The police, aided by a map of the wooded area that Tim had drawn, were able to recover Hugh’s body. A visit to the scrapyard to interview Jim and his sons made the authorities inclined to believe that Hugh Miller had died of natural causes, as claimed. Tim had admitted to the murder of his wife. Surely, he would have said if he had killed this man as well.
Anna read the letter meant for Brad, but not the one for Beth. That would be more personal, she thought, and should be seen by her first. Brad’s note started with the murder and the flight from his home town. A confession to killing Alison by strangling her. He had given his reasons for doing it, her being neurotic and profligate, but had not used that as an excuse. It was an explanation.
The subsequent events with Hugh, Caroline and Kathy were dealt with after that. The absence of emotion when describing his wife’s death was contrasted by the feelings poured into the letter about caring for Hugh, and then the women who he had loved and lost. Particularly Caroline, who had been, as he said, the love of his life.
Conflicted about her own feelings, Anna felt a tiny bit of remorse for Tim Travers. He had believed that his actions had led to these people’s deaths. Guilty of a murder, and then others paying for his crime. His suicide was a way of stopping anyone else dying through their association with him.
Hand delivering the envelope to Beth, Anna left her friend to learn what had happened to her father after he left her at the age of ten. They would discuss the contents later. For now, Beth needed to read it for herself and absorb what was said. Nicole was at nursery and Alex was at work. That left her free to examine the letter in peace.
A lot of what her father had said, in their brief conversation, made sense when Beth read the story of his life. The deaths of those around him had affected him deeply. The way he spoke about Caroline revealed how much he had loved her. The story about Hugh was less edifying. Burying his dead friend and stealing his identity. At least he had cared for his ailing co-worker while he was alive.
Tim’s thoughts on how karma had worked in his case were interesting. Profiting from his relationships financially, but losing the people. The money had not mattered that much to him. It had barely been touched, he said. Beth knew that a will had been in the envelope and that meant that she would be the beneficiary.
A separate sheet of paper had been stuffed in. This had been added after Tim’s encounter with Beth:
Dear Beth,
I know it was awkward turning up at your home today. I really wanted to see you and your family and make an apology. I know, too little too late – but at least I tried.
I’m so proud of you. How you’ve coped with all that life has thrown at you. I knew before I saw you that I was near to the end of my life. Nothing that you said or did made me do it. Our meeting was the last thing I had to do and then I could go.
My death means that I have paid for my crime, released you from the anxiety of wondering if I would ever turn up again or get caught, and stopped my curse leading to the death of anyone else.
I never stopped thinking of you over the years and I have been able to see pictures and follow your life through social media. In my worst moments, I would look at photographs of you, Alex and Nicole, the one good thing about my life, and find some peace.
All my love,
Dad.
Beth was caught in a maelstrom of emotions. Her father was dead, and despite all that he had done there was sadness mixed in with the other feelings. There was still some anger at him for killing her mother. But then respect had made an appearance too. He had killed himself in order to right a wrong. He had absolved her of any blame and set her free.
Chapter 78
Beth phoned Anna the day after receiving the letter. A thorough examination and a night to sleep on it had put a lot of things into perspective. Lots of details about her father’s life had been revealed, but there was also a lot missing. Maybe Anna had more answers for her. A visit was arranged to discuss the recent events.
Alex, Beth and Anna sat around the kitchen table after Nicole had been put to bed. Alex had read the letter addressed to Beth and was still reeling from what he had learned. Anna was now looking at it for the first time.
“It’s an incredible story. A mixture of luck and tragedy,” Anna summed it up.
“I’ve got so many questions. I don’t know where to begin.” Beth still looked shell-shocked.
“What have the police done with the information in the letter?” Alex asked.
“The first thing was finding the real Hugh Miller’s body. A letter addressed to the police had a hand-drawn map showing where the body was. We spoke to the owner of the scrapyard, Jimmy King, and he was fairly sure that Hugh was at death’s door last time he saw him. I think there would have been a confession if your dad had been involved with his death. He had nothing to lose at that point. Jimmy said that Hugh, ten years before, had looked very much like Tim. I can see how he managed to steal his identity.
“The events at the scrapyard would have brought more charges. Identity theft, not reporting a death – as well as the murder of your mother, of course. After that, he lived a normal life. If anything could be normal after all that.”
“I got the impression that for many years Mum’s murder didn’t really bother him. When people he knew and loved kept dying, he thought it was a punishment for what he had done,” Beth said.
“I don’t know about ‘didn’t bother him’. He put it out of his mind. Eventually, something like that will eat away at you. It became the catalyst for the deaths of Hugh, Caroline and Kathy. Well, in his mind that is how it worked,” Anna explained.
“So, when he came here to see Beth, he had already made up his mind to kill himself,” Alex speculated.
“I think so. Coming out of the woodwork would make us, the police, increase our efforts to find him. He wanted to see Beth and her family before he died, to make his apology. How do you feel about your dad, having read the letter?”
“He killed my mother. Whatever the motivation or reason, that was wrong. I suppose that running off and abandoning me after that was all he could do. He would have been sent to prison, so he would be gone anyway. In the end, from comments that I’ve read, he turned into a decent person. Even had a pet dog. Years of frustration in an unhappy marriage, followed by a moment of madness. I can’t condone his actions, but I understand them.”
“I spoke to Brad, his colleague, who was also left a letter. He saw your dad change over a period of about fifteen years. A bit of a ladies’ man at first, the trauma of losing Caroline and then a gradual decline. I can give you his details. If you want to, you can talk to him and learn more. He’s adopted your dad’s dog, Ringo.”
“Maybe in the future. At the moment, I still don’t know what to think. I have a bit of sympathy for Dad, but feel bad about that. I should hate him, but I can’t. I don’t need someone telling me what a thoroughly nice chap he was right now. I might be better equipped to hear it in a few months.
“I waited for so long, planning my vengeance against him. Thank God that I didn’t carry that through. Alex was the one with the cool head, stepping in and being the voice of reason. Without that cause, I feel lighter, but also a bit adrift. Time will sort everything out, I’m sure.”
“When the new baby arrives, you won’t have time to dwell on things. Too busy or too tired to think about anything.” Alex smiled and they all paused and took a sip of tea.
Initially, Beth did not know what she would do without her quest for justice. For so long, Tales of Retribution had been her guide. At some point, she realised how much better she felt without the wait for her vengeance. Now, she would still love the programme, and the character Retribution, but it would not fuel her hate. It would just be a great show that had helped a young girl survive the tough experiences of life.
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