Till Sudden Death Do Us Part

by Simon R. Green

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘I had even more reasons than you to cut all ties.’

  Robert smiled briefly. ‘I won’t ask.’

  ‘Best not to,’ I said.

  ‘Did you ever bump into anyone, afterwards?’

  I looked at him for a moment, wondering where this was going. ‘Just the once. I met Alexander Khan, a few years back. You remember him.’

  ‘Oh aye,’ said Robert. ‘Left Black Heir to go into business, didn’t he? Something to do with communications … Whatever happened to him?’

  ‘He died,’ I said.

  Robert looked at me sharply. ‘You didn’t …’

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘I found out who killed him, and put an end to them.’

  ‘Of course you did,’ said Robert. ‘I’m sorry, Ishmael, it’s just … It’s been so long since I last spoke to you. People change. Well, I did …’ And then he stopped, and looked at me seriously.

  And I thought: This is it. Here it comes.

  ‘I need to talk to you,’ Robert said steadily. ‘About Hazard Asylum.’

  ‘Good,’ I said. ‘I’ve been wondering about that. Is it possible that this could be your past catching up with you? Could someone have escaped from the Asylum, and tracked you here?’

  ‘No,’ said Robert. ‘That’s not possible.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘That’s what I need to tell you,’ he said. ‘I never wanted you to know this, Ishmael; but I can’t afford for you to be distracted, chasing a false trail.’ He stopped for a moment, as though bracing himself. ‘Hazard Asylum isn’t what you think it is. You don’t have to worry about some inmate getting out; because no one has ever been held at the Asylum.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ I said. ‘You escorted dozens of people there. I saw the paperwork.’

  ‘It was decided long ago, at the highest levels of Black Heir, that there was no point in locking up people who’d been damaged by alien contact,’ Robert said heavily. ‘There was nothing we could do to cure them, or even ease their pain; and there was always the chance they might escape and hurt someone else. So we killed them. We killed all of them.’

  He nodded slowly, unflinchingly, as he took in the look on my face.

  ‘That look, right there, is why I never told you. Why I took pains to make sure you were never involved with that side of things. I knew you wouldn’t approve. That you couldn’t cope, with what had to be done. You have to understand, Ishmael; it was the only way to put an end to their suffering.’

  ‘How many of these people did you kill?’ I said.

  ‘Oh, that wasn’t me,’ said Robert. ‘I just took them to the Asylum, like a good little Judas goat at a slaughterhouse. Told them everything would be fine, and then handed them over to people who killed them quickly and humanely. And destroyed the bodies afterwards, so there’d be nothing left of them.’

  He stopped again, to see how I was taking it. And I thought, but didn’t say: No wonder you didn’t want Gillian to know …

  I wasn’t sure how I felt. I could see the implacable logic behind the decision, I’d seen how badly damaged some of those people had been; but still the sheer cold-bloodedness of it appalled me. I wondered if I’d ever suspected the truth, on some level. If I’d heard things, put two and two together without realizing it, and that was why I’d had nightmares about being taken to Hazard Asylum. Had I not allowed myself to know? No. I’d never even suspected; because if I had I’d have done … something.

  ‘I never knew anything about this,’ I said.

  ‘Not many did,’ said Robert. ‘It was our burden to carry. We saw no reason to impose it on others. I’m not asking for your forgiveness, Ishmael, or even your understanding. I came to terms with what I did long ago. I just need you to understand that there is no possibility of the murderer being connected to the Asylum.’

  ‘How could you do it?’ I said. ‘How could you escort so many people to their deaths?’

  ‘It was necessary,’ he said. ‘If you could have seen the condition of some of them, it would have broken your heart. Dying by inches, driven out of their minds … But that was the main reason why I stopped doing fieldwork. Something like that … it wears on the soul. I wanted you to know this, because Gillian must never know. She must never find out the kind of man her father used to be.’

  ‘I don’t see any reason to tell her,’ I said. ‘But that could change. You haven’t thought this through, Robert. What if one of these damaged people had a relative, or a loved one, who discovered the truth? What if someone decided you needed to pay, by losing someone you love?’

  ‘No one ever knew!’ said Robert. ‘That was the point!’

  ‘Nothing stays secret forever,’ I said.

  SIX

  Losing Control

  The bar felt suddenly overcrowded as Detective Inspector Godwin strode in. Gillian, Tom and Penny rose immediately to their feet to face him, as though just his presence made them feel like they were being accused of something. Robert and I took our time getting to our feet, and then moved over to join the others. Just in case it became necessary to present a unified front in the face of a common enemy. Godwin stood his ground and looked at all of us unflinchingly, as though he was used to that kind of reaction. In fact, he seemed almost pleased, taking it as a compliment and an acknowledgment of his authority. At least he had the good sense not to smile.

  ‘I’m here to talk to the happy couple again,’ he said. ‘Though of course I’m happy to see you, Mr Bergin.’ He turned to look at me and Penny. ‘What are you doing in The Swan?’

  ‘Standing here, talking to you,’ I said. ‘Are you following us around, Inspector? If I’d known you were that interested I’d have done something entertaining.’

  ‘Should I be following you?’ said Godwin.

  ‘Of course not,’ Penny said quickly. ‘We’re no one special. Just guests, here for the wedding.’

  She gave me a hard look. I know I shouldn’t tease Godwin, but there was just something about the man that got on my nerves. Charging around interrogating everyone, refusing to take no for an answer; who did he think he was? Me?

  ‘What are you doing here, Peter?’ said Robert.

  ‘Inspector Godwin, please, Mr Bergin, when I’m on duty. I’m here because I still have a few questions that need answering. Perhaps you would prefer your guests to leave, before I begin.’

  ‘How do you know Ishmael and Penny?’ said Robert.

  ‘I caught them sneaking around the church, without permission,’ said Godwin.

  ‘Is it really sneaking, if we’re the ones who caught you off guard?’ I said.

  ‘Don’t get smart with me,’ said Godwin.

  ‘OK, now you’re just taunting me with feed lines,’ I said.

  Penny put a warning hand on my arm, and squeezed hard. ‘Play nicely, darling. The inspector is only doing his job.’

  She was reminding me that we had no official standing, and no backup from the Organization.

  Gillian looked at me curiously. ‘What were you doing in the church?’

  ‘Making sure it was safe for you, for tomorrow,’ said Penny. She moved quickly to change the subject. ‘We met someone else there who said they knew you: Linda and Ian?’

  ‘Oh, them,’ said Gillian.

  ‘Who?’ said Tom.

  ‘Local reporter and her pet cameraman,’ said Robert. ‘They mean well. I suppose.’

  ‘Oh God,’ said Tom. ‘They’re going to want an interview, aren’t they? I’d better come with a few anecdotes about people they’ve heard of, if we want to see some decent wedding photos in the local paper.’

  ‘I don’t think that’ll be a problem,’ I said. ‘Small-town papers love a celebrity with a local connection.’

  ‘You two should leave,’ said Godwin, sensing the conversation was moving away from him. ‘I have questions to ask the family that are none of your business.’

  ‘I’d rather they stayed,’ Robert said immediately. ‘They�
��re close friends.’

  ‘I thought we’d already answered all your questions,’ said Tom. ‘What more do you need to know?’

  ‘Just a few facts I need to get straight,’ said Godwin.

  Gillian smiled at him suddenly. ‘You never did get over watching Columbo on television, did you, Peter?’

  ‘You know him?’ said Tom.

  ‘We were at school together,’ said Gillian.

  ‘Of course you were,’ said Tom. ‘Everyone knows everyone in this town.’

  Penny looked thoughtfully at Godwin. ‘Shouldn’t you be off duty at this time of night?’

  Godwin looked at her pointedly. ‘Not when there’s still so much going on.’

  ‘The streets looked deserted to me,’ I said.

  ‘They are,’ said Godwin. ‘Most of the town is properly concerned at the thought of a murderer still running around loose. And yet somehow I keep bumping into people.’

  ‘What do you want with us?’ said Robert.

  ‘There’s still no evidence to indicate why the Reverend Allen was murdered,’ said Godwin. ‘I need to know more about the man. Did any of you know him well?’

  Gillian and Tom looked at each other, and then at Robert, and all three of them shrugged pretty much simultaneously.

  ‘We only met him when we came to town for the wedding,’ said Gillian.

  ‘And we only talked to him a few times,’ said Tom.

  ‘He seemed pleasant enough,’ said Gillian.

  ‘Oh yes, very pleasant,’ said Tom.

  ‘What did you talk about?’ said Godwin.

  ‘The wedding, of course!’ said Gillian.

  ‘Gillian has very specific ideas about what she wants, and doesn’t want, in the ceremony,’ said Tom.

  ‘Did you and the Reverend Allen disagree?’ said Godwin. ‘Were there any arguments?’

  ‘Of course not,’ said Gillian. ‘He was happy to go along with whatever changes I suggested.’

  ‘People do tend to do that,’ said Tom. ‘Once Gillian has put her mind to something.’

  ‘Hush, darling,’ said Gillian.

  ‘Yes dear,’ said Tom.

  ‘Did you talk about anything else?’ said Godwin, concentrating on Tom.

  ‘Not really,’ said Tom. ‘He was very businesslike; and very busy.’

  ‘Weren’t you concerned, when he didn’t turn up for the wedding rehearsal at the church hall?’

  ‘We had no reason to worry,’ said Gillian. ‘We just thought he was running late.’

  ‘Because he was so busy,’ said Tom.

  ‘Exactly,’ said Gillian.

  ‘Who else was with you?’ said Godwin.

  ‘Really, Peter?’ said Gillian. ‘You want to go through all of this again?’

  ‘Just answer the question, please,’ said Godwin.

  ‘The two of us,’ said Tom, with heavy patience. ‘Along with the best man, the bridesmaid; and Robert, of course.’

  ‘Did any of you leave the church hall at any time, before the vicar’s body was discovered?’

  Gillian shrugged angrily. ‘We all came and went, I suppose. We all had things to do. There’s a lot of work involved, with putting on a wedding. We weren’t keeping an eye on each other. Why would we?’

  ‘So really, none of you have an alibi,’ said Godwin.

  ‘Do we need one?’ said Tom.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Godwin. ‘Do you?’

  ‘We were all in the church hall together when the church bell started ringing,’ Robert said firmly.

  ‘But not before that,’ said Godwin. ‘How well did you know the Reverend Allen, Mr Bergin?’

  ‘Not well,’ said Robert, holding onto his patience with both hands. ‘He hadn’t been here long. Barely two years, which is nothing in a town like this. He didn’t push himself on people. He restricted his preaching to the pulpit.’ He gave Godwin a hard look. ‘You’ve asked all of this before. Do we really need to go through it again?’

  ‘It’s important to check these things,’ said Godwin. ‘To get the details right.’

  ‘Then why aren’t you making notes?’ said Robert.

  ‘Will the rest of the police be back by tomorrow?’ said Tom, just a bit pointedly.

  ‘It doesn’t seem likely,’ Godwin said reluctantly. ‘Apparently the industrial accident is still out of control. They’ll be here as soon as they can.’

  ‘What accident is this, exactly?’ I said.

  ‘There’s been a major fire at a chemical plant,’ said Godwin. ‘A lot of people have been badly injured. Containing the fire, and evacuating the surrounding area, is proving a bigger problem than anyone anticipated.’ He turned back to Gillian and Tom. ‘If you don’t feel safe going through with the wedding, my advice would be to call it off.’

  ‘You’ll be there to protect us, won’t you?’ said Gillian.

  ‘I’ll be around,’ said Godwin. ‘I wasn’t sent an invitation, even though we were friends at school.’

  Gillian smiled. ‘A bit more than friends, for a while.’

  Godwin smiled then, in spite of himself. ‘That was a long time ago.’

  ‘That was yesterday,’ said Gillian.

  Tom looked like he wanted to say something, but had enough sense not to.

  ‘I would have sent you an invitation, Peter, if I’d known you were still in the area,’ said Gillian. ‘But you always said you wanted to be a big city cop.’

  ‘Things don’t always work out the way we plan,’ said Godwin.

  ‘Well, you’re invited now,’ said Gillian. ‘You’ll be very welcome. Isn’t that right, Tom?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Tom. ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘I will do whatever it takes, to make sure you’re safe,’ said Godwin.

  And perhaps I was the only one who noticed that he was only looking at Gillian when he said that.

  ‘Of course you will,’ said Gillian.

  Godwin nodded briskly, and assumed his professional air again. ‘I have to ask: are there perhaps any ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends with bad feelings? Anyone who might want to sabotage the wedding?’

  ‘No,’ said Gillian.

  ‘This isn’t the legend,’ Tom said curtly. ‘There’s no spurned witch with a butcher’s knife lurking in the background. The curse is just a story. You should know that, Inspector.’

  Godwin merely nodded in response, before turning to Robert. ‘If I could just ask you a few last questions, Mr Bergin. About your background.’

  ‘I was in the civil service,’ said Robert, with what I thought was an admirably straight face.

  ‘That can cover a lot of ground,’ said Godwin. ‘You seem to have surprisingly important connections, Mr Bergin. Because the moment I started asking questions about you, my superiors shut me down. In fact, it was made very clear to me that you were to be left strictly alone.’

  ‘Then they must have their reasons, mustn’t they?’ said Robert.

  ‘What reasons might those be, Mr Bergin?’

  ‘Ask your superiors.’

  Godwin turned to Penny.

  ‘I am independently wealthy,’ she said happily.

  ‘Is that all?’ said Godwin.

  ‘Isn’t that enough?’ said Penny.

  Godwin turned to me. ‘And what about you?’

  ‘He’s mine,’ said Penny.

  I nodded solemnly. Godwin gave up on us as a bad job, and turned back to Gillian.

  ‘Are you really determined to go ahead with the wedding as planned? Despite everything that’s happened?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Gillian. ‘We’ve got guests arriving tomorrow from all over the country. This is going to be the biggest wedding Bradenford has ever seen.’

  ‘And there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it,’ said Tom.

  Godwin gave him a sour look. ‘If it was up to me the whole church would be sealed off and preserved as a crime scene.’

  ‘Then it’s just as well it’s not up to you then, isn’t it?’ said R
obert.

  ‘Don’t depend on your connections too much, Mr Bergin. They won’t protect you if I decide to haul you off to the local police station and interrogate you. I will do whatever I feel necessary to get to the bottom of this.’

  ‘Don’t you speak to my father like that, Peter!’ said Gillian.

  ‘I’m just doing my job,’ said Godwin.

  ‘I think it’s time you went and did it somewhere else,’ said Tom.

  Godwin turned his back on all of us, and stalked out of the bar. Everyone relaxed a little, though Gillian was still fuming. She managed a smile for Tom.

  ‘Sorry about that. He didn’t use to be such a dick.’

  ‘Well,’ said Tom. ‘He’s here on his own, so he’s obviously feeling the pressure. But he was a dick.’

  Gillian laughed, and looked round at the rest of us. ‘Tom and I are going up to our room. Hopefully to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.’

  ‘I know I’ll feel a lot safer, once we’re back in our room and behind a locked door,’ said Tom.

  ‘Are you going to jam a chair up against the door again?’ said Penny.

  ‘Damn right,’ said Tom. ‘I’d shove the wardrobe against it, if I thought I could shift it.’

  ‘He’s so protective,’ said Gillian.

  ‘We can get a taxi back to my place,’ Robert said to me and Penny. ‘Normally I’d walk. Good exercise. But the way things are …’

  ‘We’ll call a taxi,’ I said.

  Back in the lobby, Gillian hugged her father, Tom gave him a manly handshake, and then the two of them trudged up the stairs to the top floor. Because there wasn’t an elevator. Robert asked Nettie to call a taxi, and she got straight on the phone. Robert and Penny and I moved off a distance, so we could talk quietly. Nettie had very keen ears under that unfortunate wig.

  ‘They should be safe enough in their room tonight,’ I said.

  Robert nodded quickly. ‘There’s nothing in any of the stories about the demon attacking anyone here. But then, it never killed a vicar in advance of the wedding before. I won’t relax until those two are safely married, and past their wedding night. Even if I have to stand guard outside their door till morning.’