Brennan had sprung for separate rooms, which was a good thing. Despite our unfaltering camaraderie, we needed alone time to process everything that had happened. We had adjoining rooms with mine in the middle. Through the walls, I heard Dylan crying while on the phone to his parents and I heard Steve talking to himself. I just sat in the bath ignoring the sting of the hot water on my injuries while I ruminated. I’d been wrong about so many things, but somehow something good had come out of my mistakes. Everything that had happened would prey on my mind for weeks to come, but I shelved all thoughts and recriminations and slept like the dead until Steve knocked on my door the following morning to tell me to wake up.
Brennan’s people passed through the hotel lobby on their way out. None of them cast a look my way. I turned to see Brennan walking Steve and Dylan over to me. All three were smiling, which I hoped was a good sign. I crossed the lobby to meet them.
‘Are we free to go?’ I asked.
‘For now,’ Brennan said. ‘Obviously, you’ll be needed in court as witnesses. So you’ll be seeing a lot of me over the coming months.’
‘Lucky us,’ I said.
Brennan patted my cheek. ‘It’s no treat for me either, son. You’re a tenacious little sod, which is to your credit and your detriment. Don’t let me catch you at it again.’
‘Thanks.’
‘There’s a compliment in there if you look hard enough.’
‘I’m sure.’
‘OK, let’s get out of here before a sudden bout of affection breaks out.’ Steve put a hand in my back and ushered Dylan and me forward.
‘Can I buttonhole Aidy for just one sec?’ Brennan asked.
I shrugged and Brennan and I waited until Steve and Dylan had pushed their way through the revolving door into the covered courtyard to get the cars.
‘I spoke to Derek this morning. He denied attacking your grandfather or the guy from Chicane’s or breaking into your home.’
‘Well, he would, wouldn’t he?’
Brennan frowned. ‘Aidy, accept it. Please.’
I should have known better than to expect a straight answer. ‘OK.’
‘He apologizes for the fight at your grandfather’s workshop and the roadside hijacking. He hopes you’ll understand why he acted that way. It was for your own safety.’
I wasn’t in the mood to argue. There was only so much anyone was going to admit to. There was no point in my pushing the issue. As Brennan had warned me last night, we’d broken enough laws of our own. ‘Apology accepted.’
‘Good.’
Steve appeared in the lobby doorway with his hands up in a come-on-let’s-go gesture. I shook hands with Brennan and pushed my way out through the revolving door.
Steve and Dylan had brought the two remaining cars from our surveillance escapade – the Vauxhall and the Honda. Steve would have a lot of explaining to do about the destroyed Renault when we got back to Windsor. It would have been nice if the three of us could have driven home together, but it wasn’t an option. Dylan slipped out from behind his dad’s Honda and leaned on the roof.
‘You OK driving?’
Dylan examined his broken fingers, now bound to a splint. ‘Yeah, I’ll live. Hey, I like how that sounds.’
I grinned.
‘I’ve got to get home and check in with my parents, but I’ll come by Archway tomorrow to work on the car, yeah?’
I’d been worried that the hell I’d dragged my friend through had damaged our friendship. I’d put him through a lot. But him saying that told me we were OK. ‘That’ll be good. See you tomorrow.’
Dylan drove off as Steve and I climbed into the Vauxhall. I stared out of the window as Steve drove. I let my thoughts drift, happy not to latch on any particular thought for more than a second. My silence must have triggered something in Steve and he started talking about preparations for the Festival.
‘There won’t be a Festival,’ I said.
‘Why not?’
‘My sponsor is in police custody.’
‘That doesn’t change things. Hancock leased the car and engine for the month. Your entry is paid for. All you have to pay for is petrol and expenses. I say race. It’s the least these people can do for you. Consider it your compensation.’
It was a nice way of looking at it. Hancock probably needed every penny he could get right now, but there were no refunds in the racing world.
‘What do we do about Hancock Salvage’s name on the car?’
‘Keep it on there. Hancock is still your sponsor. His company is still doing business. You have an obligation and it’ll give everyone something to talk about.’ Steve smiled at me. ‘You’re racing in the Festival. I’m going to make sure of it.’
We arrived home in the late afternoon. The house was still in a mess after the break-in, and the wreckage greeted us. As much as I didn’t want to bother with the thankless chore, Steve and I returned everything to its rightful place and threw out anything that had been destroyed. Neither of us were particular hungry, but Steve picked up pizza from the local takeaway. We settled in for a night in front of the TV. Dull, yes, but we were sorely in need of some dullness. The news reported a vague account of a gangland shooting in Redditch, but didn’t say who was involved. I guessed there was a police gag order in place until they had Rykov’s organization nailed down.
‘Have you spoken to Alison?’ Steve asked.
‘No.’
‘I think you’d better.’
He was right and I went up to my room and called her. I told her what had happened over the last twenty-four hours.
‘So Derek didn’t kill Alex?’ she said when I finished.
This was my biggest mistake. I’d told Alison that Derek had killed her fiancé. I’d muddied her grieving process with murder accusations. I’d made a mess for so many people. ‘No. He didn’t. I saw the video from the race. Alex crashed into Derek. There wasn’t a thing Derek could have done to prevent it.’
‘What made Alex crash into Derek?’
‘I don’t know. Oil on the track? A lapse in concentration? Any number of things could have caused it. We’ll never know.’
‘So Derek’s threat was just a threat after all.’
‘Yes. I’m sorry. I was totally wrong. I shouldn’t have made you think otherwise.’
Alison was silent for a long moment. ‘It’s OK. You didn’t convince me. You only echoed what I believed.’
It was kind of her to say so.
‘Are you still racing in the Festival?’
‘Yes. Steve and I will be working on the car tomorrow. We’re testing the car Wednesday and qualifying is Friday.’
‘Do you need help?’
‘I’d love it.’
‘Eric and Laura came over yesterday to see me. We talked and we’d like to make the Festival Alex’s official goodbye to motor racing. So, we’d like to help out.’
‘That sounds great. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, come over tomorrow.’
‘We will.’
I stayed late at work the following day. It was my attempt to make up for my no-show the day before. I couldn’t really explain myself either. Brennan’s orders. Relations between my bosses and me had become strained over recent weeks on account of my absenteeism. This wasn’t helped by the fact that I’d be out the rest of the week for the Formula Ford Festival. I’d pushed them to the limit and felt my career was on life support.
After a difficult day at the office, I drove myself to Archway. There was no need for a personal escort anymore. The war with Derek was over. I could return to my normal life, despite the dishevelled mess I’d made of it.
I arrived at Archway to find a packed house and team briefing in progress without me. Steve had Dylan, the Fannings, Alison and her father clustered around the Mygale. He was going over individual duties with them from wheel checks to pre-race inspections. Steve was in his element. A life spent in the pit lane meant he hadn’t lost his professionalism or discipline. The Festival was a big deal and there wasn’t room for error. It was fun seeing him marshalling his lieutenants, although a tad disappointing that no one had bothered to invite me to my own party. I was the driver after all.
My arrival ruined Steve’s disciplined control. The second Alison saw me, she rushed over and crushed me in a hug. After all that had happened, it felt good to be held. I couldn’t fall or come to harm if someone held me. Even though the Fannings and Mr Baker were there in front of me, I couldn’t help myself and I hugged her back.
‘I’m so happy you’re safe,’ she said.
‘Me too,’ I said.
She took me in for a second, examining my cuts and bruises. ‘You look terrible.’
It wasn’t the homecoming I wanted to hear, but it made me smile. ‘Thanks. That makes me feel a whole lot better.’
‘Shut up. Promise me that you three won’t do anything as stupid as that again.’
‘We’ll try not to.’
She pulled away from me. ‘You need to do more than try.’
‘OK, we won’t. I guarantee it.’
The Fannings came over and Mr Fanning shook my hand. ‘I don’t know what to say. You three did something very brave.’
It looked as if Steve and Dylan had divulged some details of our activities from two nights ago. It was probably hard not to considering their battered state. It was bound to raise questions.
‘And more than a little stupid,’ I said.
‘Bravery and stupidity go hand in hand,’ Mrs Fanning added.
I didn’t have an answer for that.
‘It’s just so hard to believe,’ Mr Baker said, slipping an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. ‘These were people we knew and trusted. Just unbelievable.’
It was, but it wasn’t as unbelievable as the dumb ideas I’d built up about Alex’s murder. I felt self-conscious in front of Alex’s parents and Alison.
‘Can we get back to the job at hand?’ Steve asked.
I raised my hands in surrender and ushered everyone back to the car.
Steve resumed the team briefing. I stood off to one side while he talked everyone through their tasks and demonstrated how to do anything anyone didn’t understand. He stopped when the thump-thump of the music from the Jumping Bean next door became too much for him.
‘Let’s get some dinner,’ Mr Fanning said. ‘It’s on me.’
We went next door and were seated immediately. There was a nice vibe around our table. A weight had been lifted from everyone’s shoulders. Nobody wanted to be serious and we could have kept it going all night, but we all needed an early start. Tomorrow kicked off a series of long days until the end of the Festival.
Mr Fanning settled the bill and we all walked out into the night. The Fannings had driven to Archway, while Alison and her father had taken the train. We walked the Fannings to their car and saw them off. Steve and Dylan went back to Archway to finish up for the night while I walked Alison and her dad to the railway station. I saw them all the way to the ticket barriers. I thanked them and shook hands with Mr Baker. He inserted his ticket and passed through the barrier. Alison hung back.
‘I’ll be with you in a minute, Dad.’
He looked a little put out at being segregated, but he nodded. ‘Don’t be too long, OK?’
She smiled. ‘I won’t.’
She waited until her dad disappeared from sight in the direction of the platforms before speaking, ‘I hope you don’t mind that I involved Alex’s parents in this race.’
‘Of course not. This race is important to a lot of people.’
‘You’ve become important to a lot of people,’ she corrected, then blushed.
‘Have I become important to you?’
Her hesitation was slight, but it was there. ‘Yes.’
‘But?’ I said.
‘I’m not ready for someone new. I care for you, Aidy. I didn’t think I could so soon after Alex, but there’s a big difference between caring for someone and finding someone. Does that make sense?’
‘Yes.’
‘I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I feel a connection between us, but I’m not ready for more right now and I’m hoping you understand and that you can wait.’
There’d been girls, but they’d all been short term flings. Alison was different. I felt we had something potentially far more serious developing between us. For once, I was willing to be smart about this. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ I said.
Her nervous expression turned into a grin. ‘Thank you. You’re a special guy.’
‘It comes easy for some.’
She pulled me to her and kissed me. ‘See you tomorrow.’
I waited until she’d slipped through the barriers and disappeared from sight before heading down the slope to Archway.
Steve and Dylan met me with smiles when I let myself back into the workshop. They were pulling out the tools and equipment we’d need for tomorrow and setting them out so they could be loaded straight into the van in the morning. They stopped what they were doing to look me over.
Dylan tapped his watch. ‘Someone took their time saying goodbye. Is that the reason for the big smile?
‘Leave the lad alone,’ Steve said. ‘She’s a great girl, Aidy. Be good to her. Just keep your hands where we can all see them.’
‘I’ll try. Thanks.’
They grinned like idiots before Steve tugged on Dylan’s sleeve and they went to the bathroom. While they washed up, I admired the Mygale. It looked great sitting on its stands, despite Hancock’s name on the side. This was my car. My chance to prove myself. Not to show the racing world that I was as good as my dad, but that I was just good. I wasn’t going to be an also-ran at the Festival. I was going to do my best to make an impact.
I eyed my car from the nose and crouched down so I was face to face with it. The wide track of the front suspension with the big black tires, sleek nose and squat radiator pods was a gorgeous sight. I made my sweep of the car, taking in its smooth lines and elegant construction. I trusted Steve and Dylan’s expertise with my life – figuratively and literally – but I was only comfortable getting behind the wheel once I’d made sure everything met my standards. I checked the joints, made sure push rods and tracking arms were perfectly centred, looked for leaks, pulled on the wheels to make sure there was no play in the bearings, and ensured every cable connection was tight and tied back. I worked my way around to the rear of the car. This was the perspective a following driver had of my car. I hoped a lot of drivers would have this view at the weekend. I went over the gearbox and rear suspension. Everything looked to be in its place. Then I spotted a chink in the perfection. It was subtle and easily missed. In the excitement of race day, I wouldn’t have noticed it.