The Lily-White Boys (25 page)

He ended interrogatively, and, getting no response from Marlow, raised an eyebrow at Reid, who slowly nodded.

‘The moonlight might have been on his face, but anyway the twins saw him and recognized him as one of their customers. And though they didn't know what he was doing, it was plain enough he shouldn't have been doing it. So they decided to try a spot of blackmail.'

Eloise said aridly, ‘Harry, is this true?'

He raised his shoulders in a resigned shrug.

‘I think, Mr Marlow,' Webb said mildly, ‘that it's time you took some part in this discussion. But before you do, I must caution you that –'

‘Save your breath,' Marlow said harshly. ‘I've already told you I've an alibi for the night of the murder.'

‘Yes, we've been checking up on that. You told us, and your wife corroborated, that you'd been to the Grand Theatre together, arrived home soon after ten and settled in for the night.'

‘That's plain enough, isn't it?'

‘What you didn't tell us, and we didn't realize till we went back to your wife last evening, is that when you reached home she went straight up to bed and you remained downstairs.'

‘As I do every night; she always goes up first, and I have a nightcap and read the paper or watch television for another hour or so.'

‘Yes, she told us that too. But that particular evening she was tired and fell asleep almost at once. She wouldn't have heard you if you left the house again.'

Eloise said just above a whisper, ‘
Did
you do it, Harry? Did you murder those boys?'

He raised a haggard face. ‘It was as much for your sake as mine, darling. You know what blackmailers are – one payment is never enough. And we'd been so careful, covered our tracks so well. It didn't seem right that two cocky little upstarts should ruin it all.' He paused. ‘Not that I realized there were two of them – or even who they were. The note gave nothing away. It simply said if I wanted my connection with the plane and its cargo kept quiet, to leave a suitcase containing two thousand pounds in the Wood Green lay-by at eleven o'clock on Monday the twenty-first.'

He leant back against the wall, his hands in his pockets. ‘It arrived on the Saturday morning, and I can tell you I had a pretty lousy weekend. At first I considered paying up and hoping for the best. But George Latimer's my bank manager – he'd have wondered what was going on. And basically I didn't see why the blackmailer should get away with it. So I got out an old suitcase and stuffed it full of newspapers. The theatre visit was already planned, and it helped to fill in the evening as well as providing an alibi. Or it should have done,' he added grimly.

‘So at the appropriate time I went to the lay-by, dumped the suitcase and drove off again. But not far. I parked under some overhanging trees and made my way back, not along the road but through the shrubs and trees which brought me out at the back of the lay-by. Then I lay low and waited.'

‘You'd taken a weapon with you?' Webb put in.

‘Yes, a kitchen knife.'

Eloise Teal gave a choked sob and put her hand to her mouth, her huge eyes staring at him.

‘Well, after a couple of minutes the van drove in and doused its lights. A man jumped down and came running towards the case, which was just in front of where I was hidden. My eyes had adjusted to the dark and I could see him quite clearly – young, fair, and wearing a tracksuit. For a moment I was incapable of moving. Then I forced myself to lunge forward and before he could stop himself he ran straight on to the knife.'

He looked at Webb, remembered horror in his eyes. ‘That was bad enough, but what happened next was a nightmare. I
knew
I'd killed him – he was lying on the ground at my feet – but suddenly there he was again, still rushing towards me. I honestly thought I'd gone mad. Then this second figure skidded to a halt, flung back his head and screamed “Gary!”'

He shuddered and unconsciously put his hands over his ears as if to blot out the memory.

‘And then?' Webb prompted.

Marlow straightened, his arms falling to his sides. ‘Then he just – dropped to the ground. I stood staring at him for some time, still thinking I was hallucinating. But when he didn't move I went over to him, the knife at the ready, and as soon as I reached him I could see he was dead, too. It was – eerie. More terrifying than the first death, which I'd steeled myself for.'

He drew a deep breath. ‘Well, I couldn't leave them lying there in full view from the road. I was wearing gloves, of course, so I opened the back of the van and dragged them inside. I saw then that they were only boys, and as alike as two peas. No wonder I'd thought I was seeing double.' He shook his head as though to clear it. ‘I covered them with a tarpaulin I found in the van and closed the doors again. Then I collected the suitcase and returned by way of the bushes to the car.

‘As you can imagine, I spent the next day waiting for the evening paper and listening to the radio, but there was nothing. And that evening –' he turned to Eloise – ‘we went to your house for dinner. And to my horror Monica started talking about a dirty green van that had arrived outside her house in the middle of the night. I was petrified. How I didn't give myself away, I'll never know. I was convinced she must know what was in the back, and that I was responsible. And I couldn't begin to imagine how the van had got from the lay-by to North Park.' He drew a deep, shuddering breath. ‘So there you have it. In a way it's a relief that it's over.'

For several long minutes no one spoke. Then Eloise said shakily, ‘It was all supposed to be a game. If I hadn't involved you in my machinations, this would never have happened. Oh God, Harry!'

Stiffly he put an arm round her. Tony Reid had risen to his feet, and they all stood unmoving while the three different charges were made.

‘The car's just outside,' Webb ended, gesturing them towards the door. In silence they moved together out of the Gallery, Marlow automatically pausing to lock both doors behind them. As they turned towards the police car, a woman came hurrying along the pavement and caught at Harry's arm.

‘Oh Mr Marlow, I'm not too late to catch you? I wanted to confirm I'll have that painting I was considering.'

‘Thank you, Mrs Grant,' he said heavily. ‘Someone'll be in touch.'

‘I thought the exhibition was open all week?'

‘There's been a change of plan,' he said, and climbed into the back of the car. The woman was still staring after him as it drove away.