has to go on the game just to make ends meet.'
'That’s enough', Bob stormed over and lamped Tom in the jaw, the hit taking him down onto his knee - 'Get out. Now.'
Monica stood mouth agape, before heading purposefully off to the toilet out the back.
'Gladly', Tom got back to his feet.
'Ye know, we are all guilty here. Not just me. Take a look at yerselves and tell me you have no reason to feel guilty. Bob? Spiv? Marie? Go fuck yersels'. With that he left, slamming the door behind him, and leaving Emma sitting while reality bit.
'You alright Emm?'
'Maybe I should go...'
'Don't be stupid... stay.'
The group stayed fairly quiet. Marie followed Monica to the loo.
'You alright Mon?'
'Yeah. Fine' she snivelled from behind the door.
'He's away now'.
'Yeah. I know. But it's all coming out. I'm so stupid for ever getting involved with Tom. It was just stupid.'
'Listen. No-one is asking you to justify anything. You are with friends.'
'What about Aid though. I really love him. I don't want to lose him', Marie hadn't noticed Aid standing nearby.
'It's alright Mon. Everything will be OK. I'm so sorry you have put yourself through this because of me.'
'Oh god, Aid. I'm so sorry. What can I do?'
'You don't have to be sorry. Everything will be OK. We all make mistakes. We can all mend our ways. So long as you are alright.'
Mon still wept behind the door, while Marie walked away, gesturing to Aid.
'I know Mon. I've always known that Stephen isn't my boy'.
Mon stopped sniffing.
'Truth is, it doesn't make a blind bit of difference to me. Don't get me wrong, I used to think about it. About Stephen being Dev's boy, but it doesn't change the way I look at him. My lad. Or the way I think about you. I just always wanted to be with you, and I was so pleased you learned to love me.'
The door unlocked and Aid stepped back. 'I love you Mon, always have and always will'. She grabbed at him, snuggled in tight to his chest and wept freely.
Spiv sat supping his can. 'This has been a blast Bob. Anything else we should know?'
Bob cleared some drinks away, removing Tom’s can and sweeping some crumbs onto the floor.
'I don't have anything else. You?'
'You know me. Live the life of a devout Christian. Ha ha.’ Spiv kissed Pam's head and she smiled a false smile, looking like she wished she was somewhere else.
' What about Dev then?' Bob said and turned around to face the crowd, not pointing the question at anyone in particular.
Spiv sat in silence. Emma looked at Bob waiting for him to finish the story.
'What do you mean?’ Pam asked.
'All I'm throwing out there is that I have reason to believe Dev did not kill that girl'. His nonchalant manner had opened a wound, but no-one followed up immediately.
Emma finally broke the silence. 'But the police obviously went through all the evidence and must have had a good reason to claim that he did'.
'The police had a crime scene and an easy opportunity to tie up loose ends'
'Mebbes aye, Mebbes naw, but what's the point in going there again?' Spiv joined in.
'Well one - Dev was a mate. Two - I knew Dev and he was no killer – albeit he liked the younger females. Three...' Spiv interrupted. ‘Three - Dev was a patsy killed by a rampaging father who'd already killed his own daughter... why can we not leave it there and get on with our lives?'
'Because after all that time, we know more than we are letting on. At least someone here does because the game pointed Dev to his fate and that was not an accident.'
Aid and Mon returned to the room, Marie touching Mon’s arm.
'We're gonna hit the road. Cheers Bob'.
'Just a minute mate. Mind what you said about Dev. Remember we talked about it.'
'Yeah, what?'
'What was it you said about the whole thing being wrong?'
'All I said was that Dev couldn't have done it.' Aid bent behind the couch to grab a couple of coats. ' Ian Ingram killed him, or maybe even didn't kill him, as he maintains, and maybe someone else had it in for Dev – for whatever reason, and set him up for it. But then, maybe Ingram did it all...'
