interrupted. ‘Sam was taking Mam and Dad for a day out, so he wouldn’t let something like that happen to them.’
‘I’m sorry to have to bring you such distressing news, miss, but I’m afraid it is true and you will need to go along to the hospital mortuary to identify the bodies,’ he added, looking not at Lucy but at Robert.
‘How soon do we have to do that?’ Robert asked, glancing uneasily at Lucy.
‘Right away, if you can. It’s best to get it over with as quickly as possible,’ he advised.
‘Yes, I understand,’ Robert said stiffly.
‘Now, is there anything else I can tell you?’ the officer asked as he tucked his notebook back into his top pocket and picked his helmet up from the table ready to leave.
‘No, I don’t think so.’ Robert looked enquiringly at Lucy but she shook her head and gave a small shiver as she clutched at his arm as if for reassurance.
After the police officer had left, Robert patted her shoulder and then gently pushed her into an armchair. ‘Sit down and I’ll make a cup of tea before we go,’ he told her.
She offered no resistance but did as Robert asked; she was still sitting there, staring into space as if completely mesmerised, when he brought in the tea.
Neither of them spoke; Robert had no idea what to say, he still couldn’t believe that such a terrible thing had happened and he wasn’t too sure that Lucy had taken in everything the policeman had said.
To his surprise, when she had finished drinking her tea, Lucy put the empty cup on the table and said in a quiet, determined voice, ‘I’d better be going to the hospital to identify the bodies, hadn’t I? Are you coming with me?’
‘Of course I am.’ He stood up and picked up her cup and his own and carried them through to the kitchen.
‘Leave them on the side,’ Lucy called out. ‘I can see to them when we get back. The policeman did say to go along there as soon as possible.’
Without waiting for him to reply Lucy went out into the hall and took down her everyday grey coat and hat from the hallstand and put them on before Robert could help her.
Outside there was sunshine and clear skies. ‘Good job we didn’t go over to New Brighton, although it would have been a lovely day to walk along the shore,’ Lucy commented as they walked towards the nearest tram stop.
Startled, Robert looked sideways at her. She was speaking in such a normal voice that he was slightly taken aback. The look of stunned disbelief had gone from her face. She wasn’t smiling but she was holding her head high and stepping out as if enjoying their walk in the March sunshine.
He didn’t know what to say. He felt he ought to warn her about what lay ahead but he couldn’t find the right words. It was going to be a tremendous ordeal and he wondered if she would be able to cope with it. They would also have to visit Sam afterwards and he wasn’t sure if Sam knew about what had happened to his parents when the car overturned or not; or how he would take the news if they were the ones who had to tell him.
To Robert’s amazement Lucy remained icily calm when they were shown into the mortuary. He expected her to cringe away when the green sheet was pulled back from the body on the first trolley to reveal her father.
Instead, with a small sigh she bent and pressed her lips to the waxen figure before nodding and confirming in a low, firm voice that this was her father, forty-five-year-old Bill Collins.
Without wavering, she repeated the process when they uncovered the body of her mother, ‘Margaret Collins, forty years old,’ she stated after implanting a light kiss on her mother’s forehead.
‘If you’re ready, then we’ll go and visit Sam,’ she murmured turning to Robert.
Sam was in a small side ward with only three other beds in it. Lucy hesitated as the sister started to lead them towards the one in the corner of the room that had the curtains drawn around it and Robert quickly took hold of her hand and
‘I’m sorry to have to bring you such distressing news, miss, but I’m afraid it is true and you will need to go along to the hospital mortuary to identify the bodies,’ he added, looking not at Lucy but at Robert.
‘How soon do we have to do that?’ Robert asked, glancing uneasily at Lucy.
‘Right away, if you can. It’s best to get it over with as quickly as possible,’ he advised.
‘Yes, I understand,’ Robert said stiffly.
‘Now, is there anything else I can tell you?’ the officer asked as he tucked his notebook back into his top pocket and picked his helmet up from the table ready to leave.
‘No, I don’t think so.’ Robert looked enquiringly at Lucy but she shook her head and gave a small shiver as she clutched at his arm as if for reassurance.
After the police officer had left, Robert patted her shoulder and then gently pushed her into an armchair. ‘Sit down and I’ll make a cup of tea before we go,’ he told her.
She offered no resistance but did as Robert asked; she was still sitting there, staring into space as if completely mesmerised, when he brought in the tea.
Neither of them spoke; Robert had no idea what to say, he still couldn’t believe that such a terrible thing had happened and he wasn’t too sure that Lucy had taken in everything the policeman had said.
To his surprise, when she had finished drinking her tea, Lucy put the empty cup on the table and said in a quiet, determined voice, ‘I’d better be going to the hospital to identify the bodies, hadn’t I? Are you coming with me?’
‘Of course I am.’ He stood up and picked up her cup and his own and carried them through to the kitchen.
‘Leave them on the side,’ Lucy called out. ‘I can see to them when we get back. The policeman did say to go along there as soon as possible.’
Without waiting for him to reply Lucy went out into the hall and took down her everyday grey coat and hat from the hallstand and put them on before Robert could help her.
Outside there was sunshine and clear skies. ‘Good job we didn’t go over to New Brighton, although it would have been a lovely day to walk along the shore,’ Lucy commented as they walked towards the nearest tram stop.
Startled, Robert looked sideways at her. She was speaking in such a normal voice that he was slightly taken aback. The look of stunned disbelief had gone from her face. She wasn’t smiling but she was holding her head high and stepping out as if enjoying their walk in the March sunshine.
He didn’t know what to say. He felt he ought to warn her about what lay ahead but he couldn’t find the right words. It was going to be a tremendous ordeal and he wondered if she would be able to cope with it. They would also have to visit Sam afterwards and he wasn’t sure if Sam knew about what had happened to his parents when the car overturned or not; or how he would take the news if they were the ones who had to tell him.
To Robert’s amazement Lucy remained icily calm when they were shown into the mortuary. He expected her to cringe away when the green sheet was pulled back from the body on the first trolley to reveal her father.
Instead, with a small sigh she bent and pressed her lips to the waxen figure before nodding and confirming in a low, firm voice that this was her father, forty-five-year-old Bill Collins.
Without wavering, she repeated the process when they uncovered the body of her mother, ‘Margaret Collins, forty years old,’ she stated after implanting a light kiss on her mother’s forehead.
‘If you’re ready, then we’ll go and visit Sam,’ she murmured turning to Robert.
Sam was in a small side ward with only three other beds in it. Lucy hesitated as the sister started to lead them towards the one in the corner of the room that had the curtains drawn around it and Robert quickly took hold of her hand and
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