The Missing Marriage by Sarah May Page A

probably.’
    They were silent for a moment.
    â€˜I was up at the power station during the Strike,’ he said after a while. ‘I’d just joined the Force.’
    â€˜You picked a good time.’
    Laviolette laughed. ‘It wasn’t so bad at the start – we were all local boys, with some extra cork lining in our hats, shin pads and cricket boxes over our valuables, but there wasn’t any trouble. Most of the drivers turned back. A few went through – there was abuse, but just verbal. Then there was this one driver who said he supported the cause, etc., turned his lorry round and drove off. Two minutes later, he was heading back up the road at well over seventy miles an hour, drove straight through the line and went crashing through the gates. One of the pickets went down and one of our boys went down as well.
    â€˜When the next lorry came along, everybody was worked up and there’s no way we would have been able to hold our lines – there weren’t enough of us – if it hadn’t been for Bobby Deane, talking sense to his men, keeping them calm and telling them not to break through the line.’ There was the sound of scratching on the other end of the line. ‘I went to see Bobby Deane today – to ask whether he’d seen Bryan recently – only Bobby Deane’s got Alzheimer’s and should be in care.’
    Anna thought about telling him she’d seen him parked on Armstrong Crescent, but kept quiet. Laviolette wasn’t the kind of man you offered more information to than was necessary, and anyway, her head was suddenly full of deer – something to do with Bobby Deane and deer. ‘Didn’t Bobby used to poach deer over the border during the Strike?’ she said out loud. She had a clear image of a slaughtered deer, hanging upside down, its dead eyes staring intently at her in the Deanes’ wash house.
    â€˜We heard rumours that Christmas – venison pie at the free cafés. So that was Bobby, was it?’ Laviolette seemed to like the idea of Bobby as a poacher.
    Anna was too shocked at the recollection to say anything. Now she realised it wasn’t Bobby Deane she associated with the slaughtered deer, it was Jamie.
    â€˜I found out today that Jamie Deane’s about the only one who still visits his dad – although I’d call into question his motives. He’s using Bobby’s kitchen to cut his Methadrone in, and he’s probably picking up his dad’s pension and disability as well.’ The Inspector paused. ‘What d’you know about Jamie Deane?’
    Anna thought about Jamie Deane, whose name she hadn’t heard in years. ‘Why are you asking me?’
    â€˜No reason.’
    â€˜He was put away, wasn’t he? I don’t know how long for.’
    â€˜Twenty years. He killed a man, but never confessed to it. At the time people thought it was Bobby who probably did it and that Jamie was covering up for his dad.’
    â€˜Bobby?’
    Ignoring this, Laviolette said, ‘Jamie’s been on probation for the past six months, and now his brother’s missing.’
    â€˜You think Jamie Deane’s got something to do with Bryan’s disappearance?’
    â€˜Maybe. I don’t know.’
    â€˜And?’
    â€˜Nothing. I just like talking to you – that’s all. You don’t trust me,’ he added.
    â€˜I don’t need to. You’ve got your own Sergeant.’
    â€˜Do you believe there’s such a thing as a law-abiding citizen?’
    â€˜I believe there are six degrees of separation between a person who commits a crime and a person who thinks about committing a crime. I’ve got nothing to do with Bryan Deane’s disappearance, Inspector.’
    â€˜I think we’ve all got something to do with it – just not in the way we think.’

Chapter 7
    There were no lights on at number nineteen Parkview when Anna pulled up