He could not be sure if she heard him, if whatever voice was guiding her was simply too loud. She held the gun out further, two hands trembling around the butt as she continued to point it at Langford.
'He's right, it's stupid,' Langford said. He stepped towards Ellie and, for a second, Thorne thought he was going to use his daughter as a shield. He could not help but wonder, as time seemed to stand still, which of them would be the greater loss to the gene pool. 'What's the point of this, Donna?'
'I'm giving Ellie what she wanted,' Donna said. 'She wanted me to spend the rest of my life in prison and this seems as good a way as any. The best way, as a matter of fact.'
'I didn't mean it,' Ellie shouted.
'She didn't mean any of it.' Langford took a tentative step towards his ex-wife. 'The photos were just a bit of fun, that's all, love. Just a joke, for Pete's sake.'
Donna nodded slowly, said, 'Not funny,' then shot Langford in the chest.
Time had caught up with itself and then sped ahead long before the ringing in Thorne's ears had died down. Ellie screamed and kept screaming as Donna lowered the gun. Langford took two paces back and dropped, first to one knee, then on to his back at the side of the pool. Thorne heard Samarez shouting, 'Armed police!' and 'Drop the gun!' and watched Donna do as she was told, her face as calm as the water in the pool while the weapon slipped from her hand and clattered on to the deck.
Just a pop…
Samarez, Boyle and Thorne all ran to Donna, while Ellie rushed towards Langford and dropped to her knees beside his head. He was still moving, rocking up on to his side before collapsing back again. As soon as Donna had been restrained, Samarez walked back into the living area and took out his phone.
'Is someone going to do something?' Ellie shouted.
Thorne could hear Samarez talking fast, calling an ambulance or doing something far more important, such as letting his wife know that he'd be late for dinner. Gary Brand was standing near the piano, saying, 'What the hell happened?' as Boyle started to lead Donna inside. She mumbled a thank-you and there was the suggestion of a smile as she passed Thorne, although she never looked up at him.
Ellie Langford lifted her father's head off the ground and on to her lap. She removed a sliver of green glass from his neck and pressed her fingers to the wound as blood began to bubble and pulse. Not as much as was pouring from his chest, though, already dark and shiny against the cream tiles and spreading towards the edge of the pool.
Thorne walked slowly across and while the girl screamed abuse at him and reached up to pull at his shirt, he leaned forward to watch the first drops of Alan Langford's blood slide over the edge, plop quietly into the water and start to sink.
Each one breaking up just a little as it went down.
And between the sobs and the groans and the shouting from somewhere inside, the sound of the pool cleaner, still ticking and slurping as it went about its business.
PART FOUR
FORTY-SEVEN
The swings were every bit as rusty and the goalposts still had no nets, but the small park in Seven Sisters now felt a little more like a place where someone might actually want to stroll or to sit for a while. The weather helped, of course. A spot of sunshine and a few clumps of daffodils always made things look better, no matter how much pain people were in.
'I'll wait for her, you know,' Kate said.
She and Thorne were on the same bench that he, Donna and Anna had chosen almost three months earlier. The day Anna had confronted the man with the dog. Thorne couldn't even hazard a guess as to when Donna might have the chance to sit there again. She was on remand in Holloway Prison, awaiting trial for the manslaughter of Alan Langford.
'You might be waiting a while,' he said.
'It's fine,' Kate said. 'Least I can do.'
'You shouldn't feel guilty.'
'Shouldn't I?'
'None of it was your fault.'
'If I'd told her, things would never have gone as far as they did.' She leaned back. The tattoo was partially visible above the collar of her black T-shirt, the first few letters of Donna's name. 'If I'd told her what a bitch her daughter was.'
'She would've been devastated,' Thorne said. 'And she would've hated you for it.'
'If I'm honest, that's what I was really afraid of. I keep telling myself that I kept my mouth shut to protect her, but really I was trying to protect the both of us.'
'Nothing wrong with that,' Thorne said.
Three boys ran on to the grass from the other side of the park. One of them kicked a ball high into the air, and there was a good deal of swearing as they argued about who would be going in goal.
'Your friend might still be alive as well,' Kate said.
Thorne said nothing. He was not interested in blaming anyone but himself. Anna was his scab to pick at.
'Donna was really upset about that. She really liked her.'
'There was a lot to like.'
Kate looked at him. 'You two were close, yeah?'
'She was a friend, that's all.'
'And that was all you wanted, was it?'
'Yeah, I think so. I don't know.' Thorne watched the kids playing football, two Arsenal shirts and one bare- chested. 'I didn't know her long enough for it to be anything, really. It was all just… silly.'
'You should have said something.'
Thorne shook his head.
'Best to be honest, trust me.'
'Maybe,' Thorne said. Whatever his feelings for Anna had been – and beyond a few moments of sheer fantasy, they had never been overtly sexual – they had been a symptom of something else. It was time to be honest with himself… and Louise. 'So, what are you going to do?' he asked. 'While you're waiting.'
Kate shrugged, smiled. She looked much older than the last time Thorne had seen her, and she would be a damn sight older still before she and Donna could be together again. 'Go to see her. Make sure she knows I'm not going anywhere, you know?'
'She knows,' Thorne said. He believed it, but he also believed that prison was exactly where Donna wanted to be right now. It was the only place where she felt she truly belonged.
'Fancy a drink?'
'When?'
'Now? The pub, or I've got a bottle indoors.'
Thorne glanced at his watch and said that he needed to be getting back. Kate told him that was fine, that she had things to do herself. It was clear that she knew exactly where he was going. The case against Donna was still being prepared, with statements being taken from all those present at the killing and Thorne himself as the main prosecution witness.
He would not lie about the shooting, of course, but nor would he hold back when describing the extent of the provocation Donna Langford received from her ex-husband and daughter; the mental torment that drove her to
