Could Tina have ordered it? There was a thought and a half. She was a nutter, had to be to live with Charlie Linwood. So who had killed Tina? The same person she had paid to kill Carla and Lorraine?
Suddenly it seemed to him it was coming together. There was a vital component missing; if the scenario was right, who had Tina paid to go in that bookies on that Saturday morning?
He knew he had to see Graham, and finally Kenny called him.
‘Hi, Kenny. I’m at Mum’s house with the kids. You want something?’
‘To talk.’
Graham went quiet for a moment. ‘You have something?’
‘I do, but not what you’re thinking. What time you coming home? We need to meet at yours, the lads are in, studying, and I don’t want them picking up on anything.’
‘Daniel’s already in bed, Kelly goes in about half an hour. I’ll text you when I’m home. That okay?’
‘Sure.’ Kenny disconnected, then put the bottle of whisky away. No more tonight. Tonight was for thinking.
Kenny walked across to Graham’s house; he hoped the evening breeze might clear his head. It didn’t. So many thoughts were running around it, he knew he wouldn’t know where to start once they began talking.
Graham waved the bottle of whisky at Kenny, but he shook his head. ‘No thanks, we need to talk and we need to be sober.’
A look of puzzlement flashed across Graham’s face, then disappeared. ‘Okay. What’s happened?’
‘I might ask you that, pal.’
‘If you’re asking me, the answer’s absolutely bugger all. Nobody knows anything, or at least they’re not prepared to talk about it.’
‘You want to tell me about Tina Jackson?’
This time there was no look of puzzlement. Graham Andrews knew exactly what Kenny was insinuating, and he responded by sitting down heavily on the sofa.
‘Who’s been talking?’
Graham looked at him, then stood and walked over to the window. The moon was a quarter moon, and shed little light. He watched a neighbour walk by, then Kenny turned to face Graham.
‘It doesn’t really matter who’s been talking, what does matter is that if I know, the police will find out. The sensible route would be to tell them first. Soon.’
‘You think?’
‘I think. You’re a bloody fool, Graham. You had Carla, somebody you wanted right from that first date years ago, and you had an affair with Tina Jackson! I don’t understand…’
‘No? Then let me try to make you understand. I always knew I couldn’t keep Carla. She worked with men and I couldn’t be in that damn betting shop all the hours she was in it. I had to trust her, and I didn’t. She was beautiful, Kenny, and I know it was half the reason all the fellers went in there.’
‘So you thought the sensible thing would be to screw Tina? What the fuck did you hope to gain from that?’
‘Maybe a bit of self-esteem.’ He said it quietly. ‘We were having problems quite apart from me being jealous. I think there was somebody else, I don’t know who, and I don’t suppose I ever will.’
‘You want to know how I found out? Jack and Isaac told me. And they found out from Leo Parkes who heard it being talked about at home. The lads are starting their GCSEs this week, and they hear something like this about a man they think of as their second dad, Uncle Graham, someone they can go to if they’re ever stuck for anything. I tried to tell them it was probably only a rumour, and they were to ignore it, but that I would have a walk over here and check with you. I don’t know what to tell them when I go back. Do I tell them a lie, which, by the way, isn’t the way we work in our family, or do I tell them you have been having an affair?’
Graham sighed heavily. ‘Tell them the truth. Don’t lie on my behalf. I’ll go to the police tomorrow and tell them. They’re going to come for me if they find out from other sources, so I’d better get there before they do start talking to the wrong people.’
‘Why, Graham? Do you really know why?’
‘Sex. If you don’t get it at home, and trust me, I wasn’t, you go looking elsewhere for it. I did. It was only a fling, and it was basically over. She started wanting more than I wanted to give, so I cooled it off.’
‘It’s proper cooled off now, isn’t it. You missing a knife?’
‘No I’m bloody well not missing a knife. I’ve got two little kids in the house; all knives are fully accounted for here.’
‘I reckon that’s going to be the first question when you ’fess up to seeing Tina. I’m going home now. You might want to think about a solicitor as well. I reckon they’re going to be looking a lot closer at you.’
Graham’s shoulders slumped. ‘Thanks for coming over, Kenny. Don’t lie to the lads, and wish them good luck from me in the exams. I’ll sort out this mess. They can’t arrest me for having an affair, and that’s all I’m guilty of.’
‘Make it first thing tomorrow, Graham,’ Kenny warned. ‘By lunchtime they may have found out by other means. You’ve got to get in first.’
Graham nodded and escorted his friend to the front door. ‘Thanks for coming over,’ Graham said, and closed the door.
Kenny’s brain was reeling. After the fright of the robbery at Malc Roberts’ house, they’d both played everything safe. Diane Ford had been for one night, and Kenny had recognised how much he had to lose if he followed his instincts and asked to see her again, but Graham seemed to have gone the whole hog with Tina.
Had Charlie found out? He could imagine the big man arranging for her to be killed, but he’d have done things to Graham as well. If it had been Charlie, Kenny reckoned Graham would probably still have had two legs, but probably no feet.
Instinct was saying it wasn’t Charlie, but instinct wasn’t giving Kenny alternative names.
14
Jack looked across at his brother, writing as if his life depended on it, which it probably did, and then put his own pen to the paper. This was it. The years of study, encouraged so much by their mother, and the beginning of qualifications, started this minute in this room.
Leo had turned up for the exam and was sitting with one leg stuck out to the side. Jack and Isaac had exchanged glances when they spotted him still limping. He’d given them a thumbs up, and taken his seat, but then eased his leg out into the aisle rather than under the desk.
The invigilator had handed out the papers, and looked pointedly at Leo’s leg, but he whispered ‘injury’, and she passed by.
For the next two hours there was silence. With half an hour left, Jack noticed Leo sit back, and read through the answers he had already completed.
‘Bloody genius,’ Jack muttered, and began his own final question. Isaac finished before he did, but Leo sat waiting patiently for the official end.
All three stood and walked out of the room together, each lost in their thoughts of their first official GCSE exam.
‘Wasn’t easy,’ Isaac said, his brain unable to produce more words than that until it had recovered.