Page 59 of Vengeance is Mine

I watched as the door opened, and men of every age and race entered. Their expressions were downcast and hardened until they saw a friendly face, then they smiled and hurried to greet a family member. I smiled as I watched men wrap their arms around their wives, mothers, fathers, children. It was heartwarming.

‘Here he is,’ Clare said, standing up.

I looked up but couldn’t see anyone who resembled an older version of the twenty-year-old man I’d seen pictures of. As a man approached, I took in his shorn dark brown hair, his sad brown eyes with the dark circles beneath them. His skin was dull and lifeless. His shoulders were hunched, and his strolling gait was that of a man resigned to a life behind bars. He wore faded blue jeans and a blue sweater that had been through the washing machine far too many times.

Our eyes locked. He looked nervous. I guessed I did too.

‘Dominic, it’s lovely to see you again,’ Clare said, holding out a hand for him to shake.

I watched. His grip looked light, almost limp. He smiled at his solicitor.

‘Dominic, I’d like you to meet Dawn Shepherd, your daughter. Dawn, this is your father.’ The excitement in Clare’s voice was palpable. I would have bet everything in my savings account she wished she could have had a film crew present.

Dominic held his hand out towards me. ‘It’s lovely to meet you at last,’ he said. He spoke in a soft Newcastle accent. He smiled, which softened his features slightly.

Hesitantly, I held out my hand. I was terrified. I took my father’s clammy hand in my own and shook it lightly. I had no idea what to say, so I just smiled.

‘Shall we sit down?’ Clare said.

We all sat. Dominic was unable to take his eyes from me while I looked over his shoulder at the rest of the room.

‘Clare has told me a great deal about you,’ Dominic said.

‘I didn’t know Clare knew a great deal about me.’ If in doubt, be light-hearted.

‘I’ve been telling him about your efforts – how you’re helping to strengthen his case that he wasn’t culpable for the murder, and how you want to be supportive in his life once he is released.’

I had never agreed to help his case for compensation. Nor had I said I would be there for his rehabilitation. I had a life of my own, a career of my own, to concentrate on.

‘Do you think we could chat alone?’ I asked, turning to Clare.

‘Oh. Of course. I’ll be in the waiting area. I’ll be in touch soon, Dominic.’ She stood up and took her time walking away from the table.

‘She’s quite a forceful woman, isn’t she?’ Dominic said, once she’d left.

‘That’s one word for her.’

‘I really am pleased you’ve come to see me,’ he said, with a smile. ‘I’ve thought about you often over the years.’

‘I’ve thought a great deal about who my father could be over the years too.’

‘I’m guessing I’ve come as a bit of a disappointment.’

‘Well, there were times I wondered if my dad was a famous actor, a member of the royal family or possibly a secret agent, but not once did I imagine he was a murderer.’ I was aiming for levity, but it fell flat.

Dominic looked crestfallen and bowed his head.

‘There isn’t a day goes by that I don’t regret what happened. I should have called the police as soon as I found the body in the shed. I just… I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I thought, if I hid the body and waited until Dad came home, he’d know what to do.’

‘Are you saying, hand on heart, that you didn’t murder Stephanie?’

He placed his hand on his heart and looked deep into my eyes. ‘I didn’t do it.’

I inhaled deeply. I chewed the inside of my mouth. ‘You weren’t at the shops in Winlaton on that day?’

‘I don’t know where I was. I’d lose hours sometimes and not know what I’d been up to. Those tablets I was taking really spaced me out. I know I shouldn’t have been driving, but Mum wasn’t an easy person to live with. I’d go out for a drive to escape her constant nagging. When I got back home, I couldn’t say where I’d been or if I’d seen anyone. How I didn’t cause a pile-up, I’ve no idea.’

‘Do you think it’s possible that you did see Stephanie that day, that you did kill her, and you just can’t recall it?’

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