The Hanging Tree

by Geraldine Evans

  As though to demonstrate this fact, Jenny, hips swaying, sashayed slowly across the room and sat on the arm of her mother's chair, where she commenced a provocative swinging of one bare and slender leg. 'What are they doing here?' she asked her mother, as she appraised Llewellyn with such a steady, under-the-lashes stare of admiration that his ears began to turn bright pink.

  With a restraint obviously born from plenty of practise, Ellen Kemp merely commented, 'These are policemen, darling. I can't imagine they'll be here long.'

  'Pity,' Jenny said, continuing to stare moony-eyed at the discomfited Welshman.

  Across Ellen Kemp's face passed a succession of emotions; irritation, affectionate exasperation, resignation and finally, determination. 'If you've got nothing better to do, why don't you take the post to the mailbox?'

  'What's the rush?' Jenny countered. She removed her gaze from Llewellyn for long enough to assess and dismiss the table with its piles of leaflets and already filled envelopes and said, 'There's nothing there that can't wait.'

  As Jenny showed no inclination to leave, her mother was forced to resort to bribery. She dug in her pocket and said, 'Here's twenty pounds. Why don't you and Cindy go to the pictures? You said you wanted to see that new romantic comedy.'

  'Trying to get rid of me, Mum?' Jenny asked. However, the bribe worked, because she took the heavy-handed hint and the crisp note, pushed herself up from her mother's chair and, after picking up the post, swayed her way back to the door. 'All right, I'll make myself scarce. Maybe I'll go to see Aunt Beth later. Her place can't be any more dreary than this house and maybe I might be able to cheer her up.'

  'I don't think that's a good idea, Jenny. She could do without your particular brand of cheering at the moment.'

  Jenny shrugged.

  'And remember what I said about going with Cindy. I don't want you going on your own.'

  Jenny pulled another face as she made for the door again. 'Honestly, Mum, the entire world isn't populated by dirty old men in raincoats, you know. Though to hear you—'

  'Please, Jenny, just do as I ask.'

  Jenny flounced her way out, though she paused for long enough as she passed Llewellyn to say, 'Ciao' and blow him a kiss. The front door slammed behind her leaving a strained silence, which, after a moment, Rafferty broke. He gestured at the unnoccupied settee, and asked, 'Okay if we sit down?' Sinead Fay nodded. 'As I said, we wanted to talk to you about the murder of Maurice Smith.'

  Interestingly, none of the women made a comment about his death. Given their frequent outbursts in the press about the leniency of the Courts in dealing with rapists and other violent criminals, he'd have expected a "good riddance", at the very least, and it was revealing that they chose to remain silent. He guessed Jenny's behaviour had not only embarrassed them, but had also to an extent taken the wind out of their sails. He decided to take advantage of it by launching a surprise attack.

  'I wonder, Ms Fay, if you can tell me what your car was doing parked by the victim's flat from last Wednesday morning to Thursday evening?'

  There was a moment's electrified silence. But something about Rafferty's body language or choice of words must have given him away, for Ellen Kemp told them calmly, 'You're mistaken, Inspector. Sinead's car was parked in my garage all last week.'

  Rafferty admired her coolness. Assuming it was the same car and it had been parked there for the reason he suspected, she was taking a chance that nobody had noted the number. Still, it was a calculated risk and he doubted Ellen Kemp ever did anything without calculating the odds. It was probably the character trait that had made her a successful businesswoman. And she had had several days since Smith's murder to plan her answers.

  A small voice of caution whispered in his brain that they'd hardly have parked the car outside Smith's flat if they'd been planning to murder him, and he as quickly riposted that murder mightn't have been the plan, merely the result. Having witnessed the pragmatic means she had used to remove her wayward daughter from the room, he doubted Ellen Kemp was fanatical enough to incriminate herself deliberately or to allow the other two to do so. A woman of her spirit would find the restrictions of a long prison sentence unendurable.

  He questioned her further 'You say Ms Fay's car was in your garage?' She nodded. 'Can you explain why?'

  'It's simple enough. It was playing up. It's quite an old car and Sinead was tired of being ripped off by male mechanics and having to put up with their sexist comments. She knows I'm quite good with cars, so she asked me to have a look at it.'

  'And you didn't take it out at all?'

  'Well, of course I took it out. I had to give it a test run to make sure I'd cured the problem. But I only took it round the block. Nowhere near Smith's flat.'

  'You know where he lived, then?' he quickly asked and she answered equally quickly.

  'I should imagine the whole world knows by now. Or don't you read the papers, Inspector?' Rafferty began to see where Jenny got her pertness from; they took different directions, that was all. 'I had no idea where he lived before his death.' She met his eyes as though daring him to contradict her. 'I had no reason to. None of us did.'

  Rafferty nodded. Hoping their investigations would reveal whether she was telling the truth or not, he gestured to Llewellyn to take over the questioning; possibly, his more low-key technique would get through their defences. Besides, he wanted a few free moments to study their faces.

  As though suspecting she might be a weak link, Llewellyn turned first to Sinead Fay. 'I understand you and Ms Kemp and Ms Anderson here, have recently broken away from the main Rape Support Group organisation,' he began. 'Can you tell me why that was?

  When she answered, it was clear she had taken her guide from the older woman's responses. 'Are you saying you don't know?'

  'We don't operate on hearsay, Ms Fay,' Llewellyn told her mildly. 'I'd like to hear it from you.'

  She shrugged. 'They'd become a bunch of bleeding heart liberals, writing polite little letters to their MPs, asking them to do something about the rising levels of rape.'

  Llewellyn had been wise to put his questions to Sinead Fay, Rafferty realised. Because, although she made an attempt to lose the "rant" from her voice, as she continued, she was unable to keep it up.

  'Asking!' Her blue eyes were scornful. 'They should have been demanding, not asking. Making the cause front page news, not—'

  'How?' Rafferty immediately asked. He was quickly interrupted.

  Sinead,' Ellen Kemp's voice held a warning note. 'I'm sure they don't want to listen to all this.'

  'Oh, but we do,' Rafferty assured her. He turned back to Sinead Fay, 'How?' he asked again. From his pocket he pulled a photocopy of the threatening letter he had found in Smith's sideboard. Holding it in front of him, he leaned forward challengingly to encourage an incautious response. 'By “outing” the rapists? Was that how you planned to get banner headlines?'

  Or had they planned an even more newsworthy publicity campaign? he wondered. Sinead Fay, for one, seemed fanatical enough for anything and Ellen Kemp might have been unable to restrain her. If so, Sinead must be very pleased with her efforts. The story of Maurice Smith's "execution" had filled the front page of every newspaper in the country.

  For a moment Sinead Fay's eyes glowed with something akin to triumph and Rafferty was sure she was going to confess to Smith's murder. But then, as Ellen Kemp frowned at her, the fanatical light faded and she drew back. He could almost see the shutters go down.

  'I just told you how,' she said flatly. 'By hounding as many MPs as we could, by making their lives a misery until they agreed to take up our cause. As for that letter, it's nothing to do with us. I've never seen it before.' The other two echoed her statement.

  With an apologetic shrug, Rafferty gestured to Llewellyn to resume the questioning.

  'Yet, I understood from Mrs Nye that all three of you proposed the idea of an “outing” campaign here in Elmhurst. Are you saying that's not the case?'

  As though
concerned that Sinead Fay might let herself be goaded into making further provocative statements, Ellen Kemp answered. 'No. She's merely saying that we haven't organised such a campaign.' As though anxious to take their interest away from her outspoken friend and on to herself, she continued, 'But maybe an “outing” campaign is what's needed to make the authorities sit up and take notice. Women have always been too quiet, too undemanding about the things that affect them. That's why their needs are so often ignored. They should take their cue from the AIDS lobby.'

  The other two were nodding. Obviously, Rafferty reflected, this was a much discussed issue.

  Although she kept her voice level, her feelings in check, it was evident that Ellen Kemp felt every bit as strongly as the younger woman. 'Do you know how much money and help the AIDS campaigners have had showered on them?' she asked. 'All right,' she admitted, 'many people would say it's a worthy cause. But then, so is helping the victims of rape. So is doing something about the level of sexual assault.' She leant forward as though to convince them. 'Apart from financial input from the government, the AIDS campaign get film stars hosting charity dinners, rock stars throwing charity concerts. What do rape victims get? You know the answer yourself — pretty pastel rape suites in police stations if they're lucky; a few pot plants to give the impression that the powers that be give a damn about women's fears.'

  Ellen Kemp rose, walked to the table and picked up a selection of the RSG leaflets and handed them to Rafferty. 'I suggest you read these, you'll find all the facts in there. Were you aware, for instance, that over 20,000 women and girls are raped or sexually assaulted in this country every year? - and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more who never report it. A fifth of the victims are under sixteen; little girls, Inspector. Vulnerable little girls, just like Smith's victims. Easy prey for rapists, of course, that's why they target them. They can be pretty sure that the ordeal of testifying in court will deter most of them from seeking justice. Understandable, of course, when you know how their courage is rewarded by the – mostly male – legal system.’

  She opened a leaflet and began to read, her voice matter-of-fact rather than ranting. 'Take just one year — 1991 — more than 4,000 women and girls reported rape to the police and just 559 men were found guilty. Roughly one in eight. With time off for good behaviour, most of them were out in very few years. It's their victims who got the life sentence.'

  Rafferty knew what she said was true. It often angered him; he had a mother, sisters, nieces. Maybe one day, he'd even have daughters. He knew the terrible, life-long damage such assaults inflicted, the shattered lives, the mental trauma, the vanished confidence, that was so often the victim's lot.

  Some, like the Walker's daughter, committed suicide. He could understand the women's anger, their determination to do something. He frequently felt the same way. That was the trouble.

  But he knew he couldn't afford to show his weakness. These women were suspects in a murder case, and it would be as well for him to remember it. Now, thrusting aside his instinctive sympathies, he said bluntly, 'I'm aware of all this, Ms Kemp. But I'm only a policeman. I just try to catch villains. And whatever Maurice Smith did or didn't do, and whether I like it or not, I have the task of finding his killer. Now, perhaps you could tell me where you all were on the evening of Thursday 18 December, when we understand Maurice Smith was murdered.'

  'Certainly. We were here. We were all here.'

  'All evening?' She nodded.

  As an alibi, it was far from convincing. Rafferty was beginning to think of them as The Three Musketeers – one for all and all for one. He'd made a bad mistake in speaking to them together like this. Next time he'd make sure he spoke to each of them alone; that way the wiser head of Ellen Kemp would be unable to restrain Sinead's hotter one.

  'What about your daughter? Was she here, too?'

  Ellen Kemp's smile was ironic. 'No. As you saw, my daughter prefers ogling men to getting involved with her mother's campaigns. She spent that entire day at her friend Cindy's house and slept over. Check, if you like.' She supplied the address of her daughter's friend and sat back.

  They were too much on their guard for Rafferty to imagine they would get much more out of them today and, recognising the futility of continuing the interview, he stood up to go. But he was more than ever convinced they were involved.

  'They sent that letter,' he said to Llewellyn as they walked down the path. 'I'm sure of it. It would explain why they were outside Smith's flat – probably scared he'd do a bunk so they were taking turns on guard duty. Making sure he didn't get a chance to escape whatever punishment they had decided on. We already know that from where they were positioned they would have had a good view of both entrances of Smith's place. They'd have seen anyone going in or out, especially as there are street lamps within a few yards of back and front. If they didn't kill Smith, the odds are they know who did, so let's work from there. Who, exactly, are Sinead Fay and her friends likely to try to protect?'

  'Smith's young victims, obviously.'

  'Not Stubbs and Thompson?'

  'I can't see someone like Sinead Fay putting herself out to protect policeman, even ones who had supplied them with information. I'm sure, like the other women, they would have thought the two men more than capable of looking after themselves.'

  'What about Frank Massey?'

  Llewellyn hesitated. 'More difficult. He's what you might call a halfway-house as far as they're concerned. A victim of sorts, but again, I think it likely they'd feel that as a grown man he would be capable of protecting himself; even more so as he's already had one spell in prison. Whereas Smith's victims proper are still very young, possibly naive.'

  Rafferty nodded as they got in the car. 'That's what I thought. We'll have to check with the neighbours. Put Hanks on to it. It's possible the neighbours noticed any comings or goings from Fay's house during the evening.'

  He didn't hold out much hope. The neighbours on one side were an elderly couple. It was another dull, dismal day and, like many people they had their living room light on. He had noticed them on their arrival. The television had been on and plates of brunch in their laps, already engrossed in the day's viewing that probably continued till they went to bed. Perhaps they'd have more luck with the people on the other side.

  'Get Hanks to check out Ellen Kemp's garage at the same time,' he added. 'If, as she says, Sinead Fay's car was there last week, her own vehicle could well have been parked on the street. The neighbours would have noticed and remarked on it, if so. After all, who's going to leave their car outside these icy mornings and give themselves the chore of scraping the frost off the windscreen if they don't have to? Better get him to check that she was telling the truth about the daughter, too, though she seemed too confident about that to be lying.'

  Llewellyn nodded, then added, 'I was thinking.' Rafferty waited. 'Mrs Penny, Smith's landlady, said she rarely goes out in the evening. Don't you think it's strange that she should go out on the night Smith was murdered?'

  Rafferty glanced at him, pleased that he was ahead of his sergeant. It was unusual at this stage of an investigation. 'Perhaps you should put that the other way round? Strange that Smith should be murdered on the night she goes out. It's clear that whoever killed Smith knew the flat downstairs would be empty that evening and made use of the knowledge. Forensic found traces of blood on the fire stairs at the back of the building, and we found a navy thread, which presumably came from his blue and maroon tracksuit.'

  Although they were still waiting to learn whether the blood and tracksuit threads had been Smith's, Rafferty felt it probable. He also felt they had enough evidence to guess what had happened.

  'Getting a body, even a light one like Smith's, down those fire stairs is unlikely to have been a silent operation, so whoever killed Smith would have been keen to know the downstairs flat was unoccupied that night. Go and see Mrs Penny later today, Dafyd. Find out who knew she'd be going out. Ask her when she mentioned it to Smith.
You might also ask around and see if anyone noticed a strange car parked behind the house. We know the lock on the back gate was forced, recently too, as the wood is still clean; all the evidence points to the body being taken out that way. I reckon whoever killed him backed their vehicle onto the hard-standing, using the gate to conceal it. Then they walked round to the front, got the onceover from Smith via his spyhole, was let in, and killed him, bundling his body into a rubbish bag and down the back stairs.'

  'Pretty cold-blooded.'

  'Don't they say revenge is a dish best eaten cold?'

  Llewellyn frowned, then reminded him, 'According to his landlady, Smith was very careful about opening his door to strangers. Understandable, of course; he'd had to move from his previous address when a sharp-eyed neighbour recognised him and caused trouble. With this “outing” threat, he'd have been even more cautious, especially when his friendly landlady was out for the evening. He must have felt he had nothing to fear from whoever he opened his door to. So — who would be likely to fall into such a category?'

  Rafferty provided the obvious answer. 'Police, family, old friends – if any exist. Though, as Mrs Penny said he had no friends that just leaves the police and his own family.'

  'Jes Bullock, you mean.'

  Rafferty nodded. 'He'd certainly stand further questioning, though to be frank, I can't see the ladies of the RSP protecting such a man. Still, something's eating at him, I'm sure of it. We'll go and see him again this evening, as soon as we're free,' Rafferty decided.

  Thoughtfully, Llewellyn put forward another possibility. 'You said, other than his family, Smith would be most likely to open the door to a uniformed officer, like Thompson. If we take that together with Mrs Nye's information that she thought maverick policemen were supplying Sinead Fay and her friends with information on possible “outing” targets, Thompson may well have left a computer trail behind him.'

  'Doubt it. No, if Thompson has been supplying the breakaway RSG women with information, either the information he obtained wasn't taken from a traceable source like a computer, or he got someone else to access it for him. That's another area to look into. You're the computer buff, can I leave you to check that out?'