The phone was on the table, and Gough knew exactly what it meant. “Thought you might want to see this. Belongs to a one Todd Grimshaw. ” Daniel Osborne stared at the screen.
“Where was it found? ” “A few days after Salinger’s murder, apparently. ” He didn’t hesitate. “Get it to forensics immediately.
Tell them it’s a priority. ”
Meanwhile, Daniel’s world was tilting in a different direction. He’d been drinking again, heavily, and the consequences were catching up. Bertie, his young son, had been left alone, frightened, and the microwave had exploded when the boy tried to heat his own food.
By the time anyone realized, Bertie was gone. The truth hit Daniel like a wall. “Have you got Bertie? I seem to have misplaced him.
” His father, Ken, was already on edge. “You stink of booze. Is Bertie at your house or not? ” But Bertie wasn’t with Ken.
Daniel’s panic turned to fury when he discovered the truth: Tracy, his ex, had taken Bertie to teach him a lesson. She didn’t see it as kidnapping; she saw it as an intervention. “You kidnapped my son,” Daniel shouted. Tracy didn’t flinch.
“And where were you when all this was going on? Out for the count, bladdered. It’s not good enough, Daniel. He was wandering the streets on his own.
” Daniel’s father, Ken, watched the confrontation spiral. “Should we report you to the police? ” Ken tried to calm everyone down. “Look, Ken!
Just let me explain. ”
But the damage was done. Daniel had lost control of his life, and now he’d lost his son, if only temporarily. His father had had enough of the chaos.
“Wake up, Daniel. If you make this your rock bottom, then the only way is up. ” Daniel apologized, his voice cracking. “Dad, I’m so sorry.
” Ken didn’t soften. “Go home. Sleep off your shame, and we’ll bring him to you later. ”
Meanwhile, David was dealing with his own unraveling.
His ex, Jody, had stirred up doubts, claiming he’d said her name in bed. David’s girlfriend, Shona, was starting to suspect something. “She knows that something’s going on, by the way,” David admitted to his brother. But the truth was murkier.
“Well, she don’t know that you were saying Georgie’s name,” his brother replied. David tried to deflect. “Allegedly. I was wasted.
”
But the secrets were piling up. David was lying about more than just a slip of the tongue. Ken, David’s father, confronted him directly. “I’m starting to think Daniel was right about what he said about you in the pub.
Being a dangerous liar. ” David bristled. “Don’t push me, David. If you do, I could land you in a whole universe of trouble.
”
The family was fracturing under the weight of its own lies. Daniel was a mess, David was hiding something, and Ken was caught in the middle, trying to piece together the truth. And at the police station, the detectives were closing in. “Got a match on Todd’s phone,” the officer said.
Daniel’s phone had been found, and it was evidence in a murder investigation. The fingerprints matched. —
