Page 71 of Little Children

‘Clare Lucas?’ Kim asked as they followed through to the lounge. Clare Lucas was the person who had reported her son missing.

The woman nodded and waved towards one of the sofas as she and her son took the other chairs.

‘Is there anyone you’d like to call?’ Kim asked, taking a glance at the photos that graced the walls.

Although randomly placed, Kim could see a timeline that appeared to start when the boys were six or seven years old. There were photos of the four of them until the twins were eleven or twelve. After that, Harry was the only child in the photos.

Sadness for the story represented in the images washed over her, hitting her right in the stomach. Josh would never return to complete this family again.

Clare shook her head in answer to Kim’s question. ‘My wife is in hospital – kidney removal.’ She paused. ‘Have you found him?’

Her expression said that every word in that sentence travelled up her throat with razor blades. She didn’t want to utter the words, and yet it was the only question she wanted to ask. Once the question was answered there would be no return to the place of limbo, the place of hope.

Kim nodded as Harry scooted closer to his mum and took her hand again.

‘Mrs Lucas, it’s?—’

‘Clare, please call me Clare,’ she said.

Kim understood. She didn’t want to hear the inevitable words, the news she’d been dreading for years, from someone formally addressing her by her full name.

‘Clare, it’s not good news,’ Kim warned her.

The woman swallowed and nodded for her to continue.

‘Josh’s body was found earlier today at?—’

Clare cried out as Harry buried his head against his mother’s arm.

‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ Kim offered, knowing that every sorry in the world wasn’t going to lessen her pain.

Kim waited while mother and son absorbed the news, holding on tightly to each other.

Her gaze swept over Harry, a boy with whom she had more in common than any other person in the room and whose pain she understood better than anyone.

Clare had lost a son and there was no refuting the depth of that pain, but Harry had lost the other half of himself, and she knew from experience that loss would affect him for his whole life.

Finally, Clare raised red eyes to meet her gaze. Kim could see many questions forming there. The answers to which were going to help no one’s grieving process, but least of all Harry’s.

She began to turn to her colleague, but he was one step ahead of her.

‘Hey, bud, mind showing me to the kitchen?’ Penn asked.

Harry looked to his mother, who patted his arm and nodded.

‘Lovely photos of the boys,’ Kim said, casting her gaze around the room.

The time would come soon enough for the details she would need to reveal.

Clare fixed her gaze on a photo of the two boys dressed in matching outfits. Kim noticed that was the only one where the boys were wearing the same clothes.

‘We never did that again,’ Clare said as a pain-filled smile passed over her face. ‘Josh made it clear he didn’t like it.’

Looking closer, Kim could see a frown on one of the boys’ faces.

‘He told me in no uncertain terms that he liked blue and his brother liked green.’ She shook her head. ‘He was always the most outspoken one. The one who liked to fill in the details of what they liked and didn’t like. Harry didn’t talk very much at first.’

‘They were adopted?’ Kim asked.