‘What an exciting, fact-filled life you lead – thought you’d want to be getting away from statistics, not adding irrelevant ones like that to the bag. How’s your day gone?’
She sat herself on the edge of his neat and tidy desk. ‘Mediocre. You?’
‘Same. I’m now seeing Susan Porter tomorrow. She was at work when I rang and working this evening, too.’
‘Well, I met up with Dave Coleman, the DI on the Lytton case – the guy who fell under the train? He said one witness had said there’d been a man in a hoody standing between him and Gary Lytton on the edge of the platform before he fell, and he said Lytton looked at the man and seemed to take a step backwards, like in fear, just as the train was coming in. But he said everything happened so quickly he never actually saw what happened. Apparently, Covent Garden was heaving – they’d had to close the station the previous day because it was so jam-packed – and he said it was just as crowded the day of the accident. He felt Gary Lytton step backwards and fell, but he couldn’t swear to it. He was adamant he didn’t actually see him being pushed, though. He said that by the time the police arrived, the chap in the hoody had gone. I also found out that Lytton went to Covent Garden every Saturday. His dad has a stall in the crafts market and he used to help out at weekends, so it wouldn’t have been difficult for someone to track his moves if they wanted to.’
Harry scratched his chin, giving it some thought.
‘One other thing,’ Beth added. ‘I revisited the neighbours like you said, and one lady who lives across the road and knows the Lazards confirmed what she said to the police – that she’d nipped over to borrow some milk from Ken and Maggie at around two-thirty and some woman she didn’t know answered the door. When she’d asked to speak to Ken and explained why, the woman told her that he was in the middle of serving up lunch and couldn’t come to the door, but that she knew for a fact they were short of milk themselves as Ken had used nearly all of it to make the custard. From the description the neighbour gave of the woman, it did sound very much like Kath Wilkins.’
‘Okay, so we know she was there. But we still don’t have proof that Ken was. I remembered something last night … There’s an alleyway at the back of those gardens if I remember correctly. He could have slipped out if he wanted to.’
‘Almost impossible to prove, though.’
Harry sighed. ‘Yes it is, and I’ve had enough for one day.’
He scraped his chair back and reached for his jacket on the back of the door. ‘Now I’ve got to go and sort my parents out. Try to stop them from banging my grandmother into hospital.’
‘Are things that bad?’
‘She’s going downhill fast.’
‘I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do?’
‘Thanks, that’s kind of you, Beth, but there’s nothing. We’ve known for a while it’s coming – but it’s happening so quickly it’s taken us by surprise.’
The first thing he did when he got home was to go and see his grandmother. She hadn’t improved any – the swelling was still grotesque and worse than that, he got the distinct impression that she’d shut down. Given up.
‘What did the doctor have to say?’ he asked her gently.
‘Hospital,’ she whispered back. ‘I don’t want that, Harry.’
‘I know you don’t. They can’t force you, Gran.’
‘Won’t need to.’ Her voice was so weak. ‘It’s what Helen wants, too. It’ll happen.’ She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him on the pillow. She let out a wheezing breath and said in the same feeble voice. ‘I’m tired and I hurt. Go.’
The rejection Harry felt in that one word was devastating. She couldn’t have made it any plainer how much she felt he was letting her down. For a moment he sat there, looking at her familiar features so drawn with pain now, knowing he could simply lift the pillow and place it over her face and there’d be no struggle. She’d welcome it.
He couldn’t do it.
He rose from the bed. ‘I’m not giving up on you, Gran,’ he said in a clear voice.
And then he completely shocked himself by putting into words what he knew, deep down, he’d never really doubted. ‘And if I have to, I’ll do what you want.’
Downstairs, his mother was dishing up the food. He was aware of her quick scrutiny before she declared. ‘Roast lamb, your favourite. You must be hungry after your long day.’
It was the last thing he felt like, but they’d delayed eating until he’d got back.
‘Thanks.’
‘Busy day?’ his father enquired. Harry knew the tactic well. His father had become very adept over the years at being the peacemaker in the family, sensing when situations needed diffusing – and Harry had mixed emotions about it, acknowledging that, although at times it had come in useful, it had also left numerous disagreements unresolved.
But it wasn’t going to work tonight. He waited until they were all seated and had taken their first mouthfuls before broaching the subject of his grandmother.
‘So what did Dr Roe have to say?’
‘It wasn’t Dr Roe who came in the end.’ His mother’s tone was defensive. ‘He apparently had an emergency call to go to and then a meeting. It was a locum that came.’
‘Oh great.’
‘She was very nice and very efficient. But she did feel that Gran would be better off in hospital where they can monitor her properly and look after her. And I have to say I agree with her, Harry. There may even be something they can do to help her rally–’
‘No.’
Harry slammed his knife and fork down with a clatter, then tempered his voice when he saw the look of shock on his mother’s face. ‘Jesus, Mum, just look at her. She’s not going to rally – she’s dying. Anyone can see that. And Dr Roe knows it, too. He wouldn’t be saying she should go to hospital. She’s already made it perfectly plain to him that she doesn’t want that, and he made it quite clear to us that we could deal with things here.’
‘Harry, there’s a lot to organise if she stays at home, and she might not even live long enough for it all to be put in place. I’m sorry, darling, it’s just too upsetting and too much to think about.’
‘Then I’ll take time off tomorrow and work from home, and I’ll organise it.’
His mother’s face set in an obstinate line. ‘There’s no need for that. I’m her daughter and I’m home now. I’ll do whatever needs doing.’
‘Fine, then I’ll give you the number for the hospice team and between them and the surgery, they can get things organised.’
‘Harry, I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.’ His mother’s voice broke. ‘I don’t want to have her here at home – she’s my mother, and it’s tearing me up, the thought of sitting here watching her die. It’s too upsetting.’
And that was the crux of it, he thought viciously. As always, it was about what she could deal with, what she wanted – nothing to do with what his grandmother needed in her last few days. Years of resentment came bubbling to the surface – resentment he hadn’t even realised he harboured until this moment.
He pushed his plate away, all pretence of appetite gone, and stood up. ‘No, Mum, it’s you who doesn’t understand what I’m saying. You don’t get it, do you? It’s not about you and how upset you are. It’s about Gran and what she wants in her final days. Have you ever sat down and had that conversation with her? Have you ever sat down with her and had a meaningful conversation about anything?’
‘Harry, that’s enough.’ It was his father’s voice, but Harry was too angry to heed anyone. ‘I shouldn’t think you can even remember the last time you and Gran really talked,’ he said. ‘If you had, you’d know that she’s terrified of dying in an overcrowded geriatric ward like Grandpa did – in pain with none of his family around him at the end. So terrified that she’s been stashing pills so that she can take them when the time comes, rather than have to go into hospital. Well, I’m telling you this … I made a promise to her that we’d keep her at home, an
d I won’t break my word just because you feel you can’t deal with it. I’ll really fight you on this if I have to. And if you go behind my back and arrange for her to be admitted to hospital, I’m telling you now, I’ll never talk to you again.’
He scraped his chair back and turned to leave the room.
‘Where are you going?’
He knew the answer to that but he wasn’t about to tell his parents.
‘Out. I need to clear my head. Don’t wait up.’
CHAPTER THIRTY
Outside Luke’s flat in a quiet residential road in Highgate, Kirsty sat in her car feeling suddenly panicky. The upstairs lights were on which meant he was probably in, but what if he didn’t want to talk to her? What if he had someone with him?
She looked at her watch. Eight-fifteen. Her options were simple. She either gave up and went home, or she called him.
She couldn’t go home, not without telling someone about her plan. It had come to her from nowhere as she was driving here in the car – and was so simple she knew it had a chance of working, if she was brave enough to do it.
Pulling out her phone, she dialled his number, surprised to realise her fingers were shaking.
‘Kirsty? Is everything alright?’
‘No. It’s not. Are you alone?’
There was the most infinitesimal of pauses.
‘Yes.’
‘I’m outside in my car. Can I come up? There’s something I need to talk to you about.’
He sounded weary. ‘It’s all been said, Kirsty.’
‘It’s not about us, Luke. Please. I won’t keep you long but I need to talk to you.’
Another pause. ‘Okay, come up.’
His look was wary as he let her in. She tried not to make too big a thing of it as she glanced around her. It was Luke’s flat but they’d decorated it together and it lifted her spirits, just a little, that he hadn’t changed anything.
‘You look like you could do with a drink?’
‘Yes please, but something non-alcoholic if you’ve got it?’
‘Elderflower cordial, orange juice or cranberry.’
‘Cranberry. Thanks.’
She followed him into the kitchen and watched as he poured the red liquid into a glass. He turned around and handed her the glass. ‘So, what’s up?’
He was looking at her expectantly and she tried to order her thoughts as they walked through to the lounge. She sat down and took a sip from her drink before she looked at him.
‘There’s no easy way of saying this, and it’s pretty sordid – but I need to tell someone. And it does sort of involve you.’
She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes as she finished. She felt degraded and it struck her that if she felt like this here, now, with Luke, how would she feel if that video was plastered all over the internet?
‘The bastard.’ She looked at him startled, as he jumped up from his chair, his expression explosive. ‘I’m going round to see him.’
‘No!’
Her eyes flew to his in panic. She’d never seen him so angry – not even when he’d found out about her and Simon.
‘It won’t do any good, Luke. Even if you made him delete the stuff off his laptop, he’s got copies of it on his office computer. He told me. And then he probably really would release the images, just to spite us.’
Luke was pacing the room, his hands balled into fists. ‘He wouldn’t be in any fit state to, after I’d finished with him. I’m going round there, Kirsty. I’m not letting him get away with it. It’s blackmail, the sick bastard. I never liked him, but even I would never have thought he’d stoop to something like this.’
She’d never seen him so agitated, and she kept quiet, letting him vent – after all, didn’t she feel exactly the same?
‘He wouldn’t dare put them out there,’ he continued. ‘It would be as incriminating for him as it would be for you…’
‘He’d have nothing to lose, Luke. That’s what he said. If I uncover what’s gone on and they get investigated, his dad, him, the business … they’d be finished – their reputation ruined.’
She watched him pace a bit more, then took the plunge, knowing that what she was about to suggest was going to sound pretty outrageous.
‘I have no right to ask you this, but … I thought of a plan on my way here in the car, and I can’t get it out of my head that it might just work. I don’t want to involve you in it – or anyone else for that matter – but I need for someone to know what I’m going to do in case it all goes wrong.’
He stared at her hard. ‘Now you’ve got me really worried. What are you saying?’
‘As landlords we have a spare key to Simon’s flat – and not only that, I don’t think he or his father realise it, but I’ve still got the key to their office from when I was working there. I left in such a flurry that I forgot to give it back. I doubt they’ll have bothered changing the locks. I was thinking that if I did it in one hit, maybe I could nick the laptop from his flat and the computer from his office, and get the images wiped before he even realised anything was amiss.’
‘Are you serious? You’re going to break into their premises?’
‘It’s the only way.’ She could hear the plea in her voice.
‘Kirsty! What if they’re alarmed?’
‘The office is, I know, but I’d be surprised if they’ve changed the code for that. I can check our records about his flat. If there’s an alarm, we’ll have it on file and we should have the code, too.’
The more she thought about it, the more determined she was becoming. For the first time since seeing those awful images, she actually felt she had the ability to fight back. And she was bloody well going to do it.
‘You can’t do it, Kirsty.’ Luke’s initial outburst had tempered now, and he surveyed her more calmly. ‘Apart from the fact that it would be illegal … there’s obviously more to all this than meets the eye. It could be dangerous for you to start interfering. You should go to the police.’
She glared at him in frustration. ‘Of course I should – but how can I, when my own family might be involved? I can’t go to the police until I know what I’m dealing with, but at least if I can get the videos wiped, I won’t have that hanging over me. I’m sorry. I know telling you this puts you in an awkward position but I’m not asking you to help me. I just want someone else to be aware of what I’m doing in case anything goes wrong.’
Luke ran an exasperated hand through his hair. ‘But it’s not that simple, is it? How can I let you tackle something like that on your own? It’s madness to even think you could get away with it…’
But his voice wasn’t quite as vehement as it had been, and she could see his quick mind sifting through the information she’d given him, even as he spoke.
‘It’s not really mad,’ she said quickly, taking advantage of what she perceived to be a chink in his armour. ‘It’s just quite cheeky. He won’t be expecting it, that’s for sure.’
Luke eyed her thoughtfully. ‘No, he won’t …’
He was considering her suggestion, seemingly drawn in despite himself. ‘Say you did do it … just for argument’s sake … you’d have to take both computers away – make sure they were wiped by someone who knew what they were doing. Otherwise he could probably retrieve the files.’
‘Oh.’
‘What sort of computer does he have at the office?’
‘Not a Mac, but it’s a laptop of some sort.’
‘Not too heavy, then.’
Her eyes gleamed as they held his. ‘You’re seeing that it’s not such a mad idea after all, aren’t you?’
‘I don’t know … there’s no guarantee that he doesn’t have other copies as well backed up. But maybe it could work, if you get the timing right.’
‘I’m not sure he’s savvy enough to do more complicated backups. I could be wrong, but he was always saying how he hates technology. I guess that’s just a risk I’ll have to take.’
‘I suppose we could ask Mark to do
the erasing …’
A grim smile spread slowly over Luke’s countenance. ‘And you know what? I’d love to see the look on his face if we did get away with it. Not that it changes anything, but I’m not sure I believe him when he says he didn’t deliberately set out that night to … do what he did. How many of us have videos set up in our bedrooms?’
Kirsty’s heart leapt at this first sign of softening in his attitude.
‘But you still chose to leave with him in the first place,’ he added, squashing her hope before it had time to take root.
‘I know,’ she said simply. ‘We both know what I can be like when I overdo the alcohol, but up until tonight there was a part of me that just couldn’t believe I’d ever have done that. But I can’t kid myself now.’ She looked him straight in the eye. She needed him to see how much she regretted what she’d done. ‘I’m so sorry. I know how devastated I’d be if you’d done that to me. I don’t blame you for losing your trust in me. For what it’s worth – I’m really strict with myself now about how much I drink.’
There was a long silence as they looked at each other.
The sound of the doorbell broke the moment.
‘That’ll be Eleanor,’ Luke said, rising from his chair. ‘She’s dropping some work off to me.’
‘Oh … no worries.’ She grabbed her bag and jumped up from her chair. ‘I’ll be off. Thanks for listening, Luke.’
‘Don’t do anything without telling me,’ he said, as she reached for her jacket. ‘I’ll help you get those computers. I don’t know how we’ll wangle it, but I don’t want you doing it on your own.’
‘You don’t need to–’
‘Yes, I do. Give me a call tomorrow and we’ll work on a plan.’
‘Thanks.’
Kirsty tried not to stare too hard at Eleanor Rothby as they passed on the doorstep. She got a whiff of expensive perfume and a vague impression of Cleopatra-style, short, dark hair, and pale skin heavily obscured by a vivid pink scarf. Kirsty’s murmured greeting was ignored, the tentative smile, that took all her efforts to produce, returned with a cool glare that informed her that Eleanor Rothby knew who she was and wasn’t impressed to see her there.
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