I watch as they walk together down the street – a sense of foreboding grips me.
Nothing good is going to come of this, I can feel it.
15
Luke takes a detour past Erica Wright’s on the way to work – for the third time in six days. He’s already late with the monthly review of the newly released ‘bestsellers’. He doesn’t know what he’s hoping to find down Erica’s street. Perhaps he’ll see Craig appear at the door – or he’ll follow him and witness the crime he knows Craig’s going to commit. He’d be the hero. Or he could see an angry mob of locals confronting him with placards; a fight on the street. He knows these scenarios are ridiculous. As if he’d see it at precisely the right moment, his phone ready to film it. It would be such a scoop. Some of the nationals picked up his most recent piece – even used his quotes from Gillian Sharpe – but they never mentioned him. They just lifted the words from the Chronicle’s website, with a pitiful link on the word ‘reported’ that no one ever clicked on after they’d been told it third hand.
He slows as he passes Erica’s, but as usual the curtains are closed. Nothing to see there.
Luke continues towards Jason Bamber’s house but stops seconds later when he sees a familiar face. But the face is the only recognisable thing about him. Craig Wright. Shaved head – a number two by the looks of it. Broad shoulders, thick neck, but still the same face.
He’s waiting at the corner on the end of the street, looking around. What is he doing? Craig gets out a mobile phone but puts it away when a car turns on to the street. An older car – an Astra – stops. Craig leans into the passenger window. Luke can’t see if there are any passengers.
He hears Craig swear at the driver, even with his car window up. Luke lowers it down as Craig says, ‘…fucking piece of shit’. He kicks the car door.
Luke gets out his phone to capture it, but the car speeds off.
As though he can sense Luke watching, Craig slowly turns to face him. His gaze is unwavering.
‘Shit,’ says Luke.
He knew he should carry a baseball cap and sunglasses in his glove compartment. Now Craig has seen his face. Luke presses on the accelerator. Craig glares at him as he passes – Luke can feel it even as he tries to keep his eyes on the road.
Luke’s going to have to be more careful about this. God knows what Craig would do if he knew Luke was trying to get a story on him. Unlike all those years ago, Luke has a family now. He can’t put them at risk.
He turns into Jason Bamber’s street, relieved that the black BMW isn’t there. Luke waits a few minutes, his eyes on the rear-view mirror in case Craig is on his way here.
Nothing.
This time, Becks opens the door straight away. She’s wearing a silk blouse with tight blue jeans, but her feet are bare.
Full name: Rebecca Savage, an unfortunate surname. Date of birth: 7 March 1981, almost two years younger than Jason Bamber. They’re married, but she kept her maiden name for some reason.
‘Thanks for coming round again,’ she says. ‘You can’t be long, though. I never know when he’s going to come home.’
She opens the door wide and Luke steps inside.
‘Go through to the lounge,’ she says, heading towards the kitchen. ‘Do you want a drink?’
‘No, I’m fine thanks,’ says Luke.
If Jason were to come back, he doesn’t want to seem too at home with a cuppa.
The living room is small; two leather settees and a chair take up most of the space. On the wall is a fifty-inch TV that’s almost as wide as the mantelpiece below it.
Luke flinches as a piercing scream comes from the corner.
He turns to see a baby in a crib. Luke needs to calm down.
‘Don’t mind her,’ says Rebecca, coming back in, placing her drink on the side table next to her before sitting in the leather chair next to the baby Jumperoo. She tucks her legs underneath her as she gets comfortable. ‘She likes new faces.’
Luke gets his notepad from his inside pocket.
‘You’re not going to mention my name, are you?’ she says, frowning.
‘No, of course not. I’m only after a bit of background about Craig.’
‘That bloody man,’ she says, shaking her head. ‘Jason’s always going on about him. They were best friends even though they were in different years at school.’
‘Did you all go to the same school?’
‘Yeah. Me and Jenna were two years below Jason.’
She brings her legs to the floor and sits straighter.
‘You knew Jenna?’
She nods slowly and wraps her arms around herself.
‘Well?’ says Luke.
‘Well what?’
‘Did you know her well?’
‘Oh, right. Yeah, I guess. We went to the same primary school, too. Hung around with each other until we were about fifteen, but then we drifted apart. These things happen. She was very… you know… into doing homework and stuff. But they say it’s always the quiet ones, don’t they?’
‘The quiet ones who what?’
‘Get into trouble.’
‘But it wasn’t her fault she was murdered!’
‘I’m not saying that.’ She raises a hand in protest. ‘But she was sneaking around with him, behind Lucy’s back.’
‘With Craig?’
‘Yeah. I saw him with Jenna the night she disappeared. Not that she knew Lucy, but you know – everyone knew Craig had a girlfriend.’
‘Did you report this to the police at the time?’
‘Of course. But there was no evidence to connect him with it – and he had an alibi for the time of her death. He was with his mother – even had another witness, which is bullshit.’ She turns to look at the baby. ‘Sorry, Liv.’
She takes a sip of her tea.
‘They were both as bad as each other, you know?’
‘Craig and Jenna?’
‘No, Craig and Lucy. Apparently, she was seeing someone else as well. It was all a bit of a mess. But we were all so young – it was so long ago, another lifetime almost.’
‘Do you know who she was seeing?’
She glances at the baby. ‘No.’
‘Then how do you know it’s true?’
‘People talk,’ she says, shrugging as though it were nothing.
‘OK.’ Luke sighs.
‘I think I’ve said enough,’ says Rebecca. She suddenly stands, looking at the clock. ‘You’d better go.’
‘Well, thanks for talking to me. Any chance I could ring if I have any further questions?’
She laughs. ‘Don’t push your luck. He’d bloody kill me if he found out I spoke to you today.’
Rebecca leads him into the hallway, to the front door. She opens it and Luke steps outside.
‘Can I ask a quick question?’ he says. ‘Why did you talk to me today?’
‘We’ve had this hanging over our head for years,’ she says, wearily. ‘I want it to go away.’ She closes the door and Luke walks back to his car.
Luke is perplexed by her closing words. Why would it bother Rebecca about Craig’s involvement in Jenna’s murder? Most of what he’s just heard is speculation and gossip – apart from the sighting of Craig and Jenna that Rebecca reported to the police at the time. The police chose to believe Erica Wright and the other witness over Jason’s girlfriend.
So which one of them is lying?
16
It’s so peaceful in church when there’s nobody else here. I used to come here a lot when I was expecting Craig; it was the only place I felt closer to my mother after losing her so suddenly. Being here took away some of the hopelessness, the loneliness – it gave me a feeling that there was something bigger than the situation I was in, although I wasn’t religious. It was also the only place I could open my coat in that summer heat without showing all and sundry my expanding belly. Oh, the shame of it. That’s what my mother would’ve said.