Page 82 of Vengeance is Mine

Ian’s room was designed to be a small flat. There was an en-suite bathroom and an off-shot kitchen. A table for two beneath a window. It was warm and cosy, but he wasn’t at home, and that’s what Ian wanted more than anything else.

Terry came out of the bathroom, making a note in his mobile of the things his father needed.

‘Can you put a few more books on here for me?’ Ian asked, holding out his tablet.

‘More books? You read those quickly.’

‘What else have I got to do all day? I can’t even go out into the gardens because it’s too bloody cold.’

‘Has Harry been to see you?’

‘Has he fuck,’ he said, tutting and rolling his eyes.

Terry knew he’d forgotten. Harry had been there just yesterday. And Barbara was always popping over with something she’d baked for him.

‘You’ve read all the Lee Child novels. Shall I choose a new author for you?’ Terry asked, scrolling through his tablet.

Ian crawled off the bed and went over to the window. He looked out at the barren winter landscape.

‘Dominic had a daughter,’ he said.

Terry looked up. ‘I know, Dad. I told you.’

‘She’ll know who killed him.’

‘Why will she know, Dad?’

Ian turned back from the window. ‘Because she knew him. She’ll have spent the most time with him over the last year.’

‘I’ve spoken to her twice, Dad – she doesn’t know.’

‘Do you believe her?’

‘I’ve no reason not to.’

He sat back on the bed and picked up the tablet. ‘You’ve every reason not to. The Firm. Wasn’t that a film?’

‘Yes, it was,’ Terry said, a frown on his face.

Terry stayed with his father for another hour. He always felt a lump in his throat when he was leaving, just in case it would turn out to be the last time he saw his dad. He could have another stroke that could kill him. He could become confused and fall, crack his head open on the toilet or something. Ian was the last blood relative Terry had. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet.

On his way out, Terry wanted to ask the receptionist to check the visitor book and see if Harry’s alibi stood for the night of the murder, but nobody was behind the desk. He made a mental note to follow it up another time and made his way outside. He felt uneasy. It was more than just a niggle in his brain. What Ian had said about Dawn was right. He didn’t know much about her at all, and now her father was dead, she would inherit his compensation claim. Money was the biggest motive for committing murder, and who needed money more than a trainee paralegal with a massive university debt hanging over them?

Chapter Thirty-Six

Terry lived only a five-minute walk from Harry and Barbara. On his way home from seeing his father, he decided to turn off and pop in for a visit. It was pitch-dark outside, yet not quite ten o’clock. He guessed they would both still be up.

Harry was dressed in comfortable trousers, a cardigan and slippers, while Barbara looked more relaxed in pyjamas and a dressing gown.

‘Harry, telly off, Terry’s here,’ she said, as she led Terry into the room.

‘Don’t turn it off on my account. I just stopped in on my way home.’

‘Been to see your father?’ Harry asked.

‘Yes.’

Harry and Barbara exchanged glances. They noticed the sad look on Terry’s face, the way he said ‘yes’ with a heavy sigh, and the way he dropped into the armchair.