Little Liam was sitting on his mum’s lap and colouring with her. He liked these moments when Lenny was at school and he had her to himself. He loved his mum and he loved it when she babied him like this.

‘Did you have a nice time with Daddy on Sunday, darling?’

He nodded as he concentrated on keeping the colours between the lines. He was colouring in a car and he wanted to give it to his dad later on, with his name printed on it neatly. His dad set great score on neat writing for some reason.

‘Uncle Reggie was funny, as well. He chased us round Uncle Jack’s yard and let us pet the guard dogs.’

He saw his mum frown and wished he had not mentioned the two Dobermans. His mum was what his Uncle Reggie called ‘a worrywart’ and that word had made them all laugh, especially his daddy.

‘Did you and Lenny have cakes and tea as usual? And see the cars?’

She knew that was the highlight for the boys when Lenny took them to the scrapyard. They loved to see the machines and the crushed cars. Lenny wanted them to start their education very early about how much money there was in scrap. She agreed with him on that score, though she thought the yard dangerous for two little buggers like her boys.

‘What else did you do?’

He thought for a few seconds before saying seriously, ‘Me and Lenny were playing hide-and-seek, and I hid in the office.’

Sharon smiled happily, until he looked into her eyes and said honestly, ‘That’s when I saw Daddy kissing Uncle Reggie.’

Sharon Scott felt her heart stop in her chest at his words. As young as he was, Liam was clearly waiting for a reaction so, swallowing down her fear, she said lightly, ‘You must have been dreaming!’

He looked steadily into her eyes as he shrugged and she realised that he had seen something he was still trying to make sense of in his own little head. He dropped his gaze and went back to his colouring.

He knew inside that what he had seen was wrong somehow, he just wasn’t sure why and that was the reason he had not said anything his older brother yet. Something told him this was not to be bandied about, as his Granddad Del would say. He didn’t know why but he felt this was a secret, and the fewer people that knew about it, the better.

Sharon Scott stood up and placed her son on the kitchen chair gently. Then smiling, she said gaily, ‘Who wants tea and biscuits?’

As she filled the electric kettle she felt physically sick. Her mind was screaming ‘No!’ There was no way the child could have seen something like that. But instinctively, she knew deep down inside her that Liam was telling her the truth. He had definitely seen something. But what?

Chapter Sixty-Eight