‘Boss, you ready to go?’ asked John slightly unnerved by Dylan’s tone. Dylan stood, took the cup off Vicky and gulped a mouthful of coffee before handing it back to her. He slid a biscuit off the plate she held and popped it into his mouth, collected his jacket from the back of his chair and headed towards the door, clipping on his black tie.
‘Yeah, let’s go,’ he said.
The funeral procession for Bridey and Toby was about to commence when they arrived. Dylan stood alongside his colleague. A marked police vehicle shone in the afternoon sunshine at the front of the cortège. The streets were lined with townspeople for as far as Dylan could see. A camera was set on the procession.
Harrowfield Parish Church was at the heart of the town. Anglican worship drew the riches of the Christian tradition old and new. Dylan stood beneath its mighty towers and immediately realised these as the church's beacon to direct the faithful to the house of God.
There was a gathering of people in black. The footpath leading to the wooden porch was awash with bouquets, soft toys and photographs. Local media were there along with one or two Nationals who made themselves known to Dylan.
‘Detective Inspector Dylan,’ called a chirpy little voice, have you identified the driver yet?’
He looked sideways and saw Riley Shaw from the local paper.
‘Not yet Riley, but we’re making progress,’ he called back.
Not quickly enough though,
he thought to himself.
The inside of the Church was full to bursting with mourners. Dylan felt a chill that sent a shiver down his spine, or a goose walking over his grave, as his old mum would have said. There was standing room only at the back, which is where John and he stood.
The music started.
I’ve Been Missing You
by Chris De Burgh echoed around the room and through the speakers to those stood outside. Dylan shuffled. He looked up at the stained glass window at the front of the church and clasped his hands in front of him.
Shuffling could be heard to his left and out of the corner of his eye he saw the first of the two coffins being carried down the aisle. The same aisle that Bridey and Graham had walked not long before, a gentleman whispered to his friend who stood in front of them. This time there was no smiling faces, no jubilation, and no wedding march. The coffins were adorned with brilliant white lilies, which Dylan thought created a heavenly light of their own, a halo and a tribute to the loves of Graham Tate’s life.
The coffins were laid to rest at the end of the aisle in front of the altar, together side by side. The vicar read Psalm 23,
The Lord Is My Shepherd
; Dylan’s favourite Psalm. Readings were read through the tears of loved ones and there was an address before
Jerusalem
rang out of the hearts of the congregation. Afterwards were prayers and Dylan prayed hard for the capture and conviction of the people who had done this terrible deed. Dylan watched Graham pick up Toby’s tiny coffin and lovingly cradle it in his arms as he walked back up the aisle with it to Toby’s final resting place with his mum, Bridey in the graveyard.
‘Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am the thousand winds that blow. I am diamond glints in the snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumnal rain. When you waken in the morning hush, I am the soft uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine in the night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there, I did not die,
’ said the vicar.
Dylan and John turned and left the family and friends of Bridey and Toby to their grief, tossing coins into the collection for the church roof fund as they passed.
‘I need a drink,’ said John, loosening his tie as he hurried his step to catch up with Dylan’s long strides.
‘Me too,’ Dylan said, shaking his head. ‘Tell you what; I’ll stand you a brandy in a coffee, how’s that?’
‘Anything with a hint of alcohol sounds good to me,’ John said, as they reached the car. ‘Right or wrong boss I’d want revenge if that happened to me and mine.’
‘It wouldn’t bring ’um back.’
‘No, but I’m sure it would make me feel a hell of a lot better. A few years in prison, which let’s face it, is all the driver of the car will get, isn’t sufficient for their lives.’
‘I know but we don’t make the law John, we only enforce it mate.’
‘If Graham Tate gets hold of the people responsible for Bridey and Toby’s death I can’t imagine what state we’ll find them in,’ John said thoughtfully.
It was that time of day. Billy and Danny were outside the school gates in their new car. Pam hesitated as she looked beyond the crowd and saw Danny. ‘Wow,’ she murmured.
‘You look good,’ said Danny to the excited teenager. Pam giggled and a blush crept up her cheeks. She stood coyly looking over at the group of girls who watched on. Throwing her hair over her shoulder she smiled at them like a cat that had got the cream.
‘That’s Sara you were asking about,’ she said to Danny. A big grin spread across her face as she waved to a girl that stood at the opposite side of the road.
‘Whitworth’s daughter?’
‘Yep, the ginger haired girl,’ she said.
‘She’s not very old is she?’ said Danny.
‘She’s my age,’ said Pam, indignantly.
Billy stared at Sara Whitworth long and hard. ‘Is she?’ he said, with surprise.
‘Enough about her. When you coming for a spin with us? ‘What about tomorrow?’
‘Yeah, that’d be great,’ Pam said. She’d done her duty by going to France with the oldies, now it was her time and she’d do anything to spend some of it with Danny.
Billy was quiet as he watched the ginger haired girl cross the road. A car stopped in front of her and Billy thought she was about to get in but she walked around the back of it and made her way up the main road.
‘Is he coming?’ mouthed Pam.
Danny nodded. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get rid of him,’ he whispered and she giggled once more. ‘Pick you up from yours tomorrow morning.’
‘The oldies will be gone by half-eight at the latest so see you after then. I’ve gotta go, I’ve got a riding lesson,’ she said tucking her wayward hair behind her ear.
Pam’s mind was all over the shop as she walked away from them with a grin so wide it made her nose wrinkle. What would she tell them at school? Would she need a note? What if her parents found out? If she didn’t go Danny might not want to see her again.
Oh, it was a no brainer; she was going alright, what was she thinking of? How could she even contemplate missing out on a day out with Danny? It was a thrilling thought but scary too because she’d never done anything before that her parents didn’t know about.
She shivered with excitement. What would she wear? She’d do her hair and nails tonight she planned. ‘Whoopee.’ she yelled flaying her arms in the air as she threw caution to the wind and ran down the grass banking in delight.
‘Let’s see where that copper’s daughter goes Danny?’ said Billy, pointing to the figure of a girl disappearing slowly out of their view.
‘Why? What’re you thinking?’ Danny said suspiciously.
‘Don’t know yet, but I do know I’m looking forward to tomorrow,’ he grinned showing off the big yellow stain on his two front teeth.
‘Thought you weren’t listening?’
‘Well you know what thought did, don’t you?’ he said. ‘Too right I was,’ he said pulling the pink thong out of his pocket and sticking it under his nose as he sniffed it.
‘She won’t want to come out with us again after that then,’ Danny snarled.
‘So, we’d better make the best of it then hadn’t we?’ Billy said, with a glint in his eye. ‘Why don’t we give the copper’s daughter a bit of a fright?’
Danny drove the car slowly. Just close enough to keep their prey in sight.
Sara Whitworth walked the well-worn route home, totally unaware she was being followed. She walked across the green and through the little park with the swings and slide that her mum and dad had taken her to often when she was little. She marched over the tarmac in the small car park where she had learnt to ride her bike. Next she came to the picnic area where they often had their tea outdoors and the onwards into the coppice that led to their back door. Although the traffic had been busy on the main road there weren’t many people on foot, Billy noted.
‘I’ve got an idea. Tomorrow if we’ve dumped Pam in time let’s come back here and wait for her to walk home from school. I’ll give her a message for her dad. I’ll need a balaclava,’ he said wistfully.
‘You’re a bad lad Billy Greenwood, a very bad lad,’ Danny scoffed.
It was a quarter to nine when Pam heard a car rolling along the driveway pebbles. She peeked out of her bedroom window to make sure it was them. She felt sick with exhilaration at the sight of the Subaru. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins. Was her heart going to burst she wondered as it beat madly in her chest.
She had tossed and turned all night with a knot of anxiety in her stomach. It felt like Christmas morning and the day held great expectation. At four o’clock she’d got up and poured herself a drink of juice, unable to stay in bed and walking back into her bedroom she had caught sight of the short denim skirt hung on her wardrobe door and the low cut bright pink lycra top, in the light from the hallway. She nervously giggled with the thought of wearing them.
She wished she knew where her pink thong had gone, but she could hardly ask her mum, could she? How could she explain she wanted a thong on a school day? Knowing her dad, he would have thrown the present her friend had bought her for her birthday straight in the bin. He had been very vocal in telling her she was far too young for such a thing.
A last look in the mirror and a spray of her mother’s expensive perfume she ran out to the car, pulling the door with a bang behind her.
‘Wow’ Danny said. ‘Look at you.’ He held the door open wide. Billy poked his head between the front seats, grinning sleazily at her. She smiled back; the sooner they could lose him the better, she thought.
‘You smell nice,’ he said, his eyes willing her top to drop and allow him a glance at her breast.
‘Thanks,’ was all she could muster; she was feeling very self-conscious of Billy’s roving eyes. She pulled her skirt down by the hem as far as she could and held her handbag tightly on her lap. Billy was weird, but Danny seemed to approve of him so that’s all that mattered to her.
‘What did you decide to tell the oldies?’ asked Danny
‘I haven’t,’ she said, shyly as their eyes met in the rear view mirror
‘And school?’
‘I’ll tell them I was sick tomorrow.’
‘I’m impressed,’ he said with a nod of his head.
‘Thought we’d go to the Country Park, it’ll be nice and quiet there and there’s that sandy stretch near the water where we can sunbathe.’
‘Great,’ she said. Her stomach did a flip.
‘I’m going fishing, ’Billy said with a wink.
Even better, thought Pam; her eyes wide with glee.
‘We’ll call at the garage and get some sandwiches, drinks and that,’ Danny said.
‘Oh, I’ve got some money for…’ Pam said, frantically scrambling in her bag for her purse.
‘No, put your money away,’ Danny said gallantly.
‘Yeah, that’s a first,’ Billy said, chuckling.
Pam screwed up her nose. He was a sick pig and she couldn’t wait to get rid of him.
Danny and Billy strolled into the garage and Pam took the opportunity to check herself in the mirror. She touched her cheeks, stroked her eyelashes and threw a smile that showed her even white teeth. She undid her bag and taking her lip gloss out she swiftly ran her index finger around her lips with the mint flavoured sheen. She’d seen her mum do it often when her dad was filling up with petrol. Was this how it was going to be from now on? A warm glow engulfed her.
Flipping the mirror up she watched the two friends saunter out of the store with carrier bags full to bursting. Danny opened the car door and passed a bag over the seats to Pam.
‘Didn’t know what sort of sarnies you liked so we got a selection,’ Danny said with a big smile crossing his face. ‘Pass a Snickers over will you.’
Pam delved into the bag. Beer, cider, sandwiches, crisps, more beer she noted as she groped around.
‘You want a beer?’ Billy said as he shook a can before pulling the ring tab. Foam and alcohol squirted all over the car much to the amusement of the pair.
Pam squealed, ‘Oh, the lovely new …’ she said, trying desperately to mop up the spray that had landed all over her clothes. ‘Later,’ she said whilst blotting the rancid liquid from her skirt. The smell of beer and now the motion of the car made her feel nauseous. She had never been a good traveller and as she felt the familiar draining of colour in her face and shortness of breath, she prayed that they would soon be at their destination.
The Country Park was bathed in glorious sunshine. Meadow grass wafted in the warm breeze along the long winding path that led to the sculpture park. Pam breathed in the warm, clean air in big gulps as she stepped from the car. The views were magnificent for as far as the eye could see. Pam stretched her body to the sky. She lifted her face to the sun and was glad of its warmth. Swaying slightly, she found herself in Danny’s arms and for an instant she felt like she was in heaven.
‘Let’s go down to the water’s edge. Down there,’ Danny pointed, as he gazed at her lustfully. Billy handed her bags to carry.
‘Yeah, that looks like a good spot,’ said Billy, heading for a shaded spot under a huge willow tree. There was a path down to the lake. Pam wished she had worn different shoes as she tottered behind the two tittering youths.
Turning round Billy grabbed the bags from her grip and ran ahead like an over-excited child. Danny held back and reached out for her hand. She sighed with contentment as she closed her eyes and wallowed in his closeness, confident as she was in his charge.
This must be what it's like to date an older, more experienced guy, she thought as Danny swung her round and kissed her roughly on the lips before laying a blanket on the ground. She would have liked to be alone with Danny but it was their first date and having Billy around would maybe stop him getting over-friendly, she thought. She wasn’t ready to go all the way with him yet; after all she was only thirteen.
The water lapped a shingled path in front of them. They could have been at the seaside, she thought, as the boys discarded their tops and threw them in a pile on the ground under the tree. She reached out to fold them neatly, watching the boys playfully splashing around in the lake.
‘Get the cans out. I’m thirsty,’ Billy shouted as he got out of the water and began picking stones up and skidding them on the surface. Danny sat down next to her and threw a can of beer at Billy. It landed in the water and he waded out for it.
‘Fancy a skinny dip Pam?’ Danny asked.
‘Oh, no thanks, it’s too cold for me,’ she said feeling very mature as she took a sip from the opened can of lager Danny offered her.
‘Billy will do when he’s had a few more. He’s fucking mad.’ he said rolling his eyes. For a split second she felt unnerved. She looked around. It was an isolated spot and all of a sudden she realised how little she knew of Danny Denton and Billy Greenwood. Danny put his hand on her leg just above her knee and stroked the inside of her leg gently without looking at her. She instinctively tensed.
‘Here have some more lager, it’ll help you relax,’ he said, soothingly as he handed her a second can from which he had begun drinking. She took a long swig of the liquid and coughed.
‘I don’t usually…’ Pam started to say, by way of an apology.
‘Yeah, but today’s special, so have a drink with me to celebrate, eh? ’
She tilted the can and took a long drink. Danny held the bottom of the can in the palm of his hand and tilted it so that the liquid came faster into her mouth.
‘Yeah, that’s it, good girl – have a good drink.’
The liquid started to run down her chin and onto her chest as her throat tightened up. She knocked the can to the side and gasped for air and coughed uncontrollably. Danny patted her gently on the back, laughing hysterically.
‘Come on, drink up, there’s plenty more where that came from.’
‘Let’s open a bottle of cider each and see who can drink it the quickest,’ Billy said joining them and instantly reaching into another carrier bag. ‘Good game, good game,’ chortled Billy as he stood shivering in his wet clothes.
‘Perhaps we should have something to eat first,’ said Pam, hoping that they might forget about the stupid game.
‘Five minutes and there’ll be a consequence for the person who finishes last,’ Danny said.
‘But … but I’m not used to drinking so that’s not fair,’ said Pam, with a little cry. Her head was already starting to spin.
‘It’s not fair.’ Billy mimicked the whine of her voice.
‘No, Pam’s right,’ said Danny holding up his hand in protest. ‘We won’t start to drink ours till Pam is halfway down her bottle, Billy come on, don’t be a dick.’
Pam smiled nervously and looked to Danny for reassurance.
‘You’ll be fine,’ Danny said laughing at the look on her face as he pulled her backwards onto the grass and leaned across to kiss her full on the lips.
‘Nice view,’ Billy whistled. Pam knew he could see up her skirt.
She sat up as quickly as she could, ‘Er, what’s the consequence going to be if you lose?’ Pam asked, taking a little sip of the cider.
‘What d’you think it should be?’ asked Danny.
‘I dunno,’ she said, quietly.
‘The loser skinny dips,’ Billy shouted.
‘That’s not a consequence for you, you do that anyway,’ said Danny.
‘Yeah, but I’m not gonna lose am I?’ said Billy, with a squeal as he flopped backwards into the lake.
‘But, I haven’t got a towel.’
‘Ah, never mind,’ Danny said.
‘Awh, just strip off, we don’t mind,’ Billy said, chortling.
Danny threw his empty can. Billy threw his further. Danny hurled a cider bottle.
‘You shouldn’t drink any more should you?’ Pam said to Danny. ‘You’re driving.’ Danny looked at her, eyes wide in disbelief. He sniggered. Billy laughed out loud.
‘I think I need a slash,’ Billy said, as he came to stand beside them. Stepping back he unzipped his fly and urinated on the grass.
Pam’s heart jumped into her mouth. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. It was the first time she had seen a man’s penis except in pictures or on statues. She didn’t know where to look. ‘Like the look of it love?’ he said laughing as he dangled his penis in front of them shaking the excess drips from its end.
‘Quick,’ Danny said, giggling like a little kid. ‘He bloody means it,’ he said pulling her up from the grass by her hand.
‘You bloody moron. Put it away and go do some fishing or sommat for a bit,’ Danny said nodding suggestively to his friend.
Without a fuss Billy snapped a twig from the tree, picked up his drink and winked at Pam. He sauntered down the side of the lake and out of sight behind the trees.
Danny and Pam sat in silence. Pam shivered and goosebumps rose on her arms.
‘You cold?’ Danny asked throwing his drunken arm around her shoulders. His breath smelt of beer as his mouth found hers and she gagged. ‘Bet you’re glad you skived off now,’ he said putting a hand on her chest and guided her body onto the grass. Within seconds his body was on the top of hers. He started to fumble under her skirt.
‘Stop, stop,’ she cried.
‘What the bloody hell’s up with you?’ he asked. ‘Oh, no, don’t tell me you’re a prick-tease?’ he said with eyes that looked dark and menacing to her.
‘No, I … I … need the toilet,’ she said, pushing his body off hers. He eyed her with displeasure and she could feel his anger.
‘Well you’ll have to go in the bush over there, there’s nowhere else out here,’ he said.
‘Okay. I’ll just be a minute,’ she said, getting to her feet and brushing the grass off her skirt. Squatting behind the bush she heard the sound of a ring-pull being torn from a can and she knew Danny was opening another can of alcohol. She looked heavenward, what was she going to do?
The crack of a twig breaking close by made her jump. She stood hurriedly. Her heart raced. Staring at her she saw Billy watching her. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Billy put his finger to his lips and grinned before casually walking away. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had a feeling telling Danny in his inebriated state might antagonise things so she decided to keep quiet and try and get him to take her home.
‘Can we go home now, please?’ she said as she sat down beside Danny who was laid on the ground pointing to the clouds in the sky and giggling to himself. He didn’t reply but reached out towards her and pulled the back of her top with such force that she fell back to the ground. Instantly, he was on the top of her again, his hands up her skirt and inside the crotch of her knickers. Pam screamed and struggled to break free.
‘Danny, please stop,’ she squealed as tears sprung to her eyes. He pulled her hand away, looked at her as if he wasn’t really seeing her and ignoring her plea he lifted up her top and tore it off. Pam cried out for help. He smiled at her. ‘Nobody for miles around I’m afraid, sweetheart,’ he breathed into her face. ‘Come on now. Don’t struggle, you know you want it as much as me,’ he said in a calm, rich, dulcet tone.
Pam saw Billy’s face hover over them.
‘Need any help?’ Billy asked. Pam sighed, a huge sigh of relief.
‘Please Billy, please tell Danny to stop,’ she begged.
‘I didn’t mean you,’ he laughed, taking Pam’s pink thong from his pocket and dangling it from his fingers above her.