That boy had been an accident waiting to happen, and now it was too late.
'What you going to do then, Freddie?'
Freddie was quiet. He was so quiet, it was as if he were a different person, as if all his life had been leading up to this moment. And who knew, thought Jimmy, maybe it had been.
'He'll be gone soon, I promise you. He'll be gone.'
Jimmy laughed half-heartedly. 'Gone, Freddie? In what way? Dead gone? What?'
Freddie was silent once more. He was trying to gather his thoughts but it was hard, so hard. He wished he had not snorted so much gear. It was point nine, the best you could get and he had been hoovering it up like it was going out of fashion.
'He can't help it, Jimmy. I told you that before, he can't help it.'
Jimmy dropped his wife's hand and it fell on to the bed with a soft thud. Then he grabbed Freddie by the scruff of his neck and pulled him towards him roughly so they were eye to eye, and he said through gritted teeth, 'You brought up an animal. Someone was going to pay for his madness in the end, and you knew that. I have sat here and remembered you learning him to swear, and learning him to fight, and it hit me what you did to him. That boy never had a chance, Freddie, you and Jackie made sure of that. You thought it was funny when he attacked his sisters, when he didn't sleep at night and watched those violent films all the time. You created him, and then suddenly he was a big kid and he wasn't so fucking funny any more, was he? He was in trouble with the school, with the courts, and you still didn't get him any help. You left him to it, and now he has killed my baby and you know he has.'
He threw Freddie away from him then, as if frightened to keep up any kind of contact with him. As if he was tainted.
'We don't know that for sure…'
Freddie was desperate to try to make some sense of it, find some other explanation.
Jimmy shook his head at Freddie's denial. 'Jimmy Junior would never have dreamed of putting that bag on his head. Why would he? And it was tied there to keep it in place. The police will be back, Freddie, you know that because it was tied under his little chin. Joe told me that, because he was the one who ripped it off in the end to save Lena seeing it. The bag was stuck to his little face. That took time, Freddie. It was a fucking premeditated act. My little Jimmy couldn't tie his shoelaces, so how would he have managed to tie that bag up under his own little chin, eh? The cunt, why did he do it, Freddie? Why?'
He was nearly crying again. He was so angry and so sad and he was trying so hard to keep a lid on his emotions.
Freddie shook his head. 'I don't know, Jimmy, I really don't know.'
'You have a lot to answer for, you have so much to answer for, Freddie. Stephanie. Lenny. I gave you a pass every time, and now this is the upshot, ain't it? You and him are like two peas in a pod, you have no care for anyone or anything. It's only my Maggie lying here that is stopping me from screaming the truth from the roof tops, because she would never be able to cope with knowing what had really happened. I don't know if I can, either. All I do know at this moment in time is that Maggie must never know what happened, that her little boy had been forced to put that bag over his head. It would kill her. I can't handle it, Freddie. I keep picturing it in my mind. My little Jimmy would have trusted him, would have wanted to please him, he was scared of him. But I am warning you now. If I even catch a glimpse of your boy, he will know what fucking scared really is, because I will not be responsible for my actions.'
Freddie was crying silently and Jimmy could see him wiping away his tears, but he felt nothing for him or his suffering.
'I've sorted it, Jimmy, I swear to you that I've sorted it.'
Jimmy wanted to laugh again, but he didn't have one laugh in him, and he doubted that he ever would again. This wasn't something that could ever be sorted.
'Just go, Freddie, will you? I don't want to be around you any more.'
Freddie didn't argue with him, he stood up and walked quietly from the room. Jimmy didn't even bother to watch him go.
This was the end of his life, and his wife's life. Oh, they would carry on as normal eventually, they had to. It was what happened after something like this, but that would be it. They would be going through the motions, that was all. No more and no less.
Dianna was scared. She was still seeing her Danger Man and he was still mucking her about. She had slipped away to meet him and he had not arrived.
Now, here she was waiting by the side of the road in the dark and she felt certain that he was not going to turn up. He had done this to her before, and she should be in the pub with her family now, where she belonged. They had experienced a terrible tragedy and she should be with them, not out here waiting for a man who treated her like dirt. Terry Baker was like a drug. She needed him, wanted him and without him she felt as if she was nothing.
She had waited over an hour for him, and she had finally had enough. Now she just wanted to be back inside with her family, in the warmth of the pub and sharing their grief together. She was wrong to have left them at all.
She started to walk back slowly. Her heels were high and her feet were killing her, and she was nearly back at the pub when he pulled up.
She decided to ignore him. Just once, she felt she had the right to make him come after her. She walked inside with her head held high and her feet giving her serious gyp.
Terry Baker followed her inside, and it was the biggest mistake of his life.
Roxanna and Kimberley were talking about her pregnancy, and Kimberley was a little bit jealous, but only in a nice way. She envied her sister her life. Dicky was a real diamond and anyone with half a brain could see that he worshipped her sister. Kim didn't have a man. She was still trying to keep herself clean, make a life for herself and she was doing that well enough to please everyone.
The death of little Jimmy had made them all reassess their lives in one way or another and the girls were talking about Roxanna's baby because they couldn't discuss the tragedy any more. It was far too upsetting. The thought of poor Mags having to wake up and find out it was true was playing on both their minds. Dianna came back inside and they nudged one another. They knew Dianna had a fella, but no one could get anything out of her about him.
Jackie was completely gone, and she shouted out gaily, 'Here, Di, where you been, then?'
Dianna smiled and went over to her mother. She noticed that Patricia was also the worse for wear.
'I just popped out for some air, Mum, that's all.'
Jackie laughed her dirty laugh that annoyed the girls with its innuendo. 'Is that what they call it now, Pat? I've come up for air a few times. So have you and all, I bet, Freddie can go all night!!'
She was shrieking with mirth now and Dianna could have clumped her. Imagine her saying that to Pat, as if they were all girls together. Terry must have heard what she had implied about her own child too, and this upset her.
Pat laughed with Jackie as was expected, but she didn't really think it was funny. She had enough on her mind without listening to this crap, but she had to stay. She wanted to see Freddie, hear what had happened from him. She actually needed him for once and this was a real departure for her.
'Hello Terry!' Jackie's voice was loud, and it was friendly.
Terry Baker walked over to the bar and said jovially, 'Is that Jackie Summers as was?'
It had been so long since anyone had called her by her maiden name, and tonight Jackie was pleased to hear it. Jackie Summers.