‘So, Mr Risborough made specific threats to your safety and referenced Brandon’s disappearance?’
‘He said, “Don’t cross me when it comes to money. Brandon didn’t just disappear.”’
‘Thank you, Ms Winter. No further questions.’
Dryden stands up, her wig is slightly misaligned. I expect her to adjust it. She leaves it as it is, as if I’m not worth the effort.
‘Ms Winter, we have only your word for this controlling behaviour by Mr Risborough, don’t we?’ she says. ‘Who’s to say you didn’t equally enjoy the status of having such a large house and your husband having expensive cars and well-cut suits? Your version of events in Guildford are risible – you weren’t there, you don’t remember – how very convenient. And as for these threats, did you ever tell anyone, your mother, your best friend?’
‘No.’
‘May I ask why?’
‘I was ashamed,’ I say. ‘From the outside I had the perfect life. A handsome husband and son, a massive house, a great job. Of course, people guessed something was wrong. All my clothes were from Primark. Other mums at school commented on my son’s second-hand sports kit. We never had family holidays. But if anyone asked, I’d laugh it off.’
‘Again, according to you. No one else recalls this pattern of behaviour. We have only your word for this, don’t we?’ Dryden says.
I try to think of a reply that won’t give her the answer she wants.
‘Ms Winter,’ she repeats. ‘We only have your word for this, don’t we?’
‘Yes,’ I say.
‘Just as we only have your word that you weren’t at Downsview Villa on the bank holiday weekend in question, when Brandon disappeared. No one else can corroborate this version of events.’
‘It was twenty-four years ago – why should anyone remember?’
‘Your husband and Mr Johns remember it.’
‘They cooked this up between them. Alan’s always done whatever Gideon wanted, from the moment they met. It’s pathetic, embarrassing. He was more interested in Gideon’s opinion than his wife’s – that’s why they split up. I’m surprised he didn’t admit to Brandon’s murder, just to get Gideon off. He prob—’
‘Ms Winter,’ Judge Fleetwood interrupts. ‘You will restrict yourself to answering the questions put to you. This is not a free-for-all.’
What did I say – too much, too little? How will the jury view it?
‘Yes, your honour,’ I say.
Dryden straightens herself to her full height, and exudes an air of stern amusement, as a teacher to a mischievous child.
‘And if I may return to your claim that you were frightened of your husband, that’s pure fabrication too, isn’t it?’ she asks.
‘No,’ I say.
‘Please, Ms Winter, again you told no one.’
‘I’ve explained why.’
‘Perhaps you’re unaware, but I’ve had the misfortune to deal with many cases of domestic violence,’ Dryden says. ‘Usually multiple instances have occurred, before the case comes before the court. The victim’s family and colleagues see suspicious bruises. There are unexplained slips and falls leading to visits to A & E. Have your family or colleagues ever noticed such injuries?’
‘No, I never said—’
‘Visits to A & E?’
‘I was trying—’
‘Well, perhaps you could detail the catalogue of physical injuries inflicted upon you by your husband, before the court – Ms Winter?’
‘He didn’t hit me. It wasn’t like that – it was always the threat.’
‘So yet again, another totally unverifiable accusation. In truth, Mr Risborough has been an excellent husband. Many men wouldn’t have married a woman in your position, living with your mother after a psychological breakdown and a suicide attempt.’
‘So Gideon tells me, repeatedly.’
There’s a second when Dryden looks taken aback by my bitterness, as if, until then, she’d not considered the possibility that anything I’ve said could be true. It’s of little consequence, she is Gideon’s defence lawyer and won’t be turned from her task.
‘He encouraged you in your career, even you admit that, and despite your claims of cruelty, never laid a finger on you. You had an adulterous affair with your son’s rugby coach but you claim Mr Risborough is cruel. You abandon your son, but he is the bad father. You claim he’s concocted a story to put you in prison, when for years he’s protected you.’
I don’t reply.
‘And you had good reason to dislike Brandon. He was spoiling your chances with your future husband and you were overheard arguing with him. You were close to Mrs Pike and would surely have known about the money. My learned friend, Mr Williams, has made much of the difference in size between you and Brandon, but the blade of a knife can kill the strongest man. Two witnesses place you in the house on the day we know Brandon was to return. The house stank of bleach and you wouldn’t allow anyone into the lounge. In the early hours of the morning a car arrives for you. We can guess its purpose. You are the only defendant whose DNA can be placed, definitively, at the crime scene – your hairs coated in blood found in Brandon’s grave. Despite Mr Williams’ attempt to obfuscate on this issue, the best explanation is the simplest. Your hair was at the crime scene because you were at the crime scene. No one else – not your husband, not Alan Johns – you.’
Chapter 60
1994 – Guildford
The paramedics pronounced life extinct at seven-thirty-nine that evening. Two uniformed police officers arrived to inspect the scene.
Julia, Gideon and Alan huddled around the kitchen table, drinking tea. Despite the August heat, Julia still felt the cold of Genevieve’s bedroom run through her.
‘Brandon was the last to see her,’ Gideon said. ‘Do you think he could have—’
‘No,’ Julia said.
‘You seem very sure.’
She swivelled towards him. ‘Don’t you believe me?’
‘It’s just you and Brandon …’
‘Me and Brandon, what?’ She glared at him. He returned the look with mild astonishment then turned away, as if it had been a throwaway comment and she’d overreacted. She hadn’t. He was trying to say something, to implicate her.
‘It pains me to say it,’ Alan said. ‘And not just because it means Julia’s right, but Lucy heard Genevieve crying after Brandon left the house.’
‘Oh my God,’ Julia said. ‘Someone will have to tell Lucy.’
‘What’s the point? She won’t be able to do anything from – where is it?’
‘Newcastle,’ Julia said. ‘And what about Ruth and Edward?’
The three of them had been ignoring the phone, which was ringing every five minutes.
‘Leave it to the police,’ Gideon said.
‘And Brandon?’ she ventured, wary of Gideon’s response.
He and Alan looked at each other.
‘I’m not going to shy away from telling him,’ Alan said. ‘I want to see his face, when he learns he’s off the gravy train.’
Julia thought of the money. The gravy train was just pulling into the station. She was fatigued, shaky as well as cold now.
‘I could do with a real drink – has anyone got some?’ Julia asked.
‘Even my Chartreuse is finished,’ Gideon said. ‘I could make us something to eat. Pasta?’
‘I couldn’t face it,’ Julia said.
‘Me neither,’ Alan said.
‘Just me then.’ Gideon stood, went to the fridge, removed some vegetables and started slicing onions and garlic for the pasta sauce. Julia’s belly ached with hunger, but the thought of eating repulsed her. Gideon had no such problem and wolfed down a bowl, then went back for more.
It was nearing dusk when they heard the heavy thunk down the stairs as the body was removed. Gideon carried on eating. Alan looked at Julia. He too was straining to hear each step and their eyes met in a rare moment of solidarity. By the time the police came downstairs it was dark.
‘It’s a pretty cut and dried case of suicide,’ the constable said. ‘As you found her, you’ll be asked to give a statement, Ms Winter, but we’ll not be making further inquiries. And the bedroom’s not being treated as a crime scene. So Mrs Pike’s sister’s free to come and collect anything she feels is of value. We’ll be off then.’
The police presence had made Julia feel safe and she didn’t want them to leave. Once they had shut the door the house seemed twice as dark, and far too large for three people. And though the police had ruled out foul play, she sensed danger. Genevieve’s face, ghastly, contorted, floated before her. She understood why ancient peoples believed in daemons and possession.
‘I’m not spending the night here,’ she said.
Alan looked at her with contempt.
‘You didn’t find her,’ Julia said.
‘Where will you go?’ Gideon asked.
‘I’m sure Bee from work will let me stay. If not, Pearl will. Anywhere but here.’
Bee agreed to drive around and fetch her. Julia went to her room to collect pyjamas and clean clothes for the following day. The boys were still in the kitchen when she finished. She leant over the bannister.
‘Sure you won’t have some?’ Gideon was saying.
‘Couldn’t eat a thing,’ Alan said.
Perhaps he too wanted to spend the night elsewhere. Julia hovered on the landing a little longer, to ensure their conversation continued. When she was certain they weren’t about to leave the kitchen, she crept up the stairs to Genevieve’s room.
A dread rose within her on returning. She half expected to find Genevieve still lying there as she pushed open the door, but the room was empty and cold, despite the window having been closed. The duvet had been roughly pulled back across the bed, the pill bottle and glass removed.
Julia walked to the side table and switched on the light. She leant over and ran her hand along the gap between the bed and the wall. She repeated the action several times, becoming more frantic with each sweep. Finally, she pulled the bed back and checked underneath. It wasn’t there. She looked under the mattress, threw the pillows to the floor, tore off the covers, shook and shook them again. The envelope had gone.
Chapter 61
2018 – Guildford Crown Court
Ralph is the only defence barrister to call witnesses other than their client. If ever I can do anything for you, she has said. Well now she can.
Leanne still has the appearance of a young and vulnerable girl. Her figure is slight, her voice high and tremulous. Through the forty-something woman, I can still see the slender teenager standing in the rain, looking up at the house.
‘Mrs Grainger, would you tell the court the circumstances under which you came to know Gideon Risborough and his now wife Julia Winter.’
‘I met Gideon at the shipping firm I worked for. I was an admin assistant. Gideon was my boyfriend. At least, I thought he was. He said that he was.’
‘And when was this? How old were you?’
‘I was seventeen, so it must have been 1994.’
‘And how old was Mr Risborough?’
‘Twenty-eight,’ she says. The juror with the pink scarf shuffles in her seat and looks away from Leanne to Gideon. ‘He asked me out. I was flattered. He seemed so much more sophisticated than the boys I knew. He didn’t live at home. He drove a white BMW. I’d just left school, you see, and those sort of things seemed important.’
‘Was it a sexual relationship?’ Ralph asks.
Leanne averts her eyes. ‘Yes, it was. I thought I was in love and that he felt the same.’
‘And how long did the relationship last?’
‘About six months. Looking back, I can see I was naïve. He made me keep our relationship a secret. He often went away at weekends and was vague about where. When I asked if he was seeing other women, he said I was a silly, jealous schoolgirl. Then I fell pregnant.’
The juror wearing the pink scarf inhales sharply.
‘And how did Mr Risborough react to the news?’
Leanne looks at Gideon. The first witness who isn’t doing so for approval. Gideon angles his head away from her, and towards his defence team.
‘He said it wasn’t his and if I pestered him, I’d regret it.’ Murmurs around the court. ‘He told me to get an abortion. I wasn’t brought up like that – our family didn’t believe in it. Gideon didn’t want to know. That was on a Thursday. I took Friday off, because I was so upset.’
‘And despite the threats not to “pester” him, did you try to contact Mr Risborough again?’
‘Over the following weekend I tried to call him, but he wouldn’t answer my phone calls or come to the door of his flat. When I went to work on Monday morning I was taken into the boss’s office. Three and a half thousand pounds had gone missing. They told me they weren’t going to press charges, but I was expected to go without a fuss. They said it was lucky Gideon had spoken up for me and made excuses because I was so young. Otherwise they would have called the police. I didn’t have three and a half pounds, let alone three and a half thousand. No one listened.’
‘So, the police were never involved?’ Ralph asks.
‘No.’
‘And your parents?’
‘There was only me and my mum. She was furious, called me a slut and threw me out.’
Leanne’s breathing becomes uneven. Ralph gives her a moment to calm herself.
‘So, you were seventeen, jobless and homeless. Did you take any further action to speak to Mr Risborough?’
‘A friend let me stay at hers. The next week she rang the shipping firm. Gideon had left to work elsewhere. I know it sounds stupid, but at the time I thought it was a mistake – the business with the three and a half thousand pounds. I couldn’t believe someone, who a few weeks earlier had told me he loved me, would deliberately frame me for theft. I remembered Gideon had talked about his godfather and how he had a supplements business in Guildford. Not many places sold algae in those days. It wasn’t difficult to find. My same friend rang the office and tricked the owner into giving her his home address.’
‘You travelled to Guildford, alone?’
‘There was no one to go with me.’
‘What happened when you reached the house?’
Leanne lifts her chin and stares at the defendants’ bench.
‘Gideon slammed the door in my face. It was pouring down with rain and I was standing there. I didn’t know what to do, when Ms Winter came home.’
‘Ms Winter was entirely unknown to you at the time?’
‘Entirely. When she first spoke to me, I thought she might be Gideon’s girlfriend and tell me to leave, but she made me come in and gave me a towel to dry off with.’
‘Did you make Ms Winter aware of your situation with regards to Mr Risborough?’
‘No. I’m not sure if I would have done or not. But Gideon sent Ms Winter away, the moment he realised I was in the house. He was so angry. He threw me out of the house, literally threw me onto the ground. I grazed my knees. He said if I ever turned up at his home or place of work again, he’d make me regret it.’
‘Was Ms Winter a witness to this?’
‘I don’t think so, but she did see me standing outside later. I wouldn’t come in again, so she gave me an umbrella and money to get a cab. I’ll always remember that. How kind she was, because it felt like the end of the world.’
‘Did you have any dealings with Mr Risborough again?’
‘I was too scared. I didn’t go through with the pregnancy. I tried to put it all behind me.’
‘It was the pregnancy that made him angry?’
‘Well, more that he thought I’d ask him for money.’
‘So, money disappeared, and Mr Risborough blamed you, his ex-girlfriend. He then went on to threaten you to ensure you made no financial demands?’
‘That’s correct,’ Leanne says.
Ralph glances at the jury. ‘A familiar scenario.’ He turns back to face Leanne. ‘I know th
is must have been difficult for you, Mrs Grainger. Thank you for your time.’
Chapter 62
1994 – Guildford
Julia returned to Downsview Villa early the next day. The house was empty. She couldn’t imagine where Gideon and Alan would have gone on a bank holiday Saturday. Enjoying any entertainment seemed heartless. Still, their being gone was to Julia’s advantage. She didn’t believe the envelope could have gone missing so quickly. She had been in shock, panicked, made a mistake. For the second time since Genevieve’s death, she returned to the room, checked the covers, pulled the bed back and searched the floor. It was nowhere to be seen.
The front door banged. Julia froze. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It must be Alan. Brandon always stamped, Lucy was away, and Gideon’s room was on the ground floor. Alan’s room was directly below Genevieve’s. He’d hear the slightest creak of the floorboards. She waited, motionless. Alan was moving around, opening and shutting drawers. It seemed to take for ever before he left the room and went downstairs. Julia pushed the bed back to the wall and returned to her own room.
Anyone could have taken the envelope – one of the paramedics, the police, even Alan or Gideon. Both had left the kitchen at points during the previous evening. She couldn’t ask and couldn’t tell, because she should never have moved the envelope. It may have been illegal, tampering with evidence or something. She hadn’t planned on keeping the money. All she had wanted was to stop Brandon getting his hands on it.
When she came downstairs, Gideon and Alan were at the table, cradling beers. They turned around as Julia came in.
‘Have you seen Brandon?’ Gideon asked.
‘No,’ Julia replied. ‘Do you think he knows?’
‘Who would have told him?’ Gideon said. ‘The police said no third party was involved, but I can’t help thinking Brandon’s disappearance is suspicious.’
Suspicious, yes, just not in the way Gideon meant. Could Brandon have sneaked back and taken the money? Everyone had been busy, the house in disarray – it wasn’t impossible.
The Verdict Page 28