Isobel said, “Me too.”
There was nothing more they could say.
Isobel got to her feet and Julia got up to hug her.
“If you’re ever back in London give me a call and we’ll go for dinner.”
“Sure will. Keep doing what you are doing, Julia.”
Isobel stopped at the shop in the National and bought a couple of candles. Then she retrieved her package and took another taxi to Wimbledon.
She was early so on the spur of the moment she got dropped off at Brushstrokes. It was just over a week since she’d talked to Aaron yet it seemed like a lifetime. When she entered the shop he spotted her and after a few moments he was able to leave his lady. Isobel was unsure what was going to be in the papers but as it was Aaron who had given her the crucial idea she felt herself that she owed him an explanation.
He hugged her and said, “I only have a minute.”
Isobel winced. “This is probably going to take longer than that.”
Aaron, sensing her serious tone, said, “Can you give me ten minutes to finish this cut and then I’ll get someone else to do the blow-dry and we can go for a quick coffee?”
Isobel nodded. As she waited she thought about what she was going to say to him.
Aaron took her next door to a coffee shop.
He said immediately, “Something bad happened, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
His eyes locked on hers, “What?”
Isobel exhaled. “She’s dead. I’m sorry, Aaron.”
His hand flew to his mouth and his head curled forward onto his chest.
Isobel waited a few moments then said, “I don’t even know how much I can tell you and I’m begging you not to discuss it with anyone.”
Aaron looked up. “I’m a hairdresser. I hear all manner of things and I never tell.”
Isobel allowed a small smile. “Fair enough.” Taking a deep breath, she said, “Anne was murdered.”
Aaron inhaled sharply. “Oh my God!”
Isobel waited and then said, “Something you said to me really helped start the process of catching the person who did it. You told me about the lady whose hair you did who looked the image of Anne. That’s how we figured out what was happening. She was posing as Anne. It may not seem like a lot but I hope it’s some consolation.”
Isobel found tears in her eyes as she spoke. Aaron grasped her hand as she sobbed.
Eventually she continued, “Her husband did it and he nearly got away with it.”
Aaron’s eyes welled up. “Oh My God! She was such a lovely lady. I can’t believe it.
Isobel wondered if this was why she’d come here – to cry her heart out about what had happened and this was the only place she felt that she could. Maybe Aaron was a confessor, a lay one.
“I can’t believe that he murdered her. Why would he do that?”
“Anne was going to leave him.”
Aaron bowed his head and they sat there in silence.
After some time he said, “Thanks for coming to tell me. I do appreciate that.”
Isobel nodded and said, “I’ll tell Claire, Anne’s sister, about you, how good you were to Anne and how much you helped in figuring things out.”
“Thank you. Maybe she can let us know about any arrangements. I would like to go to the funeral and so would Tanya and probably Sharon from Ladies Made.”
There was nothing more to say.
By the time she was approaching Grace’s house, Isobel could see Patricia waiting for her at the gate. Patricia took the bag which had been getting increasingly heavy for her and they went up the drive. As she passed, Isobel couldn’t help reaching out and touching Grace’s little silver car that had served them so well.
When the door opened Grace stepped out and hugged Isobel. They had seen so little of each other since that intense day they’d shared.
There wasn’t time for any discussion before a young voice said, “Who is it, Grace?”
Looking past Grace, Isobel saw, for the first time, Tommy. Somehow in her mind she had imagined he would look like his father but the opposite was true. He was all his mother. He had her fair hair, blue eyes and that beautiful bone structure. Age and puberty would modify it, but bone structure and colouring like that was timeless.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Isobel stepped out from behind Grace and said, “I’m Isobel and this is Patricia.”
“You’re the ladies who were finding my mum.”
Isobel, unsure of what approach to take, followed Tommy’s lead. “Yes, that’s right.”
Tommy cut to the heart of the matter, as only children can. “I knew it wasn’t right that my mum wouldn’t see me. She would never do that, no matter what happened.”
Isobel thought her heart was going to shatter in her chest and she prayed for the strength to not just bawl her eyes out. Thank God for Aaron and the relief talking to him had given her.
She said, “No, you’re right. Your mum loved you so much. She would always have wanted to see you.”
Tommy, obviously coming to terms with many different things, said, “Auntie Claire says that I can come and live with her.”
“How does that sound?”
“OK.” He didn’t say anything more.
All of this was going to take time.
Claire waved them in, and Grace made tea. They all sat around in the kitchen.
Patricia and Tommy started talking about Chelsea football.
Under cover of this Isobel said to Claire, “I bought a lantern.” She gestured towards the bag in the corner. “I was going to light a candle and put it next door in the garden for Anne. What do you think?”
Claire looked at her and then at Tommy. “I would like that.” Then she said, “Give me a minute.”
She went over to Grace, who was watching everyone peacefully, and spoke quietly to her. Grace nodded. Gesturing to Isobel, Claire lifted the bag and they went outside. Isobel took the candles and matches from her handbag.
Once again she placed the garden chair over by the wall.
Isobel hopped up first and called back to Claire, “Forensics seem to have finished! They’ve left some of the garden taped off but we can put the lantern outside the cordon.”
Claire nodded. First Isobel and then Claire clambered over the wall.
Taking the lantern from its bag, Isobel opened it and placed the candles inside. They positioned it outside but close to the police tape and then Isobel handed Claire the matches. Kneeling down, Claire paused a moment and then lit the candles. Closing the door of the lantern they stood back side by side and slipped their arms around each other. In mute agreement they said their own prayers or promises and then, turning, they climbed back over the wall. The others had barely noticed they were gone.
Shortly after, Patricia and Isobel said their goodbyes. As they left, Isobel texted Adam to say they were leaving Wimbledon.
Isobel knew she was saying goodbye to what had happened over the last week and a half. It was as if all of that had taken over her life, her mind, her emotions, even her dreams and now she was winning herself back before she went home. This promise to Thomas Banks Senior was one of the last she needed to keep.
Adam was sitting in the car near Thomas’s house and he alighted as he saw them approach. They said very little. It was a very sombre party that advanced to deliver this news.
Thomas Banks Senior, when he opened the door, also said very little and they followed him in.
Once again Isobel made the tea while the others talked in a desultory way.
When they were all seated it was Thomas who spoke first.
“You found out what happened?”
Isobel was grateful for his direct approach.
“Yes, we did. The three of us have investigated and it was Matt Cooper who ran your son down, deliberately.” She hoped she was doing the right thing.
“So, it wasn’t an accident.”
“No.”
They waited, not sure
what this knowledge would do to this man.
“I’m glad I know now. Maybe I’ve always known in my heart that it wasn’t an accident. I’m sad, though, that it has turned out to be someone Thomas thought was a friend. I never liked Matt Cooper. I always thought there was something off about him. I was always trying to get Thomas to leave him behind, stick with his other friends. He argued with me a lot about it. He said that everyone deserved a chance.” He stopped, swallowing hard, then finished, “That chance he gave cost him his life.”
Isobel bit her lip.
Thomas continued, “I’m glad I know. At least I’ve found the truth for my boy.”
Patricia said, “Matt Cooper did other bad things. Talking to you that day helped us find out about other people he hurt. We’re so sorry about your son.”
Adam added, “Matt has been arrested and charged with the death of your son and a number of other deaths.”
Thomas looked up. “Yes, one of the neighbours told me there were lots of police cars outside one of the houses. Matt Cooper used to live there.”
Adam said, “That’s right. Mrs Joan Cooper’s body was found in the garden.”
“He killed his mother?”
“Yes.”
Thomas was thoughtful. “Why did he kill my son?”
Isobel said, “Because he wanted to take the job that Thomas had got. When your son died he took his name and presented himself for the new job.”
“He was always jealous of our Thomas. I always thought so anyway.”
Adam said, “Mr Banks, Matt Cooper has fooled a lot of people for a very long time. Your son’s only mistake was that he was too kind.”
Thomas thought about that and nodded. “I’m glad you told me,” he said again. “He mattered to me and I can see that my son mattered to you. Thank you.”
They rose to leave, and Thomas struggled to his feet to say goodbye.
Isobel and Patricia hugged him, Adam shook his hand and they left.
Outside Adam said, “I’ll call back and check on him again. I’ll keep him informed about how the case goes and I can answer any further questions.”
Isobel said, “Thanks, Adam.”
Patricia meanwhile was on her phone.
Isobel said to Adam, “It’s probably Peter.”
Patricia cut in. “It is. Everyone is going around to his place.”
Isobel laughed. “Who is everyone?”
Patricia grinned. “Oh Simon, Jeff, Jason, Malcolm, Rajesh. I think your friend Tracy is coming too and also Julia and Yvonne. We’re going to order in some Indian food and have a few glasses of wine. Peter wants us all there like when we had our meetings.”
Isobel laughed. “At Headquarters.”
Patricia giggled. “Exactly. We’re all going to Headquarters to celebrate the end, and a successful end at that, of a very difficult case. You must come too, Adam.”
“I thought we celebrated last night. “
“This is the A team who were involved right at the start,” said Patricia severely. “You really need to hear how little we had to go on.”
Isobel laughed. “You do!”
“All right then,” Adam said. “I suppose I’m giving you a lift.”
Patricia and Isobel said in unison, “Yes.”
THE END
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