Faraday 02 Network Virus (32 page)

“
Alfred de Billiere.”

Marion’s eyes opened wide. “You knew about that?”

“
Gary told us in the interview. How is she coping with that revelation?”

“
She’s been asking loads of questions.” Marion had turned a little bit pink. “Some of them I’ve been finding it difficult to answer.”

Charlotte laid her hand on the other woman’s arm. “Marion, she’s twelve years old. I think she can cope with the truth.”

She nodded. “You’re right. She’s been brought up in a strange atmosphere with a so-called father who she didn’t really get on with and who, it must have been clear, I didn’t love. I think it’s about time that I sorted things out for the sake of everybody.”

“
What does that mean about your relationship with Gary?”

“
I don’t want to have anything to do with him any more. It would make me feel ill to be in his company. When I think what he did to Tracey, it’s clear he can’t have felt any sort of affection for either of us.”

“
Well,” said Charlotte, “I have to tell you that, in the interview yesterday afternoon, he said that he wanted out of the arrangement as well.” She shook her head. “It seems to have been the strangest sort of relationship. How did Tracey get on with her real father?”

“
He used to turn up from time to time when she was younger, always bringing loads of presents which she loved of course. She used to call him Uncle Freddie. He was her favourite uncle.”

“
According to Gary, Alfred used to spend several days with you a couple of times a year until about two or three years ago. Is that correct?”

Marion nodded.

“
And apparently the relationship was a lot more than just platonic. Alfred and Gary had an understanding about it before he married you. Alfred used to arrange the visits when Gary was away at sea and he used to pay him handsomely for the privilege.”

“
I didn’t know about the payments.” Her eyes had filled with tears. “But he said he’d arranged it with Gary so that I had no need to worry. Of course I was still deeply in love with him in those days. I thought he was a lovely man. Although he’d virtually raped me when I was nineteen and that resulted in Tracey being born, yet he was very loving and kind to me and always so generous to both of us.”

“
I don’t know about that,” said Charlotte. “If he was so loving and kind, why didn’t he divorce his wife and marry you?”

“
Oh, he wanted to. But he couldn’t divorce her because she had originally brought the money into the marriage which he’d used to build up his financial empire and he was afraid she would be able to claim it all back and put us out on the street.”

Charlotte shook her head at the other woman’s naivety but Marion hurried on.

“
I honestly believe that I was the one he really loved. Look at all he did for me. He gave me this house. He made sure I had enough money to bring Tracey up properly. He kept coming to see Tracey and me whenever he could get away/.”

“
And he arranged for Gary to be your husband.”

“
Yes.” Her face fell. “It seemed all right at the time. He said it would ensure that I kept my good name. And Gary used to be quite polite to me. But I wonder now.”

“
So when did it all stop?”

“
I suppose it was about three years ago.” She shook her head. “I didn’t really mind. By then I’d begun to realise that I’d had enough of this half-life. I knew he would never find a way of marrying me. Tracey was growing up and - well, you can’t carry on being in love with somebody you only see for a few days a year, can you? So when he stopped coming it was almost a relief.”

“
But how did you feel when his wife died? If it had happened a few years earlier you might have expected to become the new Mrs de Billiere, might you not?”

“
Oh, by then I was pleased that I wouldn’t be asked. I’m just an ordinary sort of woman. I’m not cut out to be the wife of a big businessman. I wouldn’t like that sort of life at all. I had realised for some time that he had somebody else lined up, so it was no surprise not to be asked. ” She looked directly at Charlotte. “And there was something about the way it happened that I didn’t like.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
I don’t know exactly. Of course it was the big topic of conversation in the town for several weeks and I felt horridly as if I was involved in some way.”

Charlotte leaned forward. “Can you be more precise, Marion. This could be important. What exactly was it that made you feel involved? You didn’t have any contact with Joanne, did you?”

“
Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Charlotte. But I can’t tell you any more than that. I forget exactly what was going on.”

“
Who did you talk to about it?”

“
That’s the thing. I couldn’t say anything to anyone except Gary.”

“
He was home at the time, was he?”

“
I think he must have been.” Her face puckered up. “Oh, I don’t want to think about it, or about him.”

“
Well, you’re not likely to see him again for quite a few years. The courts don’t like crimes that involve youngsters and may affect their future development.”

“
Didn’t I read somewhere that committing a crime and being sent to prison are grounds for divorce?”

“
They certainly are, but I don’t think you’ll have a problem getting him to agree to a divorce.”

Marion was silent as she thought about it.

“
Forgive me asking,” said Charlotte. “When Alfred stopped coming to see you, did you transfer your affections elsewhere?”

“
Oh, no. Not while I was married to Gary. As far as he was concerned it was all right with Freddie but he wouldn’t have liked me to be spending time with anybody else.”

“
Unless that other person was paying him twenty thousand a year.”

“
Is that what Freddie was paying?” She smiled oddly. “I suppose he must have thought I was worth it. I must say that every time he came he used to take me out and buy me expensive outfits and all sorts of - well, you know the sort of thing men like to see you in.”

Charlotte decided to change the subject. “And what about your brother James - is he upstairs sleeping it off as well?”

“
Oh - no.” She looked at her guiltily. “No. He’s not here at the moment. He - er - he should be back about nine. Why? Did you want to see him?”

“
Marion, be honest. He’s not your brother, is he?”

“
What makes you say that?”

Charlotte laughed. “You’re not a very good liar. And then there’s this coincidence of him having the same name as the man who raped you. I think you ought to tell me the truth.”

“
Charlotte, I want to withdraw the complaint I made about being raped. I only did it because Gary pressured me into it. I’m sorry if I’ve wasted your time. Have I committed an offence?”

“
Don’t worry about that, but why do you want to withdraw? Didn’t it happen as you described it?”

“
Oh, yes, but I think I was partly to blame. Although I didn’t mean to, I think I encouraged him.”

“
Look, Marion, just because you were wearing a revealing dress, it doesn’t give any man the right to force you to have sex with him.”

“
Oh, I know that, but he’d had a nasty shock - his best friend had been killed in Afghanistan - and we’d both drunk too much and I didn’t stop him putting his arms round me as he took me to the car. I think he was expecting me to let him have his way on the back seat. I believe it was only when I stopped him from kissing me that he suddenly found out that I wasn’t going to let him go all the way and so he turned rough in his frustration.”

“
Marion, that’s still rape. Whatever excuses you make for him, this James raped you. How do you know he hasn’t done it to other women?”

“
Oh, I’m sure he hasn’t.”

“
And this man I saw you with yesterday is the one who raped you?”

She nodded. “After you’d been to see his mother she rang him up in Germany and gave him a right telling off. She said she was horrified by his behaviour and that he may have traumatised me for life. So he went straight in to his commanding officer and got leave of absence to come back and face the consequences. But first of all he came to see me to apologise. If he goes to court and is found guilty it will wreck his career and his life, and it will all be because of a few minutes stupidity. I couldn’t do that to him. So I said that, if he helped me find Tracey, I would forgive him. And he did.”

“
Marion,” said Charlotte in despair, “you’re prepared to forgive a man who has violated you. I just don’t understand it.”

“
Charlotte, when Tracey went missing I realised what was most important in my life. I’ve had this mixed-up life for the last thirteen years, so a man forcing me to have sex with him is much less important. That’s what Freddie did the first time he took me out. In a way that’s what Gary did every time he came home.” She shrugged. “What’s one more time when I’ve got Tracey back unharmed?”

The DCI took a deep breath. “OK, if that’s the way you feel. I haven’t had any kids of my own, but I hope I will one day. Perhaps I’ll feel the same when I do. Until then I have to accept your choice of priorities. You’ll have to come to the station to make a statement of retraction, but that can wait a few days until things have quietened down.”

“
Thank you for being so understanding, Charlotte.”

“
Hmm, I don’t know about that.” She paused. “Now, I’m going to change the subject. Before I leave there’s something I want to ask you. It’s about Gary and the
Sarah Jane.”

Charlotte went into depth about how much Marion’s husband knew about the boat and its operation and where he had been when Joanne de Billiere died. In so doing she managed to unlock Marion’s memory about what had happened at that time. When she left it was with a certain satisfaction about what she had been told.

- 38 -

When Charlotte arrived back at Torquay Police Station the front desk told her that there was an urgent message for her to ring Lord Harry in Exeter.

“
OK. I’ll contact him from my office.”

The rest of the team were there trying to catch up on the paperwork after the frantic activity of the last week.

“
I’ve got to ring Lord Harry,” she told Paulson as she made for her desk. She picked up the phone and direct-dialled his number. The phone was answered immediately.

“
Ah, Charlotte. Good. I want you to come up here straight away.”

“
What is it concerning, sir?”

“
Several things. Can you be here within the hour?”

“
Of course, sir, but we recovered the missing schoolgirl and caught her abductor yesterday, sir. We have to interview him this morning and maybe take him to court.”

“
That can wait a couple of hours, Charlotte. This can’t.”

“
OK, sir,” she said resignedly. “Traffic permitting, I should be with you in an hour or so.”

She hung up and turned to Paulson. “Sorry, Stafford. I’ve got to rush off to Exeter. The interview with Bostock will have to wait a couple of hours. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“
Well, he’s not seeing his solicitor until ten. These law boys don’t seem to hurry themselves. I guess it’ll be late morning before we can get our hands on him again. I’ve got plenty to do meanwhile.”

“
Good. I suggest you ring Richard Harris and see if the information we’ve now got about Bostock will let us get the details of that account.”

Fifty minutes later she walked into the Harold Corbett’s palatial second floor office.

“
A
h
, c
harlotte, come in and sit down. A lot has happened since you were here on Monday.” He leaned forward. “First the good news - the PCC has decided not to investigate any further the complaints made against you in connection with the death of Giles Adams or the release of Richard Harris. I hope you are pleased about that.”

“
Well,” she admitted, “it is a relief. What does Chief Superintendent Lasham say about it?”

“
Ah, now here we come to the bad news. Unfortunately Mark had a mild seizure of some sort last night. He’s been advised by the doctor that he’s been under too much stress and he must take a break from police work for at least six months.”

Charlotte thought to herself that she could take any amount of bad news like that, but she simply said, “Oh, dear.”

“
Apparently the last straw was an interview he had yesterday afternoon with Sergeant Mallinson. Of course he feels very badly about staff who have let him down.”

“
And I expect his friendship with Charles Hawardine will have stressed him as well.”

“
Really.” The DCC raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Who is Charles Hawardine?”

“
He’s a gentleman I’ve just arrested for filming paedophilia and procuring young girls to perform sexual acts in front of the camera.”

“
Oh, my goodness, how disgusting.” He allowed himself a slight smile. “You seem to have unearthed all sorts of rogues since you came to Torquay a scant three weeks ago.”

“
Sorry, sir.”

He sat back in his chair. “Don’t be silly. I’m delighted with your clear-up rate. The word will soon get out that there’s no future in breaking the law in South Devon. The thing is that losing Mark, albeit only on a temporary basis, will put pressure on the Divisional CID. I have spoken to the chair of the Police Committee and he says there is no question of us drafting in a replacement from outside.” He smirked. “Sir Oswald even reminded me that we were over the top on detective appointments since I took you on.”