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“How long were you together?”
“About five years. Luke was only two when Neil walked out on us. Just like that. No warning. He said he needed his solitude and couldn’t afford to be burdened with a family any longer. That’s exactly the way he put it: Burdened.”
“I’m sorry,” said A
“I was twenty-five when we met, and I’d been modeling since I was fourteen. It was hard to get my figure back after Luke, of course, and I was never quite the same as before, but I still got work, mostly TV commercials, a small and very forgettable part in a slasher film, part fifteen of some series or other. But why do you need to know all this? It can’t have anything to do with Luke’s disappearance. Neil’s been dead for twelve years.”
“I agree with my wife,” said Martin. “As I said earlier, I can’t see what relevance all this has.”
“I’m just trying to get as much background as I can,” A
“Oh, yes. He doesn’t remember Neil, of course, but I told him. I thought it important not to keep secrets from him.”
“How long has he known?”
“I told him when he was twelve.”
“And before that?”
“Martin is the only father he has known.”
So for seven years, A
“He was confused, naturally,” said Robin. “And he asked a lot of questions. But other than that… I don’t know. He didn’t talk about it much afterward.”
A
“Do you still have any contact with any of Neil Byrd’s friends or relatives?” A
“Good Lord, no. Neil’s parents both died young – it was one of the things that haunted him – and I don’t move in those sort of circles anymore.”
“May I see Luke’s room?”
“Of course.” Robin led A
A
Luke, or someone, had painted a solar system and stars on the ceiling. One wall was covered with posters of rock stars, and moving closer, A
“Sorry,” said Robin. “I never was any good at French in school.”
A
A
There was nothing by Neil Byrd. Again, A
A
Other than that, the room revealed remarkably little. There was no address book, at least none that A
A
There was nothing more to be gained from staying up there, and the black walls were begi
“I understand you sent Luke to Eastvale Comprehensive instead of a public school, like Braughtmore,” A
“We don’t believe in public schools,” said Martin, his West Yorkshire accent getting thicker as he spoke. “They’re just breeding grounds for effete civil servants. There’s nothing wrong with a comprehensive-school education.” Then he paused and smiled. A
Judging from her body language – the folded arms and lips pressed together – A
“Is he happy at school?” she asked.
“He’s never complained,” said Martin. “No more than any kid would. You know, he doesn’t like his geography teacher, doesn’t like games, and algebra’s too hard. That sort of thing.”
“He’s not a sports fan?”
“Unfortunately, no,” said Martin. “I’ve tried to get him interested, but…” He shrugged.
“What about the other boys at school? Even if he is, as you say, a bit of a loner, he must have some contact with his classmates?”
“I suppose so, but I’ve never seen any evidence of it.”
“He’s never brought friends to the house?”
“Never.”
“Or asked permission to visit their houses?”
“No.”
“Does he go out a lot?”
“No more than any other boy his age,” said Martin. “Maybe even less.”
“We want Luke to have a normal life,” said Robin. “It’s hard knowing what to allow and what not to. It’s hard to know how much discipline to apply. If you don’t give enough, then the child runs wild, and the parents get the blame. If you keep too strict control, he doesn’t develop naturally, and he blames you for screwing him up. We do our best to be good parents and strike a fair balance.”