When the Evil Waits by M Lee (top fiction books of all time txt) 📕

brother was at home. I lost the plot with him, he was supposed to look after his wee brother. So I got dressed and we went out to look for him in the park.’

‘You searched for about an hour and then reported it to the police?’

‘There was a mounted copper in the park, I had a word with him and he reported it in.’

‘But you carried on searching?’

There was a long pause. Finally, he said ‘Aye,’ his voice breaking.

‘When the children went to the park, what did you do, Mr Carsley?’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I sat here watching TV and smoking, like I do every day.’

‘What was on?’

‘On?’

‘The box? Which programmes did you watch?’

He exploded. ‘I told the other copper. I don’t know what I watched. The box was on but I dinnae remember anything, I was sat here, staring at it.’

‘OK, Michael, calm down, DI Ridpath is only asking a few questions.’

‘I’ve had that other bastard here all day yesterday, asking the same bloody questions. What did I watch? When did I watch it? My son’s been murdered and all you lot care about is what TV I watched!’

‘We’re just trying to help you, Michael.’

‘You can help me by finding my son’s killer. Because, I tell you this, if I find him first I’m going to swing for the bastard. I’ll strangle him myself. I don’t care if I get put inside for doing it. I’ll kill the bastard.’

‘What about Daniel if you’re inside, Mr Carsley?’ Ridpath said softly. ‘What would happen to him?’

Michael Carsley seemed to stop for a moment, surprised by the question.

Ridpath followed up. ‘I’d like to have a chat with Daniel, if he’s around. With your permission, of course.’

Chapter 30

Michael Carsley leant forward, moving for the first time since Ridpath had come into the house, and bellowed through the open door. ‘Get your arse down here, Dan.’

A few seconds later a young boy appeared in the doorway. ‘What you want, Dad? I’m on my Xbox.’

‘This boaby wants to talk to you.’ He pointed at Ridpath.

‘I’ve already talked with them a thousand times already.’

‘Well, sit yourself down and do it a thousand and one times.’

The boy’s shoulders slumped and he lurched into the room, sitting on a chair near the fire.

‘Hi Daniel, my name’s Ridpath, I’d like to ask you a few questions.’

Michael Carsley stared at the black screen of the television, as if taking no interest in the interview of his son.

‘I’ve already told the police everything I know.’

‘Ridpath works for the coroner, Daniel, he’s here to help,’ said Emily Parkinson, moving to sit next to the young boy.

‘DS Parkinson is right, Daniel. I work with Mrs Challinor, the coroner.’ Once the detective had settled in next to Daniel Carsley, Ridpath began asking his questions. ‘Now what shall I call you? Do you prefer Daniel or Dan?’

‘My mum always calls me Daniel, but everybody else says Dan.’

‘I know what you mean, my mum always called me Thomas, but I preferred to use my last name. So Dan it is.’ He opened his notebook. ‘What time did you go to the park?’

The boy shrugged his shoulders. ‘I dunno, around one o’clock I guess.’

‘What was on TV when you left?’

The boy’s eyes drifted upwards and to the right as he thought about the question. ‘The news, I think. You know that awful music they play before it starts.’

‘On the BBC?’

‘I think so.’

‘Great. It starts at exactly one p.m. every day so that gives us a pretty accurate time. So, you left the house with your little brother…?’

At the mention of David Carsley, Daniel’s head dropped. ‘Yeah.’

‘What happened next?’

‘We walked to the park together.’

‘You crossed the main road?’

‘Yeah, it’s easy, you only have to wait for the green man at the crossing.’

‘Good, well done, so what happened then?’

‘We went to the playground and played on the swings. Then my mates came with a basketball.’

‘What were their names, Daniel?’ interrupted Emily Parkinson.

The boy looked quizzical. ‘Who?’

‘Your mates. The boys you played basketball with?’

‘Just friends from school.’

‘I guessed that, but what were their names?’

Daniel thought for a moment. ‘There was Andy Greene, the Cassidy twins, Alan and Stuart, Mike Murphy, and Fred Simpson, but he didn’t stay long.’

‘So you went off to play with them?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Didn’t your brother go?’

‘He didn’t like to play, he was too small.’

‘So you went over to play basketball?’

‘But I kept checking to see if my brother was OK.’

‘How did you do that? The area around the playground has a lot of trees and bushes.’

‘I could see him when I was taking shots at the bottom of the court.’

‘And you saw him talking to a man?’

‘Yeah.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I ran back to the playground. Dad always tells us not to talk to strangers.’

For the first time, Michael Carsley appeared to notice his son was being interviewed, turning his head away from the television.

‘That’s good advice. What happened when you approached the man?’

‘I told him to leave Dave alone.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He said he was just chatting. So I said I would call the police if he didn’t leave David alone and showed him my mobile phone.’

‘You had a mobile phone?’ Nobody had mentioned this to Ridpath previously.

‘Yeah, Dad gave me one for my birthday.’

‘And what did the man do?’

‘He scarpered pretty sharpish once he saw the phone.’

‘So you then went back to play with your friends?’

‘Yeah, I asked Dave to come with me, but he wouldn’t.’

‘Why not?’

The boy shrugged his shoulder. ‘I dunno, don’t think he liked my friends.’

‘So that was the last time you saw your brother?’

Daniel Carsley frowned, nodded and looked down again.

‘When did you realise he was missing?’

‘I didn’t.’

It was Ridpath’s turn to frown.

‘I mean, I didn’t realise he was missing, I only knew he wasn’t there at the playground.’

‘When was this?’

‘About ten minutes after I spoke to the man. I looked across from the basketball court and couldn’t see Dave.’

‘So what did you do then?’

‘I ran to the playground, but he wasn’t there. I shouted his name, again and again and again.