Page 116 of Vengeance is Mine

‘Mind if I sit down?’

‘Go ahead.’

He sat on the sofa, looking at the large TV on the wall as he did so.

‘We’ve arrested someone for your father’s murder.’

‘You have? Oh, that’s wonderful,’ she said, hands going to her chest. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips. She sat down at the table. ‘Who?’

‘Three men who worked at the supermarket with him.’

‘Three? Oh my God. He must have been so scared. How did they even… No.’ She stopped herself. ‘I don’t want to know. You’ve caught them. That’s the main thing. Have they admitted it?’

‘They’re admitting to beating him, but they claim they’re not responsible for the fatal stab wounds. Forensic evidence and the autopsy results should work in our favour. I just wanted to come over and apologise for my behaviour towards you.’

‘You thought I’d killed my father, didn’t you?’

It was a while before he answered. ‘I’m afraid I did, yes.’

‘You’re lucky I don’t hold grudges. This can’t have been an easy case for you. It must have brought back some very unpleasant memories.’

‘It did. Still, whoever said life was easy obviously didn’t work in the police service.’ He gave a weak smile. ‘How are you doing after everything that’s happened?’

She took a deep breath. ‘I’m not sure. I’m glad I got to know who my father was for myself. And it was lovely spending time with my grandfather.’ She smiled. ‘But I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything growing up. My mum was both parents to me.’

‘How is the relationship between you and your mum?’

‘It got a bit damaged when I said I wanted to get to know Dominic, but we repaired those bridges.’

‘That’s good. I’m glad. Well, I’ll not take up any more of your time,’ he said, standing up. ‘I just wanted to let you know the latest developments.’

‘Thank you. I appreciate that.’

‘Erm, I know this is going to sound strange, but did Dominic do anything for Halloween last year?’

Dawn was taken aback by the random question. ‘Halloween? No. I don’t think he did. Are you asking if he went out trick-or-treating?’

Terry smiled. ‘No, nothing like that. Did he attend a party, get dressed up at all?’

‘No. He didn’t,’ she said firmly. ‘Why?’

‘Just curious.’

When Terry told Harry and Barbara White about the arrest of three men for Dominic’s murder, their relief was evident. Now they could start to put it behind them. Harry stood up and shook Terry’s hand.

‘Well done, son,’ Harry said. ‘I’m pleased for you. You’ve done a grand job.’

‘It’s not been an easy case.’

‘What will happen to them?’ Barbara asked. She was sitting in her usual armchair, a newspaper folded on her lap.

‘We’ve charged them with murder. Life in prison. Minimum term.’

She looked down, almost crestfallen.

‘Barbara, they’re killers,’ Harry said. ‘It doesn’t matter who the victim is – they committed a crime, and they need to pay for it.’

‘Excuse me.’