Page 109 of Reinventing Cato
“This guy wouldn’t have kept… Would he? I mean, are you sure it was a scarf? Maybe he supports another team with those colours.”
Am I grasping at straws?“Hendry’s gay. He made a move on me when I was a teenager and I said no. He didn’t push, but what if he took Anders? What if Anders liked Newcastle because Hendry did? What if…? Shit! I can’t unthink what I’m thinking.” He didn’t want it in his head. He couldn’t believe Hendry would have done that. There could be all sorts of explanations. Not a scarf. Not Anders’ scarf.
But…Christ.
“Are you sure you want to go down this route?” Cato rubbed his thumb over Vigge’s knuckles. “What can you do? If he saw you spot the scarf, he might have got rid of it and it might not be the same scarf anyway. And it’s a big jump to thinking he…killed your brother.”
It was.But…“Anders should have been found. The most obvious conclusion was that he’d fallen in the river, like Fi. But the river was searched. The whole area was combed. Everyone in the village who could look, did look. Outbuildings, the moors, we searched everywhere. Hendry too.” Vigge could feel himself crumpling. “What if he buried Anders on his land? It’d explain why he’s never left the village.”
Cato chewed his lip. “Maybe he likes it there. I don’t think you can just go storming in accusing him.Is the reason you haven’t moved because you’ve buried my brother in your garden?He’s not going to admit it, is he? Could there be DNA on a scarf after this long?”
“Yes.”
“Even if he washed it?”
Vigge released a shaky breath. “Yes. Possibly. But I’d know Anders’ scarf. He used to pick at the fringe and tie tiny knots to stop it unravelling.”
“Sounds like something you could check for. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“It could be something or nothing.”
“True.”
“Are you thinking you need to drive straight up there?”
He was thinking what if Anders was being kept in a cellar or under floorboards or…?Do not voice those thoughts.
“You could just ask him. Holding a secret like that for eighteen years? He might break down and confess.”
“Stranger things have happened.” Vigge gave a heavy sigh and let go of Cato’s hand. “Well, the scarf is either still there or he got rid of it after he thought I’d seen it. I don’t need to rush up there.”Except I do.
“That’s not what I’m hearing in your voice.”
Vigge looked at him across the table.
“Will you take me with you when you go? I don’t want you to speak to him on your own.”
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
Cato frowned. “Not you. Him. What if he gets violent? Maybe I could distract him while you go into the bedroom and see if the scarf’s there and check whether it was your brother’s.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not? I’m brilliant at distracting.”
Vigge gave a quiet chuckle. “I don’t have time to go right now. Apart from your threatening texts, I have a lot of work on.”
Though he wanted to drive up there and look at that scarf. Just as well he was several hours away, apart from the not minor issue that he shouldn’t have anything to do with this. Because if it turned out that Hendryhadabducted and killed his brother, Vigge wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself.
“Shouldn’t the local police handle it?” Cato came round to stand by his chair.
“Yes.” Vigge pulled him onto his lap. “I need to think about this. If I’m wrong, and accuse an innocent man, not only will Hendry not speak to me ever again, nor will anyone else.”
“Do you care?”
“Not for me. But I don’t want to make life even more difficult for my parents.”
