by Frank Smith
And, strangely, the front door was wide open.
Paget looked sceptical. ‘Just like that?’ he said. ‘Open in the middle of the night? A bit convenient for you, wasn’t it?’
‘Scoff all you like, Paget,’ Freeman said, ‘but I’m telling you, it was open, and that’s the truth.’
‘All right, let’s leave that for a moment,’ Paget said. ‘What about the light in the bedroom? Which room was it?’
‘The one to the right of the front door as you face it,’ said Freeman promptly.
The bedroom in which Gray and Lisa had been shot. ‘Go on,’ said Paget.
Freeman almost looked apologetic as he continued. ‘I know it sounds daft now, but the light didn’t bother me. It told me where they were, so I wouldn’t have to go searching for them.’ He frowned as if trying to remember something. ‘That’s when I heard this noise,’ he said slowly. He looked at Paget, still frowning. ‘I was standing there in the doorway, trying to see the camera to make sure it was set for flash, when I heard this noise. A sort of rustling sound.’
Freeman sighed resignedly. ‘I’d had quite a bit to drink,’ he confessed, ‘and I suppose I was a bit slow, so it took me by surprise when this bloke came at me out of the dark. I’d only just realized that someone was there, when something slammed into my chest. God! I thought I’d been shot. I lost my breath, and I went down. It all happened so fast that I never did see who hit me. All I saw as I was going down were these trainers he had on. My chest felt as if it was going to burst, and I could feel myself blacking out, but I thought, I’ll get you, you bastard, and I slammed the Konica down on his foot.’
Freeman chuckled at the memory. ‘That old Konica is a heavy brute and I heard the bastard yell. And that’s all I remember until I woke up in the car.’
* * *
‘THE POINT IS,’ said Alcott, ‘do we have enough evidence to arrest Freeman? You say he admits going to the cottage, but claims he went there only to get a picture of Gray in bed with Lisa. Perhaps that’s what he told Frank Porter, but it seems damned unlikely to me. It seems far more likely that he went there intending to kill Gray.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ said Paget. ‘If he went there intending to kill the man, how did he intend to do it? He’s not a big man; he’s not all that strong. I’m sure Gray could have overpowered him in a fight.’
‘He used what came to hand,’ said Alcott. ‘He saw the gun there and used it. And, as you yourself suggested, the recoil of the gun broke his ribs.’
‘Frank Porter swears he didn’t hear a gun go off,’ Tregalles put in, ‘and I can’t shift him on that. He says Mike went in with the camera, and he didn’t come out again. He said he waited for what seemed like hours, then went to find out what happened to Freeman. He said he couldn’t find him, so he went back to the car and rang Janet from the car phone.’
‘Yet Freeman says he was hit more or less on the doorstep of the cottage. So why couldn’t Porter find him?’ asked Paget. ‘Did he go inside?’
‘He says he didn’t,’ Tregalles said, ‘and I believe him. I think he was too scared to do anything but look up the drive. I think he funked it. Probably panicked and rang Janet. She arrived about half an hour later and found her father unconscious just inside the door at the bottom of the stairs. Porter claims no one went upstairs. They got Freeman out of there as fast as they could and took him to the hospital.’
‘I think we should have a word with Janet Freeman,’ Paget said. ‘Perhaps she can help us put this thing together.’
‘Right,’ said Alcott. ‘Get on with it, then.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Mr Brock wants another progress report within the hour, so for God’s sake give me something to keep him happy.’
* * *
TO SAY THAT Janet Freeman was upset would be an understatement. She was furious at being kept waiting, and she made her feelings known in no uncertain terms.
‘I insist on seeing my father,’ she said. ‘He’s a sick man. I cannot allow him to be treated this way. Where is he?’ She looked around as if she expected them to produce Mike Freeman out of the air.
‘I’m afraid that’s not possible at the moment,’ said Paget quietly. ‘Would you come this way, Miss Freeman?’
‘I’m not going anywhere until I’ve seen my father,’ she fumed.
‘Both he and Mr Porter have told us what happened the night David Gray was killed, Miss Freeman,’ Tregalles said. ‘But we do need confirmation before we can release them. As it stands, I must tell you it looks very much as if he went to the cottage with every intention of killing David Gray.’
‘That’s utterly ridiculous! My father could never kill anyone.’
‘Not even to prevent you from marrying Gray?’ Paget said quietly. ‘He admitted having a violent argument with you about Gray that same evening. And he admitted he’d been drinking heavily. But there are one or two points that need clarification. Particularly concerning Mr Porter’s role in all this. I understand he called you from the car that night?’
Janet Freeman’s mouth formed a thin line at the mention of Porter. ‘He panicked,’ she said flatly. ‘He went to pieces. He was almost crying when he rang me. I couldn’t understand what he was talking about. Woke me out of a deep sleep and started babbling.’
Paget moved aside as a uniformed constable brushed past. ‘Perhaps we should move out of the way,’ he suggested as he eased Janet Freeman toward an open door. ‘The sooner we can clear this up, the better it will be for everyone.’
Grudgingly, she allowed him to usher her into a small room. Tregalles closed the door and they sat down.
‘Now, then, Miss Freeman, you were saying that Mr Porter was babbling, I believe?’
Janet shook her head as if in despair. ‘I’ve always known that Frank was not exactly the heroic type,’ she said, ‘but to leave my father lying there without even attempting to help him is something for which I shall never forgive him. It took what seemed like ages before I could get him to calm down enough to explain what had happened. The long and short of it was that he was too scared to go up to the house by himself. If he had, he’d have seen Dad there. If it had been up to him, Dad could have died there,’ she ended bitterly.
‘You drove out there?’ Paget prompted her.
‘Yes. Once I’d managed to get some coherent directions from Frank. I was worried sick. I had no idea what I’d find. I couldn’t understand what they were doing out there in the first place. Fortunately, Dad was all right, and we got him back to the car and to hospital in time.’
‘You went into the cottage?’ Tregalles asked.
‘Just inside the front door. Dad was lying there at the bottom of the stairs.’
‘Weren’t you afraid that someone would come out to see what was going on? I mean, you were in someone else’s house.’
Janet shook her head impatiently. ‘According to Frank, only David and the girl were there, and if what Frank said was true, I didn’t give a damn about either. My father was hurt, perhaps dying. I had to get him to hospital. Besides, Frank was there.’ She grimaced. ‘Not that he’d have been much good if it came right down to it.’
‘Did you see anyone while you were there? Hear any movement?’
‘No. The place seemed deserted, and once I found my father, the only thing I wanted to do was get out of there.’
‘You didn’t go upstairs?’
‘Of course not. Why should I?’
‘And you saw no sign of the person your father says attacked him?’
‘I didn’t know he had been attacked then. It was only later when he regained consciousness in the car that he told me what had happened. I assumed the person who had attacked him was David.’
‘And you neither saw nor heard anyone else?’ Paget persisted.
‘I told you, no,’ said Janet wearily. ‘There wasn’t the slightest sign of life; not even a car went by. Except, of course, for the one that clipped Frank earlier.’
‘He was hit by a car?’
; Janet Freeman shook her head impatiently. ‘Clipped the car,’ she said. ‘It happened while he was talking to me on the phone. Scraped the side of the car. Scared Frank out of his wits. He was even more incoherent after that happened.’ She looked from one to the other. ‘He didn’t tell you about it?’ She sighed heavily. ‘I don’t know why I should be surprised,’ she said. ‘God! The man is hopeless.’
* * *
FRANK PORTER seemed not to have moved since Tregalles had left him more than half an hour before. He looked up as the sergeant and chief inspector entered the room, then looked away again.
Paget wasted no time. ‘Why didn’t you tell us that another car hit yours while you were on the phone to Janet Freeman?’ he said.
Porter looked up guiltily. ‘I’m afraid I’d forgotten about that,’ he said. They waited. ‘Why? Is it important?’
Paget sighed. ‘Just tell us what happened,’ he said.
Porter’s hands began to move across the table once more. ‘I was on the phone to Janet when it happened,’ he said. ‘You see, I was parked just up the road from the cottage. There’s this blind corner, and I was half on the grass verge, but the road is quite narrow there, and they drive like mad idiots on that road at night.’
He looked from one to the other, but when no one spoke, he hurried on. ‘I don’t even know what it was,’ he said. ‘I suppose it was a car, but the first thing I knew was when the lights came round the corner. I ducked down. I didn’t want anyone to see me. He was coming too fast, and he only just managed to get past. But he scraped the side of the car. Rocked it as he went past. Made me drop the phone. But he didn’t stop, thank God.’
‘Which way was it going?’
‘Toward Chedstone.’
‘And you saw nothing of the vehicle?’
‘No. I told you…’
‘I want you to think carefully,’ Paget said. ‘Could it have come from the cottage?’
Porter looked surprised, then shrugged helplessly. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I suppose it could have done. I just thought it was someone on the road.’
‘You didn’t hear it start up? Think, man!’
Porter shrugged again. ‘Sorry.’
The door opened and Alcott stuck his head inside. ‘Can you spare Sergeant Tregalles for an hour or two?’ he asked Paget. He looked serious.
Paget hesitated. He didn’t want to lose Tregalles at this crucial point, but Alcott must have a good reason for asking. He nodded and Alcott drew Tregalles out of the room.
Outside the room, Alcott said, ‘I had a call from Jim Dean. He thinks they have the man who’s been bothering your girl.’ He held up his hand as Tregalles opened his mouth. ‘Everything’s all right,’ he assured the sergeant. ‘No one’s been hurt or anything like that, but your wife probably needs you more than we do at the moment.’
‘But…’
‘On your bike, Tregalles,’ said Alcott gruffly. ‘I’ll let Paget know when he’s free. Now, move it. That’s an order.’
* * *
‘WE WON’T HAVE any results back from the lab until at least midday Monday,’ Paget said. ‘But if they find what I think they’ll find, then we may be able to wrap this up by Monday night.’
Alcott sighed heavily. ‘God, I hope so,’ he said with feeling.
The office was quiet. It was after six o’clock and it had been a long and gruelling day. Once their statements had been taken, there was nothing to be gained by holding Mike and Janet Freeman, or Frank Porter. ‘It’s not as if they’re liable to run,’ Paget had argued, and Alcott had agreed.
‘Sorry I had to pull Tregalles when I did,’ the superintendent said, ‘but I thought it best, considering the circumstances.’
Tregalles. Good God! thought Paget, and felt guilty for not asking about his sergeant. ‘What happened?’ he asked now. ‘Not another attempt to take Olivia, I hope?’
Alcott’s face twisted into an odd smile. ‘Yes and no,’ he said. ‘The man turned up on the doorstep. Scared the hell out of Tregalles’s wife. What’s her name?’
‘Audrey,’ said Paget. ‘What happened?’
‘Jim Dean phoned me a short time ago,’ said Alcott. ‘Apparently, this—’ he consulted a notepad on his desk ‘—Gerald Ramsay used to live here in Broadminster some twenty years ago. His daughter, Wendy, went to the same school Olivia attends, and Ramsay used to meet her after school and take her home. But he and his wife split up, and Wendy went to live with her mother. Ramsay was devastated. He tried every way he could through the courts to gain custody of the child, but got nowhere.’
Alcott butted a cigarette and lit another. ‘Wendy continued at the same school, and it seems Ramsay went there one day with the idea of abducting her. But her mother turned up just as he was taking Wendy across the road. She called to her and Wendy turned and ran back to her.
‘Trouble was, she didn’t make it. She was knocked down by a car and died within minutes. Ramsay went round the twist. Spent the next few years in and out of psychiatric care. He was supposed to be cured, but something must have triggered him off again. Olivia, it seems, looks quite a bit like Wendy. He never meant to harm her. He just wanted to take his daughter home. He turned up on Tregalles’s doorstep and told Audrey he’d come to take Wendy home. Her father came out and grabbed the man and held him while Audrey phoned us.
‘Funny thing was, he offered no resistance at all. Just sat there quietly and cried. He’s been taken into care, now.’
Paget was still thinking about Tregalles and his family as he drove home that night. Thank God everything had turned out all right. They must be feeling so relieved. He’d ring the sergeant when he got home.
It was funny, though, how Olivia herself had shown no sign of fear of the man. Could it be because the child sensed that she was in no danger? Perhaps children, with their relatively unstructured minds, had insights that adults had long since lost. Whatever it was, thought Paget, he was glad for Tregalles’s sake that it was over.
TWENTY-SIX
Monday 15th April
THE SMELL OF THE PLACE brought back memories, and Paget wondered whether he would ever be able to enter this hospital without thinking of Andrea. For it was here that they had met, and it was here that different loyalties had torn them both apart.
The wide doors of the lift clanked open, intruding on his thoughts. He and Tregalles stood to one side to allow a masked and gowned figure to manoeuvre a trolley into the broad corridor, then stepped inside the lift. They were silent as it took them to the fourth floor.
The results from the lab had come back earlier in the afternoon, and the evidence was irrefutable.
Paget stepped up to the desk and had a word with the sister there. ‘The doctor is expecting you,’ she told him. ‘I believe he’s in the room now.’
The two men walked down the hall and entered the room. The doctor was beside the bed, checking his patient’s pulse. He looked up as they entered and stood to one side.
‘I shall remain,’ he said quietly. ‘I trust you have no objection?’
‘None at all,’ said Paget. ‘In fact I was about to ask you to stay.’ He turned to the patient. ‘I’m sure you know why we’re here,’ he said. ‘You lied to us about where you were the night David Gray and Lisa Remington were killed, didn’t you? Would you care to change your statement?’
The patient scowled. ‘Prove it,’ he said. ‘I was miles away, and you can’t prove otherwise.’
‘I think we can,’ said Paget. ‘In fact I know we can. It’s not a good idea to drink and drive.’
A frown creased Merrick’s brow. ‘You’re bluffing,’ he said.
‘We’ve just received the lab report on paint samples taken from your car. They match those taken from a groove in another car that was parked some fifty yards away from Bracken Cottage on the night David Gray and Lisa Remington were killed. You claimed to be at the Beechwood Hotel near Ludlow that night, but we know that you were at the cottage.
‘You went back there,
didn’t you? You went back to make Lisa pay for what she’d done to you. You found the door open when you got there. Lisa was always forgetting to lock it, wasn’t she? You went in, and there was the shotgun, the very gun that Lisa had used on you. You picked it up and went upstairs.
‘It must have come as quite a shock to you to discover her in bed with another man. Not Foster, but yet another lover. So you shot them both, but your aim was bad. You killed Gray, but you only managed to disfigure Lisa. Shot away an eye instead of killing her. You wanted her dead, didn’t you, Merrick?’
Merrick’s face was ashen. ‘For Christ’s sake let it alone!’ he whispered hoarsely. ‘I told you, I was miles away.’
‘And as I told you, Merrick, we have proof that you were there at the cottage when Gray was killed and Lisa was wounded. We have a witness.’ Paget reached down and whipped away the sheet that was covering Merrick. The toes of his right foot were bandaged.
‘What happened to Mr Merrick’s toes?’ he asked the doctor. His eyes never left Merrick’s face.
The doctor moved up beside the bed. ‘He told me he dropped his portfolio on them,’ he said. ‘Apparently it is very heavy. Unfortunately, he didn’t have them seen to, and two of his toe-nails had to come off.’
‘More like a heavy camera,’ Paget snorted. ‘Is that what it was, Merrick? Still hunting for Lisa so you could finish her off, were you, when this happened? Make her suffer? Is that the way it…?’
A low moan came from the man on the bed, and he put his hands to his bandaged head as if trying to block out the chief inspector’s words. ‘It was him!’ he growled. ‘Foster. He was there. Skulking around inside. Coming down the stairs. I hit him as he came out of the door. I should have killed the bastard, but I was scared. I couldn’t find Lisa. I didn’t know who else was about, so I took off.’
‘What did you hit him with?’
‘The gun, for Christ’s sake. What do you…?’ Merrick stopped abruptly.