There Is More Light Than Dark

Chapter Fifty Seven

Tuesday August 16

Dean McCoy sat at his desk at home with his customary spread of pictures and papers.

He heard Rose arguing again with Chloe upstairs as the shower shut off and she wanted the purple Wiggle pyjamas tonight instead of the Superman ones. Whilst he always looked forward to the company for those precious 20 minutes between her shower and her bed time, tonight he knew he could do with the break. He stood and stretched loudly as the first beer was gone and went for the couch in the living room rather than have her come in to the macabre display he had set up.

As she ran down the stairs and jumped on to his lap, set of Mr. Men books in hand, he opened his arms wide. That fresh hair, the powder, the warmth and innocent tumbling of ideas she spilled out every night. He couldn't help but think of Avery and how she was once this innocent and so happy. Of how Doug Prosser had probably once been in this position with a child of his very own to adore and bask in the glow of their purity.

They read three Mr. Men books before he checked his watch and put the rest down.

'Well sweety, it is time for your bed, you know?'

'Yeah Daddy, I know.'

'You gonna tell me anything you learned at school today?' He grinned as he thought of the barrage he might have just invited. She snuggled in some more and turned to him, playing with the greying stubble the last 24 hours had produced.

'Well we learned some new words of course.' She was thinking back to the series of words her teacher had given to the higher level kids in her class.

'Oh yeah, like what?'

'Like temporal.'

McCoy pulled his head back. 'Temporal? Well that's a big word. I'm actually not sure I know exactly what that means.' And he wasn't joking.

'It means to do with time, Daddy.'

'Oh, to do with time,' he imitated but was impressed more than he dared let on. 'What else?'

'We learned the word local that means to do with your area; like near where you live.' She emphasised the words she had heard her teacher do the same with. But she got it, alright.

'And there was a third one too, Daddy, but I can't remember that one.' Rose was annoyed with herself and she heard Chloe coming down the stairs, meaning her time was up.

Chloe winked at McCoy and picked her up from behind, lifting her over her head as she headed up the stairs. McCoy got up quickly and ran up to where they were and gave her a kiss and a hug.

'You have a great sleep, sweetheart. You can tell me that word tomorrow.'

Twenty minutes later he and Chloe had eaten what was left of their dinner and washed up. McCoy grabbed another beer from her fridge and headed to the hallway that led to his study.

They both heard the gentle thud of little feet on the bare timber stairs and groaned as Rose appeared again at their feet.

'Darling, I have told you that when you go to bed you must stay in bed. If you need us, you can call out.' Chloe was half playing but she was tired and knew most of the time these interludes were handily crafted ways of delaying the inevitable for Rose.

'But I remembered the word and I needed to tell Daddy!' She was clear. Obstinate, but clear.

McCoy picked her up and kissed her soft face again.

'Yes, poppet, what was that big word you couldn't remember before?'

'Anagram, Daddy. It was anagram. It is when a word has letters that can make another word.' She was triumphant, as much for scamming an extra 30 minutes out of bed than for remembering the word itself.

Chloe and McCoy repeated their goodnights and Rose went back up the stairs.

It was 2 am before McCoy crawled into his own bed and spooned Chloe who was warm but woke gently. He'd still made bugger all headway into anything, but the pictures and papers were burned more brightly into his hippocampus.

It was 2:07 am when, almost drifting off, Dean McCoy opened his eyes wide and did some quick rearranging of letters in his head. He didn't realise he started to speak out loud.

'Anagram! Anagram! Mason Stepper – it's a bloody anagram! Mason Stepper is Peter Sampson!'

He was in his car by 2:10 am and on the phone to Harper Lewis.