Page 45 of The Cut
‘Yes … he liked making home videos.’
Dr Patel clenched his mouth into a tight smile and checked his watch.
‘You’ve answered all these questions before, haven’t you?’
‘Oh, many times. Couldn’t keep the newspapers and so-called TV journalists away back then. Had to close the surgery.’ Sandeep177swallowed and inhaled, bracing himself. ‘My son wasn’t the only one that was punished. But you’re right to bring up the video tapes. It was one of the things that really swayed the jury. Pity they didn’t find all of them.’
‘You think there were more?’
‘Well, let’s just say some houses were never searched … not like ours. Like I said … shouldn’t have let them in.’
Then the camera started to track in to an extreme close-up.
‘When Devesh is released, do you think he’ll return home … to you?’
Sandeep glared at the camera. ‘I don’t think the village would deem that appropriate, do you?’ It was as if a veil descended over Dr Sandeep Patel’s eyes. He was weary. Tired of carrying his son’s sentence on his back for thirty years.
‘There is a monster in all of us. We all have the propensity to kill, but we suppress the animal.’ His face turned towards the black glass, his reflection again. ‘This village used to be so full of life, full of young people and hope. But it’s dying now, slowly fading until there will be no one left to remember … that’s why we invited you to come.’
The camera was cut.178
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MARCH 2024
‘Protesters outside Grantham town hall became disruptive and violent again this afternoon. Chief Constable Chris Davis, who was a classmate of Patel and his victim, Annabel Maddock, at Barton Mallet Secondary School, made this statement: “Dave Patel has served his full sentence and is deemed fit by the parole board for release back into the community.” He refused to answer any further questions.
‘And in London today, Just Stop Oil protestors were arrested for gluing themselves to the deputy prime minister’s e-scooter …’
The newsreader’s voice drifted off into ‘other news’. Dani was sitting with her feet up on the couch with an empty glass in her hand and a hollow feeling in her stomach. She felt a presence behind her and turned on a sharp intake of breath. ‘You made me jump.’
Ben was standing on the threshold with the half-empty wine bottle he’d pulled from the fridge, staring vacantly at the TV. Dani instinctively went to turn it off.
‘Leave it on if you want.’ There was a weary resignation in his voice. ‘Top-up?’
She muted the TV. ‘Did Lily get seen?’
‘Yeah. We had to wait in A&E for nine hours, but it’s just a sprain, nothing broken.’
‘Did they say if they had fun though?’ Dani smiled at him.
‘I can’t deal with all this right now.’ He reached to top up her wine.180
Dani held out her glass. ‘Lily will be OK, you know, they both will. You worry too much.’
Ben set the bottle down on the table and faced Dani. He looked at her with a penetrating stare. Was he about to kill all her dreams?
Dani blinked and inclined her head. ‘What?’
‘I know I worry, but—’
‘What, love? You’re freaking me out.’
‘A couple of years before I met you, just after Ellie left, Patel was released on parole.’ Ben drifted to somewhere else, another place in his mind.
‘I know … you told me.’ Dani’s foot made contact across the couch, tucking itself under his thigh.
