by Sue Fortin
‘Sorry.’ Ellen dropped her hands and took a step back, embarrassment flushing her face red.
He caught her hands and kissed each one. ‘Don’t be sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to but I think here on the kitchen table may well put Carla off her breakfast.’
The red flush remained but was accompanied by a smile and a look of relief. ‘Oh, in that case then, I’m not sorry. But maybe I should be. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Carla.’
Donovan felt the good mood slipping. ‘What’s up? Problems?’
‘Yes, but not in the way you’re probably thinking.’ She kept her arms around him. ‘Carla’s got a lot on her plate at home. Her mother needs full-time care in a nursing home and Carla’s been left to sort everything out. Her brother hasn’t been much help and I think she’s finding it difficult. Not only the pressure of organising everything, but the emotional pressure too.’
‘I had no idea,’ said Donovan, genuinely shocked. ‘I knew Carla called on her mother several times a week to make sure everything was okay. I hadn’t realised it had got to this stage.’
‘Maybe you could give her some more time off or something. I know I’m not exactly up to Carla’s PA standards, but I can answer the phone for you and do a bit of office work while Izzy is at school.’
‘You are such a kind and considerate person, always putting others first,’ said Donovan. ‘Even though you and Carla aren’t the best of friends, you’re still thinking how you can help her.’
Ellen grinned at him. ‘Carla’s okay. We seem to have reached an understanding with each other.’
‘That’s good to hear. I always said her bark was worse than her bite. Thank you for being so understanding of her. I think that’s one of the qualities I love most about you.’
At that moment, Carla walked in. He smiled at her and reluctantly disentangled himself from Ellen. ‘Morning, Carla.’
‘Good morning, Donovan. Ellen.’
‘Morning,’ replied Ellen, as she opened the fridge. ‘Oh, we’ve no milk. I’ll nip round to the shop and get some. Mrs Holloway usually picks it up on her way in.’
‘I’ll go,’ said Donovan. He didn’t want Ellen going out on her own. ‘Or I’ll ask Ben.’
‘No, it’s all right. It’s only around the corner,’ said Ellen, already heading out of the kitchen.
‘You can’t go,’ said Carla to Donovan. ‘You have a telephone consultation in half an hour and you wanted time to prepare for it. Remember?’
Donovan swore silently to himself. He’d forgotten about the consultation and Ellen was already halfway out the door. He strode to the hallway and called down to her. ‘Wait while I get Ben to go with you.’
She turned round and, smiling, pulled her mobile from her pocket and waved it in the air at him. ‘Stop worrying, I’ll be fine.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The leaves were soggy underfoot as Ellen made her way down the road towards the village shops, picking her way around the puddles left from the rain the previous night. However, the sun was shining, albeit low in the sky and she squinted against the dazzle of the light.
Felpham wasn’t exactly the busy hub of the south coast, but today the road was particularly quiet and deserted. Passing the trees, the sun now put in a full appearance, blinding Ellen momentarily, she put her hand above her eyes to shield the sun from her face.
She could make out the silhouette of someone walking towards her. A tall well-built figure of a man, but with the sun behind him. An unexpected little trickle of fear pooled in the small of her back, as her senses hit full alert. She stepped out into the road, heading for the other side.
The blast of a car horn behind her made Ellen jump violently and she let out a startled yelp. The black vehicle swerved to avoid her and came to a dead stop only metres away.
The door opened and out jumped the driver.
‘Ellen! Are you okay?’
It was Ben. Ellen recognised his voice first, her eyes adjusting from the glare of the winter sun. ‘You frightened the life out of me,’ she gasped.
‘You’re lucky you’ve any life left to frighten – stepping out into the road like that,’ said Ben, taking her by the arm and steering her towards the passenger door. ‘Donovan sent me to find you. He didn’t like you coming out on your own.’
As she climbed in the car, Ellen looked ahead. The man who had been walking towards her, was nowhere to be seen. She swivelled in her seat, craning her neck to look behind her in case he had walked by without her noticing. Not there either. He had vanished.
‘What’s up?’ said Ben getting in to the car and starting the engine.
‘Nothing,’ said Ellen, dispelling the uneasy feeling the figure had brought to her.
‘Sure?’
‘Yes, perfectly sure.’ The last thing she wanted was to give Ben or Donovan any more reason to worry, or to doubt her for that matter. She didn’t want them to think she was imagining things or worse, making things up. ‘Come on, let’s get that milk.’
A knock at the door accompanied by the simultaneous ring of his phone meant only one thing to Donovan. Amanda. This was the way she always announced her arrival. Great, it was just what he needed for her to turn up early. She wasn’t supposed to be here until after lunch to take Izzy out.
Walking out into the hallway, he could see the distinctive peacock blue of her coat through the obscured glass. He cut the call, not bothering to answer it and opened the front door.
‘Good morning, Amanda,’ he said, letting her in. He wanted to avoid her seeing Ellen in the state she was in. He could really do without Amanda asking any awkward questions. ‘Come into the living room. Would you like a cup of coffee?’
‘It always makes me laugh the way you invite me into my own house and ask me politely if I would like coffee. As if I’m merely a guest.’
‘To be honest, Amanda, it’s not your house. It’s mine. And if we’re going to get petty because you are obviously in one of your pissy moods, then, yes, you are a guest. A guest who is here early. Any particular reason?’
‘Do I need a reason to see my daughter?’ She placed her handbag on the sofa and unbuttoned her coat, turning her back to Donovan in anticipation of him taking it from her.
Donovan shrugged. ‘No, but it would be nice to know in advance. That is the arrangement, after all. I need to make sure Ellen knows so she can have Izzy ready.’
‘Speaking of Ellen, where is she?’ said Amanda, looking over her shoulder, as Donovan took her coat, which he then draped across the back of the sofa.
All Donovan’s instincts were on high alert. ‘In the kitchen. Why?’
‘Oh, dear Donovan, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were starting to get very protective of Ms Newman.’ She didn’t give him time to answer before she spoke again. ‘Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about first.’
Amanda fished in her bag and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Donovan went to protest but caught the defiant look in his wife’s eye. He could do without an argument. Instead he walked over to the French doors and opened them wide onto the side garden.
‘So, what is it you wanted to say?’ he asked, as she seated herself on the sofa. The look of smug aloofness wasn’t fooling him. He was pretty damn sure he wasn’t going to like what was coming next.
‘About Ellen …’
His feeling was right. Immediately, he felt himself prickle. ‘Yes?’ Get to the point for God’s sake.
‘Are you sure you know everything about her?’
‘Of course. Why do you ask?’
‘I’m concerned about her being around Isobel, that’s all.’
‘You’ve nothing to worry about on that score, I can assure you.’ He fixed his gaze on his estranged wife.
‘Tell me, then,’ said Amanda, drawing deeply on her cigarette and then blowing the smoke out into the room. ‘When I spoke to Isobel on the phone, why did she say a bad man had pushed Ellen and that Ellen had a sore face?’<
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Donovan drove down the exasperated sigh that was threatening to escape. He hadn’t anticipated Izzy mentioning the graze on Ellen’s face. He had simply told her that Ellen had slipped. Izzy must have overheard them speaking about it.
‘It’s nothing for you to worry about. I told you that already.’
Amanda stood up, ignoring the ash that dropped onto the rug. ‘Well, what exactly happened then?’
‘Amanda, it was just a random incident. Someone bumped into Ellen in the dark and she fell against the wall. Izzy wasn’t with her at the time.’ It was the truth, although he appreciated not the whole truth, but he really didn’t need Amanda going into one of her rants about it. He didn’t want to give her any ammunition in the divorce courts.
‘I’m not entirely convinced,’ she said. She stood up and took a step towards him. Her voice low and sinister. ‘If I so much as think there has been another incident, then I’ll be putting in for sole custody of my daughter. Do you understand? I am not even letting you have joint custody if anything might endanger her. And that includes Ms Newman.’
With that, Amanda strode out of the living room, calling for Izzy. Donovan looked on through the doorway. Fortunately she appeared almost straight away, coat on, ready for her mother. Ellen was with her. Not that it really mattered, now. Amanda knew what happened at the school.
Ellen turned her head to meet his gaze. Standing in the light that streamed through the picture window, she had an angelic glow around her. By contrast, his wife stood in the shadow, looking the polar opposite. He sighed. Amanda had always had a ruthless streak, but in the early days of their relationship, the softer side of her had far outweighed it. The avarice, the hunger for materialistic possessions and the dependency upon alcohol had gradually become stronger and stronger. And now, it was the sum total of what she was.
Ellen, on the other hand, was the opposite. Money wasn’t enough to keep her in a bad relationship or guide her into another one, it would seem. She had an inner strength that she was too humble to even acknowledge in herself. She thought running away from Toby was a weakness when, in fact, it was possibly the strongest thing she had ever done. She had left all the material trappings behind to save what was left of her. Donovan admired the strength she showed in doing this.
‘So, now you’re free for the rest of the weekend, how about I take you out for dinner this evening?’ said Donovan as he closed the front door after waving goodbye to Amanda and Izzy.
‘That would be nice,’ replied Ellen. ‘Just the two of us? ’
Donovan walked over to her and kissed her on her forehead. ‘Carla, of course, has the weekend off, I think she’s sorting out her mother’s belongings.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘And before you ask. Ben’s …’
‘Let me guess,’ interrupted Ellen. ‘He’s not working this weekend, either.’
‘You’ve got it. He’s going to hang around for a couple of hours while I attend to some work.’ This time he kissed her mouth before pulling away and smiling at her. ‘I’ve got to go down to the police station this afternoon. Nothing to do with you, it’s okay, don’t look so alarmed. I have a meeting with one of the detectives from CID. Odd day, I know, but I have to fit in with the shift patterns and, unfortunately, this sometimes falls on a weekend.’
‘Okay, I’ll probably curl up with a good book,’ replied Ellen.
‘Be ready by seven.’ He kissed her on the mouth again, this time longer and definitely with more meaning. Ellen stifled a moan that was threatening to escape. She would much rather be curled up with him than with a book but, hey, she could be patient.
Toby waited on Kate’s doorstep. He rang the bell again rather impatiently. He knew she was in there, he had seen her arrive home from work. A few moments passed and he was pleased to hear the sound of the lock being turned. Kate’s face peered through the gap afforded by the safety chain.
‘Toby. I wasn’t expecting you.’
‘I would have rung but I needed to speak to you in person,’ he said. She didn’t look as though she was going to open the door. ‘Can I come in? It’s about Helen.’ The sincere smile he tagged on the end did the trick and Kate closed the door, slid back the chain and let him in.
‘I’ve just got in from work. Do you want a coffee?’
‘No thanks. I’ll get straight to the point,’ he said sitting himself down on the sofa, not waiting to be invited. ‘I’ve been to see Helen.’
Kate nodded but she didn’t seem surprised. Clearly, she was already privy to this information. ‘How did that go?’ she asked.
‘It was difficult, as you can imagine.’ He squeezed his bottom lip between his finger and thumb. ‘I spoke to her boss. He seems a decent sort of bloke.’
‘Yes, Helen speaks very well of …’. Kate’s words died out. There, he knew he had been right all along. Kate was in regular contact with Helen. Kate looked embarrassed.
‘It’s okay, don’t worry. I know you and Helen keep in touch.’ He patted her arm reassuringly. He didn’t want her to clam up now. In fact, he wanted quite the opposite. He needed to enlist Kate’s help. He carried on. ‘I didn’t really get much of a chance to speak to Helen herself, though. I think she felt a bit awkward in front of her boss. I explained to him about her medication and everything but I don’t think Helen had told him. I may have dropped her in it.’
‘Her medication? What do you mean by that?’ Kate didn’t sound totally surprised by this and Toby wondered if Helen had already mentioned this too. He wouldn’t say anything, though, he’d go along with her for now.
Toby shook his head and let out a small groan. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t know about that either? Of all the people, I would have put money on Helen confiding in you. She told you everything.’
‘She never once mentioned any medication to me.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure. What was the medication for?’
Toby looked down at his feet and then back to Kate. ‘She had little episodes of delusion. Sometimes, she’d make stuff up and actually convince herself it was real.’
Kate got to her feet. ‘Toby, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Helen wasn’t like that. I’d have known.’
‘Kate, please sit down. I’m sorry to break the news to you, it’s obviously a shock. I assumed you would know.’ He coaxed Kate back down onto the sofa next to him. He placed his arm gently around her shoulders. ‘It’s something that developed over the last twelve months or so. The doctor says it was triggered by stress. If things got on top of her, she’d retreat into herself and her way of coping was to invent her own version of events. A bit like some sort of parallel life. One that she felt she was in control of.’
Kate still didn’t look convinced. ‘I’m finding this very hard to take in and believe,’ she said. ‘I’m sure I would have noticed if something like this was going on.’
‘Maybe it was there in front of you, but you never saw it because you didn’t know what to look for?’ he suggested. ‘Helen found it difficult to admit herself. I encouraged her to go to the doctor’s and even after she was diagnosed, she was in denial for quite some time. It wasn’t until the medication kicked in that she started to acknowledge her problem.’
‘I can’t believe she didn’t say anything,’ said Kate, her voice heavy with sadness. ‘I could have helped her.’
‘I know she often came to you when we had rowed or had a disagreement,’ said Toby. ‘I’m guessing she probably told you things. You know, things about us. Things that, at the time, she was convinced had happened but maybe didn’t really.’
‘You mean she lied to me?’
‘Don’t see it as a lie. She wasn’t conscious of telling any lies. The doctor said that she would have been utterly convinced and believed totally in what she was saying, but really it was just her mind trying to block out what was really upsetting her and replacing it with a different thought.’
‘I feel awful that I didn’t know this. Why didn’t
you tell me before?’
‘I’m sorry, I know now I should have done but I was trying to protect Helen.’ Toby sat back in the sofa and closed his eyes. ‘She would have been devastated if anyone knew. I was only trying to protect her. Protect her from herself.’
Toby sat quietly while he waited for Kate to take in what he had told her. He knew it wouldn’t be an easy thing for her to believe but right now he really needed her to.
After a few minutes’ silence, Kate spoke. ‘So, what now? Did you tell her boss this? Is she still suffering or is she better?’
‘I spoke to her boss but I didn’t get a chance to speak to Helen on her own. If we had been able to speak in private, she may well have opened up to me. I could have found out if she was still taking her medication. I mean, that’s the biggest worry for me.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Because if she’s not taking her medication she could be a danger to herself, or someone else. What with her looking after children … I’m not saying she’d do anything to that kid she’s minding, but you never know.’
‘Maybe I should speak to her?’ Kate seemed to believe he was telling the truth. This was a good moment to put his proposal to her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Something about Ken’s call earlier had been bugging Donovan. His gut instinct was bringing him back time and time again to their conversation about Lampard and his alibi, but he couldn’t pin anything down.
Arriving at the police station in plenty of time, he sought out Ken.
‘Can I have a look at all the stuff you’ve got on Lampard so far?’ he said.
‘What’s up?’ asked Ken.
‘I don’t know. Something is bothering me but I don’t know what. I thought maybe going over the case notes again might bring whatever it is to light.’ It was a long shot but Donovan couldn’t ignore the feeling that he was missing something. ‘Any news on Stella Harris?’