Hard Going

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

  ‘We haven’t sought any media coverage,’ Slider said, ‘and Mr Bygod was not a famous or important man, so the main papers haven’t picked it up for themselves.’

  She looked bitter. ‘No, not important or famous – just a dear, lovely, good person. He had such a sweetness about him – I can’t describe it. He was worth ten of me or Alastair. But it’s us they go after.’ She looked appeal at him. ‘Can you keep me from being named? Not tell anyone about Bobo and me? I’ll help you any way I can, but if Al finds out there’ll be a row, and if there’s a row it’ll be in every paper and magazine and my life will be hell.’

  ‘I’ve no wish to make your life hell. I’ve only come to you because so little is known about him, and we hoped you would help fill in some gaps.’

  She visibly took hold of herself and said, ‘Of course. What do you want to know?’

  ‘Everything,’ Slider said. ‘From the beginning.’

  He had been studying law and she had been studying English literature, and they were at different colleges, so they might never have met. But the OUDS and the Playhouse brought people together from every corner of the University.

  ‘He was so stage-struck, it was funny,’ she said. ‘Much more than me, really. He’d always wanted to be an actor, and he did take a couple of small parts in the beginning, but there were so many other chaps with much more bombastic personalities that he got edged out. And I think in the end he found more satisfaction in doing the backstage stuff. In any case, his family wanted him to go into the law, and he wasn’t one for breaking their hearts for his own ends. He cared too much about other people. I suppose for that reason alone he wouldn’t have survived on the stage. You have to be pretty ruthless.’ She made a gesture with her hands. ‘Tunnel vision.’ She looked at Atherton. ‘We’re not nice people, really.’

  ‘I think that’s a generalization,’ Atherton said, and she took it as a compliment, and smiled a ‘thank you’ at him.

  ‘But you have to understand – Lionel was an innocent abroad. He never held grudges; he was a damn sight too understanding to my mind. Even later, when he was a solicitor, there was that complete lack of cynicism about him. Strange, really – and apart from acting, I always thought he could hardly have chosen a worse career than the law. He was utterly truthful, you see, without worrying about the consequences. Having to keep our friendship secret was quite a strain on him.’

  She and Lionel fell in love. ‘Not quite at first sight,’ she said, thinking back, ‘but it wasn’t long. He was tall and handsome, but as well as all that such a nice person. And funny! He was so quiet people often didn’t notice, but he said the most devastating things, had me in fits. He was witty, you know – and intelligent. Goodness! He took a First.’ She nodded to show they should be impressed. ‘And he knew more about literature than I did, by a long chalk. If he hadn’t helped me study, and explained everything, I’d never have got my degree. I only got a third. I’m not much of an intellectual. But Lionel had a wonderful brain. And he never minded how much trouble he took, when it was for someone he cared about.’

  They were lovers throughout the second and third years of university. But when they graduated, their lives moved apart.

  ‘You know how these things happen. We were both young and getting on with our lives, and we’d both picked careers that needed a lot of concentration. We kept in touch for a little while, but it was too difficult to meet, and so it just, sort of, died. But I thought about him fondly over the years. He was one of my happiest memories.’

  ‘You married,’ Slider said to move her along.

  ‘Yes. Funnily enough, Bobo – Lionel and I married in the same year, 1975, though of course I didn’t know that until much later. He married the daughter of his practice boss. I married Alastair. I don’t think either of us has had a particularly easy time of it. June wasn’t exactly a sympathetic choice – I don’t think she ever understood or appreciated Lionel. It was easy to mistake his gentleness for weakness – God knows I saw enough people do it at university. And my life with Al has been somewhat stormy, as I’m sure you know.’ There was a bitterness to the tone of the last words.

  Slider reflected it could not be easy to carry out one’s private life under the full glare of publicity. ‘I’m afraid I don’t read much celebrity gossip,’ he said kindly.

  She subjected him to a brief inspection to test for sincerity. ‘Good for you,’ she said. Her eyes flicked to Atherton as if to say, But I bet you do. ‘Well, Al and I have had a lot of ups and downs, and there’ve been times when I’ve been close to chucking it, but we’ve struggled through somehow. We do have a lot of respect for each other and our careers are interdependent, and – well, there’s no-one quite like Al, when it comes down to it. But we were going through a bad patch when I met Lionel again, quite by chance.’

  It was at a benefit at the National Gallery, in 1995. ‘Some Old Master painting they were trying to buy for the nation – big naked women and cupids and so on, as I remember. Al and I were celebrity sponsors for all the usual reasons. I turned round and suddenly Lionel was there with June, the four of us face to face with champagne glasses in our hands. Al and I were barely talking to each other at the time, and there was some terrible strain between Lionel and June, I could see that at a glance. But one look at Lionel and the years seemed to peel away, and all I wanted to do was go somewhere quiet with him and talk and talk. We couldn’t, of course, with the world looking on. But at the end of the evening I managed to slip him my private number, and – so it began.’

  ‘Your affair,’ Slider suggested.

  ‘It was more than that. It was deep, deep love. Passion, too – at least at first. Lionel was what I needed just then, a kind man who adored me and made me feel like a woman again. And he obviously needed me, though he was terribly loyal and would never say anything against June. But I could read between the lines. She just didn’t get him. She didn’t appreciate him. And she was cold. The sort of woman who cuts the legs out from under any man she gets her claws into.’

  ‘How well do you know her?’

  ‘Oh, hardly at all. I only met her once or twice, at functions, but that was enough. I could tell all I needed to from that, and the effect she’d had on Lionel. She was one of those pinched, prudish women who makes everyone feel uncomfortable. There was never any prospect we could have been friends, even without Lionel in the case. I’m amazed Lionel stuck with her so long. But as I said, he was terribly loyal.’

  ‘Did they have any children?’ Slider asked.

  She frowned. ‘I’m not sure. I think they may have had a son who died. Lionel would never talk about his marriage, and he never mentioned any children, but I did once see a photograph in his wallet of a little boy.’ Slider and Atherton exchanged a swift glance. There had been no photograph in the wallet when they saw it. ‘He didn’t want me to see it,’ she went on, ‘and he shoved it out of sight pretty quickly. I said, “Who’s that?” and he said, “No-one. He’s not with us any more.” And then he changed the subject. So I’m guessing maybe they had a son who died. But it is just a guess.’

  Or, as Slider had seen in Atherton’s eye in that instant, perhaps the boy wasn’t related to him at all. Slider didn’t like thinking it, but the old ‘no smoke without fire’ adage was as sticky as chewing-gum on the sole. Or the soul. And there were more little boys than sons in the world. But Slider remembered how June had not wanted to discuss it. Losing a child and not being able to have another would certainly put a strain on a marriage.

  ‘So your affair carried on – for how long?’

  ‘Ever since,’ she said. ‘After the first year it settled down from great passion to great love and affection. We met as often as our various jobs and lives allowed. It had to be secret, of course – for my sake, even after June left him. But I needed him so much – more than ever as the years passed. Al didn’t get any easier, and living in the spotlight gets harder all the time. He was my place to hide, my darling Bobo. I could be Nina again
with him, just an ordinary person. Safe. And he needed me after that terrible court case and all the dreadful fuss that followed.’

  ‘Yes, that was in 1996, wasn’t it,’ Slider said, ‘so you were together then.’

  ‘It took its toll of him,’ she said. ‘I saw the change in him. He began to be old then.’

  ‘Do you believe there was any truth in the accusations?’

  ‘That he was a paedophile? No!’ she cried forcefully. ‘It was the most malicious nonsense, but it wrecked his life. He had to move twice to shake off that terrible man who was pursuing him.’

  ‘Crondace?’

  ‘That’s his name,’ she said. ‘And he had to give up his practice. Fortunately he had plenty of money. He inherited a lot from his father, so he wasn’t dependent on his work – he’d always given generously to charity, and taken pro bono cases. Roxwell was one of those. That’s where generosity gets you,’ she added bitterly. ‘And now he’s dead.’ She had remembered it all over again. She looked at them searchingly. ‘Was it something to do with that old case? Was it Crondace? Did he manage to track him down at last?’

  ‘That’s one of the things we’re considering. But we have to look at all possibilities. Have you seen much of Lionel recently?’

  ‘We met every few weeks, and talked on the telephone often. The last time was – Thursday? Friday? No, Thursday. We had lunch.’

  ‘At an Italian restaurant?’

  ‘How do you know? Oh—’ She cancelled that with a movement of her hand. ‘Silly question.’

  ‘Was it your usual place to meet?’

  ‘No, it was the first time we’d eaten on his home turf. We usually met somewhere in the West End when we went out to eat together, or sometimes we’d drive out into the country, if I had enough time.’

  ‘I didn’t think he had a car,’ said Slider.

  ‘He didn’t, he said it wasn’t worth keeping one in London, but he could drive all right. When he needed one, he rented one, for the day or longer, from Melbury Cars in Kensington High Street. He had an account there. Otherwise, he took taxis.’

  ‘So, on this occasion when you met at the Piazza,’ Slider prompted, ‘did he seem different in any way?’

  ‘It’s when he told me about the cancer,’ she said. ‘We had our usual lovely time, chatting and laughing about old times and catching up on each other’s lives. Then he got serious. He held my hand across the table and told me—’ She broke off until she had control again. ‘He said he wanted me to know that he was going to change his will, and he was leaving me a substantial sum.’

  ‘How substantial?’ Atherton asked.

  ‘He didn’t say. He just said “substantial”. I told him I didn’t want it, I just wanted him. And he said, “I won’t be around for much longer. And I want you to have enough so that whatever happens, you’ll be all right.”’

  ‘What did he mean, “whatever happens”?’ Atherton asked.

  ‘If I had to leave Al, or if I couldn’t work any more. They were things we’d talked about on other occasions. He’d always said if anything like that happened, I could come to him.’

  ‘Had you never talked about your getting a divorce?’ Slider asked.

  She shrugged. ‘Oh, we’d talked about it, idly. But it would have been too messy. The publicity would have been horrendous! My career is dependant on Al’s, and vice versa. And he wouldn’t have taken it well.’

  ‘He has quite a temper, your husband,’ Atherton suggested casually.

  Not casually enough. Her eyes widened. ‘You can’t be thinking – oh, good God! Tell me this is not all about suspecting Al?’

  ‘We have to consider all possibilities.’

  ‘It isn’t a possibility. To begin with, he doesn’t know about Lionel.’

  ‘You’re sure about that?’

  ‘Look, he has a temper, but he never conceals it. Everything comes pouring out of him. If he’d found out he’d have come straight to me, there’d have been a furious row. That’s what happened after – well, someone else. He gave me a black eye – I couldn’t work for a week. The whole world knew – which is why I was always so careful to keep Bobo secret. But Al wouldn’t have plotted in secret and carried out a murder. He’s just not like that.’

  Slider changed the subject. ‘Lionel said he was leaving you a substantial sum. Do you know how it was left before? Or who else he meant to inherit?’

  ‘Not a clue,’ she said indifferently. ‘Knowing Lionel, it was probably left to charity. That would be like him.’ She frowned. ‘You do seem to harp on about the money.’

  ‘We haven’t yet established who his next of kin is. And of course, money is often a motive for murder.’

  She nodded, her eyes full of sorrow. ‘I can’t believe he’s dead, that someone deliberately killed him. The kindest, gentlest of men. He was my best friend, as well as my love.’ Her hands folded themselves together in her lap, as if she had taken her friend’s hand. In the gesture was all the loneliness of death – the unendurable, unavoidable fact that you would never see him and touch him again.

  It had started raining outside, and a gust blew a handful of drops against the glass with a sound like mouse feet pattering.

  ‘I’m very sorry for your loss,’ Slider said.

  She smiled painfully, but there was sweetness in it. ‘I’m just glad I had the chance to know him,’ she said quietly. ‘But I shall miss him so much.’

  The rain was still scattered and blowy as they scuttled for the car, not having set in yet, but there was a black cloud heading for them with intent.

  As he got in on his side, Atherton said, ‘Sixteen years she’s been doing the nasty with old Lionel, and she still thinks her husband hasn’t a clue?’

  ‘It’s possible,’ Slider said, turning the key.

  ‘But how likely? I think we need to look into their finances. Three million is not to be sneezed at, and she knew about it – or that there was money, anyway. Why didn’t you ask her where they both were on Tuesday?’

  ‘They’re famous people. There are other ways we can find out. I don’t want to put her on alert if she did have something to do with it. But I don’t believe she did. She really loved him.’

  ‘She’s an actress,’ Atherton pointed out.

  ‘Even so,’ Slider insisted. ‘You’ve only got to look at the difference between her understanding of him, and wife June’s lack of.’

  ‘Well, but the bad-tempered, jealous, violent Alistair Head …?’

  ‘Now you’re running two hares – inheritance and jealousy.’

  ‘Same hare,’ Atherton said. ‘Diana lets slip about the money, Alastair needs it and wants revenge at the same time. Bump off the old man, satisfy the Old Adam, come into the cash.’

  ‘You’re assuming he didn’t know Bygod was dying anyway.’

  ‘Even if he did, he might need the money quickly – couldn’t wait for nature to take its course.’

  ‘Take a pull on the reins,’ Slider advised. ‘We have no evidence of any sort against Head.’

  ‘I know. I’m just thinking aloud. Anyway, if it was a planned murder, wouldn’t Head be intelligent enough to wear gloves? And to bring his own weapon with him?’

  ‘You don’t know how intelligent Head is. Being clever in your field doesn’t make you clever in another. And a man losing his temper doesn’t tend to think things out clearly.’

  ‘Now you’re being perverse,’ said Atherton.

  ‘Just thinking aloud,’ Slider said.

  FOURTEEN

  Kissing Presumed Fed

  Slider Senior was quite serene about being left to hold down the fort. It turned out he was going to do a bit of entertaining himself. ‘Lydia’s coming round for supper.’

  ‘You were quick off the mark,’ Slider said. ‘We only asked you this morning.’

  ‘I was seeing her anyway,’ Mr Slider said. ‘What, d’you think I don’t have a social life outside this house?’

  ‘I’m all too aware you have a ve
ry active one,’ Slider said. ‘I’m only grateful you fit us in.’

  ‘I was going to cook for her in my flat,’ Mr Slider explained, ‘but I don’t mind moving it up here. So there’s no “fitting in” about it.’

  ‘Well, I’m still grateful. Help yourself to anything – you know that. What are you cooking?’

  ‘I’ve made a nice steak and kidney pie, so I’ve only got to hot it up and do the veg.’

  Slider thought steak and kidney pie rather heavy for romance, but he said, ‘There’s a bottle of Hermitage in the rack that’d go well with that.’

  Mr Slider grinned. ‘Already got my eye on it. I’ll replace it, o’ course.’

  ‘No, you won’t. It’s the least I can do.’

  The wind had dropped and it was a little warmer, warm enough for a slight fog. It made haloes of the street lamps and half-sucked wine gums of the traffic lights. In the car, Joanna said, ‘It’s nice to get out for a change. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to wear this dress.’

  ‘You look lovely,’ he said, easing out on to Chiswick High Road.

  ‘You didn’t even look!’

  ‘Well, I know you do, anyway.’

  ‘Did I tell you Georgina rang today?’ Georgina was the assistant to Tony Whittam, the orchestra’s fixer. ‘She said there’s a mini-tour coming up in December – four days in Germany. Wanted to know if I was good for it.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I said yes, of course. The baby’s not due till March.’ Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shrug. ‘And I sit on the inside of the desk so no-one’ll see me.’

  ‘I’m sure no-one’s concerned about your appearance,’ he said.

  ‘I hope you’re not concerned about anything,’ she said, with just a little sharpness. She had always resented having to juggle home and career in the way a man never had to. She knew it was illogical to mind something that couldn’t be changed, but still she minded it. So she didn’t want him telling her she ought to be taking it easy and turning down work.