‘Bloody marvellous. Anyway, she was taking care of everyone downstairs. I heard her shouting at them, telling them all to piss off. “Get out of my house!” she yelled. “You’ve brought blood into my house … there’s blood everywhere … your hands are dripping with it. Get out, go away.” I don’t know what all else. Then I heard her coming up, go to her room, slamming about there. I knew she was looking for the gun, only I’d hidden it that morning. I know about Sundays, and she had been pretty funny for a day or two. So I shoved it under my mattress. Then she went down again, started chucking everything about. They all cleared off pretty fast, three car loads. It was pretty funny really, all scuttling off like rabbits. She was so “gone” by the time I had finished clearing up, that she forgot about the gun for a bit. She knew I’d taken it … said so. But she went back to her room and pulled that about and then there was silence. I just packed this bag and cleared off: about one o’clock, I think. Walked along the railway … seemed the straightest line and she might have just sobered up and come after me in the car, you know? At Epsom I got on to the main road and hitched a truck.’

‘And here you are.’

‘And here I am and not going back. I’m not, you know? Ever.’

‘I know. Understand. Now …’ Desmond smoothed his thinning hair. ‘Got to get you sorted out, haven’t we. You sixteen yet?’

‘Two weeks ago. March.’

‘That’s a help. Only got another two years to go before the age of consent.’

‘Screw that. I’m consenting now.’

‘Can you drive?’

‘Yes … anything. But Des, I don’t want to be trouble. If you can think of something, somewhere I could go … get a job, anything … till I get things …’

‘No, no, we’ll sort things out. Lots of odd jobs about. You can muck about here in the warehouse … I think Géorgie can give you a bed for a while. He’s the night-watchman, got a little flat, couple of rooms. You’d better have a bit of pocket money right away, toothpaste, soap, that sort of thing.’ He took some notes from his wallet and pushed them across the table. ‘That do for now?’

Marcus stared at them in silence, his head down. Nodded.

‘Oh, come on! Don’t look so miserable. Marcus, it’s all right.’

‘Thanks.’ The voice gruff, uneven. When he looked up his eyes were bleak with tears. ‘Thanks, Des. I’m sorry …’

‘Look, old boy, I was very fond of your mother. She was very good to me years ago, a lot of fun, pretty, laughing, brave then; but there you are. No looking back … just start looking forward. There’s a lot of life ahead, you go and take it …’

‘You bet. From now on it’s my turn. I’m going to take it all, with both hands open.’