His Silence - Chapter Twelve

I’m shaking as I get back in the car. It seemed the guards felt a lot of sympathy for me; they certainly didn’t spend a lot of time with me after the incident with Harvey. They took a brief statement from me and Jeremiah and sent us on our way. I still can’t believe I reacted in the way I did, I’ve never hit anyone like that before, ever. My knuckles are still stinging; I washed them before leaving the prison to get rid of the blood. I'll definitely be having a shower when I get in. I let out a steady breath. Surely I won’t be arrested because of what happened; the police could’ve done that there and then if they wanted to.

I texted Callum five minutes ago to let him know I was on my way back. I didn’t let him know what happened between me and Harvey, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time for me to do that. That’s something Callum will definitely be interested in hearing.

‘Are you OK?’ Jeremiah asks. There’s a slight hint of hesitation to his voice, like he’s afraid to ask me. Does he think I might attack him as well?

‘Do I look like I’m bloody OK?’ I snap. I shake my head and wipe my eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I just hate how little remorse he seems to have for what he did. He didn’t just kill my parents that day; he destroyed my life as well. I know my step-parents have given me a good life, but I still wish I could’ve grown up with the family I was born into. I wish I could’ve had a normal life that hasn’t been plagued with unanswered questions, and lies spread about me all over the internet.’

‘I’ve no idea what it must’ve been like for you,’ Jeremiah says, strapping in his seatbelt.

I sigh. ‘So where is this place Harvey talked to me about? Have you got any more photographs at all?’

Jeremiah clasps his hands around the steering wheel after switching on the ignition. ‘Well, like Harvey says, it’s a house in Essex called Marsh View, not too far from Leigh on Sea, so I guess, from here, it’s a little over an hours journey. It’s pretty remote, but yes he’s right, everyone’s still there who lived there when you were growing up. I’m afraid the photograph I gave you is the only one I have. We’re not really into taking pictures; I think the only reason that one was taken, was because that was not long after everyone first moved in.’

‘Who’s the tall man standing behind my Mum in the photo?’ I say, picturing the tall, handsome stranger again in my mind.

‘Ah, that’s Oliver. He was very close to your parents; he was probably the one most cut up by what happened to them. We all were, but to him it was like he’d . . . like he’d lost part of his soul that night,’ Jeremiah replies. His voice has softened.

‘D’you still live there?’ I ask; someone blares their horn behind us as we pull out onto the main road; I grip the safety bar tight. Jeremiah doesn’t seem to care. He doesn’t even look up into his mirror, like Dad does if someone ever toots their horn at him on the road. Dad would’ve been giving the driver behind a shake of his fist and mouthing swear words at them. Politics and impatient drivers is what really gets Dad’s back up.

He nods. ‘It’s a wonderful community, Danielle, you’ll see that, but you have to make the decision if you want to go or not. It has to be your choice. As much as I would like you to come and see us, I can’t make that decision for you.’

I loll my head against the window. I try to picture us living there when we were growing up, me and Harvey. My skin turns cold. Did everyone used to sit and eat meals together; would all the adults go off for a drink down the pub in the evenings? The only memories I’ve got, which must be from that time, are fuzzy at best, the clearest ones being of me and Harvey in our room together. I’m pretty certain we shared a room, wherever it was we stayed. I can see us both, curled up together, me sitting on Harvey’s lap; Harvey’s back leaning against a cream coloured wall. Back then, Harvey meant everything to me. I couldn’t imagine the world without him. I swallow. Only a few short years later, I had to face that reality.

An hour later we’re pulling into the road Jeremiah picked me up from earlier. At least no one’s hanging around outside the pub. My head is swimming. I glance at my watch; it’s just gone three p.m.

‘Can you send over the details of this place then?’ I ask, unbuckling my seatbelt.

Jeremiah nods. ‘Of course, I really do hope to see you there soon, Danielle. I know everyone there will be overjoyed to see you.’ I climb out of the car. Jeremiah smiles at me before I close the door. ‘I hope to see you soon, Danielle.’

I smile at him, and begin to march up the road towards home. When I get to the top of my road, I spot someone standing outside my house. I frown.

‘Callum,’ I shout, waving. I sprint towards him. He’s wearing his football gear; sometimes he plays football with his mates on a Friday, I go to watch him play sometimes as well. ‘What are you doing here? Don’t you have work?’

He pulls me in for a hug as I approach; I grip hold of him tight, and breathe in the scent of his cologne. ‘I wanted to make sure you got home OK,’ he says. ‘I managed to get the afternoon off. So, how did it go?’

‘C’mon, I’ll tell you inside,’ I say, pulling on his hand.

I slide my key into the lock and open the front door. Thank God Mum and Dad aren’t back yet; they shouldn’t be back until another couple of hours, there's no way I want them hearing any of what I say to Callum.