Page 91 of Vengeance is Mine

Terry sat opposite his father at the table and tucked into his own sandwich. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was.

‘How’s the book?’ Terry asked, to break the silence.

‘I’m enjoying it. This John Grisham bloke used to be a lawyer himself.’

‘Did he?’ Terry asked, though he already knew.

‘Yes. It was a film. I looked it up on that website you told me about. Tom Cruise and… can’t remember his name.’

‘I’ll get the DVD for you if you like.’

‘I’d like that. We could have a film night.’

‘Sounds good,’ Terry said, with a smile. ‘Listen, Dad, can I ask you something about Harry and Barbara?’

‘Of course you can,’ he said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

‘I know Barbara’s always wanted Dominic to rot in prison, but what were Harry’s feelings towards him?’

It was a while before Ian replied. He chewed slowly, swallowed, licked his lips and frowned as if in deep thought.

‘Harry was a born detective,’ he eventually said. ‘Always on the side of law and order. If anything happened, he said the law would sort it out. It didn’t matter what case we were on – murder, rape, kidnapping, drugs, domestic abuse, riots – Harry trusted the law would see the perpetrators caught and sentenced accordingly.’

‘But what about when the law didn’t work? What about when some smart-arse lawyer got a killer off on a technicality? How would Harry react then?’

‘He’d blame himself.’

‘How?’

‘He’d say he hadn’t worked hard enough to secure the conviction.’

‘Sometimes, things are beyond our control,’ Terry said, placing his sandwich down on the paper bag they were both using as a plate.

‘I agree. Criminals don’t want to get caught. And they’ll do everything they can to get away with their crimes. They’ll lie, cheat, deceive, blame others, even kill, to save their own skin.’

Terry couldn’t help but feel a warm glow inside. His father was lucid today. He knew who he was; he knew his own life, career and background, and they were having a regular father and son conversation. He’d missed this.

‘That’s happened to me a few times,’ Terry said. ‘I’ve arrested the right bloke. I know I have. Yet he’s managed to worm his way free because someone has lied for him or it’s his word against someone else’s.’

‘Maddening, isn’t it?’ Ian asked.

‘Painfully so.’

‘You just have to take it on the chin. Chalk it down to experience and move on.’

‘Is that what you did?’

‘Yes. You have to, or it’ll drive you insane. What could you have done differently? What could you have done better?’

‘Was Harry able to chalk things down to experience and move on?’

‘No. He was one of the few who allowed things to eat him up.’

‘That’s not healthy.’

‘No, it isn’t. That’s why he exploded the way he did after Stephanie went missing, when he went round to that witness’s house. He was a man possessed. I couldn’t pull him off the poor girl’s father.’

‘It was a horrible time,’ Terry said, looking down.