by Helen Phifer
‘No idea; that’s for Will to figure out. We panicked when we saw the stuff in Colin’s room and the nurse said an Annie Graham had been to visit him. You know, at this rate you’re going to kill Will off, because he looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. Oh my God, Annie, I’m so sorry. How is John? I was so caught up with everything I forgot.’
‘He’s stable for now.’
Jake turned out of the hospital entrance onto Dalton Lane and drove along until he reached Abbey Road. Once he was on Abbey Road he began the drive back to Grange. They passed a bench where there was an old man huddled over. Annie turned her head to look at him.
‘Stop the van. I think that’s Colin.’
‘What?’
‘You have to go back. I’m pretty sure you just drove past him back on that bench.’
Jake swore under his breath, then did a sharp turn around the mini roundabout and drove back towards the bench. As he stopped, Annie opened the door.
‘Annie, don’t get out.’ His voice was lost on her because she’d already jumped out and was crossing the road to get to him.
‘Fuck, Will is going to kill me.’ Jake followed her.
The elderly man on the bench looked tired and confused.
‘Colin, it’s Annie from this morning. Are you okay?’
He looked at her – wondering who on earth she was – when it all came back to him and he smiled.
‘Ah yes, I do remember you, my long-lost relative.’
‘Colin, this is my friend Jake. Would you like us to take you back to Meadow Field?’
The man paused then nodded his head. ‘If you wouldn’t mind, that would be lovely. I’m so tired I don’t know how I even got here.’
He went to stand up and Annie leant down, taking him by the elbow, which caused Jake to wince. He shook his head at her and she frowned. She helped Colin to cross the road to the van. Jake opened the cage doors ready to put him in.
‘Get a grip, Jake, we can’t make him sit in that all the way back to Grange.’
Jake bent down and whispered in her ear, ‘He’s a murder suspect, Annie. We have to.’
‘You are not putting an eighty-year-old man in the cage. I’ll sit in the back with him.’
‘Jesus, you don’t know what he’s capable of.’
Annie looked at the frail man standing in front of them. ‘Not very much by the look of him.’
She opened the sliding door and helped Colin up the high step. Sitting him on the seat she fastened his belt.
‘Annie, you sit up front with me or Will is going to kill the pair of us.’
She did as she was told, slamming the sliding door shut and getting in the front. Jake was on his radio informing control he had the missing man with him and was taking him back. Jake’s radio began to ring. It was Will.
‘Can you take him to the station and book him in, Jake? We need to talk to him.’
‘Wish someone would make up their bloody mind where I’m going.’ He looked into the rear-view mirror at the pale, crumpled old man. ‘Actually, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. He looks exhausted and not very well. It might be better to bring him back and get any medication he needs; otherwise Smithy will only send us straight up the hospital and you know how long that will take.’
‘Sorry, yes, you’re probably right. Is Annie with you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Is she safe?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you.’
They drove back in silence, Colin lost in his thoughts and Annie wondering how this elderly man was involved in this mess. As Jake drove faster than normal to get them all back, she tried to piece it all together. Annie felt the familiar icy cold air on the side of her neck and shivered. What was the boy doing here in the police van? She looked behind her, not seeing him, but she could sense he was near.
Good Lord, could today get any weirder? She was just about done with it and wanted to pick Alfie up from Lily’s house and give him a huge cuddle. Jake managed to get through the traffic much quicker than a normal car and before long they were at the turn-off for the home. The air in the van turned from too warm to icy cold in seconds. She turned around. Colin had perked up now they were almost back, which made her feel marginally better.
‘I’m so glad to be home. Thank you, officer, for the lift. I honestly had no idea how I was going to get back. You can smooth things over for me with the night nurse? She’s a bit of a dragon.’
Annie turned her head and smiled at him. ‘You’re very welcome, Colin.’ She felt slivers of ice grip her arm and a raspy voice whispered in her ear, ‘He isn’t Colin.’ The jumble of thoughts that had fogged her mind all the way back cleared and it was there, so obvious she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before.
She turned to look at the man behind her, who had also sensed the change in the atmosphere. They were so close. Annie could see Will, Adele and Cathy waiting at the front doors for them to arrive, along with two nurses – such a beautiful sight, a lovely welcoming party. The man looked at her and she whispered, ‘You’re not Colin Lister, are you? Your real name is Gordy Marshall – or do you prefer Tufty?’
He gave a brief laugh. ‘I said to myself this morning after you’d left that you’d be trouble; I knew it. All these years I’ve lived my life as poor, hapless Colin, lived happily ever after until you had to come and spoil it.’
He stood up, bracing himself on two legs. Using all his strength he lifted the red iron battering ram, which had been by his feet and which they used to break doors down. He swung it at Jake’s head and the crunch made Annie squeal. It clipped the side, knocking him straight out. The van veered to the left as Jake slumped onto the wheel, blood pouring from the deep wound on the side of his head.
Annie screamed in frustration as she tried to grab the wheel and turn it, but Jake’s weight was pressed against it. It was careering towards the huge fir tree she’d admired this morning and there was nothing she could do to stop it except brace herself for the impact.
Will, who was watching in horror, realised what had happened and shouted at her to jump out of the van, but she couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of her heart as the tree trunk came into view. Curling herself into a ball she wrapped her arms around her head, praying the airbag would activate and save both her and Jake from the brunt of the impact.
She shivered as she felt a sudden coldness envelop her. It felt as if she’d been wrapped in a protective ice pack, and then there was the terrible sound of metal crunching as the van ploughed into the tree and she was thrown forwards into the blackness.
__________________________
Will ran after the out-of-control van, closely followed by Cathy, Adele and the nurses. The sound as it slammed into the tree was horrendous and he knew then that if any of them got out of it alive it would be a miracle. He wasn’t going to lose her like this. After everything they’d been through she wasn’t dying in the front of a police van and leaving him a widow and Alfie without his mum.
He reached the van and struggled to open her door; it was jammed and would only open a little. He could see her crouched over, blood everywhere, and he felt as if his world had just ended. Then she groaned and he sprang into action. There was steam and smoke coming from the front of the van, but he didn’t care. He yanked the sliding door open to see the old man trapped under a seat that had dislodged.
Will ignored him and leaned over to unclick Annie’s seat belt. He pulled the headrest off the seat, leant over and grabbed her under the arms. Dragging her with all his strength he managed to pull her over and they both landed in a heap on the floor. Adele took one arm and he had the other. Between them they carried her to a safe distance, then went back to help Jake.
Cathy had managed to get his door open, but he was a dead weight and she couldn’t get him out. Will pulled his friend with all his might until he tumbled out of the door to the ground, landing in a heap on the grass. Cathy grabbed his feet and Will his armpits and they half ca
rried, half dragged him to where Annie was.
The nurses were trying to get Colin out, but there was a whoosh as the tank exploded and the force of the explosion blew them back. They screamed at the sight of the old man in the back of the van, unable to free himself and about to be burnt alive. Will and Adele grabbed them to stop them going back to help him. There was nothing they could do for him now.
Adele had radioed for ambulances and fire. The van had gone up in a spectacular fashion; it was burning well. Cathy was sitting on the ground nursing Jake’s head in her lap. His tanned face had lost every inch of colour and the wound on his head was bleeding profusely. A nurse came running out of the home with some towels and a first aid kit. She bent down and began pressing a towel against Jake’s wound to stem the bleeding.
Annie groaned and Will knelt down next to her. She was battered and bruised, with a cut above her eyebrow, but she was alive. He hugged her tight, smothering her head with kisses.
‘Jake?’
‘He’s okay; well, he’s breathing and unconscious and bleeding a lot, but he’ll be fine.’
She looked at the van. ‘That wasn’t Colin Lister.’
‘Then who the hell was it?’
‘Gordy Marshall – Tufty the clown. He was the killer from the fifties. When there was an accident at the circus he must have told them that Colin was Gordy. He’d been badly injured and couldn’t speak. Poor Colin couldn’t read or write properly so he couldn’t tell them what had happened. Oh my God, they hanged an innocent man and Gordy Marshall got to live out the rest of his life in freedom. He got away with murder and framed poor Colin.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘Because Colin tried to show me what had happened: the dreams, the cold spots, the heavy breathing, because he couldn’t speak. Colin came to me to help him.’
Will tried his best not to be freaked out. If it had been anyone else telling him this he would have put it down to concussion. But it was Annie, who could speak to the dead even though he didn’t particularly like it, and he believed her.
‘Colin helped me. He saved me and Jake.’
She crawled over to Jake and reached out to hold his hand, which was icy cold; then she smiled.
‘Where are you, Colin?’
Cathy stared at Annie. ‘Who is Colin? Is that not the dead guy in the van who attacked Jake?’
She shook her head. ‘No, that wasn’t Colin; that was Gordy Marshall. Colin was a kind, gentle soul who suffered the worst miscarriage of justice – and he just saved Jake’s life, and mine.’
She looked over to the van that was now well alight, the smell of burning fuel, rubber and flesh filling the air. Turning to one side, in the distance she could see the outline of the cumbersome, shy young man who had come to her for help and had ended up saving her. He smiled at her and lifted his hand to wave.
‘Thank you, Colin.’
He shook his head. ‘Thank you, Annie.’
She began to cry, huge heaving sobs of relief and emotion because he could talk again. A break in the clouds opened as a beam of brilliant white light shone down on where he was standing. He looked up towards it and smiled. Annie nodded her head, smiling back, and then he was gone – to a much better place. His soul was free. Annie made up her mind she would do her best to clear his name and make sure that people knew an innocent young man had lost his life in a terrible case of mistaken identity. Jake let out a groan and opened one eye.
‘What’s that stench? Am I dead? I feel as if I’m dead. Oh God, I’m bleeding.’
He looked up to see Cathy’s face peering down into his.
‘You did eat my cake. You’ve got guilt written all over your face.’
She laughed. ‘You stupid bugger; no, I didn’t. You probably burnt it to death. Thank God you’re alive.’
He tried to turn his head and see where Annie was. He saw her tear-stained face and shut his eyes. ‘Aw, are you really crying over me, Annie Graham? That’s sweet.’
She bent down and kissed his cheek. ‘Yes, Jake, I’m crying over you.’
‘Good, now you know how it feels.’
An ambulance turned into the drive and Will waved it towards them. Annie stood and watched as they loaded Jake onto the stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. Cathy followed.
‘I’ll go with him.’
Will smiled and Annie stuck her thumb up.
Adele turned to them. ‘I think you should take Annie and follow. It would be wise to get checked out. I’ll stop and sort this mess out.’
‘Do you mind? Thank you, I really appreciate this.’
‘My pleasure, Annie. It was lovely to meet you. Maybe next time it will be under better circumstances.’
Annie laughed. ‘I certainly hope so. Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Adele watched the ambulance drive off, followed by Will’s BMW, and let out a sigh. What an end to a long week. At least everyone who mattered was alive.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Annie knocked on Jake’s front door and was greeted by Alex. He bent down and kissed her cheek.
‘He’s in the living room being a drama queen. If he asks me to get him one more glass of water I’m going to scream.’
She laughed. ‘He’s milking it for all he can get then?’
Alex arched his eyebrow and she followed him inside. Jake was sitting reading a story to Alice. He had a big bandage around his head and she was glad to see he had a lot more colour in his cheeks than the last time she’d visited. When he noticed her he pretended to faint.
‘Pack it in. I haven’t got any spare Oscars for you. Are you driving Alex mad?’
He pointed to his chest. ‘Me, driving him mad? He’s lucky I’m alive. I almost died and he’s moaning about getting me a glass of water.’
Annie laughed again. ‘Trust me, Jake, you need to get over it. I’m afraid you’re old news now, so man up.’
‘Ouch, you two are harsh.’
‘Yeah, it’s called tough love.’
Alice looked at Jake. ‘Man up, Daddy.’
Jake, who was so shocked to hear her speak three words, pointed to Annie.
‘My daughter’s first sentence, thanks to you.’
Then he started to laugh and Annie, who’d been mortified, joined in. She kissed him on the cheek.
‘Sorry, Jake, and thank you again for being there for me. I love you.’
‘Yeah, you proper love me? I’ll let you off then. Have you found out what to do about the real Colin Lister’s wrongful execution? I can’t stop thinking about him.’
She nodded. ‘Me neither. That poor boy must have been so scared. I’ve made a start; I made an application to the senior Justice Minister to get him the royal prerogative of mercy.’
‘The what? I’ve never heard of it.’
‘No neither had I; at least not by its official name. It’s a posthumous royal pardon for the miscarriage of justice for execution by hanging.’
‘Wow, get you. Annie, I’m impressed. Let’s hope they do it.’
‘I’m sure they will. How could they not? It might take a very long time, but at least we know the truth and Colin’s at peace now. I can’t stop. I’m on my way to the hospital to see John. I just wanted to make sure you were coping.’
She winked at him and kissed the top of Alice’s head. ‘Bye, clever girl.’
Alice waved at her. ‘Bye, lever girl.’
Annie drove away. She couldn’t wait until Alfie could talk. They were growing up so fast. As she reached the hospital, this time she managed to find an actual parking bay and paid for a ticket. She was hoping they were going to let John come home today. She’d phoned Mrs Brown earlier, who had all but moved into the rectory ready to look after him. It was quite sweet really. As much as he moaned about his housekeeper she was a good woman. When she got to his ward she almost squealed to see him fully dressed and sitting in the chair by his bed.
He smiled at her. ‘Well, if it isn’t the lovely Anni
e Graham I see before my very own eyes.’
‘You look so much better. Have they said you can come home?’
A cloud passed over his face and his expression darkened for a second. He nodded. ‘Yes, they’ve had enough of me. The sister said she was glad to see the back of me.’
Annie laughed. ‘Good, let’s get you home where you belong. Mrs Brown will be over the moon.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘She may well be, but I might not.’
‘Don’t be so mean. Someone needs to look after you.’
He stood up and she picked up his overnight bag that she’d brought in for him a couple of days ago. She’d packed it with everything he could possibly need including his faithful, faded Rolling Stones T-shirt, which he was wearing now. They walked slowly out of the ward, Annie with her arm looped through his. She hadn’t told him about Gordy Marshall – not wanting to burden him with any extra worry – and he’d been very good and not asked her how she’d got the purple bruise across her cheek and the cut above her eye.
As they stepped outside into the fresh air, he inhaled deeply. ‘I will never again take the sun on my face or the fresh air in my lungs for granted. Thank you for everything, Annie.’
‘You’re welcome; it’s the least I can do.’
They walked to her car and she opened the door for him. He brushed her hand away when she leant in to fasten his seat belt.
‘I’m not an invalid just yet.’
She grinned and walked around to the driver’s side. ‘Come on, let’s get you home; then I have to go to work.’
As she walked into the station, Annie vowed to herself she would never take her friends for granted again. It had been quite a shock to be the one on the other end of the drama. Watching from the sidelines had been terrifying and it had made her one hundred per cent sure that she was doing the right thing. She knocked on Cathy’s office door.
‘Come in. Have you brought food?’
Annie smiled as she pushed the door open and passed her a carton with a huge slice of fresh cream cake inside. Cathy nodded her head in appreciation. Annie also passed her a crisp white envelope.
