Page 39 of Vengeance is Mine

‘He didn’t say,’ Joby said, and took another sip of his latte.

I leaned forward and picked up my mug. I took a long sip while I marshalled my thoughts. ‘When you heard about Dominic being charged with murdering Stephanie White, what did you think? Were you surprised?’

It was a while before Joby answered. I wondered if he was trying to find a way of putting it without upsetting me. ‘I’m afraid not,’ he eventually said.

‘Something happened between you, didn’t it?’

Joby nodded.

‘This is the something I might not want to hear, isn’t it?’

He nodded again. ‘It’s not too late for you to say you don’t want to know.’

‘No. I’m fine. Go on.’

Joby drained what was left of his latte. I asked if he wanted a second cup, but he refused. He leaned forward in his seat and interlocked his fingers. He lowered his voice. The twinkle in his eyes had faded, and he suddenly looked very sad.

‘It was a really hot, sunny day. My grandad said we shouldn’t be cooped up in a shed all day. He slipped me twenty pounds and told us to go and get some dinner or something. So, we went into town. We went to Burger King and then down by the Tyne. It was a good day. The thing was, I’d been wrestling with something for a long time, and I needed to get it off my chest. I thought me and Dominic were close enough that I could tell him, and he’d be supportive, give me some advice. So, we were in the park, and I told him that I thought I was gay.’

‘Oh.’ Typical. I looked at his hands and noticed a wedding ring.

Joby followed my gaze. ‘Craig and I have been married for eight years next Thursday.’

‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you,’ he said, the sparkle returning to his eyes momentarily.

‘How did Dominic take your news?’

‘He was very understanding. It actually gave me a bit of a confidence boost, you know, like I could come out to my mum and dad.’

‘So, what happened?’ I asked when Joby stopped talking.

His face seemed to drop as the sadness swept over him. I couldn’t stop looking at him. I was captivated by his story.

‘He called me that night and asked if I wanted to meet up at the allotments.’

I frowned. ‘Had he ever asked to meet at night before?’

‘No.’

‘Did he say why he wanted to meet?’

‘He said he was bored. His grandad always went to bed early, and he had nothing to do.’

‘What did you think?’

‘To be honest, I thought he was going to tell me he was gay too.’

‘Did you suspect he was?’

‘No, but when you’re fifteen and you realise you’re gay, it’s nice to think there’s someone, a friend, who is the same as you.’

‘So, you met at the allotments?’ I prompted.

‘Yes. It was dark. I can’t remember what time it was. Dominic was there, waiting for me. He’d brought a few cans of lager he’d taken from his grandad, but I think he’d had a few already. He was slurring his words. He said he wanted to talk about what I’d told him earlier.’

‘What did he say?’

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