The Lost

Chapter 19

‘Oh, Jonah, thank God!’ Marie practically pulled him inside when she opened the front door. She looked distraught and dishevelled. ‘The police have just left! Oh, Jesus...!’

‘OK, calm down, Marie.’ He’d seen Fletcher and Bennet leaving as he’d pulled up outside. He wasn’t sure if they’d seen him or not, but he’d hung back until they’d gone anyway. There was no reason he shouldn’t visit Marie, but the less he had to explain himself to Fletcher the better. ‘Come on, let’s go and sit down.’

She’d sounded hung-over when he’d called her that morning. She hadn’t wanted to get into why she’d phoned the previous night, saying she’d rather explain in person. Knowing Marie, that could either mean she’d forgotten the drunken call or had just wanted company. After Daly’s visit the evening before, Jonah had been planning to do some digging of his own, trying to verify what she’d told him about Daniel Kimani. Marie had been insistent, though. And there was always the chance it actually was something important.

They went into the kitchen. All the visible signs of the break-in had been cleared away, except for the back door. The broken panel in the porch was still boarded up with plywood, and fresh, unpainted wood showed where the splintered frame had been replaced.

Dylan was sitting at the kitchen table, his head bowed. He looked up as Jonah walked in. His face was pinched and pale, but it clouded when he saw Jonah.

‘What’s he doing here?’

‘I asked him to come, Dylan. He’s here to help—’

‘Yeah? What’s he going to do? Bring Dad back?’ The chair clattered over behind him as he stood up. ‘This is fucking shit!’

‘Dylan!’

Marie clutched at her son’s sleeve as he went past but he shrugged her off. He looked on the verge of tears as he barged past Jonah and rushed out. His footsteps thumped upstairs, then a door slammed, shaking the walls.

Jonah steered Marie to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair for her to sit down. A half-empty bottle of wine stood on the table next to an empty, lipstick-stained glass.

She reached for the bottle of wine and slopped it into her glass, filling it almost to the top. Jonah held a brief debate with himself, then decided he ought to say something.

‘Maybe you should go easy on that,’ he said, sitting down as well.

‘I know, but I need something to steady my nerves.’

She took a long drink, swallowing as though it was water. Jonah waited until she lowered her glass.

‘Why don’t you tell me what’s happened? Why were the police here?’

He could guess but he needed to hear it from her. Marie gave a shudder.

‘It was that DI Fletcher again. He said it was that... that Owen Stokes who broke in here.’ She looked at Jonah, wide-eyed and tremulous. ‘That’s who he was asking about before! He wouldn’t say why, but that’s who they think must have killed Gav, or he wouldn’t keep on about him. And now he’s broken in here! I don’t understand, why would he do that?

She sounded terrified, and Jonah couldn’t blame her. ‘I don’t know, Marie. What else did Fletcher say?’

‘Nothing! He just kept asking if I’d any idea what this Stokes was looking for, but why would I? What could be here that he’d want?’

Jonah didn’t know that either. ‘Did he say anything else?’

‘Just that there was nothing to worry about. Jesus Christ, nothing to worry about? Easy for him to say!’ Her hand was shaking as she reached for her glass again. ‘He told me we should go and stay with my sister for a few days. Just to be on the safe side. Why would he say that unless he thought this Stokes might come back?’

‘It’s probably just a precaution, but it’s not a bad idea.’ For once Jonah was in agreement with Fletcher. If Stokes had found whatever he’d been searching for, then he’d have no reason to return. But if he hadn’t, then he might decide to try again. Next time when Marie or Dylan were home. ‘Have you asked your sister about it?’

‘Not yet. God, I don’t know what to do, it’s just too much! And that DI took the letter as well!’

‘Letter?’

‘That’s what I called you about last night. I found it in my bedroom when I was clearing up. It was on the floor, in with all the mess where the drawers had been tipped out. Like Gav was reaching out to me, you know? He must have hidden it last time he came over.’

Now Jonah understood what she’d meant by ‘from the grave’ the night before. ‘You don’t have a copy of it, do you?’

‘No, I didn’t think there was any need. I didn’t know that bloody Fletcher was going to take it, did I?’

Jonah gritted his teeth in frustration. There might be something in the letter to explain why Gavin had acted as he had. It was even possible that was what Stokes had been looking for, and Jonah had missed his chance of seeing it. Christ, if he’d only gone there a little earlier...

Marie was reaching for the bottle of wine again. Jonah beat her to it.

‘Here, let me.’ He poured her a small amount, setting down the bottle out of her reach. ‘What did it say?’

‘It broke my heart when I saw his handwriting.’ Marie wiped her eyes. ‘We’d been going through a bit of a rough patch. We’d have got over it, I know we would, but this past year everything just seemed to go wrong. Gav was under a lot of pressure at work, and we’d got a few money problems. That’s why he moved out, and then he got suspended. He wouldn’t talk about it. He just brushed it off and said not to worry. But the letter was... I don’t know, different.’

‘How different?’

‘More like how he used to be, you know? Years ago. He said he was sorry he hadn’t been a better husband and father. He knew he’d let me and Dylan down, let everyone down. He said he wanted to make amends and although he couldn’t undo the past, he’d been given a chance to make things right.’

Jonah found himself sitting up straighter. ‘Did he say how?’

‘No, just that he wanted us to be proud of him. And that if things didn’t work out, a lot of people were going to say bad things about him, but that we shouldn’t believe them. And if... if anything happened to him, to remember he loved us both. Oh, God!’

She broke off, her face creasing as she covered her eyes. Jonah put a hand on her shoulder. He badly wanted to ask if the letter had made any mention of Theo, if that was what Gavin had meant by setting things right. But Marie would surely have said if it had, and she’d want to know why he was asking. Fletcher obviously hadn’t mentioned Jonah’s connection to Owen Stokes to her. And, though he didn’t like keeping it from her, Marie had enough to deal with at the moment without him adding to it.

‘Did Gavin say what he was planning to do?’ he asked gently.

She shook her head, wiping her eyes on a tissue. ‘No, but it’s obvious, isn’t it? He was going to try and save those poor sods at the warehouse. That’s the sort of person he was. He said you’d explain.’

Jonah thought he must have misheard. ‘He said what?’

‘That you’d explain. He mentioned you in the letter as well, right at the end. He said I shouldn’t trust anyone else, no matter who they were. Except you, and to tell you he was sorry. And that you’d explain.’ She blinked at him over the tissue. ‘What did he mean?’

Jonah shook his head, but a cold chill ran through him. Gavin must have known he was in danger to have written the letter, but he’d obviously thought he’d have the chance to explain to Jonah first. Something had happened to upset his plans, but the fact that he’d mentioned Jonah at all meant he hadn’t phoned him that night on the spur of the moment. Gavin had intended for him to be involved all along.

The only reason Jonah could think of for that was that it had something to do with Theo.

‘What else did it say?’ he asked.

‘I... I can’t remember. Not much. I didn’t want them to take it, but that DI said it was evidence. He told me I’d get it back, but how long will that take? It’s not right.’

‘It’s just procedure,’ Jonah said, but he felt in a turmoil. Fletcher would seize on the letter as proof that he knew more than he was saying. And there was no way he could explain it. Jesus, Gavin... Even dead he was managing to foul things up.

‘I just wish Gav had said something, that we’d had a chance to talk!’ Marie took another unsteady drink of wine. ‘I should’ve known something was wrong that last time he came here. Him and Dylan had a big row over something stupid. Dylan wanted money for new trainers and when Gav wouldn’t give him it, he had a fit. I left them to it, but afterwards Gav seemed... subdued. Sad. Like he knew he wouldn’t see us again.’

Perhaps he did, Jonah thought. ‘When was this?’

‘The same day he went to that... that fucking warehouse! He must have hidden the letter then, as well. I’d had a tidy-out a few weeks before, sorting stuff out to give to a charity shop. Some of mine as well, it wasn’t all his. But if the letter had been in any of the drawers then, I’d have found it. It was heartbreaking, seeing it lying there.’

She stopped off at the sound of thumping footsteps on the stairs. Through the hall doorway, Jonah saw Dylan run down the stairs and hurry to the front door.

‘Dylan? Where’re you going?’ Marie called.

The teenager grabbed a jacket from a coat hook in the hallway. In the dim light his face looked like a ghost’s.

‘Out.’

‘Now? Out where?’

‘Just out, all right?’

‘You can’t, you heard what the inspector said! We’ve got to go to Aunt Karen’s for a few—’

The house reverberated as the front door slammed. As the echoes died to silence Marie gave Jonah a weak smile.

‘He’s a bit highly strung at the moment. Finding out it wasn’t just an ordinary burglary shook him more than losing his things. Something like that coming on top of everything else, he’s bound to be upset.’

Jonah nodded, thinking about the teenager’s white face. ‘Do you know where he’s gone?’

‘No, he’s always taking himself off somewhere, but he never tells me where. Well, he’s at that age, isn’t he? Nowhere nearby, because he keeps getting taxis. I don’t think he’s going to friends, and when I asked if he was seeing a girl, he bit my head off. God, I hope he’s not getting drugs from somewhere.’ She looked hopefully at Jonah. ‘Could you have a word with him? He might listen to a friend of his dad’s.’

Jonah doubted that, but he wanted to speak to Dylan anyway. Ideally before his taxi came.

‘I should go. Call me any time, if you need anything.’

Marie was already leaning across the table for the bottle of wine as he went out.

There was no sign of Dylan when he went outside, but going down the path he saw the teenager standing further along the street, where he’d be out of sight of the house. He seemed impatient and preoccupied, checking his watch as he stared off down the road. When Jonah’s crutch scuffed on the pavement, he flinched and spun around. For a moment he looked young and scared, then he saw who it was and his expression hardened. With deliberate nonchalance, he turned away.

Jonah limped over. ‘You OK?’

Dylan continued staring down the road, as though Jonah might disappear if he didn’t make eye contact. ‘Yeah.’

‘Waiting for something?’

‘No.’ He shrugged, realising the flaw in his answer. ‘A taxi.’

‘Can I give you a lift?’

‘No.’

The teenager wouldn’t look at him. ‘Your mum’s pretty upset. I know it’s a bad time, but—’

‘Just leave me alone, all right?’

He glared at Jonah, close to tears. Jonah nodded.

‘OK. See you later.’

Dylan didn’t respond. Leaving him there Jonah went back to his car. Climbing in, he adjusted the mirror so he could watch the teenager on the street. Even at that distance, he looked wound so tight he was ready to snap. It could be that Marie was right about the drugs, yet Jonah didn’t think this was about rushing off to buy a fix. He seemed in a barely contained panic. That might be understandable after the trauma of the past few weeks, but he hadn’t been in a state like this at his dad’s memorial service. Even when the house had been burgled, his reaction had been to throw a king-sized strop. OK, Fletcher’s news about the break-in was scary, but that didn’t explain why he suddenly had to rush out.

Or where he was getting the money from for taxis.

A silver Vauxhall with a taxi sign on its door went past. Jonah started the Saab’s engine as Dylan waved it down and hurriedly climbed into the back. He waited until it drove away, letting it draw slightly ahead before setting off after it.

Busy watching the car in front, he didn’t notice the one that pulled out behind him.