‘John, this is not the way to solve this,’ Sian said, stepping forward. ‘Put the knife down, let Rebecca go and we’ll talk about this.’
‘No. I’ve nothing to say.’
‘It’s over, John. We know everything. We know about your son in hospital. We know what happened.’
The heavy silence enveloped the entire room. Kate, Peter, and Gavin were struck dumb by the unfolding drama. Rebecca, tears streaming down her face, was fearing for her life, and Oliver Byron, or John Preston, was panicking, as he knew the end was near.
‘I had no choice,’ he began, swallowing hard. ‘Everyone knew Ryan Asher beat my son to a pulp. Even the police knew it, but there was no evidence so they couldn’t arrest him. The only person who could point the finger was my son, and he’s in a coma and destined to be in one for the rest of his life.
‘A part of me wanted to hunt Ryan down and knock him over with my car or give him the same beating he gave Malcolm, but I didn’t. I sat by my son’s bed day after day after day thinking of ways to make Ryan pay for what he’d done. Then I read in the newspapers he’d killed his grandparents. I went to his trial. I made sure I sat near his parents so that every time he looked up at them he’d see me too … ’
‘Were you the man who made the scene?’ Faith interrupted.
John Preston grimaced. ‘I’m afraid I allowed my emotions to get the better of me that day. His mother was crying. I thought, how can she weep for a monster she brought into the world? I decided not to go back after that. I couldn’t face it. I did my homework though. I knew he’d end up at Starling House when he was found guilty so I went along for a job interview. At first I thought it was serendipity that there just happened to be a position available – until I started working here. There’s always a position available. Nobody wants to work here.’
Kate looked at the ground as if everything that went on at Starling House was her fault.
‘The last day of the trial was my day off. I was glued to the television just waiting for the breaking news. When the guilty verdict came through I was delighted. It was the first time I’d smiled in years. Ryan Asher was coming to Starling House.’
‘Did you kill him yourself?’
He looked away from Christian. ‘No. Like I said, I’m not that type of person. I didn’t need to be though; I was surrounded by killers. I knew what that pervert Richard Grover was doing to the boys, so I used it to my advantage. I heard some of them saying how he made them feel physically sick. Jacob Brown was one of them. I took him to one side and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. If he killed Ryan Asher for me, I’d break him out of Starling House.’
‘Oliver!’ Rebecca exclaimed.
‘He fell for it?’ Sian asked.
Oliver tightened his grip on Rebecca’s hair and she cried out. ‘Well, I had to sweeten the deal a bit more. I offered him some money so he could start afresh somewhere and I said I’d have a car waiting for him outside. He just wanted out.’
‘How did you get Ryan from his cell to the recreation room?’
‘We don’t call them cells,’ Kate said weakly.
‘Oh give it up, Kate,’ John snapped. ‘It’s that kind of pussyfooting around that’s made this country the joke it is. We can’t call them cells; we must give prisoners the right to vote in an election. Why not send a prostitute to each cell every Friday night and give them all an hour’s fun? They’re criminals, Kate. They’re killers. They should be locked up for the rest of their lives without any privileges.’
Everyone was silent while John’s rant had the chance to settle. He continued. ‘I messed about with the CCTV on A corridor, and unlocked Ryan’s door. I told Jacob to tell him that it was some kind of initiation as it was Ryan’s first night here. I don’t know what he said to him but he must have been convincing as they were soon in the rec. room. I was hiding behind the bar. I didn’t want Ryan recognizing me as soon as he walked in. You should have heard Jacob,’ John laughed. ‘He had the patter down perfect, telling him to lie on the pool table and close his eyes. He told him not to be nervous as nothing bad was going to happen to him; it was just going to be a bit of fun. The next thing I heard was a groan as the knife was plunged into his stomach.’
‘You didn’t kill him yourself?’
‘I couldn’t. I’m weak. I wanted to, but I couldn’t,’ he said, looking down. ‘As soon as I heard the first stab, I came out from behind the bar and went over to the pool table. Ryan looked up at me, his eyes pleading, then he recognized me. He knew who I really was. I told Jacob to stab him again, which he did. I wanted twelve stab wounds. I was Ryan’s jury. I was his executioner. I think he died after the fourth of fifth stab. I don’t care how long I live for but I’ll die a happy man knowing Ryan Asher’s final thought was about Malcolm.’
The room fell silent once more as they took in
