‘The Winstons?’ Wendy asked of the mother.
‘Maeve’s still with Rose’s father, for her sake more than anything else. That’s what she says.’
‘She keeps in contact?’
‘We meet occasionally, and she’s often on the phone. She probably won’t forgive her husband, but she’s not the type to take off and find another man, and besides, she’s got a good life, better than mine.’
‘You’ve got Brad,’ Wendy reminded her.
‘And Jim, soon enough. He’s got another five months, and he’ll be free.’
‘Keep to the straight and narrow?’
‘He might want to, but temptation will get in the way. Who’s going to give a job to an ex-prisoner, and he’s got no skills, other than what he picked up in prison.’
‘It’s up to Brad to bring respectability to the family,’ Wendy said.
‘It’s too early to know, but I do like Rose. She’s the same as her mother, dependable, and Brad’s more like Rose’s father than his own father.’
‘I had some concern that you and Tim…?’
‘At school. No, Tim’s not Brad’s father, even though they look the same in some ways.’
‘Janice? Do you think about her?’
‘All the time. In time she might have straightened herself out, but it doesn’t matter now. She’s gone, a plot at the cemetery next to her father.’
‘Kensal Green?’
‘Not there, too expensive. I find myself talking to Hector. Strange, we get on better now that he’s dead than when he was alive. I can pour out my heart, not have to listen to him shouting back at me.’
‘We’re close,’ Wendy said as she sat back in her chair. As rundown as the house was, it was inviting, a place to make yourself comfortable, whereas up at the Winstons, a person felt that they should sit upright, fearful of making the place look untidy.
‘Is Brad safe?
‘I hope so. We’re still troubled by the murders. There’s no rhyme or reason for Janice’s death, nor for your husband’s. And then there are the other women, a Cathy Parkinson and an Amanda Upton.’
‘I met Cathy once, not that I can tell you much about her. She was with Janice in Notting Hill. I bumped into them on the street.’
‘Prostituting?’
‘Not there, not where all the tourists are. But yes, the two were selling themselves, not that Janice would admit to it, not back then.’
‘Cathy Parkinson?’
‘As I said, I met her, passed the time of day, nothing more. I could see that she was in a bad way. Just hoped that Janice would get through it, not that she did.’
‘Are Brad and Rose meeting up?’
‘At school. Who knows where else? Tim Winston might be neurotic about protecting his daughter, and Maeve will go along with him, not that she’s as severe as him, but Brad’s responsible, and Rose won’t allow anything to get out of hand. She won’t be coming home pregnant, not before marriage, not like with Jim, barely made it to the church in time.’
‘Amanda Upton?’
‘She was the body at the cemetery, wasn’t she?’
‘It was the woman that Brad and Rose saw. We know more about her, sold herself, high-class escort, not the sort to tarry on a street corner.’
‘Not like my daughter.’
‘I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’
‘It was true, nothing to apologise for. I only hope that Brad survives, and he doesn’t succumb to drugs and drink.’
‘A possibility?’
Gladys Robinson’s voice went low. She came over close to Wendy and whispered in her ear. ‘He’s not Hector’s.’
Wendy had seen it before, even commented on it, that Brad was tall for his age and slim, whereas Hector Robinson and the other son, Jim, were short.
‘Does he know?’
‘Nobody knows. It was one of those times when Hector and I were having difficulties, more often than not if the truth’s known.’
‘The father?’
‘I’ve told you that confidentially, woman to woman. You see, I have hope for Brad.’
‘Wouldn’t he benefit from the truth?’
‘One day, but not now. He was close to Janice, good friends with Jim. It would destroy Brad to be told.’
‘But it would make it easier with Rose’s parents.’
‘The son of an illicit affair, I doubt it.’
‘And he’s not Tim’s?’
‘Not a chance. I know who the father is; let’s leave it at that. Nobody needs to know, do they?’
‘I can’t see it as being relevant,’ Wendy said.
Chapter 25
Sean Garvey hadn’t been sure that the photo of Gareth Rees was the armed man in the car in Canning Town. However, the waitress at the café in Godstone, as well as the estate agent who had let the house, were certain when Larry showed them the photo. The man they knew was Gareth Rees.
Wendy met up with Meredith Temple at a restaurant close to Meredith’s university. The woman was doing well, had just passed some exams and was full of herself.
‘I’m planning to move in with my boyfriend,’ Meredith said.
‘Long-term romance?’ Wendy asked.
‘I hope so.’
‘Does he know?’
‘My past? Not yet. Do I need to tell him?’
‘The past never leaves us totally. One day, a former client, the wrong word from him and your boyfriend’s gone. Men can be unpredictable when faced with reality.’
‘Don’t I know it. Another man, while I was on the game, he knew, made out that he didn’t care, but they all do to some extent. It’s natural, I suppose.’
‘When you were at Mary Wilton’s, did you meet any other women from the Philippines?’
‘Some, but I
