BLOOD SECRETS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense (15 page)

‘Mr Saltby, I have a witness who met you in Cyberia and remembers you from your photograph. He happens to work for the Met police now.’

Saltby froze for a moment, then stepped back, allowing Swift into the study. He called out to Manchester, telling him he could go now, he’d lock up. He kept his voice under control but a tinny note had crept into it. Then he closed the door and stood for a moment with his back to Swift, holding on to the handle.

‘I think I’ll sit this time,’ Swift said, hooking a chair with his foot.

There was a scent of sweat and of hot wax in the airless room. A white candle was still smoking. Saltby pinched the wick firmly. Swift could see he was trying to marshal his thoughts. He sat, pressing his knees together.

‘You lied to me last time I came here. You lied about Teddy, even when I showed you his photo. Isn’t that a sin?’

Saltby’s eyes flashed. ‘I don’t need lessons about sin from you. And just because I went to Cyberia doesn’t mean I knew Teddy Bartlett.’

‘Oh, please. Judith told me that Teddy went there several times a week. My witness puts you there in the same time period. Of course you knew Teddy. Let’s find a way in. Tell me about how you ended up at Cyberia,’ Swift suggested.

‘I didn’t attack Teddy Bartlett.’ Saltby’s long face was drained of blood. He looked more than ever like an effigy on a tomb.

‘If that’s the truth, then you needn’t worry about telling me why you were at Cyberia. It might help you to be honest about it after all these years.’

Saltby swallowed. ‘This is very difficult.’

Swift said nothing. He could sense Saltby’s struggle and the need for confession and relief that was building in him. He watched the candle vapour curling to the ceiling and vanishing.

‘Very well, I’ll tell you why I went there.’ He made an effort, pulled himself up straight. ‘I came home early one evening and overheard my sister and Teddy. That was when I found out she was bringing him to the house. They were playing music, they didn’t know I was there. I stood outside her room. She’d left the door slightly open. I was about to go in and put a stop to it but then I saw Teddy. He was wearing one of her dresses and dancing around. It was the first time I’d seen him. He was . . . beautiful, entrancing. He looked so alive and full of energy.’ He looked down, then continued, almost whispering. ‘I wanted to see him again. I came home several more times after that to watch them, to watch him. One evening, I heard him tell my sister about an Internet café called Cyberia. He said he was able to chat online to other boys who wanted to wear women’s clothes.’ He stopped, wincing.

‘You wanted to do that too?’

A long pause. ‘I knew I liked boys, not girls, in
that
way and yes, I sometimes dreamed about wearing female clothes.’

‘That must have been hard for you, given your beliefs.’

‘Yes. I despised myself. I am full of disgust at myself now for those weaknesses but I have overcome my base self through prayer and commitment.’

‘So you went to Cyberia to see more of Teddy and to chat online? Teddy didn’t know who you were, of course.’

Saltby stood and fetched a bottle of water from a cupboard. He took a long draught. ‘Yes, I gave in to temptation. I went there and sat next to Teddy, got talking to him. He had no idea who I was. I introduced myself as Luke, my middle name. We had coffee and he showed me online conversations he was having. I knew nothing about the Internet and I couldn’t get the hang of it at first but once I did, I saw that there were lots of men who felt like me, like Teddy. There were photos to look at, men who dressed up.’

‘Did you fall in love with Teddy?’ Swift asked softly.

Saltby blushed. ‘I suppose you could say that. I liked him very much. Too much. We got on really well. He was a sinner and lost in so many ways and also a pagan. But he was the only man I’ve ever really grown fond of. I should never have allowed it.’

‘How many times did you go to Cyberia?’

‘Half a dozen or so. I was in torment. It was a terrible place, full of deviants and misfits. A godless place. I tried to stop going there, I tried to pray but of course the devil was distracting me, whispering in my ear.’

‘Did you see Teddy at other times?’

He shook his head. ‘No, only in Cyberia. I thank God that I was saved and came back to the straight path of righteousness.’

Swift pulled his jacket around him to ward off the creeping chill.

‘What saved you?’

Saltby reached for a bible. ‘This, and my mother.’ He placed the bible on his lap and crossed his hands over it. ‘My mother found me one day, trying on a dress. I’d gone to a charity shop and bought a couple. They were pretty, colourful. I was lured by the temptation. I hid them at the back of my wardrobe and put them on sometimes when I had the house to myself. I was so ashamed that she had found me out in my wickedness. I told her all of it, about watching Teddy and my sister and about the visits to Cyberia. We wept over my sin. We knelt and prayed together and I swore on the holy book that I would never do such a thing again. And I didn’t, I never returned to that place. I returned to goodness and the true path.’

‘It must have been quite a shock for your mother, discovering that both her children were transgressing. What did she do about Judith?’

‘She told me to say nothing to my sister. She was going to deal with her.’

‘How long after this did Teddy’s attack take place?’

‘A couple of weeks later. I only knew because my sister came home and spoke about it. Of course, she couldn’t explain the truth of why she was so upset. That is how lies and evil corrupt the innocent.’

Swift looked at him with pity and dislike. ‘Can you not say your sister’s name?’

‘She has chosen the wilderness. I was led there too through her sin but by God’s mercy, I was brought back to the fold. I was recalled to the words I should not have forgotten:
“do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the
kingdom of God.”
My mother made me repeat that verse from Corinthians, over and over.’ He held the bible up and kissed it fervently.

‘I suppose there must be verses about not attacking and blinding someone too. Or is that permitted if they are found unworthy?’

Saltby shuddered and looked up. ‘I didn’t touch Teddy Bartlett. I kept away from Cyberia and from him and anyone like him. I have forged my soul anew with God’s forgiveness and his grace.’

Swift stood and switched the light on, stamped his feet to encourage circulation. He couldn’t see Saltby having the fire and fever to almost kill someone. He was a zealot but an oddly dispassionate one.

‘Did your mother tell your father about your activities?’

‘No. She said that she had failed as the mother of her children, not keeping them from sin and wickedness. In our church, women set the moral compass for the family. She had to repent for her failure and put things right. She promised me she wouldn’t tell my father once I had given her my vow that I would never harbour those deviant thoughts again.’

Swift wanted to ask if thoughts were so easily banished but he didn’t want to encourage any further biblical quotations. He assumed that Mrs Saltby would also have been frightened of telling her husband of her terrible failure.

‘How did you find Teddy, during those visits to Cyberia? Was he depressed? Sad at all?’

Saltby looked uncomfortable, crossing and recrossing his legs. ‘You’re asking me so many questions. It’s in the past. I’ve tried hard to forget about it and now you’re dragging it all up.’

Swift had no time for this man’s self-pity. His voice turned icy. ‘You might be experiencing a bit of temporary discomfort, but Teddy is inhabiting a permanent twilight world. His family are still suffering. You spent time in his company at a crucial period. I believe that what happened to him has some link to Cyberia. The least you can do is try to remember how he was, the things he said. Come on, Saltby, do the right thing!’

Saltby looked angry but he made an effort. ‘He did have mood swings, I think. He would be very lively when he was chatting online. Sometimes he seemed tense. One afternoon he said that his sister was doing his head in. He hinted at some major problem that he was having to help her with.’

‘Anything specific?’

‘No. He was vague but he said that secrets were a burden. That’s truly all I can tell you. When we talked, it was mainly about websites. I didn’t want to discuss my life or my home, for obvious reasons.’

‘Have you any idea why Teddy went to Epping Forest? Had he said anything to you about it?’

Saltby rubbed his brow. ‘Not Epping, no. Sometimes he talked about Druids and the magic of woodland places. He was very wrapped up in it all.’ He stood and straightened the chairs. ‘I have to go. My mother will have dinner ready.’

‘I haven’t quite finished. Do you recall any other people Teddy was friendly with at Cyberia, or any of the men he was talking to online?’

Saltby leaned heavily on a chair. ‘No. There was a constant stream of people in and out of there, engaging in nonsense and wickedness. It was a long time ago, Mr Swift, and I have put those days when I was lost in the wilderness out of my mind. I have prayed for Teddy over the years.’ He blinked and tapped the chair with his fingers. ‘I hope you can keep this conversation confidential.’

Swift opened the door. ‘I’m not interested in making difficulties for you, or your church. I am interested in finding out who left Teddy for dead. I won’t divulge what you’ve told me unless it’s crucial to finding the perpetrator.’

Saltby let him out of the chapel and locked the door. Rain had swept in on a strong breeze and Saltby raised a huge black umbrella.

‘Do you pray for Judith?’ Swift asked him as he zipped his leather jacket and turned the collar up.

‘I include my sister in my prayers. I pray that she will be saved one day.’

Swift watched him move away, stiff and straight. The man was repressing so much. He must feel always as if he was walking on eggshells. Swift walked fast through the stinging rain to an Italian café where he bought a large coffee and warmed his hands at it, then dipped the numb end of his nose into the steam. He drank thirstily, thinking. Dorcas Saltby had lied about not knowing Teddy. Judith hadn’t mentioned that her mother ever indicated that she knew about Teddy, or had spoken to her daughter about him. He rang Judith’s number, knowing that he needed to be careful about what he told her. Despite her apparent security in her new life, she would still carry the deep trauma of her family’s rejection. He didn’t want to alarm or hurt her.

‘Hi, it’s Tyrone Swift. I hope I’m not interrupting your evening meal?’

She laughed and yawned. ‘I wish! My husband is just attempting to get Samuel to sleep and I’m going to fetch something from the freezer.’

‘I just have a few quick queries. Did your mother ever talk to you about Teddy or indicate that she knew he had been in your house?’

‘No, never.’ Her voice tightened and dropped. ‘Have you spoken to my mother?’

‘I have, recently, near her work. I needed to ask her a few questions. She said she didn’t know Teddy.’

‘Well, that’s right.’

‘Okay. You did tell your family what had happened to him?’

‘Briefly. It was difficult not to talk about him because I was so upset. I referred to him as a school friend, that’s all. Have you found something out about him?’

‘Nothing definite but the information you gave me has been helpful.’

He heard her take a breath. ‘Did you tell my mother you’d seen me?’

‘Yes. She asked if you were in this country. I confirmed that you are and that you have a baby.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She didn’t say much. She looked affected. I would say she misses you.’ Judith wouldn’t know about her father’s accident or that he was in a wheelchair. He decided not to tell her. Her own parents had chosen not to. That was between her and her family, if there was ever any future contact.

‘I’m not sure you’re right about her missing me. As I implied before, I always felt that I was trying to attract her attention. Joshua absorbed her time and energy. He was the one she had ambitions for.’

‘I see. I suppose she might have regrets. I can’t say.’

‘Well, thank you.’

‘Just one other thing. Did you know Graham Manchester?’

‘Of course, yes, I knew him throughout my childhood. He was one of the church wardens. He’s my mother’s cousin. They were always very close. They were very fond of each other because he had been brought up by her parents after his own died. More like siblings, really. He came to us for Christmas and Easter and was often with us at weekends. I used to think my father was a bit jealous of him sometimes because he was so fond of my mother. Why are you asking about him?’

‘I’ve met him a couple of times. I just wondered.’

She cleared her throat. ‘I rang Mayfields to ask after Teddy. I said I’d visit him before Christmas.’

‘That’s good. Well, thanks again. Take care.’

He sat, deciding that he was hungry and couldn’t be bothered to cook. Delicious aromas were snaking from the kitchen. He ordered mushroom and ham cannelloni and a large glass of house red. The café was muggy and he had warmed through. He shrugged his jacket off and used a couple of paper napkins to dry his hair. His thick curls absorbed and trapped water like blotting paper. The waiter came over with his order and grinned, pointing to his own bald pate.