The Green Room

by Faith Mortimer

  It was then I learnt the full story, and as I listened, I was filled with such a sense of loss and despair, a huge lump formed in my throat. If only I had had the strength to believe Tim from the start. I should have recognised the man for what he stood for: integrity and good plain justice.

  “I’m sure he’ll want to tell you this himself, but it’s impossible at the moment, as you know,” Pete explained before he began. I did know and the thought chilled me. Tim was arrested for the Michael’s murder and was awaiting trial, and it all hinged on the gun.

  ***

  Eventually, I was allowed home, although not back to work, as my arm was still in plaster, and back then, I was still terrified of my own shadow, my moods swinging from depression to relief. I slept in my old room in my parents’ apartment, and it was filled with flowers and get-well cards from friends and well-wishers. Teresa was the only person I allowed to visit, and she said Liam was anxious to see me, although he understood it was too soon. I nodded and whispered I would let her know as soon as I felt strong enough. Mum and Dad were solicitous to the extreme, blaming themselves for ever doubting that ‘nice man upstairs’ and for leaving me to go to Bournemouth that weekend.

  “Don’t,” I said when they were once again berating themselves until I was sick of it. Some time had passed, and I was feeling stronger every day, including getting my fears and mind more under control. I also wanted to be free of medication as soon as possible. “Michael was clever and devious, getting you to believe him. Me too. He had it all worked out, and look how he got away with those poor girls’ murders for so long. Maybe the police should have thought about looking closer to home. Michael only ever worked in Surrey. There must have been clues, surely?”

  “Yes, you’d have thought so. And to think how he kept pushing us towards putting the idea of blaming poor Tim. I do feel sorry for him. I hope his barrister is as good as they say he is. He costs enough, apparently.” Mum replied.

  I didn’t say anything. The man representing Tim had a formidable track record and reputation. I learnt he was next in line to sit as a judge and kept my fingers crossed it wouldn’t happen before Tim’s case went to court.

  As soon as I felt able and not likely to burst into tears for no apparent reason, I made an informal appointment to see him, and although he couldn’t talk about Tim’s case per se, he did give me some hope the judge would be lenient. I knew the police were rooting for him, as although Tim killed Michael, they knew the world was a better place without him. Common sense said it all.

  “But what can we hope for?” I asked the barrister. “I understand what Tim did was murder or malice aforethought because he took the gun to protect himself and me, and if he had to, then he was prepared to kill Michael.”

  The lawyer smiled. He proved to be quite affable and approachable, and I felt more relaxed in his presence than I thought I would. I still didn’t like being alone with strange men for any length of time, and Mum and Dad hovered just outside his half-open chambers’ door in case I needed support.

  “Yes, he took the gun. I’m not saying what his plea will be. I can’t. But if it was me on trial, I’d plead manslaughter under mitigating circumstances. In other words, using extreme provocation as a special defence. Miss Mallory, Ella. Rest assured, I’m an extremely good barrister, and there’s enormous public feeling over this case. Whatever your friend pleads, I’m confident I can obtain a reduced sentence or have the plea reduced to voluntary manslaughter. I believe your friend didn’t really have murderous intent, and I hope I can convince the jury of that. Now, I really can’t say anymore. I wish you the very best, my dear.”

  Tim was detained and in custody. I knew I could visit him while on remand, and as soon as I felt better and composed enough, I planned to go and see him.

  Chapter Fifty-Two - Ella

  I faced Tim across the table. He appeared quite healthy considering, if a little greyer on the temples and possibly slimmer. His eyes still were that fantastic deep shade of blue; incarceration could never diminish that colour or intensity. I never forgot how I felt when Tim had first put his arms around me. I remembered feeling strangely calm, despite the emotional turbulence. I also felt safe, regardless of the simple fact that I was in the arms of a stranger, a man I had only just met. When had my attraction for him started? As soon as I stared into his eyes, I realised. It seemed a lifetime ago.

  “You look fit, a little thinner perhaps,” I began.

  His mouth stretched into a smile which lit up his whole face. “Thank you for coming, although I’d have preferred our first meeting not to be here. How are you?”

  I took some time to answer. How did I really feel? Relieved? Happy to be alive? I still felt scared in darkened rooms and slept with a low-wattage light bulb on the bedside table. I knew I would never voluntarily venture into a cellar again.

  “Better.” I touched my nose. “Everything’s healing.” But I knew he didn’t mean my external injuries. He meant what did I feel inside?

  I shifted my weight in the hard upright chair and knew I flushed as I glanced away. He reached for my hand and then thought better of it. How would I have really felt if we were alone in a room and free to touch and explore not only our minds but each other’s bodies too? I knew I wasn’t ready. Sadly, perhaps I never would be.

  “I expect you’ve heard my story by now.”

  I had, but I was sure I had only heard the bare outlines from Pete. “I’d prefer to hear it from you,” I muttered.

  A spasm crossed his features, and I caught a look so bleak, I almost cried out. “Tell me,” I urged.

  Tim stared at me, his face now expressionless as he struggled to keep his emotions under control. When he spoke his voice was equally lifeless.

  “The photograph which I never replaced in the wall was of my sister, Leanne. It must have been one of your mother’s last photographs, you know. I had kept it to reinforce and remind me what a vile person I was hunting. Leanne was a lovely actress, completely in love with the theatre, and although not long out of drama school, she’d already played a number of roles on the stage. Like many pretty girls of her age, she was headstrong and believed she would make it to the top. One Christmas, I escorted Leanne to a masked charity dinner dance and during the evening met up with an old girlfriend I hadn’t seen in years. She was as charming as she was all those years ago when we were at university, and we spent a lot of that night dancing and talking. My sister became bored and looked round for a little diversion of her own. She met a stranger, and I’m afraid he paid great attention to her on an outside terrace, plying her with too much to drink and generally flattering her. I only remember the stranger’s face because he moved his mask aside for a few seconds to kiss Leanne. They disappeared during the evening, and I searched everywhere for her. She had been enticed away and unfortunately ended up being murdered. I had nothing to give the police except for a vague description of the man Leanne had spent most of the dance with. Enquiries revealed he wasn’t on the guest list and had slipped in unseen and unnoticed with a group of partygoers.

  “My mother was alive at the time, and Leanne’s murder completely devastated her. I swore on my mother’s deathbed I’d never rest until her killer was brought to justice, and I’ve been trying to do that ever since.”

  I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. “How awful. I don’t know what to say.”

  “It was my fault. I should never have been turned by an ex-girlfriend’s charm and pretty face. I should have spent the evening keeping a closer eye on my sister.”

  “You said yourself Leanne was headstrong. You couldn’t have known a killer had slipped in among the guests.”

  “No, but I wasn’t vigilant enough. I felt it was my fault. I took time off work then went back. It was too soon, as I wasn’t coping. Everybody was understanding, but the guilt was mine.”

  He paused as a tremor passed through him. “In the end, I cracked up completely. I felt like I was going mad with grief and guilt. But even knowing tha
t, it still didn’t affect how I felt. I punished myself. Before my breakdown, I had made my promise to my mother and said I’d find Leanne’s killer. But, after I recovered, I knew I couldn’t go back into psychiatry. I felt an impostor. The dead don’t depart easily.”

  I nodded because I couldn’t speak. A huge lump was in my throat.

  “I know I’m not completely to blame. Young women have minds of their own and delight in ignoring their older brothers. But what my heart knew and what my brain was telling me were two different things. Both true but conflicting. I had to punish myself.”

  “It was an appalling thing to happen, Tim, and obviously wrecked your and your mother’s lives. But I understand you can’t forget it, and you shouldn’t try. I’m not as clever as you, not trained to think like you, but I do know one thing. It’s time and kindness that will help. I truly believe we have to rely on those two things because there’s nothing else tangible to get you through. I see you as a good man, and…” I paused as I thought about it. “I believe you should be kind to yourself too. When your wounds begin to heal, why tear them open again?”

  Tim stared at me. “Such thoughts and words. I’m glad we met, Ella Mallory.”

  I smiled and for the first time since my rescue, felt as if a huge weight had lifted from around my heart.

  “So did you suspect Michael all along? Was it pure chance that you came and rented the apartment in Guildford?”

  He shook his head. “Yes to your first question and no to the second. We haven’t time during this visit to go into everything, but believe me I’ve been on Michael’s trail for some months. Being a psychiatrist has its advantages. You see I only saw my sister’s killer for a brief moment when he removed his mask at that charity dance, and I’ve struggled to keep a mental picture of him in my mind. But I followed all the Surrey murders of young women and by simple elimination drew up a schematic picture of where he’d struck and certain details of his victims. I didn’t have enough to go on to approach the police direct, but I do have a pal who works closely with the police…we trained together, and I’ve kept him informed all along. I was able to pick his brains, feed him information and vice versa. We guessed the killer was Surrey-based and wondered if he was connected with the police in some way, as it became obvious he wasn’t from the theatre itself. Too many different scenes of crime, you see. I followed various theatrical groups but there was no common denominator. It was painstaking, but little by little, I came to the conclusion the killer had to have inside knowledge and I knew he’d make a mistake sooner or later. Michael was a clever bastard though. DNA will eventually prove he was responsible for all those poor women’s deaths. And one key thing was you remembering you never mentioned to Michael about discovering a gun in my apartment. He mentioned it to you first. It proves he planted it there because he suspected I was on to him. Such a simple mistake, but it means time and justice will have its reward.”

  Chapter Fifty-Three - Ella: A Year Later

  I waited outside the remand centre in February sunshine. On the dot of the hour, the door opened, and I watched as Tim paused and savoured the moment before walking towards me. It had been a long time in coming: his release.

  Tim was right: time and justice had its reward. Tim was free at last.

  He stopped before me and I felt tongue-tied before this man to whom I owed so much. In fact, I suddenly realised we were indebted to one another. The sun was shining straight in my eyes, a crisp day, perfect sky, crystal clear air in these Surrey hills. I turned my head, slanting my eyes against the glare and stared directly at him. In those precious seconds, I recognised that, as I gazed once more into those deep-blue pools, I was finally where I wanted to be. Home at last.

  The End

  Faith Mortimer

  December 2015

  Please Tweet/Facebook, “The Green Room” once you’ve finished and pass the word on.

  To date Faith Mortimer has written and published:

  ‘THE ASSASSINS' VILLAGE’. (1st novel in The Diana Rivers series). A murder mystery set in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus.

  ‘CHILDREN OF THE PLANTATION’. (2nd in The Diana Rivers series), murder mystery, set in exotic Malaysia during the 1960's and 1950's and the present. Dark secrets threaten to destroy a family.

  ‘THE SURGEON'S BLADE’. (3rd in the Diana Rivers series). This psychological thriller is tense and thrilling and guarantees to keep you on the edge of your seat!

  ‘THE BAMBOO MIRROR’. An eclectic collection of short stories, covering subjects including: ghosts, murder, mystery, romance and greed.

  ‘CAMERA-ACTION-MURDER!’ The 4th novel in the “Diana Rivers” Murder Mystery series.

  'THE SEEDS OF TIME - BOOK 1 of THE CROSSING'. Action-Adventure plus Romantic Suspense. (published June 2012).

  'HARVEST - BOOK 2 of THE CROSSING' Continues from Book 1. Action-Adventure full of romantic suspense. (published July 2012).

  ‘A VERY FRENCH AFFAIR’. Romance, Heartache and Suspense set on the beautiful south coast of France.

  ‘CHILDHUNT’ The 5th Mystery/Suspense Novel featuring Diana Rivers – Children are missing in the depths of an unusually cold Cyprus winter.

  ‘ON DEVIL’S BRAE’ – An Exciting Psychological Thriller set in the wilds of Scotland. – 1st “Dark Minds” Novel

  ‘ON CHRISTMAS HILL (A SEASONAL AFFAIR)’ – Romance blossoms at Christmastide.

  ‘A DEADLY LEARNING’ The 6th Mystery/Suspense Novel featuring Diana Rivers on “vacation” in Portugal

  ‘SANDSTORM IN MY HEART’ a Romantic Novelette

  ‘A VERY ENGLISH AFFAIR’ - A Romantic Novel in the Best Selling Series "A Very…...Affair"

  ‘BEHIND A TWISTED SMILE’ - A Psychological “Dark Minds” thriller

  ‘NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS’ - A Very Seasonal Affair

  ‘A BRUTAL TRADE’ – The 7th Mystery Thriller in the Best Selling “Diana Rivers” series

  All available as eBooks and Paperbacks from your favourite online bookstore

  Find out more about Faith Mortimer and her books at:

  www.faithmortimerauthor.com

  www.facebook.com/FaithMortimer.Author

  http://twitter.com/FaithMortimer