Chapter 2

May 1988

Irene walks along the hall of the home she and Jim moved to after leaving their mother. She cautiously approaches the door at the end of the hall. She knocks on the door and waits. After a few moments of silence she pushes the door open expecting her father to shout at her for disturbing him. 'Daddy?' she steps into the office. She looks her father's desk and sees him slumped over. She steps over piles of papers on the carpet to approach him. She shakes his to try and wake him up. 'Daddy? We're hungry. It's dinnertime, Daddy!' she shakes him harder. He slips off his chair and falls to the floor on the opposite side of the chair to Irene. She walks around the chair and shakes her father again. 'Daddy! Wake up Daddy.' She starts to cry. 'Jimmy!' Jim runs to the door of the office. He tries to shakes his father awake.

'Daddy. Wake up. I want food.' Jim demands of his father. He stops shaking his father and stands up. He holds his hand out to his twin sister. He leads her out of the office and takes her to the sitting room just down the hall closing the door of the office behind them. He looks for the phone and calls 999. 'Hello?' Pause. 'I think my Daddy is dead.' A longer pause, '27 Queens Road, Guildford.' A short pause, 'No, it's only me and my sister. We're nearly 6.' Pause, 'Yes I can open the door. My name is James and I'll be waiting by front door.' Jim puts the phone down and walks out of the sitting room. Irene stands to follow him. He stops her. 'Stay here Rene. Watch the TV.'

As Jim opens the front door a police car pulls up outside the front gate. A police officer gets out of the door next to the curb. He opens the gate and spots Jim at the door. 'Are you James?' Jim nods. 'How are you?' Jim shrugs. 'Can you show me where your father's body is?' Jim looks back at the car behind which an ambulance has pulled up behind the patrol car.

'Can we wait for the doctor?' The police officer smiles at Jim.

'Of course.' He beckons to the other officer and paramedics. 'You're very calm James.'

'I have to be strong for my sister.'

'What's her name?'

'She's Irene Violet Holmes. I'm James Anthony Holmes. Everyone calls me Jim.'

'Officer Trevors will stay with your sister. Where is she?'

'She's in the sitting room.' Jim looks at the four adults watching him on the front path he turns and walks into the house leading them to the study. He points to the door of the sitting room. 'Rene's in there.' Officer Trevors peels off and enters the room. Jim leads the rest of them to his father's office. He stops at the door. 'Daddy's in here.' He pushes the door open and stands to one side.

'You don't have to go in again James. I can take it from here.' Jim nods and walks back to be with Irene.

Two-year-old Sherlock runs into the kitchen of their house and crawls under the table to hide from Mycroft. Mycroft tiptoes comically into the kitchen making Sherlock giggle loudly. Violet turns to look at Mycroft tiptoeing in. 'I thought I asked you look keep an eye on your brother Mycroft.'

'I am mummy, we're playing hide go seek.' Mycroft stops tiptoeing and walks around the table towards his mother allowing Sherlock to crawl out and run out of the kitchen. Mycroft watches him go before turning back to Violet. 'You're thinking about Jimmy and Rene aren't you?' Violet nods sadly a tear slides down her cheek. Mycroft hugs his mother before running out of the kitchen to find his youngest sibling.

'Dinner in twenty minutes Mycroft.'

'Yes Mummy.' Mycroft's voice floats into the kitchen. Violet bends down to open the oven door enabling her slide in a pie to cook for their dinner. She closes the oven door and collapses into a seat at the table. She puts her head in her hands and starts crying. She fails to hear the soft pitter-patter of Sherlock's feet as he re-enters the kitchen. He toddles up to her and tugs at her sleeve.

'Mama. Mama.' Violet ignores her youngest and Mycroft takes his hand. 'Why mama crying Mykey?' Mycroft watches his mother crying for a couple of moments before leading his brother out of the kitchen allowing his mother to grieve for her lost twins.

Mycroft leads Sherlock to his bedroom. 'Why mama crying?' Mycroft closes the door firmly shutting it. He gets a couple of books from Sherlock's bookshelf and holds them up for Sherlock to choose.

'Which one?' Sherlock looks closely at the two books before choosing the one in Mycroft's right hand.

'That one.' Mycroft replaces the other book onto the shelf and settles into a beanbag. Sherlock climbs onto his brother's lap and settles down to listen to the story.

Ten minutes into the reading of the story, Sherlock twists in Mycroft's lap to look up at his older brother. 'Who's Wene?' Mycroft stops reading the story and looks at his little brother.

'Rene?' Sherlock nods. 'Where did you hear that name?'

'In my thleep.'

'When you dream?' Sherlock nods again. Mycroft cuddles him.

'Rene and Jimmy, I dweam of them lots.'

'What happens in your dreams?'

'We play, all of us. You too Mycwoft.'

'The four of us play?' Sherlock nods for a third time 'With what?' Sherlock waves a hand around his room. Mycroft swallows nervously. 'Do you want me to carry on with the story?'

'Yes.' Mycroft turns the page and carries on reading to Sherlock.

Five minutes later the story is finished. Mycroft replaces the book on the shelf and settles Sherlock on the floor with a couple of toys. He walks down the stairs and into the kitchen. 'Mummy?' Violet dries her eyes and looks at her eldest son.

'Yes Mycroft?'

'Sherlock dreams about the twins.' Violet turns her head to look at Mycroft fully.

'Pardon?'

'Sherlock asked me who Rene was. Then he told me that he dreams that he is playing with them and me.'

'Did you tell him?' Mycroft shakes his head. 'Then don't tell him. He's young, he'll forget soon enough.'

'Yes Mummy.'

'Go and get Sherlock ready for dinner.' Mycroft nods and turns away from the kitchen as he goes to fetches his little brother for the mealtime.