Howard peeked out and watched as Kate Williams embraced Alan Lane, before kissing him fully on the lips. The teenager felt a surge of resentment and anger swell inside him.

“Promise that you’ll stay over tomorrow night?” Kate asked Alan.

“Of course. No getting up for work the next morning to worry about, not on a Friday evening.” Replied the English tutor. Howard heard this, and felt his stomach knot. He imagined Alan fucking Kate from behind, just like he had done, not very long ago. What the fuck? Thought Howard. I’m getting a fucking hard-on. I’m getting a stiffy… as I torture myself thinking about that… silly drip… shafting MY Kate. What the hell is wrong with me?

“Shall I bring some wine over tomorrow?” Asked Alan Lane, a short, weedy-looking man with a greying crew-cut.

“That’d be nice.” Answered Kate. “We could get a takeaway, too.” She suggested.

“Sounds ideal.” Said Alan. The pair kissed again. “Right, I’d best be making tracks. See you in college tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” Replied Kate. Alan walked up the pathway, opened the small front gate, and walked past the hedgerow where Howard was hiding. Except Howard had already gone.

***

The next morning, Howard Trenton looked out of his bedroom window; there was no sign of any police activity across the road, over at Alfie Whitehouse’s home. They’ve probably already got all of the fucking evidence that they need to arrest me, pondered Howard, gloomily. A knock on the bedroom door interrupted Howard’s thoughts.

“Come in.” Said Howard. His cousin, Lucas, entered the room.

‘Are you not going to college today, Howard? Only it’s getting on for eight o’clock?” Lucas asked.

“Oh, I’ve got a late start today, Luke.” Replied Howard. “I’m gonna drive into Elman… I can’t be arsed hanging around in the cold for a bus.” He added. Lucas nodded.

“So, what do you think about this whole Mary and Alex business?” Wondered Lucas. Howard felt his body tense up at just the mention of Alex Crennell’s name.

“I think that Mary’s making a big mistake getting involved with that cunt.” Answered Howard, with venom.

“Blimey, don’t mince your words, eh Howard?” Laughed Lucas.

“He’s a wanker.” Continued the teenager. ‘Mary’s too good for him.”

“I agree with you there. Still, there’s not much we can do about it. Mary’s a grown woman. It’s not up to us who she chooses to go out with.” Pointed out Lucas. Howard grunted, but other than that, he didn't reply.

Lucas picked at a flake of paint that was coming off the door-frame into Howard’s bedroom.

“Hey, Howard. You’ve walked the Black Pathway, haven’t you?” He asked his cousin.

“Sure. Why?” Howard replied.

“Is it safe to walk, you know, in the middle of winter?” Wondered Lucas. Howard let out a little laugh.

“Not really… unless you’re experienced… and I do mean experienced. Hardly anyone walks the trail during the winter. Why? You’re not thinking about having a bash at it, are you Luke? Coz I’d hold off until the spring, if I were you.” Said Howard. Lucas smiled.

“Nah, walking up mountains isn’t my thing. It’s Mary. She reckons that her and Alex are going to do the Black Pathway walk this weekend.” Lucas told him. Howard felt a stab of jealousy; HE had wanted to take Mary on that walk.

“Then they’re fucking crazy, the pair of them. They’ll never make it.” Commented Howard, with a cynical laugh. “They won’t even make it to Knighton, not in the middle of winter. The walk will fucking kill them.” He went on.

“Kay and Mary were arguing about it this morning, after Mary told her what she’d got planned. Kay said pretty much what you’ve just told me, that it’s not a walk to be tackled in the winter. Mary wouldn't listen.” Said Lucas.

“Yeah, well she’ll wish that she fucking listened when her and her shit-head boyfriend are wondering around Skerrington forest in the middle of the night, lost, hungry, and shivering their bones off. Pair of idiots.” Remarked Howard.

Lucas leaned against the door-frame.

“Maybe, Howard, you could have a word with Mary? Try talking some sense into her?” Suggested Lucas.

“No. Fuck the pair of them. If they wanna go traipsing up the Black Pathway at this time of the year, then I say let them.” Howard stared at his cousin. “Don’t worry, Lucas, they won’t die up there. Well, probably not.” He said. Lucas frowned, concerned. “Hey, I’m just kidding. Most people who die on the Black Pathway snuff it up on Knighton or Hoffen Mountain. Trust me, Mary and Alex won’t get that far. When are they thinking of heading out there?” Howard wanted to know.

“Tomorrow morning.” Lucas answered.

“Stupid fuck-wits. They’ll be back before teatime.” Said Howard.

“Do you reckon?” Asked Lucas, seeking some reassurance from his cousin, who had walked the Black Pathway many times before.

“I’d put money on it. Just let them get on with it, Lucas, learn things the hard way. I fucking hate people like those two…”

“Hey, come on now, Howard, Mary’s my sister-in-law… and you don’t hate her.” Lucas said, upset at Howard’s vitriol.

“I don’t mean that I hate Mary… I just hate the attitude of people like her, and Alex, you know… they’ve got no fucking respect for nature… they think that…”

“Okay, Howard, okay. Just calm down a bit.” Said Lucas, surprised at his cousin’s anger. Howard took a deep breath.

“Sorry, Luke. It just pisses me off.” He told his cousin. Lucas gave him a bitter-sweet smile.

“You liked Mary, didn’t you?” Lucas commented.

“I don’t want to talk about her or Alex Crennell any more.” Came Howard Trenton’s ice-cold response.

Lucas stepped a little further into Howard’s bedroom. Tactfully, he changed the subject from talk of Mary and Alex, and their planned hike up the Black Pathway.

“Kay tells me that one of those coppers investigating Alfie’s death came to see you last night… to borrow your trainers?” Asked Lucas. Howard rolled his eyes.

“Yeah… it was that Tom Grogan guy. He comes across as a bit clueless.” Sniggered Howard.

“Kay told me that you’d accused him of thinking you were somehow responsible for Alfie’s death?” Probed Lucas. Howard rolled his eyes again.

“I know… stupid isn’t it? It’s just that he was asking me loads of questions, earlier on, yesterday afternoon, when I was sat outside. It made me feel really uncomfortable, Luke, like he was accusing me of something.” Said Howard.

“You know me, cousin. I’m not capable of hurting a fucking fly.” He added, for effect. Lucas came and put a hand on Howard’s shoulder.

“Hey, I know that you wouldn’t. You know what coppers are like though, it’s what they do, asking loads of questions. Don’t worry about it. I reckon that this whole intruder thing is a load of bollocks anyway. It’ll probably just turn out that Alfie died in his sleep after all. Probably from a broken heart… it was killing him, being without his cat.” Reasoned Lucas. Howard smiled up at him. And I’m going to break your heart, Lucas, when you find out what I’m really like, when the pigs come to arrest me… I can feel it in my bones… Grogan, he knows that I murdered Alfie Whitehouse. And Howard was right, for at that exact moment, at Coldsleet Police Station, Detective Tom Grogan was sharing his suspicions with another policeman called Kevin Burrows.

***

Detective Kevin Burrows was interested to know what evidence, exactly, his colleague Tom Grogan had, to suggest that Howard Trenton might be Alfie Whitehouse’s killer.

“I’ll admit, most of it is just based on a hunch. For now.” Confessed Tom. “Well, apart from those footprints that we found. Mark my words, they came from Howard’s hi-tops, but the little bastard has gone and destroyed any evidence that might have been on them.” He growled.

“We don’t even know the cause of Alfred Whitehouse’s death yet, Tom. Isn’t it a little bit premature to start throwing around accusations of murder?” Pointed out Kevin.