Sorcerer

by Menon, David

  ‘So, Mr. Griffin?’ said Jeff. ‘Are you going to come quietly?’

  ‘Don’t worry, Jenny’ said George in a soft, soothing tone though without taking his eyes off Jeff. ‘They don’t have anything on me and they’ll soon understand that’.

  In the interview room at the station, George Griffin suddenly looked all of his sixty-one years. The demeanor of unbridled confidence had gone. He looked more defiant than dapper.

  ‘I should remind you, Mr. Griffin that you are still on bail and I presume your solicitor here, Mr. Harvey Jones, has explained the legal position to you?’

  ‘Yes’ said George. He looked at Harvey Jones sitting next to him. The two of them had been in some strange situations over the years but this one topped it all. ‘He has’.

  ‘Mr. Griffin, we have three counts of sexually assault made against you by three different alleged victims all of whom have sworn that that they were assaulted on numerous occasions. What is your response to the allegation?’

  ‘I told you yesterday, detective, that I don’t push shit up a hill’.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘The allegations or so-called are a total fabrication’ said Griffin, forcefully. ‘The boys were always saying we’d done this or that to them, it was their way of getting back at us for the discipline they’d never been used to before’.

  ‘In Mr. Wiseman’s statement …’

  ‘ … so he can read and write properly? That’s a bloody miracle in itself’.

  Jeff chose to ignore that. ‘In his statement, Mr. Wiseman goes into great detail about exactly what happened to him on one particular night. He repeats the allegation that it was you who penetrated him anally by force. He was constrained and there was nothing he could do to stop you’.

  ‘Has he developed some kind of BDSM fetish over the years? He needed to find something that would make him interesting. He was such a boring little bastard if I remember rightly’.

  ‘Can you tell me your version of what happened that night?’

  ‘I can’t remember what I was doing on some random night twenty odd years ago but it certainly wasn’t what I’ve been accused of detective’.

  Jeff breathed in deeply. He was determined not to give in to this creep but still he could’ve reached over and ripped his kidney right through his ear hole.

  ‘So I take it you do remember Ronnie Wiseman?’

  ‘Well yes, I remember him because he was so unremarkable. Just an ugly, miserable little excuse for a decent human being’.

  ‘Mr. Griffin, can you describe the layout of the basement at Pembroke House?’

  ‘Well if I remember correctly it was just a large fairly cavernous space, deceptively large. We used it as a store room’.

  ‘Did you use it for anything else?’

  ‘Not to my knowledge’.

  ‘So you were unaware of the dungeon that was off the basement area?’

  ‘A dungeon?’ George chuckled. ‘Rather a dramatic term, isn’t it? Well no I wasn’t aware of a dungeon down there’.

  ‘Are you sure about that, Mr. Griffin?’

  ‘Detective, despite all these years in Spain I haven’t lost my grasp of the English language. I said no and I mean no’.

  ‘We found restraining equipment in the dungeon, Mr. Griffin. We found blood stains all over the place. Then of course there were the video cases and the film making equipment’.

  ‘Look, I did not rape Ronnie Wiseman and if he says I did then he’s a liar. I’m utterly repulsed by the idea’.

  ‘How could you not have known about the existence of the dungeon, Mr. Griffin, when you were the manager of the property?’

  ‘I never had occasion to go down there?’

  ‘Mr. Griffin, we have enough sworn statements for me to say that we are building a strong case against you’.

  Griffin yawned. Jeff wanted to thump him.

  ‘And what else do these statements tell you exactly?’

  ‘That you used the rooms in the basement of the house to force young boys into committing sexual acts when they were underage and in your care’.

  ‘Fanciful nonsense’.

  ‘And that you filmed these acts to be sold as hardcore child pornography’.

  Griffin gave out a short laugh.

  ‘And that your wife was there at the time’.

  ‘God, are you so desperate to build a case against me that you bring in my poor departed wife who isn’t here to defend herself? Who did you think we were? Ian Brady and Myra Hindley?’

  ‘How much did you make from the sale of the films? Ten grand, a hundred grand? What was the reward for forcing children to perform for you, Mr. Griffin? Did your wife hold the camera? Did she manage to get some good angles whilst you raped and assaulted children?’

  ‘My client will not be answering any further questions relating to these false allegations, detective’ said Harvey Jones, butting in.

  ‘She must’ve developed quite a talent for filmmaking especially if she read those magazines we found in the basement?’

  Harvey Jones leaned forward once again. ‘I said, detective, that my client … ‘

  ‘ … yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time’.

  ‘Mr. Griffin, you were the manager of Pembroke House at the time we’ve calculated three people died and were buried behind walls’ said Rebecca.

  ‘Oh so it’s time for tweedle dumber now, is it?’ quipped Griffin.

  ‘Mr. Griffin, just answer the question if it’s not too much trouble’.

  ‘I don’t know anything about such heinous crimes’.

  ‘So are you saying that major crimes could’ve been committed at the home and you knew nothing about it?’

  ‘I don’t see that as being something remarkable’ said Griffin. ‘Look, I had staff to look after things on a day to day basis. The home was open all the time but I couldn’t be there every minute of every day. I worked nine to five Monday to Friday and I had eight duty managers and eight care workers who actually ran the place. They worked a shift pattern to provide twenty-four hour cover. If anybody knows what could’ve happened then it must be one of them’.

  ‘From what we can gather you ran a reign of terror at Pembroke’.

  ‘Our methods were robust’ said Griffin. ‘Some of those boys needed very firm discipline’.

  ‘And love?’

  ‘I wasn’t from the bleeding heart school. I never have been’.

  ‘But the boys weren’t in your care because they’d misbehaved’.

  ‘And I wanted it to stay that way. That’s why we were tough’.

  ‘Hadn’t they been through enough?’

  ‘Look, we were tough because I believed they would benefit from that in the long-term. But corporal punishment was against the law and we never crossed that line’.

  ‘So Ronnie Wiseman and all the others are lying again?’

  ‘That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn, detective’.

  ‘I’m asking you to think very carefully about what you can recall’ warned Rebecca.

  ‘It’s like I said before, we were dealing with young men who were psychologically and emotionally damaged. They were given to making allegations against people who were trying to help them’

  ‘Including you?’

  ‘Yes’ said Griffin. ‘It was one of the few weapons they thought they had’.

  ‘So you don’t think there’s a connection at all between those allegations and the deaths of the three people, one of whom, can I remind you, was a baby and another was a child? You were the manager of the home, Mr. Griffin. Extreme forms of corporal punishment clearly did take place judging by what’s been found’.

  ‘I’ve told you I know nothing about it, detective’ said Griffin as calmly as he could.

  ‘Have you seen your step-son Ed since you arrived back, Mr. Griffin?’

  ‘No’ said George. ‘I haven’t’.

  ‘Isn’t that a little unusual considering his mother has just died?’

/>   ‘Ed and I have a somewhat complicated relationship. He’s always resented me’.

  ‘And why would that be, Mr.Griffin?’ said Jeff.

  ‘Because he was a little brat who’d been spoilt rotten by his father and resented me coming into the house and the family’.

  ‘Surely it was natural he missed his father and remained loyal to him? He had only been dead a few short weeks when you married Ed’s mother?’

  Griffin looked at Jeff as if he’d just stepped in him. ‘I don’t know the answer to that. Look, what happens to me now?’

  ‘Oh I’m sorry, were you under the misguided impression that you decide when the interview is over?’

  ‘Can I remind you I have my dear wife’s funeral to arrange?’

  Jeff stared at him. He was as guilty as hell of all the crimes he’d been accused of and probably many more besides. Now it was just proving it. He took out some of the black and white photographs that had been found at Pembroke House and laid them out on the table.

  ‘Do you recognize any of these children, Mr. Griffin?’

  Griffin swept a cursory glance over the pictures. ‘Should I?’

  ‘Two of the boys who’ve given us sworn statements are in these photos and say that you’re the adult male whose face we can’t see performing horrific sexual acts on them’.

  ‘More fanciful nonsense’.

  ‘My colleague DI Stockton and I are going to consult’ said Jeff. ‘I’d settle down if I was you and make yourself comfortable. You’ll be here for some time. Oh and I’ll leave the pictures with you in case they jog your memory. We have several copies’.

  Griffin was released from questioning eight hours later. He was set to appear before magistrates in a month’s time and he was furious. He detested the way the country had changed since he’d moved to Spain. They were all so weak and feeble these days. But they’d never get the better of him no matter how hard they tried.

  He decided to go and see his step-son Ed. When he got there, he knew he wouldn’t get the red carpet rolled out for him but Ed seemed particularly aggrieved. He took a certain degree of satisfaction from that.

  ‘I assume Jenny is at work?’

  ‘I don’t want to talk to you’ said Ed who was trying not to look at George. He thought he’d be sick if he met eyes with him. ‘I just want you to leave’.

  ‘So no respect for your mother’s memory?’ snarled George. ‘Come on, Ed. We need to be friends more than ever now’.

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘Let’s not fight’ said George. ‘I’ve really no stomach for it’.

  ‘That’s the trouble with you, isn’t it? You can always sound so reasonable and yet I know the real face behind the mask. The police are already starting to see through you though from what I’ve heard. You can’t control this lot like you could Ian Hayward’.

  ‘They’ll never get anything on me’.

  ‘Even a cat only has nine lives and you’ve gone way past that. You’re on borrowed time. These charges will stick. You won’t get away with it this time and you’ll be spending the rest of your days behind bars’.

  ‘Oh don’t be so sure of that. I’ll be on my way out of here as soon as your mother is in the ground. Pity though when your wife has made me feel so welcome’.

  Ed glared at him. ‘You’re so low you could get underneath a snake’.

  ‘She said last time that I made her feel like a woman again. I suppose that’s still on your to-do list’.

  ‘If you want to leave here in one piece then I suggest you tell me what it is you’ve come here for’.

  ‘Oh you shouldn’t sound so bitter, Edward’.

  ‘Nobody calls me that’.

  ‘I do if I choose to’.

  ‘What did you mean by what you said?’

  ‘I say a lot of things’.

  ‘When you said that we need to be friends more than ever now?’

  George laughed sardonically. ‘Yes, I thought you’d pick up on that‘

  ‘Stop playing games with me you bastard!’

  ‘Oh calm down!’

  That’s when the scales fell from Ed’s eyes. He lunged for George, lifting him up and pinning him up against the wall.

  ‘I’ll kill you!’

  ‘No, you won’t’ said George.

  ‘I will! I’ll kill you and I’ll dance on your grave after what you did to me’.

  ‘Oh big words but you don’t know what you’re doing here’.

  ‘I can hear you talk but for once I can see that fear in your eyes’.

  ‘You need glasses’

  ‘I could kill you now and walk away a happy man because by killing you I’d be free. But you’re not worth it. My mother is dead and you can’t stop what’s coming to me’.

  As hard as it was whilst being constricted, George started laughing.

  ‘What are you laughing at?’

  George laughed even more but stopped when Ed tightened his grip.

  ‘What are you laughing at?’ Ed demanded angrily.

  ‘I knew it wouldn’t take you long to get on to the subject of money’ said George, struggling to get his words out from inside Ed’s grip. ‘Still in piles and piles of debt? Of course you are. You always have been. I suppose you think that a fat little cheque from your mother’s estate will sort you out? Well you’re right, there are thousands and thousands of pounds in your mother’s will with your name on them. But the fly in the ointment for you is that I’ve got to okay it’.

  Ed loosened his grip. He didn’t know what George was talking about. ‘I don’t understand. What have you done to me now?’

  ‘Your mother left you nearly a hundred thousand pounds plus the house she still owns here. But you won’t see a penny of the money unless I say you can’.

  ‘You’re talking bullshit’.

  ‘No, I’m not’ said George who couldn’t help but feel good about how wound up his step-son was going to be. ‘There’s a clause in the will that says that you can only have your money when I feel you’re responsible enough to deal with it. And with your financial track record I can’t say that you ever will be’.

  ‘You can’t do that!’

  ‘I didn’t do that. Your mother did. She knew how shit you are with money and she saw sense. That’s why she put me in control of your inheritance’.

  ‘You’re lying. I’ll fight you’.

  ‘Be my guest but you’ll be in court for years with no guarantee of winning’.

  ‘You made her do it!’

  ‘Your mother was of sound mind when she put that clause in’.

  ‘You’re a liar!’

  ‘I’m not’ said George. ‘But that’s why you have to be friends with me. If I decide that you can have your inheritance then you will but if I decide that you can’t then you won’t. You’ll just have to be a good little boy for your dear old step-Dad. I’m still in control, Ed, just like I’ve always been’.

  SORCERER SEVEN

  Gabby Lake went round to her parents’ house to collect the remainder of her things that she’d left behind when she moved in with her fiancé Owen. It was just after nine o’clock in the morning. She found her father sitting on the floor with his back up against the wall, smoking, and drinking from a bottle of scotch.

  ‘Dad?’

  ‘Go away’ he said. ‘I don’t want you to see me like this’.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ she asked as she put down her bag and took off her jacket. ‘What are you doing drinking at this time?’

  ‘Your Dad is a complete failure, Gabby’ said Ed. ‘I owe thousands and I’ve no chance of paying it back. Now your mother has left me’.

  Gabby was shocked. ‘What?’

  ‘She packed her bags last night and moved in with George’.

  Gabby felt sick. ‘George? But he’s been charged with the rape of young boys?’

  ‘It hasn’t stopped your mother from getting into his bed. He’s taken everything from me, Gabby. My father committed suicide becau
se of my mother’s affair with Griffin. Now he’s taken my wife too’.

  ‘Dad, oh Dad, I don’t know what to say’.

  ‘There’s nothing you can say’.

  Gabby threw her arms round her Dad and hugged him.

  ‘He’s taken my money too. All the money your grandmother left me is in his control because of a clause in your grandmother’s will. I’ve got nothing. He’s stripped me bare’.

  ‘You’ve got me, Dad. He can’t take me away from you’.

  ‘Leave me, Gabby’ said Ed as the tears began to roll down his face. ‘The police have interviewed me but I didn’t tell them the whole truth. But I can’t hold it in any longer. I can’t pretend anymore. I just can’t do it anymore’.

  Gabby took hold of his hand. ‘What do you mean, Dad? What can’t you pretend about anymore?’

  Ed cried on his daughter’s shoulder like there was no tomorrow. The pain was coming from a place deep down inside him and was destroying what was left of his dignity. He started to feel guilty about poor Gabby. She was bearing the brunt of it all.

  ‘I’m sorry, love’ he said as he lifted his head and tried to regain his composure.

  ‘You don’t have to be sorry, Dad’ said Gabby gently. ‘I just want to know what’s going on’.

  ‘Your mother won’t have a word said against George. Even after I’d told her what he’d done with my money. He’s even taken away the pleasure of gifting to my own daughter. I was going to give you and Owen the house and enough cash to give you the best start. But because of him I can’t. I am who I am because of him. And I’ll always be the same’.

  ‘I want to help, Dad’ said Gabby. ‘I love you’.

  ‘Don’t say that’.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I don’t deserve it’.

  ‘Dad, you’re not making any sense’.

  ‘He used to come into my room at night. I was only a kid. It went on for years. I didn’t think I’d ever get control of my life back and I never have. He’ll keep on punishing me just for being alive and not even my own mother would even try and listen to me. She’d say that I was being overly sensitive. She said it was because I couldn’t stand to not get my own way all the time and that George was trying to be a good father to me. She never wanted to hear my side. That’s why I hated her. She knew he was doing it to me and yet she did nothing to stop him’.