by Leah Hope
“Hear, hear” said Gil who was now eying the chocolates hungrily. “Would you like me to open these for you Maggie?”
“Gil Honeyman, I am so ashamed of you!” Bridget exclaimed. “We bought those for Maggie.”
“Go on Gil, get stuck in” said Maggie. “I’m still far too full but don’t eat all the strawberry creams or I’ll slap your fingers. I’ve still got one good arm don’t forget!”
Although she hadn’t said anything to Gil, Bridget had been thinking it was time they told their friends the full story of their father’s death. Heather and Tony had known about the fatal accident for several years but Bridget had never felt comfortable talking about the mystery surrounding where the accident had occurred. Now that they had shown the police the Martin Collins letter, there seemed no reason why they couldn’t tell their friends, particularly as it now affected them too. For now though, she would simply keep to the contents of the letter. The story of Eleanor and exactly why her father had been in Fareham Place that day could wait for another time.
To Gil’s surprise, Bridget launched into the subject as they were finishing coffee. As she finished, a hushed silence fell on the room; no-one knew quite what to say. It was Maggie who was first to speak.
“Gosh you two, I don’t know how you lived with not knowing what happened for all those years. Then you get to know and you find it was a drunk driver. Does that make things better or worse?” Maggie suddenly caught sight of her daughter’s scowl and was afraid she’d been insensitive again.
“Do you know Maggie, I’ve never thought about that” Bridget answered, apparently unoffended. “Like you say, we lived with not knowing for over thirty years, it became part of our lives. We’d resigned ourselves to never knowing. That didn’t stop us wondering of course. We imagined all sorts of scenarios, some of them quite ridiculous, I’m sure Gil would agree. Then when the letter came, we were initially stunned, numb, lost for words. We knew at last, exactly what had happened. I know it might sound silly but that fact that it was “only” a drunk driver, in some way trivializes Dad’s death. There was no mystery, no drama, just a young policeman who’d had one too many and was late for work. Would I have felt better if the driver had been a disgruntled customer from the bank or a thief making his getaway? I very much doubt it, but I felt my father should never have died at the hands of someone like that.” Suddenly seeing the colour drain from her brother’s face, Bridget burst into tears.
Heather jumped up and put her arms around Bridget’s heaving shoulders. Maggie handed her a box of tissues.
“I’m sorry, just ignore me, I’m being silly I know. What does it matter who killed Dad, the end result is the same. But to answer your question Maggie, it’s always better knowing. Isn’t it Gil?”
“Of course it is” Gil replied. “We’ve got closure now, to use an awful cliché. It won’t bring Dad or Mum back, but it’s taken away all of our wonderings, all of our questions. I don’t know if you feel the same Bridge, but when that letter came, I felt as if I was able to properly grieve for Dad for the first time.” It was Heather and Maggie’s turn to reach for the tissues now.
“Well I don’t know about anyone else, but I could do with a drink” said Tony getting to his feet. “Anyone else?”
Heather, Bridget and Tony opted for brandies but Gil reluctantly had to decline as he was driving and Maggie because of her medication.
“This all makes some sense now” said Heather. “When Inspector Addison rang us to let us know they’d issued an arrest warrant for Daniel Collins, he was very vague when I asked him how they’d got on to him. I know they can’t tell us everything so I didn’t think anything of it. But I can see it now, he was just being protective of someone who’s innocent, of the death of your father anyway. I think that’s quite commendable of him.”
“One thing I don’t get though” said Tony topping up his brandy glass “is what on earth is this guy’s motive for harming Bridget?”
“That’s what Inspector Addison is struggling with as well” Gil said. “But if you put that aside for now, there’s quite a bit of evidence against him. Firstly, he’s trained in the use of firearms, he’s a crack shot apparently. Secondly, his family and ours have a strong link, true it’s through his father and not Daniel himself, but it’s there all the same. Thirdly, he disappeared the day before the shooting, so if he’s innocent, where is he? There’s been enough about him on TV and in the press, he’d have to have been on Mars not to have seen it. So” said Gil sitting back in his chair looking like a smug lawyer “I think that completes the case for the prosecution.”
“I can’t remember if I’ve ever mentioned it to you” said Heather to Gil and Bridget after a pause “but I studied psychology at University. I never used it unfortunately but I’ve always maintained an interest. I’ve been thinking about what’s been said about lack of motive on the part of Daniel Collins. Have you ever heard of something called transference?” The wall of blank faces staring back at her gave her the answer. “It’s a theory first described by Freud. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it simple for the benefit of you lot! Basically, it’s when one person transfers feelings they have about one person to another person. For example, you have a bad relationship with your father, your father has a black moustache, so subconsciously you have a dislike of anyone with a black moustache. With me so far?”
“Yes Miss!” came back a chorus of voices.
“Good. Now you’re probably wondering how this affects Daniel Collins. You’ll need to bear with me on this as I’m still thinking it through myself, but here goes. Martin Collins is an ordinary young man. He has a promising career in the police force, a wife and a child. Now I don’t know when the accident to your father took place but I’m betting it was either before Daniel was born, or just after, it…”
“Sorry to interrupt Heather, but Daniel has a younger brother, about two years younger I think, according to Inspector Addison” said Bridget.
“Ok, but I don’t think that makes any difference. Anyway, Martin Collins has, or is about to have, a young family. Then comes the accident which turns his life upside down. Sorry Gil, Bridget, I don’t mean to be insensitive to how this affected you, but what I’m interested in here is the affect this had on the Collins family, Martin in particular.”
“I know you weren’t Heather, so please carry on, I’m finding this quite fascinating” said Bridget.
“So, immediately after the accident Collins will be on a rollercoaster of emotions. He’ll be feeling guilty, terrified, ashamed, horrified at what he’s done and maybe worst of all, he has to keep it all to himself. He can’t share this with anyone, not even his wife. He has to carry on as if nothing has happened. He may even have been involved in the investigation into your father’s death. As time passes, he may begin to believe that he’s gotten away with it. But then a small thing like a knock at the door will convince him that he’s been rumbled, they’re coming to get him. Maybe he even thinks of giving himself up. But that would mean the end of everything, not just his liberty but his career, his livelihood and possibly his marriage. As time went on, he may also have half convinced himself that what he did wasn’t so bad after all. The victim’s family will be adjusting to life without him, so why rock the boat?”
“All of these emotions will have had a detrimental effect on his mental state. He’s probably not sleeping, maybe drinking more than before and all the time trying to pretend that everything is perfectly normal. Something had to give. I think that in order for him to function at work, he shut down other areas of life, probably subconsciously. It’s possible that while he was becoming increasingly withdrawn at home, work colleagues wouldn’t have noticed any difference in his behaviour.”
“I can see where you’re coming from with this love” said Maggie “but how does this turn his son into a potential killer?”
“Good question Mum, but just bear with me a little longer. As I said, Collins may have become withdrawn and distant at home. I’m sure his
wife would have noticed his change of mood and was no doubt racking her brains for reasons to account for it. Was it another woman, money worries, gambling, who knows. Hard as it is to believe, he may have distanced himself from his children too. In Collins’ mind, it was only a matter of time before he was banged up, so why not make it easy on everyone and start cutting the emotional ties? The sooner his family learned to live without him, the better for everyone. Now we don’t know exactly how old the children were at this stage but I’m betting that Dan took this much harder than his younger brother. He would be wondering why his dad didn’t want to play football with him any more or why the bedtime stories suddenly stopped.”
“I can’t imagine anyone treating their own children like that, it doesn’t bear thinking about” Maggie said, shaking her head in disbelief.”
“Don’t forget”, Heather went on, “Martin Collins’ father had been a senior police officer which put an extra burden on his shoulders. He didn’t want to be the first member of the Collins dynasty to mess up.” After pausing to finish off her brandy, Heather continued to explain of her theory to her now captive audience.
“So Mum, to answer your question, how could all of this turn Dan Collins into a murderer? Remember, he finds his father’s written confession on his computer when he’s in a very fragile mental state, due to the accidental shooting, marriage breakdown, blah, blah. Suddenly, he finds himself looking at an explanation of why his father suddenly became so cold and distant towards him. It all makes sense, the family’s life changed from the moment of the accident. So who does he blame? Well it should be his father of course. But in his troubled state, he transfers his anger, or hatred or whatever you want to call it, from his father to the Honeyman family. In his mind, you two” Heather said pointing at Gil and Bridget “were the cause of his troubled childhood or for his less than happy relationship with his father. I know it sounds far-fetched, but the more I think about it, the more I think this was enough to tip him over the edge.”
“It all sounds very believable when you put it like that Heather” said Gil, “but do you really think that he read that letter and suddenly rushed out to kill Bridget?”
“No Gil, not at all. I think he showed the letter to his mother. It would have been a revelation to her, as if the scales had fallen from her eyes. Here was the evidence, in her husband’s own words, which explained why he had changed from a happy, caring family man into a recluse whose only love seemed to be his job. It was possibly seeing his mother so distraught that helped turn Dan Collins into a potential murderer.”
“Phew” said Tony “this is heavy stuff. Top-ups anyone?”
Two empty brandy glasses were thrust towards him.
Bridget was the first to break the silence. “Well I must commend you on your theory Heather, I never realized you were so clever. Oh dear, I didn’t mean it like that” she added hastily after she realized her words could be misconstrued. “It’s quite taken my breath away. But I have to say, it all makes perfect sense. I can’t wait to see what Inspector Addison makes of it.”
“One thing puzzles me” said Gil. “You said that Dan Collins transferred his anger from his father to the Honeyman family. If that’s that the case, why didn’t he shoot me as well as Bridget, or rather who he thought was Bridget?”
“I can only guess Gil but I think he probably intended to shoot you as well but for some reason changed his mind. Bridget said that she got the impression he was nervous, so he may have just bottled it, or you threw him when you jumped out of the car to open the boot. Who knows the reason, but I think whatever it was, you’ve had a lucky escape.”
“Blimey, I wish I wasn’t driving, I could murder a drink” said Gil who had suddenly turned very pale.
“Let get you a small brandy” said Tony, leaping up. ”I’ll put plenty of water with it. It might just take the edge off. I have to say darling” he said turning towards his wife “that’s some theory. As Bridget so eloquently put it, I never knew you were so clever!”
“I’m so sorry about that Heather, you know I didn’t mean it that way. My mouth has always been ahead of my brain” said Bridget flushing profusely.
“Of course I didn’t take it the wrong way Bridget. Take no notice of my husband, he’s being very impolite.”
“Sorry Bridge” said Tony “I think that was the brandy talking.”
“There’s no need to apologize Tony, I think we’re all a little tense after what we’ve just heard. Anyway, it’s time Gil and I were getting on our way, we don’t want to tire out Maggie.”
Although everyone had eaten more than their fill at lunchtime, Heather insisted they have a light tea before her guests set off for home. “It’s only a few sandwiches and some shop-bought cakes. Sorry Bridge, they aren’t up to your standard, I just haven’t had time to do any baking.”
“I don’t think anyone for one second would have expected you to bake cakes as well as preparing that delicious lunch” said Bridget, tucking into a gooey chocolate eclair. “Besides, these are very good, I bet they didn’t come from the supermarket.”
“Spot on, there’s an excellent little bakery in town, Mum very often passes them off as her own! Don’t you Mother?”
“Now you’ve given my secret away. Don’t tell anyone though - pleeease!”
“I think you need to have Bridget on speed dial Mum, for when your posh friends from the tennis club come to tea” Heather said with a laugh.
“They’re not posh, well apart from Clarissa maybe. Ignore my daughter Bridget, you are welcome any time, but don’t feel obliged to make cakes!” Maggie said, hugging her friend as everyone lined up to say their goodbyes.
“Well if that beautiful new kitchen of yours is finished, I might just be tempted” said Bridget with a smile.
Chapter Fifteen
On the drive home, Gil and Bridget decided they would call Inspector Addison first thing in the morning to tell him about Heather’s theory. The more they thought about it the more they were convinced that Heather could be on to something.
Inspector Addison wasn’t available when Gil rang the station just after nine. A colleague promised he would get him to call when he arrived. After a tense wait, the Inspector rang just after eleven.
“Sorry about that, my car wouldn’t start this morning so I had to arrange a lift and get someone to come and have a look at it. Great start to a Monday morning!”
“I hope you rang our place Inspector.”
“I did indeed Gil and a very helpful young mechanic told me I need a new battery, the old one’s as dead as a dodo. He’s promised to get me a replacement by this afternoon.”
“That was probably Rich, I’ll give him a bell to make sure he’s on the case.”
“Thanks Gil, appreciated. Now what can I do for you?”
Gil briefly explained Heather’s theory and asked the Inspector if he would like them to pop into the station. Inspector Addison said that would suit him too as he had wanted to speak to them anyway. An appointment was arranged for after lunch.
Gil and Bridget arrived at the station just before two o’clock and were shown into the Inspector’s room bang on time. “He won’t be long” said the young constable, ”I think he’s getting you some tea. You should be flattered, he never does that for us!” he added with a grin.
“Tea’s up”, said the Inspector as he arrived moments later. “Do me a favour Gil and move that file for me or I’m going to get tea all over my draft press release. I hope you like ginger nuts” he added, setting the tray down on an island of clear desk amid a sea of clutter.
“Any news on your car?” Gil asked.
“I’ve just had a text from your place. Someone’s bringing the new battery round to the house at three.”
“Do you need to get off then?” Gil asked.
“No, my wife’s at home today so she’ll deal with them. She’s been home for the last six weeks but the teachers have decided to take another day for training. Why they couldn’t do it last wee
k beats me. Still Jenny’s not complaining, she’s got another day at home with the kids.”
“Does she teach?” asked Bridget.
“No, she’s a classroom assistant at Meadowbank Infants. Why she wants to work with kids when she’s got two little monsters at home I’ve no idea, but she loves it. It works out well for us actually as both the girls attend the school so we don’t have to ferry them half way around town to a childminder or whatever.”
“How old are they?”
“Gracie’s five and Ellie’s coming up to three, she’s in the nursery unit next door.”
“I imagine you’ve got your hands full then.”
“You can say that again although everyone tells us it only gets worse. Wait until they start wanting to go to ballet or gymnastics or horse-riding they say, you’ll be nothing more than an unpaid taxi-driver. Funnily enough, that doesn’t bother me. It’s when boys arrive on the scene that worries me. I’ve seen too much in this line of work not to want to wrap them up in cotton wool every minute of the day.”
“I think that’s a natural reaction for any decent parent. But hopefully that won’t be for a few years yet” said Bridget with a smile.
“I hope you’re right Bridget, I really hope you’re right” the inspector replied as he drained the last of his tea. “Ok, let’s talk about this theory of Heather Lloyd-Jones that you’ve just outlined. I’ve given it some thought and I think she could be on to something. To be honest with you, we don’t have anything better so I’m prepared to go with it. What I really need to do though is speak to Elaine Collins again. I need to establish if any of the behaviour Heather believes her husband may have displayed makes any sense. But before I do that, I’ve arranged to meet a former police psychologist to see if this theory’s got legs. I want to get his take on it before I go blundering in with something that doesn’t hold water. He’s retired now but he’s still as sharp as ever so I’ll need to be on my toes. I’m meeting him for a drink later in the Green Man. Might as well take advantage of not having the car. Every cloud eh?”
