Page 108 of 36 Hours

‘Oh, sorry, I thought she was at junior school.’

‘She was the last time I saw her,’ he said bitterly.

‘Why’s that?’

‘Any reason you want to know?’

‘Any reason you don’t want to share?’ Kim said, holding his gaze.

After a full minute, he continued. ‘They left me. Or rather the bitch did and took my child.’

The flash of anger was intense. As though realising what he’d shown, he worked hard to loosen his facial muscles back to neutral.

‘How long ago?’ she asked pointedly.

‘Eight years. Not long after I got out of prison.’

‘Assault, wasn’t it?’ she pushed.

‘Like you don’t already know.’

‘I don’t know your side of it,’ Kim said, sitting back in the seat.

The move irked him. A flash of irritation tightened his jaw.

For some reason, the man did not want them in his house.

‘I was working, doing my job. It was Friday night in town. Usual madness and drunks, except for one guy who just wouldn’t back off.’

Kim knew he’d been a bouncer on the doors of a club in Wolverhampton in addition to his security job at the Mander Shopping Centre.

Bryant’s expression told her he thought they were wasting valuable time, but she disagreed. Whoever was pulling their strings had to have a reason, and they had to try and understand what their motivation might be.

‘Go on,’ she urged.

‘He was a damn nightmare all night. He got a rise out of me, so I became the entertainment for him and his buddies.’

‘What were they doing?’

‘Getting in my face, stepping on my toes, flicking my badge and calling me names. It sounds ridiculous, but after three hours of them keeping on, I pushed one of them, and he hit his head on the kerb. Permanent brain damage for him and five years in the slammer for me.’

She looked to the photos. ‘And that broke up the marriage?’

‘Oh yeah. She got a lot of shit after I went away. Abuse in the street, threats. I was given the nickname “the crippler” and she wasn’t gonna live her life attached to someone with that reputation,’ he spat.

‘Did you fight for your daughter?’

‘Of course, but the bitch got what she wanted. In the end, I gave up.’

‘Why?’

‘Cos the bitch kept dragging Emily to the court hearings. The poor kid was looking more and more distraught every time I saw her. I couldn’t keep doing that to her, so I walked away. I thought I’d get my chance when she was older. I set up social media accounts to find her. I did and I reached out. She blocked me. It’s done.’

‘Must have made you angry,’ Kim said.

He shrugged, but she could see the bitterness in his face.

‘Guess neither of them want an association with an ex-prisoner. The stigma is just too much for them both,’ he said. ‘And Emily is no better than her mother.’