The Long Dark Shadow

Part One: The Sting of Betrayal

Prologue

Friday 17th March 2045- St Patrick’s Day

He should be used to this he reasoned. There had been enough of them after all over the years, but he never was prepared for the knife between the ribs that was today’s date. Maybe it hit him harder this year because he would be losing the only person he really truly cared about before the year was out.

This person was more reconciled with the idea of their imminent death than he was. Her heart had been broken so much over the past decade that she was actually looking forward to the day it gave up its valiant fight and ceased beating.

Then and only then would she be able to ascend upstairs and join all the angels and spirits she had ever loved. She was especially looking forward to being reunited with her son, the light of her life. She had been lost without him all this time, as though part of her was missing. Six years was a long time.

Would he cope he wondered. As it was she took up his evenings. He had asked her to live with him because she refused professional care of any kind. He saw the resentment in her chocolate brown eyes as she slowly realised that she couldn’t manage alone.

It had hurt her pride to accept this as reality and she had extracted a promise from him that he prayed to God he would have to fulfil. It was still illegal for a start and there were so many grey areas it was unbelievable.

God had never answered his prayers yet, but there was always a first time. Perhaps God was holding the fact he was a lapsed Catholic against him and metering out a steady stream of punishments because of that crime. 

He shook his head to try and dislodge the dark thoughts. If fate was kind then they might avoid the issue until the end of the year if not longer. He gave up on the highly boring document that was supposed to be occupying his attention. He just couldn’t concentrate today. But when could he these days? 

Many people his ex-wife included claimed that he had run the business into the ground since that dark day when he’d suddenly and brutally found himself running it alone. But he figured that was just bitter because that turn of events had caused them to re-evaluate their lives and he had come to the conclusion that she wasn’t healthy in his life.

Perhaps he could have phrased it better than to tell her she was about as welcome as tooth decay or syphilis, but still. As part of the divorce settlement she was entitled to half his future earnings. It was rumoured she was living well, whether solely off the money he paid her every month he had no idea.

But the fact remained that she was a high maintenance princess, who’d bled him dry while taking him to the cleaners. He had always thought that his marriage proposal made at just 16 had gone down a little too well with his ex-father-in-law, but now he was wiser.

The man was just too happy to palm his most expensive and difficult offspring off on some other poor person. Her father was much richer these days as a result of this move.

Her complaints however were just fuelled by the fact she was worried her disposable income would suffer if the business failed. The accountant however assured him that he was just about keeping his head above water.

Treading water, rather than drowning in it Mr Hammond the smarmy, oily-haired, prick had announced. Everything about the man was greasy from his manner and his over shiny suit to his hair.

Sighing deeply he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and left, earning raised eyebrows from his secretary. The ironic thing was before he took over the business single-handed after the brutal and senseless death of his brother/business partner he would have been chained to his desk well past midnight, now he really couldn’t give a shit.

He had refocused his priorities; it was just a shame that it had taken an act of tragic violence such as the double murder to do so. Six years ago today at approximately 05:15am Darren Joseph Hunter and his wife Laurel Marie had been executed in Madeley Forest.

The spot where it happened would be beautiful, but for the large red X scored into the earth where their blood had spattered everywhere. The forest was scarred forever, its beauty ruined by one horrific act. It didn’t matter that the person who had issued the instructions was residing in the toastiest corner of hell, the damage was done and the forest remembered.

He could go there, but as his drove his scarlet Ferrari at what was quite possibly the speed of sound, Rueben Joseph Hammond knew exactly where he would end up.

You’re late this year Marina Hemmingway said, as she opened the door for him.

I had work to do. I was going to try and cope that way

Not working huh? his 82-year old ex-mother-in-law raised her grey eyebrows.

You could say that he replied, giving her a hug.

Wallowing in your self-pity again? the voice cut him like a whip.

He looked up. She had changed almost beyond recognition; in fact the only thing that hadn’t changed was his ex-wife’s ability to wound by just opening her mouth. How could he ever have found this woman attractive?

Dani he said. "Elle he added when she glared at him. They had never quite managed to be civil, so the single word sounded harsh as it left his lips. 

Didn’t you say you should have been at work 10 minutes ago? Marina enquired delicately of her daughter.

"Don’t worry Rube I’m going, then you can have my mother all to yourself and you keep up your pointless vigil. They’re dead and the sooner you accept that then..."

Yes thank you Dan, I’m well aware they’re dead. You didn’t have to deal with Angie this morning did you? Crying herself to sleep last night. Exactly what are the right words? Do tell me and I’ll take notes

I’m just saying Danielle Hemmingway, once Hammond replied. She had reverted to her maiden name when the divorce had come through.

Well please don’t. Kindly do us both a favour and fuck off to work, if you’re going, before I do something we’re both likely to regret Rueben snapped.

He could feel the familiar licking flame rising rapidly inside him, always a dangerous sign with any member of the Hunter family.  It quite often became a matter of who could control their temper and who couldn’t. Rueben had never yet lost his to the degree where he had become violent. Darren had, but his targets had always been inanimate objects and not human in nature. 

The look of hurt on her face made him want to laugh and then he felt ashamed. He wasn’t usually a vindictive person. She left the house with her head held haughtily high. Rueben somehow managed to resist the temptation to stick his tongue out behind her back.

He watched her get in her car and drove off at a speed that the speed freak inside him would have been proud of.  He had bought her that car he was sure, with his monthly cheque. 

I’m so sorry. She brings out the worst in me, particularly today Rueben apologised to Marina. He stepped into the hallway and she closed the door, airily waving his apology aside.

Don’t worry. She always did know where to stick the knife and when to twist Marina said wearily.

Yeah but she’s still your daughter. You get stuck in the middle at times

I might be biologically contracted to love her, but I don’t have to like her Marina said matter of factly.  That took a second to sink into Rueben’s consciousness.

Coffee? she added, rolling her brown eyes slightly, eyes identical to her middle daughter’s.

Please Rueben replied wearily.

He didn’t miss the look of concern Marina cast in his direction. He pretended he hadn’t noticed however. She wouldn’t ask him what was wrong, she already knew, knew better than anyone.

He followed her through to the living room like a faithful puppy that has had an accident on your best and most expensive rug. He sat down on the black leather sofa uninvited, he was too regular a guest in this house for that. He was still treated like family when he was here.  After all he had fathered six of Marina and Gabriel’s many grandchildren. 

The TV was on showing the news. The main headline was still the disappearance of pathologist Byron Baron’s baby daughter, Evanna.

As the pathologist was known to be openly gay he and his partner Donatello Parsons had used a surrogate mother. It was widely believed that it was the surrogate mother who had taken the child.

The policeman in charge was DI Ivor Gunn and he was appealing for information, sightings etc. Rueben snorted as a policeman’s son himself he knew the importance of these things, but he always knew how they got corrupted and manipulated.

Darren had known this too. Several times perfectly innocent evidence had been used to frame him. Fourteen years ago he had been convicted of and sent to prison for murder.

A crime he had not committed and he and Laurel had almost been murdered themselves in the process of proving his innocence.

Rueben had met the pathologist personally. Although Former DS Steven Potter had identified Laurel and Darren at the scene in the forest, Rueben had officially identified them and had made arrangements for them to be transferred to the chapel of rest at the local funeral home.

Rueben rubbed his hand over his sapphire blue eyes and then steepled his fingers, staring fixedly at the cream carpet. It didn’t take long for Marina to brew the coffee, she’d had a lot of practise after all, the amount of years she’d probably been drinking the stuff.

She offered him the beverage in his usual cup. It was his Manchester United FC soccer team mug. He’d left it there years ago. He smiled gratefully, taking it and thanking her. He warmed his hands around the mug.  It was a cold and rainy St Patrick’s Day that year, which exactly suited Rueben’s mood. 

I assume you’re not having a better day this year? Marina said sitting down in the armchair opposite him.

Rueben shook his head. She didn’t avert her eyes, but waited patiently for him to continue. Eventually he felt that he could. 

People keeping telling me time will heal, but it fucking well doesn’t does it? he asked rhetorically.

Even so Marina shook her head. She herself still worked part-time as a teaching assistant and she had taken the day off. She really couldn’t cope with children today. They would just get on her nerves and the ugly side of her otherwise gentle nature would be exposed. If she exposed that side of her then the damage would have been done and she could never take it back.

Marina had been particularly close to Laurel Hunter. She had known Laurel since 11th January 1999, when as an 11-year old Year 7 student and Marina had been tasked with supporting pupils in a Maths lesson.

The rest as the popular saying goes was history. No one had looked back since, for better or for worse, Marina really wasn’t sure. Perhaps it would have been better if she and Laurel had never met. Many things would have been different for a start. For one thing Laurel Hunter and her husband would not be lying cold in their graves. But how could she tell Rueben, Darren’s brother this?

She wasn’t sure she could handle seeing the accusation in his eyes; it