said.
Charlene bristled with indignation, but sloped off all the same.
Miriam was glad to be on well-trodden ground. It felt firm beneath her feet. ‘What happened, Jack?’
‘She tried to steal a pair of trousers from the market. Got caught,’ he replied.
‘Damn. The stupid girl’s still on a caution from last time.’
Jack waved his hand. ‘Don’t worry, I squared it with the stallholder. He’s not pressing charges.’
‘You’re a saint, McNally,’ said Miriam.
He glanced at Lilly. ‘Not everyone thinks so.’
Miriam caught the look that passed between them but couldn’t decode it. ‘Let’s read her the riot act.’
Charlene was alone in the television room, the other children not yet back from the market.
‘You lot wanna see this,’ she laughed.
On the television was their MP, Hermione Barrows, her face contorted into something she no doubt called sincerity.
‘From your comments it would seem you believe Grace Brand’s daughter was responsible for her death,’ said the Look East reporter.
‘I am not party to the evidence in this case and have no idea whether there is anything to substantiate that. It isn’t my job to say who is innocent and who is guilty. However, it is my job to speak out if I believe the police are not investigating fully.’
Hermione paused and looked directly into the camera. ‘If the police have reason to believe that Grace Brand’s daughter was involved then she should be arrested and charged. If she is guilty then she should be punished. It is time to stop making excuses and make the streets of Britain safer for everyone.’
‘For fuck’s sake,’ said Lilly, and walked out.
Jack and Miriam watched the programme to the end. Spurred by the MP’s comments, the great and the good came out of the woodwork to lend their support, and a spokeswoman for the regional constabulary confirmed that the murder was still very much the subject of an investigation. Finally, the reporter reminded the viewers of other murders committed by children, including Mary Bell and the killers of young Jamie Bulger.
When she heard the sound of the others arriving, Charlene sprinted off to spread the word.
‘It doesn’t look good,’ said Miriam.
‘No,’ answered Jack with a sniff.
‘Lilly’s going to take a lot of heat.’
Jack shrugged.
‘What’s with you two?’ Miriam asked.
‘Dunno.’
Miriam patted his shoulder. ‘You’ve crossed swords before.’
Finally she noticed Jack’s hangdog eyes and the teenage pout. How had she missed it? Had she been afraid of intimacy for so long that she had failed to detect the sexual tension between Lilly and Jack?
‘She won’t even talk to me,’ said Jack.
‘You’re on different sides of the fence right now,’ said Miriam.
Jack shook his head. ‘It shouldn’t be like this. We’ve always worked together.’
Miriam bit her lip. Apart from a couple of uninspiring and guilt-inducing flings, Lilly had been on her own since the divorce. Jack was just the sort of honest and decent man she’d want for her friend, so why wasn’t she happy for her? Why instead did Miriam want to turn this situation to her advantage? She could dress it up as commitment to her cause, but she accepted that calling it manipulation was closer to the mark.
‘Lilly doesn’t believe Kelsey killed her mother. Maybe you should take her seriously and look into this Max thing. He and Grace had a history you know.’
‘Does Lilly have any evidence about this? Has Kelsey said anything?’ asked Jack.
‘That’s a matter for Lilly and her client, Jack, you know that, but maybe he’s the one you’re looking for,’ Miriam answered.
Jack got up to leave. ‘I can’t chase maybes.’
Miriam nodded, but could see she’d steered him in the right direction. Lilly was his Achilles heel and she had just touched the spot.
Jack left the unit and got into his car. Miriam had a point. Recalling Kelsey’s tiny frame, bent over so he
Charlene bristled with indignation, but sloped off all the same.
Miriam was glad to be on well-trodden ground. It felt firm beneath her feet. ‘What happened, Jack?’
‘She tried to steal a pair of trousers from the market. Got caught,’ he replied.
‘Damn. The stupid girl’s still on a caution from last time.’
Jack waved his hand. ‘Don’t worry, I squared it with the stallholder. He’s not pressing charges.’
‘You’re a saint, McNally,’ said Miriam.
He glanced at Lilly. ‘Not everyone thinks so.’
Miriam caught the look that passed between them but couldn’t decode it. ‘Let’s read her the riot act.’
Charlene was alone in the television room, the other children not yet back from the market.
‘You lot wanna see this,’ she laughed.
On the television was their MP, Hermione Barrows, her face contorted into something she no doubt called sincerity.
‘From your comments it would seem you believe Grace Brand’s daughter was responsible for her death,’ said the Look East reporter.
‘I am not party to the evidence in this case and have no idea whether there is anything to substantiate that. It isn’t my job to say who is innocent and who is guilty. However, it is my job to speak out if I believe the police are not investigating fully.’
Hermione paused and looked directly into the camera. ‘If the police have reason to believe that Grace Brand’s daughter was involved then she should be arrested and charged. If she is guilty then she should be punished. It is time to stop making excuses and make the streets of Britain safer for everyone.’
‘For fuck’s sake,’ said Lilly, and walked out.
Jack and Miriam watched the programme to the end. Spurred by the MP’s comments, the great and the good came out of the woodwork to lend their support, and a spokeswoman for the regional constabulary confirmed that the murder was still very much the subject of an investigation. Finally, the reporter reminded the viewers of other murders committed by children, including Mary Bell and the killers of young Jamie Bulger.
When she heard the sound of the others arriving, Charlene sprinted off to spread the word.
‘It doesn’t look good,’ said Miriam.
‘No,’ answered Jack with a sniff.
‘Lilly’s going to take a lot of heat.’
Jack shrugged.
‘What’s with you two?’ Miriam asked.
‘Dunno.’
Miriam patted his shoulder. ‘You’ve crossed swords before.’
Finally she noticed Jack’s hangdog eyes and the teenage pout. How had she missed it? Had she been afraid of intimacy for so long that she had failed to detect the sexual tension between Lilly and Jack?
‘She won’t even talk to me,’ said Jack.
‘You’re on different sides of the fence right now,’ said Miriam.
Jack shook his head. ‘It shouldn’t be like this. We’ve always worked together.’
Miriam bit her lip. Apart from a couple of uninspiring and guilt-inducing flings, Lilly had been on her own since the divorce. Jack was just the sort of honest and decent man she’d want for her friend, so why wasn’t she happy for her? Why instead did Miriam want to turn this situation to her advantage? She could dress it up as commitment to her cause, but she accepted that calling it manipulation was closer to the mark.
‘Lilly doesn’t believe Kelsey killed her mother. Maybe you should take her seriously and look into this Max thing. He and Grace had a history you know.’
‘Does Lilly have any evidence about this? Has Kelsey said anything?’ asked Jack.
‘That’s a matter for Lilly and her client, Jack, you know that, but maybe he’s the one you’re looking for,’ Miriam answered.
Jack got up to leave. ‘I can’t chase maybes.’
Miriam nodded, but could see she’d steered him in the right direction. Lilly was his Achilles heel and she had just touched the spot.
Jack left the unit and got into his car. Miriam had a point. Recalling Kelsey’s tiny frame, bent over so he
Similar Books
