Page 56 of Little Children

He’d tried to stop it all from happening, but his brother wouldn’t listen. He’d only needed to make one phone call and it probably would have all ended there and then.

Ever since he could remember, he’d tried to look out for Lewis. It had always been just the two of them after their dad left. He’d been upset himself, but Lewis had been just six years old and had taken it worse.

They didn’t only lose their dad. A big part of their mum left too. There was no more fun, no more games or silliness or laughter. He didn’t understand at the time that she’d been focussed on working and making enough money to support them. The mum they knew had been swallowed up by stretching money, cutting costs, doing extra shifts and paying bills. There had been no time or energy for having fun. So they’d made their own fun and had grown closer than ever.

And then their mum had started to smile again. They’d catch her humming in the kitchen or putting on a bit of perfume. She was happier and the whole house was lighter. She started chasing them to their rooms again, buying them little treats and taking them to the park.

And then she’d brought Bobby home.

At first, Bobby had been amazing. He’d showered them with love, time and presents. They’d lapped it up. Their mum had been happy and laughing and even better than the mum she’d been before.

It was after the wedding that everything started to change.

Bobby moved into their house and the fun times stopped. Both he and Lewis had realised that it had all been an act to get what he wanted. He wasn’t overly mean, just disinterested. He rarely engaged with them and seemed to want them out of the way.

Then his first new brother had come along and the arguing had started.

Kevin came to realise over time that his stepdad was just plain lazy. He did nothing around the house, did nothing to help with the babies as they came along, and struggled to hold down a job.

Their mum was once more reduced to the quiet, penny-pinching shadow of herself as she worried about making ends meet, while Bobby seemingly worried about nothing.

Once the third new child came along, neither he nor Lewis got any time with their mum.

At the same time, Lewis started getting into fights and their parents started being contacted by the school. Each time something happened, their mum looked at Lewis as though he was just one more problem she could do without.

And yes, he had taken Lewis to Lytham and dumped him, but not for the reasons everyone thought.

He’d wanted his mum to worry about his brother. He’d wanted her to miss him and grow concerned, but it hadn’t worked that way. She’d almost been relieved that she didn’t have to think about him for a while.

Lewis had returned a few hours later, got a telling-off and not one thing had changed.

And then there’d been the burglary.

Out of nowhere, Bobby had decided to treat them all to the cinema.

When they’d returned, the house had been done over. Very little damage to the back door, minimal mess, but a lot of stuff taken – all the electrical items and most of their mum’s jewellery.

The insurance payout had replaced the items with a fair bit left over. But that money had run out, leaving the family once again broke with no signs of Bobby getting a job again any time soon.

It was the burglary that had first brought the detectives to their door. They’d been honest about the likelihood of catching the thieves, and Bobby hadn’t been too worried about it.

During their second visit, Bobby had asked them to have a word with Lewis. Tell him about the possible consequences of his behaviour, basically scare the shit out of him.

It hadn’t worked. Then Kevin had started hearing his parents having hushed conversations that ended abruptly when he entered the room. From the snippets he heard, he understood the plan, but he hadn’t ever thought they’d go through with it.

Not until the night they gave Lewis some money and sent him out of the house.

He’d tried to stop it. He really had. But now his brother was gone and he didn’t know what to do.

He’d wondered if he could trust that new copper his parents didn’t like. That was why he’d come to the station. To see if he could catch her on her own. He sensed she felt something wasn’t right.

Then he saw her, and his courage deserted him.

She was heading towards the car with that other detective.

Thoughts started crashing through his mind. What if she didn’t believe him? What if she told his parents what he’d done? What if she told the other detectives what he’d said?

But his biggest fear – and the thing that stopped his feet moving in their direction – was the final question.