False Impression

by Veronica Heley

Keith’s phone rang. He listened. Closed his eyes, momentarily. Said, ‘Yes, thank you.’ He put the phone down. ‘The police say we’ve been wasting their time. They think we’ve had too much to drink. They’ve been out to the college, which is deserted. In the dark. There are padlocked chains on the front and back doors. One broken window in the foyer. No other windows broken. No smell of gas. And no sign of Anna.’

  ELEVEN

  Leon pounded the table. ‘Where is she?’

  Dilys looked as if she were going to cry. ‘Do you think she might …? Wouldn’t they have taken her to the big house when they found she was alive? It’s nearest. Shall I try to ring Daddy again? Mrs Evans said he’d gone to bed, but it is an emergency.’

  ‘You can try,’ said Leon, ‘but if Anna did wake up, why doesn’t she ring us? Answer, because she’s being prevented from doing so. If only the police—’

  Keith said, ‘Sorry to interrupt, but three of you have had your phones interfered with already, right? You must know that a hacker can arrange to listen to calls and read emails on smartphones. You asked why, if it were the security men who’d set the trap for Anna, they then went back to rescue her. It is possible that her smartphone had also been hacked, and that they were listening to her asking British Gas and then Bea for help. Anna dropped that phone when she passed out, and they picked it up, didn’t they? Now why would they do that? Answer, because it could be used in evidence against them, if they are indeed the hackers. I doubt very much if it’s still in her possession.’

  Leon said, ‘I can’t believe my brother would have authorized the security guards to kill someone. I simply can’t believe it.’

  You don’t want to believe it, Bea thought. Neither does Dilys. But who else could have set this up?

  Bea said, ‘Can you think of anyone else who might have had it in for Anna, or for the college? Is there any other explanation of the facts?’

  Silence. They shook their heads.

  Orlando said, ‘You’re all mad! First you say your friend’s locked into a building that’s going to get blown up. Then you say she’s disappeared, but the police report there’s no sign of her or of the building being blown up. She was having you on!’

  Bea muttered to herself: ‘Hearsay. People make statements but, when you try to check them, the facts disappear into the mist.’

  Leon said, ‘You think Anna was pulling Bea’s leg? That she wasn’t in any danger? But … what about the man’s voice on the phone that Bea heard?’

  ‘And where is she now?’ said Dilys. ‘Is she safely in the big house?’

  ‘Dunno about safe,’ said Leon. ‘Some of my brother’s staff strike me as being a bit rough.’

  Dilys nodded. ‘Some of the security men, yes. A couple of them are a bit fierce. I was always frightened of them when I was little …’

  And still are, aren’t you?

  ‘… but one of them’s a real sweetie, as soft as you like. If she’s been taken to the big house, they’ll be looking after her, of course they will. Keith and I will go out there tomorrow and pick her up.’

  ‘Hearsay,’ muttered Bea. ‘But, how to check?’ She looked around. Since Dilys had so chirpily announced her faith in her father’s retinue, and since it was logical that it was the security men who had rescued Anna – whether or not they’d set the trap in the first place – then it was equally logical that they’d taken her to the nearest place of safety, which was indeed the big house. Common sense indicated that Anna would be all right there. Wouldn’t she?

  ‘I’ll ring her,’ said Leon.

  ‘Keith says she may have lost her own phone,’ said Dilys.

  ‘Trust me,’ said Leon, checking his notepad before keying in a number. ‘I’ve been handing out simple pay as you go phones to everyone in sight for emergency use. And this is an emergency.’

  They could all hear the phone ringing. And ringing. And ringing. And then … ‘Hello?’ Tentatively. Anna’s voice? And background noises.

  ‘Anna? It’s Leon here. Where are you, and are you all right?’

  ‘Leon? Yes, I’m all right. Sort of.’ She cleared her throat. She didn’t sound quite as positive as usual. ‘I was on the phone to Bea, wasn’t I? Then I passed out. Two of the security men from the big house rescued me. They’ve seen to the gas leak, so that’s all right. My car still won’t start, so they’ve put me on to the train for home.’

  ‘What train are you on?’ Leon was keeping his head in admirable fashion.

  ‘It’s a slow train, stopping everywhere. I don’t know what time I’ll get into Paddington, but I’ll get a taxi home from there. I might be a bit late getting in to work in the morning, what with having no car and all, but at least the college is safe.’

  ‘Is there anyone at home to look after you when you get in?’

  ‘The boys are both away at uni. But I’ll be all right.’

  ‘Can you find out what time you stop at the next station, and where it will be?’

  Pause, while Anna enquired of someone in the carriage with her. ‘Ealing Broadway is next. Then Park Royal in about ten minutes, they say.’

  ‘Right. Get out at Park Royal and wait to be picked up. You can come here to Mrs Abbot’s for the night. That way you’ll get a good night’s sleep and we can see you get to work on time in the morning.’

  ‘Oh, that’s too much trouble … but if … I must say, I do feel a bit shaken. Yes, thank you very much. And thank Mrs Abbot for me. I hope I’m not going to keep her up too late.’

  ‘Ring me if anything goes wrong.’

  ‘What could go wrong now?’ A laugh with a wobble in it. Anna clicked off.

  ‘Thank goodness for that.’ Keith spoke for them all. ‘Dilys and I will collect her—’

  ‘I’ll organize a taxi to take you and pick her up,’ said Leon, on his phone again.

  Bea said, ‘Now, who’s going to sleep where?’

  Keith was on his feet already. ‘I’ll go back home, of course. It won’t take me long. Dilys, you’ll need a coat. It’s cold outside.’

  There was colour in Dilys’s cheeks. ‘I won’t feel safe, if you desert me.’

  Orlando eyed her with disfavour. ‘Well, I was here first, and I’m staying in the boy’s bedroom up top. You can’t expect me to walk the streets.’

  Bea tried not to giggle. ‘No, Orlando; of course not. Keith, can you make do on the settee in the flat upstairs? It’s a decent size. Anna can have the spare room next to me and Leon—’

  ‘Taxi’s waiting outside. Keith, have you enough cash on you?’ Leon reached for his wallet.

  Keith shook his head. ‘I’m all right. Come on, love. Mustn’t keep Anna waiting …’ He disappeared into the night with Dilys in tow.

  Leon said, ‘I’ll ring the heavy squad and tell him to stop looking for Anna. Then I’ll take a taxi to a hotel for the night.’

  ‘That’s good,’ said Orlando. ‘Everybody taken care of. Phew, I’m bushed.’ He went up the stairs, pulling on the banisters, making the point that he’d been hard done by.

  Leon got on his phone again, while Bea put the supper things into the dishwasher and set it going. It had been a long day. She wished she could go up to bed, too, but she had to wait up for Anna.

  She went into the living room, made sure the grilles were locked over the windows and the curtains closely drawn. Leon followed her in and subsided on to the settee, closing his eyes.

  She thought of all that had happened that day. Dilys had found a new role for herself in life, Keith and Leon had come to respect one another, and Orlando … well, Orlando had survived another day at the police station. Briscoe Holland had scored another try. And the inspector … Dear Lord, look after them all.

  Leon looked tired. She wouldn’t tell him so, though. Telling people they looked tired only made them feel worse.

  She said, ‘A hard day at the coalface?’

  He loosened and took off his tie. ‘Writs flying everywhere. Conferences with solicitors. Holland Holdings under attack
on all sides. I won’t go under without a fight, but it seems that a fight there will have to be.’

  She left one side lamp on. ‘You’ll sleep here tonight?’

  ‘Unless I get a better offer?’

  It would be so easy to let him come into bed with her. No need for sex. Just the pleasure, the deep pleasure, of going to sleep with a man’s arms around her.

  But not yet. No.

  ‘When this is over?’ he said, his narrowed eyes glinting at her.

  Mm. Perhaps he did still have sex on his mind. She shook her head at him. ‘I’ll fetch you a duvet and pillows.’

  ‘Promises, promises.’ He patted the seat beside him. ‘Come and sit here for a moment.’

  He wanted to put his head in her lap and be soothed? Well, why not. She sat beside him. He put his phone on the table beside the settee, eased off his shoes and let himself lie down. Closed his eyes.

  He said, ‘At one point I was going to offer Keith the use of my electric shaver, but then I thought he needed to decide about his beard himself.’

  She stroked his forehead. ‘I think Sybil will see the point of adding Keith to the family.’

  ‘Mm. Bernice has been texting me … wants to know if her friend Maggie is pregnant yet. She wants to be godmother.’ He relaxed into a smile. ‘I like my great niece.’

  She smiled, too. ‘Will Bernice appreciate Keith? Sybil has widened Bernice’s horizons beyond the Greater London area. A pony and a boarding school would probably be next on her list. And, although I’m not a betting woman, I’ll bet Dilys gets pregnant again within the month.’

  ‘Or the week.’ He took her hand and laid it across his eyes. ‘Don’t let me go to sleep. I’ve got to take the call from Hari yet. He’s going to ring and tell me what the situation is once he gets to the college.’

  ‘Harry? The heavy squad?’

  ‘His name is Hari Silva. Of mixed ancestry and many talents including kick-boxing.’ He sighed and nestled closer into her lap. ‘When this is all over, if I’m left with more than a couple of pairs of boxer shorts, I’m going to buy you a socking great diamond. Not a ring. I notice you’re still wearing the engagement ring your husband gave you … possibly as a defence mechanism? Warning me you’re still not free? No, I fancy a diamond drop on a fine chain, to hang around your neck.’

  ‘As a sign of ownership?’

  His lips curved in a smile. ‘Who could own you? This house …’ He gave a contented sigh. ‘It’s like a fortress, sheltering those who have been wounded by the world. You take us in, feed us, and solve all our problems.’

  She thought about that. Was her house really a place of refuge? Sometimes. And yet she could remember days and nights when she’d raged up and down, refusing to believe that her dear departed husband was going to die. She remembered lying awake night after night, alone in the big bed, aching for the act of love. There’d been other days, too, when she’d been at her wits’ end to know how to handle her son Max, who was a dear good boy and a hard-working member of parliament, but who had a distressing predilection for blondes other than his ambitious wife, and who overestimated his financial acumen … and that was putting it mildly. Max would be back next week. Would he be drawn into the fight on Briscoe Holland’s side? Mm. Possibly, because he had bought himself a few shares in the training college, which had now become the latest battleground. Well, she’d deal with that when it happened.

  Which reminded her she hadn’t been out of the house for some days now. She must try to find time for a good long walk in the park tomorrow.

  Did the enemy think of her house as a fortress to be stormed? And if so, how would they attempt a raid? By stealth – as they had done through Jennifer, sending her in to spy on them and help bug the phone – or by frontal assault? Getting the police to re-interview Orlando? Where would the next attack be directed? Mm. Through Max? Oh well, she’d steered him back to the straight and narrow before now and would probably manage to do so again. She must put in a spot of prayer about that, too. Dear Lord, you know …

  She was too tired to think what words to use.

  Would it be helpful if Sybil returned to help Leon? Mm. It might.

  She was about to ask Leon if he ever prayed when she noticed that he had begun to purr. It wasn’t exactly a snore, but it showed he had dropped off to sleep. Just as on the previous night.

  She eased herself off the settee, found a duvet to put over him, and was about to turn out the light and leave him when she heard a mobile phone ring. Leon’s, which he’d left on the side table. She shook his arm, but he was far gone.

  Oh well. She took the phone out to the kitchen, where the dishwasher was swishing away and Winston was waiting for someone to feed him. She flicked the phone on. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Is Leon there?’

  ‘He’s asleep.’

  ‘Is that Mrs Abbot?’

  ‘Indeed. Do you need me to wake him?’

  ‘Nah. He said as he could trust you if you can complete the following figure. It’s twenty-nine—’

  ‘Eleven.’

  ‘Right. Well, the college. Looks OK on the surface, but it doesn’t add up if you get my meaning.’

  ‘Enlighten me.’

  ‘Place deserted. It’s raining. There’s an alarm system, but it wasn’t switched on. No security light over the front door. Bulb smashed. Front door, chain and padlock. New padlock. Common type. I have all those keys. No sweat. Heavily greased so that key would turn easily. Not been there long. Broken window to the left of the front door. I tacked a piece of plywood over it because, as I said, it’s raining.

  ‘Inside the hall. Trace of gas in the air, but not much, which is why I risked the plywood, right? Door to interior propped open with large stone. Corridor. Faint whiff of gas. Not enough to worry about. Kitchen at back. That’s where they prepare food for the canteen, right? Gas taps all shut up, nice and tight. More whiff of gas. Windows all open a crack. You’d hardly notice from the outside. I checked. I opened the windows a bit more, to be on the safe side. Back door, same chain and padlock.’

  Bea tried to work it out. ‘When the police got there, they said the only window that was open was the broken one at the front. They ought to have noticed the lack of security light, for a start. You did.’

  ‘I’ve a suspicious mind, me.’

  ‘What do you think happened?’

  ‘I think there were three lots involved. The first lot dealt with the lady’s car. That could have been done any time after she arrived to work that day. Possibly just malicious damage. Petty stuff from a petty mind. They wanted her to be upset and annoyed. To make her get a taxi to the station, or to walk there in the rain. They didn’t know there was a plot to sabotage the building.’

  ‘You think the building was the real target, and she got in the way by mistake?’

  ‘I do. The second lot, now, they’re serious about it. They go along after the lady leaves for the night. They have no idea she’s been held up and will need to return to the building. They have keys to the front door. They go in, turn off the alarm, open the gas taps. They ensure the door from the corridor into the hall is propped open, switch off lights, turn the alarm back on and leave by the front door, smashing the security light as they go. Five to ten minutes, max. The trap is set. At some point during the night or early morning something would automatically switch on – like the central heating – and the building would go up.

  ‘They return to base. Then they have second thoughts. They have no idea the lady is even at that moment trudging back to the building, but they remember that someone else, a cleaner, possibly, is due to come in early tomorrow and might get there before the building explodes. They hadn’t bargained for bodies. Bodies mean a heavy police presence instead of an insurance claim. So, they tell a third lot – who don’t know diddly-squat about the plan to blow the place up – to go out there and secure the front and back doors with padlock and chain so no one can get in. They ought to have done it themselves, but maybe their shift
is over, maybe they want to give themselves an alibi, maybe because it’s cold and raining, they pass the job on.

  ‘This new lot put the first padlock on the back door while the lady is getting back into the building to phone for a taxi. She lets herself in, turns off the alarm, switches lights on, smells gas. But this new lot, being thick, obey their orders to the letter and padlock the front door with her inside! The bulb in the security lamp above the door has been smashed, and there’s a light on inside but that’s no business of theirs. They have no orders about lights. It’s as much as their job’s worth to do anything about that. They ignore it. They prepare to withdraw. It’s a nasty old night, isn’t it? They want to get back to base, out of the wind and the rain.

  ‘The lady smashes the window, and that saves her life. The new lot realize someone is still inside. They look through the broken window, are horrified to see a figure on the floor. They take off the padlock and chain, get her outside, and in all innocence air the building so that no one else can get done by the gas. Then when the air has cleared they leave the windows at the back open a crack, switch off all the lights and get out, padlocking the chain on the front door behind them and taking the lady away with them.’

  ‘You think the second and third lots were from the big house?’

  ‘Not for me to say. But I did do a recce up there. Security lights, everywhere. Alarms, all active. Two blokes on guard by the gates. They were under cover, but they had their eyes peeled. Two more came out of the house as I was watching, and there was an argy-bargy. I couldn’t tell you what was said, being some distance off, but they were not on good terms. Lots of shouting and menacing body language. The first lot went back up into the house so I went over to the college car park to check on the lady’s car. She wouldn’t have noticed, in the dark and it raining, but there’s no battery under the hood.’

  ‘Batteries are heavy. Someone took it out and dumped it nearby?’

  ‘Agreed. But, in the dark and the rain, I couldn’t spot it. Maybe someone whipped it into the back of his or her own car and removed it. I’ll get another first thing tomorrow, fit it and have the car checked over, brakes and all. Right?’