. I’ll get my daughter sorting the nursing out today.’
‘And I’ll speak to the physios, make sure they know what level you’ll need to be at before you leave us.’
As he left the room, he turned to his patient. ‘And, Michael, I’m really sorry about Grace. It’s hard to lose anyone, but a child …’
‘Thank you, Doctor. You’ll understand why I need to be there.’
‘I do. Good luck with getting there. It’s down to you.’
Sebastian knew he needed to put his plan into place. He had choices. He could simply turn up and just stay as much out of sight as he could, or he could make it semi-official and contact Erin to go with her. It made more sense to go with Erin; he wanted no scenes at the funeral, and he rather felt Erin might produce some rather caustic comments, if he just turned up. It was logical to contact her full of apologies for his long absence, and ask if she would mind him accompanying her to the funeral. He could turn on the charm, convince her his reasons for not contacting her were sound, and entirely work related. He decided not to go with the flowers idea – it would be over the top.
Jenny walked downstairs, and his heart ached for her. It would take time to put the smile back on her face, but they had time. A lifetime.
He folded her into his arms. ‘Morning, sweetheart. Breakfast?’
She shook her head. ‘Not yet. A coffee will do. Will you do it?’
He knew she wasn’t referring to the coffee.
He nodded. ‘I will. I won’t impersonate a policeman, though. That could be asking for trouble. I’ll come up with something else. Maybe say I went looking in Hartsholme, when I heard she was missing, if anybody asks me. Otherwise, I’ll say nothing. I can only go to the service, though. It would be asking for trouble to mingle with your family.’
‘I know. And thank you for doing this. It will give me something to hold on to.’
She walked away from him and gave him a gentle smile. ‘I love you,’ she said, and moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.
He loaded the dishwasher, smiling to himself, as her actions confirmed she definitely wasn’t a morning person. She took time to wake from the broken sleep he knew she experienced, and he simply had to wait for her to come around. She finished her coffee, brought the cup across to where he was waiting for it before switching on the dishwasher, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
‘I’m going for a shower. Be about half an hour.’
He nodded. ‘No rush.’
He watched her climb the stairs, then moved into the lounge and took out his phone.
Hi, sweetheart. I’m back. Unexpected trip to Romania. Hope you’re okay. Need to see you. Missed you. Don’t ring, meetings all day. Text when you’re free and I’ll ring you. Kisses xxx
Erin pulled on to the parking lot and heard the ping on her phone. She waited until she entered the house, taking it out of her bag.
‘Oh, my God,’ she breathed, unable to believe her eyes. ‘Seb.’ She opened the message and froze. The text confirmed everything. He was lying about having been to Romania, lying about having missed her; she had to speak to Mark and Tim.
‘I’m back,’ she called. Mark responded with, ‘five minutes,’ and Tim merely shouted, ‘yo!’
She sat on the bottom step, waiting for them to join her in the hallway. Going to see Michael made her decide to show them the text when they reached hospital. She trusted her dad’s judgment. He would know the best way of dealing with the whole damn situation.
She drove the Lexus, and it was only as they drew near to the hospital Mark queried whether she was insured to drive it.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Dad put me on his insurance years ago. He keeps me on it, and only me, because I’m his favourite.’
‘No, you’re not,’ said Tim from the back seat. ‘I am. I cause him less stress than you.’
‘Actually, I’m his favourite,’ Mark said. ‘No disputing that.’
‘Well, we’ll see,’ Erin responded, as she drove into a parking bay at the hospital. ‘Now, who’s getting the parking ticket today? Tim?’
Tim grinned at her. ‘If I have to. Although, if I didn’t, I wonder who would end up paying the fine? Oh, don’t tell me, that would be the driver. The so-called favourite.’
They were still mocking each other, as they went through Michael’s door. The room was empty.
‘He’s not here,’ Erin said.
‘You don’t say!’ Tim said, a grin on his face.
‘Stop being clever, and go get us a drink while we wait for him. He can’t have gone far. He’s no bloody legs to walk on!’
She placed the chairs around the bed, and waited for both Tim and Michael to appear. The coffees had all been drunk, by the time Michael put in an appearance.
He looked grey, absolutely worn out.
‘Dad?’
‘I’ll be okay, Erin. These fine young men are going to put me back in bed now. They’ve wrecked me, but it’s all in a worthy cause.’ Michael briefly closed his eyes, as the therapists departed. ‘God, that was hard. But, if I’m at a certain level, I can be home by Sunday. I need you to organise home nursing, Erin, initially for a month, then, we’ll see after that.’
‘You’re coming to Lindum, aren’t you?’ Mark asked.
‘Is that a request or an instruction?’ Michael groaned, as he moved his hips.
‘It’s an instruction.’
‘Then, that’s fine. And thank you. And, Erin, you go back to work. I won’t allow you to look after me. I can pay people to do that. We’ll talk to the doctor later in the week to see what I need, and take it from there. The main thing is, I will be home to say goodbye to Grace properly.’
All three nodded, and Erin took out her phone.
‘I have something to tell you, now we’ve sorted Dad out. We need to sort out Seb and Jenny. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve had a text from him.’
She passed it to Mark, who read it and passed it to Tim. Tim read it aloud, aware his father’s eyes were closing. They opened wide, as soon as Tim finished reading.
‘What the …?’ he roared. ‘What does this excuse for a man think he’s playing at? Erin, don’t be fooled by this!’
She laughed. ‘No, Dad, I promise I won’t. But, he’s up to something, and to find out what it is, I think I have to play along. Do you two agree?’ She turned to her brothers.
‘I’m not sure.’ Mark spoke slowly. ‘If he is living with Jenny, that makes him a danger. She has killed three people, you know. She has nothing to lose.’
‘I’ll not go to meet him, I promise, but we have to know why he’s contacted me again.’
Mark looked worried. ‘I don’t want you seeing him. Text and phone – he can’t hurt you over the phone. This really bothers me, Erin. We know he’s living with Jenny. I’m half inclined to tell Gainsborough now.’
Tim stared at Mark. ‘No! We don’t tell the police anything. You’ve spent all this time protecting Adam, and if you hand Jenny to them on a plate, she’s going to tell them everything. I say we let Erin text back to him, act as though it’s okay he’s not contacted her for a few days, and see what he has to say. I rather suspect this could centre around Jenny coming to Grace’s funeral.’
‘Not an earthly chance. If that’s what it’s about, she’s coming nowhere near. I can’t imagine how he’s going to swing that one, though. As far as he’s concerned, we don’t know Jenny is with him. I suggest we go along with whatever transpires from this conversation, and see what happens,’ Mark said. ‘Is that okay with you, Erin?’
‘It certainly is. I’m really curious. I’ll keep everybody informed, and I promise I won’t go shooting off to meet him or anything. I know you’ll all worry, if I do.’
They stayed a further fifteen minutes. Michael’s eyes had closed, he was clearly exhausted.
Back at home, they sat around the kitchen table, discussing what reply to send to Sebastian. Erin said she never texted lovey-dovey messages, so they decided she should just confirm her willingness to speak to him, and she would be available after 6 p.m. She sent the text, and she was rewarded with a text confirming he would ring later.
Mark went in search of Adam, who was immersed in a game of chess with Caroline.
‘I didn’t know you could play!’ he said, feeling guilty for not knowing.
‘He couldn’t,’ Caro confirmed. ‘But, he’s a fast learner. Want to take over?’
He nodded. ‘I certainly do. Go and have a chat with Erin, will you, Caro? There’s a couple of things we need to fill you in on, so I’ll just thrash the son at this game.’
Caro laughed. ‘You wish. As I said, he’s a fast learner.’
Ten minutes later, Adam held up his hand. ‘High five, Dad! You lost!’
Mark smiled at him. ‘I let you win.’
‘Yeah, right. I saw you did. You didn’t stand a chance of beating me, and you know it. You want another game?’
‘Not until I’ve recovered from this one,’ Mark said. ‘Kids aren’t supposed to beat their parents at anything.’
Adam switched on the television. ‘Well, I’ve enjoyed learning that. I’m going to practice playing against the computer, so you’d better up your game, old man.’
Mark laughed, leaving the lounge to return to the kitchen. It was getting close to six o’clock, and he wanted to be there when Sebastian rang. The others were discussing what to have to eat,
with everybody wanting something different. In the end, Mark said they would wait for the call, and he would treat them all to a pub meal.
When the phone finally rang, Erin held up her thumb to the others, and all chatter stopped.
‘Hi Seb … No, I’m sure Mark won’t mind. I’ll meet you at the crematorium doors.’ There was silence as he responded. ‘Thank you for your support. I’ll see you just before one on Monday … Love you, too.’ She hung up, staring at the others. ‘Did I sound genuine?’
‘Totally,’ Caro said. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. If anything, that call has shown me how much I am over him. Creep. He was so lovely, so nice to me, and yet, we all know he’s with Jenny. He wants to support me at the funeral. I guess you all gathered that? I suspect it’s so he can report back to Jenny after, and I suspect Jenny has asked him to do it, without realising he already knows us. She’ll have told him to just go and mingle, because there’ll be a lot of people there, and he can get away with that, but in reality, he can’t.’
‘So, now what?’ Mark asked.
‘You want my thoughts?’ Erin’s eyes clouded. ‘I think we put everything on hold, until after we say goodbye to Grace. She must be our priority, and I see all of us at odd moments filling up with tears. Those are the moments we think Grace would have enjoyed that, or I must show Grace … So, we forget bloody Jenny until after Monday. After that, we go for her, either through Seb or directly. And we need to discuss the letters more.’
‘Letters?’ Caro’s head lifted. ‘What letters?’
Erin looked horrified. Mark and Tim’s eyes locked, and silence descended on the kitchen.
Caro waited for someone to speak, and when they didn’t, she banged her hand down on the table. ‘What the shit is going on in this family? What are you keeping from me, now?’
Erin, Mark and Tim looked at each other, and re-seated themselves around the table.
‘We have something to tell you, Caro.’