Murder in Time (17 page)

Ellie chose her words with care. ‘Once upon a time, many years ago, my lovely Vera was going out with a lad called Dan McKenzie, son of the doctor who was murdered. There was a misunderstanding after that dreadful night, and they didn't see one another for many years. Just recently they've met up again, and I think they are going to resume their relationship. Dan is still hung up about his father's death and wants to know who did it. I understand that the police thought the doctor was killed by someone looking for drugs and that they looked very hard at the lads who'd gatecrashed the party at the doctor's house earlier than night and then trashed the place when they didn't find what they wanted. Some of the gang were taken to court for the damage they'd done, but no arrests were ever made for the murder, and there were no other leads. Is that right? Dan lacks closure. That's why I asked you to look the case up.'

A long, considering stare from Lesley.

Ellie knew she was colouring up. ‘Sorry. That is the truth, if not all of the truth.'

‘You think that whoever did the murder is alarmed to hear you're looking into it and has taken steps to neutralize you by accusing Thomas of abuse?'

‘I can't see how anyone I've spoken to about this could have taken part in the murder. Maybe I'm looking at it from the wrong point of view.'

‘Because …?'

Ellie opened her mouth but, realizing that whatever she said would lead Lesley to the rape, and away from the murder, closed it again.

Lesley got to her feet. ‘I'm missing something here. Something obvious. What is it you're not telling me, Ellie? I thought you trusted me.'

‘I do. I would, if only …'

‘If only. Well, all I can tell you – and I am not holding anything back – is that the police came to the conclusion that the murder was committed by one of the local drug-pushers or users, but that they couldn't make it stick and had to leave the case unsolved.'

‘“
Cherchez la femme
,”' said Ellie, remembering the elderly Mrs Dawes' pronouncement from her chair in the old people's home. ‘That's what one of my neighbours said about it.'

‘Really?' A light laugh. ‘And what grounds did she have for saying that?'

‘I don't know.'

‘Well, no one's ever suggested that a woman was involved. It was a drugs deal that went wrong. End of.'

‘I'm sorry, Lesley. I'm being no help to you at all today, am I? And I haven't even a cuppa or a slice of cake to offer you. Do you fancy a cup of tea now? And maybe there's some biscuits in the tin.'

Lesley shook her head. ‘No, I have to get back now I've warned you about the threat to Thomas.'

‘Point taken. I'll get on to my solicitor straight away.'

Lesley collected her mac from the hall. ‘Promise me one thing, Ellie. Talk to Thomas. Clear it with him so that you can tell me what's going on. I do not like to think of anyone being falsely accused of abusing a child. If this accusation got out and people talked, the damage …!'

Ellie winced. ‘I know. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.'

She saw Lesley out and set her back to the door. Now what …? And who …?

E
llie decided that she must speak to Thomas straight away … except that he'd gone out somewhere. Or had he? No, he must be back, because she could hear his voice. He must have returned while she was talking to Lesley and would now be in his study at the end of the corridor.

Yes, he was on the phone but, on seeing her, he ended the call abruptly. ‘Trouble?'

‘With a capital T. I've stirred things up a little too well. A woman – false name and address, but who's quibbling? – went to the police this morning, saying you'd abused a child.'

He froze, mouth agape.

Ellie forced herself to continue. ‘She left without signing a statement. “Ears” wants the matter followed up. Luckily, Lesley came to me with the tale. She doesn't believe it because she knows you, but other people who don't know you … She's worried about it, and so am I. She wanted to know whom I'd been upsetting. She also wanted to know why I'd enquired about the doctor's murder, and whether the two events were connected. I couldn't tell her about the rape, and I couldn't give her the names of the people we believe were involved. At least, not till I'd consulted you, and them. Or at least warned them. And if Vera still refuses to go to the police, I don't know what I can say or do to help.'

She threw up her hands. ‘I don't know whether I'm on my head or my heels. What duty do we owe the men who raped Vera? Surely, none. But is it up to us to take the initiative and bring them to justice? Possibly not. Yet we can't have someone going round accusing you of rape. I can understand how Gail feels about not upsetting Simon's chances at election … or can I? Help me, Thomas. I don't know what to think.'

He blinked. Trying to take it in.

She shook her head. ‘Such evil. What are we going to do?'

‘I don't know.' He sat quietly, stroking his beard, eyes hooded. ‘You think it was Simon who set this story going?'

‘It might be. Or it might be Spotty Dick – not that I ought to call him by that name, because he probably isn't spotty any longer.'

‘Gail herself wouldn't have thought of it, would she?'

Ellie shook her head. ‘Not her style. I think it's either Simon or Dick. But to accuse them both of slander is wrong, if only one of them did it. I assume. I can't think straight. Perhaps they both deserve to be exposed?'

‘It's a dreadful thing to accuse someone falsely of anything.'

‘I expect you'll want to pray about it. I'm so worried. The longer we wait to scotch the story, the more likely it is that it will get out. However false, some people are bound to believe it.'

‘You're right.' Quietly. Steadily.

She ploughed on. ‘I thought of getting our solicitor to take action. What do you think?'

He stirred. ‘I am not clear in my mind what we should do. The words that come to mind are, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” And, “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.”'

‘That's all very well, but that doesn't cover the problem of someone bearing false witness against you, does it?'

‘No, it doesn't.' A frown.

She said, ‘As I understand it, we have been given the laws of the land for our protection. These men have broken the law so, by the law of the land, they ought to be punished.'

He nodded, but she wasn't sure it was because he was agreeing with her. She could tell he'd gone a long way off inside his head, thinking, or praying, or both.

She threw up her hands. He was so unworldly! Why did she think he'd be able to sort this mess out for her, when she ought to have known he'd try to bring his Christian principles to bear, instead of reaching for handcuffs?

Or, torture weapons.

At that very moment, she'd rather like to use some red-hot pincers on someone's flesh. She would twist and squeeze and … well, probably not. She couldn't quite see herself as Torturer in Chief. Or even as Assistant Torturer, come to think of it, because he probably had the job of mopping up the blood afterwards. Ugh.

Now she was calming down, she couldn't see herself putting the handcuffs on anyone, either.

It was a dilemma; these men deserved to be brought to judgement for what they'd done, but she was not able to act as policewoman and judge herself. At least … Oh, why did life get so complicated?

How about, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'? Except that she didn't want to condemn anyone to being drugged and raped just because they'd done it to someone else.

She tried to think calmly.

The problem now was that if
she
didn't blow the whistle, then who would?

Thomas yawned. How could he yawn when so much was at stake? When his whole
future
was at stake? Granted, he thought less of himself as a person than anyone else she'd ever met, but still …

He said, ‘Have you considered that what these men have done once, they might do again? Or even
have
done again? They got away with it once, didn't they? So why not repeat the crime?'

No, she hadn't considered that. She sat down in the nearest chair with a bump. ‘Oh. But how could we find out …? I suppose if I asked Lesley to look into their records …? But the moment I mentioned their names, it would be a dead giveaway, wouldn't it?'

‘Have you also considered that this attack on me might come from whoever murdered the doctor, and not from one of the rapists?'

No, she hadn't considered that, either. She frowned. ‘I haven't spoken to anyone who hung around after the party had been broken up, except Dan. The guests had fled, and the gatecrashers had all been rounded up. There's no one fits the bill.' She thought about that some more. ‘I suppose one of the people we know about might have been in touch with others, people whose names we don't even know, and they in turn might have passed the news on that we were digging into the past. But how would we find that out?'

‘Like dropping a pebble into water. Rings spread out from the central “plop”.'

‘In which case, we can't stem the rumour by giving two names to the police. We haven't the resources to question everybody who might have heard something.'

‘This needs some thought.' He meant he'd have to do some serious praying about it.

She thought she'd leave the praying to him and take some action herself. Well, an arrow prayer might be in order.
Dear Lord, help!
And after that … action stations.

She retreated to her own study in order to ring their family solicitor, the eccentric but reliable Gunnar Brooks. He could always be enticed to visit with the promise of Rose's Victoria sponge and a glass of something mature.

‘Dear lady, what is causing you alarm and despondency today?'

‘Something horrible has come up. I hardly know where to begin.'

His tone was indulgent. ‘So, tell me what tangle you've got yourself into now.'

She told him, concluding, ‘… and I don't know whether it's right to go by God's law, or the law of the land. These men have raped and got away with it. They distorted the course of Vera's life. The son she bore by one of them has been brought up without support, financial or otherwise, from his father. Is it any argument on their behalf to say that they shouldn't be brought to justice because twelve years have passed, during which time they haven't so much as put a foot wrong? Except that, having got away with it once, they might well have tried to do it again? Which I can't be sure about without checking with the police, and that's something Vera doesn't want. Worst of all, how dare they attack Thomas!'

‘There is no statutory limit to rape.'

‘I know that, but what if a man has been a model citizen ever since?'

‘If tried and found guilty, the judge would take all circumstances into account. In certain cases, where the girl concerned had given a false impression that she was willing, or acted in predatory fashion, the sentence might be suspended. But it is wise to think carefully before crying rape. How would Vera stand up to cross-examination in court?'

‘She'd do well, I think, but she doesn't want things to go that far. Also, because she was unconscious, she can't identify her assailants of her own knowledge, although we have found out who they were later. We'd have to bring in other people to prove their identity.'

‘What about this man, Abdi? The one who impregnated her? Presumably, he could be subpoenaed to give evidence, since he claims to have sired the boy.'

‘If he admits rape and goes down for it, won't that make matters worse, rather than better?'

‘What is he like?'

‘Proud. Moneyed. Intelligent. Disdainful of other people's wishes … He seems to think he has a right to whatever he wants.'

‘If he's like that, then even if Vera doesn't get him charged with rape, you may have to get her to bring a civil suit against him, in order to obtain an equitable settlement.'

‘Yes, but he's threatening her with …' No, Ellie decided she wouldn't bring up the witness who said he'd seen Vera kill the doctor. Alleged witness. Had Abdi invented him? She wouldn't put it past him. Anyway, that wasn't anything to do with the urgent problem of clearing Thomas. She rubbed her forehead. ‘Sorry. Just trying to get things straight in my mind. I don't believe Abdi has ever considered he could be arrested for rape. His attitude is that his money, his family connections, put him out of reach of the law.'

‘He doesn't have diplomatic immunity, does he? Because if so …'

‘Not that I know of. Honestly, Gunnar, I don't think it was Abdi who's made up this story about Thomas. It's not his style. A knife in the dark,' she said, improvising, ‘that's his style. And he wouldn't wield it himself, but get a servant to do it.' She tried on a laugh. ‘I'd better tell Thomas to start wearing a flak jacket.'

‘Dear lady! Be serious.' A long sigh. ‘I'm playing bridge this evening. Suppose I drop round to see you tomorrow morning, and we can discuss the matter then.'

She put the phone down and went along the corridor to report to Thomas, but he wasn't in his study any longer. She paused outside the door to the Quiet Room and heard him murmuring words of worship and adoration. Not pleas for help.

That was all very well. Yes, she knew you were supposed to start any approach to God with prayers of worship and adoration, but this was a crisis, and action was needed as well as prayer.

Probably, she'd got it all wrong, and Thomas was doing the right thing. If she were a better woman, perhaps she would be on her knees, too. Well, not literally … Getting down on her knees was too painful at her age. But in times of crisis she couldn't be bothered with meditation.