A Bad, Bad Thing

by Elena Forbes

  ‘I wasn’t going to pretend,’ Jane said quietly. ‘How did you find me?’

  ‘Not important.’

  ‘But how did you recognize me?’

  ‘Your eyes. They’re very distinctive.’

  Jane nodded thoughtfully. ‘There was no mention in the papers, so I stopped wearing my specs to cover it up. I thought after all this time I was safe.’

  ‘You were unlucky. Somebody I spoke to has a very good memory.’

  Jane sighed. ‘Sod’s law, I suppose. Who are you? Why are you here?’

  ‘I’m helping Sean Farrell. I’m a police detective, in my day job.’

  ‘I told you I’m late for work.’ Her voice rose plaintively.

  ‘You won’t be going to work today,’ Eve said, holding her gaze, amazed that Jane thought any form of normality was either appropriate, or still possible. ‘I need to ask you some questions. Then I’ll drive you to the nearest police station where you’re going to make a statement.’

  ‘No. I can’t do that.’

  ‘You have no choice. If you don’t, I’ll call the police right away.’

  Jane looked taken aback. ‘Why do I have to go to a police station?’

  ‘As I said, you’ll need to give them a statement. I’ll stay with you until it’s done, to make sure you don’t have second thoughts. If you try and run away, I will find you and you’ll be arrested. Sean Farrell has spent the last ten years of his life in jail because of you. He needs to be released as soon as possible.’

  Jane’s expression hardened. ‘He bloody well deserved it. And he can stay there and rot, for all I care.’

  ‘How can you say that?’ Eve asked, amazed at the ferocity of Jane’s tone. ‘He’s innocent.’

  ‘He’s a disgusting pervert, that’s what he is and I hate him.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because he raped me.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘’Course I bloody am. I know exactly what happened and I haven’t forgotten it to this day.’

  ‘You’d better tell me,’ she said, holding Jane’s angry, defiant stare.

  Jane took a deep breath, drawing herself up tall. ‘The first time I thought he’d just got carried away. He apologized and I tried to put it out of my mind. But the second time I knew that was what he was like, that was how he got his kicks. He didn’t see it as rape at all. He said it was what I needed, what I wanted. Those were his words. He said I was asking for it. It was so frightening and he really hurt me. I dumped him straight after that.’

  Her words shocked Eve and she felt for her. There was nothing about Jane’s manner to suggest that she was either exaggerating or lying. For a moment, Eve saw herself again standing in front of the mirror in the cottage, the disorder of the bedroom behind her in the reflection, the clothes and twisted sheets lying around the floor, the reek of it all still hanging in the air. Was that what it had been like? Was that what had gone through somebody’s mind? Had she ‘needed it’ in their twisted view? Had she ‘asked for it’? Tears welled as she felt the fury rise again.

  Jane shivered, brushing flakes of snow from her coat. ‘Can we go inside? I’m freezing standing out here. I can’t afford to get ill.’

  ‘Let’s go and sit in my car. It’s parked outside your house.’

  Jane shrugged as though it were all the same to her.

  ‘Did you report it?’ Eve asked, as they started to walk back up the road together.

  ‘No. I didn’t want any trouble. I didn’t want people to talk. But then he started to stalk me. Wherever I went, he’d turn up. He’d hang around the cottage waiting for me, and at the office. I’d be in Swindon or Marlborough doing some shopping and he’d bloody well pop up. He made my life total hell.’ Her voice rose shrilly on the air and a woman walking on the other side of the road looked around.

  Eve remembered what Dan had said about the rape allegations that had dogged Farrell. They were the reason why the police had been convinced that he fitted the profile of Jane’s killer so perfectly. However disgusting and depraved Farrell’s behaviour had been, it still didn’t make him a murderer.

  ‘You should have gone to the police.’

  ‘How would I prove it? I know what happened, but I also knew how he’d spin it. I don’t want to go into the details, but I didn’t think the police would believe me. I did tell them about it when he started stalking me, but they weren’t that interested. I got the impression they thought I was exaggerating, like I had some sort of axe to grind.’

  ‘They must have followed up on it, surely?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said bitterly, with a toss of her head. ‘They went and had “a word” with him. Of course, he denied it all, made out that he’d broken up with me, like I was the one with the psycho problem. When they called on me afterwards to tell me they’d been to see him, it was pretty clear who they believed.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  Jane looked over at her angrily. ‘What, as a policewoman?’ She made the word sound almost dirty.

  ‘No, as a woman, as a person. I do understand. But whatever happened between you, whatever he did, he still doesn’t deserve to lose ten years of his life for a crime he didn’t commit.’ Even as she spoke, the words sounded hollow. ‘So who was the girl they found in the woods?’

  ‘Search me.’ It was clear from Jane’s tone that she didn’t care.

  When they got to Eve’s car, Eve opened the passenger seat door for Jane.

  ‘Get in.’

  Shoulders back, head held high, eyes focussed on some distant point straight ahead, Jane did as she was told. Once inside, she plonked her briefcase down on the floor, tucked the skirt of her coat tightly around herself, then folded her hands neatly in her lap. There were tears in the corner of her eyes. Eve couldn’t decide if it was nervousness, or self-pity, or the sheer relief at finally not having to pretend any longer. Thinking of the odd parallels between herself and Jane, she assumed it must be the latter. To live your life perpetually in fear of discovery, then finally to be free to be yourself, what must that feel like? It was something she longed for, that filled her dreams. She wondered for a moment if she would ever reach that place herself.

  Eve climbed into the driver’s seat, switched on the engine and turned the heater up high.

  ‘So what do you want to know?’ Jane asked quietly, after Eve had started the voice recorder on her phone. She was doing this for Duran’s sake, more than anything. She wanted to give him the final proof that Sean Farrell was innocent.

  ‘Let’s start with why you disappeared.’

  Still staring straight ahead out of the front window, Jane sighed. ‘I was seeing somebody, one of the owners at the yard.’

  ‘Lorne Anderson?’

  Jane nodded. ‘He thought something was going on, that someone was fixing his horses to stop them winning. I don’t remember exactly how it worked, but they were making a ton of money out of the bookies, Lorne said.’

  ‘Who do you mean by “they”?’

  ‘Tim Michaels, or at least Lorne thought it was him.’

  ‘So Lorne asked you to spy for him?’

  Again she nodded. ‘There was this party—’

  ‘I know about the party. What happened?’

  ‘Lorne wanted to see me. I’d texted him that morning to say I had some more information for him and that it was urgent we speak. But with everyone around in the tent, including his wife, it was tricky finding the right moment. She was like a demon. She wouldn’t let him out of her sight.’

  For good reason, Eve thought. ‘You told everyone you were sick and had to go home.’

  ‘I was hoping he’d make some excuse and slip away to the cottage for half an hour. But then he came and found me and I started to tell him what I’d learned.’

  ‘Which was what?’

  ‘I’d overheard Tim and Sally Michaels having an argument. They were talking about the BHA and the yard being investigated, something about one of the owners tipping them off and Sally al
so asked Tim if there could be somebody on the inside feeding them info. I assumed they must be on to Lorne, and possibly me too. Somebody then came over and interrupted us, so we arranged to meet at the back of one of the barns so we could talk properly. There’s a sheltered place where they used to store all the bales of hay and shavings. I waited for him for quite a while, but he didn’t come. It was already dark and I didn’t want to hang around any longer on my own in the cold, so I started walking back to the marquee. When I passed Tim’s office, the lights were on and I heard men’s voices. It sounded like they were having a real argument, then there was a loud crash. I peeped in through the window and saw Tim with one of the owners.’

  ‘Which one?’

  ‘A man called Stuart Wade. He had two other men with him, neither of whom I recognized. They must’ve pushed over the big glass cabinet where Tim kept all his framed photos and cups and awards. There was broken glass all over the floor and I saw one of the men deliberately step on one of the photos. Then the other one pulled out a gun and pointed it at Tim.’

  ‘You mean a shotgun?’ Eve asked, thinking of Tim’s suicide.

  ‘No. A pistol. Tim looked terrified. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. They were calling him a grass and a snitch and threatening him, saying they needed to know what he’d said and what he was going to do about something or other.’

  ‘Do you have any idea what they were talking about?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Was this about the BHA investigation at the yard?’

  ‘I don’t remember. Then they told him what they’d do to him if he went to the police. I nearly wet myself, I was so scared. I didn’t dare make a sound. Tim kept saying he had nothing to do with whatever it was. But they didn’t believe him. Then one of them, I think it was Wade, said unless he did exactly as he was told, they’d kill him.’

  ‘They didn’t see you?’

  ‘No. But Harry Michaels did. I’d decided I’d better get going, in case they came out, and I was trying to creep away without making any noise, when Harry appeared from nowhere, right in front of me. I must’ve jumped a mile and I nearly screamed. He just smiled and said “hello” as he passed, as though nothing was wrong. It was really dark out there, but I’m pretty sure he’d seen me looking in through the window.’

  ‘What did Harry do next?’

  ‘He just went into the office, cool as a cucumber, like nothing was wrong. Come to think of it, he was whistling.’

  ‘Did you hear what happened when he went inside?’

  She shook her head. ‘I was so shit scared, I just legged it. I went back to the cottage and got my things. I’d been feeling pretty nervous ever since overhearing the row between Tim and Sally and my suitcase was more or less packed.’

  ‘You called your mother?’ Eve asked, thinking back to Jane’s call log that night.

  Jane nodded. ‘I explained what had happened and she told me to get out.’

  Eve was silent for a moment. Had Harry walked in and interrupted what was going on in his father’s study, or was he a part of it? Was he in league with Wade? On balance, based on what she had seen and heard, it seemed likely. The thought made her shiver.

  ‘Did you see anyone hanging around the cottage while you were there?’

  ‘No. But I wasn’t there long.’

  She had probably got out in the nick of time, Eve thought, remembering Susan Wright’s statement about a man in a suit whom she had seen hanging around outside when she drove past the cottage. It was likely to have been Wade, or one of his cohorts, and they must have been responsible also for the break-in.

  ‘What did you do then?’

  ‘I ditched my phone and got rid of the car. I had a lot of cash on me …’

  ‘This is the money Lorne Anderson had given you?’

  She nodded. ‘I kept it hidden at the cottage. I didn’t dare go home in case they tracked me there, so I checked into a hotel under a different name, bought a new phone and called my mum again. It took a couple of days, but she sorted another car for me. When I didn’t show for work, they reported me missing. The following week Mum found out Tim Michaels had committed suicide. I was shitting bricks after that.’

  ‘You think they murdered him?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You didn’t think to go to the police?’

  She looked around at Eve for a moment, her eyes wide open. ‘No way. Don’t you understand, I’d never have been safe.’

  ‘You could have gone into the witness protection scheme.’

  Jane shook her head vehemently. ‘I read up on what that involves. I couldn’t just say goodbye forever to my mum and dad and they certainly didn’t want to join me. Anyway, I was sure those men would still find me somehow. I cut my hair short and dyed it and did everything I could do to change my appearance. I was just going to lie low for a while, maybe go to Scotland, or Ireland, or somewhere far enough away, where I didn’t need a passport. It would be easier just to disappear for a while until everything had calmed down and they had forgotten about me. I hoped that one day, maybe a few years on, I could come back to my old life again. Then everything went pear-shaped when they found that woman’s body in the woods.’

  ‘What made them think it was you?’

  ‘Because the woods are so near the yard, I guess. Maybe I was the only girl missing from the area at the time.’

  ‘They must have tried to match the body’s mitochondrial DNA to your mother’s.’

  ‘No point. Mum can’t have kids. I’m adopted, my mother untraceable and no idea who my father was.’

  ‘The police had to have had something concrete for the ID. What about fingerprints or dental records?’

  ‘I don’t know what the police did, or how they decided it was me. But when they turned up on my parents’ doorstep and said they were very sorry indeed to have to tell them that they’d found me and that I was dead, it was like a gift from heaven. Mum was brilliant at acting, or so Dad said. I kept worrying for ages they’d discover their mistake, but we heard nothing.’

  ‘The woman’s body would have been released to your parents. What happened to it?’

  ‘It was cremated. My father thought it was better that way.’

  ‘You mean so there was no chance of her being dug up again and found not to be you?’

  Jane looked down, staring hard at her hands for a moment. ‘I suppose so. She was dead. What does it matter?’

  Eve shook her head despairingly. Somebody, somewhere, was missing a daughter, maybe a sister, or a lover, a family left in limbo for ten years, not knowing what had happened to their loved one and that she was dead. But it was clear it meant nothing to Jane. Revenge for what Sean Farrell had done to her, and her own safety, were all that had mattered.

  ‘So when Sean Farrell was charged, and then found guilty, did it occur to you, or your parents, to come forward?’ she asked.

  ‘No. I told you, my life was still at stake. Anyway, as I said, Sean needed locking up.’

  The windows had misted up inside so that it was almost impossible to see out and the lack of visibility felt claustrophobic. Even with Jane’s testimony, it was unlikely Wade would be charged with anything after so much time. It would be Jane’s word against his. He would dismiss it all as the wild imaginings of a girl, a proven liar, who’d gone into hiding for ten years and allowed an innocent man to go to jail. In spite of what Jane claimed to have seen and heard, there was no proof that Wade, or one of the other men, had actually followed through on their threats and killed Tim Michaels. She would call Andy Fagan and ask him if either Wade or Harry’s names were listed amongst Mickey’s recent phone log, but that’s as far as she could go for now.

  She turned to Jane. ‘One last thing. Why was Stuart Wade calling your mobile in the weeks leading up to the party?’

  ‘Why do you think?’ Jane said sullenly. ‘They’re all the same. Just because they’ve got money they think they own everybody.’

  ‘How did he get y
our number?’

  ‘One of the girls in the office, probably. He’s not easy to refuse.’ She shifted in her seat and looked around at Eve. ‘Will I be charged with anything?’

  ‘I’m afraid so.’

  Alarm flooded her face. ‘Something serious?’

  Eve nodded. There was no point lying. Perverting the course of justice was a serious offence and could carry a weighty custodial sentence.

  ‘Oh my God.’ With a gasp, she put her hands to her mouth, pressing her fingertips hard against her lips, her eyes wide with fright. ‘You mean I’ll go to jail? Oh, no. My poor little boy.’ She turned away and started to sob.

  ‘Jane, it will help you if you’re seen to come forward of your own accord and own up to what you’ve done. It’s very, very important you tell the truth.’

  But Jane wasn’t listening.

  FORTY

  ‘You’ve done very well, Eve,’ John Duran said. ‘Although I expected nothing less from you.’

  His face was expressionless and unreadable as always. Again, she wondered if Sean Farrell’s innocence really mattered to him.

  They were seated on either side of the table, facing each other through the glass again, in the interview room at Bellevue Prison. His scalp, with its black shadow of hair, and gaunt, sallow face glistened with a film of sweat. He had stumbled when he entered the room and needed support from the prison officer who accompanied him.

  She had driven Jane McNeil to the huge glass and steel police station on the outskirts of Grantham, where Jane had given a signed statement, confirming everything she had told Eve. Jane had then been read her rights and formally arrested and taken away to await legal assistance. Outside, Eve had called Dan and told him the good news. He had immediately called Sean Farrell’s solicitor, who was probably already at Bellevue by now, seeing Farrell and explaining what had happened as well as sorting out the necessary paperwork and putting into motion the lengthy procedure for his eventual release, which would start with a judicial review of the case. She imagined Sean’s rejoicing, but after what Jane had told her, knowing what he had done to her and, possibly, to other women, it felt very hollow. She had also called Andy Fagan and left a voicemail asking him to call. Before leaving Grantham, she had texted Duran, using the phone he had given her, saying she urgently needed to see him. She had then emailed the recording of her interview with Jane McNeil to Alan Peters and he had played it somehow to Duran. All that was left now was for Duran to give her what he had promised her, the proof that she had been set up.