Leo reverses into a visitor bay to turn around. ‘Right now,’ he says, only half to Ffion, ‘I don’t know if I’m more of a fuck-up as a cop or as a dad.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Get a takeaway, get drunk, and contemplate a change of career?’
‘About your son,’ Ffion says quietly.
Leo drives slowly away from The Shore. ‘If I take Allie to court,’ he says eventually, ‘she’ll report me to Social Services.’
Ffion isn’t saying anything. Leo expected her to rip the piss, after he emerged from Crouch’s office, but she stayed quiet, and Leo has found her quiet company reassuring.
‘I spotted a bloke who’d escaped custody,’ he says. ‘A paedophile. He was right by a school, so I called it in and waited. It was late – around five – so I figured there wouldn’t be kids around, only there must have been an after-school club. A handful of girls came out, and one of them started walking home on her own. She was, like, ten – eleven? Right away, Tackley started following her.’
He turns left out of The Shore, back towards Cheshire.
‘I couldn’t leave her. I told Harris to stay in the car, I’d be right back, and I went after Tackley. I had my radio and I was updating the control room; I thought I’d only be a few minutes, then back-up would get there. But Tackley saw me, and I don’t know if he knew I was job, but he bolted.’
‘And you ran after him.’
‘He went on for fucking miles. Seemed like it, anyway. And you know the worst of it?’ Leo lets out a sharp breath. ‘I wasn’t even thinking about my son at that point. All I was thinking about was getting hold of Tackley and putting him where he belonged.’
‘“For his brave and selfless actions while off-duty”，’ Ffion recites the words from the certificate on the wall of Major Crime. ‘That’s what your commendation was for.’
‘It was over an hour till I got back to my car. Allie had called my mobile to see where we were, and Harris had answered it. He was terrified – it was dark, and he didn’t know where I was. The car was locked. Allie had taken to recording our calls, after I lost my temper with her one time. I’m not proud of it, but I’d just found out she’d cheated on me so . . . Anyway, she taped the whole thing and threatened to take it to Social Services.’
‘And she’s been holding it over you ever since.’
‘I’m only allowed to see him for an hour or so at a time now,’ Leo says bitterly. ‘And never overnight because “the flat’s not suitable”。’ He gives a hollow laugh. ‘I guess I can’t argue with that – I hate the place.’
‘It’s a bit . . .’ Ffion hesitates ‘。 . . studenty.’
Leo gives a wry smile. ‘Says the woman who lives with her mum.’
‘It’s a temporary arrangement.’
‘It always is, when you separate. Three years later, you’re still living next to a woman who burns sage outside her door to ward off evil spirits.’
‘Oh, my God, I wondered what that smell was!’
‘You didn’t think it was down to me, did you?’
‘I was more concerned with where my bra was, to be honest.’
Leo clears his throat. ‘Um, I found it in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I thought you might be embarrassed if I gave it back.’
‘Have you any idea how expensive bras are?’
‘Gotcha. I’ll bring it in tomorrow.’
‘You arrested a dangerous predator,’ Ffion says quietly. ‘You did a great thing.’
‘I put my son at risk.’
‘He was shaken up, that’s all. No harm done.’ Ffion puts a hand on his arm. ‘Turn off here.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘I’m taking you home to meet my mother.’
TWENTY-EIGHT
LATE AUGUST | RHYS
August has been unbearably hot; the air close and heavy, with not a breath of breeze. Rhys stands on the edge of the deck, lethargic yet restless at the same time, and sees his own face staring back at him from water smooth as glass. He hears Dee Huxley laughing at something, and a familiar unease forms in his chest. Her presence – the power she has over him – hangs over him like a noose.
He scrolls through his phone, looking for the #ShoreLife posts and flagging potential opportunities to their PR team. He flicks to Twitter, unable to stop himself from checking his mentions, even though the thought makes his chest feel tight. There are no new tweets, only yesterday’s charming direct message.