Hugh Lawrence walked into what had been Daniel’s sitting room, to his remaining family members. He could feel how slow his movements were. It was an unconscious delay. He knew that what he had to tell them would not be welcome.
‘That was Michael,’ he began. He was unsure how best to explain what was to follow. ‘He said that . . . well, he said that Daniel’s accident, that it might not have been an accident after all.’
For a long moment there was no response. No reaction. Dealing with Daniel’s death had already left the family numb. This new information would struggle to gain a foothold.
‘What on earth are you talking about?’ Deborah Lawrence – Daniel’s mother – broke the silence. ‘How is it . . . how . . . what?’
‘It’s a very long story.’ Hugh’s voice was flat. He took a deep breath and continued. ‘Michael says it’s related to Daniel’s job. Daniel was in interview with the man who killed Neil Matthewson. Now that man’s dead, Daniel’s dead, and Michael thinks it’s all connected.’
Claire and Deborah looked on in confusion. Neither had the knowledge to properly digest what had been said. But someone else did.
‘Daniel saw McGale last night?’
Of the few people in the room only Anthony Haversume knew the name Eamon McGale. He seemed to think for a few seconds before continuing.
‘I was told that McGale saw no one before his death. Certainly not a lawyer.’
‘That’s Michael’s point. That McGale was killed before he could speak, for fear of what he might say, and Daniel was killed for what McGale may have told him.’
The room fell quiet once again. A hive of shock and disbelief. Once again it was Deborah Lawrence who broke the silence.
‘No.’ Her voice was firm but full of emotion. ‘This is ridiculous. This sort of thing doesn’t happen. Daniel died in a car accident and now Michael’s making some bloody conspiracy out of it because he just can’t accept it. I won’t hear of it, Hugh. I won’t hear of it!’
Hugh Lawrence opened his mouth to speak as Deborah began to sob. To comfort his wife. The better-informed Haversume beat him to it.
‘I’m sorry, Deborah, but Michael may be on to something. The official line that McGale saw no one isn’t just for public consumption. It’s what we’ve all been told. If the powers-that-be thought it necessary to tell that lie, they’d think nothing of killing to preserve it.’
‘That’s why Michael wants us to leave.’ Hugh joined Haversume’s blunt honesty with some of his own. ‘Because he thinks we may be in danger from the same people.’
‘What?’
Claire spoke for the first time. If anything could break through her grief it was a threat to what was left of her family. She turned to Haversume for reassurance.
‘But we don’t know anything. Nobody would come after us, would they?’
‘They might.’
Hugh answered before Haversume could. His family needed to know everything.
‘Because they went after Michael.’
‘Michael? Is he OK?’ Claire’s voice was suddenly fired with passion. ‘Where is he?’
‘He’s OK, Claire. He’s been fairly badly beaten but he’ll survive.’
‘But where is he?’
Deborah’s voice this time. No less emotional. Michael was as much a second son to her as he was to her husband. ‘Is he coming to join us?’
‘I don’t know where he is,’ Hugh Lawrence replied. ‘He wouldn’t tell me. But no, he isn’t coming. Michael says he’s going to get to the bottom of this. He’s going to find out who killed Daniel.’
‘Michael can’t do that, Hugh! He’ll get himself killed!’
‘He should be with us. With his family. Once he’s here we can get help. We can get protection.’
‘No, Claire. No, you can’t.’ Haversume rose to his feet. ‘Michael’s right. If he comes to you he risks bringing this to your door. The way I see it, the less anyone knows about any of you the better. There has to be intelligence involvement in this; it’s the only reason they’d have lied to the likes of me. If they’ve killed Daniel and they’ve gone after Michael then none of you are safe. But I can help. I can arrange somewhere. Somewhere only I’ll know about. Where you’ll be safe until this is over.’
‘Are you joking?’ Claire seemed outraged. ‘You’re telling us to run and hide in the hope this goes away? To hope that Michael can keep himself alive and unearth some sort of government bloody spy conspiracy? This isn’t a film, Tony. And Michael’s not James bloody Bond. He’s going to get himself killed, and we’re either going to rot in hiding or be murdered ourselves.’
‘I won’t be leaving this to Michael,’ Haversume replied. ‘And I certainly won’t rely on him playing the hero. There are people in the intelligence community with absolute integrity, Claire. People I know well. I’ll contact them and when I do we will have some of the very best operatives in the world on our side. They’ll flush out whoever is behind this and you will all be safe. Michael too. But for now you’re not. For now, Michael can take care of himself. And I can take care of all of you. Please let me do it.’
Daniel’s family were united in silence. Just minutes ago they had nothing but their grief. That had changed. Now they had to run.