In the photo, Craig Crawford had a leather-plaited bracelet dangling from his wrist. It dangled at the cuff of his blue hoodie where he stood with their son and Justine on a clifftop, each of them smiling for the camera. It was identical to the blue hoodie found at the scene of Kain’s murder, which put Craig Crawford in the picture for Kain’s murder.
SIXTEEN
JUSTINE
As soon as the detectives left, Justine almost tripped up over her own feet darting upstairs before half trying to dress and half trying to contact Danny and Craig. She almost toppled over as she stood on one leg while feeding another through her baggy jeans. Craig’s voicemail message clicked in, again. ‘You know what to do, leave me a message.’
‘Craig, call me now. Just phone, will you? The police have left. They want all of us down the station ASAP to give a statement. What the hell have you been doing? For heaven’s sake. Why aren’t you answering?’
Rage tensed her hands. If she didn’t have to try calling Danny again, she’d have thrown the phone across the room. She selected Danny’s number. ‘Pick up, pick up.’
He answered with a croaky voice. ‘Mum. Why the hell are you calling over and over again? You woke me up and it’s annoying.’
She suppressed the urge to go off at him. How dare he call her annoying. ‘Where are you?’
‘I had a drink with my one of my mates so I stayed over.’
‘I’m on my way. Where are you?’
‘What, no you’re not, Mum. I’m an adult. You can’t just come here and drag me home. Don’t be crazy.’
How dare he call her crazy. If he was in front of her, she’d let him know just how angry she was at that statement. He’d caused her nothing but stress during his teen years, getting into trouble by stealing stupid little things, getting into scraps and, most recently, taking a neighbour’s car for a joyride. She swallowed to try and get rid of the rising acid at the back of her throat. ‘Did you come back home after me last night and leave a teddy on the worktop for Pixie?’
‘I picked her toys up from the floor and put them in her box.’
‘Have you ever given her a pink teddy bear?’
‘No, maybe Dad did.’
She was still convinced someone had been in the house the previous night, but who and why? She’d searched the whole house twice and no one was there. Someone had left the toy in her house.
‘Is all this over a dog toy?’
‘No, it’s all over the fact that the police have been and the only time the police have been here in the past is because of you. I have something to ask and if you dare go off on some sort of teen tantrum, I’ll deliver you to the police myself.’
‘What are you on about? I haven’t done anything? Is this about the police coming over last night? I left you a note.’
She didn’t have time to drag the conversation out any longer. ‘You left the light on and the door unlocked in the garden room.’
‘Sorry. I got distracted when the police knocked.’
‘There was a message on your screen.’ There was no way she could ignore what she’d seen. She hadn’t gone looking through his personal things. The message had been up there, on a screen for her to see. ‘What can’t you live with any longer? What have you done, Danny? I know you were angry that I was trying to help Kain, your dad was too, but I need to know what that message was about.’
Danny went silent. ‘That was private and none of your business. It’s not cool to snoop through my things, Mum.’
‘We’re about to go down to the police station and you’re wrong. It is my business now.’
‘Well, it’s nothing. It’s definitely got nothing to do with Kain being dead but thanks for not believing in me. Thanks a bunch. Did you also tell the police that he kicked you? Didn’t think so. No wonder I hated him and by the way, you had no right to make me keep that from Dad. Pick me up outside the sandwich shop on Shore Street. I’ll be there in ten minutes.’
She wedged the phone between her ear and head as she pushed her feet into her trainers and scooped her hair up into a messy bun.
He paused before continuing. ‘Mum, there is something I need to tell you.’
Her stomach dropped, thoughts going to what her son was about to confess? Had he hurt Kain in anger after he’d kicked her? She almost heaved, then took a deep breath to get rid of those nauseating thoughts that were running amok through her mind. ‘What?’
‘You’re right. I did do something stupid and I need you to go to the garden room and delete that message. The laptop needs to go as well. I trolled someone online, that’s all, but the police might use that against me if they take it. I got carried away having an argument with someone. I’ve deleted that app and only ever used it on that laptop. Everything else has gone but if we’re going to the police station, who knows what might happen. They might search the house, take it away and dig up all those things I said, and blame me for something I didn’t do. You know what they’re like, Mum. I already have a record.’
‘Who did you troll?’ She hated her son right now but there was no way she was going to throw him at the detectives for Kain’s murder. Did she doubt her son? Yes, he was short-tempered and could be impulsive, and stupid in the moment. Would she do everything in her power to protect him? Yes.
