“No. Sorry, Rathnait, but no.”
Newt ushered River along towards the car park, relieved when no one tried to stop them. So the police hadn’t done anything yet about the statement Phelan had made, otherwise Newt suspected he’d have not walked away so easily.
Once they were in the car, which River had left at the bottom end of the parking area, and the doors were locked, Newt exhaled.
“Can you talk and drive?” River took off his mask. “Or do we need to find a layby?”
“I can talk and drive.”
River tsked. “Pity. I needed a kiss.”
“Does it matter if I kiss you now?”
“Oh no. I forgot. Kiss me then.”
Newt leaned over and brushed his lips against River’s.
River put his hand on the back of Newt’s head and threaded his fingers in his hair. “I need more than that. I need reminding that you’re here and you’re safe.”
It was a while before they broke apart.
“Let’s go home,” River said. “Tell me what’s been happening. Start from the moment you… he…heroic…cally leapt in front of a bullet and somehow the bloody thing still hit me.”
Newt chuckled, then did as River had asked. River didn’t interrupt but he did a fair bit of groaning and swearing.
“I need a new phone. Max should have got me one…st…straight away. He didn’t. Wanker. What were you going to do after few…few…neral?”
“Come to the house hoping you’d not changed the alarm code or moved the key from the lockbox. Waited for you. Talked to you.”
“I got home from Max’s and hoped you’d be there. Then I found out about this. So…”
“Now you tell me your side of things,” Newt said.
“They kept me in hospital because of the head…in…jury.”
Newt tsked. “You need to practise falling over without hitting your head.”
“I’ll sign up for lessons. Max was a…prick. Still is a prick. I told him you didn’t do what you went to prison for. Sorry. I wanted him to help you. He said he tried.”
“It’s okay.”
“Didn’t tell him everything, but now the police know because…Phelan con…fessed, I want to tell him. Why are your parents and brother not under…arrest?”
“Soon, maybe. It will all take time to sort out. I have to wait and see if the CPS want to prosecute me about Barney’s death. Then wait and see if they’ll relook at my case in view of the new evidence. And the waiting times to go to court are huge. Years. Nothing happens fast.”
“I wanted to lie.”
Newt glanced at him. “What about?”
“I wanted to say I saw you and Barney s…struggling…and the gun went off. Max said not to.”
“He was right. If our versions hadn’t matched, it would have made me look guiltier.”
By the time River had finished talking, Newt was even more pissed off with Max and decided to tell River the rest of it. “Max put fifty thousand in my bank account.”
“He did what?”
“I think he thought I’d take the money and run, assuming I was free to run anywhere. I had it transferred back. All of it. And that isn’t because Phelan left me money in his will. My brother even set up a fund to pay my legal expenses.”
