Adrian got chills as they pulled back into the Quicks’ driveway, remembering what happened the last time they were there. Adrian thought of who he had been then and it felt like a lifetime ago.
Imogen pushed the doorbell and Mrs Quick answered the door. She had that look still, grief, the hollow of bereavement. They had known they wouldn’t be welcome after what had happened last time they were there, but nothing could prepare Adrian for the look of sheer hatred and betrayal Mrs Quick gave him.
‘What do you want?’ she asked.
‘We just wanted to ask you a few questions about your son, Mrs Quick,’ Adrian said.
‘Can we come in?’ Imogen added.
‘I don’t think so. Just ask me what you want to ask and then leave.’
‘Do you know why your son moved back home?’
‘He said he wanted to save some money, said he was struggling to keep on top of his bills. I didn’t really scrutinise his reasoning; I was just glad to have him home.’
‘Did he say much to you about his work at Corrigan Construction?’
‘No, but he was different after he worked there. It changed him, it did.’
‘Changed him how?’ Adrian asked, remembering that Gerry Thompson had said something similar about working there.
‘He just became a total recluse. He was always late for things, or just didn’t turn up at all. He cut himself off from almost everyone he knew apart from Simon.’
As she spoke, Adrian thought again of the idea that had come to him at Cameron Becker’s residence. He remembered the look on Leon Quick’s face as he plunged the knife into himself. There had been something he would rather die for than talk to them about.
A few weeks ago, Adrian had no idea what could have caused a young man to behave in such a way. As soon as the thought entered his mind it stuck. No proof, but Adrian knew. He thought of Leon’s face and he knew. He knew what had happened to Leon because it had happened to him and, he believed, to Cameron Becker, too.
Reece Corrigan was behind the sexual assault on Adrian. Any doubt Adrian had of that fact was quashed by this realisation. He might not have done it himself, but he was the driving force. To distract him from the case? To teach him a lesson? To put him in his place? There were no boundaries. There was nothing Reece Corrigan wasn’t willing to do to protect himself. There was also no way Adrian was going to let him get away with it.
This meant that it was more than likely one of Corrigan’s associates was his attacker. This narrowed things down and gave Adrian a sense of peace, knowing which direction the attack had come from, knowing the reason.
The adrenaline coursed through him with new vigour as he imagined getting his revenge, followed by the feeling that this was already more than he could handle on his own. He couldn’t tell Imogen, though; he didn’t know if he would ever be able to tell her. Keeping such a big secret from her didn’t feel right, but there was no way Adrian could utter those words yet. He needed to get better first. Before taking any more action, he had to stop falling apart and put himself back together.
He remembered the list he had printed off and put in his drawer. He would start to investigate each name on it. He knew Leon’s attack must have happened just before he’d moved home. It occurred to him that while Quick’s attack was taking place, Adrian was just doing his normal Adrian things, oblivious to what was happening, oblivious to who Leon Quick was.
It seemed strange to think about that attack now, that if they had known, that if Leon had reported it then they would have investigated it. Maybe they would have found who did it. Maybe that person would have been in prison. Was it the same person who attacked Adrian? He almost hoped so, because the thought of someone else committing sexual assault at Reece Corrigan’s bidding was too much to bear.
Adrian thought about all the people who were going about their business while he was being raped. A sense of guilt washed over him. He should report it. He should stop this animal from being able to do it again.
Imogen’s hand on his arm pulled him from his thoughts again as Mrs Quick shut the door. He hadn’t even realised he had zoned out again. Still fragile and undone from the attack, he knew his plans would have to wait until he could function vaguely normally again. He could beat this.