‘We would continue to look. You are still a self-confessed murderer.’
‘They will stop it, apply the Official Secrets Act.’
‘We’ve been there before,’ Isaac said.
‘Then you know what I’m talking about.’
‘Whether I do or not is immaterial. You have committed crimes, I’m a police officer. I have my duty to do.’
‘They will not allow you.’
Yet again, Isaac had to admit, a bizarre phone call.
***
Gwen Barrow did not often travel to the centre of London. It was her first time there for some years, and the meeting in a hotel room close to Leicester Square was important.
As she entered through the swing doors of the hotel, a wave of nostalgia swept over her. It was where she and Malcolm had honeymooned. Even the room was the same.
She wasn’t sure what to expect, not sure if she should have agreed, but Sally said it had been arranged, and it was important. Besides, there were questions unanswered. It had been eleven years since she had seen the man, not all of them bad, but now with Ed almost certainly involved in something nefarious, and Malcolm killing people, her relationship with her current husband was tenuous.
Ever since Malcolm had returned, she had not slept well, not wanting to see him, wanting to see him, and there he was standing in front of her as he opened the door. Gwen was not sure if she wanted to chastise him or hug him.
‘A long time,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t sure.’
‘Hear me out.’ Malcolm put his arms around his former wife and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She did not react.
‘Why here?’
‘I couldn’t think of anywhere else that had pleasant memories.’
‘You’ve not changed,’
‘I’m older, less hair, but I suppose I’m still the same.’
‘Sally said I had to come. I was in two minds.’
‘She was right. It may be the only chance that we get to spend time together.’
‘If you hadn’t killed anyone.’
‘Not even then. They’ll not leave me alone.’
‘They?’
‘The government, the military, Ed.’
‘He’s been a good man to us,’ Gwen said.
‘He’s involved.’
‘But why Sue?’
‘She had her fingers in too many pies.’
Gwen sat down on the bed. The man looked the same to her, a little older maybe, and where there should have been hair, there was none. The voice remained the same, the mannerisms. She was in their honeymoon suite, yet she felt she was with a stranger.
Ed had been there for them for the last eleven years, in truth a better father to Sally than the man standing in front of her, yet he had not been the father. And now, Malcolm Woolston was back in their lives. She had not known that Sally had a phone number for her father and that she had phoned him up after her mother’s request.
Gwen was not sure what to expect, what she wanted from the meeting. Malcolm came forward, attempted to put his arms around her. She pulled back. ‘It’s been so long. I don’t know if I can,’ she said.
Malcolm, her resurrected husband, moved to the other side of the room and sat in a chair. ‘I had to disappear.’
‘I was wrong to come,’ Gwen said.
‘Then why?’
‘I had to know.’
‘That I’m alive?’
‘If you are capable of murdering people. If I’m safe. If Sally and Susie are safe.’
‘You have always been safe, but then you went and married Ed.’
‘But you must have known.’
‘Yes, but I was willing to concede that it was the best thing at the time.’
‘And now?’
‘On the street, it was so much easier, but then since I’ve returned, the situation is not clear. I’d always suspected Sue, and even Ed did not know of her duplicity.’
‘But why is this so important? This talk of weapons makes no sense. The government is always trading with rogue nations, selling them arms, currying favours, especially if they have oil. What is so different with what you developed?’
‘I needed to make a stand. To show them that someone still has ethics.’
‘And leave us on our own? What ethics are those?’
‘You should not have come.’
‘I had to see you one more time.’
‘Before what?’
‘Before they take you. They will, you know that.’
‘I cannot allow them to do that.’
‘I’m asking you not to kill Ed.’
‘Why? Do you love him? Can you forgive him for what he did to me?’
‘He’s important to us, and yes, I love him. Maybe it’s not the same as with you, but he’s been there for us, you haven’t.’
‘He was having an affair with Sue Christie.’
‘I’d always suspected it. It upsets me to think about it, but I can forgive him for that; I cannot forgive you for killing Sue.’
‘She would have sold out Ed or anyone who got in her way. I tested her. She was involved with Claude Smythe.’
‘General Smythe?’
‘And with his brother. The two are traitors. Their involvement is suspect, and not even Ed knows about them.’
Gwen realised that the man who had been her husband was delusional, seeing conspiracies when there were none, killing people for no reason, upsetting his family’s lives. She pulled a gun from her handbag.
‘What the hell?’
‘I can’t allow this to continue,’ she said. ‘If someone is after you or not, it does not matter. Whatever happens, they will not use us as a lever if you’re dead.’
‘You’d shoot me? What about Sally? What about our granddaughter?’
‘You should have thought of that before. You should have remained dead. Our lives were fine before you came back.’
‘I need to finish this,’ Woolston said.
‘It stops here.’ Gwen pointed the gun and pulled the trigger.
Woolston was hit in the chest. Gwen ran over to him, tears streaming down her face. There was the sound of people running in the corridor after the noise of the gunshot.
‘Gwen, leave,’ Woolston said.
‘I’m sorry. I had to.’
The door opened, two men and a woman stood there. ‘What the…’ the hotel manager said. ‘Phone for an ambulance and the police.’
‘Let her go,’ Woolston said faintly.
‘I can't do that. She’s attempted to kill you.’
‘She’s my wife. I’ll not press charges.’
‘Charges? I don’t think that applies, do you? A clear case of attempted murder from what I can see.’
Gwen sat close to her husband, cradling his head in her lap. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘You’re right. The madness has to stop. I had wanted to stop it falling into the wrong hands, but now, maybe, it’s not so important.’
***
Isaac Cook had despaired about how to deal with Malcolm Woolston and the murders he had committed, and now the man was at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in West Smithfield in intensive care. And coupled with that, his wife, or at least his ex-wife, was under arrest, having been charged with his attempted murder.
Isaac and Larry made the trip to the hospital after receiving a phone call from Sergeant Hastings, the first police officer on the scene. At the hospital, they flashed their ID badges and proceeded to the emergency department. A doctor came out and spoke to them after they had been there for fifty minutes. ‘Mr Woolston has been shot in the chest. There’s some damage to one of his kidneys, but he will survive. He’s a lucky man.’
‘I doubt if he’ll agree with you,’ Isaac replied. Larry and Sergeant Hastings stood close by.
‘When can we question him?’ Larry asked.
‘Not today. It’s possible tomorrow, but he’ll still be weak. Is it important?’
‘Yes.’
‘Sergeant Hast
ings,’ Isaac asked after the doctor had left, ‘did he say anything?’
‘He was unconscious by the time we arrived. The medic stabilised him and then brought him here.’
‘He’ll need a uniform to guard him.’
‘He’s not going anywhere fast.’
‘There’s more to this case than you know. It’s not only him getting out; it’s also about preventing others getting in. His wife?’
‘Down at the station.’
‘We’ll need to interview her.’
‘No problem. She’s been charged with murder.’
Chapter 24
Gwen Barrow was looking sorry for herself when she was led into the interview room. Ed Barrow was outside with Sally.
‘We’ll talk later,’ Isaac said to the two of them as he walked through with Larry Hill.
‘Mrs Barrow, you’ve been charged with attempted murder,’ Isaac said, after dealing with the formalities.
‘He had to die,’ Gwen Barrow replied. ‘I had to protect my family.’
‘You could have told us where he was. We could have arrested him.’
‘I needed to see him, to know whether he’s sane or mad.’
‘We need to know how you knew he would be in the hotel.’
‘He phoned me.’
‘We will be checking your phone records. If we find any inconsistencies, it will not be to your advantage.’
‘Will he live?’
‘According to the doctor, he will.’
‘He had phoned Sally; she phoned me. I wanted to see him after he killed Sue Christie.’
‘Why?’
‘He was my husband. I needed to know.’
‘What did he say?’
‘Yes, he admitted to killing her, as well as the others. He would have told me more, but I needed to complete my task.’
‘It was premeditated?’
‘He intended to kill Ed.’
‘What were his reasons?’
‘He thinks he and Sue had sold him out.’
‘Had they?’
‘Probably not, but with Ed, you can’t be sure.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘They were having an affair.’
‘We suspected that. Do you have proof?’
‘A woman doesn’t need proof, she knows.’
‘Did your daughter know your plans?’
‘No.’
Isaac realised that the interview was not going well for Gwen Barrow. The woman was guilty, Malcolm Woolston was in the hospital, and the case was effectively closed. Although Woolston’s motives may have been idealistic, he had still committed murder.
‘Was this the first contact you had with your ex-husband?’
‘Yes.’
‘And Sally?’
‘You’ll have to ask her.’
‘We’d like to hear from you first.’
‘Sally had met him in the park.’
Isaac realised that the two women were guilty of not informing the police about Woolston, but it was probably not enforceable, and under the circumstances a conviction was unlikely.
‘Please tell Malcolm that I’m sorry,’ Gwen Barrow said.
***
DCS Goddard phoned not long after Isaac and Larry left the interview room. ‘Case is wrapped up, a definite conviction,’ he said.
‘I suppose you’re right,’ Isaac said. ‘The man’s not going anywhere, and his wife has admitted to attempted murder, but why?’
‘Isaac, you do this every time. Let sleeping dogs lie. If there’s something else it’s not our business. Just make sure the case for the prosecution is watertight.’
‘There’s more.’
‘You and your department have been mandated to solve homicides. And that’s what you’ve done. If Woolston is mad or whether they were justifiable killings, according to him, you’ve done your job. Just wrap this up and leave well alone.’
***
Sally had been distraught on learning that one of her parents, a self-confessed murderer, was in intensive care in a hospital and the other, her mother, had been charged with attempted murder. In spite of the circumstances of her father’s apparent suicide many years previously, she had led an untroubled life, apart from the usual rebelliousness during her teenage years. And now she had the conflict of divided loyalties for two people that she loved, and the need to recognise the fact that both were under arrest, and neither were likely to be free to walk the streets for a very long time, if ever.
‘Why, mother?’ Sally asked her in a secure room at Challis Street.
‘He intended to kill Ed. I had to stop him.’
‘But shooting my father?’
The two women were sitting on the small, uncomfortable bed. Neither woman was able to deal with the other. Gwen wanted her daughter to leave. If Malcolm had died, it would have been better for all concerned, but it appeared that he would live, which only complicated the situation.
‘He killed Sue Christie, did you know that?’
‘They told me upstairs.’
‘I just wanted it to stop. Your father was never mad, but what he did, disappearing like that, then returning to blight our lives.’
‘Did he explain why?’
‘He blames Ed, and he said Sue was worse. Whatever it is, it had to stop. Can’t you see that?’
‘Not at all. I’ve two parents, both murderers. How do you think this will affect Susie as she grows up, knowing that her grandparents are criminals?’
The two women held hands, not sure what else to say. After ten minutes, Sally left, leaving her mother lying on the bed, her face pressed into the pillow.
‘What did she say?’ Ed asked Sally on her return upstairs. He had grabbed a coffee out of an automatic vending machine. He realised the seriousness of the situation with regards to Gwen, a woman he cared about, and Malcolm, who had been a friend but was now a social leper. The man had killed Sue Christie, and whereas he had not been upset over the deaths of Arbuthnot and Hutton, he was of the woman that he had once loved, once proposed marriage to, made love to on a weekly basis.
Sure, he had known that she had been a smart woman, always playing one man off against another, using her beguiling nature to seduce and discard as she wanted, but she had been loyal to him, even when Malcolm had first been waylaid by Arbuthnot.
He remembered that she had been a softer soul then, concerned that what was happening to a friend in a remote location was wrong. It had taken all his charms to convince her of the necessity, but then he came to know that her concern was an affectation and that what convinced her was the potential money involved.
And then there was her and other men. He knew about the general, a man who should have known better, although he could not blame the old fool. The man and his brother were men who portrayed respectability, the best of British, yet they were always willing to strike a deal with anyone, if it was to the country’s benefit or theirs.
Sally felt guilt in that she had set up the meeting between her parents, hoping that it would resolve issues, not knowing that her mother, the one constant in her life, was contemplating a violent action. And now all she had was Ed, but he wasn’t her real father. That man was lying in a hospital bed.
‘I’d like to see my father,’ Sally said to Isaac when he spoke to her at the station.
‘I’ll need a statement first as to how you knew how to contact your father.’
‘And then?’
‘I’ll see what can be arranged.’
Isaac looked over at Ed Barrow. ‘Did you know about this?’
‘Not at all. It’s a mess.’
‘Murder always is. Invariably it’s the innocent who suffer the most.’
‘That’s us,’ Barrow said.
Sally at least, Isaac thought. He still had his doubts about Barrow.
***
Over the course of a few days, Malcolm Woolston’s condition continued to improve. He had been formally charged with the murders of Bob Robertson, Sue Christie, Harold Hut
ton, and George Arbuthnot. As he had freely admitted to their slayings, he had no difficulty in signing a confession to that effect. Richard Goddard was delighted, and had been the first to phone Commissioner Davies with the good news. Also, Gwen Barrow had been charged and transferred out to a prison pending trial, bail refused.
Isaac had a nagging feeling that all was not right. He had wrapped up the case, dealt with the case for the prosecution, collated all the evidence, interviewed all the people intimately involved and those on the periphery.
‘What is it?’ Larry asked. He had seen his DCI sitting in his chair, eyes closed, thinking.
‘We still don’t understand why.’
‘Is it important?’
‘Probably not, but Woolston’s still in the hospital, and he shows no guilt for his actions.’
‘It’s not for us to psychoanalyse the man.’
‘I agree. And then his former wife attempts to kill him. A woman with no history of criminal behaviour whatsoever.’
‘DCS Goddard would tell you to leave well alone and just take the credit for wrapping up another investigation.’
‘He’s right, I know that.’
‘Then, with respect, sir, drop it.’
‘What causes a man to leave his family? You’ve met Gwen Barrow and their daughter?’
‘Good people, so is the father, apart from what he’s done.’
‘Did we investigate Woolston’s project?’
‘We’re Homicide. Is it relevant?’
‘Not in itself, but Woolston thought it was, otherwise he wouldn’t have put himself through eleven years of purgatory. The man had enjoyed the good life, and then he’s out on the street with all its deprivations.’
‘Personally, I think the man just lost it.’
‘Maybe you’re right. Let’s wrap up the case and take a break for a few days until some other idiot decides to kill someone else.’
‘A few days? More like a few hours judging by our luck.’
A sense of calm reigned in the Homicide department. Final interviews had been concluded with Ed Barrow, Helen Toogood, and Sally. Malcolm Woolston, his condition improving, remained in the hospital, although no longer in intensive care, and he was back on his feet. He was the only person that maintained a level of agitation. Outside his private room at the hospital, the uniforms were stationed on an eight-hour rotating basis, and there was a secure and barred door that isolated the wing from the general hospital. Isaac kept in contact with the man, but he had little to say, other than it wasn’t over yet. Woolston kept reaffirming that his wife was innocent of all crimes and should be released.
The DCI Isaac Cook Thriller Series: Books 4 - 6: Murder (The DCI Isaac Cook Thrillers Series Boxset) Page 40
