‘How many hours?’ He folded his arms. ‘Come on, hazard a guess.’
‘I’m not sure, I never thought –’
‘That’s right, you didn’t think.’ He shook his head. ‘The more time that passes, the fewer resources the police have to devote to Barney’s case. I want them to spend every second of that precious time on real leads. Not investigating a child I have already seen and discounted.’
‘But –’
‘On real leads,’ he said. ‘No more, Heidi. That’s it. They said this man has moved on and that you’re asking them to try and track down where he might have gone. You have to promise me you won’t bother them with this again.’
‘But Jason –’
‘If you can’t promise me, then I’m done.’ He looked to the floor. ‘We’re done.’
‘No.’ I pressed myself against him and tried to arrange his arms back around my waist. ‘Don’t say things like that.’ But he kept his arms limp and no sooner had I placed them on my hips than they fell away, landing heavy at his side.
‘Yes.’ He seemed surprised, as though it was the act of saying the words out loud that had made him realise his true intentions. ‘I can’t see any other way to make you understand.’
Again, I pushed myself into him and tried to place his arms around me. It was like trying to scale a smooth, flat wall.
‘OK,’ I said. ‘No more police.’ I felt him relax a touch, a tiny almost imperceptible give. I pushed harder, scrabbling to fit his embrace.
Chapter Forty-Two
I stood outside the park, trying to decide whether or not to go in. The fireworks display had yet to start, but the bonfire’s flames were already established, their orange tongues licking at the feet of the guy.
I’d spent the day wandering around a shopping centre, raking over this morning’s row in my head. I knew I had to stand by my promise not to waste any more police time. Still, I couldn’t walk away from the boy just yet. Not when there was a chance I could pursue things alone, with Tommy.
I strode through the gates and headed for the bandstand at the top of the hill. The temperature was close to freezing. Shivering, I buttoned my coat all the way to the top and bunched my scarf high around my neck. I thought back to our last encounter. How easily he’d pulled my dress away from my shoulders. My teeth began to chatter. The shivering was getting worse. I pulled the scarf a little higher.
I reached the top of the hill and looked down at the scene below. The park was packed with people, the grass underfoot flattened and muddy. As well as the bonfire burning bright in the large field, there was a multicoloured Ferris wheel, waltzers and a smattering of food trucks offering milky tea and baked potatoes. I turned back towards the bandstand and scanned the milling crowds. It didn’t take long to clock Tommy. Wearing a black donkey jacket over a thick-ribbed polo neck jumper, he was smoking a cigarette, his shoulders hunched against the chill.
I made my way over to where he stood.
‘All on your tod?’
I’d caught him off guard. His face broke into a huge smile.
‘I was.’ He took a last drag of his cigarette. ‘But not anymore.’ He peered over my shoulder, towards someone or something.
Confused, I turned to look. Lumbering over to where we stood, his slip-on trainers no match for the muddy grass, was an out-of-breath Keith. Sporting a large black-and-white-striped bobble hat, matching scarf and grey duffel coat, he looked like an overweight schoolboy.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he huffed. He had yet to notice my presence. ‘I was at the hospice.’
‘How’s she doing?’ asked Tommy.
‘They said it’s a matter of days.’
‘Anything I can do?’
Keith shrugged.
‘You remember Heidi,’ said Tommy, guiding me forward.
‘Hope you don’t mind me tagging along?’
‘Not at all, darling,’ said Keith. He gave Tommy an approving wink. ‘The more the merrier.’ He looked back, towards the hill he’d just climbed. ‘Speaking of which.’
I followed his gaze just in time to see a small blond head appear over the edge of the summit. Waving a sparkler, he was busy drawing yellow shapes in the air and hopping from foot to foot in a kind of excited jig.
The boy.
Tossing aside his now extinguished sparkler, he came and stood next to Keith, who drew him in to his hip and ruffled his hair.
Hit by the same gut-rush of recognition as before, I had to fight