by Val McDermid
Corinna looked pleased with herself, as if she'd finally, incontrovertibly got one over on Charlie. 'That's nearly right. Except it wasn't on Philip's computer. Not on his desktop at the office, not on his desktop at home and not on his laptop. It was on a back-up hard drive that he'd left in Magda's old room here. He slept there the night before the wedding, so supposedly he'd tucked it away in her underwear drawer for safekeeping.' Corinna's voice dripped scepticism. 'And Magda just happened to find it when the police were starting to get frustrated about ever nailing anyone for the murder.'
Puzzled, Charlie said, 'I don't understand what that has to do with Jay.'
'This letter is very detailed. It doesn't appear anywhere else in Philip's records. But apparently most of the information in it does. According to a very helpful detective I spoke to a while back, it could have been compiled by someone with accounting skills and computer skills and access to the office systems where Barker and Sanderson left their own digital trail. With the best will in the world, that is not a description of my daughter. But it does sound a lot like the skills Jay Stewart must have to have reached the pinnacle of business that she's achieved. Wouldn't you say?'
'Jay Stewart and a shedload of other people,' Charlie said. 'And it's not like somebody made this stuff up. They just made it easily accessible when it became clear the police weren't getting a handle on it.'
'Quite. But Magda made a mistake. The weekend before the trial, she drove up for Sunday lunch. Obviously, we were talking about the case, and Patrick said it had been a stroke of luck, Magda finding the back-up drive that gave the police their crucial leverage. And Magda said, quite casually, that it had been Jay who suggested there might be a back-up somewhere and that Magda should retrace his steps on the days before the wedding to see if she could track it down.'
'And why was that a mistake?'
'Because the discovery of the hard drive precedes the occasion when Magda supposedly met Jay again by a couple of weeks.' Corinna kept her eyes on Charlie, a measured stare with absolutely no madness in it.
'It's suggestive,' Charlie said. 'But not necessarily suggestive of collusion to fit up Paul Barker and Joanna Sanderson. And presumably the police checked the internal information on the back-up drive to see when the file was created and saved.'
Corinna threw her hands up in the air. 'I don't know about stuff like that. But I've read about people fiddling with the dates on files. And Jay's whole professional life has been devoted to internet businesses. If anybody's got access to the kind of geeks who know how to alter digital information, it's her.'
'That's still not evidence. Corinna, there's nothing to attack here, in terms of a miscarriage of justice. Even if I got alongside Jay and became convinced, professionally speaking, that she was capable of doing what you suggest, there's still nothing you could call evidence.'
Corinna folded her arms tightly across her chest. 'I was afraid that's what you'd say. And however much I wish it was otherwise, I do understand there's little prospect of calling Jay to account for Philip's death. But she's got to be stopped, Charlie. This is my daughter we're talking about. Jay might want to pull down the moon and stars for her now, but what happens when that changes? What happens if she falls out of love with Magda and Magda doesn't want to let go? Or what if Magda comes to her senses and wants to leave her? Can you imagine what it feels like to know your daughter is spending her nights with a killer?'
'No, I can't. And I can see how concern for a child might make you build castles in the air.'
'This is not castles in the air.' For the first time, Corinna had raised her voice. 'There is a trail of bodies in her wake. Magda thinks I banned Jay from this house all those years ago because I discovered she was a lesbian. Now, you know me well enough to know that couldn't be the case. I never tried to keep you away from my kids even though I knew pretty much from the get-go that you were a lesbian. The reason, the real reason I froze Jay out of our lives was because I was convinced she killed Jess Edwards.'
Charlie was stunned into silence, the words echoing in her ears. She gave a tiny shake of the head. 'That was an accident,' she said at last, blinking hard to shift an image of Jess from her mind's eye.
'I didn't think so at the time, and I don't think so now,' Corinna said.
'What possible grounds could you have for saying that?' Charlie felt close to tears. Jess the bright and beautiful, the one with the glorious golden future she never got to live. Even though she'd only been a fresher in Charlie's final year, she'd made an impact. Charlie had not long left Schollie's when Jess had died, but it was a death that reverberated inside her, a denial of possibility that could reach out and touch any of them.
'The morning Jess died . . .' Corinna stared through the basement window, eyes level with the muddy winter grass. She sighed. 'Back then, I used to go into college really early. I'd get a couple of hours' work in, then run home and make sure the kids were clean and fed and dressed for school. That morning, I came in by the meadow gate around six. And I swear I saw Jay Stewart coming across the meadow from the direction of the boathouse.'
A moment of stunned silence, then Charlie said, 'Wasn't it dark that early?'
'It was dark. And kind of misty too. But I know what I saw. I knew Jay pretty well. Well enough to be certain it was her.'
'And you never said anything?' Charlie was trained to interview the most vicious of killers without letting judgement creep into her tone. But it was taking all of her professional skill not to scream at Corinna right then. 'You kept this to yourself?'
Corinna took off her glasses and polished them on her sweater. 'I told myself there must have been an innocent explanation. Maybe Jay was meeting Jess to try and take some of the sting out of the election campaign.' She glanced up at Charlie. Without her glasses, her face looked small and naked. Charlie wondered how calculated the move was. 'I had no reason then to imagine Jay was a killer. I thought I knew her. And think about it, Charlie. If I had told the police what I'd seen' - she spread her hands wide - 'it would have proved nothing. It would just have created a storm of rumour and suspicion that would have tainted the college. I didn't want Schollie's splashed over the tabloid press. And besides, there wasn't the slightest suggestion then or any time later that Jess's death was anything other than a terrible accident. Talking about what I'd seen would have achieved nothing. I didn't make the decision alone, either. I talked it over with Dr Winter and she agreed with me.'
Helena Winter, chatelaine of the legend of Schollie's, Charlie thought. She would have agreed to anything so long as the college remained untarnished. Charlie willed herself to sit still, not to show how agitated Corinna's words had left her. 'Well, that's one suspicious death. What about the rest?'
Corinna replaced her glasses and glanced at her watch. 'We've not got much time. There's two others that I think should be investigated. Her business partner in doitnow.com, Kathy Lipson.'
'I remember that. It was a climbing accident.'
'Jay cut the rope.'
'And the verdict absolved her of any blame.' Now Charlie's voice was rising in pitch to match Corinna.
'That doesn't make her blameless. And the terms of their partnership meant Jay inherited Kathy's share of the business. Just weeks before she sold the company for millions.'
'This is crazy, Corinna. There's nowhere to go with this. There's nothing remotely approaching evidence.'
'Then there was a guy called Ulf Ingemarsson. I found out about him on Google. After I discovered Jay had been in college on the night Philip died, I started to wonder what other skeletons might be hanging around in her closet. And I found him. Ingemarsson was murdered. He was on holiday in Spain. He'd rented a villa up in the mountains above Barcelona. Very remote. And here's the thing, Charlie. He had the original idea for 24/7. He had the project in development. But Jay stole his work. He was about to sue her. He'd gone to Spain to get some peace and quiet to prepare the case. He was stabbed to death. He'd been dead for at least a week w
hen they found him. The Spanish police said it had been a burglary gone wrong. But his girlfriend didn't think so. His laptop was gone and so were the papers she said he'd taken with him to work on. They'd mean nothing to a burglar. But they'd mean everything to Jay Stewart.'
Charlie closed her eyes and sighed. 'And is there a shred of evidence to link Jay to this?'
'I don't know,' Corinna said. 'But it was an amazing coincidence, don't you think? Every time somebody stands between Jay Stewart and what she wants, they die. This goes way beyond coincidence, Charlie.'
Charlie felt very tired. She couldn't summon the energy to argue with Corinna any more. 'Maybe,' she said wearily. 'But I'm not a detective. And neither are you. You're going to have to let this go, Corinna. Otherwise it's going to eat you up and make you crazy.'
She shook her head vigorously. 'I can't let it go, Charlie. It's my daughter's life that could be at stake here. If you can't help me - if the law can't help me - I'm going to have to take this into my own hands. I'm not afraid of the consequences. I'd rather spend the rest of my life in jail and know that Magda was safe.'
Charlie had thought she knew Corinna. Now she realised how wrong she'd been. It didn't matter how intellectually able Corinna was, nor how capable of philosophical investigation. When it came to her children, the primeval took over. There was no doubt in Charlie's mind that Corinna meant exactly what she had said. She would kill Jay to save Magda. And she'd calculated her mark perfectly. She understood Charlie's need to atone. Even though she'd done nothing wrong, people had died because of her. Now Corinna was offering her the chance to save a life that possibly didn't deserve saving. With her head, Charlie knew there was no such thing as a redemptive trade-off, but her heart felt differently.
'I will kill her,' Corinna said. 'If that's what it takes.'
That was how stark the choice was. Unless Charlie could bring Jay to some kind of justice or demonstrate her innocence Corinna would at least make a serious attempt on her life. The trouble was Charlie had no conviction she could manage either goal. But at least if she agreed to help, she might buy enough time to talk Corinna down from this madness. 'I understand that,' she said quietly. 'And I can't let you do that.' She ran a hand through her hair, feeling more like ripping it out in frustration. 'I'll help.'
Corinna's smile was frail, her eyes mistrustful. 'I knew I could count on you, Charlie.' She reached out and patted Charlie's hand in a rare moment of physical contact.
Before Charlie could answer, she heard the front door opening. Footsteps clattering, then voices calling. 'Mum, where are you?'
'Hi, Mum, we're home.'
Corinna stood up. 'Thanks, Charlie. We'll talk again.' Then she swung round to face the stairs. 'We're down here, darlings. '
Oh Christ, Charlie thought. This is going to be some lunch.
2
Magda leaned across and opened the passenger door for Catherine, who jumped off the wall she'd been sitting on and hurried to the car. Magda turned down the Isobel Camp-bell and Mark Lanegan CD as Catherine climbed in. 'You're freezing,' Magda said, kissing her sister's icy cheek.
Catherine screwed up her face. 'You know I don't feel the cold.'
It was hard to argue with that, given Catherine had chosen to dress on a cold spring morning in black leggings, a cotton dress and a thin leather jerkin. 'You should have waited indoors, Wheelie.' It was the affectionate scolding of an older sister used to taking responsibility for the younger ones.
'I was ready. And it's always a nightmare trying to get parked round here on a Saturday morning, you know that. So I thought I'd be helpful and wait outside. Honestly, Magda.' Catherine rolled her eyes and ran a frustrated hand through her tousled hair.
Magda, the perfectly groomed big sister, pulled away and threaded her way through the maze of streets below Shepherd's Bush Green. 'OK, OK. Have you had breakfast?'
'Of course I had breakfast, it's nearly eleven o'clock. And I'm twenty-two years old. God, Magda, I'd have thought taking up with Jay would have occupied all your mother hen instincts.'
Magda grinned. 'Hardly. Jay is more than capable of taking care of herself.'
Catherine groaned. 'Oh yes, how could I have forgotten? You only want to mother your siblings. When it comes to lovers, you always prefer someone who takes care of you. You bat those beautiful eyelashes and do that Grace Kelly smile and they're putty in your hands.'
'Thanks, Wheelie. You make me sound like a complete twat.'
Catherine giggled. 'Hey, did I say it was a bad thing? If I could find a bloke that ran after me like Philip did with you, I wouldn't be saying no, believe me.'
Magda's hands tightened momentarily on the wheel. 'If you ever find someone half as nice as Philip, you'll be doing just fine.'
Catherine twisted in her seat and studied her sister so pointedly that Magda glanced away from the road. 'What?' Magda said as she turned back to the traffic.
'You really did care about him, didn't you?'
Magda made an exasperated tutting noise. 'For fuck's sake. Of course I cared about him. I married him, remember?'
'Yeah, but . . .' Catherine's voice tailed off.
'There's no but, Wheelie. I loved him.' Abruptly Magda turned the music up.
They drove in silence for a few minutes, then the irrepressible Catherine picked up her thread again. 'See, you probably don't want to talk about this, but I'm going to ask you anyway because I want to know and you're the only person who can tell me.'
Magda groaned. She recognised the familiar overture to one of her sister's tenacious inquiries. 'You're right, Wheelie. Whatever it is, I probably don't want to talk about it.'
'I totally get that you loved Philip. Right up till you told me about Jay, it never crossed my mind that you didn't. But now you love Jay. And I mean, it's obvious to me that you love her and that loving her makes you happy. But that's what I thought about Philip too. Each of those things makes sense on its own. But together? I can't make sense of it.' Catherine hunkered down in the seat, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms round her shins.
Magda tried to concentrate on driving. But Catherine's words drilled down too deep to be ignored. And if she couldn't deal with Catherine, who was on her side, how on earth was she going to deal with her parents? 'It's complicated,' she said.
'Well, duh. I got that much. What I'm trying to get at . . . is it that you're a lesbian and you've always been a lesbian only you were in denial, or is it just Jay?'
Magda felt like there was a stone in her stomach. Why couldn't she just get on with living her life? Why did she have to explain herself to anybody? Even as she had the thought, she knew the answer. Because she was the eldest. Because her life had never been her own. Because she'd grown up with three younger siblings who always wanted to know the why of everything. She'd grown accustomed to answering and they'd grown accustomed to being answered and now it felt like a divine right. 'I think I've always been a lesbian,' she said slowly. 'But I didn't want to admit it. Least of all to myself.'
'Why not? This is the twenty-first century, Mag. You can even get married now.'
'It took a long time to dawn on me, Wheelie. You know what it's like when you're a teenager, everybody has crushes on teachers, on other girls, on actresses, whatever. So there's nothing odd about being in love with your best friend except that the unwritten rule is that you don't talk about it. You have sleepovers and you snuggle and you talk till dawn but you never talk about any feelings you have for each other. And then you all start going out with boys, and it's what you do. You go with the flow. And you still feel the same about your best friend, only now it's clear you absolutely don't talk about it.' Magda ran into the sand, uncertain where to go next.
'Well, yeah. OK. Except the bit about still feeling the same. I stopped feeling like that when I started kissing boys.'
Magda gave a wry smile that twisted her beauty into something darker. 'Now, I get that. Back then, I didn't. I thought that was just how it was. And I was lucky. T
he boys I went out with were decent blokes.'
'Probably because you're beautiful so you got the pick of them,' Catherine butted in, pulling a sad clown face.
'Whatever. All I knew was they didn't make my chest hurt like girls did. They didn't make me breathe faster or count the hours till I would see them again. But they treated me well enough and I didn't dislike their company. It was easier just to go with the flow, Wheelie.' She pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and checked her mirrors before moving over a lane.
'Why did you care so much about going with the flow?'
'Oh God . . . All sorts of reasons. I wanted to be a doctor working with children. I was too wrapped up in my work to be arsed with anything emotionally complicated. I didn't want to rock the boat at home. Things have been so grisly between Mum and Dad for so long, I couldn't bear the thought of throwing them another bone to fight over. And I was always supposed to be the one who was the good example. I didn't want to turn into the outcast, Wheelie.' She sighed. 'It all sounds really stupid now, but it was important at the time.'
'So you married Philip to keep everything sweet?' Catherine sounded incredulous. Magda couldn't blame her.
'It wasn't that cold-blooded,' she protested. 'I thought I loved him. I was genuinely fond of him, Wheelie. We had fun together. I liked being with him.'
'What about the sex? Didn't you notice you didn't fancy him? More to the point, didn't he notice?'
Magda winced. 'Straight for the jugular as usual. Look, the sex was fine. I'm not going into details, because it's none of your business. I got married to Philip with my eyes open. I knew I could make it work between us. It really didn't matter to me that it wasn't some earth-shattering grand passion. Frankly, I thought that kind of thing was overrated, judging by the mess most of my friends have made of it.'
Catherine let out a low whistle. 'And then you met Jay.' She laughed in delight. 'And she's turned you inside out and upside down. The gods are having their fun with you now, Mag. You've got your grand passion in spades.'
