I had a flashback to my own teenaged years. I knew what childhood grievances could do to a relationship. Plus, I’d seen what had happened to Stan and Tony who, despite being half-brothers, had very different childhoods. It had taken a lot of give and take from both to reach the point they were at now.

I glanced up to see Derek carrying a bag of bedding on his shoulder into the hall. He waved with his free hand and Jude returned the greeting. So, his antagonism didn’t extend to Bob’s twin, I thought.

“I was friends with both Bob and Derek,” Jude said, as if reading my mind. “You couldn’t be friends with one and not the other, they came as a package. The twins didn’t have a great home life, but Derek was a nice guy. Bob was a bully in school, and he was a bully as an adult.” He shook his head. “I know you’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead but there really is no other way of putting it.”

“How so?”

“Derek was frightened of all sorts of things when he was a kid: heights, the dark, spiders, dogs.” He smiled. “When he came over to our house, we used to have to lock poor Lolly up in the shed. She was only a tiny thing, a little terrier, but Derek was terrified of her.” He sighed. “There were so many things Derek was terrified of, and Bob took advantage of that.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How?”

He clicked his teeth. “Ah, he’d put a spider in his brother’s schoolbag, lock him in a room and turn off the lights, that kind of thing. All harmless enough pranks, but cruel to someone with those kinds of fears. He liked seeing Derek scared. Their father was a bully too. They were both afraid of him, but Bob got the brunt of it. It was as if he needed someone to bully in turn, to be bigger than.”

“Even if that somebody was his twin?” I said.

“Even though it was his twin,” Jude agreed. “Derek managed to get rid of most of his fears eventually and, as they grew older, they began to play tricks on each other. But while Derek’s tricks were funny, Bob’s were mean.” He rubbed his neck. “Bob’s tricks were always mean. I think they still did it; played tricks on one another, a bit of one-upmanship. Bit childish but there you go, maybe that’s twins for you.” He gave a half-smile.

“So what did you mean by the ‘charity begins at home’ comment?”

He raised his eyebrows. “About Bob, you mean?”

I nodded.