Gifthorse: The next instalment of the riveting Marnie Walker series

by Leo McNeir

  For that reason she was reassured at breakfast on Monday when listening to the radio weather forecast.

  … for the south-east and eastern counties of England and the whole of the Midlands …

  “We’ve gotta be in there somewhere,” she murmured.

  Ralph and Anne glanced at her without comment.

  … high pressure moving across the region from the south-west, bringing a band of warm air …

  “Can’t be bad,” said Marnie.

  “It’s raining,” said Anne in a neutral tone.

  “Been raining all night,” Ralph observed.

  … clearing to give way to a spell of more settled weather for the first half of the week …

  “Now that’s good news, isn’t it?” Marnie looked at the others expectantly. “Isn’t it?”

  “The field’s going to turn into a quagmire,” said Ralph. “I think I’ll flog the Volvo and take up motor-cycle scrambling.”

  Marnie laughed at the image of Ralph powering his way up the field on a Yamaha, swaying from side to side, both feet stretched out to keep his balance, mud spraying in all directions.

  “I think we’d better order some hardcore and get Bob and Colin to spread it on the field track,” Anne said.

  “Good idea,” Marnie agreed. “A practical proposition.”

  “Bang goes my mid-life crisis,” Ralph muttered.

  *

  Soon after nine the phone rang in the office barn. Anne took the call. Angela Hemingway had noted the change in the weather and concluded that Willow and Ben would be making plans to leave. She was anxious to see them again before their departure. She had a meeting arranged with the Archdeacon of Northampton and would have to set off soon. Anne suggested she should come down without delay.

  *

  Willow was waiting in the office when Angela walked in and tugged off her wellingtons. Casting an eye round the room, she was disappointed to see that Ben was absent.

  “Your son isn’t here,” she said to Willow. “I particularly wanted to talk to him.”

  “You want to convert him before we go?” Willow said with a smile.

  “Not exactly. I wanted to say I’m sorry, actually.”

  “What for? You’ve not done anything wrong.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t spend more time to talk to him properly.”

  At that moment Ben appeared at the back of the office. He was fully clothed but rubbing his hair with a towel.

  “Ben was using the shower,” Anne explained.

  Angela looked at him. “Did you hear what I was saying, Ben?”

  He nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I did know what you meant about God and such.”

  “Did you really?” Angela sounded doubtful. “You understood that you can’t expect to look up to the sky and see God looking down?”

  “Sure.”

  “The universe is more complicated than we can conceive,” Angela said. “That’s one reason why people believe in God.”

  Marnie felt uncomfortable that her office was being used as a kind of Sunday school class. She wanted to find a way of making it clear that she was not supporting Angela’s line. She did not want Ben to think all grown-ups were on the same side against him. Equally, she did not want to get involved in a discussion on theology when she had work to do.

  “I came here because I wanted to say goodbye and wish you a safe journey, Willow. And I wanted to ask Ben not to give up on God. To a child things may seem black and white, but you can’t think God isn’t there just because you can’t see Him.”

  “I know that,” Ben said.

  “You do?”

  “Of course I do.” He frowned. “After all, you can’t see the laws of physics, but you know they’re there, guiding everything. It’s like radio waves, invisible energy that makes things possible.”

  Marnie found Ben’s ideas appealing. She herself had rebelled against religion while in her teens, but had never articulated her views in such a cogent fashion as this boy of ten. Angela seemed lost in her thoughts, and Marnie wondered if she had decided she would not pursue the topic further.

  “If you don’t mind,” Angela began, “I’d like to pray for you to have a safe journey. The conditions are likely to be tricky with the thaw.”

  Willow said, “Okay by me.”

  Ben did not react. Angela looked at the clock and stood up. She seemed hesitant as if there was something more she wanted to say, but could not find the right words.

  “I just want you to know that Jesus will watch over you, if you put your trust in him.”

  “Are people saved because of Jesus?” Ben asked.

  “Yes. He protects and cares for everyone who follows Him.”

  Angela smiled, as if she thought she had made a breakthrough. Marnie wanted the conversation to end and was grateful when the phone began ringing. It was Leonard Fletcher, asking if it would be convenient to bring the bales of hay and the seeds for Poppy. Marnie assured him it was fine. When she disconnected, Ben was talking to Angela.

  ‘… so what about all the people who lived and died before Jesus? He couldn’t have saved them, so are they all in Hell?”

  “The Bible is ancient and complex, Ben.”

  “What about the plagues God sent down, locusts and famine and all that? What about the flood, all those people drowned, apart from Noah and his family? All the animals killed. They hadn’t done anything wrong. You can’t tell me that’s not weird.”

  Ben took his jacket from the hook and headed for the door. “I’d better see to Poppy and Mr Fletcher.”

  Chapter 35

  Taking Off

  It rained steadily on Monday night, but eased off shortly before dawn. Marnie squelched her way across to the docking area as the sky was brightening. In the gathering light she thought she saw patches of snow in sheltered parts of the spinney, and registered with surprise that they were in fact swathes of snowdrops. She climbed aboard Sally Ann, where a warm smell filled the air. Anne was grilling toast.

  “Poppy’s not in her stable,” Anne said, looking up from the cooker.

  “Have you been to their boat?” Marnie asked.

  “No. I didn’t want to get in the way when they’re preparing to set off.”

  Marnie suggested they should go quickly to see them one last time and stay just long enough to wish them well. Ralph would soon be back from his walk and they could have breakfast together and get on with the rest of the day, as Willow and Ben would move off on the next stage of their travels.

  Pausing on the accommodation bridge, Marnie and Anne looked down at Glastonbury’s mooring place. Where once the boat lay was now an empty space. Turning to the other side of the bridge, they had a clear view of the southbound canal as far as the long bend leading towards Cosgrove. Glastonbury was nowhere in sight. In her mind’s eye Marnie saw them drawing away, Poppy hauling steadily, the bows of Glastonbury butting through the icy water. Without thinking, Marnie raised a hand in farewell. Anne glanced at her and understood.

  From their elevated position they gazed out over fields and meadows. The countryside looked washed-out, weary and exhausted after the hard winter. A weak sun was trying to penetrate the clouds, unable to bring comfort or consolation. Ralph came in sight, walking briskly towards them. They stepped down to the canal bank to meet him, glancing involuntarily at the spot by the bridge where Mr Meadows’ body had lain.

  Anne knelt down on the bank, and for a moment Marnie wondered if she was paying her respects to the dead man. Anne looked up at her, pointing at the ground. Lying among the tufts of grass at the water’s edge were three bundles of snowdrops, tied together with string. It was a simple but touching farewell to the man whose last walk had been intended to make amends and a fresh start.

  *

  Before making drinks for the builders mid-morning, Anne checked the office diary. There was an entry in Marnie’s handwriting that she had not noticed before: 2pm – NN. Getting up to put the kettle on, she called across the room.


  “Are you going into Northampton this afternoon, Marnie?”

  Marnie looked up quickly. “Er, yes.”

  “I saw you’d put in an appointment. Any chance of a lift? I need to call in at college and the central library.”

  “Mm.”

  “No problem if you can’t. Perhaps you want to keep things flexible? I can go in my car now the snow’s gone.”

  “That might be best,” said Marnie. There was hesitation in her voice. “I’ve got one or two things to do.”

  “No probs.”

  While Anne sorted out mugs in the kitchen area, she wondered what could be so private that Marnie wanted to keep it from her.

  *

  Later that morning Ralph completed a chapter in his new book. In recent years he had made a close study of the economics of the Far East. His ideas had initially seen him branded as a maverick, a role to which he had not been unaccustomed throughout his career. This latest study tracked the rise of China and South Korea.

  He had predicted the end of the asset price bubble in Japan in the late eighties, before the crash of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. He had been among the first to warn that the Bank of Japan should cut interest rates to counteract over-investment. Proved to be correct, his views were now regarded as prophetic, and his publisher was pressing him to bring out the next volume on the subject. A spin-off lecture tour of the United States was already in planning, and discussions were underway for a series of high-profile articles and interviews in the media.

  He sat back and yawned, his head buzzing with statistics. Three more chapters to go, plus a round-up of conclusions. He needed a break, preferably some fresh air, but it had started to rain again and he had no desire to slip and slide along the muddy towpath. On the pad beside his keyboard he noticed a yellow post-it note: a name and a number. The name was Alex Wise, and the number had a London STD code. He reached for the phone.

  “Mr Wise? Alex Wise?”

  “Speaking.”

  “My name is Ralph Lombard. I’ve been given your number by Graeme McKinnon. I’m –”

  “I know who you are Professor Lombard. What can I do for you?”

  In reply to Ralph’s questioning, Alex Wise explained that he had been a friend of Maurice Dekker and had stayed at his house in France on holiday. Dekker had been gregarious in those days and generous with his invitations. He was good to his friends and liked to create a lively ambience when he could get away from the City.

  “May I ask why you’re interested in Maurice Dekker, professor?”

  “I’m trying to work out what caused him to disappear from society so completely.”

  “You know Maurice?”

  “We’ve met once or twice.”

  A pause. “Recently?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you know his present whereabouts?”

  “Roughly.”

  “That puts you one-up on the rest of us.”

  “Mr Wise, do you have a view on why he chose to go into seclusion? I’m assuming it wasn’t just because of the financial difficulties at his company.”

  “There I can’t really help you.”

  “Do you know who might be able to?”

  Another pause. “I suppose, maybe his brother-in-law.”

  “I didn’t realise Maurice had a sister.”

  “He doesn’t, only a brother. His brother-in-law is Maurice’s wife’s brother.”

  “Ah, yes, his wife. Do you know where she lives?”

  This time the pause was longer. When Wise spoke again his voice was lower. “She’s dead, professor.”

  *

  When Anne slotted her essay into the tutor’s pigeon hole, she found herself caught up with some fellow students on their way to a pub lunch. They invited her to tag along. Aware that she had not established herself as part of the group as fully as most others, Anne accepted the offer.

  The girls claimed a table and clustered round, chatting about boyfriends, music, films. Anne was happy to join in the laughter, though it made her realise how different were her perspectives on life. No one mentioned their course. No one talked about their ambitions, their goals or aspirations. With a sense of shock, she realised she did not know all of their names, but they all knew her.

  “So what are you up to this afternoon, Anne?” asked one smiley girl with frizzy auburn hair.

  “Oh, I’ve, er, got to visit the library in town.”

  There were shrieks of laughter. Anne looked puzzled.

  “We might’ve guessed,” said another girl, dressed all in denim.

  “Really?”

  “Sure. That’s why you’re always top in everything.”

  There was nothing jealous or bitchy in her tone, but Anne could see from their collective smiles that they regarded her as the class brainbox.

  “I’m meeting someone there,” she explained. It sounded lame, but it was the truth.

  The girls cheered, raising their glasses.

  “We knew you were a dark horse,” said Frizzy.

  If you only knew, Anne thought.

  *

  In his study on Thyrsis, Ralph was typing with intense concentration. His subject was far removed from the normal concerns of economic trends, forecasts and upheavals. He was making a detailed note of the conversation with Alex Wise while it was fresh in his mind.

  As he typed, the reasons for Dekker’s aberration became gradually clearer. His judgment had become affected by happenings taking place in his private life. The man who had been singled out as a high flyer in the City of London’s financial community, had been knocked off balance by personal tragedy. He may even have become temporarily deranged, his sanity impaired by forces beyond his control, by outside events which could only result in impotence and collapse.

  *

  Anne adjusted the scarf round her neck as she legged it from the pub to the central library. The weather may have improved over the past few days, but the air temperature was still barely above freezing, and her nose and cheeks were pink from the chill.

  She loosened the scarf and unbuttoned her jacket as the warmth inside the library washed over her. Rick Galt was nowhere in sight. She asked for him at the reception desk and while waiting for him to emerge, wondered what librarians did when they were not working among the bookshelves. She soon found out.

  Rick smiled as soon as he caught sight of Anne and he guided her to the periodical stacks away from reception.

  “Do you want the good news or the …” he said quietly and paused for effect, “… better news?”

  “However you want to tell it,” said Anne.

  “My sister found the editions you wanted, though she doesn’t know precisely what you’re looking for, of course. All the editions of the Ham and High from that time have been computerised, so you can consult the papers to your heart’s content.”

  “That is good news,” Anne agreed. “I must admit I did think they would have them, so it’s not a big surprise. I suppose I’ll still have to go there to consult the papers.”

  Rick’s smile widened. “No, you don’t.”

  “I couldn’t put your sister to any more trouble,” Anne said. “And in any case, I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for until I find it, if that makes any sense.”

  Rick shook his head. “I’m not sure it does, but the fact remains, you don’t have to go to London to check the papers.”

  “How, then?”

  “It’s a new system. The back numbers for the past several years are stored online. They’re working backwards. It takes some time to upload them, but they’ve already gone further back than the time you specified.”

  “What does that mean in practical terms? How does it affect me?”

  “It means, you can read the papers from here over the internet.”

  “Brilliant!”

  “There is one small snag,” said Rick.

  “I know, it’ll cost me.”

  “You guessed. D’you want to do it now?”

  Anne chec
ked her watch. “How long would it take?”

  That smile again. “You’ll be amazed.”

  *

  Anne made it back to the car with minutes to spare before her parking ticket expired. Rick had insisted on walking to the car with her, and she had agreed, thinking it would be churlish to refuse after all his help. A traffic warden was busy recording numbers a short distance down the street, so she could not linger. Anne thanked Rick again, squeezed his arm and climbed into the Mini. He waved her off as she pulled out and headed towards the one-way system.

  As she was turning in the direction of the ring road, she spotted a vehicle that looked familiar exiting a side street up ahead. She strained to read its number plate. It was familiar indeed. Marnie’s Discovery was starting the journey home. But where had she come from? Anne glanced quickly down the side street as she passed. It took her a few moments to realise that it was one of the exit roads from the general hospital.

  Anne frowned. Marnie had wanted to come to town alone.

  With her attention focused on the Discovery, Anne failed to notice another car keeping station a short distance behind her in the stream of traffic.

  *

  Marnie parked in the garage barn and noticed that Anne’s Mini was absent. She went straight to see Ralph on Thyrsis, glancing in at the stable barn from force of habit. It seemed strange not to find the bulky shape of Poppy between the bales of straw.

  She knocked on the boat’s side door before climbing down into the cabin. As she walked through, Ralph opened the door to the study and looked out, an expression of concern on his face. They kissed and went into his work area. Marnie took the armchair, while Ralph resumed his place at the desk, swivelling the chair to face her. He sat forward on the edge of the seat.

  “How did it go?”

  Marnie gave a slight shrug. “Well, there was nothing conclusive, neither one way or the other. At least there was no bad news.”

  Ralph was unsure how to take this, and it showed in his face. “Right.”

  Marnie continued. “The internal harm from last year’s miscarriage we already knew about, so no surprises there. The scan showed that the one remaining tube seems to have healed itself to a certain extent, but it’s obviously not perfect.”