‘He was family and you loved him. We also have to remember he was sick. Alcoholism isn’t an easy thing to battle. It’s okay to feel upset.’ Justine sipped her tea and listened. Guilt turned her stomach. She knew that very soon Craig would be found by the police. Soon everyone would be blaming her husband for Kain’s murder and Lindy would likely never speak to her again. She swirled the tea around her mouth, scared to swallow it just in case it wouldn’t go down. She held the teacup to her mouth and discreetly spat the tea back into it as Lindy wiped her eyes.
‘But I hated him,’ she yelled. ‘I told him I hated him and that I wished he was dead because all he did was hurt the people around him. I said all that to him a couple of weeks ago and then someone murdered him.’
Justine hated to see Lindy torturing herself like this. She walked over to the other couch and sat next to her, placing her arm over her shoulder. ‘We all say things we don’t mean whenwe’re upset.’ Justine couldn’t control the breaking up of her voice and tears pricking at her eyes. She couldn’t cry. She had to force that feeling away. After taking a couple of deep breaths, Lindy sank into Justine’s chest and broke down while Justine stroked her hair.
Lindy pulled away and blew her nose.
‘Here, let me take your cup. I’ll make you another drink.’
Lindy grabbed Justine’s arm. ‘Can you stay with me. I don’t want to be on my own. This house feels hollow and it scares me. I keep hearing things that aren’t there, and freaking out. I swear I’m losing it. There’s also so much to arrange and I don’t know where to start. First Mum, now Kain. I haven’t even got on top of Mum’s stuff.’ She began to weep. ‘I don’t know what to do. I need to sort out a funeral but I don’t know when the police will release his body.’
‘It’s okay, I won’t leave.’
Justine felt her insides turning to mush. Where had her son stayed and where had he run away to?Can’t live with this shit over my head any longer.The words that she’d seen on Danny’s screen swam through her head while she let Lindy cry on her. She swallowed at what she’d done to Craig, setting him up for a fall to protect Danny. Confusion was her best friend right now and she didn’t know how to ditch it.
‘Justine, you look sick. Are you okay?’ Lindy dabbed at her red-rimmed eyes.
‘Err, yes. I just remembered I have to do something. It completely slipped my mind. Pop your feet up. I’ll make you another drink before I go and I’ll take these dirty cups out.’ She heard Lindy blowing her nose from the living room. As she carried the cups through the long hallway, she jumped at what sounded like the kitchen door quietly closing. ‘Hello,’ she said.
She stepped back into the kitchen and almost dropped the cups at the sight of the pink teddy bear on the draining board,the same as the one she’d found in her house. She opened the back door and looked out at the garden. There was no one there, just like there had been no one at her house the previous night. A part of her wanted to scream and call Lindy in, ask her if anyone else could be here, ask her about the teddy bear but without knowing what Danny was hiding from her, she couldn’t. Whatever her son was playing at was scaring the life out of her.
TWENTY-SIX
A bell rang as Gina pushed the door of the lettings agency open and Jacob followed her through. She was glad to catch them open after seeing on the door that they closed at five. Yes, they had Craig’s computer but it could take the tech team ages to get into it and find that document, and that was only after it eventually reached the station. It was much easier to head here themselves and ask about the lease. She held her identification up. ‘Can we speak to a manager, please?’
The receptionist peered through her aviator glasses. ‘Yes, but we do close in two minutes. Is it anything I can help with?’
‘It’s about a short-term lease that has been arranged through your company.’
‘Okay, I’ll call Mr Jordan. Go through and wait in there.’ She pointed her long-nailed index finger at the door to her left. They went through and sat in the faux-leather, bucket chairs.
Gina searched on the system so that she’d have all that she might need in connection to the warrant for Craig Crawford’s arrest.
A man in a grey suit with a bun twisted at his nape stepped through. ‘Follow me, we can talk in my office. So, you’re police?’
‘Yes, we need to speak to you with regard to a tenant.’
‘Okay, we don’t give personal information out.’
‘We have a warrant for your tenant’s arrest.’
‘Ah, okay.’ He nudged open a door at the end. ‘Have a seat.’
Gina and Jacob sat at the one side of the desk and Mr Jordan walked around and slumped in his chair. ‘Okay, name?’
‘Craig Crawford.’
‘What’s all this in connection with?’
‘We’re in the middle of an investigation, so I can’t disclose anything as yet.’
‘Helpful – whatever.’
Gina estimated Mr Jordan to be in his late twenties.
‘My dad, the other Mr Jordan, normally deals with this stuff but he’s on holiday so you’ve got me.’ He clicked his mouse and peered at the screen. ‘He’s at Nightingale House, number eight on Stirling Street. It’s a short-term for three months. He’s two months in and…’ Mr Jordan peered at the screen. ‘My dad has had to have words with him. He upset the downstairs neighbours about a month ago.’
Gina knew where that estate was. It was a new build. ‘What did he do?’
