by Janet Pywell
‘You tampered with the evidence?’ Fran says.
‘Hear me out, please. It was all over in a matter of minutes. No reasonable time delay, and I called the police immediately. I thought that with Wilhelm out of the way I could cover for him. Then I called you, Gunter, if you remember, I told you that Iris was dead and I told you I had also called Wilhelm, but what I didn’t tell you was that Jim answered Wilhelm’s phone – to give him an alibi. I stayed on the phone for an appropriate amount of time. That, I thought, would ensure that the police would see how distressed you both were. I knew the police would think it was me who killed Iris, but without a murder weapon – they couldn’t prove it.’
‘You bribed the police though, didn’t you?’ Gunter says.
Herr Schiltz ignores his son. ‘Iris died an hour before I got home. The only problem I had was that Wilhelm’s car was still at the house. I didn’t know how to get rid of it, and then I saw the gardener.’
‘You framed him?’ Fran sounds incredulous.
‘I asked him to take Wilhelm’s car to his house. I gave him the cash I found in Iris’s handbag.’
‘So that when the police found him, you pretended he had killed Iris, stolen money and taken the car.’ Roma shakes her head in disbelief. ‘They believed you and not him. He was an innocent man.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. You will never know how sorry.’
‘We need to call the police.’ Roma looks at Gunter for support.
‘Wait.’ Herr Schiltz sips his brandy. ‘I haven’t finished. There’s more. Let me tell you what happened. I’d seen Wilhelm distressed and leaning over this mother’s body and I’d assumed he’d killed her. I’d taken the gun because I wanted to protect him. I realised very quickly that I’d lost Iris, but I wasn’t about to lose my son as well. I wasn’t going to let him go to prison.’
‘But Iris had been killed,’ Roma cries. ‘She was dead. Can’t you see anything wrong with that?’
‘I love my son,’ Herr Schiltz shouts back.
‘That’s not the point. An innocent man killed himself in prison because you lied to protect your son.’
‘I lied to protect my family. Imagine if the press had got hold of the fact Wilhelm killed his mother.’
‘But why would Wilhelm do that?’ Fran asks. ‘If Wilhelm was guilty—’
‘He was angry with her,’ Gunter replies. He speaks matter-of-factly as if he’d been through everything in his head countless times. ‘He was angry with her because she didn’t stand up for herself. We all knew that our father was having an affair. We were ridiculed and taunted at school, and our mother was a laughing stock amongst friends. You, Fran, were the only person she trusted – and the only friend to show kindness.’
‘You knew about your father and Louisa’s affair?’ Fran asks.
‘I knew for years, but when Wilhelm found out, it was hard for him to understand. When he—’ he points to his father ‘—stayed away for nights and went on a separate summer holiday each year, Wilhelm couldn’t cope. He began to hate her. He blamed our mother for his misery – and the fact our father strayed from our family home.’
‘Why didn’t he blame your father?’ Fran asks.
‘Because he knew he would have to work with him one day. After he left school, Wilhelm knew that he would have to swallow his pride. So, he turned his anger on our mother. He believed she didn’t try hard enough to please our father, both in and out of bed, and I couldn’t reason with him.’
‘But you tried?’ asks Roma.
‘Of course.’
‘Wilhelm loved her.’ Fran shakes her head. ‘He loved her. How could he …?’
‘He didn’t murder her,’ Herr Schiltz says quietly.
‘What?’
Louisa looks up.
Gunter frowns.
Roma places her drink on the table.
Herr Schiltz looks exhausted. ‘The story gets worse, bear with me…’
* * *
I don’t realise that I’m leaning against Hugo until he moves and I realign my position in the cramped space. It’s hot, and Hugo’s presence beside me is both reassuring and disturbing.
I am Inspector Joachin’s eyes and ears, but will he believe me?
This is a confession – Herr Schiltz’s confession – how will I be able to prove any of this?
If only I had a camcorder or something to tape this conversation. I glance down at my phone, wondering if the sound would be too muffled.
‘You’d better get on with it, Friedrich,’ Mike says. ‘All of us are finding this very distressing, especially Louisa.’
Herr Schiltz stands taller and appears to be in no hurry to put them out of their misery.
‘After looking after Wilhelm, the following day Jim took the gun to my safety deposit box in the bank. Then, last winter, it got swept away, in the storms.’
‘It was never found?’ asks Mike. He leans forward and places his cup on the table.
‘No, and until then, it was in my possession all the time, in the bank.’
‘Did you get it dusted for fingerprints?’ he insists.
‘No.’
Mike shakes his head. ‘Well, they probably won’t show up on the gun now. There’s still no proof that Wilhelm might or might not have done it.’ Mike sighs and sips his brandy.
‘Well, that’s the thing, Mike. I know that he didn’t do it. He definitely didn’t because someone else visited Iris after she came back from her lunch and shopping trip with Fran before Wilhelm arrived.’
‘Who?’ asks Louisa.
‘Well, let me ask Fran.’
‘Me?’ Fran looks shocked. ‘I didn’t see her again.’
‘I’d like to know what you discussed with her at lunch.’
Fran looks at the five faces focused on her. ‘I can’t remember. It was a long time ago …’
‘Yes, you can. It was crucial, Fran. It was urgent. So much so that she tried to phone me. But I was in an important meeting, and I didn’t want to be disturbed. I had three missed calls from her. When she didn’t pick up her phone, I drove straight home. In her message, she told me it was urgent. She needed to speak to me.’
Fran shakes her head. ‘I can’t remember.’
‘Yes, you can. Be brave.’ Herr Schiltz lifts the bottle of reserve brandy in his hands. ‘Anyone for a top-up?’
No one replies, so he refills his glass.
I wish I could have one. My throat is dry, and I feel as though I’m going to pass out with the heat.
‘Well? Have you remembered, Fran? Or would you like me to tell everyone?’
Fran crosses her legs and looks uncomfortable.
Herr Schiltz continues, ‘You’d found out some details about our company, a recent business deal, that affected you.’
‘No, no, I know nothing about—’
‘Let me finished. I believe you told Iris that we, our company that usually imports and exports valuable artefacts for museums and galleries, was a ruse and that we were really importing valuable animals used for illegal testing to make drugs.’
Fran stares at him.
‘Is this true?’ Louisa asks. She has more colour in her cheeks, and she leans forward holding out her glass. ‘I’d like a top-up, Friedrich, please.’
‘Of course it’s true, Louisa. I have nothing to gain by lying to any of you here tonight. Fran met Iris for lunch, and by the time they were finished, Iris was furious. And, as Gunter says, it was bad enough that I was having an affair but then finding out I was behaving illegally and involving her sons in this business was the end for her. She wanted to protect Gunter and Wilhelm like any mother would. Now, Gunter was away and I was in a meeting, so the next person she called—’
‘Was Wilhelm?’ Louisa interrupts.
‘No, it was Mike.’
‘Mike,’ Fran gasps.
‘What?’
Louisa grabs the bottle from Friedrich’s hand and slops a decent measure into her glass.
Gunter looks at Mike.
> ‘Is this true?’
Mike shakes his head. ‘No.’
‘It’s alright, Mike. I can prove it.’
‘Then why didn’t you say anything before?’ complains Gunter.
‘Because it isn’t true.’ Mike stands up. ‘You’re making up lies because you’re about to resign.’ Mike stares stonily at his business partner.
‘That’s precisely why I’m bringing it up this weekend. I was intent on resigning after I found out what you’ve been doing behind my back for the past five years, but then the gun mysteriously appeared and it brought up old memories. Now, I have no option but to put this to rest once and for all.’
Mike stands up and faces his business partner. ‘You have no proof of any of this, and it’s beginning to sound like sour grapes, Friedrich. This business would have gone bust a long time ago if it wasn’t for me.’
‘I turned a blind eye, Mike, because I thought you were a loyal friend. But when Louisa told me how Fran had spoken to her urgently yesterday – about the same concerns – I now realise that’s not true. Not only have you let me down as a business partner, but you also killed my wife.’
Chapter 19
‘Choose silence of all virtues, for by it you hear other men’s imperfections, and conceal your own.’
George Bernard Shaw
‘Before you continue with these wild accusations, Friedrich, I suggest you provide the proof because that’s what the police will be looking for,’ Mike replies.
Herr Schiltz replies calmly, ‘They barely questioned you the last time, did they, Mike? But Iris did phone you. You said to the police she’d called you looking for me, but that’s not true, is it? She called you because she wanted to speak to you.’
Mike stands his ground defiantly, and in my ear, Hugo breathes quietly and regularly. My legs are developing cramp, and I wonder if Hugo feels the same.
‘After you spoke to her, you went to my house.’ Herr Schiltz touches his moustache.
‘Not true.’
‘Iris told you she knew what you were doing. She knew it was illegal and she told you she would tell me.’
‘Not true.’
‘You argued.’
‘No.’
‘You killed her.’
‘Is that as far as you can go with your wild accusations?’
‘They’re not wild. I know for a fact. You see, Wilhelm told me.’
‘Told you what?’
‘The thing is, Mike, none of it made any sense. I knew Wilhelm loved his mother, and when I got home, he was covered in her blood – I assumed the worst. I acted too quickly, but he couldn’t speak. I saw him kneeling at her side, and the gun was on the floor and all the blood. It was a shock. I had to get him out of there and, you know, he had treatment for many years after that. It was our secret. He thought he’d killed her and I’d covered for him. He still has PTSD, but he told me this weekend, last night, that he remembered. He said she was dead when he arrived home – but he knew you’d been in the house.’
‘How could he have known?’
‘That’s what happens with PTSD. It’s often a trigger that can set all the memories off again. That’s why he went a bit crazy this weekend. He couldn’t work it out. And I didn’t want him to stay here. I wanted him as far away as possible until I can finally sort this out, once and for all.’
‘What was the trigger?’ asks Louisa. ‘The PTSD?’
Herr Schiltz smiles. It isn’t a kind smile.
‘He remembered your aftershave, Mike. Do you remember on Friday, in here, in the library he was obsessed about a smell? He seemed confused, but it was gnawing away in his memory. And when you came down to breakfast yesterday, he found it overpowering and because all the family were together, all the memories came flooding back to him, and he remembered. He told me this morning, again.’
‘That’s impossible,’ Mike says.
‘You’re the only person I know who wears that particular brand of aftershave, and you’ve hardly seen him since Iris died because a few weeks after the funeral, I sent Wilhelm to America where I hoped he would get strong and be able to start again. That’s why he went off the rails this weekend. It was the smell. It was a mind association. He knew someone had been there in the house with Iris, and he had that recollection, but because the gardener was the accused, Wilhelm went along with it all.’
‘That’s ridiculous.’ Mike shakes his head in defiance.
‘This weekend is the first time you’ve been in his company for years. He recognised your scent – your aftershave.’
‘Impossible and far-fetched,’ Mike says dismissively. ‘Now, I’ve heard enough of your wild tales. I think this weekend has been a strain – a very emotional one for you – especially now that you’ve announced your resignation.’
‘I announced my resignation because I’m winding down the imports and exports from China before I go. Paula has been in contact with the lawyers carrying instructions to the managers in all departments with that news.’
‘She can’t do that—’
‘I know you’ve slipped some illegal goods through in the last few years, and I wasn’t quick enough to stop you, but by closing down America, the illegal side of the business – will stop.’
‘That’s ridiculous. You can’t do that.’
Herr Schiltz stands his ground.
‘Fran, tell us all the truth now. When you had lunch with Iris on the day she died, did you tell her about Mike’s illegal dealings?’
Fran looks wide-eyed and frightened, but then she nods her head. ‘Yes. I did.’
‘And what did Iris say?’
‘She was furious. She said she was going to talk to you. I told the police.’
‘I know you did, and she did try and speak to me, but then Mike was in my office that afternoon when she called to speak to me. I suspect she argued with you, and you were frightened she’d tell me, so you left the office and you went to our home.’
Mike looks at Herr Schiltz in disbelief.
‘You took a gun, Mike. And when you got there, she told you she was going to tell me.’
‘No.’ Mike’s protest is weaker, his voice smaller.
‘You fired the gun. You killed Iris.’
Mike shakes his head.
‘Why didn’t you ever check the gun for fingerprints?’ asks Roma.
‘I didn’t know until this weekend until Wilhelm came to me this morning. Before that, I never wanted to bring it all up. I wanted it all to be forgotten.’
‘It could have stayed in the bank forever,’ says Fran.
‘And Mike would have been protected,’ adds Louisa, toying with her brandy glass. ‘But then the rain came, and the riverbank and foundations of the bank were swept away,’ she adds.
‘Yes.’
‘So, who found the gun?’ Gunter asks. ‘And brought it here this weekend?’
Herr Schiltz frowns. ‘I don’t know.
‘The police?’ asks Roma.
‘How would the police know that it came from Friedrich’s safety deposit box?’ she asks.
Herr Schiltz looks thoughtful, and I hold my breath, knowing I’m the only one who knows the answer to that question.
‘It wouldn’t have taken the police long to associate the missing gun with the one that killed Iris and the coincidence of you having valuables locked away in the same bank.’ Louisa stands up.’ Maybe they think you did it, Friedrich?’
‘Do you think the police are here?’ Roma asks.
Herr Schiltz frowns.
Louisa is gaining confidence. ‘Maybe that’s why they put it on the breakfast table, in the hope the family would turn on each other and find out the truth.’
‘And you have,’ says Roma. ‘Mike, it will probably be easier for you if you confess.’
Mike swallows the last of his brandy. ‘Never.’
Fran sits forward and clutches her hands together. ‘It was you, Mike. I blocked it all out. I was so upset about Iris, and I didn’t want to be responsible for
her death, but it’s true. After I found out about the illegal imports, you threatened me, and I’d never seen you so angry, you even—’
‘Shut up, Fran!’
‘I was scared,’ she adds.
‘Don’t be stupid, woman. Now, let’s forget this silly nonsense. I want some dessert. What about you, Louisa? Roma?’
No one moves.
Herr Schiltz stands in his way, blocking his path from the library. ‘I’ll prove it, Mike. I promise you. Because Iris had left a note and it made no sense at the time, but it does now.’
‘You’ve still got the note?’ Gunter cries.
‘I’ve kept it in my wallet ever since.’
‘You didn’t show it to the police?’ says Roma.
‘I thought it might incriminate Wilhelm.’
‘What does the note say?’ Gunter asks.
Herr Schiltz pulls it from his wallet, and that’s when I sneeze.
* * *
It comes from nowhere. It takes me by surprise, and it comes out in a sudden rush. Whoosh.
Hugo is like a hare on a racing track. He moves quickly, pushing me ahead of him, through the back passageway and into the light of the corridor onto the back staircase.
Behind us, there are heavy footsteps. Someone curses in the darkness. Hugo slams the secret panel door and pulls me down the stone steps to the kitchen. We pause breathlessly for a second, but then he takes my hand and leads me quickly outside to the bench in the herb garden where we sit and catch our breath.
My hands are in my lap.
He’s looking over my shoulder at the doorway then suddenly he leans forward and kisses me. It takes me by surprise. His lips are soft and warm, and his tongue gently probes my mouth. I recover quickly because my arms are suddenly around his neck, and I’ve opened myself up to him.
‘Hey!’
I pull away.
Jim is in the doorway looking flustered as if he’s run down a flight of stairs and through the kitchen. He looks as if he’s searching for something – someone.
‘What?’ Hugo jumps to his feet, appearing guilty at having been caught kissing me. I bow my head and look worried, no great acting job because my heart is thumping with fear and also excitement. James had never kissed me like that.