David
Joe was exhausted by the time he finished the letter. His emotions were still conflicted but if anything, it made him long even more for his brother to still be alive so that they could talk things through properly and start again. But it was too late, Pam had had the last word on David’s future. He’d failed in his attempt to escape from her.
Joe pocketed the letter and then searched everywhere else he thought there might be important documents, but found very little. Two out-of-date passports, a couple of empty cheque books, several old bank statements, and a post office savings account from thirty years ago with less than five pounds in it, was the extent of his findings.
He put them all in a plastic carrier bag to take home for shredding, then found a roll of bin liners and threw in the worst of the rubbish lying around the flat. He filled a dustbin at the back of the building and left several bags beside it, hoping the rubbish would be collected soon.
After paying George Thompson off, Joe couldn’t wait to get away and drove back to the Premier Inn where he ordered a large whisky in the bar.
He hadn’t realised how extreme his brother’s circumstances had become, but if he had, would he have behaved any differently, could he have done anything about it? Joe would never know; it was too late now, and David was dead. He would arrange the funeral in due course as, like in Alison’s case, an inquest was to be held, meaning a delay in the body being released. It seemed that this and paying off his debts, was all that Joe could do for his only brother.
CHAPTER 27
Hannah followed the progress of Timmy’s Farm with interest, often turning to the Facebook page to read the regular updates. Now that her memory had returned, there’d been no doubt that she would attend their open day; she was far more confident and actually looked forward to meeting the Joneses.
Mel and Sam were keen to attend too, which delighted her, as she was only too aware that they would both be leaving for university in just a few more weeks, so any time spent with them was precious.
The night before the open day Hannah’s leg had been playing up. Phantom pains woke her through the night and she’d risen several times to walk around in an effort to ease the surreal feeling, eventually taking a tablet in the hope of sleep. The morning found her tired but still keen to visit Timmy’s farm and hopefully meet Alan and Cassie Jones, a couple who were elevated to the status of heroes to her mind.
On their arrival, Hannah was delighted to find parking reserved for disabled drivers which significantly cut down on the distance she would need to walk. The mood was decidedly festive, with bunting fluttering in the breeze and the unusually bright September sun bathing the whole scene with kaleidoscopic prisms of light. A party atmosphere buoyed the general mood and children’s laughter could be heard from every corner of the farm.
The whole area was incredibly busy. Both Hannah and her children happily dropped donations into the buckets and then moved on to learn more about this remarkable project, which touched them perhaps more than most, feeling something of a connection to the Joneses’ loss.
Mel saw Hannah looking at a couple with a new born baby and she squeezed her mother’s hand. Hannah knew that Mike and Sarah had had their baby, but she wasn’t ready yet to meet the child, as that would obviously mean meeting Sarah too. The divorce was, however, almost finalised and thankfully it had been amicable, as she’d wished.
Mel and Sam had been to visit Mike and Sarah in their new home and Mel had tentatively told Hannah all about her new sister. Hannah pleased that Mike’s relationship with the twins seemed better than ever and happy to see Mel taking so much pleasure in her half-sibling.
Sam picked up a leaflet with information on the farm and a layout diagram, and proceeded to steer his mother and sister in the direction of the animals. Volunteers were at hand to answer questions and tell the stories of some of the farm’s residents, many of which were quite harrowing, but due to the work of the farm, now had a happy ending.
Hannah was impressed with the tremendous effort the Joneses had so obviously put into making their son’s dream a reality. There were a couple of buildings where visitors were not allowed, one a hospital block and the other a quiet space for new or timid animals to settle in. But there were photographs outside these areas, showing the interior and some of the occupants, images which elicited many oohs and ahs from the visitors.
Other than these restricted areas there was so much to see. Donkeys, Shetland ponies and goats were enjoying the attentions of the visitors and probably being given far too much food, while cats weaved in and out of the multitude of legs as if they owned the place, which in a way, of course, they did.
After an hour or so, Hannah needed to sit down, so they made their way towards a marquee which sold refreshments for a welcome cup of tea and a break. It was there that she saw Cassie Jones. The woman was heading her way and Hannah was unsure whether she wanted to speak with her or not, but then she reminded herself that there was absolutely no reason why she shouldn’t, and she deserved being congratulated on such a remarkable achievement.
Cassie smiled as she neared Hannah’s table, and Hannah reached up to catch her arm.
‘Mrs Jones?’ she said. Cassie sat down on a seat next to her and smiled. ‘My name’s Hannah Graham. I’d just like to say how wonderful this is, it’s remarkable, and you’ve done such an amazing job.’
‘Thank you, Mrs Graham. I remember you from the inquest. How are you doing?’
‘I’m fine, thank you, up and about again now.’ She gave a rather embarrassed smile.
‘So I see. I’m really pleased for you, and thank you for coming today. We all lost so much that awful day, and it’s good to catch up on how others are getting along. I’ve just been talking to Joe Parker; I don’t know if you remember him, he lost his wife in the accident?’
‘Oh yes, I bumped into Joe at the hospital. How is he?’
‘Well, he seems to be heading your way, so perhaps he can tell you for himself?’ Cassie smiled as she nodded towards where Joe was approaching, and then she stood up to leave her seat free. ‘It’s been lovely to meet you, Mrs Graham, please keep in touch; it would be good to chat when I’ve more time.’ With that she left and a smiling Joe Parker slid into her seat.
‘I thought it was you!’ He sounded really pleased to see her and Hannah introduced him to her children.
‘Isn’t this wonderful, Alan and Cassie have worked tremendously hard to achieve all this.’ Joe was obviously impressed.
‘They certainly have,’ Hannah agreed. ‘And this weather’s perfect. Who would have thought we could have one of the best summers for years after such an abysmal winter?’
They were both thoughtful for a moment, silently remembering exactly what the winter had cost them.
Sam broke into the silence. ‘Mum, will you be okay if we go and explore a bit more? Mel wants to get a few more pictures.’
‘Of course, take your time, love; I’ll probably still be here, drinking the teapot dry.’
Sam and Mel said goodbye to Joe and left to see the rest of the farm.
‘Your daughter’s the image of you, you must be very proud of them,’ Joe remarked.
‘I am, they’re great kids, both off to uni soon so I’ll miss them like crazy, but don’t tell them I said so!’
‘Your secret’s safe with me!’
‘So, how are you getting on, Joe?’
‘Okay — well ... maybe not okay, you know?’
Hannah nodded.
‘I almost envy Cassie and Alan for the way they’ve channelled their grief into something so positive,’ Joe continued. ‘They’re an extraordinary couple and what they’ve done here is nothing short of amazing. I didn’t know them before so I never met Timmy, but he must have been a remarkable young man to inspire all this. They seem to have found a reason to keep going, to cope with their grief; I suppose that’s what I envy...’ Joe looked as if his thoughts were miles away. ‘They say we all find our own coping mechanisms, eventually.’