She stood at the entrance to the close and removed her handkerchief from her pocket. The offensive stench all around was strong. She lifted her skirts a little so that they did not touch the rubbish at her feet. When she emerged at the other end of the close she looked up at the greenie, the wooden pole from which a multitude of washing lines was strung. Today being the Sabbath, the lines were bare. Ann took a deep breath, grabbed the rail of the outside stair and started to climb, the smell of pipe smoke strengthening with each step.

CHAPTER 28

Chapter 28

2015

Fiona glanced in her rear-view mirror to see the janitor locking the gate to the playground. The first morning at school had gone much better than she’d expected. Jamie had bumped into two of the boys from his football club in the playground as they went towards the school entrance. Once he had found his classroom and the teacher had welcomed him as the new boy, Fiona had slipped out the door, looking over her shoulder at him. He was setting out the pencils from his pencil case on the desk.

She was sure he would settle well; he was a robust boy, even after losing both his dad and Pete within a few years. Thank God for the stability of Granny and Pa, Fiona thought, as she drove onto the ring road and headed north. She had texted Mrs C and Doug to say she’d pop up for coffee and, though they were disappointed Jamie wouldn’t be with her, they were looking forward to seeing her again after two months.

Fiona turned left for Alyth and thought about all the threads she still hadn’t tied up. She was keen to continue the research into her dad’s family but thus far had found nothing in the archives room. And since she didn’t have specific dates, it was taking too long. She had to concentrate on her research for the Tay Bridge project.

She thought again of the photo of the grave. She didn’t like to email the Swansea librarian again, but the gravestone inscription had freaked her out, even though her mum had said there might be a plausible reason. And she still had no idea how she could find out more about the photo, and whether the boy on it was actually Pete’s son. He looked so like him, she felt sure it was. Did he have another family on the other side of the world?