‘What happened then?’
‘Yer ma gets back in her car, and that crazy women starts shrieking in some of the foulest language I’ve heard in my time, and that’s saying some. Then she staggers across the Common towards the Hanger Lane end, all bevvied up and groggy. I don’t like the look of that so I follow her, just to see she’s all right. The whole time Chuck’s whining and running up and down, getting in my way, pulling at me trouser leg. I got quite harsh with him.’
Declan drank from his beer and scratched the ear of his current dog as if apologising for mistreating a fellow canine.
‘When I catch up with her, she’s squatting with her back to a tree and relieving herself in full view of anyone driving past on Hanger Lane. Chuck suddenly starts getting interested, and I think, Jesus, I’m outta here, the woman’s fuckin’ nuts.’
He paused and stared at his beer, twirling the glass round and round on the beer mat.
‘And that’s it?’ Disappointment settled in Helen’s stomach
‘Not quite.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I didn’t listen to Chuck, did I? He wanted to go back the way we’d come, but I took another route. I didn’t go back to your ma’s car. She could’ve been dead already for all I know, because I don’t think that crazy woman was in a fit state to harm anyone.’
‘Why didn’t you tell the police this?’
He sighed. ‘I read in the paper they’d caught the woman who did it, and then I thought, maybe I was wrong. When they ask for witnesses, I think, like, well, they’ve got her, haven’t they, and they don’t need me. And anyway, I was trying to keep a low profile, for reasons of me own. It’s just that when I think of that child, her big eyes – your big eyes – I know there’s something more, like, but I can’t say what.’ He looked up at her. ‘That’s why you placed the ad, isn’t it? Because you think there’s more.’
Jason fingered the stem of his wine glass, wine he didn’t want to drink but Charlie had insisted.
‘We’re supposed to be a couple,’ she’d said. ‘Blokes always get white wine when they take their girlfriends to the pub.’
‘Depends on the bloke,’ he grumbled, hankering after a pint, but bought two glasses of white and carried them to the table Charlie had secured, in a corner. Here they had a clear view of a man sitting by the window, the only person in the pub with a dog.
When Helen came in and went straight to the dog owner, Jason found it hard not to look at her. Something inside him screamed ‘she’s mine’, a deep-rooted instinct of possessiveness making his gut clench. A sour taste welled up in his throat, or maybe it was the wine, when the bloke rose and shook hands with her.
He noticed Charlie scribbling something on a scrap of paper. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Composing a love letter to my boyfriend, what do you think? I’m taking notes, what else? What this chap looks like, what he’s wearing, stuff like that.’
‘You’re really enjoying this detective lark, aren’t you?’
She looked up. ‘Well, aren’t you?’
‘It’s not a game, Charlie.’
‘It is to me.’
‘But not to Helen. Her mother was murdered in front of her. Imagine how that feels.’
‘You’re right. Sorry, I got carried away.’ Charlie put the pen down and took a large swig of wine. ‘You really care about her, don’t you?’
He glanced at Helen. The dog owner was showing her a trick the dog could do, and Jason saw the mixture of amusement and confusion on her face. Right now he just wanted to go over there, put his arm around her, and reassure her she didn’t have to go through with this, raking up old memories which must be painful to her. He wanted to tell her that life was still worth living without having all the answers.
But he didn’t. He stayed where he was and watched her digging deeper and deeper.
‘Yeah, I do.’
Charlie touched his hand briefly. ‘Don’t let her hurt you, will ya?’
‘I’ll try not to,’ he said, thinking she was more likely to get hurt than he was.
‘Look, I don’t mean this in a bad way but she’s a magnet for trouble. She can’t help it, but she is.’
Jason grinned. ‘Since when did you turn philosopher?’
‘Just stay cool, know what I’m saying.’
He nodded. Charlie was more right than he suspected she realised. After Cathy he’d withdrawn into himself, shut the door on any deeper feelings he might have had and deliberately only got involved with ‘safe’ girls – girls who didn’t have the power to break down those barriers.