Chapter 50: The Sin Of The Parent, Part 5, Forty-Two Years Ago

It's a nice house, a pretty house. Neat lawns to the front, edged by well-kept borders, lead to a pleasant avenue. To the rear is a large fenced area, the grass a little rough but short enough to kick a football around. A child's swing hanging from the branches of an old apple tree and a rug is laid out nearby with a child's tea-set arranged around the edges, each plastic cup and saucer next to a teddy bear, or a doll or a soft toy. A line stretches over the grass bearing sheets and pillow slips that billow and blow in the light breeze

Inside the house, it is equally pleasant. The walls are painted in a pale, fresh shade, dotted with prints and pictures, family photos, and here and there, framed displays of butterflies, dragonflies and beetles. Drapes flutter by windows opened to let in sun and air, carpets are clean, and surfaces wiped or dusted. By the front door, a collection of boots, shoes and trainers in various sizes is neatly stacked on a rack. In the utility, clothes tumble