Dan and Jayne sat on a bench, looking out towards a calm North Sea, deep and blue. The headland stretched to their left, the grass-topped chalk cliffs over pebble beaches. The sweep was much longer to their right, where the beaches became sandier, the view interrupted only by the grey jut of the harbour and the fairground brightness of the seafront.
‘I’m glad you brought me here,’ Dan said, his hands thrust into his jacket pockets.
She hooked her arm through his. ‘I was worried that you’d hate it because it was where it all started. What happened here ended up costing your father his life.’
‘That’s why I’m glad. If you hadn’t, it would have been a shadow on the map. Now, it just feels like another town, because this was just a setting, not a cause. Wherever Leoni had grown up, she’d have been the same.’
‘Her mother might have been different though. It sounded like the town trapped her, was too small for her.’
Dan shook his head. ‘I’m pretty sure she’d have been the same wherever she was. If they’d been in a bigger city, she’d have found the distractions sooner, that’s all.’
They sat in silence for a while, comfortable in each other’s company.
It had been more than a month since Chris had dragged Leoni under the lorry. His father’s funeral had been the week before, delayed because of the police investigation, his body released once they were satisfied that his killer was dead. For the first time, he saw a murder case from the victim’s perspective. He didn’t know how much that would change him.
It had been a strange funeral though, because Dan felt the gut-wrenching loss he expected, but there were other emotions that he hadn’t expected, and made him feel guilty.
It was a sense of freedom he felt most, as much as he tried to shut it out. The past month had been a series of jolts whenever he thought of wanting to see his father, of turning up with his usual bag of cider bottles to endure his gruffness for an hour or so, brought to an end by the reminder that he’d never do it again. But there was also the realisation that he was no longer tied to Highford. No family. No business. All he had left were memories. He could go where he wanted, Jayne the same.
Barbara’s trial was still a couple of months away, but Dan didn’t think about that. She’d receive her own justice, although Dan wished he’d spotted her ploy before the trial. Nick would still be in prison and Barbara might have had a chance of dealing with her grief. More than that, his father would still be alive.
Jayne being with him had helped him. The move from former client to lover had felt natural, and when he thought of her now the memories of her bloodied and sobbing in a police station were a distant memory. Instead, it was how she looked in the morning, her hair across her pillow, contentment on her face as she slept. Or her laugh, bright and happy. When they were together, it felt like it was meant to be. He wondered now why he’d fought it for so long, but perhaps the time was just right.
Jayne gestured towards the beach. ‘I’m glad it’s worked out okay for him, too.’
Porter was walking Freddie, throwing pebbles towards the sea and watching as he raced into the waves, barking and running around. Porter slapped his leg to bring Freddie to heel before heading towards the seafront and Dan and Jayne.
They’d met earlier and walked to the beach together, awkward at first, Porter wondering what lay ahead. Rodney Walker had saved him, which was a strange fact to acknowledge. Dan had done nothing with the recording, too overwhelmed by his father’s death at first, and then Rodney had asked him to destroy it. Too many lives had been ruined. He didn’t want anyone else to suffer.
As Porter stamped his feet to get rid of the sand, Jayne said to Dan, ‘Do you think Rodney will appeal?’
‘He said not,’ Dan said. ‘And I don’t think so. The decisions he made all those years ago have caused too much havoc. He’s scared of how the world will view him if he’s released. He didn’t kill anyone, but he knows he isn’t guilt-free. Prison keeps him safe, lets him feel he’s where he deserves to be.’
As Porter reached them, bending down to clip on Freddie’s lead, he said, ‘How long are you two staying?’
‘Just a night,’ Dan said. ‘I wanted to see the town, but we’re heading north next. We’re taking a few months off, doing a bit of travelling.’
‘Where to?’
‘Whitby, and then all the way up to Scotland. I want to be where people aren’t.’
‘That’s a good place to be,’ Porter said, and held out his hand. ‘Thank you for everything.’
Dan stood to shake, Jayne too.
‘I don’t blame you,’ Dan said. ‘You were protecting your home town. I might have done the same.’
‘That doesn’t make it right, but how it is now is as good as we are ever going to get.’
There were no long farewells. Dan watched him head towards home, his head down. Dan knew that Porter was feeling guilty for not speaking up. He was a police officer. He was supposed to protect people.
‘Come on, let’s go,’ Jayne said.
‘Where to first?’
‘The rest of our lives?’
Dan smiled. ‘That sounds like a great idea.’