Page 130 of Maybe Tomorrow

She waited until they’d left, then quickly followed, pulling the curtain swiftly behind her. Anthony and Pauline were getting into a lift. Leo had remained behind.

‘He’s overwhelmed,’ Leo said.

‘It’s good that he has his mum, and you, by his side,’ she said. ‘I’m going to pop to the toilet. I’ll come upstairs and see you all in a while.’

Jennifer trotted off in search of the ladies, leaving Leo behind on his own. He watched as the lift doors slowly closed. Pauline didn’t look at him once. He needed a drink and time alone to have a good long think about things.

ChapterFifty-Eight

Judith Patterson watched the news conference on TV in her small flat. Her eyes widened when Anthony Winstanley stepped out onto the stage. He looked like a completely different person. Her heart was filled with the agony of losing her daughter, of the thought of her killer never being found, but now it took on the weight of sadness and sympathy for Anthony. This was an innocent man. The death of her daughter had led to him being wrongly imprisoned. She’d said, and thought, some very wicked things about him over the years. The fact he’d been innocent all this time was difficult to comprehend. She felt sick.

She watched the conference with tears streaming down her face. Anthony obviously wanted to be anywhere else in the world other than where he was. They shouldn’t be putting him through such an ordeal. She was sure he just wanted to return home and go to sleep in his own bed. She wanted to reach into the TV and hug him, and, above all, tell him how sorry she was.

Her phone rang.

She leaned forward without taking her eyes from the screen and picked up the receiver.

‘Hello?’

‘Judith. It’s Geoff.’

Judith’s mouth dried. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken to Geoff. She didn’t even know if he had her number. She didn’t have his.

‘Hello Geoff,’ she said. ‘How… how are you?’ She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to answer. Did she want him to be blissfully happy with a new life and a new family, or did she want him to be living in torment like she was?

‘I’m… are you watching the press conference?’ He dodged the question.

‘I am.’

‘Anthony looks so different.’

‘He doesn’t look like the same man, does he?’ Judith asked.

‘No. He lied, then. DI Bishop. He lied to us.’ Geoff’s voice was full of anger.

‘He did.’

‘Have you spoken to anyone from the police?’

She cleared her throat. ‘Yes. I’ve called a few times. I spoke to Freya Sloan. Remember her?’

‘Yes. Of course.’

‘She’s a detective inspector now.’

‘Good for her.’

‘They’re reopening the case. I’m not sure what they can do after all this time. There are no witnesses to interview again, but she said they’re not giving up. They’re still looking for Alice’s killer.’

‘That’s good.’

Judith didn’t say anything, and a painful silence developed.

‘How are things with you?’ Geoff asked.

‘They’re fine,’ she said, looking around at her dingy flat. ‘You?’

‘Fine.’