Dan walked towards Jayne’s car. She was parked outside his office, sitting in the driver’s seat, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.
Three weeks had passed since Peter and Lucy’s arrest. According to Murdoch, there’d been concerns that they’d stay quiet, but once they got into the interview rooms, they wouldn’t stop talking, each blaming the other for the stabbings. The prosecution had charged them both with murder, but Dan knew it would be a difficult case, because the prosecution would have to prove that each encouraged the other to take part, that they knew Mary would be harmed.
Shelley’s murder was easier to solve. Lucy and Peter had travelled to Highford together, CCTV from Manchester city centre showing them running to her car, with ANPR cameras tracking them all the way. Her boss had made a statement explaining how she’d said there was a family emergency. It didn’t matter who’d pushed her, because they’d been each other’s accomplices.
Lucy had a good lawyer, of course, Conrad Taylor, who’d be keen to put all the blame on to Peter. Mickey’s evidence was crucial, although Dan knew there were difficult times ahead for him, now that his secret was out. Highford was a small town with long memories.
More than Mickey, the prosecution had the news footage of Lucy near the scene the day after Mary had died. In court, she’d said how scared she was, but all the footage showed was her in charge, talking to Peter all the time, whispering in his ear, seemingly controlling him.
Dan had spent some time with his father afterwards, and had enjoyed telling him how he’d brought down Dominic Ayres. There’d been a series of drug busts on properties owned by him, where cannabis farms were discovered, small terraced houses filled with plants and foil extraction pipes and hydration systems. The police couldn’t prove he’d been involved in their growth, but there’d been a clear enough audit trail to charge him with money laundering as well as witness intimidation, relating to Mickey. He was currently in prison, waiting for his trial, as were Lucy and Peter.
His father had been proud. Like Dan had told him, there was more than one way to win the fight.
As for Robert Carter, he came out of prison to not much of a fanfare. He made the papers, but he was portrayed as the man whose cheating had led to Mary’s death, and as the coward who’d stayed quiet and left her to die. Dan found it hard to disagree. Sara wasn’t going to have him back but she’d thanked Dan for getting him out, and she wanted Robert to see his daughter.
As he got closer, Jayne pressed the button to lower the passenger window. Dan leaned in. ‘You don’t have to go,’ he said.
‘Thank you, but I do. I’ve needed to do this for a while.’
‘Will you be all right?’
‘You kept on telling me that I would be, that I don’t need to hide. I hope you’re right.’
‘Are your parents expecting you?’
‘No. I’ll turn up and see how it goes.’
‘And what about Jimmy’s family?’
‘They’ll find out I’m back, it’s that kind of area. I’ll just have to see what happens when we meet, because we will, I know it.’ She smiled. ‘I know one other thing too: I can look them in the eye and know that I didn’t murder him. I haven’t got it in me. What I did was to protect myself, nothing more, and I didn’t mean to kill him. I still see the images when I close my eyes, but I know myself better now. That helps.’
He wanted to reach in and hold her, happy that she was feeling good about herself. If anything good had come of this, it was that.
‘Are you coming back?’
She shrugged. ‘Who knows? If I do, is there still work from you?’
‘You’re cheaper than an employee.’
‘You’re all heart,’ she said, laughing. ‘I should go.’
He wanted to reach in and tell her not to go, that she should stay and they should try to get know each other better, in circumstances where her case wouldn’t be a cloud over them both, but he stopped himself. ‘Yes, you should.’
‘Thanks for everything.’
‘My pleasure.’
‘You sure?’
‘Some of the time.’
Jayne started the engine. ‘Anything else before I go?’
Dan wanted to tell her he’d got it wrong about Jimmy’s family, that she wouldn’t be safe if she went back. They could have some fun, and they’d worked well together. He wasn’t used to having someone in his apartment and she’d made it better somehow. Brighter, more fun.
He didn’t do any of that. He stepped away from the car and gave her a small wave.
She sighed and then blew Dan a kiss as she put the car into gear and set off, waving as she went.
He watched her go.
As he turned back to his office door, a woman was standing outside, watching him. Mary’s mother, her father behind her.
Dan smiled politely as he got close, but it was forced, not sure what was coming.
Mary’s mother was holding a handbag in both hands, although there was a handkerchief crushed into her palm.
‘Mr Grant,’ she said.
‘Yes, hello.’
‘I just wanted to say sorry for hitting you.’ There were tears in her eyes as she said it.
‘You were upset, the trial was a tough time for you.’
‘I’ve been feeling bad about it, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realise you did the right thing, because the right people are in prison, even if you did it for the wrong reason.’
‘I think of it differently. I was doing the wrong thing, but for the right reason.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I defend people, Mrs Kendricks, whatever they’ve done. I do that because someone has to. Robert Carter didn’t kill your daughter, and if I hadn’t come along, he might have gone to prison for life and Lucy and Peter would never have been punished, and perhaps they would even have done it again. I did the wrong thing in not spotting their real guilt, but what I did, I did it because I was defending my client, whatever people thought about him.’
She frowned. ‘I think I understand,’ and then, ‘how is Robert?’
‘He’s rebuilding his life. His marriage is over, but he wants to be there for his daughter.’
‘I wish Mary hadn’t been involved with him.’
‘It was done. Life isn’t perfect, but they were happy, in their own little way.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I just wanted you to know I’m sorry.’
‘It’s forgotten.’
She turned to walk away, pausing to link arms with her husband.
Dan turned back to his office. Margaret was knocking on the window to attract his attention, holding a phone to the glass.
He went inside and closed the door.
‘It’s the police station,’ she said. ‘They’re on hold for you. Someone wants you down there.’
And so it began again. Another case. Another day.
He smiled to himself. That was why he did it.