by Leo McNeir
He was walking through the spinney, reminding himself to ask Maurice what his boat was called, when a sudden sound made him stop and listen. It came from not far away, and at first he could not decide whether it was an animal or a human cry. Then, a muffled noise like a sobbing reached his ears, followed by the unmistakable sound of a horse whinnying.
Donovan rushed forward and, as he broke cover, he saw Marnie running along the bank towards the bridge beyond Sally Ann. Behind her, Ralph was emerging from Thyrsis, a look of concern on his face.
Donovan veered off at speed towards the bridge and at once saw a woman standing at its highest point staring down over the parapet at the water. She was holding her face in her hands and gibbering uncontrollably. On the nearside bank Poppy was pounding the ground, distraught, weaving from side to side, staring at the water.
“The canal!” Marnie called out on the run.
Donovan accelerated and quickly spotted a shape in the water. He eased back for a second before charging on. Without breaking stride, he launched himself in the air and came down with a splash in the middle of the canal.
Marnie reached the bank seconds later, with Ralph coming up fast behind. Panting, they watched as Donovan tugged at Ben, who was lying face down in the water. Donovan turned the boy over, reaching for the opposite bank, where he dragged Ben out and rolled him onto his side to let water drain from his mouth before attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
From above them they heard indistinct sounds and looked up to see Valerie Paxton staring down, her face contorted with horror, mumbling something almost unintelligible.
“I didn’t mean it, didn’t mean him to die,” she murmured over and over again. “It’s all my fault, all my fault.”
Marnie looked back to where Donovan was gripping Ben’s nose and bending forward again to try to revive him with the kiss of life. Donovan looked grim, his movements purposeful but desperate. On the side of Ben’s head she could now see blood seeping from a wound. She felt helpless and superfluous, all the time hearing Valerie Paxton moaning in a hideous, ghoulish accompaniment above her.
Then, practicality kicked in. Marnie turned and raced back to the boat to reach her mobile to summon help, dreading that it would be too late.
*
After her visitors had left, Margaret Giles looked at the small silver clock she kept on her desk, a gift from her husband to mark their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. She calculated that even if Valerie found Willow immediately on arrival it would be some while before they could sit down and go through the application form for the charitable trust. The fax sent to her from the Open University was routine, a single page asking for basic factual details about Ben and his family.
The key part of the application for financial support was to be submitted as an accompanying statement setting out the purpose to which a grant would be put, a justification for requesting it and an indication of how it fitted in with the trust’s aims and objectives.
Margaret began filling in the details in block capitals, so that only Willow’s signature would be needed to complete that part of the application. That done, she began making notes on a pad, setting out clearly and succinctly Ben’s situation as a travelling child, his exceptional abilities and his changing needs as he reached the age of secondary education.
She explained how the learning materials he required would be capable of matching his intellectual development and how his progress would be guided and monitored by the Gifted Child Unit at the OU. She added that the village school of Knightly St John would maintain a pastoral link with Ben for as long as it would help him during the project and would serve as a point of contact between the local authority, the OU and the boy.
Another glance at the clock. Where was Valerie? Why hadn’t Willow been in touch?
*
When Marnie dashed aboard Thyrsis, she found Ralph already in the study speaking to the emergency services on the mobile. In her haste to summon help she had failed to notice that Ralph was no longer beside her on the bank.
“We also need the police,” Ralph was saying. “There may be unusual circumstances.”
He listened, gave his name and mobile number, followed by precise directions for reaching Glebe Farm. He thanked the operator and disconnected.
“The police?” Marnie said.
Ralph nodded. “In view of what Valerie Paxton was saying. Come on, let’s get back out there.” Moving to leave the study, Ralph stopped abruptly. “One of us has to be at the top of the field track to guide the ambulance. That’d better be me. You’ll be more effective in calming Valerie down, Marnie.”
They climbed onto the bank and sprinted off. Simultaneously they both halted as the same idea occurred to them.
“Willow,” Marnie said.
“You check how things are with Ben, then go and find her, Marnie. I’ll press on up the track.”
They parted company, with Ralph haring off through the spinney while Marnie rounded Sally Ann and ran towards the bridge. Donovan was still going through the resuscitation procedure, but Valerie was nowhere to be seen. Marnie raced to cross the canal and found Valerie slumped on the bridge, sitting on the ground with her back to the parapet, her head in both hands, whimpering.
She touched Valerie’s shoulder. “Valerie, what happened?”
No reaction. Marnie shook her gently. “Valerie, it’s me, Marnie Walker. Look at me. Tell me what happened here.”
Valerie stared blankly ahead, her eyes unfocused. “Him,” she murmured. “I … I wanted to … to hurt him … didn’t mean to kill him … no …” She began sobbing. “He just …”
Marnie put an arm round Valerie’s shoulders. The situation struck her as bizarre. This woman was confessing that she had killed Ben, and here she was, comforting her. What else could she do? In the background, Marnie heard a car start up and guessed that Ralph was on his way to meet the paramedics. This was followed seconds later by the sound of someone rushing through the spinney.
Marnie stood up at the moment when Willow raced out from the trees. Seeing Donovan and Ben on the far bank, she stopped momentarily, her mouth open, before running for the bridge. She seemed not to notice Marnie or Valerie as she tore past them, her long skirt swishing by. Marnie heard her groan before she leapt down onto the path.
*
Margaret Giles was a slow typist, but she was accurate and thought it was better to make a start before Willow arrived rather than wait and do nothing. She knew Valerie would be far from pleased that someone else had used her computer, but it was too bad. She would have a number of things to say to her secretary once they had sorted out Ben’s future.
Halfway through the explanatory statement, she heard a siren in the high street and looked up to see an ambulance flashing by. Moments later another siren broke the peace of the morning. This time there were flashing blue lights as a squad car hurried past. Margaret sat motionless in Valerie’s chair.
A feeling of foreboding flooded over her.
*
The two uniformed police officers took immediate charge of the situation. One of them ushered Valerie into the back of their car, while the other spoke to headquarters by radio. They wanted to question Donovan, who was shivering on the bank, but it was obvious that he first had to get into dry clothes. Marnie draped a blanket over his shoulders and quickly led him away for a hot shower.
While they were gone, Ralph gave the police an account of what they had found. On the opposite bank the paramedics were moving purposefully about their tasks. He caught a glimpse of breathing apparatus, blankets, a gurney, blue uniforms, green uniforms. Ben was still lying on the ground, Willow kneeling a few feet away to give the paramedics some space in which to work.
*
Margaret Giles was now seriously worried about what had become of Valerie Paxton. She checked Valerie’s address book, picked up the phone and dialled Glebe Farm with little hope of getting a reply. To her surprise the call was taken almost at once. Marnie sounded breathless
.
“Walker and Co, good morning.”
“Marnie, this is Margaret Giles. Have you seen Valerie? She left here some time ago to deliver a message to you and –”
“Margaret, listen. Ben is being treated following a nasty accident. Valerie’s here. She’s helping the, er, emergency services to understand what’s happened.”
“My goodness. I’d better come down at once.”
“No, Margaret. Not a good idea. The police are with Valerie at the moment.”
“The police? Why?”
“They’re questioning her. There seems to have been some incident involving Valerie and Ben.”
“Is Ben all right?”
Marnie hesitated. “I don’t know, Margaret. I just don’t know.”
There was silence on the line while Margaret digested what she was hearing. Then she spoke slowly and clearly, as if dealing with a serious situation at school.
“Marnie, tell me what has happened to Ben. I need to know.”
“He’s being treated for drowning.” Marnie knew it sounded absurd as soon as she spoke. “I mean –”
Margaret gasped. “Drowning?”
Marnie continued. “He’s unconscious and also seems to have a head injury.”
“There’s really nothing I can do, Marnie?”
“There’s nothing any of us can do right now, Margaret.”
“Can you ask Valerie to come back to school, please?”
“I’m afraid it’s not as straightforward as that.”
“Why not? She can’t do anything to help down there.”
“It’s really not that simple, Margaret.”
“What do you mean?”
Marnie hesitated again. She knew Margaret had a right to know the truth.
“Look, there isn’t an easy way to say this. Valerie’s saying she’s killed Ben.”
*
Anne was alarmed when she arrived back earlier than planned to find Glebe Farm blockaded by police cars and an ambulance. At college she had stayed just long enough to put her essay in the lecturer’s pigeonhole and discover that he was involved in a meeting and wanted the class to do background reading for their new project. She immediately climbed back into the Mini and headed for home.
Parking as close as she could to the barns, she found Bob and Colin, the builders, standing in the courtyard in conversation.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Bob pointed through the spinney. “Some sort of kafuffle, me dook. Someone’s had an accident.”
Anne took off and reached the canalside as Donovan and Marnie were walking towards Thyrsis with Cathy Lamb. Cathy asked her to let them have their interviews alone with her. Anne was bursting to know what had happened, so Marnie spelled out the bare details, still describing the situation as an accident. Looking around, Anne saw Poppy on the nearside bank, stomping her feet, clearly agitated. Beyond, two paramedics were manhandling a gurney over the bridge, with Willow in close attendance. In a police car parked not far from the bridge, Anne spotted DS Marriner talking to someone who was not visible from where Anne was standing.
Anne had the feeling that she had come into a cinema and missed the main action in the film. Everyone was packing up to leave. Anxious to do something to help, she surmised that her best course of action was to deal with Poppy.
DS Marriner nodded curtly to Anne as he climbed out of the police car and spoke to a uniformed constable who took his place. The car drove off, and Marriner walked rapidly towards Thyrsis.
“Did you find out from Valerie what happened?” Marnie asked as soon as Marriner entered Ralph’s study.
It was crowded, but Ralph brought in folding safari chairs, while Marnie served coffee, and they all sat down. Ralph was at his desk, Marnie in the small armchair, Donovan and the detectives in the canvas chairs.
Marriner answered the question with a shake of his head. “She’s practically unintelligible. Do any of you know what went on?”
“We’re completely in the dark,” said Ralph. “When we arrived, Ben was in the water and Valerie was having hysterics on the bridge.”
“She says she killed the boy,” said Marriner.
Marnie put her face in her hands. “He’s not …” She left the question unspoken.
“It’s not looking good,” Cathy Lamb said quietly. “Donovan seems to have done a marvellous job, but …”
“We won’t know anything definite until we can get that bloody woman calmed down,” said Marriner. “The medics have had to sedate her. One of our cars has taken her to hospital for examination. She’s in shock. They’re following the ambulance.” He turned to Marnie. “You’re sure you saw nothing that can help us?”
Marnie looked pale, drained of emotion. “Nothing,” she murmured.
“What about you, sir?” Marriner asked Donovan. “You seem to have been first on the scene.”
Donovan was clutching his mug of coffee, from which a tantalising aroma of brandy was wafting. Of everyone present, he looked the freshest, with new clothes and hair still damp from the shower.
“I can’t add anything at all,” he said. “I saw Ben in the water, so I jumped in and pulled him out.”
“You seem to have known what you were doing,” Cathy Lamb observed.
Donovan nodded. “I did a first aid course a year or two ago. It included resuscitation. I don’t know if it did any good.”
When they emerged together from Thyrsis they found the canalside almost empty, apart from Poppy and Anne, who were standing desolate at the water’s edge.
Chapter 49
Prayer
On Tuesday morning, Marnie was determined to keep the show on the road despite the disruption caused by what had happened to Ben. Precisely what had happened was still unclear. Her phone calls to the hospital received the reply that Ben was in the intensive therapy unit and no further information was available. Willow had not returned on Monday night, which to Marnie was not unexpected. Ominously, Willow had made no attempt to contact her.
There were four people seated at the breakfast table on Sally Ann that morning. Donovan joined the three regulars, but Maurice preferred to stay on his own boat. Marnie announced that she had heard nothing from the hospital or the police.
“We need a plan for today,” she declared, to general agreement. She looked at Donovan. “The police want you to stay, don’t they?”
“I’ve already phoned college and explained how things stand. I said I’ll get back when I can.”
“I have to go into college this morning,” said Anne, “but I can look after Poppy. I know her routine. And I can hold the fort this afternoon. You’ve got a meeting, Marnie.”
“Yes, and I need to keep it. Also, I said I’d look in on Dominic Brodie on the way back.”
In the turmoil surrounding Ben, they had forgotten about Dominic.
“If I can be of any use …” said Ralph.
Everyone knew he was at a critical stage with his book, with the publisher’s deadline looming and plans in progress for an imminent tour of the United States.
“No problem, Ralph,” said Marnie. “We can handle everything.”
“What about Willow’s boat?” Ralph asked.
“Anne saw to it last night. It’s all locked up and secured.”
“I banked up the stove,” Anne added. “I’ll go round after breakfast and see to it again before I feed Poppy.”
“I can help as soon as I’ve given Maurice his nosebag,” Donovan said.
There was grateful laughter round the table. Morale was low and they were in dire need of cheering up.
“Anne,” Marnie began, “if you’re going to college this morning –”
“I know. I can take some things in for Willow, fresh clothes and stuff. And I can report back on the mobile.”
“Great. And perhaps you can find out how Dominic is?”
“Sure. I’d better write a list.”
They all smiled. There could be grim news ahead, but at least it was beginni
ng to feel as if they were taking control of their lives again.
No-one mentioned Valerie.
*
It came as no surprise to Marnie when Margaret Giles walked into the office barn early that morning. She looked haggard, as if she had had no sleep, and admitted to Marnie that she had had nothing for breakfast. Marnie immediately sat her down and stood over her while she sipped some coffee and nibbled a croissant.
Colour gradually returned to her cheeks, and she asked Marnie to tell her everything that had happened the previous day. When she had finished, Marnie asked Margaret why Valerie was at Glebe Farm at all. Margaret explained about the grant application for the materials for Ben’s learning programme from the Open University.
“Today is deadline day,” Margaret said, feeling how prophetic and final the word deadline sounded. “Now I’m afraid they’ll miss the boat.”
Both women noted the irony of the expression. Neither smiled. Neither would know peace of mind again until they knew if Ben had recovered or if Donovan’s efforts had come too late. Margaret looked up as Anne climbed down the wall-ladder from her attic room at the moment when Marnie’s phone began ringing. Marnie took a deep breath and picked it up.
“Walker and Co, good morning.”
“Marnie, it’s Willow. Just a quick call. I don’t have much change for the phone.”
Marnie pushed the button for speakerphone so that everyone in the office could hear.
“How’s Ben?” Marnie almost choked on the words.
“He regained consciousness last night, but –”
“Oh, Willow, that’s wonderful news –”
“No, listen, Marnie. That’s not the full picture. He’s got to have more tests and X-rays. It’s the head injury. The doctor said it could be more than just concussion.”