MURDER IN PEMBROKESHIRE an absolutely gripping crime mystery full of twists (Tyrone Swift Detective , GRETTA MULROONEY [books to read now .txt] 📗

in Holybridge with that vicious bastard. Caz and me were talking to him one day and I said I was thinking of going to London, try to get any kind of work and a place to doss. I’d been on the internet and I’d seen that there were squats and stuff. Caz was really upset, but I couldn’t see any other way out, and it had to be better than living with Calvin. I was at my wits’ end. Caz couldn’t come to London ’cause of her mam. Next time we saw Afan, he told us he owned this house in Cardiff and he needed a caretaker, someone to keep an eye on the place, do odd jobs for the tenants and liaise with the managing agent. He said this flat had just been vacated and I could have it rent-free if I paid my own bills and kept an eye on the house. I’m fairly handy with DIY stuff and it sounded like a dream. I nearly bit his hand off, I can tell you.’

He was intense, sitting on the edge of the sofa, trembling slightly and blinking hard. He had the vigilant gaze of the abused. He’d have spent his life until now watching his back and dodging the blows. After his own experiences, no wonder Afan had empathised with his predicament and wanted to help him escape. Swift doubted that Afan had needed a caretaker — usually, the agent would be responsible for repairs or other matters that needed attention in a rented property. He’d created the job to give Morgan a safe place and to allow two young people to find a life together. Caris placed a protective hand against Morgan’s back.

‘Did you ever consider reporting your brother’s behaviour to the police?’ Swift asked.

Morgan grimaced. ‘You’re joking. If I’d done that, he’d have beaten me senseless. He told me if I ever went whinging to anyone, he’d make sure I needed a nurse for the rest of my life.’

‘And your dad never stood up for you?’

Caris answered for him. ‘He’s on tranquillisers, hardly gets what day of the week it is. He never stuck up for Morgan and he let Calvin rule the roost.’

‘Your mum’s worried sick about where you’re going at weekends,’ Swift told her. ‘She’s imagining all kinds of awful things. She’s found out you’re not seeing your aunt.’

Caris put her head in her hands. ‘Bloody hell! Did you tell her?’

Swift shook his head. ‘Not me. I’ve told you, I’m not here to interfere in your lives for the sake of it. Let your mum tell you herself. I’ve suggested that she needs to have an honest conversation with you. I understand why you’ve been lying to her, but that needs to stop, especially now that Afan’s dead and your future here is uncertain.’

Caris rallied. ‘What’s any of this got to do with you anyway? Why are you poking your nose into our lives and following me around? Us being here is all above board.’

‘I’m angry that my friend’s dead. If you’d been honest with me and the police about your relationship with Morgan, if this arrangement with Afan was as you describe it, I wouldn’t have needed to talk to your mum or come here.’

Morgan cracked his finger joints. ‘Don’t you get it? Caz couldn’t tell you or her mam the truth. She hasn’t even told Gwyn, her best friend, about me being here. We don’t want Calvin to find out where I am!’

‘I understand that. There’s no reason why he should.’

Caris snorted. ‘You reckon? Once the cops get wind, it’ll be out there. Everyone’s got their ears to the ground in Holybridge and Calvin’s like that bloody Bryn Price. He’s got his fingers on the pulse.’

‘It’s been so amazing being here,’ Morgan whispered. He folded his arms across his chest. ‘I’ve been safe for the first time since my mam died. It’s really secure, being up the top of this house with a lock on my door. Calvin bought the story that I’d gone to London, so I could go for a run over in the park without having to check around me. We were hoping that in a while, Caz might be able to work something out with her mam and move in here with me. She could get a better job in Cardiff. I knew it was too good to last, and when Caz told me Afan was dead, I reckoned I’d probably get chucked out of here — if Calvin doesn’t find me first. Then I’ll have to go to London, and that means me and Caz will hardly see each other.’

Caris bit her lip and put her arm around him. They were so young, so desperate and struggling. Afan had handed them an unexpected gift that had been snatched away. This house would be sold in due course, once probate was granted. Swift didn’t enjoy pressing them more, but it had to be done because although they were young, they weren’t innocent. They were still concealing something.

‘Caris, why did Afan write you a note saying that he was disappointed in you and that it wasn’t how friends behaved?’

He expected that she’d question how he’d come by the information. Instead, her eyes brimmed with tears and Morgan stared at the waxed floorboards.

Swift waited. ‘Did you steal from him?’

‘No! I’d never do that!’

Swift hazarded another guess. ‘Did something happen here, something that Afan found out about?’

Caris went to speak, but Morgan shook his head. He moved closer to her and stammered, ‘That was my stupid fault. Maybe Calvin’s right after all and I am a waste of space.’

Swift left a couple of beats and kept his tone soft. ‘What happened? Can you tell me?’

Morgan grabbed Caris’s hand. ‘I met a guy called Mikey at the café up the road. We’d both been running, and we got chatting.