False Friends

by False Friends (retail) (epub)

  *

  Sunday morning was showery but towards eleven the showers drifted away and the sun strengthened. Lowri and Kitty decided to risk taking tables and chairs into the garden. Stella arrived soon after they began, bringing baskets of food and flowers for the tables. Lowri had cut the grass the previous day and the geraniums and fuschia bushes, the rambling roses and passion flowers that hid the old fences, gave colour and perfume to the setting that sparkled after the recent rain.

  Dic came early with his daughters, who ran at once to the swing Bob had fixed in an old apple tree, and Colin followed them to make sure they didn’t fall. Kitty was pouring teas from one of the three teapots they were using and Betty Connors was walking around with a plate of food, introducing Alun to those who hadn’t already met him.

  Everywhere he looked people were talking and laughing, contentment on every face. The pleasant garden hummed with murmuring voices, a place where everyone felt at home. ‘Badgers Brook is a wonderful house,’ Lowri said to Dic. ‘It’s impossible to be unhappy here.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ he surprised her by saying. ‘But I think you need to accept your father’s situation and let it go, or even in a beautiful house like Badgers Brook, you could make yourself ill.’

  ‘Rubbish!’ she stared at him in disbelief. ‘How can you think it? Of course I can’t push my father’s injustice aside. He should be here enjoying this wonderful place. If it weren’t for your father, he would be free!’ Leaving him, she busied herself among her guests and avoided him as though he were poison.

  As more friends arrived and the conversation swelled, Lowri looked around to see whether the large platters on the tables needed replenishing, forcing herself to ignore Dic’s stupid remarks. She piled up some plates and emptied others and took the dishes into the kitchen. Glancing out of the window she was surprised to see Marion walking up the path hand in hand with her daughter, Sandra.

  She opened the door and smiled a welcome but her heart was racing. How could she pretend she didn’t know about Ellis when she had seen them together? Avoiding looking at Marion, afraid her friend would see the deception in her eyes, she concentrated on the little girl. She led her down the garden to join Dic’s two girls who were sweet in the care they gave the newcomer. Leaving Marion and the girls, she hurried back to the kitchen.

  She didn’t see the glance exchanged between Dic and Alun and was surprised when Alun made his excuses and left. ‘I have an errand, but I’ll be back before you leave,’ he explained. ‘I borrowed a car from Jake so I won’t be long.’ He took another sandwich, as he left with a wave at Betty.

  With Marion well within hearing distance, Dic said, ‘I called on Farmer Tommy Treweather the other day. Did you know he owned the old hut where your father and mine sometimes stayed when they went fishing?’ he said to Lowri. ‘A bit of a wreck as I remembered it, but someone has repaired it, strengthened the roof that was in danger of being blown away. I walked up there last week to revive a few memories.’

  Marion began to straighten her daughter’s coat, fidgeting with the buttons, Sandra protesting as she struggled to get back to the swing.

  ‘Someone was using it, birdwatchers perhaps. They’d lit the fire,’ Dic went on, ‘and the place was filled with smoke. Something blocking the chimney, no doubt. I think I’ll go up and have a closer look, it might be treasure,’ he said jokingly, making Sarah-Jane’s eyes widen.

  ‘A bird’s nest more like,’ Bob said. ‘Well, I’ll be off in a while. I want to get my front borders dug over if the ground isn’t too wet.’ He and Colin discussed the weather and which seeds they planned to buy for the following season and after a further ten minutes they left. As they were shouting their goodbyes, Marion hurried to the phone box at the top of the lane, dragging a protesting Sandra, and after an impatient wait, observed by Alun, went by taxi back to her mother’s home.

  Alun had borrowed Jake’s van and was soon standing in the place where he had spent many hours in recent days, staring at the door of the hut. He hadn’t dared look inside. If Ellis were there he hadn’t wanted to risk warning him. Ten minutes later he was joined by Bob Jennings. They stood in silence for more than twenty minutes, then they saw Marion approaching. The little girl was no longer with her.

  She went to the hut and, using a key to open the padlock, she went inside. Still they waited but she didn’t come back out and no one else arrived. After a couple of minutes the smoke from the chimney faltered and soon there was only the smallest wisp in the air.

  ‘She’s put the fire out,’ Bob whispered. ‘She must think the blocked chimney is where whatever she’s looking for is hidden.’

  ‘But where’s Ellis Owen?’ Alun muttered.

  After half an hour Marion came out again, looking all around her before locking the door again. Alun raised his binoculars and reported, ‘She has a lot of soot on her arms and face.’

  ‘She’s fastening the padlock, so he isn’t inside,’ Bob muttered. ‘Damn it, we’ve missed our chance.’

  ‘There’ll be another.’ Alun spoke confidently. ‘He still doesn’t know we’re on to him.’

  ‘I still think we should go to the police,’ Bob said.

  ‘I’ve tried and they don’t believe a word of it. Anyway, better we don’t. Things have a habit of getting out so why risk warning him? He must be on the point of getting away and we can’t take that chance.’

  They waited for several hours, Bob sitting on the ground to rest his aching legs, Alun continuing to stand as still as a statue.

  *

  On Monday morning, Alun was back in his usual position on the hill, his binoculars near him, a pack of sandwiches prepared by Betty in an ex-army shoulder bag, together with a flask of coffee. He showed no sign of boredom, content to sit and watch the wildlife around him. Birds became accustomed to him as he was so still, apart from an occasional change of position, and they went about their business, flying to and fro with flying insects or with struggling beetles and worms in their beaks. An adder slowly slithered over his boots once as he stood with binoculars trained on the hut soon after he had arrived.

  At five o’clock on the evening after Lowri’s party, Marion approached, and Alun watched through the binoculars as she unlocked the padlock and went inside. He was tense and expectant but as minutes passed and nothing further happened, he began to relax. His concentration remained focused and he didn’t take his eyes away from the door. It was seven o’clock and dusk was shrouding the scene before he was rewarded.

  A man walked up the hill, casually, stopping to look out to sea just as any walker might do. Alun prepared for disappointment, but suddenly the man changed direction and hurried to the hut, opening the door with a push and stepping down inside. With a speed that would have surprised anyone knowing him, Alun ran to the hut and tried to relock the padlock. His fingers fumbled and it fell to the floor. Pulling with all his strength to hold it closed, he tried again. The door was forced open and with a grunt the man inside pushed him aside and ran off.

  Alun chased after him while Marion screamed. Down the hill, slipping on patches of loose gravel, the two men headed for the road. Alun caught up and threw himself on top of the man. ‘Ellis Owen! At last,’ he panted. Ellis pushed him aside, grasped his wrist and twisted it painfully and in that moment of weakness dug his elbow into Alun’s solar plexus. As Alun, weakened momentarily, tried to hold him, Ellis wriggled out of his grasp and made his escape.

  Alun ran to find Marion. He would have no qualms about holding her and making her talk. The hut was empty, the hearth a mess of ashes and piles of soot, where they had again searched the chimney for Dic’s imaginary object.

  Not only had he allowed Ellis to get away, but Ellis was now warned that his secret was out. With a boat and the supplies he had gathered, he would get right out of the area where no one would find him. Alun had had a second chance and failed, not only himself, but a man he didn’t even know: Jimmy Vaughan.

  He hurried back to the car and drove to te
ll Bob of his failure. He stared at Badgers Brook. Was it his imagination, or was the old house with its dark windows glaring disapproval? ‘Now what do we do?’ he asked, as though it could tell him.

  ‘I’ll go and tell the police the name of the boat that Marion bought,’ he told Bob. ‘It could have been changed, but boat owners often don’t bother, unless it’s to rename it after their wife or their mother. We need to find it and watch it every minute. If, as I suspect, he’s leaving by sea, he’s bound to leave soon now.’

  ‘In the meantime,’ Bob promised, ‘I’ll keep a close eye on Marion.’

  *

  Ellis Owen stood on Mumbles pier, looking down at the water. He was laughing. He had defied the sea, had beaten it at its worst. Nothing would stop him now. Certainly not a man as stupid as Alun Harris. The money was all there now, including what Marion had given him, and it was time to go.

  Even if Lowri stumbled on the diaries in which Jimmy had kept his own records, it would be too late. He’d be out of reach of the police, with a different name and nothing to connect him to his crimes. Besides, no one would be looking for him. ‘Presumed dead’ he mused. It had a fascinating ring to it.

  As the waves moved hypnotically below him, and children’s voices filled the air, he wondered if there was anywhere else he might try to find the incriminating diaries. Then even if the law caught up with him he would be able to swear he’d suffered amnesia since his near-drowning, and he’d be in the clear.

  He turned as a little boy began to cry, begging his mother to give him one more turn on the ride, and he handed him a handful of coins, smiling at the woman’s bemused thanks. ‘My pleasure,’ he said, patting the boy’s curly hair. ‘I’ve got none of my own, more’s the pity.’ Whistling contentedly, he strolled along the promenade and back to his room.

  *

  Marion ran home and began packing her things into a suitcase. Now they would have to leave. Ellis couldn’t risk staying a moment longer. He had told her not to bring too much. Just a few clothes and whatever Sandra would need. They would buy all they needed when they reached their destination in Spain, he promised her.

  She was a bit tearful, knowing she wouldn’t be able to say a proper goodbye to her mother and brothers and sisters. But when they left it would have to be without anyone waving them off. She carried the suitcase down to where the boat was anchored and rowed out in the small boat, her efficiency with the oars due to hours of practice.

  Ellis was such a lover of sport and she was determined to enjoy them with him. Practice at rowing, and swimming, climbing the rocks near the hut, it was all a part of loving him, wanting to share every moment with him. The times she’d slipped and fallen down the rocks had been frightening. The second time his hand hadn’t been there to hold her and for a moment she’d thought she would die in the swirling waters below. He’d been so apologetic, almost tearful, and so ashamed of his carelessness. But for one terrifying moment she had doubted him. The delay had been deliberate, she knew that. The memory still made her shiver.

  *

  From the beach Ellis watched the sea gradually moving up towards the land. Later, when the place was quiet, he rowed out with the boat full of fuel cans which he stored neatly and securely. A couple of hours later he went out again, this time with water and food. Dragging it across from the hut was tiring and he wished he’d persuaded Marion to help. But the less she knew now, the better. He looked at the suitcase she had left on board, then stabbed holes in it and threw it overboard. As he rowed back to shore in the twilight, he was whistling contentedly.

  Twelve

  Police Constable Harold Saunders heard about the report of a suspected body being tipped overboard from a boat in the bay and went to where the search was taking place. It was sheer good fortune that the incident was seen and if it weren’t for a man walking his dog on the cliffs, it might have gone undetected.

  Saunders, wearing civvies, stood with a small group of people including police officers and divers and various onlookers, including a newspaper reporter who had been notified by the man who had informed the police.

  The divers came to the surface a few times and shook their heads, then there was a shout and all focus was on the area where two men in the water were signalling to the boat.

  Some people drifted away slowly, glancing back from time to time as though afraid of the sight they expected to emerge yet unable to ignore it. Others drew as close to the landing area as the police would allow. Saunders stood and waited, binoculars to his eyes. A diver emerged and a conversation ensued before he went back down with a line.

  Harold guessed from the signals and the lack of excitement that there was no body, and he wasn’t as surprised as the rest when a suitcase arose, dripping, to the surface and was transferred to the boat.

  News spread, conjecture interspersed with fact, and by evening the whole town knew of the recovery of the suitcase, each person adding their own opinion for its discovery as the news went from one to another.

  It was Lowri who told Marion, who had come to the post office to send off some letters. ‘There were clothes belonging to a woman and a little girl,’ she said, having been told this by the police. Ashen-faced, Marion ran from the shop. With a nod of agreement from Stella, Lowri ran after her.

  ‘Marion, please wait, if you know something about Ellis Owen, please, please tell me.’ She grabbed Marion’s arm and held her back, turning her to face her. ‘Marion, my father’s in prison for a theft he didn’t commit and is suspected of murdering that man you’re protecting.’

  ‘I don’t know Ellis Owen. Why do you think I’m protecting him?’

  ‘Alun Harris saw you together. You were searching the hut for something after he’d hinted that there was a blockage in the chimney. He tricked you and you fell for it, you and Ellis.’

  ‘Fell for what? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Someone’s been telling you a lot of lies and you fell for them!’

  ‘Please, Marion. If you’ve any compassion, please help me find him.’

  ‘All right, I’ll make you believe me. I’ll bring my secret lover, as you call him, to Badgers Brook tonight. Then will you accept that I don’t know anything about this Ellis Owen?’ She pushed angrily against Lowri and ran off. Lowri watched her jump on a bus and find a seat but she didn’t look back. The bus would take Marion back to her mother’s house and Lowri hoped that was where she was going.

  Lowri ran to The Ship and Compass and asked to use the phone, not wanting Stella’s customers to overhear her conversation. Trembling and confused by Marion’s promise to reveal her mysterious friend, she had to tell Dic of the latest developments.

  ‘I’ll get my occasional help Jessie to stay in the shop, arrange with my mother to look after the girls and then I’ll come down,’ he promised.

  ‘Where’s Alun, at the boatyard?’ Lowri asked Betty, after explaining what had happened.

  ‘No, he’s watching the hut. He’s convinced that whatever happens next, it will be somewhere in that vicinity. After losing everything to that man and being given a second chance of catching him, he’s furious that he allowed him to get away. He’s determined not to let him escape another time.’

  ‘An interesting man, isn’t he? When I first saw him at Jake’s yard I found him a bit frightening, so large and silent, and with his face hidden by that unruly grey beard, but when he spoke, and I looked at him properly, I saw a gentle, kindly man.’

  ‘He’s a great help to me here. I know he’s capable of being much more than a barman, but I admit I wish he’d stay. Over the past year I’ve had many assistants, but each seemed worse than the last, except Daphne Boyd, who went to live in France, and Teifion Dexter, who runs the estate agents on the high street. It’s a wonderful job running this place, it’s all I’ve ever wanted out of life, but I do need reliable help.’

  ‘Perhaps he’ll stay.’

  ‘Unlikely. He’s a fine chef apparently, and he owned his own restaurant, until Ellis stole it fr
om him. How can he be expected to stay here and help in the bar? Lovely if he did, mind,’ she sighed.

  *

  Marion was upset but she couldn’t see Ellis and demand an explanation. He must have thrown her clothes overboard. He was leaving without her. She went to some of the places she knew he frequented but there was no sign of him. Calming down, needing to believe in him, she began to imagine other reasons for the case with her belongings being dropped from the boat. None of them were convincing, but they made her want to believe in whatever story he told. If only she could see him, talk to him, allow herself to be reassured. She didn’t know what she’d do if he let her down. Gradually she convinced herself he would not.

  *

  Alun was on the cliffs, crawling towards the edge and trying to look at the sea below. Because of the inward curve of the rocks and the impossibility of stretching out without risk of falling, he couldn’t see where the sea touched the land. What he did see were some marks that mystified him. In several places there were indentations and scrapes in the turf near his hands and similar marks in the sparse greenery on ledges a little below him, as though ropes had been sliding over them. Something was happening here and it was here he had to stay.

  It was tempting to run to where Marion’s family lived and hopefully see her and follow her. He had no doubt that she was helping Ellis Owen. But if they were in this together, and preparing to leave, why had the man discarded her suitcase? The witness had said it had been thrown over, not dropped by accident – he had been quite clear about that, and to Alun, that only meant one thing. Ellis was planning to leave without Marion and very soon.