Free Broken Dreams by Nick Quantrill Page B

him.’
    ‘Did your husband approve of them?’
    ‘Oh yes. He thought Donna should go steady with him and settle down; buy a house and start a family, like we did.’
    ‘And Tim was a good bet?’
    ‘His mam and dad have done well for themselves. He saved his money and they eventually opened themselves a shop. They’ve done well.’ Sarah had told me about the shop. I assumed Maria Platt was ignoring the gangs of youths who congregated outside of it and the necessity of Perspex glass within the shop. It didn’t seem like paradise to me. Her voice contained a trace of bitterness. Reading between the lines, it sounded like her husband had wallowed in self-pity whilst others used their money more wisely. I wondered how bitter that had left him, what kind of man he became.
    ‘What happened with Tim?’ asked Sarah.
    ‘Our Donna chucked him; said he was boring. A mistake, if you ask me.’
    ‘Boring?’ I repeated.
    ‘She said they were stuck in a rut, always going to the same places, seeing the same people. Donna wanted a bit more from life than just getting married and becoming a housewife.’
    Sarah said nothing and neither did I. Life had been disappointing for Maria Platt and she wanted better for her daughter.
    ‘How did your husband feel when she dumped Tim?’ I asked.
     ‘He wasn’t best pleased’ Maria Platt eventually said.
    ‘Did they argue about it?’ I asked.
    She nodded. ‘All the time. They fought like cat and dog. He’d lose his temper and tell her she was stupid. He thought she should get a steady job. She’d tell him it was none of his business; it was her life and she’d please herself. I was stuck in the middle, trying to keep the peace.’
    I sat forward. ‘Did he threaten her, Maria?’
    Derek leant forwards. ‘I don’t like where you’re heading with this.’
    I held my hands up. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to imply anything. I’m trying to understand the state of her relationship with her father.’ I turned to Maria. ‘What did he think of her being in a group?’
    ‘He hated it. He didn’t understand it, I suppose. He didn’t like the thought of her being in nightclubs, having the men in the crowd leering after her. He hated it all, the whole thing, I suppose.’
    ‘Did they argue about it?’
    She nodded. ‘All the time. He tried to ban her from being in the band. She just laughed at him.’
    ‘Did she ever mention Frank Salford?’
    ‘Why would she?’ asked Derek. Sarah stared at me. I got the message.
    ‘He used to manage the band’ I said.
    Maria Platt looked at her brother before shaking her head. ‘She never mentioned him.’
    I had to ask. ‘Do you think your husband knew the band had a manager?’
    ‘I doubt it. I’d have been the one to know, and if I’d known, I’d have told him.’ She searched for a new tissue. ‘Should we know this man?’
    I shook my head. ‘No. Not at all.’
    Maria Platt waited for me to sit back down and looked me in the eye. ‘I just wanted Donna to be happy.’
    But your husband drove her away, I thought. ‘Why didn’t you report her as missing?’
    She didn’t respond. Sarah moved over to comfort Maria Platt. I didn’t feel great about what I’d said, but we were getting somewhere. Donna had obviously been opposed to her father. Derek looked at his sister and Sarah huddled together, nodded to me and suggested we went for a walk.
     
     
    Derek clearly intended our walk to take us no further than the nearest pub, which had just opened for the day. It was the kind of place where new faces weren’t very frequent, or particularly welcome. Derek nodded silent greetings to a few of the men stood around the bar, but no one acknowledged me. The walls were decorated with old black and white photographs of Hull FC from days gone by and photographs of old trawlers. One of the 1980 Challenge Cup Final team caught my eye. I recognised all the faces; even knew some of them back in the day. I’d learnt how to play the game