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as Ciaran was skinny and awkward. He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around his brother.
    Ciaran wept, free and unashamed sobs. He returned his brother’s embrace, and Thomas squeezed tighter.
    The three seated boys moved their attention away from the television, sniggering at the display of emotion.
    Thomas turned his head towards them. ‘What are you looking at?’
    No anger in his voice, just a plain question.
    The biggest of the three boys held his stare while the other two turned back to the television. ‘I’m looking at you pair of homos,’ he said.
    Cunningham looked back over her shoulder to Tom Wheatley’s open office. She waved her hand and he looked up from his paperwork. She inclined her head towards the room. Wheatley got to his feet and came to Cunningham’s side.
    ‘Look all you want,’ Thomas said to the boy. ‘When you’re not looking, that’s when I’ll come for you.’
    The boy stood, the other two paying attention now.
    ‘What was that?’
    ‘You heard me. But I’ll tell you again if you want.’
    Wheatley stepped past Cunningham and into the room. ‘All right lads, settle down,’ he said, his Liverpool accent showing no sign of fading after years living in Northern Ireland. ‘We don’t need any drama.’
    The boy stared for a few seconds more, then returned to his seat, smirking to his friends.
    Wheatley came back to the doorway, nodded to Cunningham. ‘Call me if you need me.’
    She patted his arm as he passed.
    Ciaran brought his sobbing under control. ‘I have to stay here,’ he said.
    ‘Same as me when I got out,’ Thomas said. ‘Doesn’t matter. We can still see each other every day.’
    ‘They won’t let you come to my room,’ he said to Thomas. ‘I can only see you down here.’
    Thomas took Ciaran’s face in his hands, wiped the tears with his thumbs. ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got the whole city. You can come to my place any time you want. They can’t stop you. So long as you’re back by nine.’
    ‘Can we go now?’
    ‘Yeah. We can go in my car.’
    They embraced again, and Thomas said, ‘It’s all right. I’m here now. I’ll look after you.’
    Cunningham stepped inside, approached them.
    Thomas looked up from his brother’s shoulder, his face expressionless.
    ‘You must be Thomas,’ Cunningham said, though she knew full well.
    She felt Thomas’s gaze cut through her like an iced blade. Then, as if someone had thrown a switch, a polite smile broke on his face. He moved away from Ciaran’s arms and extended his right hand towards her.
    ‘I’m Paula Cunningham,’ she said, ‘Ciaran’s probation officer.’
    ‘Nice to meet you,’ he said, giving her hand a firm but gentle shake.
    As if he’d rehearsed it, she thought. She watched Ciaran from the corner of her eye. He seemed to almost melt away, absorbed by the air around him. As if someone had cut out the shape of a boy from the world, leaving only a shadow behind.
    ‘I hear you’ve done well over the last couple of years,’ Cunningham said. ‘I think you’ll be a good example for Ciaran. I’d like you to see as much of each other as you can. Phil Lewis at Hydebank told me you were good for each other.’
    Thomas put a hand on Ciaran’s shoulder. Ciaran sparked back into life.
    ‘He’s my brother,’ Thomas said. ‘He’s all I’ve got. I’ll always look out for him.’
    He smiled again, his lips closed tight. Cunningham imagined him drawing a curved line beneath his nose. She pushed the thought away.
    ‘Good,’ she said. ‘I’ll leave you two to catch up. Remember, Ciaran, back here by nine, and I’ll see you at the office tomorrow at eleven. All right?’
    Ciaran nodded and looked at his feet.
    Thomas nudged his elbow. ‘Say thank you.’
    Ciaran said, ‘Thank you.’
    ‘You’re welcome,’ Cunningham said as she backed towards the door.
    The cold, slippery feeling would not leave her stomach as she drove home.

8
    THE CAR IS red and old and smells stinky of