The hearing. He’d thought it would give him closure, he’d said. Would it though? Billy was already laid to rest.
If it had been a heart attack, some fatal illness, then maybe he could have made his peace with it. But knowing Debbie was responsible, he needed to see justice done. Not for Billy. For himself.
“I know you’re hurting,” came the reply. “Course you are. I am too. But Billy would want you looking forward, not back.
”
The words hung in the air. Breakfast was the next topic, a welcome escape. There was no food in the flat, no money either. The cupboards offered only dried cereal.
A promise to nip to the shop for a few bits was made, a lifeline thrown. A message was left on an answering machine for Theo, who hadn’t come back, a plea for a call back, a hint of being stranded. Then the decision wavered. “I think you are right about not going to court.
I don’t need to hear what that woman did. ”
At the café, the morning rush was in full swing. Orders were barked, instructions given about the afternoon teas and the amount of cream being used. “Honestly, it’d be cheaper to buy a cow,” came the grumble.
Debbie was being briefed by her boss, Ryan, who was about to be left in charge of the hotel while she attended to some mystery errand. Carl, the other manager, hadn’t turned up either. “You know what Carl’s like,” came the wry comment. “Thinks he’s got the answer to everything.
”
A note waiting at the reception desk had Carl’s handwriting on it. It was the key to their flat. “I’ve just got to do one more thing,” she said, dismissing the urgency. Ryan and Debbie shared a look of suspicion as she hurried off, leaving a trail of unanswered questions.
Elsewhere, a man named Tim was arriving home, surprised to find his wife already up and washing dishes. “Thought you’d still be in bed. ” She was curt, pointing out that he never did the washing-up, that she always did it. He tried to leave the plates for the dishwasher, but she insisted on doing it herself, her irritation palpable.
He mentioned a lead on where his dad might be, but she cut him off. “Don’t you think we’re best putting all of his energy into Harper right now, rather than some bloke who hasn’t bothered with you for the best part of your life? ”
A smart-looking man approached the café, catching the attention of a woman inside. He was dressed for a formal occasion.
“Going somewhere nice? ” she asked, knowing full well. “You know where I’m going. But I couldn’t go without seeing you first.
” It was Carl, and he was trying to explain himself to his sister, the one he was planning to give away. His apology was clumsy, his reasoning weak. She was furious. “Don’t you dare say that you did it for me.
”
“I can’t change the past. But I can do something to change the life you’ve got to look forward to now. It would mean the world to me if you came to court today,” he pleaded. She laughed, a hollow sound.
“You’re unbelievable. ”
He promised no emotional goodbyes, no prison visits. “Soon as I get sorted, I’m out of here. ” He was leaving, and this was it.
She was staying behind. Only she could do it, she supposed. Back at the café, the frantic atmosphere continued. Orders were getting mixed up, the owner, Bernie, was overwhelmed, trying to juggle everything alone.
A customer, a man named Kev, offered to help. “I could help out if you like. I’m a dab hand with a frying pan. ” He jumped in, frying sausages, taking orders, a surprising source of competence.
A woman named Mel, sitting down with a coffee, confided in him. “I’ve been a bit… I’m just worried about my mate. She’s up in court today. ” Her friend was in trouble.
“For what it’s worth, I know what you’re going through,” Kev said. “In my case, it was me son. ”
The sentence was handed down. Debbie was led into the dock, her face pale.
The judge’s words were firm. Aggravating factor of driving with excessive alcohol. Genuine remorse, reflected in the guilty plea. Good character, clean driving record.
The victim was a close friend. A serious medical condition requiring long-term treatment. But the case was too serious. An immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.
Four years, reduced for the guilty plea to two years and eight months. “Take her down,” the judge commanded. From the public gallery, a woman cried out, “I just want to go now. ” She asked to say goodbye to her family, to give her husband a kiss.
But the guards were already moving, one of them getting a sharp “Oi, not so rough. ”
The woman from the café, waiting outside, was on her phone. “Apparently, it’s rush hour for pensioners trying to get to bingo. ” Her friend tried to persuade her to join him for lunch, offering to have his appointment at the hospital postponed.
She was hesitant, but he insisted. “If you carry on, you’re going to run yourself into the ground. You need rest, otherwise you’re just going to be absolutely useless for Harper. ”
She finally relented.
They went back into the café for coffee. She ordered two takeaway coffees, then realized she’d forgotten her wallet. “Well, it’s fine. You can pay me when you’re next in,” the owner, Bernie, said kindly.
Kev, the helpful man, was still there, chatting with Mel. “I think we should be getting back to work now,” he said to Mel, a hint of discomfort in his voice. The news of the sentence spread. “She got 2 years and 8 months,” someone reported.
“Rodney is all over the shop. ” The man from the café, Todd, was furious. “That’s very harsh. ”
“Harsh?
She killed Billy,” came the sharp retort from a woman named Christina. The conversation became heated. “He was married to your son. So now Paul’s gone and Billy don’t matter anymore?
” Todd was accused of not caring. “She made the decision to get in that car and that decision cost Billy’s life. ” The earlier sympathy for Debbie evaporated in the face of Todd’s anger. Christina tried to calm him down.
“That could have been Gemma. Or Dev. No, shame on you. ”
A commotion outside.
The man from the café, Kev, had bumped into someone. “You look where you’re going! ” she shouted. “Me?
You came flying out like a bat out of hell. ” The argument continued, accusations flying. It was a distraction, a release of tension. Later, at the café, a woman was lamenting her lack of cash for a sponsored walk collection.
“I just used the last of my cash in there. ” Her companion was annoyed. “Will you stop going on? I will get you the money, okay?
Stop going on. ” The woman with her gave a knowing look. “There’s a man with a lot on his mind. ”
The tense atmosphere continued outside.
Todd was still fuming, talking to Billy’s mother, Christine. “Two years. Eight months. Should have been four years, but she’s got time off for pleading guilty.
Should have been you. ”
Christine was trying to find a way to help. “We’ve been with Adam talking through our options. Do you reckon she can appeal?
” She suggested he visit Debbie in prison. “Nah, you’re all right, mate. ”
There was more anger between Debbie’s family members. A man confronted another.
“Is this all cuz she put Ryan in charge of the hotel? Is that why he didn’t come to court? ” The accusation was met with a dismissive “He’ll do what he like. ” The argument escalated, with accusations of a lack of family loyalty.
“She gave me money and a job. It’s hardly what I call abandoning,” one man said. “This is family stuff, all right? My family, huh?
”
A phone call came through. It was the prison. Debbie had been taken to hospital. Another TIA.
The news hit the group. “She’s Bethany’s up at hospital with her now. ” The man who’d been arguing was told, “I persuaded him to come for lunch with me and just take a break from it all. ” There was a brief, tense silence.
A woman asked if the kettle could be put on. Another man refused, wary of Todd’s short fuse after losing his best mate. “Yeah, but nearly being the operative word there,” came the rebuttal, choosing to see the best in the man’s temper. The apologies and explanations faded.
The focus was on Debbie, lying in a hospital bed. The family gathered, their petty grievances momentarily forgotten. A woman approached the bed. “Wake up.
Oh, suddenly we’re talking now, are we? ”
“It’s not about us. It’s about our sister. ”
“All right.
Our sister, is it? ”
The woman looked down at the pale figure. “Hello, Debbie. Had a nice sleep?
You’re in the hospital, my love. Remember? Best place for you right now, okay? But you can murder a brew.
”