Murder in Time

by Veronica Heley

  Ellie said, ‘Hold on a mo. I want a word with Dan.’

  Dan was waiting in the porch, his car in the drive. A Volvo, safe and steady, like the man himself.

  Ellie said, ‘Just a quickie, Dan. Could you step inside for a moment?’

  He came in and closed the door behind him, his eyes asking Vera what this was all about.

  Ellie said, ‘Dan, is your cousin Sam still around? Do you think I might have a word with him some time?’

  ‘Whatever for?’

  Vera winced. ‘Abdi’s threatening, you know …’

  Dan said, ‘Abdi doesn’t mean it, of course.’

  There spoke the quintessential English gentleman, who would never have thought of descending to such tactics himself. Hadn’t he learned anything about other people in his career as a schoolmaster? Surely, he must have done. He was seeing the world through rose-coloured spectacles at the moment, wasn’t he?

  ‘I’d like to speak to Sam, just in case,’ said Ellie.

  Dan shrugged. ‘I don’t know that he can be much help, as he was in hospital at the time my father was killed.’

  ‘I know, but I’m trying to get a better picture of what went on that night. Sam was older than you, and he might have seen things you wouldn’t have noticed. I’d really like to talk to him and to your old neighbour, Mr Scott, if I can.’

  ‘I don’t see what good it would do. But … well, Mr Scott’s in the phone book. I haven’t seen him for years, but I think I’d have heard if he’d passed away. Sam? He was with a merchant bank in the City, married into the aristocracy, nice woman, I like her. Two children. The last I heard, he’d stopped work to do some research on his family history. He’s loaded, lives in Turnham Green in an architect-designed house and sits on cultural committees. Does a lot of good, unobtrusively. I don’t see much of him nowadays. Perhaps once a year for a drink, that kind of thing.’

  His eyes were on Vera while he talked to Ellie.

  Ellie persisted. ‘Do you have his phone number?’

  ‘I suppose. Are you sure you …? All right. Hang on, I’ll get it for you.’ He accessed his smartphone. He reeled off Sam’s full name, address and phone number, which Ellie repeated and carefully wrote down on the pad by the landline phone.

  He was about to usher Vera out of the house, when Ellie said, ‘Just one more thing, if you don’t mind—’

  He smiled. ‘Or even if I do?’

  ‘Sorry, I realize I’m holding you up. Dan, someone said something … It’s probably nothing, but I wondered if … No, I can’t say it.’

  He lost his smile. ‘Perhaps you’d better say it, before I begin to imagine the worst.’

  Ellie was hesitant. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing. Someone said to look for the lady. I’m wondering if your father had perhaps been, well, looking elsewhere?’

  His lips compressed. He was angry, but controlling himself. ‘Who said that?’

  ‘I’m afraid I was listening to neighbourhood gossip.’

  ‘That’s … hard to take. No, Mrs Quicke, nothing like that was going on.’

  ‘Would you have known if it had been?’

  He looked startled. ‘I … No, you’re right. I suppose I wouldn’t have known. But I don’t think, my father was always so busy …’ His voice trailed away.

  Vera took his arm. ‘Your father wasn’t like that. You boys might not have noticed, but us girls always knew if a man had roving hands, and he didn’t. Quite definitely not.’

  Dan spoke to her, and not to Ellie. ‘Not for young girls. I accept that. But I’m trying to think back … It never occurred to me before that he might have, for an older woman, perhaps …? My mother was a very demanding person.’

  ‘No,’ said Vera. ‘Doctors live life in a sort of spotlight. There would have been gossip—’

  ‘Mrs Quicke says that there was gossip.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Ellie, feeling miserable. ‘I don’t know how reliable it is. Now I’ve made you doubt your memories of your family. I’m so sorry. I wish I’d never started asking questions. Perhaps you are right, and the past is best left undisturbed.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Dan, ‘and no. For years I grieved because I had no closure on my father’s death. For an equal number of years after that, I thought it best to forget it and move on. Now the past has come up and hit me, it’s brought a lot of good with it. I was young and naive then. I couldn’t imagine my parents had any life outside the doors of our house, but of course they did. They must have done. If you turn up something which might be painful for me to hear, Mrs Quicke, then don’t hesitate on my account. You’ve brought me more happiness than I could ever have dreamed of.’ He put his arm round Vera’s shoulders.

  Vera had tears in her eyes. ‘Dan, you’re going too fast for me. Which is not to say I don’t like it.’

  Dan laughed. With a nod to Ellie he led Vera out to his car.

  Would it have been a good idea for Mikey to go with them, to have a look at Abdi’s house?

  Yes, probably. But, if he’d dug in his toes, then that was that. Hopefully, he would be tackling his homework rather than emailing his friends on the computer or watching the telly. Well, you could always hope.

  At that point in time things became even more complicated. The phone rang, and it was Ellie’s difficult daughter Diana, asking – no, demanding – yet another favour.

  ‘Mother, you know I said I’d need you to babysit at the weekend—’

  ‘No, you didn’t, dear.’

  ‘Yes, I did. I told you when I collected little Evan the other day. The au pair has gone down with toothache and is insisting on flying back to visit her own dentist in Germany, can you believe? I told her, I’d pay for her to go my own man, but she’s determined, and when I said I didn’t expect her to leave me in the lurch like this, with a business to run as well, she was, well, not to put too fine a point on it, she was extremely rude.’

  Ellie thought, but didn’t say, Good for her.

  ‘So I’ve shot her out of the house and I can’t get a replacement till Monday, so I shall need cover. The simplest thing would be if you were to move in here to look after him. The au pair’s room is in a bit of a mess but I’m sure you can clean it up and put clean sheets on the bed, there’s plenty in the cupboard, at least there should be, although you can’t trust anyone to do even the simplest things for you nowadays, can you?’

  ‘Sorry, Diana. That is absolutely out of the question. I’m up to here in—’

  ‘I did think you could do just this one thing for me! I don’t often ask you to help me out, now, do I!’

  ‘I’m sorry, Diana. That really is out of the question.’

  A put-upon sigh. ‘Then there’s no help for it. I’ll have to bring baby over to you first thing tomorrow on my way to work. I can pick him up at the end of the day and bring him home for the evening, but then on Saturday I’ll need you to look after him again. He’s got a touch of the runs, nothing serious, but please don’t let him catch another cold as it tends to go to his chest and then we can never get a proper night’s sleep …’

  Ellie didn’t hear the rest of her daughter’s diatribe. How was she going to get to the bottom of the doctor’s murder with a baby hanging round her neck? Much as she loved him. Well, of course she loved him. But at times like this she did feel a little, well, tired.

  Friday morning

  Little Evan was teething. And grizzly. On the plus side, he loved being with Rose, who in turn adored him.

  Ellie had got up early to receive Evan and to bake her solicitor his favourite Victoria sponge. Rose could sometimes still bake the most wonderful light cakes, but every now and then she’d forget to put in the eggs or the baking powder and then she’d weep and say she was no good for anything any more. So Ellie baked while Rose amused Evan, sitting in his high chair. Now and then Rose read out bits from the local paper. Fortunately, the little boy fell asleep a few minutes before Gunnar arrived.

  Ellie’s solicitor was a big man with a big presence. E
llie took him into the sitting room and outlined what had been happening, indicating the pile of papers Vera had left for him to see. Gunnar picked up the first one and concentrated. His lips pinched in and out. In and out. He frowned.

  Ellie offered cake. He ignored her.

  He inspected the rest of the paperwork, seated himself with a huff and a shake of his head. ‘Ellie, where is your friend Vera now?’

  ‘At college, but she’s letting me act for her.’

  Gunnar said, ‘This paperwork … I am not amused. Dear lady, rest easy in your mind. I have heard of this so-called solicitor, a semi-educated, foolish young man, picking up work where he can, mostly dubious claims for whiplash injuries and inflated claims for repairs to cars which have been involved in minor accidents. In short, an ambulance chaser. He parties all night and stumbles through his work all day. No doubt he met up with your Abdi at one of his all-nighters and registered pound signs in his eyes without having the intelligence to check the status of those concerned. If this matter ever comes to court, a half-decent barrister would rip his case apart. Vera did well to return his cheque.’

  ‘Abdi can be forceful. And, perhaps, a little careless with the truth.’

  Seeing Gunnar relax a trifle, Ellie offered cake and tea. This time he accepted but perused each piece of paper again, one by one.

  Ellie kept quiet. Danger, men at work.

  Gunnar held one sheet of paper at arm’s length, as if he feared it might infect him. ‘This threat to have Vera exposed as a murderer. It claims that someone saw a person answering to Vera’s description, arguing with the doctor. The private detective’s name is not given, for a start. A copy of the witness’s statement is not included. His so-called “witness” has not been named, his address has not been given, the reason why he was in that street in the early hours of the morning is not stated, nor the hour at which the encounter is supposed to have taken place. Phooey.’

  ‘But the police would be bound to follow it up if Abdi sent them that report.’

  ‘That is so. Can Vera produce an alibi?’

  ‘Not really. Her father had waited up for her and could have given her an alibi, but unfortunately he’s dead. The only possible defence must be that of the gang rape – which would open a different but equally distressing can of worms.’

  ‘Humph. What is your opinion of this man, Abdi?’

  ‘He’s from a moneyed background and accustomed to thinking he can have whatever he fancies. He wants the boy to back up his position in his family, not because he loves him. Mikey is like him in many ways, though neither of them have yet understood that.’

  ‘Does this Abdi respect the law?’

  ‘Judging from past behaviour, no. Oh, perhaps I shouldn’t say that, because the rape happened twelve years ago, and he might well have matured since then. “I don’t know” is the right answer.’

  ‘Your tone betrays doubt?’

  ‘If Abdi thought he could get away with something, I think he would do so. I imagine he has no compunction about fiddling his taxes. That is, if he pays any.’

  Gunnar leaned back in his chair, which creaked under his weight. He frowned. ‘There have been a number of disturbing incidents concerning the children of mixed parentage. Let us say that the court rules a child is to live with this parent or that. If the parent who’s lost the case whisks the child out of the country, it is difficult if not impossible to get an international warrant in order to trace the child and get him or her returned.’

  Ellie hadn’t thought of that. ‘Ouch. I’ve read about such cases. Heart-rending.’

  ‘You understand that if Mikey were taken abroad, Vera would have little chance of seeing him again?’

  ‘In such a case I would give her money to have him traced and brought back.’

  ‘Somalia is not party to the Hague Convention and therefore there is no legal framework to resolve parental abduction cases. Vera would have no legal case for the return of her child under Somali law, so if she wanted to see Mikey again she’d have to move there herself – once she’d found him, of course. The boy is only twelve?’

  ‘Half-grown. Not particularly tall.’

  ‘Has he his own passport?’

  ‘No, there’s been no money for holidays abroad. How would Abdi manage to take him abroad, without a passport?’

  ‘Dear lady, let us enter the realms of conjecture. Would it be beyond a man of Abdi’s resources to acquire the passport of a boy with a passing resemblance to Mikey? Some cousin’s passport, perhaps?’

  ‘Mikey would fight not to go.’

  ‘He might be made too drowsy to object.’

  Ellie shivered. Gunnar meant the boy would be drugged into acquiescence.

  Gunnar nodded. ‘That is the worst case scenario. Let us now consider how we ourselves might handle the situation. You could ask me to deal with the matter through the courts. You could instruct me to hire a barrister to represent Vera and the boy. The barrister would discover what the boy’s wishes were. If, as you say, the boy wishes to stay with his mother, then the barrister would suggest a compromise. He would argue that the father should have access to the boy for, say, holidays, but that he continue to live with the mother for the rest of the time. He would suggest that the father should pay the mother a certain sum of money, backdated, etcetera, and make her an allowance, etcetera.’

  ‘You think that there is a very real danger that Abdi would ignore the court’s ruling and run off with the boy?’

  ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘Not till you mentioned it, no. We’re not going to have a minute’s peace from now on, are we?’

  Gunnar finished his glass. ‘The other way is simpler. Vera must go to the police and have Abdi arrested for rape.’

  ‘She doesn’t want to do that. Rape victims – particularly gang rape victims – are not treated well by the courts, and she’d have to name the other men as well. She’s reluctant to destroy them.’

  ‘She’s more forgiving than I would be.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  He sighed. ‘Charging Abdi with rape is the only foolproof way I can think of to stop him, though even then …’ He lumbered to his feet. ‘I must get on, I suppose. Tell your Vera to ring me for an appointment as soon as she likes, and we’ll talk it through.’

  ‘The bill comes to me.’

  He inclined his head. ‘Understood. Meanwhile, warn the boy to be on the lookout. Perhaps arm him with a pepper spray? It’s illegal, and you haven’t heard me mention it, but it might save him from a nasty experience.’

  As Ellie showed Gunnar out, noises from the kitchen informed Ellie that little Evan was now awake and demanding attention. He always started with a faint mewing, ‘pp’ for very soft. They could ignore that. The next step was a sort of growling squawk. Not exactly ‘p’ for soft, and – for those who knew what it portended – a signal that worse was to come.

  Ellie hastily made a phone call, noting that ‘p’ was working rapidly up through the decibels. By the time she put the phone down, Evan had progressed to a full-blown, you’d-better-pay-me-attention yell at ‘f’ for forte meaning ‘loud’.

  By the time Ellie reached the kitchen, he was at double forte, eyes fast shut, mouth open so wide that you could see his tonsils. Rose had managed to pick him up, but it was no good. Evan wanted attention, NOW!

  He was also very smelly. Ugh. What had Diana said about him having the runs? Oh dear.

  Ellie coped as best she could. She set about changing him while Rose tottered about trying to get a bottle to the right temperature for him. Ellie tried to master his wriggles. He was big and strong for his age, and his favourite trick was to wait till his nappy was off before squirting wee as high as he could into the air, preferably getting his unfortunate attendant in the eye. And then, as soon as he had a clean nappy on, to perform again, both ends at once.

  By the time he’d been spoon-fed some of his favourite dinner and had his bottle, he had to be changed again. Both Ellie and Rose were wrecked.
And so was the kitchen.

  Evan was still not a happy bunny. He was winded, burped and crooned to. They took it in turns to walk him up and down while the other had a quick bite to eat. Evan quite liked the soothing movement of being walked up and down, but the moment they stopped, he squirmed and yelled.

  Rose was ready to drop. She usually had a nap after lunch.

  Ellie said, ‘The only thing is to keep him moving. I’d walk him round the block in his pushchair if I wasn’t expecting a visitor.’ She put him in his buggy, strapped him in despite his protests, and jiggled it up and down till he subsided, great eyes staring up at the ceiling. The moment she stopped jiggling, his mouth opened.

  Rose was fighting to stay awake. She said, ‘Shall I take over?’

  ‘You go and have your rest.’

  Ellie rocked the buggy to and fro, keeping an eye on her watch. If she could only get Evan to sleep before her visitor arrived! He’d said he was going to be in the neighbourhood, something to do with a local archive that he needed to consult. Evan was almost quiet, sucking his lips on the air. A pity Diana didn’t believe in dummies. Well, Ellie didn’t, either. Except in emergencies. And this was an emergency.

  The doorbell rang, and Evan started awake and yelled. Was he smelly again? No? Thankfully.

  Ellie got the door open, continuing to jiggle the buggy with one hand.

  A tall, spare, pleasant looking man with a beak of a nose stood there. ‘Mrs Quicke?’ His eyes went to the baby, but he was too polite to remark on his existence.

  ‘My grandson. My daughter’s busy today, and he … Oh dear, the moment I stop moving …’

  He had a nice smile. ‘I remember it well. My first was a contented little chap, but the little girl … Let me.’ He took the pushchair from her and somehow – was it the male touch? – Evan directed his gaze at the newcomer and seemed to approve what he saw. He even managed a smile.

  ‘I’m Sam, by the way. Dan’s cousin. You wanted to see me, and I said I’d be in the area but I’m afraid I really haven’t time to stop. I’m due in the Broadway in fifteen minutes, and I haven’t the car today.’