Page 114 of Worth the Wait
They weren’t calling him a “witness” yet. Not formally. And certainly not a “grass.” He was still a child. Asafeguarded source of information. Nathan didn’t know the technical term, but he understood the message.
Alfie had stepped forward. And now the police were stepping in around him.
Carrick had said there’d be a multi-agency meeting next week. Police, social services, youth offending, school liaison. They’d put a plan in place. For now, Alfie would stay with Nathan at his father’s address. Home support. Secure supervision. Ongoing welfare checks. No official statement in court. Not yet. But the intel was enough to build surveillance. The CPS would make a call once the case had legs.
And they were already moving on it.
Nathan knew at least one of the lads Alfie had named had been picked up on possession. Another address raided after midnight. No fanfare. Quiet. Strategic. His insider had told him all that.
Freddie.
Alfie didn’t ask about it. Nathan didn’t volunteer the updates.
One thing at a time.
“You alright?” Nathan asked, finally breaking the silence.
Alfie nodded. “Yeah. It’s… weird, having people know.”
“Know what?”
“What I did. Who I was with. What I nearly got pulled into.”
Nathan paused, then, “But you didn’t get pulledunder, Alf. You stepped back. That’s what matters.”
Alfie tossed a chip to a circling seagull and watched it disappear mid-air. “What if they come looking for me?”
Nathan’s jaw tensed, but he kept his voice steady. “You don’t need to carry that. That’s not your job. It’s mine. And the police.”
Alfie didn’t argue. That alone said everything.
Nathan took a breath. There was one more brave thing he needed to do. “Speaking of the police…”
Alfie glanced at him, a chip halfway to his mouth.
“Freddie—PC Webb—the one who arrested you…? Was at the hospital? You were kind of right, what you said about him.”
Alfie dropped the chip back into the paper bag resting in his lap.
“Me and him… we go way back. Nursery, I think. Might’ve even been before that. We spent more time at each other’s houses than we did at our own. He was my best mate.” He paused, studying Alfie’s profile. “You have anyone like that? Back in Romford?”
Alfie gave a small shrug, eyes on the sea.
Nathan figured not. Or if he did, it wasn’t a friendship that left roots. Maybe what he’d had with Freddie had never been ordinary, anyway. Maybe they’d always been heading somewhere deeper, even before they had thelanguage for it. Freddie had figured it out first. Nathan had… run.
He looked up at the sky, rubbed the back of his neck. This shouldn’t have been the hardest thing he’d ever said, not after the things he’d faced, but somehow, it was.
“We… he’s…” Nathan clenched and unclenched his hands, muttering under his breath, “Christ.”
“You two are banging?”
Nathan blinked. “What—? How did—?”
“You’re not subtle, Dad.”
Nathan swallowed. “Yeah. Okay. Fair enough.” He inhaled, chest rising. “Yeah. We’re together. Or… trying to be.” He shifted on the wall. “We had a thing when we were teenagers. Then you came along, and everything changed. I panicked. I didn’t just run from being a dad. I ran from him, too. From everything.”
Alfie was quiet.
