Page 20 of Vengeance is Mine

Mum’s smile dropped. ‘January 1997.’

‘Twenty-two years ago. Before I was…’ The penny dropped. ‘Is he…?’ I asked, looking back at the photograph.

She nodded. ‘He’s standing to my left. He has his arm around me.’

I held the picture closer to my face and looked deep into the eyes of my dad. I should have recognised him straightaway from all the pictures I’d seen of him on the internet. But he looked completely different here. He was smiling. He was relaxed and happy. He really was a very handsome man.

I felt a tear roll down my face.

‘Are you all right?’ Mum asked.

I nodded. ‘Fine. All my friends have pictures of their parents, either wedding or holiday snaps. I’ve never had that. It’s weird. You really liked him, didn’t you?’ I asked, looking up at Mum.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. ‘I really did. I mean, you can see how handsome he was. But it wasn’t just his looks. He was kind, too. He had his faults, who doesn’t? But he always made me feel special when we were together.’

‘What kind of faults?’

‘He was very insecure. When we went out, he would always be asking me if I was enjoying myself or if I wanted to go somewhere else. He wanted to know if I was happy and if I liked him. I found it sweet at first, but the more it went on the more irritating it became.’

‘Irritating?’

‘Well, imagine you’re in the cinema with someone, and you’re trying to watch the film, but you’re constantly being asked if you’re enjoying it or if your seat is comfortable, if you can see all right, if you’re too hot or too cold. It drove me bonkers sometimes.’

‘There’s nothing wrong with looking out for someone you care about.’

‘I know, but it got to the point where I couldn’t relax because I’d be waiting for him to check on me.’

‘Did you ever talk to him about it?’

‘Yes. I said that he didn’t need to keep constantly asking me if I was all right or enjoying myself. I wasn’t the type of person to keep quiet if I was bored. I’d certainly tell him.’

‘What did he say to that?’

She smiled at the memory. ‘He apologised. He said he wanted our time together to be wonderful.’

‘That’s sweet.’

‘Yes. It didn’t stop, though. And I didn’t like how he’d turn up when I was out with my girlfriends either. It was obvious he’d been following me.’

‘Mum,’ I began, putting the photo down on the counter. ‘Did you ever wonder why he went from being this sweet, insecure guy to being a murderer?’

‘Of course I did. At first, I thought the police had got the wrong man. I just couldn’t believe him capable of doing something so… horrific. But, well, the evidence doesn’t lie, does it? Stephanie’s body was found in the loft of his parents’ house.’

‘He’s always denied he killed her. He said he found the body and hid it because he panicked.’

‘You’ve been researching him then?’ she said, a heavy frown wrinkling her forehead.

‘What else am I supposed to do? You can’t just tell me my dad is a killer and expect me to continue life as normal. In every statement and interview he gave to the police he said he didn’t do it. His story never changed.’

‘Then why cut up the body? Why hide it in his house? How did the body get to the allotment in the first place? He couldn’t answer any of those questions to the satisfaction of the police or the jury.’

‘Did you hear about a drug he was taking at the time?’

‘Yes, I did. Complete bollocks,’ she said firmly. It was unusual for my mother to swear, and I was always shocked when she did.

‘How can you say that?’

‘It’s an excuse. He was taking medication that ended up being banned because some people committed crimes while taking it, and he’s using it as a way to reduce his sentence. It’s a ruse,’ she said, crossing her arms firmly.

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