Sam was already hunched over his textbooks when Daniel walked into the kitchen. The boy had been up half the night, again, and the dark circles under his eyes told their own story. “It’s an inset day, Royce. You should be resting, not revising.
”
“I haven’t got time for a day off. ”
Daniel sighed and poured himself a coffee. There was no point arguing. Sam had his mind set on something, and once that happened, there was no shifting him.
“Well, at least I know I’m ready for sports day. Egg and spoon. Sack race. I’ve won three years in a row now,” Sam said, a little spark returning to his voice.
“Practicing sleeping in my golf tour, Mum. ”
Daniel laughed. “You do. What a clever idea.
Hey, you could use that in your training if you like. ”
“Thanks for the tip. ”
Sam grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Daniel called after him to eat something, but the door was already closing.
Down at the café, Lisa was sorting through a delivery when Daniel walked in. She had recently gone back to black after months of blonde, and she ran a hand through it as she looked up. “Are we good? ” she asked.
“So, I hear Mel Rope is still in a coma? ” Daniel said, ignoring the question. “Yeah, that’s right. ”
“Have you found out who attacked him yet?
”
“You know better than to ask me about an ongoing investigation. ”
“I just thought I might catch you off guard before you got your caffeine fix. ”
“Nice try,” Lisa said, sliding a coffee toward him. “Speaking of which, I’ll have one too, please, Nina.
”
“So,” Daniel pressed, “any update? ”
“There’s nothing to update you on. ”
“What, nothing at all? ”
“We’ve appealed for witnesses.
No one’s come forward. ”
“And no other leads? ”
“Nope. ”
“I know you’re putting the work in.
”
“I always put the work in. I’m sure you do too, Auntie Lisa. ”
Daniel glanced at her car parked outside. The baby seat was still in the back.
Lisa followed his gaze and rolled her eyes. “Might want to get rid of that baby seat before you go in,” he said. “Ew. The modern couple.
”
“Sorry? ”
“Never mind. ”
A woman in a sharp suit walked up to the counter and cleared her throat. It was Carla, one of the partners at Daniel’s new firm.
She had a file folder in her hand and an expectant look on her face. “Jenna Mackie has had a look at the contract,” she said. “She’s ready to sign. She wants to pop into the office tomorrow and go through her portfolio with us.
”
“She’s a tricky customer, you know,” Carla added. “Oh, yeah? In what way? ”
“She’ll email you at all hours asking you to do stuff, and if you don’t do it straight away, she gets angry.
”
“Well, we can handle that. ”
“She’s completely unforgiving as well. One mistake and she’ll probably dump us. ”
“Well, we’re not going to make mistakes, are we?
”
“Why have you got it down on all this other stuff? ” Carla asked. “I haven’t. I just wanted you to be aware of the reality, that’s all.
”
“The reality is this is great for business. ”
Carla didn’t look convinced. She leaned in closer. “Listen, I’ve heard something about you.
About you and Lisa. ”
“What do you mean? ”
“I know you’ve been seeing her. And I know that you’re also seeing someone else.
”
Daniel’s face went pale. Carla smiled. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.
For now. ”
“What do you want? ” Daniel asked. “Nothing.
I just wanted you to know that I know. And that you owe me. ”
The day moved on. Sam spent the morning in the café, surrounded by textbooks and empty coffee cups.
Nina noticed him swaying slightly as he reached for another page. “You all right, Sam? ” she asked. He didn’t look up.
“I’m fine. ”
“Have you had breakfast? ”
He shook his head. Nina frowned and reached for the phone.
“Do you want me to ring your dad? Or Liam? ”
“Just leave me alone. ”
“Sam, you don’t look well.
”
“SAM. ”
Nina’s voice cut through the room. Sam’s eyes had rolled back, and he was sliding off the chair. His head hit the floor with a sickening crack.
Nina screamed. Her phone was already in her hand. “Nina, phone an ambulance! ” someone shouted.
“I’ll do it! ”
The next few minutes were a blur. Sam was on the floor, unresponsive, his face pale. By the time the paramedics arrived, he was barely breathing.
Daniel got the call at the office. He dropped everything and ran. At the hospital, Daniel found Lisa pacing outside the cubicle. “What happened?
” he demanded. “He collapsed. Hit his head. ”
“What?
”
“He fainted out of nowhere. He was in the café all day working. He looked really strange, like he didn’t know where he was. ”
The doctor came out and pulled them aside.
“He’s stable for now, but he’s taken a nasty bash to the head. We’ll need to run some tests. ”
“Why did he collapse? ” Daniel asked.
“Does Sam have ADHD? ”
“No. Why? ”
“We found these in his pocket.
”
The doctor held up a small packet. ADHD medication. Prescription stimulants. “Excessive use could easily explain what’s behind this.
They can have nasty side effects if abused. ”
Daniel stared at the packet. His son. His boy.
This didn’t make any sense. “How long have you been taking these? ” Daniel asked, sitting by Sam’s bed later. Sam’s voice was weak.
“About a month. ”
“Did you take an overdose on purpose? ”
“No. No, I just didn’t realize how many I’d taken.
”
“Where did you get them from? ”
“At school. ”
“Do you have any more? Be honest.
”
“That was my last strip. ”
Daniel leaned back. He forced his voice to stay steady. “Why didn’t you tell me you were struggling with your revision?
”
“Because I wasn’t. ”
“So why did you need the pills? ”
“I wasn’t struggling. But then I was.
As the exams got closer, I panicked. ”
“Sam, if you’re not ready to take your maths GCSE, you can defer. You’re already a year ahead. ”
“But I want to take it.
”
“I don’t want you under any more stress. I’m going to have a word with the school. ”
“No. ”
“Sam, you’re in hospital.
”
“I won’t take any more pills. I promise. I just don’t want you to talk to the school. ”
“Your teachers should know.
”
“I don’t want them knowing. ”
Daniel looked at his son. The boy was terrified, and it wasn’t about the exams. “Maybe just leave it for now,” he said quietly.
“We’ll see where he is in a couple of days. ”
Sam let out a shaky breath. “Can I have something to eat? I’m starving.
”
“Of course you can, love. What do you fancy? ”
“Sandwich. ”
“Why don’t you two go to the shop?
” Daniel said to Lisa. “I’ll stay with him. ”
Lisa took the hint and left with Toyah. Daniel sat down and looked at Sam.
“Come on, then. Is this really about the exams? ”
“How do you mean? ”
“Because I know you.
Usually you’re on top of all your work. ”
“Like I said, I panicked. ”
“So there really is nothing else going on? Because if there is, you can tell me.
”
“Nothing’s going on. It’s just the exams. ”
Daniel didn’t believe him. But he nodded.
“Okay. ”
Back in the café, a tall man in a dark coat was waiting. Lisa frowned. The man flashed a badge.
“Lisa Shawcross? ”
“That’s me. ”
“I’m a witness in the Rope case. I’ve come forward.
”
Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “You have? ”
“I saw the bloke who did it. I can identify him.
”
“Why didn’t you come forward earlier? ”
“I didn’t realize the guy was in such a bad way. Till I saw it in the paper. ”
“What exactly did you see?
”
“I saw him having a barney with a bloke. Really tall. At least six foot four. ”
“How far away were you?
”
“Close enough to see this really tall bloke pretty clearly. I could definitely pick him out of a lineup. ”
Lisa studied him. The man was tall.
Very tall. And he was looking at her with a strange, knowing smile. “It’s dark. I can see you’re wearing glasses,” she said.
“I’m not sure you’ll be a reliable witness. ”
“I knew it was you as soon as I saw the CCTV,” the man said. Lisa froze. “I am tall, and I might bear some resemblance to whoever did this.
But I think you can frighten a memory into a person. ”
“I want to talk to someone else. ”
“You’re bang to rights, mate. Pub landlord, aren’t you?
”
“How do you know that? ”
“Well, I’m a detective. And as such, I can make your life very difficult. ”
The man smiled.
“Be a shame if you lost your license. ”
“On what grounds? ”
“There’s drugs being sold in your premises. ”
“That’s not true.
”
“And yet, when I send officers in, lo and behold, they come back with some evidence. Maybe enough to put you away. ”
The man’s smile widened. “I don’t want any trouble.
”
“Good. Neither do I. ”
Lisa stepped closer. “So, can we say you changed your mind on the way in?
Sadly, you didn’t see anything properly. Maybe you need new glasses. ”
The man stared at her. He didn’t move.
“Get out,” she said. He turned and walked toward the door. At the threshold, he paused. “I’ll be watching you.
”
That evening, a woman named Carla knocked on the door of an old friend. A woman named Alina. Carla had a folder under her arm. “Sorry, Sal.
Work. Other work. I’m a bit two-job-tastic today. Leanne’s had to deal with an emergency, so I’m covering.
”
“Oh, I can totally relate,” Alina said. “I’ve had to juggle two roles many a time. What with being a machinist and a supervisor. Oh, the responsibility.
”
“I’ve had to make very tough decisions. Decisions that really affect people’s lives. ”
“Me too. Especially in the legal sphere.
Solicitors can have a lot of power, and it can be abused. ”
“Do you know, I remember many years ago, when I worked for Adams’s dad. Mike Baldwin. He had these designs that were actually copied.
They were basically legal. And I found out about it. He said if I told anyone, sixty people would lose their jobs. ”
“That’s a tricky one.
What did you do? ”
“I had to go along with it, but it didn’t sit well with me. In the end, I resigned. ”
“Brave.
”
“I had to listen to my conscience. Sometimes doing the right thing has consequences that you don’t really like. But better that than having that niggling feeling in the pit of your stomach that you should have been braver. ”
Carla looked at her.
“Thanks, Al. That’s helped me with something. ”
“Oh, do you know, I always thought I’d make an excellent business coach. You could be my first client.
”
Carla smiled. “Can I think about it? ”
“If you feel you need to. ”
Later that night, the tall man from the pub walked into the hospital.
He found Sam’s room. Daniel was asleep in the chair. The man stood over the boy. Sam’s eyes fluttered open.
“You’ve been a very silly boy, haven’t you, Sam? ”
Sam tried to speak. The man raised a hand. “I’m not going to do anything to you.
As long as you stick to our agreement. You understand? ”
Sam nodded weakly. “Say it.
”
“Yeah. I understand. ”
The man smiled and walked out. Sam lay in the dark, staring at the door.
He didn’t move.