Sins of the Fathers

by Leah Hope

  “Family of Margaret Thomas? Follow me please” the doctor called out loudly to a packed waiting room.

  Heather and Tony immediately sprung to their feet. As he wasn’t family, Gil didn’t know whether he should follow or not. “I’ll wait here” he called after them but Heather and Tony were already trotting briskly behind the doctor down the corridor, struggling to keep up.

  Thankfully, Heather and Tony were soon back. “She’s going to be fine” Heather beamed. Her relief was tangible. “Thank God she hasn’t been harmed, if you discount being bound, gagged and terrorized all day. If I could get my hands on that evil scumbag… Anyway, they’re keeping her in overnight for observation so all being well tomorrow, she can go home.”

  “That’s wonderful news Heather. I can’t wait to let Bridget know. Did your mum talk about what happened?”

  “No not really, the doctor advised us not to dwell on that too much today. She needs rest so they’ve given her a sedative to help her sleep. Tomorrow will be another story though, when the shock kicks in.”

  “Do you think they would let me see her Heather? I’d like to, if only for a few minutes.”

  “I don’t see why not Gil. Come on, I’ll show you where to find her.”

  Maggie was in a side room just off the main A&E treatment area. She looked deathly pale and appeared to be asleep. An intravenous drip pumped a colourless liquid into her left arm. “Maybe we should leave” Gil whispered. “I don’t want to wake her.” Maggie stirred slightly at the sound of voices. She didn’t speak but reached for Gil’s hand as he neared her bed and gently squeezed. “I think we should go Heather, your mum needs all the rest she can get” Gil said.

  As Heather left the room, Gil walked back to where Maggie lay and gently kissed the top of her head. He felt her squeeze his hand once more.

  When the pair got back to the waiting room, Owen had arrived, together with Maggie’s sister Gwen and husband Geoff. Heather did the introductions and the conversation soon turned to the incredulous events of the day. Inspector Addison arrived shortly afterwards to brief the family. He was accompanied by Detective Inspector Kathryn Wyatt from Bath CID who would be leading the investigation into the crimes on her patch. She explained that Aleksander Jankowski had been taken to Bath Central police station and was currently undergoing questioning. She was hopeful that he would be charged later that evening. A hearing at the local magistrate’s court had provisionally scheduled for the following day.

  “Has he said anything, I mean why he did it? We’ve been wondering all sorts but none of it makes any sense” Heather said, directing her questions to Inspector Wyatt.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that yet but I can tell you that Mr Jankowski is co-operating fully with our officers.”

  “Well that’s something I suppose, isn’t it love? Tony said to his wife. “At least he’s not trotting out a string of “no comments”.

  “Now, can I take it that you are all planning on staying in the area tonight?” Inspector Wyatt asked looking at the sea of faces in from of her.

  Everyone nodded, apart from Owen who wanted to get back to Bristol where his wife would be alone with their young daughters. “I’ll be back in the morning if I can, I just need to square things at work first” he said to Heather.

  “Don’t worry if you can’t get away Owen” Heather replied. “I’ll text you as soon as we hear anything. Now you get off home and give the girls a big kiss from me and Tony.”

  Inspector Wyatt continued with her briefing. “As you know, you won’t be allowed access to Maggie’s house until forensic officers have finished their examination, which may not be until some time tomorrow. For those of you who are staying, there’s a decent hotel just around the corner, and it’s reasonably priced too.” Then turning to Heather, she went on “Mrs Lloyd-Jones, you will be our primary contact so if there are any developments, we’ll channel them through you, unless you would prefer to nominate someone else of course.”

  “No, no that’s fine” said Heather, I’m happy with that.”

  “Ok, well if that’s all, Inspector Addison and I will take our leave of you. Hopefully we’ll have some news in the morning.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Gil arrived back home in Whytecliffe two days later. He hadn’t wanted to leave Maggie but he needed a change of clothes and he was increasingly concerned about Bridget. Although she had sworn her ankle was on the mend, she seemed to have developed a racking cough when he rang her on Tuesday evening. It was therefore a pale, hobbling Bridget who opened the front door late on Thursday afternoon.

  “Oh am I glad to see you?” Bridget exclaimed as she flung her arms around her brother.

  “I’m glad to be back too love, but blimey Bridge, you look terrible. Do you think you should see the doctor?”

  “I did, yesterday morning. I didn’t mention it as you had enough on your plate. I felt guilty at calling her out but I couldn’t have walked all the way to the surgery.”

  “You really should have told me Bridge, but anyway, what did she say?”

  “I’ve got a chest infection so I’m on antibiotics, I got the pharmacy to deliver them in the afternoon so I’m hoping they’ll kick in soon. I had planned to put a casserole in the slow-cooker as you didn’t know what time you would be back but I got a bit woozy and I had to lie down again. I don’t know what we’re going to eat.”

  “Don’t worry about that, I’ll sort something out later. Now you go and sit down. I’m just going to have a quick shower and put on some clean clothes then I’ll make us a nice cup of tea and tell you all about it.”

  Later, Bridget listened with incredulity at what Gil had to tell her. He started with the latest news. Maggie had been discharged from hospital on Wednesday afternoon and was now back at home where Heather and Tony were looking after her. Tony would be flying back to France tomorrow as the bistro had a very busy few days ahead and he didn’t feel comfortable with leaving Doug and Helen on their own. Maggie was still deciding whether to fly back to France with Heather later or to stay at home.

  Aleksander Jankowski appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning charged with two sets of offences against Maggie in Whytecliffe and Bath. The case was referred to the Crown Court. There had been no application for bail.

  “So how is Maggie doing? I can’t begin to imagine how she’s coping, after what she’s been through.”

  “She’s really surprised me, well everyone really, but she seems to be doing very well. Thankfully she didn’t suffer any physical injuries, apart from some bruises to her wrists and ankles from where she was tied up. But it was her mental state that I was more worried about, as we all were. It’s very hard to explain but it’s as if she’s so grateful to be alive that she’s trying to shrug it all off, pretend it didn’t happen.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that at all Gil. I hope she’s going to get some help because it sounds as if she’s trying to blot it all out so she won’t have to face up to what happened.”

  “She’s under the psychiatrist at the hospital for now but when that ends, Heather intends to arrange private counselling sessions for her. The wait for an NHS appointment would take far too long and as you’ve just said, Maggie needs to deal with this.”

  “Agreed. The worse thing she can do is to stick her head in the sand. Thank goodness she’s got Heather looking after her. You know I think I must have been a bit delirious when you told me Maggie’s story yesterday, so could you go over it again. I don’t think I could take it in at the time. I don’t know if that was because I was running a temperature or if it’s because it’s all so unbelievable.”

  “Probably a bit of both. I do wish you’d have let me know how bad you were, I would have come back sooner.”

  “I know you would, which is precisely why I didn’t say anything. As poorly as I was, Maggie needed you more.”

  “That’s really thoughtful of you Bridge. But that’s typical of you, always putting others first. But I�
��m back now and I’m going to spend the next couple of days looking after you for a change. If you can put up with my cooking of course!”

  “Just as well I don’t have much of an appetite then! But joking aside, take me through again exactly what happened. I have so many questions. How did this man know Maggie would be at our house that day? How did he get into her house in Bath? What…”

  “Steady on Bridge” Gil interrupted. “I know you want answers but there’s a lot to get through. Besides, I know you may not be very hungry but I’m starving. So what if I get myself a take-away and make you some soup, just out of a tin though. Once we’ve eaten, I’ll tell you everything.”

  *

  Bridget was hungrier than she thought as she tucked into the chicken soup Gil had prepared for her. Gil’s fish and chips hit the spot too. Bridget now lay on the sofa in the living room covered with a light blanket while her brother sat in his favourite armchair. Both nursed cups of tea.

  “I managed to follow what happened up until just before the siege ended from the TV news and your phone calls, but after that it all got a bit hazy” Bridget said sipping her tea. “So what brought it to an end?”

  “Well the police got a call from the Governor of Liverpool Prison. It turns out that one of their in-mates was the father of this chap Jankowski. He’d seen his son on the news and thought he could convince him to give himself up so they set up a phone call. I don’t know what was said but within a few minutes, it was all over. I’ll never forget the look on Maggie’s face as they led her out of the house into the ambulance. She was wrapped in one of those foil blankets, you know the sort they put around marathon runners, but she looked as white as a sheet. They wouldn’t let me near her but I called out and she heard me and turned round. “Tell them I’m alright” she said, “tell them I’m alright”. As the words left his lips, Gil burst into tears. It was if a damn had burst.

  “It’s alright Gil, just let it go” Bridget said as she got up from the sofa and put her arms around her brother’s heaving shoulders. “You’ve had to be strong for the last few days but it’s over now, just let it all go.”

  “Sorry Bridge” Gil said at last, “I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Don’t you dare apologize Gil Honeyman, and none of this stiff upper lip nonsense either. You’ve been through a dreadful ordeal and it’s all caught up with you at last. I know Maggie has been too of course but sometimes it’s worse for those looking on as they feel so helpless. It’s the same as when someone’s in hospital, the patient is often out of it but for the family, the strain can be unbearable.”

  “I know you’re right Bridge, you usually are. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Oh shush, you would do the same for me. Now what if I get you a small brandy?”

  Gil nodded. As the brandy began to take effect, he felt able to continue. “I wasn’t able to see Maggie for hours and when I did she was very drowsy, I think they gave her some sort of sedative. It wasn’t until late yesterday morning, after the doctor had been, that I got to see her. The family had been in earlier and told me what she had told them but I couldn’t believe it. It was only when I heard it from her own lips later that it began to sink in.”

  “So unless I’ve got this muddled, Aleksander Jankowski’s father was the driver of the lorry who killed Maggie’s husband. I assume Aleksander was the same man who shot Maggie in our drive?”

  “That’s right. Tomasz Jankowski pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and while under the influence of alcohol and is serving a fourteen year stretch in Liverpool jail. According to Inspector Addison, he was distraught after the accident and is said to be a broken man.”

  “Well it serves him right, anyone who gets behind the wheel of a juggernaut after drinking deserves all they get. What I still don’t understand is why the son attacked Maggie?”

  “He told Maggie that his father’s imprisonment broke up the family and ruined their lives. He and his parents were living in a small town near Krakow at the time. After Tomasz was jailed, his mother Natalia tried to find work but couldn’t get anything that paid nearly enough so he moved to the UK, where they had relatives, to see if his prospects would be any better. Aleksander was just seventeen at the time and had to leave school without graduating. He settled in Lincolnshire and soon got a job picking fruit and vegetables. Although he sent money back to his mother, it wasn’t enough for the rent and bills and she was forced to move in with her sister and family. Some sort of mental breakdown followed and Natalia is currently in a psychiatric institution somewhere.”

  “I can’t help but feel sorry for the family, they were just innocent victims too. But what I’m struggling with is what turned the son into a killer? Well he would have been a killer if fate hadn’t intervened.”

  “Maggie was forced to spend a lot of time having to listen to that maniac rambling on for hours and he just kept blaming David for being in the wrong place. “Our lives have been destroyed because of your husband” he kept repeating. He said a lot of other stuff too, much of which was incoherent. Maggie thought this was either because he was high on drugs of some sort or had forgotten to take his medication. Either way he was pretty unstable and she was terrified about what he might do next. All she wanted to do was scream and shout at him but she had to do the exact opposite to try to keep him calm.”

  “Poor Maggie, I can imagine that was very difficult, having to be brave when she was terrified. I don’t know she coped, I don’t think I would have.” Bridget paused for a moment as if seeing herself in Maggie’s shoes, before continuing. “But what I want to know is how did he know Maggie would be at our house that day, you know, when she got shot?”

  “This is the incredible part Bridge. But before I come to that, I need to go back a bit. Now where was I? Oh, yes, well anyway Aleksander is in the UK, working six or seven days a week, his mother is sick back in Poland and he tries to visit his father in Liverpool as often as he can. Apparently he doted on him from a small child and when he was old enough he would go with him in his lorry all over Europe in the school holidays. He said they became closer than ever from spending so much time together. But every time he saw his dad in prison, he seemed to have aged. The father he knew and loved was fading away right in front of his eyes. He told Maggie that his father was always saying “why did that man have to be there? Why did it have to be my lorry?” Aleksander said he came to realize that his father was blaming David Thomas for the accident and that it was down to him as his only son to avenge the “injustice” that had taken place.”

  “But that’s ridiculous!” Bridget said with a gasp. “His father was drunk for heaven’s sake. How on earth could it have been anyone else’s fault?”

  “Well he was clearly totally irrational but Inspector Addison told me that he didn’t think Tomasz Jankowski was blaming Maggie’s husband at all, far from it. He had a brief word with him after the phone call to his son from jail. Tomasz told him that he was struggling to live with himself after what he’d done and was increasingly worried that his son’s mental state might lead him to do “something stupid” as he put it.”

  “Well he wasn’t wrong there was he!” Bridget said getting up from the sofa. “I’m going to put the kettle on, fancy a cuppa?”

  “Yes but let me do it, I need to do a bit of clearing up in the kitchen, I couldn’t face it earlier.”

  Gil returned later with two mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits.

  “I’ve been thinking Gil, about what Aleksander told Maggie and what his father said to Inspector Addison. It all sounds very much like the theory that Heather put forward to put Daniel Collins in the frame. I’d almost forgotten about that young man, I wonder what’s become of him? Clearly he’s been proved innocent now. I do hope he’s alright.”

  “I know the arrest warrant has been withdrawn so in the absence of a body being found, we can only hope he’ll turn up safe one day.”

  “I do hope so. But going back to the Janko
wskis, I think that when Tomasz was saying things like “why was he there?” I think he meant why did the poor man have to be there at that particular time? Why couldn’t he have been safely on another stretch of road and then none of this would have happened? Clearly Aleksander’s mental state was deteriorating and in his head, he turned his father’s innocent words into something completely different. In his twisted mind, the only one to blame for the accident was David Thomas but as he was dead he sought out his wife to take his revenge. It makes me go quite cold to even think about it.”

  “I think you’re right. According to Inspector Addison, Tomasz had an unblemished record before the accident and unusually had a few beers the night before to help him sleep. If an old friend from the village he grew up in hadn’t pulled in next to him in the lorry park insisting they down a couple of vodkas “for old times’ sake”, David Thomas would still be alive.”

  “So Heather’s theory was right, she, or rather we, just had the wrong man. How does the saying go? “The sins of the fathers” it certainly seems to apply in this case, doesn’t it? But Gil, I’m dying to know…”

  “I know, I know, how did Aleksander track down Maggie that Sunday morning? Well the truth is, he didn’t. He’d been tracking her for months, waiting for his opportunity. He told her when the voices in his head told him she had to pay for her husband’s “crime", he set out to find her. It wasn’t that difficult apparently. At the time of the accident there was plenty of media coverage of the “leafy suburb of the beautiful city of Bath” where the “tragic victim” had lived. Aleksander made enquiries locally and found to his delight that Maggie Thomas was still living in the same house. He was behind her in the queue at the post-office one day and overheard Maggie telling a friend that she was off to St Rémy at the weekend. Unbelievably, he booked a flight and spent the next couple of weeks rubbing shoulders with us all!”