doors closing again.
‘Hold on!’
She turned and jumped, hearing her own harsh intake of breath as she saw Chris Street striding towards her. His sharp face was lit by the overhead lamps. She could see that he was smiling, but with the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach to his eyes. ‘I wanted to apologise,’ he said as he drew up beside her, ‘for what happened yesterday.’
‘There’s no need,’ Iris said nervously.
‘There’s every need. It all got out of hand. Feelings were running high and you got caught in the middle. It was out of order. We’re not normally that uncivilised. I’m sorry if we scared you.’
Not half so much as he was scaring her now, she thought,. Despite his smart appearance and polite words, she sensed an ulterior motive. He’d had the last hour to express his regrets. If it was that important to him, why hadn’t he done it while she was inside? ‘That’s all right. I understand. People get upset when . . . I’m really sorry about your mother.’
Immediately, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. She saw his whole body stiffen. ‘My mother died years ago.’
Iris bit down on her lip. ‘Sorry,’ she said again. ‘I meant . . .’
‘It’s all right.’ The superficial smile immediately appeared again. ‘You weren’t to know. I just wanted to make sure that you were all right.’
Iris forced a thin smile in return. ‘I’m fine.’ In some respects she found him more disturbing than his younger brother. Danny might be crazy, but he was visibly crazy - what you saw was what you got - whereas Chris had a more frightening mask of normality.
‘That’s good,’ he said softly.
She went to move forward, but he wasn’t finished yet. Taking a small step to the side, he effectively blocked her path. ‘I hope Jenks wasn’t bothering you.’
‘Who?’
‘The Weasel,’ he said, ‘the old guy you were talking to.’
Iris felt her heart begin to hammer. The Weasel? She sensed that this might not be the time to tell the truth. Instead, she tried to look nonplussed. Pretending to think about it, she furrowed her brow. ‘Oh, him ,’ she eventually managed to say. ‘You mean the old tramp, the smelly bloke? He was only asking me the time.’
‘And?’
She shrugged. ‘That was it.’
A hard edge entered his voice. ‘It doesn’t take that long to ask the time.’
Iris stared up at him, her hands clenching into two tight fists in her pockets. She was still scared, but now she was oddly uplifted too. If he was so concerned about what the old man had said then maybe there was some truth in it. ‘I don’t know. He was going on about how busy the place was. I think he was trying to tap me for a few quid. I-I wasn’t taking much notice. I just wanted to get rid of him.’
Chris Street gave her a long, hard look and then his features gradually relaxed. ‘That’s all right then,’ he said smoothly. He reached out and gave her a friendly pat on the arm. ‘I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t bothering you. He has a habit of making up all kinds of stories. I’m afraid old Jenks isn’t all there in the head department.’
And it took one to know one, Iris thought. ‘Right.’
Finally, he stood aside. ‘Well, take care of yourself.’
Iris looked into his cold eyes and didn’t like what she saw. ‘Thank you. I will.’
Chapter Seven
He takes a long, deep breath before opening the folder and removing the contents. This is a luxury he rarely allows himself. Today, however, is a special occasion. Today he has seen his little girl again. It may have only been a glimpse, but it was better than nothing. The funeral, and its attendant crowds, provided him with the perfect opportunity to stand only feet away from her.
With care, he spreads the nineteen precious photographs out, one for every year they have been apart. The memory of that separation still fills him with grief, the pain as fiercely sharp as if it had happened yesterday. How agonising it had
‘Hold on!’
She turned and jumped, hearing her own harsh intake of breath as she saw Chris Street striding towards her. His sharp face was lit by the overhead lamps. She could see that he was smiling, but with the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach to his eyes. ‘I wanted to apologise,’ he said as he drew up beside her, ‘for what happened yesterday.’
‘There’s no need,’ Iris said nervously.
‘There’s every need. It all got out of hand. Feelings were running high and you got caught in the middle. It was out of order. We’re not normally that uncivilised. I’m sorry if we scared you.’
Not half so much as he was scaring her now, she thought,. Despite his smart appearance and polite words, she sensed an ulterior motive. He’d had the last hour to express his regrets. If it was that important to him, why hadn’t he done it while she was inside? ‘That’s all right. I understand. People get upset when . . . I’m really sorry about your mother.’
Immediately, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. She saw his whole body stiffen. ‘My mother died years ago.’
Iris bit down on her lip. ‘Sorry,’ she said again. ‘I meant . . .’
‘It’s all right.’ The superficial smile immediately appeared again. ‘You weren’t to know. I just wanted to make sure that you were all right.’
Iris forced a thin smile in return. ‘I’m fine.’ In some respects she found him more disturbing than his younger brother. Danny might be crazy, but he was visibly crazy - what you saw was what you got - whereas Chris had a more frightening mask of normality.
‘That’s good,’ he said softly.
She went to move forward, but he wasn’t finished yet. Taking a small step to the side, he effectively blocked her path. ‘I hope Jenks wasn’t bothering you.’
‘Who?’
‘The Weasel,’ he said, ‘the old guy you were talking to.’
Iris felt her heart begin to hammer. The Weasel? She sensed that this might not be the time to tell the truth. Instead, she tried to look nonplussed. Pretending to think about it, she furrowed her brow. ‘Oh, him ,’ she eventually managed to say. ‘You mean the old tramp, the smelly bloke? He was only asking me the time.’
‘And?’
She shrugged. ‘That was it.’
A hard edge entered his voice. ‘It doesn’t take that long to ask the time.’
Iris stared up at him, her hands clenching into two tight fists in her pockets. She was still scared, but now she was oddly uplifted too. If he was so concerned about what the old man had said then maybe there was some truth in it. ‘I don’t know. He was going on about how busy the place was. I think he was trying to tap me for a few quid. I-I wasn’t taking much notice. I just wanted to get rid of him.’
Chris Street gave her a long, hard look and then his features gradually relaxed. ‘That’s all right then,’ he said smoothly. He reached out and gave her a friendly pat on the arm. ‘I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t bothering you. He has a habit of making up all kinds of stories. I’m afraid old Jenks isn’t all there in the head department.’
And it took one to know one, Iris thought. ‘Right.’
Finally, he stood aside. ‘Well, take care of yourself.’
Iris looked into his cold eyes and didn’t like what she saw. ‘Thank you. I will.’
Chapter Seven
He takes a long, deep breath before opening the folder and removing the contents. This is a luxury he rarely allows himself. Today, however, is a special occasion. Today he has seen his little girl again. It may have only been a glimpse, but it was better than nothing. The funeral, and its attendant crowds, provided him with the perfect opportunity to stand only feet away from her.
With care, he spreads the nineteen precious photographs out, one for every year they have been apart. The memory of that separation still fills him with grief, the pain as fiercely sharp as if it had happened yesterday. How agonising it had
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