CHAPTER 76
A fortnight later, and I was sitting awake in my bed at two in the morning, shaking, my laptop screen glowing beside me on the bed. Paula had been as good as her word, and the first chapter had landed in my inbox ten days after that evening meal with the new girl, and the woman had clearly been listening carefully to me. The first part followed the scheme I had suggested, but as Paula came back out of her opiate haze, the bright and potentially high-flying mind was lighting up.

On the street looking for ‘trade’, as I had suggested, and her description of what exactly ‘trade’ involved was almost unbearable to read, and the following section, where she wrote about her music lessons and a day-dream about playing with some forgotten pop idol or other simply made it worse. I needed to get out with the van, do what I could, and do it soon. It was all so close to home it left me unable to get off to sleep until the following night.

Shit.

Kim’s man had made her an offer, as my first girl had filtered details but managed to make it clear what we needed, and as his studies put him in contact with various local papers, as well as some stringers for the nationals, he was running PR for Paula. Rosie and the rest had been absolutely right about Phil, it seemed, just as Kim herself had been right about Charlie.

We had lost Clara almost immediately, at least during the days, as she had shown herself to be far braver than most of my guests, and as she watched other girls eating breakfast before heading off to school, college or University, she had turned to me and asked, quite simply, if it was something she could share.

I found myself in awe of so many of my little troop, as they made their own lives using only their own strength. None of them had been given my luck with my parents, nor that I had been gifted in knowing Rosie and Carl, but they still stepped out into the world. I felt humbled.

Clara’s return from college after her first day had been hilarious, as both Charlie and Tiff were in a serious huff over her tactics. Charlie’s sniff was full force as we had our evening meal together.

“So, yeah, there’s me and Tiff, and we’re all set to watch this cow’s back, and what does she do? She rings bloody Gemma for a favour, and when we have a break, she’s in the common room with boxes of sodding PASTRIES, and she’s giving them away to everyone! I HATE her!”

Clara looked a little embarrassed, but she just smiled at Charlie.

“No you don’t”

Charlie then made a very odd sound, as she tried to sniff, but failed, as her body decided to laugh instead.

“Yeah, you’re right. Tiff and me, well, Tiff?”

“Yeah. What Charlie was saying, we just wish we’d thought of it first! Anyway, there’s leaflets and stuff on the notice board now, for Gem’s place. S’pose it’s just the same thing as that Frank did, or so Gem says. Free samples outside the shop, just that this was for Clara’s sticky-fingered benefit. At least, what we said, at least we’ll just watch as she gets all fat and spotty”

Clara laughed happily.

“Me get fat? Didn’t see you two running away from the cakes!”

On they went, and it was yet another silly, happy and safe evening in the House. Things were so different only a few weeks later.

I had spent some time preparing, but I was still terrified. I wound it down as I booked trains and a room, but it was still hard to make myself get it done. I realised my mind was doing its own thing, looking for any excuse not to make the journey, but I still knew it was so, so necessary. Elaine Powell had been so on target with that comment about shining a light into the dark places, and if that was how Paula was coping, what else could I do?

Bag packed, onto a train to Crewe, and then sit and sit some more in a little overpriced café near the Virgin office. I found myself looking out of the station, memories piling up, wondering if dog foxes were still pissing in odd corners. I realised that if I had made my escape these days, I would never have got away. No slam-door trains, no gaps in society for me to slip through. Another blessing to count.

Partway through my second beaker of tea, a text came in.

Just come Preston. Staying Ibis

I replied instantly, and felt a sense of relief, as she and her ‘Jon’ were staying in the same hotel as myself. My train eventually arrived, and after we had passed far too close to my former prison, I nearly forgot those times as we rose up with the land, and the scenery looked promising, but in the end, it was just like that first time at Beattock, and it absolutely hammered down with rain. I had my walking jacket with me, so I was okay, but my jeans got rather damp walking to the hotel. As I booked into reception, the girl behind the counter pointed to a young man slumped in an easy chair before a television.

“That young lad was asking me to let him know when you booked in, Miss. Said he had no choice, but I’d let you know he was asking”

“Is he staying with anyone called Owens or Sutton?”

“Oh aye. Mrs D Sutton”

“Thanks, love. He’s a friend of a friend I’m due to meet up with. Nicely done, and appreciated”

“Not a problem, Miss. Some really odd men about; I like to be careful”

Never a truer word… I walked over to the boy, a tall lad with dark hair, and yes, the smell of pork.

“You Diane’s mate?”

He jerked awake and stood up quickly, hand out for a shake”

“Debbie Wells? Jon Phillips. Um, DC Phillips. Do you want to see some ID?”

“Son, I can see you’re a copper, and knowing who I am is enough. Now, not being pushy, but I need to eat. Catch Di and see what the options are? I’ve been doing a search on my phone as I came up”

The name clicked; this was a new comer to the team Di had mentioned, with just a hint that he was involved with one of the others we had met on her hen night. A very big man, with a livid scar; Gemma had been particularly impressed by him, having watched the clips we had of the announcements on the steps of the court. I felt sorry for her; Blake was wrapped up with Di, Scarface was clearly on the other bus, and ‘Georgie’ would forever remain a distant dream.

Jon was grinning at my words, looking painfully young, and took me to the lifts and then to Di’s room. As soon as we had shared our hugs, I made my plea once again.

“Not going on the piss tonight, is it, but my stomach thinks my throat’s been cut. Food?”

She looked surprised.

“You not get something on the way?”

“Those prices? Anyway, don’t want to eat that crap. Got refined tastes, me, or I have after eating Gemma’s offerings. There’s a ‘Spoon’s up the road, a couple of Indians and an Italian. Don’t know about you, but I fancy a pizza.

Di muttered something to her boy about curries, and he smack on form.

“Less farting in the interview tomorrow, then? Pizza will do me fine.”

It wasn’t that far to the Italian I had spotted on the net, and we had no problem getting a seat in the pleasantly quiet and clean place. As I worked my way through the menu, Di was fiddling with her phone, texting away, and I left her to it. The place did a mixed sharing plate of olives, bread sticks and other nibbles. So after a couple of nods from her and Jon, I ordered it as a starter. A it arrived, Di called to a waiter.

“Got another couple arriving for our party. Could you please…?”

“Push another table over? Yes, of course. Just two people?”

“Yes, thanks. Oh, and drinks? Could we please have a bottle of the Barolo?”

He nodded, and Di grinned at me.

“Place Blake took me and my parents on holiday, proper Italian, wasn’t it? In Italy, that is. Got the taste proper”

Jon laughed.

“Candice tells me you got a new ring there as well”

Di looked so smug I felt like slapping her, in a nice way. We were still making bad jokes when a couple of older men walked into the restaurant, and Di’s smile broadened as she waved to them. They must be the ‘one other’ she had mentioned. She greeted them as if they were old friends.

“Good to see you both, gentlemen, but I am beginning to hate trains”

One of the men took the other’s hand, and I suddenly saw Malcolm and Graham, the same warmth, the same obvious and comfortable affection between them.

“We, or rather Peter here, drove up. I have had more than a few unpleasant incidents when using public transport, so we try to avoid it. It is delightful to see you both again, too. And your companion? We are Peter and Ben Nicol-Clements”

Fuck. One fucking other, Called Ben. A voice through a plasterboard wall, so very many years ago, and I realised I was shaking just as I knew how right I was about who ‘Ben’ was. Di’s face fell, and she suddenly looked worried, as if she had been caught out in a major mistake. I reached out for her hand, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall.

“Yes, love, I know. You should have given me more warning, but that is so you. It’s amusing in a way: you are so, so good at spotting odd little connections, but you sometimes miss the big ones”

I turned to Benny, to Ben, his husband beside him, trying to find the right words, then turned back to Jon and Di.

“This wasn’t planned, you two, or at least not intentionally, but I think you have done something I have needed to do for years”

Smile, Debbie Petrie Wells, smile at two very puzzled-looking men.

“It’s been such a long time, Benny. How are you? Well, I hope?”

He looked puzzled.

“We have met?”

Oh god, how we had met.

“Yes, love. I am Deb. I was Billy. Billy Wells”

My old friend was lost for words, his husband looking more and more worried, his hands making vague gestures at me, before forcing his breathing back into a sensible rate. His voice was hoarse.

“You made it them, my darling? Oh dear god… Peter… Peter, a bottle, please? Is the Barolo a good one, Diane? No. Don’t answer. Please, Peter”

He slumped into one of the empty chairs, clinging to his husband’s hand as the waiter brought another bottle, a look of concern on his face. Ben made the toast once the glasses were filled.

“To success, my love. To freedom. To finally burying our demons”

Fuck it. I drank my glass in one go, and benny and I rose as one, our tears coming as we embraced and I thanked god and fate and whatever that he had survived as well. As we settled back into our seats, he started to explain to his husband.

“Peter, my love, Billy---Deb here, was another of those sent to that place I mentioned. I do not mean to open old scars again, but all I will say is that while she was… while those who ran the place were rather taken with her, she was never beaten, never lost her spirit. Please, Deb, please tell”

No. not tonight, not now. Doing it once in front of a jury would possibly be more than would be able to manage. I reached across the table and took his hand.

“I could tell it all, love, but it would take all night, and if this goes to trial, you will hear it all anyway. Let me just sum up, OK?”

“Please”

“I got as far as Shrewsbury the last time, and I found somewhere to shelter, a place I could scavenge food”

Diane made an odd sound, almost a growl, as I continued my story.

“I was injured, as you will remember. I was found. They were good people. I… well, as you can see. I moved my life on, and I now help other young people who need somewhere to escape to. In the process, again as you can see, I have met other good people, and two of the best sit with me, and they will sit with that bastard tomorrow. Now, enough. We have a meal to order, and Jonny boy here needs to tell all about his new best friend”

Change the subject, give them all a new target in Jon. I caught a waiter’s eye.

“Hello? I do believe we are ready now!”

I followed Di’s lead with an aubergine dish, and then a four seasons pizza, and there was more wine as people relaxed and started to talk about brighter things than Mersey fucking View and its staff. I still got a little wet in the eyes a few times, as did benny, but peter was so obviously there for him, and how I envied their clear love for each other. Jon broke the mood for an instant, returning from a toilet visit. Di caught the look on his face.

“Problem, mate?”

“Could be. Family in the corner there; the bloke asked me if I could get the two old poofs to stop holding hands in front of their kids”

“Oh for fuck’s sake! Think it’ll be an issue?”

There was a grin on Jonny’s face that was doing its best to mimic the one I had seen on Inspector Patel’s face.

“I don’t think so. I may just have shown them my warrant, explained the law and asked if they would really like me to ruin their evening, and most especially in front of their kids, as a positive inclusion lesson appeared to be desirable for the little cherubs. Ah”

“What?”

“Just pissing off now, Di”

“Any trouble with the management, you think?”

He grinned.

“What, here? When the waiter’s just slipped me a bit of paper with his number on?”

Darkness left our mood as the Carlisle Family Arse left the restaurant, and after some properly happy catching up, Benny’s man raised his hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Please. A moment. Ben and I have endured more than a few unpleasantnesses, and I will not shy from saying that many of them were caused, or exacerbated, by the police. It is most heart-warming, finally, to encounter two honest coppers, as the phrase goes. So, may I offer a toast? Decent people, honest coppers!”

Once the toast had been given, he began really taking the piss out of Jon. I slept badly that night, with so many memories of Benny whispering through the wall to me.

“I’m still bleeding”, oh god.

Breakfast felt like a lump of concrete in my gut as we waited at the Police headquarters the next morning, eventually being greeted by a reasonably senior copper. He obviously knew Diane, speaking to her directly but looking more than a little worried.

“Mr Sedgewick’s come up as well, and we have some other people attending. I wanted to ask if that would be acceptable. If not, we can set up the video feed to separate rooms”

I watched Jonny boy’s eyebrows rise, just a little, and he was clearly far from stupid.

“Would this by any chance be the family that was mentioned before? The ones who broke the place in Carlisle?”

The senior copper nodded.

“Yes. The Elliotts. I have already spoken to them, and Mr Elliott made a rather fruity comment about wanting as many people as possible available to dance on Cooper’s grave. The family is in one of our smaller conference rooms, where we have set up the link. I’ll take you in. Can you buzz us in, please, Mick?”

Once again, oh fuck. I knew exactly which family he meant, because their book was sitting on the shelf at home. We followed the local man into a room filled with all sorts of office crap, a load of chairs, a large video screen and a group of six people I didn’t know at all by sight, but very well by reputation. Ben’s husband Peter started, calling over to one of the group.

“Roger, my dear?”

A tall and slim man turned in obvious surprise, a smile spreading across his face in the warmest of ways.

“Peter? What brings you… Oh! Is this Benny?”

Hugs, smiles, and introductions all round. Peter was almost gushing to ‘Roger’ and Benny.

“Darling, you remember what I said, about my friends from London? This is Roger. Roger, my beloved husband, Ben. I am afraid we were a little precious, and double-barrelled our names. How is Simon?”

Roger’s smile went.

“The dear boy went last year, Peter. I am… well, meet my adopted family, my dears. Three generations of it, no less!”

I had spotted what just had to be Stevie Elliott, but it was a woman who replied, making a derisive noise.

“Only by adoption, you sod! Let me; he’ll only be silly and take all morning. You two are bobbies, am I right?”

That last was to Jon and Di, as the latter held out her hand to her. I was watching another member of the group, though, and it was a while before I finally forced my mind to accept what I was seeing. He looked like a woman, but everything about him was Small Man Syndrome: push me, and get a smack in the mouth. As Di introduced herself, I realised she didn’t have a clue about who he was. The first woman grinned.

“Sheepshaggers, is it? Stevie and Em here knows all about that place!”

The dark-haired woman replied, and I put her down as ‘Em’ for I already knew who Stevie was.

“What Kaz means is that me and my boy here went to college in Bangor, and if I let her witter on, she’ll take even longer than Roger there. I am Emily Elliott, my hubby Stevie, our kids Stevie and Karen, and she’s Karen Dennahy”

Di’s boy twitched yet again.

“Not Brian’s missus?”

He turned to Diane.

“I know: it’s not rugby, girl. Assistant coach at Newcastle United. That right, Kaz?”

Em started laughing, waving the first woman, Kaz, to let her speak.

“Let me finish, lass! Brian’s busy today, he says, but I am going to be really blunt here, because I think it’s more of a case of cold feet. So, clearing the air, we know who that bastard in the cells is, and we know why he is there. Why are you all here?”

Em was coming across as being just as SMS in her mood as the waves of it coming from Stevie. Another and more senior copper was with us now, and he took the lead.

“Mrs Elliott, Cooper worked in other places before Castle Keep. My two colleagues here have identified a number of victims from one of those, and brought two of them to watch their interview. It may lead to a trial, which is why it will be without sound. I am sure you will understand that our intention is to help these other victims to find a little peace in their lives”

Finally, Stevie spoke, and I noticed he looked straight at me and Benny, and his eyes embodied Elaine’s parting words that night. I realised that this was a man who would indeed never stop hating. His voice was without inflection

“Was it just Charlie you had, wherever it was?”

Di replied, sounding off-balance.

“No… sir. They had Donald Renfrew Hamilton as well, but I believe he is no longer with us”

That brought a change in his tone, as the hatred bubbled out into the open..

“Don? That fucker rode the wrong tiger, and it ate him”

One of the younger woman looked worried.

“Dad!”

He shook himself, turning to smile at her, his hair long, visible breasts, oh you utter bastards, I thought, but he managed a half smile for her.

“Sorry, pet. They killed Don, but they missed Charlie. If he ever gets out, I won’t”

Once again, the top copper interrupted what were building up to be awkward comments, this time a threat to kill. Stevie’s eyes were as hard as Carl’s had been when Sam was murdered, and I really believed, at that moment, that his response to any release of Charlie Cooper would be as terminal as Carl’s had been after Sam’s death. The policeman was straight to the point.

“Stevie, Ben here and Deb were both in Don and Charlie’s old place, before they moved up this way. I will not say, I NEED not say, any more. Now, Diane? Jon? Are you set?”

Jon and Di nodded a yes, and the two local coppers looked at each other. As I joined the Elliott family and the others before the large video screen, I heard a whisper from one of the two local boys.

“Time to lay some ghosts, my friend”