by Tony McHale
Then there was nothing. Had he died? He didn’t know.
A boot slipped under his right side, emphasising the pain in his ribs and flipped him over like a burger on a griddle. Charlie lay on his back, still trying to grasp his breath.
He slowly opened his eyes and standing over him, baseball bat in hand was Tyler Samson.
“You better leave and you better leave quick … or you’ll be leaving in a coffin. Beck le Street doesn’t want you here and I don’t want you here. I promise you, if you’re not gone in a week … I – will - kill - you.”
Then just to make sure Charlie understood, Tyler took a few steps away from him, gripped the bat tight then ran at him swinging the bat and crashing it into his ribs.
More pain … excruciating pain … then Charlie passed out.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
There was a uniformed police officer stationed outside Charlie’s room at Scarborough General Hospital.
When he was admitted in the early hours of the morning, he was examined thoroughly, especially for any possibility of brain damage, which the blow on the back of the head may have caused. There was no brain damage, but there were multiple broken ribs, internal bleeding and severe bruising. He was going to live, but the pain would be an issue for some time.
The first visitor he had was his father. Jed told him how he’d heard what could only be described as a knocking on the back door – it was after two in the morning. He just assumed Charlie had forgotten his key, was maybe a bit drunk and the irregular knocking was due to his inebriated state. He discovered Charlie unable to stand lying by the door. Charlie had no recollection of this.
Sometime after he’d left Charlie realised his father had never asked him the obvious question – “Do you know who attacked you?”
Was the absence of this question because his father actually knew it was Tyler or was it another of Beck le Street’s unwritten rules – ‘take your punishment and don’t ask questions.’
His second visitor was DI Jack Wood.
Wood was his usual unassuming self and asked Charlie how he was and hoped he would be out soon, before coming straight to the point and by asking the question his father hadn’t asked.
“Do you know who it was?”
Charlie knew it was only a matter of time before this question was asked and he’d made up his mind when he’d first recovered consciousness what his answer was going to be. This answer wasn’t going to be based on some Beck le Street rule, but on the fact that he still wanted to catch the killer of both his mother and Devika. If he told the police that it was Tyler, it would be his word against Tyler’s, people would assume it was because he wanted Tyler out of the way and his hope of finding the killer or killers would diminish even further. No if he wanted to succeed, if he wanted to nail this murderer, then he needed to keep his mouth shut, appear to abide by the Beck le Street rules and make sure he never got caught out like that again.
“It was dark. They hit me from behind. I never saw who it was,” replied Charlie, knowing that Wood didn’t believe him, but there was little he could do.
“Do you know who would want to do something like this to you?” was Wood’s next question and of course Charlie replied that he had no idea.
There followed a number of other questions, all of which gave Wood nothing. Wood finished off by saying that unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to keep a guard on him forever, especially if they had no idea who or what they were guarding him against. It was Wood’s last-ditch attempt to get something out of Charlie, but it failed, so he changed tack.
“Do you know anything about a letter your mother may have written, that she wanted read after her death?” asked Wood.
Charlie was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected a question about the letter and he didn’t know Wood even knew about it.
“It had on the envelope …” he took out his note book and read, “The Property of Caroline Ashton to be handed to the police on the death of her husband Jed Ashton.”
“How do you know about it?”
“It’s just something that’s come into our possession.”
“You have the letter?”
Wood hesitated. He was deciding whether to lie or not. He decided not to.
“No … I wondered if you had it.”
“No,” said Charlie still wondering why Wood was asking about the letter.
“Do you know the content of the letter?” Wood persisted.
“I wish I did. I knew of its existence and reported that fact to your boss.”
“Chief Superintendent Naylor?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“Basically that he knew nothing about it.”
“How did you know about this letter?” Wood was very single minded.
“I learned about it from Barbara Bergin; she has a farm just outside the Beck le Street.”
“Have you seen the letter?”
“No.”
“Do you know who had the letter? Was it this Barbara Bergin?”
Charlie hesitated.
“I don’t know. Sorry.”
“Thank-you,” said Wood politely.
“What do you know about it?” It was Charlie’s turn to ask questions.
Wood just smiled. If he knew anything he wasn’t telling. The truth was that all he knew so far was that the envelope had been found on Naylor’s desk. He had no idea what it was doing there.
After Wood left Charlie got various calls and messages from various people, including Devika’s parents, who’d had a call from Wood, all wishing him a speedy recovery and Farrah came to see him the following morning.
For a while they sat in silence, Farrah holding his hand, as if he were still a child. She eventually spoke. “Everyone’s saying it were Tyler. Were it?”
Charlie looked at her. Farrah had always been there for him. This wasn’t the first time Charlie had been at odds with the locals of Beck le Street. Amos, Lucas and Tyler had always despised him and made no bones about it. As far as they were concerned he’d always been ‘jumped up.’ He never fitted in. In the past, before he left, there’d been times when he’d feared coming home from school knowing if he were to bump into either Amos or Lucas then some form of intimidation would take place. On the odd occasion it did happen, Farrah was invariably the one who cushioned him through the episode. Now here she was, all these years later, fulfilling the same role.
“Yeah … it was Tyler,” Charlie eventually said.
“What happened?”
“When I found out about Georgie I went to speak with Cassie. I don’t think Tyler liked it.”
“Ever thought of using the phone … much safer.”
Charlie managed to smile, mainly because he knew she was right.
There was another pause in the conversation and both Charlie and Farrah knew why. Charlie was fairly convinced that Farrah had heard the rumour that he was Georgie’s father; he was also fairly convinced she believed it to be a fact. So why had she never said anything to him? Why hadn’t Farrah ever let him know he had a son?
“I couldn’t tell you,” Farrah mumbled as if she’d been able to read Charlie’s mind.
“Sorry?” He had heard, but he needed to hear it again.
“I just couldn’t tell you … about Georgie.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. After you left there was so little contact between us, there never seemed the right opportunity. Then when you came back, your mother had been killed … then Devika … in the accident … There never seemed the right moment.”
“You didn’t tell me because the timing wasn’t right?”
“Yes.”
“No. There must have been another reason.”
“Caroline didn’t know for God’s
sake – how could I tell you,” said Farrah.
“I don’t know what to do.” Charlie’s voice sounded tired and weary.
“About Georgie?” Farrah clarified.
“Yeah – about Georgie … and Cassie.”
“Leave well alone. They’ve been fine up until now … Leave well alone.”
“But now everybody knows.”
“A lot of people knew before …”
“But not everybody …”
“No – not everybody,” admitted Farrah.
“My mother never knew.”
“Or was it just easier for Caroline to believe it was someone else’s.”
Charlie had never considered this before. Farrah continued:
“She didn’t want to think of her son as someone who walked out on a pregnant sixteen year old.”
“I wouldn’t have walked out if I’d known.”
“No – I don’t believe you would.”
“I can’t just walk out again.”
“Yes you can Charlie. Georgie might have his problems, but if he wants to make contact with you, he will. He’s not stupid. When this all blows over, he may decide he wants to get to know his real dad. On the other hand he might just want to forget all about you and if he does, that’s his right too.”
Charlie hated what she was saying, hated it because it made him feel such a failure, hated it because he may never get to know his own offspring, but he knew she was right.
“What about Cassie? I owe her as well.”
Farrah couldn’t help but smile. “If you go near Cassie again, then the next place I’ll be visiting you is the morgue. That was a warning from Tyler. Don’t mess with him.”
“So I just walk away again? Turn my back on my child and his mother. Forget it ever happened.”
“Up until a couple of days ago, in your mind it hadn’t happened and everybody was getting on fine. Charlie … you know what I think about you. You know I care about you … but time to call it a day. Get out of Yorkshire … go back to London, dust down your camera and get on with your life.”
“What about my mother …? What about Devika?”
“If you don’t want to join them, pack your bags and head south.”
“Do you know why they were killed? Is this another secret that the whole of Beck le Street knows except for me?” he asked ignoring Farrah’s travel advice.
“I swear I don’t know. I would have told you about Georgie eventually … I promise … and if I knew why Caroline and Devika were killed, I would have told you straight away. But I don’t know.”
“I can’t just leave … not knowing.”
“When Belinda disappeared, I nearly went mad. Like you, I thought everyone knew what had happened, except for me. Then they discovered her body and they worked out it had been an accident. Fallen into Dark Waters. It kept her a secret … then just as it had pushed me to the brink of insanity it spewed her back up. If it hadn’t have been for Aaron … I’d have joined her. But I knew I had to stay alive for him.”
“Who am I staying alive for? Georgie … Georgie’s not my son – not like Aaron’s yours.”
“Yourself – that’s who you’re staying alive for. Because in the end neither your mum nor Devika would have wanted it any other way. When Aaron went away, it took me awhile, but I slowly realised he’d done the right thing. He’d got away to sort his head out, get his life back on track. He did what other kids do … see the world … get drunk in a bar in Sydney and fall in love with a Thai girl in Phuket. Because life has to go on. If it doesn’t then Dark Waters wins … your mother’s killer wins … the person who drove Devika off the road wins … You can’t allow that to happen. One day someone will find out what this is all about, but until then, you need get on with your life.”
There was a deep sadness in Farrah’s eyes, a sadness for a lost daughter, but there was also a glimmer of hope … hope for her son.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Six uniformed police pall bearers placed Chief Superintendent Naylor’s flag draped coffin at the front of the church next to his wife’s. The church was packed for the double funeral. The funeral of a murdered policeman was always a guarantee for a full house, but this was even more so because of the vicious nature and the fact his wife appeared to have been a victim of her husband’s profession.
Wood was one of the many officers attending. He had on his ‘dress’ uniform, something he rarely wore. As the Vicar started the service, Wood stared at the coffin. He knew later that day, Caroline Ashton would be buried, he also knew Naylor’s handling of the murder of Caroline Ashton had been far from exemplary. It wasn’t official yet, but the investigation into the murder of Caroline Ashton was being wound down and Wood blamed Naylor’s original inquiry. Naylor had gone off at half cock. Bringing in the husband as a suspect was a stupid move. Naylor sent out a signal that they had their man and sure enough everyone went into relax mode. Since the start of the investigation there’d not been one real suspect. Then when Naylor and his wife were murdered, the Beck le Street’s landlady’s killing faded into insignificance. For a brief moment they’d tried to connect the murders, but nothing immediately was found so that line of inquiry was dropped.
Wood knew instinctively that there was a connection, so he’d been using the investigation into Naylor and his wife’s murder to keep an eye on Caroline’s murder. A police officer’s murder was never closed until it was solved and it seemed Naylor’s might take some time to solve because, like Caroline’s murder, they had no real leads.
Wood looked round the mourners standing in the pews, a mixture of colleagues in uniforms and family and friends in civvies. His eye caught one woman especially. He knew he’d seen her before, but he couldn’t immediately think where. She was smartly dressed and had a taste for expensive shoes, which Wood could see from her leg that strayed from the end of the pew.
As they started to sing the first hymn he remembered where he’d met her. She was a solicitor … O’Hara … Eileen … no Elaine O’Hara … he remembered it all now. She’d made a statement about a break-in at the solicitors where she worked – Shaw and Shermans. It was the same night as Devika Bahl’s fatal accident. It was the second break-in in a matter of days, but according to all at Shaw and Shermans nothing was taken. Wood had asked about the letter, but there seemed to be no record of it at Shaw and Sherman’s.
He didn’t know why, but he thought the coincidence of Elaine O’Hara being at Chief Superintendent Samuel Naylor’s funeral somewhat intriguing. He decided he must speak to Elaine O’Hara.
* * * * *
At Woodlands Crematorium in Scarborough most the of the village of Beck le Street had gathered to pay their last respects to Caroline Ashton.
Whilst he was in hospital Charlie was told that the Coroner had released his mother’s body for burial, announcing that she was ‘murdered by person or persons unknown.’ Charlie was discharged the following day and returned to The Black Dog where he helped his father prepare for the funeral.
Two days before his mother was due to be cremated, he was told that Devika’s body had also been released. Charlie started to mentally prepare for another funeral.
During this time Charlie occasionally leant a hand in the bar and only once left the pub on his own. He felt he needed some fresh air and headed down to the Beck. He soon became aware that Amos and Lucas had followed him out of the pub. He glanced back at them and saw Amos making a call on his mobile. Charlie’s instinct told him that the call wasn’t to check how his shares were doing.
He’d only been at the Beck for a few minutes when Tyler’s pick up truck arrived at the other side. Charlie watched as Tyler climbed out of the driver’s seat carrying a baseball bat. There was no doubt in Charlie’s mind that this baseball bat was still stained with his blood. Tyler stood there staring at Charlie and swinging the b
at.
As Charlie watched him he relived every blow Tyler had dealt him that night. The last thing he wanted to do was antagonise Tyler. He looked round for witnesses, but then realised that was a pointless exercise. He knew that Beck le Street witnesses chose to see what they wanted.
Charlie turned around and headed back to The Black Dog, passing Amos and Lucas and a few other villagers on route. Nothing was said to Charlie. He was the outsider. What had happened was his fault. He should have known better.
The official gossip in Beck le Street was that Tyler had caught Charlie and Cassie in a compromising position. Charlie had managed to escape, but Tyler had caught up with him at The Black Dog. The official line was that Caroline Ashton’s killers had returned and for some reason attacked Charlie. Someone mentioned Devika’s family, others mentioned it was all revenge for some photograph Charlie had taken of a Mafia boss, others said it was just some yobs from Whitby. Charlie, Tyler, Cassie and Georgie knew the real truth, which wasn’t that far from the official gossip.
For most of the villagers Charlie had got what he deserved. That’s how it was in Beck le Street. Punishment would be handed out to those who transgressed and Charlie in approaching Cassie had committed an act of transgression. The official gossip even mentioned the fact that Tyler had shown leniency. Charlie got off lightly.
Tyler’s attack on Charlie had shaken him. He really hadn’t seen it coming. He had seen how Beck le Street law had been doled out to the two youths who robbed Jenny Pearson and now he had felt Tyler’s anger. Charlie needed to be careful, keep his head down and just try and get through.
Charlie and his father arrived in a funeral car behind the hearse. They followed the coffin into the crematorium’s chapel. Charlie was walking for the first time since the attack without a stick and was trying his best not to limp. Half way down the aisle he suddenly became aware of Tyler, dressed in a grey suit sporting a black tie. He was next to Cassie and Georgie; all three continued to look straight ahead. Charlie was tempted to stop and ask him where his baseball bat was.
