Кара Хантер - No Way Out

5 September 2017, 7.15 p.m.

121 days before the fire

23 Southey Road, Oxford

The kitchen is full of overenthusiastic dog. The elderly golden retriever is capering like a puppy as Matty throws treats into the air for her to catch. Zachary is laughing and squealing, and Samantha is at the sink, turning occasionally and smiling.

Michael puts his laptop case down on the table and joins his wife. `I gather the Youngs said yes.'

`They said we can do it again if it works out OK this time.'

`Can we, Dad?' says Matty at once. `Can we?'

`Let's see how it goes tonight first.'

Matty drops to his knees and wraps his arms round the dog's neck, resting his cheek against the gentle face.

`You remember the rules, don't you, Matty?' says Michael.

The boy nods.

`Tell me.'

`Mollie can't go on the furniture and I have to take responsibility for feeding her.'

`That's right. And she has to sleep down here, in the basket, not in your room.'

Matty seems about to say something to that, but clearly thinks better of it. `OK, Dad.'

Two hours later, Michael goes upstairs to check on his son to find Mollie curled up on the end of the bed. She opens one eye, then settles down with a doggy sigh.

`Don't wake him,' whispers Sam, appearing at her husband's elbow. `He looks so happy.'

`That duvet cover will be taking a beating.'

`It's fine,' she says softly. `There are more important things in life than a bit of dog hair.'

`That lad wasn't just playing games online,' says Baxter. `He was seriously into it.'

I'm standing behind him, looking down at his computer. Everett and Somer are on the other side.

`He used his own name for his profile, too,' continues Baxter, `which is why he was so easy to find.'

I glance at him with a frown. `But don't you need a credit card to play online? A subscription or something?'

`Not with Minecraft. Once you buy the game you can play online for free, no problem,' says Baxter, still staring at the screen. `Most parents think it's pretty innocuous. And it is, at least compared to something like Call of Duty or Mortal Kombat. It can actually be quite educational `“ people have built 3D versions of places like the Louvre, specially for Minecraft. And there's a really cool Escher thing, too.'

He pulls up a screen and there it is: one of my favourite optical illusions recreated in tiny Lego-like bricks. Impossible staircases, irresolvable walls. I had no idea you could do something like that in a video game and I think sadly how much I'd have loved Jake to see it. I did try to get into it `“ the whole idea left me cold but Alex said that I had to make an effort, that it was something Jake and I could do together. But it never really worked. Alex says the problem is I can't suspend my disbelief. Perhaps that's one reason I'm a good copper: I refuse to lose touch with reality. I can't let it go, not completely. Even when I was a kid I couldn't unsee the strings on Thunderbirds. But looking at Baxter's screen now, at something I've always loved and didn't know existed, I wonder whether Jake and I could have shared this after all, just as Alex wanted. But then it occurs to me that perhaps Jake knew about it all along. He just didn't tell me. He didn't think I'd be interested.

`Impressive, eh?' Baxter is saying, typically oblivious. `As is this. In rather a different way.'

He changes the screen. The avatar I'm now staring at looks exactly like Matty. It's still made of bricks, but it's clearly him. In fact I'm impressed how cleverly he's resolved his face into square blocks of colour. A rather endearing caricature. The glasses, the hair, the nose. The likeness is slightly unnerving.

`Is it easy to do something like that?' asks Everett.

`It's fiddly,' Baxter concedes. `But he clearly had quite a talent. Though probably not one his father had much time for. Strikes me he was a three Rs kinda guy.'

`So what about this `њAttack Zack`ќ thing,' I ask. `Where does that come in?'

He swivels his chair round to face me. `How much do you know about the way Minecraft works?'

`I'm guessing it's a bit like The Lord of the Rings on acid?'

Somer suppresses a smile.

`Right,' says Baxter. `Weird creatures all over the place. Some of them are dangerous, like spiders and zombies. And Creepers. They're the worst kind of Mob `“'

`Mob?'

`Sorry `“ it's short for Mobile. Basically, anything that's supposed to be a living creature. Like farmyard animals, which you can kill and eat, or use to make weapons and stuff.'

My new-found enthusiasm for gaming is already diminishing. `So?'

He turns back to the computer again, then sits back and points. `Look.'

The creature on the screen is labelled `baby pig'.

And it has Matty's brother's face.

6 September 2017, 8.11 a.m.

120 days before the fire

23 Southey Road, Oxford

He should have realized something was wrong from the silence. He checks his watch `“ gone eight. The kids are always awake by now, and what with having the dog in the house, he's surprised it isn't a riot downstairs by now. He sighs, rolls over and hauls himself out of bed. At his side Samantha stirs but doesn't wake, dulled to the world. It's starting to get cold in the mornings and he pulls on his dressing gown, tying it as he makes his way across the landing. There are sounds from the nursery. Zachary baby-talking to himself. He hesitates at the top of the stairs, wondering whether to make tea for Sam first, but something prompts him to change his mind and go along to the nursery door. His son is sitting on the floor surrounded by scraps of silver foil. His face is smeared with chocolate, and the dog is lying at his side. At first glance Michael assumes it's asleep, until he notices the dregs of vomit around its mouth and the congealing half-glazed eye.

`Wake her up, Daddy!' cries Zachary, raising his arms towards his father. `Wake the doggy up!'

Michael is on his knees at once, feeling the dog's body for a pulse, but there's nothing. He turns to Zachary. `Did you give the doggy some of your chocolate?'

Zachary nods, his eyes wide. `She liked it. She had lots.'

`And when was that, do you remember?'

Zachary puts his finger in his mouth. His face starts to pucker.

`Don't worry,' says Michael quickly, getting to his feet, his heart pounding. There's only one thing that matters now and that's getting the bloody dog out of here. Before everyone else wakes up. Before Matty sees this and realizes what's happened.

He lifts Zachary back on to his bed, then bends to pick up the dog. Its body is already stiffening and starting to go cold. He staggers a little, under the weight, then turns towards the door.

It's Matty. In his Arsenal pyjamas. His face pale and closed, and his knuckles clenched so hard the skin is white. Michael has no idea how long he's been standing there.

I'm still looking at the screen. I'm not sure I want to know the answer to the next question, but I'm going to have to ask it.

`Baxter `“ these animals on Minecraft `“ you said people kill them? And that's part of the game `“ you're supposed to do that?'

`Yeah,' he says, looking slightly uncomfortable now. `You get pork chops if you kill a pig.'

Pork chops. Just like in real life. Only this is much worse, somehow.

`So if I wanted to kill that baby pig `“ the one on that screen `“ how would I go about doing it?'

`Well, you could stab it or drown it or blow it up.' He takes a deep breath. `And there's another way, too.'