He's Gone

by Alex Clare

  ‘You look like you could use a drink,’ Tracey called after her.

  Robyn hurried into the incident room.

  ‘Great interview, Guv. Ravi’s just been talking me through it.’

  ‘Thanks, Chloe.’ Robyn paused in the doorway. ‘I’ve got to get over to Upper Town. We’ll go through everything in the morning.’

  Too tired to find a parking space, Robyn double-parked and rang the bell of Ms Chivers’ house. The door was answered by a young man in a shiny, tight suit. Robyn showed her warrant card. ‘Are you the social worker?’

  ‘Yeah. We’ve got foster parents set up. The nanny’s just packing some stuff for the kid now.’ The man was chewing gum which slid in and out of view as he spoke.

  ‘OK, well, he might like to have this.’ Robyn held out the blue ball. The man hesitated. ‘This was his only toy.’ The man shifted the gum to the other side of his mouth and took the ball.

  Gillian came down the stairs, holding two bags, one with a school crest, full of books. She stopped, one foot poised over a step.

  Robyn held the bannister. ‘Mrs Green, Gillian … I just wanted to thank you. She admitted the killing. Thank you for your help.’

  Gillian sat down on the stairs, head falling into her hands.

  ‘I think you should leave this with us now.’ The young man stepped in front of her, the tip of a tattoo showing above his collar.

  Robyn heard Ben wail from upstairs and Gillian rose and went to him. Robyn walked down the path and sat in her car for a moment before deciding it wasn’t too late to drive to Pickley to see the Penroses.

  TUESDAY 26 JULY

  41

  Ben’s mother in murder arrest was the headline outside newsagents as Robyn drove to work. She was trying to pin down her own mood without success. There was the satisfaction of a case solved and a small but unpleasant part of herself which was happy to see Melissa humbled. The overriding feeling was the crushing sadness of the Penroses.

  Graham was alone in the incident room, staring at the ceiling while on the phone, kicking to make the chair spin.

  ‘No, I don’t know. Yeah. You’d think so. No. I guess, OK, I’ll put you across.’ Graham held the phone out. ‘Janice wants a word, Guv.’

  Robyn walked to her desk wishing she could have this conversation in private.

  ‘Hello, Janice.’

  ‘Hello, Robyn. How are you?’

  ‘Fine, I’m fine, thanks. And you?’

  ‘Yes, thank you.’ The voice had a brittle edge.

  ‘You’ve heard the news then?’

  Ravi and Chloe walked in carrying canteen bags. Robyn braced herself for Janice’s answer.

  ‘What did you expect from her? But now Ben’s on his own so I need to know where he is, he can’t stay in a children’s home, he should be here …’

  Robyn interrupted. ‘Janice, he’s not in a children’s home, he’s gone to foster parents.’

  ‘I suppose anywhere will be better than with her.’ Janice took a deep breath. ‘We’ve applied for a declaration of paternity to get Josh’s name on Ben’s birth certificate. Then, we won’t even need to go through formal adoption but it all takes time.’ She paused for a second. ‘And Josh hasn’t even met his own son yet. Can you arrange something?’

  Robyn massaged her temple. ‘I’ll see what I can do, Janice. Neither you nor Martin can approach Ben. Josh’ll have to go on his own …’

  The voice at the other end dropped to a soft whisper. ‘Robyn, he can’t go on his own. You saw what happened to him, this has been such a shock …’

  ‘I’ll do what I can.’ She dropped her voice. ‘You know I will.’

  ‘I know. Thank you. I’m sorry about Martin – he’s, he’s just a bit …’

  Robyn stood up. ‘Janice, don’t worry about it. I’ll call you when I’ve got some news.’ She handed the phone back to Graham.

  Chloe was loitering by Robyn’s desk. ‘Is this a bad time, Guv?’ She didn’t wait for an answer. ‘I just wanted to know what was going to happen to me now Ben’s been found?’

  ‘Well, it depends.’ Robyn saw a little light go out behind Chloe’s eyes. ‘Normally, you would go back to Uniform. But, I’m an officer down now. Do you want to stay?’

  Chloe nodded. ‘Definitely, Guv.’

  Robyn managed a smile. ‘In the time you’ve been here, you’ve done a good job. I’m happy to speak to the superintendent about a transfer. You’ll have to fill in a stack of forms and there’s a lot of training. You need to be prepared to work hard.’ Chloe’s beaming face was too much: all she could see was Janice stuck in the shabby room at the police house. It still seemed harsh that one person getting their dream job happened because someone else was going to prison.

  After a morning of cataloguing evidence and making calls, Robyn met Josh and Martin in the lobby. After she’d told Martin he would have to stay in the car, they drove to the edge of Barton, Martin a glowering presence in the back, Josh fidgeting in the front. Their destination was a semi-detached, one in a long avenue of identical houses. A good place to bring up a child. Robyn wondered how many confused children had been through this blue door, to be fostered, like Ben.

  Robyn got out, walked around and opened the door for Josh. Crossing the pavement, she crunched the first golden leaves underfoot and opened the gate of number seventeen before she realised she was on her own: Josh hadn’t moved from beside the car and looked as if he was about to be sick.

  When she walked back, she didn’t dare touch him. ‘Do you want to do this, Josh?’

  Martin opened the car door and stood beside Josh. He turned his son’s shoulders towards the house and gave him a gentle shove. ‘Go on. You’ll love him. He’s yours.’

  Josh’s trainers scuffed the paving stones as they approached the gate. A woman with a pram hurried past.

  ‘Yes, Josh?’ Robyn paused with her hand on the catch.

  Josh opened his mouth to say something, then nodded.

  Without giving him a chance to change his mind, Robyn stepped up the path and rang the doorbell.

  42

  Robyn dropped a pile of forms onto Tracey’s desk. ‘There are the last of the expenses for the Ben Chivers’ investigation. I’ve also put a request in for Chloe Talbot to transfer to CID.’ The heady floral notes of Tracey’s perfume were making her dizzy.

  Tracey flicked through the papers and slotted them into a series of plastic wallets. ‘Thanks. Bet you’re glad it’s over. I’ve been wondering what you’re going to do to top this last week.’

  ‘I was going to start with an early night.’ The clock showed four twenty-five.

  ‘Good idea. Oh, I know what I was going to say to you. A friend of mine does makeover parties, where you get your colours done. She tells you what sort of clothes and things suit you and she brings accessories and make-up to try. I thought it might be right up your street and a bit of a treat, after everything recently.’

  Robyn’s first thought was resentment at the interference. The second was to wonder if this same friend had recommended Tracey’s neon top and leopard-print skirt combination. The third was she should be grateful someone was taking a positive interest. ‘Thanks, Tracey, maybe you could give me her details?’

  Tracey reached into her handbag for her phone and scribbled a name and number onto a Post It note. ‘Here. The superintendent’s taking an interest in what happened to your car, by the way.’

  Robyn wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing if it meant more officers being disciplined because of her. ‘Right, I’m going to go home now, via the DIY store and start redecorating.’

  ‘So the house is getting a makeover as well?’

  ‘Been meaning to do it for years. Now I’ve started changing it seems to be the right time to change other things too.’

  Tracey’s face was in shadow, her voice was soft. ‘No going back then?’

  Robyn nodded, feeling a lump in her throat. She leant forward, brushing a strand of hair out of h
er eyes. ‘Just because something isn’t easy, doesn’t mean it isn’t right.’

  Robyn Bailley will return …

  Book Club Questions

  How prepared is Robyn for the changes she has decided to make?

  Do you understand why Robyn makes the changes she does?

  What kind of psychological changes does Robyn go through and what do you think causes these?

  What does Robyn learn about herself through the novel?

  Who do you consider is most supportive to Robyn and why?

  Where do you consider Ben would get the best upbringing and why?

  Which characters have reasonable justifications for their actions and why?

  How effective is the police culture in examining attitudes to sex, sexuality and gender?

  The story is set in a medium-sized town. How do you think reactions would change if it were set in a city or a village?

  The novel was written 2013–2015. What changes would you expect to see in people’s reactions to Robyn if the book had been written now? Or in the 1970s?

  Acknowledgements

  Because this is a first book, there was a lot I didn’t know. I’m very grateful to all of the people who provided support, advice and encouragement to get this book published.

  Thanks first to Mum and Dad for letting me grow up in a house full of books.

  The very first people to meet Robyn were my writing group, Scribbles. They read the story in instalments over two years and were a constant source of support and critique. Particular thanks to Alan, Kate and Lorna for being there all the way through and to Terry for saying what needed to be said.

  When I came up with the idea for Robyn, I was very lucky to meet and tweet with people who were happy to share their stories and experiences with me, which I have tried to reflect honestly. Special thanks go to Kyle and Anna for their patience with my questions. Also, thanks to Anna E for her knowledge of the police service.

  A lot of people have read early drafts of this book and were kind enough to take the time to give their thoughts. My tutor, Chris Wakling gave good advice (and saved a life). My fellow course participants Alice, Catherine, Dawn, Elin, Grace, Heidi, Julietta, Kate and Moyette have been a source of constructive criticism mixed with laughter. Judi and I have pursued literary aims together and it’s a joy to have her friendship, comments and all the shared wine.

  Huge thanks go to the Womentoring Project, a brilliant idea that introduced me to the fabulous Fanny Blake, whose experience, advice and ongoing back-stiffening has been invaluable.

  I’m very grateful to Rachel Singleton at Impress Books who spotted the potential of the book and for her comments and suggestions.

  Finally, there are people who are nothing to do with writing and who helped the book along by reminding me there is a real world out there. Thank you to Mel, Janet and Rashmika for making me laugh like a drain on a regular basis and to Jenny for her particular insights and her constant belief in my success.

  About Alex Clare

  After nearly twenty years of being a committed corporate person, Alex Clare was made redundant. She had always enjoyed writing, studying fiction part-time through the Open University and managing to complete a novel in her commuting time, though no one had ever read it. Now, with lots more time on her hands, there was the opportunity to take writing more seriously. She began to enter competitions and joined a writing group, which encouraged her to try out new genres and styles.

  After a period focusing on short stories, she wanted to try another novel. Inspiration came from watching Parliament debate the Equal Marriage Act in 2013. Astounded by the intensity of feeling generated, she created a fictional world to explore some of the issues and attitudes. Now working again she is writing her second Robyn Bailley story, in her usual place on a London commuter train.

  Twitter feed: @_alexandraclare

  Copyright

  First published 2016

  by Impress Books Ltd

  Innovation Centre, Rennes Drive, University of Exeter Campus,

  Exeter EX4 4RN

  © Alex Clare 2016

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN 13: 978–1–907605–94–9 (pbk)

  ISBN 13: 978–1–907605–95–6 (ebk)

  Typeset in Garamond MT

  by Swales and Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon

  Printed and bound in England

  by Short Run Press Ltd, Exeter, UK