by L M Krier
Chapter Twenty-five
‘Have you time for a hotpot or something?’ Jim asked Ted as they ordered drinks at the bar. ‘I’m avoiding Bella a bit at the moment. If she shows me one more wedding outfit, you might have to come and arrest me.’
‘You sound like Kev, trying to avoid the cruise his wife wanted. He got lucky on that, though. Apparently one of her friends, who’d been raving about how wonderful a holiday it was, happened to be on a ship where there was a sudden and very bad outbreak of food poisoning. It seems that’s rather changed Sheila’s mind for her, so Kev is off the hook.
‘So go on, then. I already warned Trev I might be late home. It’s going to cost me a fortune in dinners out, making it all up to him. Which means that the hotpots are on you.’
Jim did want to talk about the wedding. A lot. He was putting as much care and thought into it as he would in preparing a case file. It meant that Ted was even later home than he’d hoped to be.
Trev was in the kitchen, rinsing crockery and shoving it haphazardly into the dishwasher. Ted tried not to wince too visibly at the sight. Instead he went to rearrange it discreetly as they spoke.
‘I was right. Major wedding nerves. And he would like you to have a practice dance with him at the venue, if you don’t mind. I’ve got some dates he suggested, when he’s available and the venue could let him have access for an hour or so.’
‘Oh, bless him. He is so sweet about the whole thing. So anxious to get it right. It must be love. Have you eaten? Do you want a brew? I was just putting the kettle on. Oh, by the way, your mother phoned, as usual. Dropping broad hints that she never hears from you. And I rang Eirian to find out what she’s up to these days. She’s decided she has such bad luck with men that she must be a lesbian, so she’s going to put that theory to the test.’
Ted smiled at that. Trev’s capricious sister could be amusing, as well as a source of concern, with her latest antics. He still wasn’t entirely used to Trev calling her by her second name,Eirian, her latest choice, rather than Siobhan.
‘Tea would be good, thanks. I’ve eaten, with Jim. We had hotpot. How was your day? How’s the book-keeping going?’
He was buying time. Making small-talk. Before the inevitable explosion when he told Trev he had been speaking to his father.
‘I think I’ll be able to catch up with everything on Sunday. That’s the plan, anyway.’
Trev made the drinks; put Ted’s mug of green tea in his hand.
‘Sir Gethin phoned me again today,’ Ted began cautiously. He knew better than ever to refer to the man as Trev’s father.
Trev’s whole posture changed in an instant. His face turned to stone as he said, ‘And you hung up on him, of course.’
‘Well, no ...’
‘Ted, we’ve talked about this before.’ Trev’s tone was icy. ‘I don’t like you speaking to that man.’
‘I know, and I’m sorry. He was phoning to update me. To say that there’s now a network in place for anyone testifying in the case against Warboys. Counselling, if they need it. The chance to talk to someone, a retired judge, about what to expect under cross-examination. That sort of thing. I thought perhaps you might find that helpful.’
‘I was rather hoping you would do that for me. There have to be some benefits to being married to a policeman, after all. Reliability certainly isn’t one of them.’
He banged an oven dish down on top of the items Ted had carefully arranged, making some of them fall over. Ted decided it was probably wise to leave it like that. A broken pot or two was a risk worth taking to avoid a potential explosion.
Ted made an apologetic face. ‘I can’t really coach a witness ...’
‘A witness?’ Trev raised his voice sharply, at which Barcelona, the nervous black cat, leapt off her chair and shot into the other room to take refuge behind the sofa. ‘Is that what I am to you? A bloody witness? How about your husband?’
Ted stopped fiddling with the dishwasher and tried to put his arms round a clearly furious Trev, apologising again as he did so. His partner pushed him roughly away.
‘Why do I need coaching? What’s wrong with what I said to Jono? It was the truth. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to say in court?’
He’d stepped back, leaning against the cooker, arms folded. Deliberately putting distance between himself and Ted. More of the cats were becoming restless now. They weren’t used to discord between their two humans. Adam started his habitual climb up Ted’s trouser leg.
‘Yes, of course, and you spoke frankly. It’s just that … things can be a bit different in court. Sometimes a ruthless defence lawyer will try to shift some of the blame onto the victim. Jono and I talked about perhaps suggesting you might like to talk to someone independently ...’
‘So you discussed me with Jono, as well as that man? Ted, how could you? And now I’ve become a victim, not even a witness. I never wanted to get involved in this whole mess but I let you persuade me. Do you know how hurt I feel now? What a sense of betrayal?’
Ted tried again to move closer to him but Trev raised an arm sharply in a defensive gesture and spat, ‘And don’t bloody say sorry again. It’s just a meaningless word.’
‘I don’t know what else I can say. Yes, I did a debrief with Jono as I would after any interview. I was honestly going to talk to you about it. I was just trying to find the right moment. And the right words. So I didn’t make a total bollocks of the whole thing. Which I have done.’
Adam had climbed high enough for Ted to scoop him up in his arms and hold him there. He had no idea what to say or do next to try to undo the damage done.
Trev had also gone quiet. Eventually, he said, ‘I was going to ask you if you could be sure to be on time for self-defence tomorrow. And if just for once, you could keep your promise, if so. I’m seeing a potential client in the afternoon and there’s just a chance I might be delayed.’
‘I will. Of course I will. I’ll make sure Jo and the team know I’m going to be leaving early, come what may.’
‘Good. Now I’m going to bed. Alone. Apart from the cats. You can sleep down here. Or in the spare room. I don’t care which. But you need to take some time to think about which is more important to you. Being my husband. Or being a policeman.’
He turned to go, most of the cats following him. Then he turned back and looked at Adam.
‘Are you coming, Adam?’
The little cat snuggled down further into Ted’s arms, making no move to go with the others. Trev said nothing else. He simply turned and left the room.
Ted stood for a moment, listening to the sound of Adam’s contented purring. Then he looked down at the cat.
‘Looks like it’s you and me on our own, then, kid.’
Ted and Jezza were waiting downstairs for Abigail and her mother when they came in to answer to Abigail’s bail conditions. Their signer, Emma, was also with them. Ted had taken Jezza aside in his office to ask her if she was happy to talk to Abi.
‘Because she’s still happily pregnant and blooming and I’m not? Boss, on all the many courses you’ve been on, at university and beyond, wasn’t there a single one on tact and diplomacy?’
His expression immediately turned so glum Jezza had to suppress an overwhelming urge to hug him.
‘Sorry, Jezza, I seem to make a habit of putting my foot in it. Especially recently.’
‘It’s fine, boss. Seriously. I’m happy to talk to Abi and I’m pleased for her, if she’s going to get to keep her baby. Are you all right, though? If ever you need to talk ...’
She could almost see the shutters come down. He was such a private man and his boundaries so firmly drawn. At least she’d made the offer, even if she’d known he would never take her up on it.
‘Thank you for that, DC Vine,’ Ted told her, his tone and formality making it clear the subject was closed. ‘Now shall we go and give Abigail and her mother the good news?’
Abigail’s mother was instantly on the defensive when she saw Ted and Jezza
waiting.
‘Do I need to call our lawyer? Or my husband?’
‘No, not at all. In fact, I have good news for you both. Which is why I asked Emma to join us, so that we can be sure that Abigail understands what I’m about to tell you. Shall we go to the witness room?’
Ted spoke slowly and carefully, looking directly at Abigail, to tell her that the charges against her were being dropped. After that, her mother asked to have a private word with him. They left Abigail happily beaming from Jezza to Emma and back while the two of them went over everything again with her. Ted had also been able to tell them that the forensics team had finished with the flat so Abigail could move back there, if and when she wanted to.
Ted found an empty witness room and stood aside to let Mrs Buller go in first.
‘Thank you, inspector. Thank you for all your kindness and compassion towards Abi. You’ve treated the whole situation with great sensitivity, and it hasn’t been easy for any of us. You included, I imagine.
‘I wanted to tell you that now we’re being allowed access to the flat once more, I’ll be sending in professional cleaners to make it spotless in order to sell it. Clearly Abi can’t possibly go back there after all that’s happened. Instead I’m going to choose another flat for her from my husband’s property portfolio. And I’m moving in with her.’
Seeing his surprised look, she stretched the corners of her mouth in what might have been a smile. ‘That’s right, I’m leaving my husband. It’s about time. I’m going to live with Abi, and the baby, and look after them both.
‘I’ve promised to spare my husband the ignominy of a public divorce, as long as he agrees to leave us both alone and to carry on paying the bills. Which I expect will be substantial, since I’m determined to spoil my daughter and my grandchild rotten to make up for letting Abi down so badly. So thank you once again, for all your kindness.’
‘At some point in the future, it is possible that we might need Abigail to testify as a witness against the gang who were living in her flat. I should warn you that she has been subjected to some fairly horrific abuse and assault, so it’s not going to be pleasant.’
‘We should never have left her alone. She was always vulnerable. So passive. I somehow managed to convince myself that she was managing. But things are going to be very different from now on. Abigail is going to be fine.’
Ted asked for a mid-afternoon catch-up with all of the team. As he told Jo, he was determined to get away at a decent time to go and open up for the children arriving for their self-defence class. He had a lot of making up to do with Trev and this was going to be the start of it. Keeping a promise, and being on time.
‘From the interviews with the others, it seems that Kane was the only one who ever dealt with the Big Man face to face,’ Jo began the summing up. ‘He would never say much about him, except that he was dangerous.’
‘According to Ronnie, Kane was always scared witless when he needed to meet him and hand over any money. He never trusted him,’ Maurice put in. He was back from the safe house, after a morning of talking to Zofia.
‘With good cause, it seems,’ Jo replied. ‘Did he ever say where he went to meet him?’
‘Nothing. Kane only ever knew a day and an approximate time and place. He’d be picked up by a vehicle being driven by what he always called “a foreign bloke”. There was always a second person in the back. Often the dwarf, sometimes another “foreign bloke”. He always had a bag put over his head so he never saw the route. All he ever said to the others was that he was taken to a big posh house to hand over the cash and stuff like the films, and to pick up fresh supplies for them to sell. And whenever he got back he was always white and nervous and wouldn’t say very much. He’d get drunk or off his face or both, and if they did any filming after that, he was always more violent than usual.’
‘Pretty much the same story from all of the others, boss,’ Mike told him. He’d been collating information as it came in from the rest of the team interviewing the other cuckoos. ‘They all confirm that no one except Kane ever had direct dealings with the Big Man, and he wouldn’t say much about him. The others aren’t stupid, though. The fact that we’re asking so many questions about Data now and none of them know where he is makes them suspect the Big Man has him. And that’s scaring them into not wanting to say anything at all.’
‘Jo, have we got anything at all we can charge any of the others with? Anything concrete?’
‘We’re close to having enough for some serious assault charges arising out of the films. Except for the thorny question, which any defence lawyer is sure to raise. How can we tell whether or not Abigail consented to what was happening to her?’
‘That’s one for CPS to sort out ultimately. But let’s try and put together enough from what we have got to get them charged and remanded. Now we can safely forget about Abigail, until the inquest, at least, let’s concentrate all our efforts on the cuckoos. And finding Data.’
The youngsters from the self-defence club were surprised to see Ted there to welcome them at the start of the session. His number one fan, Flip, was delighted.
Ted hoped that Trev would turn up. He wouldn’t proceed without another adult present. It was always running a risk to do so. Worst case scenario, Bernard didn’t live far away and would come if he was called.
He instructed the juniors to go and get changed while he did the same, then he hung about anxiously in the corridor outside the gym they used. He had a view of the car park. To his relief, he saw Trev’s bike turn in and his partner park it not all that far from where Ted’s Renault was standing.
Ted scanned Trev’s face anxiously as he strode in, still in his leathers, with his kit bag slung over one shoulder. There was no sign of the familiar warmth in his expression, but Ted knew he would be professional enough not to show anything in front of the children.
‘Hi, are you okay? I made it on time, as promised.’
‘Good. You made the effort. That’s something. But how am I? Still furious. Still feeling totally betrayed. Don’t worry, though, the kids aren’t going to know anything of that. It will be situation normal, as far as they’ll be aware.
‘I’m not staying for judo afterwards, though. I’m going out with friends for a meal and probably rather a lot to drink. Oh, and I won’t be home tonight, either.’
Chapter Twenty-six
Trev was true to his word. The self-defence club went on as it always did. It was fast and fun. The youngsters were totally engaged for the whole session. There was no way the children, or the watching parents, could have detected any difference in the way Ted and Trev were together. Only Ted, up close and personal, was aware of the coldness in his partner’s eyes.
Young Flip excelled himself. Now he was learning judo as well as self-defence, he was quick on his feet, picking up any new moves in an instant. He visibly swelled with pride when Trev singled him out to demonstrate something.
Both his adoptive parents were there to watch him. His mother always came with him but his father wasn’t usually there. Once the session had finished, they both stood up to move towards him as he rushed over to them. Ted was watching, smiling to himself. He saw a lot of himself, as a boy, in young Flip.
‘Fantastic job, Philip, you were terrific,’ his father told him. ‘Well done, Big Man.’
Ted, about to go over to them, stopped dead in his tracks.
How could he have been so stupid?
If he’d been near enough to the wall, he’d have banged his head against it.
He was always going on to his team about hiding in plain sight. Yet he’d overlooked the most obvious answer, which had been staring him in the face all along.
Flip was small for his age, as Ted had always been. The nickname was clearly his father’s way of helping to boost his self-esteem. To let him know that height wasn’t everything. It was a name which could as easily apply to status as to physical size.
Ted turned back to Trev. He was itching now to get back to the nick a
nd start looking in the direction he should have gone in much sooner, but anxious first to have one more try at building bridges.
‘Have a good time this evening. Will I see you tomorrow at some time? Shall I pick up a meal for us?’
‘I’m going out again after karate tomorrow. And staying out.’
‘Apart from me behaving like a complete pillock, yet again, is there something else wrong?’ Ted asked him, looking at him shrewdly. ‘I knew you’d be angry, but this ...’
‘You really don’t get it, do you? Have you thought about how you would have felt if I’d been in touch with your mother, after she abandoned you, and before you’d made things up? Give it some thought. Because that’s how I feel, Ted.’
They were both speaking quietly, keeping their expressions neutral, anxious not to be having such a discussion where the youngsters could overhear them.
‘Look, this isn’t the time or the place to discuss it. But please can we talk? Soon?’
‘I told you, I’m going out tonight and tomorrow night. So make sure you see to the cats,’ Trev told him, then turned and walked away, heading for the changing room.
Ted would have to follow him, if only to retrieve his own clothes. He decided the diplomatic move would be to put on his coat and shoes but otherwise drive home as he was. He didn’t fancy a public scene in the changing room, not with the youngsters present. Perhaps it would be better to give Trev some space for a day or two in the hopes that he might calm down.
He waited just long enough to make his excuses to Bernard when he arrived. He’d decided not to stay for judo either. It wasn’t the same without Trev there, and now he’d had something of a lightbulb moment, he wanted to make the most of the inspiration.
He went home to shower and change, and to make sure the cats were all right. He was planning to make a night of it.
‘I’ll leave the telly on for you, but I don’t know how late I’ll be,’ he told them, as he grabbed his car keys and went back out.
