No Questions Asked (21 page)

‘I see they’re still having a go at Bradley Thompson’s mother Lucy’ said Nick who was reading a piece in the Times telling more lurid stories about her.

‘It makes me sick’ said Martha. ‘And it makes me so bloody angry. You remember that couple from Berkshire last year whose child went missing and was then found dead? There was such an outpouring of public sympathy for them that still goes on today and yet nobody ever raises one word of criticism for the fact that they left their daughter to play outside the pub where they were whilst they had dinner with friends inside?’

‘Bloody irresponsible I agree but they’re a professional, middle class, good looking, articulate couple who look good on TV. Lucy Thompson is a lap dancer. There’s your answer, darling’.

‘Yes and it makes me very bloody angry, Nick. How fucking unfair it is that just because someone is a lap dancer they’re deemed to be unworthy of public sympathy but if you’re a middle class professional then you are worthy of it. Urgh! I’d like to do unspeakable things to some of those bloody hacks’.

‘How was Lucy Thompson when you went to see her the other day?’

‘How do you think? She was still utterly distraught that Bradley had been murdered but even more so because it was a neighbour who did it. Yes I know she was having an affair with the woman’s husband but why did her son have to pay with his young life for that? It makes me wonder if we can ever get to a place where tragedy is tragedy and your job and your lifestyle don’t have anything to do with anything’.

‘And you’re treated the same if you’re a lap dancer on benefits or you’re an articulate middle-class pair of professionals’.

‘Precisely’.

‘It’s a bloody tall order considering the public love to read salatious gossip about people they don’t know and have never met but who they love to pull down so they can feel better about their sorry sad little selves. But we’ve got to keep trying’.

Martha’s mobile rang and it was closer to where Nick was so he picked it up for her. He looked at the caller id and smiled ‘Oh it’s your boyfriend’.

Martha laughed. ‘I suppose you mean Ashley’.

‘Oh he’s got a special place for you and it involves a hard-on’.

‘Nick!’

‘He’s got a crush on you and you know it’ said Nick. ‘I’ve seen the way he looks at you sometimes’.

‘Erm, what were we just saying about salatious gossip?’

Martha pressed the answer button and said ‘Hiya! … what? … what on earth are you doing there? … oh my God … we’ll be right over’.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Nick.

‘Ashley got home tonight and was putting his key in the door when some bloke jumped out of the bushes in front of the block of flats where Ashley lives and beat him up. It was so bad he’s landed Ashley in St. Thomas’s hospital. And it was targeted, Nick. It was a targeted attack because Ashley said the man warned him that it would worse next time if I didn’t drop my petition in favour of the European paedophilia bill’.

‘Christ’ said Nick. ‘This is getting bloody serious. It could be you or one of the kids next’.

‘I said we’d go over there and see him’

‘Of course’ said Nick.

‘So what do I do now? I can’t drop the petition, Nick. There’s too many kids at risk to do that’.

‘My more immediate worry is who’s behind all this and why? Someone has to know somewhere’.

Kyle and Jess had become instant best friends and Kyle had helped Jess by listening to her about her grief over her mother and Jess had returned the favour by listening to Kyle saying how much he hated his father for simply not caring about him and how much he loved and respected his mother for keeping it all together against all the odds.

‘Then there’s all the trouble I gave her about Tim Ryder’ said Kyle. ‘Although I still maintain that I did nothing wrong’.

‘But you did in the eyes of the law’.

‘I know but my own moral compass wasn’t compromised put it that way’.

‘Have you always been into boys?’

‘Oh yeah. For as long as I can remember to be honest’ said Kyle. ‘Look, what are you doing this weekend?’

Jess sighed. ‘Well Eva Braun will be over I suppose’.

Kyle laughed. ‘God, you really did pay attention in history class. Well you see my Mum has found a flat for her and me. It’s only at the bottom of the road from where we are now at my Uncle Jeff’s place and as long as all the credit checks and references and shit work out then we’ll be moving in this weekend. Why don’t you come over and help us? You can meet my Mum and the rest of the family. Uncle Jeff is really cool and my little cousin Toby is fun’.

‘Isn’t your Uncle Jeff my Dad’s boss?’

‘Yeah but that won’t make any difference’ said Kyle.

‘Yeah okay’ said Jess who’d been dreading the upcoming weekend. ‘As long as your Mum won’t mind me hanging around?’

‘She’ll be glad of the female company’ said Kyle. ‘What with the live in nanny and housekeeper Brendan plus my Uncle Lewis and his partner Seamus who are always popping in’.

‘I know’ said Jess. ‘It’s a right gay boys club in your family’.

‘Except for Uncle Jeff who is you might say the only abnormal man in the family by being straight’.

‘He must get quite lonely at times’.

‘Yeah I think he does’ said Kyle. ‘I never knew his wife Lillie Mae because it was before the two sides of our family were reconciled but he clearly loved her so much. I just don’t think he’s ready to let someone else into his life yet’.

‘I wish my Dad hadn’t been’ said Jess. ‘I really do’.

Kyle put his arm round her and pulled her close. ‘Hey, don’t worry. I’m always here for you’.

‘Maybe we should get my Dad together with your Mum?’

‘You haven’t met her yet’ said Kyle. ‘You might not like her’.

‘Well if you’re anything like her then I think I will’.

It was almost time for afternoon lessons to start and they started walking back into school together. Jess felt so fortunate that Kyle had come along just when he had. He was turning out to be the best friend ever.

Kyle stopped to go to the toilet and said he’d see Jess in class. Jess walked on and she didn’t know that Kate Branning was waiting round the corner for her. When Jess saw her she ignored her and tried to walk on but Kate then threw the mug of hot coffee she’d been holding all over her hand and arm. The sound of the mug falling to the floor and smashing into pieces was loud enough. But it was nothing compared to Kate’s screams. A group of kids gathered round and didn’t know what to make of it all. Then the headmaster, Paul Taylor, came running onto the scene after hearing the commotion .

‘She threw the coffee over me deliberately’ claimed a clearly distressed Kate.

‘You’re a liar!’ Jess responded. ‘I never touched you or the mug!’

‘That’s enough, Jessica!’ said Taylor. ‘Now go along to my office and wait for me there’.

‘But sir I didn’t … ‘

‘ … just do it, Jessica and I won’t ask again’.

Jess then pleaded tearfully. ‘But why do you believe her?’

‘Jess, please go to my office and wait for me there’ said Taylor. ‘Now come on, Kate. We need to get some cold water on that quickly’. 

Jeff went to see John Squires who was being held in the cells in the basement of the station. The duty sergeant unlocked the door and let Jeff in. Then he went back to his desk round the corner to finish off his handover report to the sergeant who was on day shift and about to start their duty.

‘Good morning, John’ said Jeff. He tried to hold his breath a little. It was always a bit pungent down here but John smelt particularly ripe this morning. ‘I trust you’ve slept well’.

‘Don’t bother with small talk’ said Squires. ‘It’s not as if we’re friends’.

Jeff took a deep breath before sitting down closely beside Squires. ‘Have you had time to consider your position?’

‘Shouldn’t you at least be offering me a cup of tea before all this starts?’ Squires queried. He wasn’t feeling as confident as he perhaps sounded. He’d barely slept a wink all night. He was worried about poor Antonia who’d be going out of her mind. It was bad enough last year when he’d been questioned about the murders of members of a Manchester gang and he hadn’t been guilty then. ‘Some breakfast perhaps?’

‘I expect your wife always does you a good breakfast of a morning?’

‘That’s none of your bloody business’.

‘I could almost ask her to bring one in for you when she comes this morning’.

Squires was angry at the thought of what Barton was suggesting. ‘You’re bringing my wife in here? What the hell for?’

‘I decided that if you won’t give us the answers we need then maybe we can get her to’.

‘Leave my wife out of this! She has nothing to do with anything’.

‘Well unless you tell us what’s been happening, Squires then she will have to’ said Jeff. ‘And seeing that your new friend Bernie Connelly isn’t lifting a finger to help you out of your predicament then your wife could be our only option in the face of your refusal to talk’.

Jess was curled up on her bed crying and Adrian was trying to talk to her. She’d been sent home from school but Adrian had persuaded the headmaster Paul Taylor not to suspend and wait for the investigation into the alleged ‘assault’ on Kate Branning just before the start of afternoon lessons.

‘Jess, I’m not angry sweetheart’ he said, softly. ‘I’m not angry with you, Jess’.

Jess could barely talk because of all her sobbing. ‘But … you … don’t … believe me … you believe her’.

Adrian got onto Jess’s bed and tried to reach out his hand to her but she pushed it away.

‘I didn’t say that, Jess’.

Jess swung round angrily and screamed at him. ‘You said you didn’t know what had got into me these days and you didn’t know how to handle it!’

‘A bad choice of words, love, that’s all’.

‘And I saw you holding her and comforting her in the corridor. Don’t lie to me, Dad, don’t fucking lie to me!’ 

Adrian’s heart broke to see his daughter in such a state. ‘Oh Jess, please, calm down and let’s talk’.

‘How can I calm down when my … ‘ she started to sob again and it was making her breathing heavy. ‘… my own father … believes that bitch over me?’

‘Jess, you’re going to make yourself ill if you carry on like this’.

‘Kyle … he’s the … only one who believes me’.

Adrian held her tightly with his hands on her upper arms. ‘Jess, I believe you, I do believe you but please darling you’ve got to calm down. I can’t bear to see you like this’.

Jess put her hand to her arm and Adrian feared he’d hurt her.

‘Oh Jess I’m sorry’ he said. ‘Did I hurt you? I just had to make you stop sobbing or else I was afraid you’d pass out or something’.

‘No’ said Jess through her tears. ‘It’s where she got hold of me the other day’.

‘Who?’

‘Kate!’

‘Show me’.

Jess lifted up the sleeve of her shirt and Adrian was shocked to see the massive bruise on her arm.

‘Kate did this to you?’ said Adrian.

‘She said she was going to make my life hell if I didn’t accept her as your girlfriend’ said Jess. ‘She said that I didn’t understand what she was capable of’.

‘Why did she say something like that?’

‘I don’t know, Dad’ Jess wailed. ‘But she frightened me’.

‘Oh my darling’ said Adrian who then wrapped Jess up in his arms and father and daughter had the kind of hug that they’d both needed from each other for a very long time.

‘Nobody is ever going to hurt you, Jess’ said Adrian who was crying himself now. ‘I’m so, so sorry, darling.

An hour or so later Jess had calmed down sufficiently to be able to contemplate something to eat. Adrian’s other two children were both home and they all decided on an Indian takeaway which Adrian was going to go and get. He also told them that once the case he was working on was well and truly wrapped up and going nowhere further he was going to ask for some leave and the four of them were going to off on a holiday somewhere. And it would be just the four of them. Not even Grandma would be coming with them. He’d ask for permission to take them all out of school and under the circumstances he didn’t think they could refuse.

Maybe he should’ve done that straight after Penny died but he didn’t and now all he wanted to do was to make sure his kids were all okay. It was time for long walks, long talks, long meals round a big table and time spent getting over the hole in all their lives that had been left by Penny.

He was just getting his wallet and car keys together to go and collect their Indian meal when there was a knock at the door. He knew exactly who that would be.

‘Hello, darling’ Kate gushed. She leaned forward for a kiss but Adrian turned his face away. ‘Oh’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting that’.

‘Then what were you expecting, Kate? A red carpet laid out for the woman who nearly got my daughter suspended from school and hurt her arm the other day so badly she’s still got the bruise?’