No Child of Mine (8 page)

Not especially surprised to hear that, since Hamish Gingell’s father was a long-distance lorry driver who had at least five other children around the country, each of them known to social services for one reason or another, Alex scrunched back her hair, made a quick check of her mobile phone and started for the door. The chances of Hamish being returned to his mother in the near future were not looking good, since he had not yet shown any signs of abandoning a longfelt desire to reunite his little sister with her Maker.

On reaching the door she suddenly remembered she needed to set-up a visit to the Princes’ home, so with a
quick pirouette she was back at her desk, searching the computer for a number.

‘Hello, is that Mrs Prince?’ she asked politely when a female voice answered the phone.

‘Who wants to know?’ came the snappish reply.

‘I’m calling from social services ...’

‘Fuck off,’ and the line went dead.

‘Mm, that seems to have gone well,’ Saffy commented drily.

Alex raised her eyebrows. ‘I have a way with me,’ she responded with a bit of a swagger. ‘And did I just hear you say you’d come with me when I go? That is so cool, I knew I could count on you.’

‘Believe me, I’d be there if I didn’t have this telly thing hanging over me,’ Saffy lied, ‘but you know how it is ...’ Being of Somali origin, Saffy was currently helping an undercover TV researcher to expose the rumoured practice of genital mutilation in the local Somali community. Since Alex couldn’t imagine anything more abhorrent being visited on a child – well, she could, because she’d seen it all too often, but it was right up there along with the worst – she was more than ready to accept that Saffy’s priorities were in the right place.

Ten minutes later she was in her car, driving out of the dreary old business park, when she spotted a young family heading into one of the out-of-town furniture stores. Her heart immediately lifted. A small girl with a long blonde ponytail was riding her daddy’s shoulders, while the mother was pulling funny faces at a baby in a buggy. It was a warming and welcome reminder of the millions of happy homes there were in the world, places were children were safe and loved and couldn’t, thank God, even begin to imagine the kind of horrors those in Alex’s care so often had to face.

On reaching the seafront she cast a quick glance out to the horizon and guessed she might just manage to pick up Daniel before the storm hit. There again, it might do its worst, and wait till she was delivering him to his front door to start chucking about a few thunderbolts: nature’s symphonic accompaniment to the highlight of her day.

Turning inland past the public swimming pool to join the road that snaked up over the southerly headland to the leafier suburbs of town, she began compiling a list in her mind of all the case notes and assessments she needed to write up when she returned to the office. Annie Ashe, once a drunken, obese, horribly depressed single mother of two, now a totally reformed character, stood a very good chance of getting her kids back. Family Support Services had worked wonders with her; her weight had now dropped from a massive twenty-four stone down to fifteen – and she was still dieting, she’d assured Alex yesterday with a beaming smile that was apparently receiving some dental attention. And she hadn’t touched a drop of the hard stuff since the awful day Alex had been forced to move her children into care. Annie hadn’t fought the decision, she’d been too crushed and disgusted with herself even to try. She’d known she wasn’t coping, and the tears she’d shed when she’d admitted that she had no idea when she’d last cooked a decent meal for Becks, her son, and Vicci, her little girl, never mind got them to take a bath, had made Alex more determined than ever to turn things around for her.

Now, she was very close to recommending that the children could return to their mother on a full-time basis, rather than just for weekend visits, and the fact that Annie had recently found the confidence to apply for a job as a part-time cleaner was going to work massively in her favour.

Then there was Tyrone Miller, whose so-called uncle (in other words mother’s new boyfriend) was a slimeball of the first order. Alex was sure the boy was being kept locked in his room when he wasn’t at school, but neither Tyrone nor his mother would admit to it, and so far Alex had been unable to prove it.

Always her biggest problem, being able to prove the offences she felt sure were being committed.

As she began running through Jessie Moore’s case – a twelve-year-old bundle of fury and loathing whose mother had died a couple of years ago and whose guardian aunt kept throwing her out on the street – she heard
her personal mobile ringing and started to dig around for it in her bag. With a quick glance she saw it was Jason, and hoping there were no police around she clicked on.

You think rules were written just for you to break
, she could almost hear her mother, Myra, sighing.

‘Hi, everything OK?’ she asked, slowing to go over a speed bump on Tannet’s Hill.

‘Yeah, I’m cool, you?’

‘Busy day, but coping. Please tell me you’re still on for the tech run later.’

‘Absolutely. As luck would have it I’m going to end up close to home for my last appointment today, so I’ll probably be there before you.’

Being a builder with his own small business he’d presumably been asked by a neighbour to take a look at something, which was great, if it turned into cash, because he hadn’t been inundated with it lately. ‘That’s brilliant,’ she told him. ‘It’ll give me a chance to drop into the care home to check on our dear old ex-neighbour Millie on my way back, seeing as she was asleep when I went on Sunday. Did you get a text from Gabby about the weekend?’

‘I did. Are you sure you want to go all the way to Devon the day after opening night?’

‘It’s only a forty-minute drive, depending on traffic, and I don’t want to let her down. Does it work for you?’

‘Sure, but I’ll have the kids that day, remember.’

Alex’s heart sank. She’d forgotten, or more likely wiped it out of her mind.

‘Provided it’s all right with Gabby,’ Jason continued, ‘I guess there’s no reason why we can’t take them too.’

Thinking there were quite a few reasons, such as how mean his eldest could be to the twins, she refrained from saying so and replied sweetly, ‘That would be lovely. Don’t you have them one night this week as well?’

‘Thursday,’ he confirmed. ‘Is that OK, do you mind?’

‘Of course not,’ she lied. ‘I’ll think of something special to cook for them. Or maybe we’ll bring them into town for a pizza.’

‘They’d like that. Now, I guess I should let you go. Call me when you’re on your way home. Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about after the tech run. Nothing bad, so don’t start getting worked up about it.’

Laughing, she assured him she wouldn’t, and after ringing off she spent the next few minutes trying to imagine what it might be and not doing a very good job of stopping her thoughts from hiking off down the matrimonial aisle. However, the issues of her day were soon crowding to the front of her mind again as she indicated to turn into the Fenns’ drive and found the way partially blocked by a very sleek Mercedes. Managing to squeeze her Punto in off the kerb behind it, she scooped up her bag and went to knock on the front door.

‘Coming!’ a voice called from inside, and a moment later Maggie Fenn was ushering her in. ‘Sorry about the lack of parking,’ she said. ‘That amazing beast belongs to my brother, Anthony. He leaves it here sometimes while he goes fishing with friends, over on the Taw. They take it in turns to drive. He’s a barrister,’ she added proudly. ‘In London.’

Touched and amused by her pride, Alex said, ‘So how did you get along with Daniel at the weekend?’

Maggie brightened. ‘Actually, very well indeed,’ she declared. ‘In fact, we’re feeling rather sorry to see him go.’

Alex wasn’t quick enough to hide her surprise.

Maggie Fenn smiled. ‘He’s very good company,’ she told her quietly. ‘My goodness, the stories he can tell ... Oliver has really taken a shine to him. You’ll see.’

Not sure she wanted to imagine Daniel’s stories, while delighted to hear that he’d got along with Oliver, Alex said, ‘I have to admit, this wasn’t exactly what I expected to hear, but it pleases me no end.’

Maggie gave her a wink and turned to look up the stairs as her husband came halfway down. ‘Maggie, I think you’ll have to go to Oliver,’ he said. ‘He’s getting himself into a bit of a state up here.’

‘Oh dear, poor love. He’s been dreading this moment,’ she told Alex. ‘How’s Daniel bearing up?’ she asked Ron.

‘He’s in his room finishing off his packing.’

Maggie turned back to Alex. ‘Would you like to come up?’ she invited.

Not entirely sure Daniel would want her to, Alex tried to find an excuse, but Maggie Fenn was already leading the way.

‘We popped down the coast a way, yesterday,’ she was saying as she climbed the stairs. ‘Ron thought the boys would enjoy a spot of fresh air and they certainly seemed to.’

‘It sounds as though you’ve given them a fabulous time,’ Alex commented, admiring the family photographs that covered the walls. Most seemed to be of the Fenns’ son and daughter, but there were others that Alex guessed were various foster-children from down the years.

‘Anthony was a big hit with them while he was here,’ Maggie was telling her as they joined Ron on the landing. ‘They had a fine old time trying to beat him at table tennis, and they did, I might tell you. Ah, Daniel, there you are, dear. Here’s Alex come to take you home. Are you all washed up and ready to go?’

Daniel’s pasty little face looked strained and cross as he avoided Alex’s eyes and grunted a reply.

‘It’s been lovely having you to stay, little soldier,’ Ron Fenn said, ruffling his hair. ‘You’ve brightened things up for us, especially Oliver.’

Daniel’s head went down, but Alex could see how stiff he’d become. The effort to hold back his feelings was almost too much for him, and knowing he’d hate to lose control in front of everyone, she tried to bolster him with a reminder that his mother was at home looking forward to seeing him.

Daniel swallowed and nodded.

‘Have you got your things up together?’

He gave an awkward shrug of one shoulder, then suddenly he was pushing rudely past them all and thundering down the stairs.

‘I’ll go after him,’ Ron said. ‘You’d better check on Oliver,’ he reminded Maggie. To Alex he said, ‘Daniel’s bag is ready, if you can bring it down.’

‘We’ve given him a new one,’ Maggie told her quietly.
‘We have so many, and it seemed a shame that he only had a pillowcase. I hope that’s all right.’

‘Of course,’ Alex assured her. ‘I’m sure he was chuffed to bits to receive it.’

‘Just go right in,’ Maggie insisted, as Alex hesitated at the door Daniel had come out of. ‘I imagine it’s in need of a bit of a tidy-up, but that’s boys for you, isn’t it?’

As Maggie headed off along the landing, Alex let herself into the bedroom and almost laughed to see how chintzy it was. Not the kind of thing Daniel would be used to at all, and as for the great big bed, he must have thought he’d died and woken up a king.

Spotting a Nike sports bag next to an old armoire she felt pleased for him that he had such a smart memento of his time here, and going to pick it up she was about to leave the room when it occurred to her that he might have helped himself to something he shouldn’t have. She wasn’t keen on the idea of checking to make sure all the bag’s contents were his, but she’d be failing in her duty if she didn’t unzip the top and have a quick rummage round. To her dismay, though alas not to her surprise, she found a silver-framed photograph of the Fenns on their wedding day wrapped up in a freshly laundered shirt.

Setting it back amongst the other photos on the windowsill, she zipped the bag up again and carried it downstairs.

Daniel was standing by the front door with Oliver and the Fenns, and as she drew closer she realised he was trying to comfort Oliver.

‘You’re gonna be a good bro now, OK?’ Daniel was saying. ‘You’re not going to take no messing from no one, because I’m gonna be looking out for you, right?’

Oliver’s little head nodded up and down, but his shoulders were shaking he was crying so hard. ‘Can’t you stay, please?’ he begged.

‘You haven’t got to say things like that,’ Daniel scolded. ‘I’ve got to go and take care of my old lady, you know what I mean? She can’t get by without me, but Maggie and Ron, they’re going to take care of you. They’re good people, do you hear what I’m saying?’

Stepping forward Alex said softly, ‘Are you ready, Daniel? Shall we get in the car?’

Averting his eyes, Daniel walked over to her Punto and plonked himself in the passenger seat.

‘Bye,’ Alex said to Ron and Maggie, ‘and thank you. Sounds like he’s had a very special time.’

‘I think we all did,’ Maggie replied, smiling fondly in Daniel’s direction.

Going down to Oliver’s height, Alex took his hand as she whispered, ‘Thank you for looking after Daniel. He needed to find a friend and you strike me as being one of the best ones to have.’

He turned his tear-blotched face to look at her, but was too overcome to speak.

As she got into the car Alex could sense how bereft Daniel was feeling, but as she reversed out he didn’t speak, or move a muscle, he simply kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, not even glancing at Oliver or the Fenns.

What a terrible shame it was, Alex was reflecting as they headed back towards the Temple Fields estate, that he couldn’t just stay with the Fenns and Oliver, how different his life would be, how much better his chances. However, she had no right to think that way, when his mother, for all her faults – of which there were many, most of them criminal – had never given the authorities any reason to doubt that she loved her son. She might have a different way of showing it, with all her loud-mouthed belligerence and failure to send him to school or keep him clean, but that didn’t make the bond she shared with him any less genuine or heartfelt. She simply hadn’t had any of the advantages life had thrown the Fenns’ way, starting with the family she’d been born into.