Keep It in the Family

by John Marrs

if my parents didn’t approve of George’s choice, Dad would offer the child a fizzy orange juice from his carbonated drinks maker. But if he or Mum took a shine to them, Dad would signal his intentions by offering our guest a cola.

Fizzy orange drink- not approved . Cola with a sprinkle nof sedative - approval

These suitcases are uncovered and spaced further apart. And there’s something in front of each one, stacked into a small, neat pile. They are children’s clothes and shoes.

‘That’s not his signature,’ Finn says. ‘It’s close but not identical. And one in every ten companies he was supposed to have visited doesn’t exist. I’ve checked each one listed here. For every date he is supposed to be at one of these made-up businesses, a kid went missing. Including that boy William and his sister in Ipswich.’

These diaries are in Dad’s name but filled in by her. It wasn’t Dad travelling from county to county, it was her.