He jerked his shoulders up and down in a quick shrug. ‘My dad goes up the King’s on Wednesdays.’
When he’s not inside?
‘Right,’ Rachel said. Was he trying to give his dad an alibi? Did he think he needed one? Did he imagine they wanted Tandy for the murder itself? ‘We just want to talk to him, you tell him when he gets back.’
As they watched Connor speed off over the cobbles, Rachel said to Mitch, ‘Greg Tandy, he’s only been out nine days and already he’s back in the life.’
‘Doesn’t know anything else,’ Mitch said.
‘That lad’ll go the same way most likely, in his father’s footsteps.’
‘That’s it, look on the bright side,’ Mitch joked.
She looked over to the ruined warehouse, across the strip of canal with junk floating on the surface.
What bright side? she thought. Buggered if I can spot it.
Close to dawn, Janet had gone back with Elise to Vivien and Ken’s. Ken, in the kitchen on the phone, had begun to alert the wider family to the tragedy. His deep voice rumbled in the background.
Vivien was agitated, exhausted too. Circles under her eyes, hands shaking. Her mother was on her way, their son, away at uni, was getting the first train.
We all want our mothers, Janet thought, when something like this happens. That comfort, that unconditional love.
‘She just collapsed?’ Vivien said, uncomprehending.
Elise looked at Janet. Janet nodded – tell her.
‘Like she had a fit,’ said Elise. ‘Her eyes… went back in her head and she was jerking about.’
‘You were out?’ Vivien asked Janet. Her face crumpled with incomprehension.
Out? ‘Still at work,’ Janet said, ‘Elise rang me at ten thirty.’
‘What about Adrian?’ Vivien said.
‘He was with Taisie at home,’ Janet said.
‘And the girls? Olivia was sleeping over.’
Janet’s heart sank. Elise closed her eyes, tensed her mouth, fighting tears.
‘We thought Elise was staying at yours after the party,’ Janet said. ‘We didn’t know you were away.’
‘What party?’ Vivien said.
Oh Christ. It just gets worse and worse. She should’ve checked, she should have rung and spoken to Vivien, she should not have taken Elise’s word for it. I trusted her. I trusted her and now this.
‘I’m sorry,’ Elise said, ‘I’m so sorry.’
It was mid-morning when Janet finally got Elise home and rang Gill.
‘All right,’ Gill answered breezily, ‘it’d better be good.’
A beat of silence, Janet thinking, Oh God. ‘Elise’s friend, Olivia, there was a party last night. Olivia died.’
‘Middleton Road,’ Gill said, quick as a flash, ‘drug-related.’
‘You heard?’
‘Division’s got it. Oh, Janet, I am so sorry. How’s Elise?’