The Woman in the Peacock Patterned Coat

by Jennifer Jones

  ‘Neil … I know you’ve done some outstanding work with domestic violence survivors, prevention campaigns … but you don’t think you’re maybe starting to see it where it doesn’t exist?’

  ‘What if … what if he sabotaged the contraception so she’d get pregnant, thinking that would hold her to him – it’s easy enough to poke a hole through a condom, isn’t it? Then when he thinks he’s got her just where he wants her, she ends the pregnancy and slips away to London? He’d be furious, wouldn’t he? He’d do everything he could to find out where she’d gone. OK he didn’t email her, and as far as we know she didn’t have a mobile phone, but what if … somehow … she found out he was on her trail and bolted. And it was just a coincidence that she was supposed to go away with Shaun Taverner that weekend.’

  ‘It seems to me there’s a lot of “what ifs” and coincidences in that theory. Why would she bolt? No-one you’ve spoken to has made the slightest suggestion that she was terrified of him, have they? Fed up … bored … but not scared enough to run away. The relationship had run its course, she moved down here to start a new life … I’m sorry, Neil, but I really think that’s all there is to it.’

  ‘All right. But I still think it’s legitimate to ask him what he knew about Katie’s abortion.’

  ‘And I agree. But he can’t be sure what she told her sister, or her friends. If he has lied to us, it’s a pretty stupid lie. And I don’t see why the Glasgow police can’t handle it, why I have to lose you for at least a day.’

  The Super was right, but Neil had become determined to meet Gordon Renfrew for himself, to make up his own mind about him.

  ‘I’ve got some leave owing to me, Sir. I’m happy to do this in my own time. And I could take Janey away for a few days. I think the break would do her good.’

  ‘She’s not well?’

  ‘She’s … not having an easy time of it, Sir.’

  ‘No. That’s understandable. But I’m sure you’re being a tremendous support. All right, Neil. But just remember, you’re not questioning a suspect, you’re just clearing up a few facts. Don’t go in too hard.’

  ‘Of course, Sir.’

  ***

  Neil got home to find Janey looking tense and anxious.

  ‘Is everything all right? How did it go with Zara?’

  ‘She took me to Tooting Bec, so I could make a short trip on the Tube.’

  ‘Janey … that’s huge. How did you go?’

  ‘I didn’t go. I didn’t make it.’

  He tried not to show his disappointment. ‘Well, maybe it was too soon … maybe another time …’

  ‘I didn’t go because on the way I ran into Joe Maguire, and he didn’t have anything particularly nice to say. Dan’s telling lies about us, Neil – saying that we were having an affair, that that’s why he left …’

  ‘That sounds like him. Anything rather than take responsibility … But it really doesn’t matter, Janey. You and I know the truth …’

  ‘And he had the nerve to accuse me of telling lies about Dan, twisting things, to get him sacked … oh, God! I’m so angry … I let myself be cowed by him, when I should have … should have …’

  ‘Told him to get fucked?’ He was smiling at her.

  ‘You … you know I find it hard to say words like that.’

  ‘Yes, and it’s very endearing.’ He kissed her. ‘You mustn’t worry about it, darling.’

  ‘I don’t like it that there’s someone out there hating you so much …’

  ‘Janey, there’s …’ He stopped. He had been about to say, “There’s worse criminals than Dan Griffiths out there hating my guts”, but realised this might unduly alarm her. ‘OK. I promise to watch out for any rogue bus drivers trying to run me down.’ He saw her look of surprise. ‘Garry told me. He seems to find these things out. Now, listen … how would you like to go away for a few days? I have to interview someone up in Glasgow, so I thought we’d drive up, then visit my parents on the way back. Remember I told you they live not far from Manchester, a village called Hogarth? It’s right on the edge of the Peak District, a lovely spot. We can spend some time with them, a quiet, relaxing few days, and you can get to know them. Would you like that?’

  ‘You know I’d like that! Oh, Neil, meeting your family …’

  His eyes twinkled. ‘I’ve already called Mum to make sure it’s OK, and Brian will be there too, with his wife Caroline.’ His brother Brian, the same age as Janey, was a star forward for Sheffield United, and Janey was a huge fan. The previous year Neil had obtained a signed T-shirt for her, still one of her most treasured possessions.

  ‘How lovely.’ She laughed. ‘I’ll try not to get too starry-eyed!’

  He took her in his arms. ‘They’re going to love you, Janey. They’re going to take you into their hearts.’

  Chapter 12

  ‘Good afternoon, Mr Renfrew. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Hammond from the London Metropolitan Police Service. Thank you for agreeing to come in.’

  The two men shook hands.

  ‘Well … it’s not that I mind, but I don’t really see what more I can tell you. She hasn’t been in touch with me, if that’s what you were hoping?’

  ‘What we’re hoping for is some piece of information, any information, that can lead us in the right direction.’ Neil leaned forward confidingly. ‘Our current thinking is that Katie has moved away from London, maybe by herself, maybe with someone else, and that she made this decision on the spur of the moment.’

  ‘Oh! Well, you know, Katie always was a bit impulsive, it’s one of the things I loved about her …’

  ‘Like when she suddenly decided to leave you and move down to London?’

  ‘Well … that wasn’t so great …’

  ‘You weren’t aware she had actually been planning that for a while? At least a few weeks?’

  ‘What? No …’

  ‘No, you weren’t aware?’

  ‘No, that’s not how it was! Of course she wasn’t planning on doing anything of the kind. Like I told the officers last time, it was …’

  ‘How did you feel when you found out she’d had an abortion?’

  For a moment a dark emotion showed in Gordon’s eyes, then his face cleared and he sat back, smiling blandly.

  ‘An abortion? You’ve got it all wrong, Inspector. Katie had a miscarriage. I got home from work and she was in the toilet … there was blood … she was crying. I wanted to take her to the hospital but she said no, it was too late, she just wanted to go to bed. I found some … I found her some painkillers, which she took, and in the morning she seemed to be all right. Except, like I told the officers last time, she took it as a sign to end the relationship and left.’

  ‘Was it a surprise to you – the pregnancy?’

  ‘Yes, Inspector, it was. We were very careful …’

  ‘She was on the Pill, you mean?’

  ‘Look, I don’t really see that this is any of your business, or what it could possibly have to do with Katie’s disappearance, but no – we used condoms, but we used them properly …’

  ‘And yet, Katie got pregnant. Surely you, as the man, would have noticed if one had broken, or slipped …?’

  ‘I’m not going to answer that.’ Gordon stood up. ‘I think we’ve finished here, Inspector. If something’s happened to Katie, shouldn’t you be looking for evidence down in London, talking to the people she knew there?’

  Neil stood too, smiling pleasantly. ‘Thank you for all your help, Mr Renfrew. I’m sorry if you found some of my questions offensive.’

  ‘Well … well, that’s all right. It’s just … it’s still a bit raw, you see? I may have found someone else, but Katie … I really loved her, I was gutted when she went away.’

  ‘Of course.’ Neil walked with him to the foyer, where Catriona Henderson was waiting. She was even more striking in real life than she was in her photograph, with high cheek bones, full red lips, a light sprinkling of freckles over the bridge of her nose and on her forehead. She
wore an expensive, tailored suit, with a pale green satin blouse. Diamond studs glittered, two in each ear, and Neil was certain they were real diamonds. Around her neck was a delicate gold chain and she wore a wedding ring of white gold.

  ‘Everything all right, Gordon?’ she asked, hugging him. ‘Come on, I’ll take you home.’

  Neil watched them walk towards the door, then said, on a sudden impulse, ‘Ms Henderson. I wonder if you and I might have a quick chat?’

  She turned to him, her wide green eyes assessing him coolly. ‘All right,’ she said, ‘if you think it will be of any use.’

  Back in the interview room he asked, ‘How long have you known Gordon Renfrew, Ms Henderson?’

  ‘Fifteen years. And before you feel compelled to ask any rude questions, since I was fifteen. We met at high school.’

  ‘And you’re pretty close?’

  ‘I’d say we’re very close.’

  ‘So you would have got to know Katie Campbell quite well?’

  ‘I never met her, Inspector.’

  He stared at her. ‘She lived with Gordon for a year and a half, but you, a very close friend of his, never met her?’

  ‘It’s not that sort of friendship. Not the cosy, conventional sort where we’re at each other’s for dinner once a week. We’re not that boring. Gordon is living with me and Shona at the moment, but for years we’d meet only for the occasional drink. We’d talk to each other regularly on the phone, but it wasn’t important if we didn’t see each other that often. We confide in each other, we’re there for each other. Can you understand all that?’

  ‘Are you in a sexual relationship with him?’

  She smiled. ‘I’m married to a woman, Inspector. What does that tell you?’

  ‘It tells me that like the majority of us, you enjoy the warmth and companionship of being part of a couple. Are you in a sexual relationship with Gordon Renfrew?’

  A flash of anger crossed her face and he thought, I’m pushing her too far, she has every right to get up and walk out. But instead, she said,

  ‘I was, briefly, when I was sixteen. Before I admitted to myself that I preferred my sexual partners to have a vagina.’

  Suddenly he was bored with her. But he hadn’t finished with his questions yet.

  ‘What work do you do, Ms Henderson?’

  ‘I’m a sales rep with a large pharmaceutical firm. Visiting clinics, trade displays at conferences, that sort of thing.’

  ‘And what work does your wife do?’

  ‘Shona?’ She shrugged. ‘A bit of temping now and then. Typing, filing, office stuff like that.’

  ‘You don’t sound particularly interested?’

  ‘That’s because she isn’t. Particularly interested, I mean. It’s only a bit of pocket money for her, it’s not like it’s a be all and end all career. I support her. In fact, she’ll be giving up work altogether soon. Paid work, I mean. I want her to have my baby.’

  ‘Your baby? You want her to have your baby?’

  ‘My egg, donor sperm, her uterus.’ She watched him steadily. ‘You’re shocked, Inspector.’

  ‘How you arrange your private life is no concern of mine at all. What shocks me is the offhand way you refer to your wife. It smacks of disrespect.’

  She looked momentarily disconcerted. ‘Well … that’s just my way. I love Shona to bits, really I do. I’d do anything for her.’

  ‘Would you do anything for Gordon Renfrew?’

  ‘Well, not anything, Inspector. But if he turned to me in a crisis, I’d do whatever I could to help. Of course I would.’

  ‘It was you who told Gordon about the abortion, wasn’t it? You saw Katie at the clinic, when you were there on business. Sandyford, wasn’t it?’

  The ensuing silence lasted a fraction of a second too long. She doesn’t know what Gordon’s told me, he thought, she doesn’t know what to say.

  Then Catriona relaxed, leaned back in her chair. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about. Katie didn’t have an abortion. She had a miscarriage. That’s what Gordon told me, anyway.’

  ‘Where were you on Friday May thirteen?’

  She laughed out loud. ‘Really? I was in Doncaster, staying at the Majestic Hotel. I was there a few nights, actually. You can check with them if you want. Check with my manager too. I was there on business.’ She dictated the number to him.

  ‘Why are you here with Gordon today? He has a new girlfriend, why not her?’

  ‘Because she’s at work, while my hours are rather irregular,’ she snapped. ‘Is that it? Nothing you’ve asked me has any relevance to Katie’s disappearance. Shouldn’t you be down in London, looking for evidence there?’

  ‘You know, that’s almost word for word what Gordon said to me, too.’

  She looked at him searchingly. ‘Haven’t you found any clues? You must have found some clues?’

  ‘Nothing I’m at liberty to disclose.’ He stood up, put out his hand. ‘Thank you for your time, Ms Henderson, you’ve been extremely helpful.’

  She stared at his hand for a few seconds, then shook it, rather reluctantly. ‘Thank you,’ she muttered, then turned and walked out of the room.

  ***

  Janey walked into the Glasgow Boys section of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, where Neil had dropped her on his way to the police station, promising to be no longer than an hour. She moved slowly from painting to painting, studying them intently. Then she reached one that made her stop and stare in awed appreciation. She looked at the title. It was of a procession of Druids, moving down a hillside, and to Janey it seemed as if they were on the point of marching straight out of the canvas, such was the way in which it had been painted. To the bottom left were two bulls, decked with mistletoe. The picture was half in sunlight, half in shadow, with the sun shining full on the face of a Druid midway in the procession. She stood for several minutes, taking in every detail, then, sitting on one of the benches, took out a small exercise book and began making notes about the artists’ use of colour, texture, the thickly applied paint, the use of gold leaf. The painting was a collaboration between two artists and she wondered who was responsible for what.

  ‘Is it all right if I sit here?’

  She glanced up and saw a man, maybe a bit older than her, smiling at her.

  ‘Sure,’ she said and continued with her writing. She made a note of the artists’ names, so she could find out more about them, what else they had done, then started on a quick sketch of one of the Druids.

  ‘There are some fantastic paintings in here, aren’t there?’

  Janey laid down her pencil and looked up. The man was leaning towards her, his face only inches from hers. Noting the three to four feet of empty space at the other end of the bench, she said,

  ‘Yes, there are. I’m sorry, you’re sitting too close. Could you please move along a bit.’

  He didn’t move, but said, ‘We both seem to be alone. How about we look round the rest of the gallery together?’

  ‘No, thank you. And I’m not alone. I’m waiting for my boyfriend.’

  ‘Well he’s not here right now, is he? Come on, it’ll be fun.’

  Oh, God, she thought. If I get up, will he follow me? Taking a deep breath, she said firmly, ‘I said no. Now if you don’t mind …’

  Suddenly he leapt to his feet. ‘Oh, I get it!’ he said loudly. ‘You’re part of the “every man is a rapist” brigade. Well, I’ve got news for you, darling. You’re safe. Who’d rape you?!’

  Janey stood up. Walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run, she left the room, crossed the hall to the Ladies, where she just made it into one of the cubicles. She vomited, then collapsed against the partition, her face bathed in sweat. She sobbed, then took a deep breath. No, she told herself. No tears. You’re all right. You’re all right. After a few minutes she got to her feet, splashed water on her face, reapplied her lipstick. She made herself smile at her reflection. You’re all right.

  Leaving the toilets, she came fac
e to face with a young man hovering near the door. Involuntarily she shrank back against the wall. What now?

  ‘It’s all right,’ he said quickly. ‘I just … I wanted to make sure you were OK. You went dreadfully pale. I thought you were about to faint.’

  ‘I-I-I’m fine. Thank you. I’m all right.’

  ‘That was outrageous what he said to you. And I … I told him so.’

  She looked at him, startled, seeing him properly for the first time. He was in his late teens or early twenties, with large brown eyes that were watching her with concern, curly light-brown hair, and full, sensuous lips. He was dressed in an open-necked white cotton shirt and tight denim jeans.

  ‘That’s very kind of you. Th-th-th-thank you.’

  She straightened up and immediately saw black spots dancing in front of her eyes. A wave of nausea swept over her and she swayed forward. He caught hold of her.

  ‘I don’t think you are all right. Here, let me help you to a seat.’

  ‘Yes. Thank you.’

  He took her to the cafeteria in the Centre Hall. ‘Can I get you something? A glass of water?’

  ‘I’d really like some peppermint tea.’ She started fumbling in her wallet.

  ‘Please. Let me.’ He disappeared, returning after a few minutes. ‘It won’t be long.’

  ‘Thank you. You’ve been really sweet. My-my-my partner should be here soon, I’ll be all right now. You really don’t have to stay.’

  ‘I really think I should.’ He sat down opposite her, and really, she was glad not to be on her own.

  ‘I’m Justin.’

  ‘I’m Janey.’

  ‘Are you here on holiday?’

  ‘Just for the day, yes.’

  ‘Just for the day? You can’t appreciate Glasgow in just one day. You’ll have to come again.’

  She laughed, starting to relax. ‘I think we will, yes.’

  ‘Have you seen the Dali? It’s really quite incredible.’

  ‘So I’ve read. Neil … my partner wants to see it, so I thought I’d wait for him.’