by Anna Jacobs
She smiled gently at the relief on his face. ‘That’s my expert opinion and I’m prepared to swear to it in court.’
He let out a long sigh. ‘I find that very reassuring. Thank you. I’m lucky to have found such good friends at this difficult time.’ He looked at Emily and Oliver as he said that.
Chad had spoken with dignity, Emily decided. She’d guess he’d been a figure of authority, though in what area was not yet clear: he’d shown considerable knowledge of old buildings, photography and antiques. Or were those simply interests? How had he earned a living? And why had no one come forward to report him missing or respond to the requests for information?
The two women went on to question both of them about the details of their confinement at the unit.
‘That’s it, for now,’ Dr Allerton said eventually.
Ms Patel nodded agreement. ‘You were right, Jean. There’s something very wrong there and we can’t let it continue.’ She looked at Chad and Emily. ‘Would you two be willing to testify in court about your treatment?’
‘Definitely. In fact, it’d give me great satisfaction,’ Emily said at once. ‘Though I don’t remember what happened when I was in a coma, of course.’
Chad nodded. ‘I’m much the same. I remember the later details of my incarceration very clearly, but not the earlier ones, like how I got there. I was semi-conscious for a while, apparently, and under heavy sedation. Once I’d stopped swallowing the tablets, things became much clearer.’
Emily suddenly remembered something. ‘I think I may have two of the tablets they kept dishing out stuck in the pocket of an old dressing gown they gave me. It wasn’t my own, but no one would believe that, because George insisted it was. I was wearing it over my clothes when I fled.’
‘Excellent. If you could let us have them . . .’
‘It’d be no proof in law,’ Oliver said at once. ‘She could have got them anywhere.’
‘It’d give us some idea of what they were using and therefore where they might be getting their supplies from,’ Ms Patel said bitterly. ‘I want this place and all others like it closed down. We’re here to care for older patients, not abuse them or dope them to the eyeballs.’
‘If I can do anything to help, I will, believe me.’
‘Thank you.’
Emily shivered. If she hadn’t met Chad . . . If she hadn’t had her friend Rachel to help . . . she might still be there.
Eleven
George walked round the rental house, then returned to the living room, dividing his scowls equally between the room and his wife. ‘The rooms aren’t big enough. I don’t know why you’re even considering this rabbit hutch.’
Marcia gestured to the agent to leave them alone. ‘George, there isn’t much available in the area to rent at the moment that’s any better, not without paying an absolute fortune into someone else’s pocket. This house will be all right for a few months, while you’re working in England. It’s a reasonable size, very conveniently situated for transport and in a good area. Plus they’re prepared to give us a three-month lease, with monthly renewals.’
‘No wonder! It’s downright shabby. Look at that lounge suite! My aunt’s house was far better than this.’
She didn’t comment on that. He still seemed aggrieved that he’d had to leave Emily’s house, but Marcia had been relieved. She’d never felt right about taking the place over when his aunt might well recover from her accident – as she clearly had, whatever George still claimed.
She sighed. She wished she knew what he was up to. He was planning something, she could tell, but what? She wrenched her thoughts away from that to the present problem.
‘The furniture here is adequate.’ She went to sit on the offending lounge suite. ‘Actually, it’s quite comfortable. Come and try it.’
He joined her on the sofa, wriggling about, still scowling. ‘I think we deserve more than merely adequate.’
‘Of course we do . . . long term. But this is by far the best house we’ve seen, and you know how good I am at making a home out of a rental. We should take it, just for a few months. It’ll give you time to see what your next permanent project will be. You said you’d probably continue working with that company a while longer. After all, you are an expert on industrial pumps and they do pay you rather well.’
‘So they should.’
‘Once we retire, we can decide where we want to live permanently and take our time finding a house that’s just right. We’ll both enjoy that.’ She hoped.
‘Hmm.’ He got up, shoved his hands deep in his pockets and went to stare out of the window.
She waited. It never did to hurry George.
‘I suppose you’re right. This place is in a decent area, at least. And you usually work miracles with the interiors, I will admit.’
Silence followed, which she didn’t interrupt, then he shrugged. ‘Oh, very well. I’ll go and tell that fellow we’ll take it.’
‘Ask him how quickly we can move in. It might be worth staying with your mother for another day or two if we can move here quickly, rather than wasting time, effort and money changing to a hotel.’
He grimaced. ‘I suppose so. I wish my mother didn’t fuss so much, though.’
‘It’s because she cares about you. Just be a little patient with her.’
When he’d gone to talk to the agent, Marcia let her head drop against the back of the sofa, closing her eyes briefly. It was always like this when they were looking for a house. George wanted the best, the very best. He acted as if he were a multi-millionaire. He was going to be a devil to deal with when it came to buying a place of their own. She hoped he had a lot of money saved, wished he’d involve her more in the financial side of their life, so that she knew what to aim for.
She could usually manage him when it came to their day-to-day living, but she wasn’t fool enough to interfere with his major long-term plans. Not if she wanted a comfortable early retirement, as he’d been planning for several years now. It had become quite an obsession with him, especially when they were living in the Middle East.
She couldn’t disagree with his focus. When she remembered how her parents had had to scrimp and save in their old age to manage on the state pension, and how limited their life had been, she knew she’d do anything rather than go down the same path. Not only had her parents lived in a mean little council house nearly all their lives, but they’d died in a road accident because they were driving an old rattletrap of a car that had few safety features.
She shuddered. She didn’t ever intend to live as they had. Which was why it was worth putting up with George’s autocratic attitude towards her – all women, come to that – not to mention his moods. She enjoyed her comfortable lifestyle very much indeed.
After leaving the doctor’s, they stopped to buy some more food, then Emily drove them home, enjoying the comfort of her new car. She kept wondering what Oliver’s legal tactics would be, but didn’t want to discuss that while she was driving.
Once they got back, she didn’t have to wait long to find out what he was planning.
‘We need to talk,’ he said abruptly as they finished a scratch meal.
‘I’ll clear away and leave you three in peace,’ Rachel offered. ‘Toby, you’ll help me, won’t you?’
‘I do the washing up. Miss Penelope showed me.’ He began to clear the table. There wasn’t much food left to put away. Between his appetite and Chad’s, the dishes of salad and plates of cooked meats had been cleared quickly, plus all the French loaf.
‘Let’s go into the front bar, so we’ve space to study the papers we’ve got.’ Oliver took their consent for granted and led the way out of the flat. ‘First we should check the dates on the letters they sent and the dates you’re supposed to have signed the memorandum, then we can tie them in to events.’ He spread the pieces of paper out.
Emily picked up the earliest letter. ‘This must have been forwarded to my sister while I was in hospital.’
Rachel nodded. �
��Yes, that’s my handwriting on the envelope. I forwarded all your mail, Emily, as we agreed.’
‘George must have arranged to have Liz’s mail forwarded to him. I’m amazed she let him do that.’
‘Do you think she knew?’ Chad asked.
‘Perhaps not. But if he said it was necessary for business, she’d agree. It’s suspicious how short of money she always seemed, because I’d understood that Nigel had left her well provided for.’
‘In any case, there was no excuse for your nephew opening letters addressed to you, even if they were forwarded to him. It’s against the law and you never agreed in any way whatsoever that he should act on your behalf once you recovered consciousness, did you?’ Oliver looked at her, pen in hand, ready to note down her answer.
‘I was in no state to agree to anything at first. But after I’d recovered, I did try to stop him handling anything. The trouble was, he refused to bring in my mail and that sister refused to put me in touch with anyone who could help. I felt so helpless.’
‘I overheard Emily asking for her mail, and her purse, and several times asking them to stop George interfering,’ Chad said. ‘I used to sit in the day room for hours and I had little else to do but watch what was going on, since I was supposed to be sedated.’
‘Your testimony could be very useful.’ Oliver made another note then turned back to Emily. ‘And your nephew never mentioned the letters from Barton and Halling, let alone discussed the offer with you?’
‘No. Definitely not. He’ll say he did, of course.’
Chad leaned forward. ‘I’d guess he’ll get Pauline to bear witness to that. But I may be able to help there as well. I overheard most of his conversations with Emily, and some of his conversations with Pauline, too. They were rather lax about that. Over-confident.’ He smiled. ‘I couldn’t help overhearing what they said, because your nephew has a very loud voice.’
‘Overhearing some of their conversations won’t provide enough evidence of collusion,’ Oliver said. ‘It’ll be their word against yours, two against one. And they’ll claim you weren’t in your right mind.’
‘I also saw him hand Pauline an envelope on three occasions. They didn’t realize how half-open glass doors can sometimes act as mirrors.’
‘Hmm. Would you have any idea exactly when George came to visit, Emily?’
She frowned. ‘It’s hard to remember dates, because we weren’t allowed newspapers, but after his first visit, George only came to see me on Tuesdays and either Thursday or Friday, so that should narrow it down.’
‘We must make a chart of the weeks you were there, with George’s visits noted, and anything else you can remember.’
‘There wasn’t much happening to mark the passage of time.’ Emily couldn’t help feeling bitter as she remembered the long, dreary hours, her despair at being in that unit.
Chad suddenly snapped his fingers. ‘Jackson might remember things better than we do, and he’s no friend of Pauline’s.’
Emily shook her head. ‘He helped me a little, guessing I was going to try to escape, but he was adamant that he didn’t want to be a whistle blower, said his career would never recover from that.’
‘Sadly, he could be right,’ Chad said. ‘But it might be worth tracing him and trying to persuade him to reconsider.’
Oliver made another note. ‘I’ll be frank with you. It’s not going to be easy to prove your case unless the handwriting expert provides some evidence in our favour.’
Emily stared at him, disappointment surging through her. ‘That settles it. I’m going to phone my former boss and ask for his help.’
They looked at her in surprise.
She could feel herself flushing. ‘I used to work in – um, let’s call it one of the government’s security units. I was only doing research and clerical work – well, most of the time – but Leon is still in charge and he’s a very clever man. I’m sure he’ll help me if I ask him.’
‘Security?’ Chad said. ‘You were working in MI5 or something?’
‘Or something. It was a small unit that wasn’t in the public eye. It was interesting work, though of course I can’t tell you about it.’
‘Why do you think this Leon guy will help?’
She couldn’t control her blushes. ‘Because he and I were . . . well, we were involved at one stage. It didn’t work out. He’s wedded to his job, has already had two failed marriages. I wanted more than that from a partner. But we didn’t split up in an acrimonious way and we’ve remained good friends. I’m sure he’ll help if he can.’
She let out a huff of laughter. ‘We had an argument once and I swore I’d never ask him for help. But I’ll do whatever I have to, to save this house and stop George controlling me. Leon will crow about that.’
She saw Chad’s face and stifled a sigh. She hadn’t wanted to reveal details of her past affairs; no new lover liked that. She turned towards Oliver again. ‘Please don’t say a word about this. I wasn’t supposed even to mention my former job to anyone.’
‘We won’t. But if you think Leon can help in any way, you should definitely contact him.’
‘I’ll do that straight away.’ She left the room and went into her bedroom, using the telephone to ring a special number she’d never forget. It rang three times and a mechanical voice said, ‘Number received. You will be phoned back shortly on a more secure line.’
She put the phone down and waited. Two minutes later it rang. She wasn’t surprised at how quickly they’d got back to her. He unit was nothing if not efficient.
She was surprised that it was Leon himself calling. ‘Emily?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes. What had you heard?’
‘That you were in a coma. They said you had brain damage. Your nephew wasn’t very optimistic about your recovery. We checked with the sister in charge of the unit and she said much the same thing, in medical jargon. We were all a bit upset. You’re sure you’re all right now?’
‘Positive. George didn’t want me to recover so that he could take over my finances. Don’t believe a word he says. And the sister in charge of the unit was working with him to keep me sedated.’
She heard a low, soft whistle of surprise. Leon didn’t question what she’d said, though. He knew she’d not lie to him.
As she was trying to work out how to ask for his help, he chuckled. ‘You never did like asking for help, Emily Mattison.’
‘No. But now I really need it.’ She summarized the situation. ‘I know this isn’t job related, and I’m not with the unit any longer, but I’m desperate. Can you help in any way?’
‘Definitely. I’ll take charge of helping you myself . . . for old times’ sake.’
‘There’s just one thing . . . I’m involved with the guy who escaped with me.’
‘I’ll tread carefully.’
She heard rustling sounds, then what sounded like keys clicking on a computer keyboard. He’d be checking his schedules.
‘Give me two or three days to sew up the current project. Unless things become desperate, in which case you should call the emergency number straight away.’
‘I don’t think anything that desperate is likely to happen. We do, after all, have a lawyer working with us, and Chad and I are away from their control now. Once we’ve sorted out my problems and got George off our backs, maybe you can find some way to help Chad recover his lost identity. Then I’d know . . . if he’s free.’
‘You sound very taken with him.’
‘I am. He saved my sanity in that place and . . . we’re comfortable together.’
‘Then I wish you both well and I’ll help in every way I can. Take care. And Emily . . .’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m glad you rang, glad you’re not incapacitated. Really glad.’
She put the phone down and sat for a moment or two, remembering Leon. How much had he changed in the couple of years since she’d retired? Not much, from the sound of it. How much had s
he changed? A lot. She’d hoped at one stage that they’d stay together . . . but she’d gradually realized Leon would never give any woman the sort of love she wanted, and she would never settle for less. Which was why she was unmarried. Too idealistic, her mother used to say. Too picky.
Would Chad be able to give her that love? She wouldn’t know till they found out about his wife – ex-wife, she hoped – and until her business affairs had been settled.
How complicated life could get!
She went to join the others in the bar. ‘Help will be with us in two or three days. I doubt anything serious will happen before then.’
‘From this Leon fellow?’
‘And the unit. He doesn’t work alone. He has . . . resources at his disposal that we couldn’t match.’
The following morning at nine o’clock there was the sound of a car drawing up outside The Drover’s Hope.
Rachel immediately went to look out of the window. ‘Damn! It’s that Corrish woman again. She’s sitting in her car. Why isn’t she getting out? I bet she’s waiting for someone. Hey, Toby!’
He came out of the kitchen.
‘You’d better go and hide. Mrs Corrish has just turned up again.’
He gulped and tears filled his eyes.
Emily hated to see how he changed at the mere thought of his house supervisor. ‘Go and hide in the secret room, Toby. She won’t find you there. Here. Take a packet of biscuits with you.’
He grabbed the biscuits and dashed off towards the rear of the house.
Oliver came down the stairs just as Toby rushed through the bar. ‘Where’s he going in such a hurry?’
‘Avoiding madam.’ Rachel pointed out of the window.
‘Ah. I’ll go back upstairs and join you after they come in. Good thing I don’t know where Toby is right now.’
She went back to watching their unwelcome visitor, standing behind the dusty old curtains and keeping up a running commentary. ‘Ah. Here’s another car. Two men getting out of it. One has “council official” stamped all over him. The other is a plump guy and he looks unhappy about something.’