‘We ran into a spot of trouble.’
Dana glanced at Lauren, who’d cleaned her face with her sleeve, but had found it impossible to hide the dried blood spattered down the front of her sweater.
‘You sure you aren’t better off at casualty? You both look terrible.’
‘If it’s any consolation,’ Heck said, ‘you should see the other lot.’
Dana shook her head as she went fussing into the kitchen, returning with a first-aid kit and handing them each a wad of antiseptic wipes.
Heck peeled off his jacket. ‘Don’t suppose you’re expecting company this evening?’
‘Yeah, by nine I’ll have gentleman callers queuing down the street.’
He nodded, ignoring the sarcasm.
‘Do you want to tell me what happened?’ Dana asked again.
‘No.’
‘At least give me some clue. You never even said you were coming north this week.’
‘It’s nothing important.’ He handed her his jacket. ‘Trust me.’
She held it at arm’s length, gingerly. ‘This is ruined. In fact all your clothes are ruined. I can wash and iron them, but they won’t be ready by morning.’
‘Doesn’t matter, we’ve got spares in the boot. We were planning to be up here for a couple of days.’
‘And you weren’t going to tell me?’
‘There was no need to involve you.’
‘You mean until you got so beaten up that it became obvious a hotel wouldn’t let you past the front door?’ Dana glanced around at Lauren, who couldn’t meet her gaze.
The atmosphere was far more awkward than the ex-squaddie had anticipated when Heck had told her that they were going to his sister’s house. Okay, even where members of family were concerned, it wasn’t the done thing to turn up unannounced and battered to the point where you were almost unrecognisable. But there’d been no apology from Heck, or even a reasonable attempt to offer an explanation.
‘I don’t suppose it really matters,’ Dana said. ‘I’m guessing you’re staying over now?’
‘If it’s convenient,’ Heck replied.
‘At least I get to see you again. What’s left of you.’ She glanced back at Lauren. ‘Lauren, is it?’
Lauren nodded, smiled.
‘Nice to meet you. I’m Dana Black, Mark’s sister.’
‘Hi,’ Lauren said.
‘Why don’t you go and get yourself a bath?’ Dana suggested. ‘There’s plenty of hot water, and fresh towels in the airing cupboard on the landing.’
Lauren nodded and moved gratefully into the hall. Heck followed her out. ‘Go on up,’ he said. ‘I’ll get the stuff from the car.’
When he came back indoors, carrying Lauren’s backpack in one hand and his own holdall in the other, Dana met him in the porch. ‘You two together?’ she asked quietly.
‘What?’
‘You know … together?’
‘Oh … no.’
She looked disappointed. ‘She a police officer too?’
‘A witness.’
Dana’s disappointment changed to visible concern. ‘And this is why you were attacked?’
‘It’s a bit more complicated than that.’
‘It always is.’ She followed him to the foot of the stairs. ‘Tell Lauren she can have the spare bedroom. You can use Sarah’s. But make sure you have a bath first. I don’t want her coming home from holiday and finding blood everywhere.’
He nodded and made to ascend, but Dana stopped him with a hand on his arm. ‘Just out of interest, Mark … are you going to keep punishing me forever?’
‘Don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Don’t give me that. Never responding to my calls, never getting in touch – not even at Christmas. You’re only here now because you’ve nowhere else to go.’
He gently detached himself from her hand. ‘I haven’t got time for this.’
‘No, you haven’t got time for anything. Not even your own niece.’
He’d put a foot on the bottom stair, but now swung around. ‘I always send Sarah a card and money on her birthday.’
Dana smiled cynically. ‘Correction. You sometimes send her a card and money. The years when you forget, I give it to her and say it’s from you. That’s why she still adores you … not that you’d notice.’
Heck shrugged. ‘I just don’t like living the lie that everything between you and me is okay.’
‘No, but you’re happy to live the lie that you’re right and everyone else is wrong.’
He grinned to himself. ‘Hell of a time to have this conversation, Dana …’
‘Well, you kind of limit the opportunities, Mark.’
‘What do you want from me, eh?’
‘I want you back.’ Her voice softened, became unusually plaintive. ‘I want my little brother back.’
‘If you want your little brother back, you should have been more of a big sister when he needed you.’
She looked shocked by that, and not a little hurt. ‘You think you’re the only one who’s suffered all these years?’
‘I’ve never said that …’
‘And you think you’re completely blameless for what happened? I’ve said I’m sorry, but you haven’t. And whose side do you think Tom would have been on?’
Heck had again tried to head upstairs, but once again turned sharply to face her. ‘That’s a low blow, Dana.’
Many faces from the past haunted Heck’s dreams at night: not just the dead ones, but the living ones too – bereaved spouses and families; the innocent victims of rape, robbery or violent assault, unable to make sense of or even comprehend the dreadful things that had been done to them. But none were quite like the face of Tom, his older brother, who the last time Heck had seen him, had been more etched with angst than it seemed possible for a human being to experience and survive – which, of course, Tom hadn’t.
When Heck spoke again, it was with shaking voice. ‘I did what I did to try and get justice for Tom.’
‘Surely it doesn’t surprise you that not everyone saw it that way?’
‘What does it matter!’ he shouted, before realising that he was shouting and hurriedly lowering his voice. ‘We can’t change the past.’
She laughed. ‘Are you telling me you would if you could? I don’t believe you.’
‘Well … you’re right there, Dana. Because frankly, this crap has been going on for so long that I can’t imagine any other way of life. Which is why I’m not interested in having this discussion. Not now, not ever.’ This time he did head upstairs.
‘How noble of you, Mark,’ she called after him. ‘Accepting a lifelong penance. It’s less noble of course that you’re condemning me and Sarah to the same thing.’
On the upper floor, he heard the bath running. Lauren came along the landing, carrying towels, wearing only her vest and knickers. There were bruises on her arms and legs; sticky red trickles