by M A Comley
“Would it be worth checking the area for any other cameras?” Graham asked.
“If you wouldn’t mind doing that, Graham, just so we have the necessary backup for when or if this trial goes to court. Of course, before it gets to that point, we’re going to have to catch ourselves a bloody suspect first.”
“I’ll get on it right away, boss,” Graham replied.
“Will it be worth running the woman through the database?” Charlie suggested.
“Definitely, although I have an inkling nothing will show up. I don’t mind admitting that I think this one is going to lead us into places we’d rather not tread.”
“Meaning?” Charlie inclined her head.
“I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s far too early to assume what we’re up against here, but I have a niggling feeling that the motive is revenge.”
“Why?” Charlie asked.
“Intuition and yes, I know I’m not usually a great believer in such trash, but let’s face it, what else have we got to go on right now?”
“That’s true enough. What do you want us to do?”
“The usual checks. He’s self-employed, see what state his business was in. Check if he worked from home or if he had another base. His finances. Any possible loans, take that route into consideration as well.”
“Enough for us to be getting on with,” Charlie replied. She spun her chair around to face her desk and pounded her keyboard. Katy smiled and left the team to it while she got back to her own paperwork in the office.
Oh, the unambiguous joy of being a detective inspector in the Met.
3
You need to do it, and quickly! Time’s a-wasting. You’ve begun your journey now. Don’t neglect your duties.
You have debts to repay. Revenge to seek.
They did it. They ruined your life. It’s time to right so many wrongs. You’ve waited long enough. Don’t hold back or take the coward’s way out. Don’t you dare!
They need to be punished and you’re the only person to do it. To avenge their heinous crimes against your loved ones. Go forth and do your stuff.
Megan woke from the nap she’d been having. Her exertions from the previous evening had taken their toll on her body. She wasn’t built for this kind of trauma. The desire driving her ambitions had a lot to answer for. It was just gone four in the afternoon, and she was expected at her aunt’s house at five. She’d better get a move on, she hated being late.
She showered, dried her long blonde hair and tied it back in a ponytail. It was the only way her brother would recognise her. Tears surfaced and threatened to spill as the memories of their fragile childhood replayed in her mind. She adored her brother, always had done. Spending as much time with him as possible put her life back into perspective. She was going through all this bother for his benefit, not just hers.
Megan left her flat, traipsed down the stairs and jumped in her car. She drove the mile or so to her aunt and uncle’s home. It was far more practical for Daniel to live there, rather than with her. Between them, a long time ago, they had decided it was for the best.
She used the key to let herself in and called out, “Hello, anybody home?”
“It’s Megan, Daniel, she’s here,” her aunt shouted excitedly from the lounge.
“I’m coming. Are you ready for me, Daniel?”
She heard her brother’s usual grunting which intensified the second he laid eyes on her. He reached out a gnarled hand, his head tilting in its usual position against the headrest of his chair.
Her heart swelled, it was always the same. Amazed that he recognised her in spite of his disabilities. She rushed forward and hugged him, willing herself not to shed a tear. She hated showing any kind of emotion in front of him; he always picked up on when she was upset.
“Me, Me,” he shouted. Sadly, he had a limited vocabulary.
She smiled and stroked his face. “Hello my precious, Daniel. How are you today?”
“Me, Me.”
She undid the zip of her bag and extracted a present she’d bought for him. Holding the small gift in front of his face, she tore off the wrapping paper and presented him with the Corgi sports car—it was yellow, his favourite colour. A smile touched his lips. It was a fleeting gesture, and with a tissue, she wiped up the dribble that escaped from his mouth.
“He loves your little gifts, Megan. Come, we’ll go through to the kitchen, your uncle is due home soon. I’ve made a chicken casserole, is that okay for you?”
“Sounds wholesome and divine. You’re such a good cook, Auntie Gail, I’m grateful for any meal you lay on for when I come to visit. How has Daniel been this week?”
“You’re always welcome at our table. Look at you, you’re too skinny, my girl. It’s my mission in life to put some excess pounds on those bones of yours. Therefore, we have chocolate gateau for afters.”
Megan groaned at the thought of feeding her brother and the mess they’d need to clear up afterwards. But Daniel loved chocolate, so the mess would be worth it. “I bet Daniel can’t wait. Did you deliberately avoid my question?”
“No, sorry. My mind is all over the place today. I’ve had to up his trips to the physio this week, he’s been a little stiffer than normal.”
“Do you need me to stop over and help out with his care? You know I will, you only have to ask.”
“I know, but you have your own life to lead. We’re stuck in a routine, we’re coping. Every now and again, his muscles either spasm or seize up. He’ll be fine soon, don’t worry. As long as he’s still got a smile on his face every time you walk into the room, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
“I feel so guilty, leaving his care to you and Uncle Sam.”
“We’ve been over this a number of times. We love you both as our own, yes, some days are harder than others, I’m not disputing that, love.” Her aunt sighed and then smiled. “It’s challenging and rewarding at the same time. We know he loves us, and appreciates everything we do for him. He’s a treasure we refuse to give up on. We remember back in the day, when the pair of you used to come and visit us when you were kids.”
Megan walked over and hugged her aunt. She drew back and wiped both of their tears. “I can’t thank you enough for putting your life on hold for us both. We love you and Uncle Sam so much.”
“I made a promise to your mother long before she died that we would look after you both should anything happen.”
“I know you did. But at the time, none of us could have known how bad Daniel was going to be, he was in that damn coma for months.”
“The memory is still so vivid in my mind. You know Sam and I would go to the end of the world for you two. You’re part of us. We love you both to bits. Go, I’ll tend to the dinner, you go and sit with Daniel, he hates to be left alone.”
“I love you so much, Auntie Gail. Don’t ever think I take you for granted because I would never do that.”
“I’m aware of that. Shoo… out of my kitchen; otherwise, you’ll have me spilling my tears in the casserole and we can’t have that, can we?”
Megan hugged her aunt again and returned to the lounge. She sat next to her brother, running the small car across his legs and up his arms, making him groan in delight. She mopped up his dribble again and kissed him on the forehead. Squeezing him lightly, she whispered, “Revenge will be ours soon, sweetie. You might not be aware of what’s going on, but I will never forget what those fuckers did to you… to our parents. I love you so much.”
“It’s always wonderful to see you two together, Megan.”
She spun around, surprised to see her uncle standing there, beaming at her. Shit! Had he overheard what she’d said to Daniel? Judging by the loving expression on his chubby face, she didn’t think so.
Megan met her uncle in the middle of the room, and they hugged tightly and kissed each other on the cheek. “How are you, Uncle Sam?”
“Oh, you know, could be better, but there again I could be worse. We muddle through, don’t we?�
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“You know you only need to ring me if you need help with Daniel, don’t you?”
“Yes. Except I wasn’t talking about your brother, I was talking about work. They told me today that they were,” he glanced back at the kitchen door and whispered the rest of his sentence, “cutting my hours in half.”
Megan gasped. “Bloody hell. How will you cope?”
“That’s not your concern, love. We’ll cope, even if we have to apply for extra benefits, we’ll make sure we cope. On the bright side, it’ll allow me to spend more time with my pal here.” He went over to Daniel and fist bumped him. “Hey, Daniel, we’ll have fun spending more time together.”
With that, Gail came back into the room. “Oh, Lord, what are you planning now? The last excursion we took to feed the ducks ended up with you fishing Daniel out of the lake.”
“What?” Megan said, horrified.
Her uncle slung his arm around Megan’s shoulders and tutted. “Don’t listen to her. There was a slope, I took a picture with my camera and forgot to apply the brake on Daniel’s chair. He rolled down the hill and into the edge of the water. He loved it, wouldn’t stop laughing.” He pinched Daniel’s cheek. “Didn’t you, mate? Being up close and personal with the ducks.”
Daniel shared a special smile with them. “Me, Me, duck!”
They all laughed. Megan mopped up the dribble again as if it were second nature. “Maybe we can all go to the park soon and feed the ducks? It’s been a while since I did anything as exciting as that.”
“We’ll see. Right. Go wash your hands, you, horrible lot. Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Gail ordered.
Uncle Sam raced out of the room and up the stairs to get changed, while Megan wheeled her brother into his specially adapted bathroom in the downstairs extension the council had recently funded. It had everything installed to make Daniel’s life easier. There was a hoist on a rail that led into the box-shaped shower room, so Auntie Gail was able to place Daniel in the hoist and easily transport him to take a shower every morning. She’d told Megan that lately, Daniel’s personal hygiene had intensified as he seemed to soil himself more and more during the day.
It was an anxious time for all of them, caring for Daniel. Although the lion’s share fell on her aunt’s and uncle’s shoulders, she made sure to help when she could.
She wheeled him up to the sink, ran the hot water and added just enough cold to lower the temperature to tepid. She dipped his blue flannel in the water and smothered it in soap. His head juddered from side to side, anticipating what she was about to do. “Now sit still, wriggler.”
“Me, Me, ducks!”
“She laughed. You are funny. I’m not going to wet you that much, just enough to clean you up. Don’t you want your dinner, Daniel?”
“Me, Me, ducks!”
“I’ll take you to see the ducks at the weekend, I promise, all right? Now, be good and stay still for Megan.”
“Me, Me, love you.”
Her heart swelled with joy and love. Her brother truly was the sweetest person she knew. His life had imploded the night of the accident, and now this was what they all had to contend with. While none of them complained about caring full-time for him, there were times when she wished she had her old brother back. The brother she used to go on adventure holidays with, who she loved nothing more than to embark on rock-climbing and windsurfing expeditions with. All that was a distant memory for both of them now, if Daniel even remembered those times.
After cleaning his face and hands and drying them thoroughly, she wheeled him back through the house and into the kitchen. He sat at the head of the oblong table with Megan on one side of him and Auntie Gail on the other. They took it in turn to feed him while trying to feed themselves at the same time. It was a routine they’d come up with a long time ago; it allowed everyone to enjoy their meals while they were still hot, and all four of them ate together instead of enduring staggered sittings. They were a unit, each of them having a role to play in caring for Daniel so his life was as normal as they could make it.
Her brother turned his head away from Auntie Gail. “Me, Me, do it.”
“No, Daniel, it’s Auntie’s turn. Be a good boy now.”
“Me, Me.” He banged his fist on the arm of his chair.
A hurt expression flashed across her aunt’s face. Megan’s sympathy gene notched up. It was hard for her aunt to take rejection. “It’s okay, love. You feed him. I might get to eat a hot dinner for a change, eh?” Her aunt winked at her, keeping her tone light and jolly.
Megan mouthed an apology and fed Daniel in between eating small mouthfuls of her own dinner, which was delicious as usual. Auntie Gail was one of the best cooks she knew. It was always a pleasure to come here for a meal; at least, she was guaranteed to get something other than a bowl of cereals or beans on toast.
She fed Daniel until he’d had enough and refused to open his mouth, then she concentrated on eating the rest of her meal. Her aunt and uncle were easy to talk to, they spoke about what each of their day’s had consisted of and always involved Megan in the conversation.
“When is your next day off, dear?” Auntie Gail asked.
Although Megan had booked a few days off in order to carry out her audacious plan, she had no intention of telling her family. “Not until next Wednesday. I’m having to work extra shifts at the moment as there are several colleagues off work, either through holidays or sickness. I don’t mind though, more money for me, right?”
“You work too hard. A young lady of your age should be out there enjoying herself,” her uncle admonished good-naturedly.
“You worry too much. I adore my life. Maybe adore is a tad over the top, I love it, how’s that? Gone are the days where I go out clubbing every night, not that I ever did that, not really. I’m too much of a home girl, you know that.” She glanced at her brother whose eyelids were drooping. “I miss spending time with Daniel and the adventure sports we used to throw ourselves into as kids.”
“It needn’t be like that, not nowadays,” her uncle said. He left the table and returned to place a brochure down beside her.
She opened it and flicked through the pages. “My goodness, how on earth did you hear about this?”
He tapped his nose. “I have a few contacts. What do you think? Daniel would love to do something like that, wouldn’t he?”
Megan angled the brochure in her brother’s direction. “What do you think, Daniel? Would you like to go to an adventure park one day?”
His eyes drooped even more until a soft snore escaped.
“Maybe not.” Her uncle laughed.
“We’ll ask him again when he’s less sleepy. I’ll need to do some research into the facility, but it looks to be a thrilling experience for both abled and disabled alike. It would be wonderful to go with him, I’m sure he’d be delighted at the chance to do it.” She smiled at the man who had cared for her, treating her as his own daughter, since she was very young. “Thanks, Uncle Sam, you’re the best. You both are. I don’t have a clue what our lives would be like if you hadn’t stepped up to the plate and offered your home to care for him. We’re both so appreciative of you putting your lives on hold to ensure he has a quality of life like no other.” Her eyes misted up and she dabbed at them with her serviette.
“Hush now, you’ll start me off,” Auntie Gail said, swiping a serviette across her eyes. “It’s a pleasure. Our lives have been enriched immeasurably by having you two around us. We don’t see caring for Daniel as a hardship, we see it as a calling. It’s made better people out of the pair of us, in the long run.”
“You’ve sacrificed so much over the years to take care of us. I just want you to know that both Daniel and I love you for putting your lives on hold to make ours more fulfilling.”
Her uncle squeezed her hand and smiled. “Megan, it’s what families do for each other. Your parents were both very special people, it broke our hearts the day they died eighteen years ago. Gosh, has it really been that long?
I guess it must be. The time has flown by, you know why?”
“No. Why?” she asked.
“Because we’ve enjoyed every single minute of it. You mustn’t think looking after Daniel is a chore for us. No doubt there are days where we think that, but as a rule, we do it because we want to and not because we have to.”
“Words fail me as usual. You were not obliged to step into our parents’ shoes, but you did it without a second thought. In my opinion, that shows how much compassion you have running through your souls. I’ll always be grateful to you, especially with the anniversary coming up.”
“Anniversary?” Auntie Gail frowned and looked over at her husband.
“Of the crash,” Uncle Sam filled in.
“Oh my! How silly of me. You really shouldn’t dwell on that, Megan. Try to ignore the date when it comes around every year. We can do little about it, it’s not as if we can turn back the clock, is it? As much as we’d all want to do that, it’s time we forgot about the past and lived for the future.”
Megan smiled and reached out for her aunt’s and uncle’s hands. “As I’ve said a thousand times before, you’re both angels in this world in which there are so many dark demons. It’s a better place with you in it, of that I’m certain.”
“Count yourself in that equation too, Megan, you’re a very special young woman who deserves nothing but the best in this life. The way you put your brother’s needs before your own… not every twenty-something would be willing to do that.”
“Daniel and you guys are all I have left. I intend to share every spare moment I can with you.”
“And we with you. The offer is always there for you to move in permanently,” Auntie Gail stated for the umpteenth time.
Although Megan was severely tempted to accept the offer this time around, there was something stopping her. Maybe she’d be more willing to accept their kind offer once she’d rid herself of the angst building up inside, fuelling her need to right the wrongs of a distant past that had shaped both her brother’s and her own life over the years. “Let me mull it over. All I know is that I miss you guys when I’m not here, but something is stopping me from taking the plunge.”