by Wes Markin
Eddie’s smile fell away. Yes, precisely why I never provoked him. Such an obvious outcome.
Still the boy refused to cry, continuing instead to scrub at his face, before rearing up again. ‘Don’t deny it, Dad. You’ve known for a long time. I dare you to go back to work and tell your friends that your child no longer identifies as male—’
Another slap.
This time, his backside went up onto the dressing table. He slid backwards, crashing into the mirror. It didn’t smash, but he gasped as the wind was knocked out of him.
‘You want to stay in this fucking house, you do as you are fucking well told.’
‘I’ll do whatever I’m told if you let me be who I want to be.’
He raised his hand. ‘You’re a fucking man, and you’ll stay one in my house.’
‘You think Mum will kick me out?’
‘She does what I tell her to do.’
‘Because you hit her too?’
‘I don’t hit women. Now, get yourself into the bathroom—’
‘You hit me. I’m a woman.’
‘One more time—’
‘And you’ll beat me. Do it. Take your belt off and whip me. I’ll die before I change my mind again. This is it. This is who I am.’
His father’s hand settled on the buckle of his belt. There it stayed while he bared his teeth and stared down at the son who he thought was betraying him.
‘This is bullshit. I’m going back to work. You can explain yourself to your mother tonight.’
He turned and walked away.
Younger Eddie continued to rub at the lipstick. Obviously, it wasn’t coming off. He’d need a shower to shift that amount of wax, but metaphorically, he was stripping away the lies.
Eddie turned back to look at Alan with tears in his eyes.
He felt proud.
The Conduit also felt proud.
Very, very proud.
Alan’s technique in leading Eddie through the process of rejection had been scintillating entertainment.
Before the Conduit had been impressed by his protégé’s tenacity, now he was impressed by his sheer creativity.
The Conduit would be the first to admit he was regularly in awe of himself, but to be in awe of another was unheard of. Until today.
Until now.
The Conduit wanted so much to stop Alan and congratulate him on a tremendous session, but he stopped himself, and remained patient.
The reason?
Alan was about to start the visualisation all over again and that was one show he simply could not, and would not, put on hold.
The quiet woodland didn’t stay quiet for long. Crime scenes had a tendency to turn the most isolated and forgotten areas into a hive of activity.
One of the officers who had accompanied Yorke, Rosset and Campey into the woodlands took on the role of first attender and began a logbook.
Technically, Breaker was leading the investigation into Brislane’s disappearance, but right now, due to his absence, Rosset’s rank ensured he was overseeing this crime scene. Yorke wasn’t short of experience either, so both ensured the scene operated smoothly.
An officer had taken Campey back to the house. A crime scene was no place for civilians.
Both Yorke and Rosset had been there when they cranked open the boot, and both had backed away in disgust. Not only because of the stench, but because the corpse had made a significant journey towards decomposition. The body was partly liquified. Forensics would be needed to identify it.
As the forensic pathologist pored over the dead man, Yorke and Rosset retreated to the tree.
Yorke had already informed Rosset of everything he knew regarding the Robert Brislane investigation on the journey to the farmyard, but the senior officer was still struggling to look Yorke in the eye. Yorke didn’t blame him. He should have told him everything much earlier.
‘And you don’t think this was Louis Mayers?’ Rosset said.
‘I don’t,’ Yorke said. ‘I think it was his wife.’
‘She must have had some help getting that body into the boot then,’ Rosset said.
‘Possibly. Let’s see what the pathologist says.’
When the pathologist came over, he unhooked a facial mask, and let it dangle from his ear, so he could speak clearly. ‘On first inspection, the likely cause of death looks like a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He wasn’t shot in the boot though.’
Yorke nodded. Having seen the blood traces on the outside of the boot, he’d suspected this already.
The pathologist gestured back at the car with his thumb. Scenes of Crimes Officers were buzzing around the vehicle. ‘We’ve found blood stains on the driver’s seat, and Luminol picked up blood traces alongside the vehicle, leading to the boot.’
‘Was he dragged or carried to the boot?’ Rosset said.
‘No evidence of dragging.’
Rosset flashed Yorke a scornful look which said: how big is this female suspect?
‘However,’ the pathologist said, ‘he could have just walked there himself and climbed in. He was alive when he was in the boot. There are scratch marks and bloody handprints on the interior of the boot.’
A white-suited officer came running over, holding a see-through evidence bag. Yorke and Rosset sidestepped the pathologist and approached to meet the officer on his journey.
‘Sir, I found a wallet. The driver’s licence belongs to Robert Brislane,’ the officer said.
Another SOCO threw his hand in the air. He was standing by the passenger door of the Audi. ‘I found a gun under the seat.’
14
AFTER ENDING THE phone conversation with Yorke, DS Paul Breaker returned to Helen Brislane in the interview room. His entire interview strategy, which had been configured by Yorke earlier, was now out of the window. Yorke hadn’t needed to provide another strategy because this interview had just become very straight-forward.
Breaker sat beside his colleague and restarted the interview. ‘I have some bad news, Mrs Brislane.’
She put a hand to her mouth.
‘We’ve found a body.’
She started to cry.
‘We believe that it is your husband, Robert. He was found in his vehicle, and he was carrying identification. However, his identity will need to be confirmed with further forensic examination.’
Breaker allowed her a moment, and then offered her a tissue.
She took her hand away from her mouth and reached out for it. ‘How?’
‘A gunshot wound.’
‘Someone killed him?’
‘It is the most likely explanation at this time.’
‘Jesus.’ She dabbed at her eyes. ‘I knew he was dead. That detective seemed confident that he was still alive, but I just knew he wasn’t.’ She buried her head in her hands.
He allowed her another moment.
Breaker knew that if she was innocent, the next step could seem rather callous, but there really wasn’t much choice. She wasn’t being level with them. She’d been in Weeton that day, and she had lied about the alibi. You reap what you sow, Breaker thought, knowing he couldn’t beat himself up about his next move.
‘Is it okay if we continue this interview later?’ Mrs Brislane said.
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘Why?’
‘For the reasons we discussed earlier.’
‘I told you already, I went to Weeton to meet my husband, to tell him the truth about my relationship with Eli, but he never showed up at the station. I waited a couple of hours and then headed home.’
‘Yes, you did,’ Breaker said. ‘And you also said you didn’t share this with the police because you figured you would be made a suspect in his disappearance.’
‘Yes.’
‘And you admitted to lying about having counselling on that day …’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m going to level with you, Mrs Brislane. Before I took that phone call, your argument was weak. Most would say desperate. I think you did meet yo
ur husband, and I think that meeting ended in his death.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘Right now, Mrs Brislane, that small patch of woodland that your husband drove into is a crime scene. It’s being picked clean. You know that the evidence they find will identify how he died, and hopefully, who is responsible. We sit here with a small window of opportunity. I’m not lying to you when I say that once that body is formally identified, you’ll be a major suspect. You’ve obstructed justice already by lying about your whereabouts, and we now have confirmation that you were in the area where the murder occurred. We’ll take a DNA sample from you. You could then argue that your DNA will be on his car and his clothes because he’s your husband. But your husband had been in Leeds for several weeks, without you, and I suspect his clothes will have been washed in that period. Do you see where I am going with this, Mrs Brislane? The evidence will build and build. If you are responsible for his death, the facts will lead us there.’
‘Do I need a solicitor?’
‘In every eventuality, you will require a solicitor. Time is short now, Mrs Brislane, and I would like to offer you an opportunity. Tell me what really happened. Confessing now to these events allows you to demonstrate remorse and that goes a long way with a judge.’
After phoning and updating Gardner, Yorke approached Rosset, who’d just finished a conversation with the Exhibits Officer.
‘He’s recovered a USB drive from the victim’s pocket,’ Rosset said.
Yorke’s eyes widened. ‘I need access to it, sir.’
‘Any idea what we’re going to find on there, Mike?’
‘Brislane was in Leeds looking for Mark Topham. He claimed to have found him. Let’s hope these are the details.’
‘Say you’re right, and this isn’t just a collection of family photos, then what?’
‘Then, sir, I politely request to be the one to take Mark in.’
Rosset smiled ‘Now you’re asking for a favour?’
‘I’m asking because it’s the right thing to do.’
‘Probably. Except …’ he ran a hand through his hair, ‘There could be information regarding Dr Louis Mayers on that drive. You said yourself, if Mark Topham was in Leeds, he must have been looking for Mayers. What if the poor bugger in the boot of that car found them both?’
‘You could be right. This could fall under your investigation. Just assign me the task of investigating that USB. Then, all the information comes to you first-hand. Just allow me the arrest if we find Mark.’
Rosset thought about it and then nodded. ‘Okay, but you’ll need a couple of officers to assist you.’
I have Gardner … He kept his mouth shut. That would go down like a lead balloon. He nodded.
‘Yes, thanks you, sir. Could you please arrange for the USB to be taken back and logged into evidence now, and then have the files sent over to me encrypted, so I can start looking over them? Then, I can get in touch with you with my initial findings and what I need.’
Rosset nodded.
Yorke was surprised. He expected Rosset to suggest he looked at the files at HQ, which would have been fine, but then he wouldn’t have been able to involve Gardner.
He didn’t want to involve Gardner out of obligation. He wanted to involve Gardner because no one else knew Mark Topham like she did and, depending on what was on that USB, she might be the most valuable resource he had.
He said goodbye to Rosset, nodded his respect to the multitude of officers and SOCOs, and retraced his steps down the dirt road, and back onto the field.
The snow fell thickly now, slicing the air.
Moments after giving a DNA sample, Helen Brislane asked to speak to Breaker again.
‘Your solicitor isn’t here yet,’ Breaker said.
‘It’s like you said, you’ll find my DNA. Are you telling me the truth? If I tell you what happened, will it help me moving forward?’
‘Confessions which save time and resources are always looked on more positively.’
‘I’m pregnant.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘I didn’t shoot Robert.’
‘Can I restart the recording?’
Helen nodded. Breaker restarted the video recording and introduced the session. Then, he nodded at Helen to begin.
‘I did meet Robert,’ she sighed and leaned forward. ‘Contrary to what I told the other detective a couple of days ago, our marriage was a mess. Counselling wasn’t helping either.’
Not surprising, if you have an affair with the counsellor.
‘I know what you’re thinking, but things didn’t start happening between me and Eli until I was absolutely convinced that me and Robert were over. I want to make that crystal clear. While Robert was up in Leeds working, we had arguments on the phone. We agreed to meet to have some clear-the-air talks and we’d been to Harewood House before, when we were much younger, so Robert suggested there. I arranged to go to Weeton, where he would pick me up from the station. Except …’ she paused to have a mouthful of water from her paper cup. ‘I’d already planned to end it. I wanted to be with Eli. They were polar opposites, Eli and Robert. Eli loved children and wanted them.’ She rubbed her stomach. ‘Whereas Robert didn’t want to know, despite all the promises he’d made me before we married.
‘We were at the stage in our relationship, where we couldn’t go longer than a minute without an argument. So, we were already at it before he’d driven us out the station carpark. We made it about two miles down the road before I told him to pull in. He did, and I told him we were done, and I would get out and walk back. He lost it completely. Where he’d stopped, there was a turn off onto a dirt path. It was overgrown with brambles and whatnot, but you could see it. Before I could get my seatbelt off, he had driven onto it and was accelerating.’ Helen put her head in her hands. ‘Just give me a moment … it was bloody scary.’
‘I understand,’ Breaker said. ‘Take your time.’
She took a minute to collect herself, lifted her head from her hands, sighed and continued. ‘The dirt road continued through a patch of trees. I remember it suddenly getting a lot darker, the further we went. I was crying at this point, pleading with him, but it didn’t stop him. The track narrowed and became cluttered, so he was forced to slow down. At this point, I was shouting at him to turn the car around to take me back to the station. He ignored me and then stopped by a fallen tree.
‘I was surprised by how calm he seemed. Our arguments would often be very fiery, but since I’d announced that we were over, he’d been silent. Surely, he must have known that things weren’t working between us? I tried to reason with him by telling him that we could still be friends, but he just kept staring straight ahead, and not responding. Then, he asked me if there was someone else.’ She stopped to reach for the tissue she’d used earlier which was still on the table. She dabbed at her eyes. ‘I ask myself, thousands of times every single day, if things would have ended differently if I’d lied? Told him there was no one else?’
She took another mouthful of water.
‘But there’s nothing I can do now. I told him about Eli. At the time, I thought it best just to get everything out in the open. And then … Jesus … he took a gun out of the glove compartment,’ she touched her forehead, ‘and put it to his head. I screamed for him not to do it … shit … his eyes. They were all scrunched up. He was going to do it. There was no doubt … so … I did all I could think of doing … I reached over and grabbed the gun.
‘He was far stronger than me, but I managed to force it downwards. I almost got it to his lap, but then he yanked back and …’ She pressed the tissue to her eyes. ‘A moment please.’
‘Of course,’ Breaker said, reaching over and refilling her paper cup from a jug of water.
‘The gun went off, but I didn’t shoot him … I was trying to stop him … that’s the truth … you have to believe me.’
I do, Breaker thought.
‘It was in his stomach. He was in a lot of pain, and there w
as blood everywhere. He was calling me a bitch over and over. I told him it wasn’t my fault, over and over. But he just kept yelling at me, calling me awful things! Dreadful things. He said he couldn’t believe that he’d married me. And then he said something that made everything worse … he’d had a vasectomy the month after he married me. That he’d always known that I wasn’t fit to have children with.
‘Everything had been a lie. Everything. For years he’d told me that he didn’t want children, but we’d never stopped trying. Never. I just kept believing that he would love any child that was his anyway. But the coward had strung me along. He was wasting my life … such a fucking coward …’ She stared at the wall behind Breaker. He realised that she was about to get to a part in the story that she was ashamed of.
‘I want you to know, Detective, I wasn’t thinking straight. The journey into the woods, the gun, his abuse … I was struggling to make sense of anything … I really need to make that clear in this interview …’
‘You are doing,’ Breaker said.
‘I told him to get in the boot of the car.’ She gulped and looked down at the table. ‘I told him to get in the boot or I wouldn’t take him to hospital … that I couldn’t bear to hear his abuse any longer …’
Breaker allowed her a minute to collect herself. ‘What happened then?’
‘I got out and opened his door for him. He stumbled out and worked his way around the side of the car. Then, I opened the boot for him, and he climbed in.’ She paused to think. A glazed look passed over her eyes. Then, she flinched. ‘His howl. It was awful. Loud, like an animal. But he made it in, and he made it onto his back. He was pale, in a mess … he told me I was his only chance … I closed the boot … Oh, God, what’s going to happen to me?’
‘What did you do next, Mrs Brislane?’
‘Am I going to jail?’
‘What happened next?’
‘Nothing.’
Breaker remembered Yorke’s words. There were claw marks and bloody handprints on the inside of the boot.
