Page 180 of Murder in the Family

CUT TO: FOOTAGE. JJ and Tarek are standing in the main street of Flamborough, New Brunswick. There’s a soft furnishings store on one side of the street, a Subway and a real estate agency visible on the other. Cars are parked and people are on the sidewalks and sitting outside a café in the sunshine; everywhere looks a lot more prosperous than it did in the historical photos shown previously. In the foreground, Tarek is looking at his phone, and JJ has a map folded open on the bonnet of a car.

JJ NORTON

The water tower is north-east of here, so I reckon the house must be—

(looking up and pointing)

—in that direction.

TAREK OSMAN

(staring at his phone)

Yup, that looks about right.

CUT TO: JJ and Tarek outside what is clearly the house shown in the original photograph: the camera angle has been exactly replicated to allow the present-day image to morph slowly into the photo and then back again to the present.

The building has been extended and the front yard concreted over to give more space for cars. A large SUV has been reversed onto the drive. The water tower is barely visible through much heavier tree growth. JJ turns to camera.

JJ NORTON

As you can see, we’re pretty sure we have the right house and thanks to Tarek, we’ve established who lives here now. But obviously we have no way of knowing whether they’re related to the man we’re looking for.

On that basis we need to be careful how we play this one, so I’m going to go over there on my own first, without the cameras, to get the lie of the land.

The CAMERA TRACKS him as he goes up to the house, rings the bell and waits for an answer. The door is opened by a woman holding a baby on her hip. Both her face and the baby’s have been blurred out. JJ introduces himself, and shows her a copy of the photo. She points at it, nods, and they talk for a few moments. He then thanks her and comes back briskly towards Tarek and the film crew.

JJ NORTON

(brandishing the picture)

We’re in luck. She knows who the woman in the photo is. None of the family live round here any more, but there’s a retired minister who knew them well and he’s still in town.

CUT TO: INTERVIEW, indoors in a clean but slightly shabby and old-fashioned house. A thin elderly man in a plaid shirt and slacks is sitting in a wooden armchair. He has reading glasses on a leather cord round his neck. There’s a pastel picture of a smiling Jesus surrounded by angels and little children on the wall behind. The man must be well into his eighties but he still has considerable presence; he must have been a charismatic figure in his youth. Sub-captioned ‘Paul Cormier, Minister, St Laurence Church, Flamborough (Retd)’.

JJ NORTON

So, Reverend Cormier, we’ve been told you knew the family who lived in the house on Greenall Road in the 1960s. I believe they were in your congregation, is that right?

REVEREND CORMIER

Certainly is. The McKenna family. Lawrence and his wife Marie. Very nice people. Very observant. In the religious sense, I mean.

JJ NORTON

And they had children?

REVEREND CORMIER

Two. Rebecca and Jonah. Rebecca was their first and it was a good number of years after that before Jonah came along. I reckon the McKennas had all but given up. Marie called him their miracle baby.

JJ NORTON

He was a bit spoilt then, maybe?

REVEREND CORMIER

I’m afraid there was very little money around for spoiling either of the children. Larry didn’t bring in much of a wage and it must have been tough for the kids, not having all the material things their friends and schoolmates did.

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