The Legacy (19 page)

‘I can do better than that, I can draw him. I'm an artist, Fish, remember?'

‘Oh yes. I certainly remember that.' He thought of the paintings in his flat in Kathmandu. ‘Nobody's ever painted me naked so beautifully! A definite work of art!'

Camilla started to laugh. It hurt her but she couldn't help it. It had taken her hours to paint the nude of Harry, mainly because he kept suggesting changes to make him look even more athletic than he already was. She'd refused to embellish the painting on the grounds of, as she put it, ‘artistic integrity.' But he'd been happy with the finished product.

‘OK,' said Harry. ‘If I get you a pencil and paper, do you want to have a go?'

‘Yes please. It's my left shoulder that I hurt so I can try.'

Rachel looked at Harry. ‘She must take it very slowly. There's no rush and we don't want to overtire her at this stage.'

‘I understand. But maybe she can just draw for ten minutes or so. The sooner we have an idea of who we are looking for, the better,' said Harry. Camilla squeezed his hand.

‘I'm so tired Fish, I'm glad you're here but I think I'm going to have a short nap. I'll see you when I wake up.'

‘Have a snooze and I'll go and get the pencil and pad,' said Harry, relieved that she was able to talk and that she was lucid. He could see Sarah and Ellie walking towards him. He went to meet them and suggested they chat outside in the waiting room. They found an empty corner and Harry explained what Camilla had said. He was clearly excited.

‘I suspect the next thing we should do is to talk to the police. I'm surprised they haven't kept someone here to keep an eye on her,' said Harry.

‘Why would they?' asked Ellie. ‘They are convinced it was either an accident or an attempted suicide. I wouldn't be surprised if they think Camilla's making it up so she doesn't look an idiot.'

Sarah handed Harry a card. ‘When we first arrived, the police gave us this. It's got the name of the officer who we spoke to written on it.'

Harry read the card. ‘Thanks, I'll go and give them a buzz and see what they say.' There were signs in the waiting room asking people not to use mobile phones in the intensive care area so Harry stood up and went into the corridor. He returned ten minutes later. ‘I'm amazed,' he said to Ellie and Sarah. ‘They said they would send someone round this afternoon to talk to Camilla but only after I forced them to take her seriously. They're clearly not interested. I suppose it's easier for them if it's just an accident and not an attempted murder. Less paperwork I suspect!'

‘I hate to say this,' said Ellie, ‘but I told you so. We'll go and sit with Camilla. Why don't you go and grab a coffee and then we'll sort out some sort of roster. I think one of us needs to be with her all the time. If someone did try to kill her, then we can't afford to leave her on her own.'

‘Thank you,' said Harry. The girls got up and walked down the corridor towards the intensive care ward. Harry watched them go. They were chatting to each other as they walked and Harry couldn't help thinking what a good match they were. He also couldn't help noticing how great Sarah looked in her jeans, particularly from the back. ‘Lucky old Ellie,' he thought to himself with a smile.

Harry took the lift down to the main entrance. He went outside and found a quiet corner of the building, away from the comings and goings of the main entrance. Though the sun shone, it was cold. ‘Winter's definitely on its way,' he thought to himself as he took out a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled deeply, enjoying his first cigarette of the day. He had two phone calls to make, one to Lucy and one to a couple of friends whose help he reckoned he was going to need, particularly when Camilla came out of hospital. He started with Lucy. He got straight through to her. She sounded pleased to hear him. He explained where he was and what had happened. He also told her how irritated he was that the police seemed to be taking no real interest in what had happened to Camilla.

‘I know the feeling,' said Lucy. ‘I am convinced that my Dad's murder was more than just a random mugging but the police don't seem to agree. I've just had lunch in the pub near where he was killed. They don't remember anything. I got the feeling that even if they did, they wouldn't tell me anything. It's that sort of pub. Everyone stopped talking when Isobel and I walked in. We were the only women in the place. They reluctantly served us some lunch but it was crap. It's not the sort of place my Dad would have gone to through choice.'

Harry listened as Lucy talked. She sounded frustrated at the lack of progress and angry at the police for not taking her concerns seriously.

‘What are you going to do next?' asked Harry.

‘I'm not sure,' said Lucy. ‘My father's funeral is going to take place tomorrow. It'll be a small affair, probably just me, Isobel, Kate and a few of his old buddies up here in Scotland. That's fine because his old Regiment has been in touch offering to help organise a memorial service for him at the end of the month. Apparently, word of his death spread fairly quickly on his old Para Regimental net and there are quite a number of people who would like to commemorate his life with some sort of Regimental service. It would probably be too much to ask them all to come up to Edinburgh so I've agreed to either Aldershot or Colchester. They're going to get back to me with a few suggested dates.'

‘That's great,' said Harry, encouragingly.

‘It is. If I'm honest, I'm incredibly touched that they want to hold a service for him. I didn't realise he was so well regarded. But there is some other stuff that I need to discuss with you. I think I need your help to try and track somebody down.'

‘OK,' said Harry. ‘That sounds interesting. Do you want to tell me now?'

‘No, I think we need to discuss this face to face. As soon as we've buried Dad, I'll fly down South. If you're going to stay on Dartmoor for a week or so, then I'll try and catch a flight to Exeter and perhaps we can meet there.'

‘Good plan,' said Harry. He was excited at the prospect of seeing Lucy again. In a way, seeing Camilla had been helpful. He realised that, whilst he was still very fond of her, he didn't love her anymore. Lucy had shown him there was definitely life after Camilla and he could feel himself moving on.

Having spoken to Lucy, Harry lit another cigarette and made a call to an old friend from his army days. He briefly explained the situation and the friend agreed to help him. Satisfied that his plan, such as it was, was beginning to fall into place, he finished his cigarette and went back inside. He found Ellie and Sarah sitting by Camilla's bed. Camilla was awake and talking quietly to them whilst she tried to sketch her attacker. Harry looked over her shoulder at the pad. He never ceased to be amazed at how good an artist Camilla was. The face staring back at him looked real. The attacker had worn a hoody and this meant that she didn't know whether he had long or short hair, or even if he was bald. But even without knowing this, there was no doubt that the picture was easily good enough to identify someone from. It was, Harry felt, so much better than the usual sketches the police seemed to rely on when trying to track someone down. They all seemed to look the same, regardless of the race, age or build of the individual.

‘That's amazing,' said Harry, genuinely impressed.

‘Well, I admit that it's a reasonable sketch. But whether it actually looks like the man who tried to kill me is another matter,' replied Camilla. ‘I think it does but I only saw him for a few seconds. His eyes made the biggest impression. I looked straight into them as I started to fall. They were really scary, utterly devoid of any emotion. They were the dead eyes that you read about in books but don't believe actually exist.'

Harry pulled over another chair and sat down on the other side of the bed to Ellie and Sarah. ‘So,' he said, ‘what's the plan?'

‘We've just spoken to the doctor,' said Ellie. ‘Provided there are no complications over the next twenty-four hours, Camilla should be OK to come home tomorrow after lunch. They're going to do a scan this afternoon just to check that there's no swelling around the brain. That's the big concern apparently. Camilla's shoulder and leg will hurt but they'll get better over the next few weeks. Any swelling on the brain, though, could require surgery.'

‘Shouldn't they have checked for this before?' asked Harry.

‘They did,' replied Ellie. ‘But they want to run a final check before letting her go.'

Harry took hold of Camilla's hand and squeezed it. ‘Soon be back in my tender loving care. Bet you can't wait!'

Camilla smiled. ‘Anything would be better than this. They're very kind but I can't wait to get out, even if it means having to put up with you bossing me around. Will you be able to take me back to London?'

‘Not so fast Camilla,' said Ellie. ‘I'm not letting you go until I'm sure you're OK. I'd rather you were here with us than back in London on your own, at least until we know you're safe from whoever tried to kill you. I know Harry would try and look after you on his own but it will be easier with the three of us.'

Camilla looked visibly relieved. She didn't want to impose on Ellie and Sarah but, even with Harry by her side, she was scared of going back to her flat in London. Harry, Sarah and Ellie worked out a roster to ensure that there was at least one of them with Camilla at all times. They agreed to do shifts of eight hours each. That way, everyone would get a sixteen hour break between their shifts, enough time to sleep, eat and generally sort themselves out. Ellie suggested that she should take the first shift so that Harry could go back to the barn with Sarah and settle in. He looked done in after the flight and the long drive down from London. Now that he'd seen Camilla and reassured himself that she was OK there was no reason for him to stay at the hospital.

‘Thank you,' said Harry, standing up to peck Camilla on the cheek. ‘Hang in there babe,' he said to her, squeezing her hand again. ‘You'll soon be up and at 'em.' He picked the sketch pad up and looked at the drawing. It really was quite exceptional. He turned to Ellie. ‘When the police come this afternoon, can you make sure they take a copy of this with them? It might help persuade them that it wasn't just an accident?'

Ellie nodded. ‘I'll try but I don't hold out much hope. Take care you two and we'll see you later.'

Harry and Sarah said goodbye and then left the ward. It was raining hard as they walked from the hospital's main entrance to the car park. Fifteen minutes later they were heading out of Exeter and up onto the moor. Even in the rain, it looked stunning. ‘I can see why you like it down here,' he said to Sarah, trying to break the ice with her.

‘I love it,' she replied. ‘There's a sense of community down here that I haven't experienced before,' she said. ‘Almost as if people come together because the environment can be so challenging.'

‘Where did you live before?' asked Harry.

‘I was in London. I worked in public relations for an oil company. It paid well but it was extremely hard work, particularly over the last year or so.'

‘Why?' asked Harry, genuinely interested.

‘Well, we'd been accused of not looking after the environment as well as we might have done, particularly in the Niger Delta. There was a court case pending and it was attracting a lot of media attention. The PR department was heavily involved and I was work-ing extremely long hours. I didn't mind this but the narrative we developed to explain what we were doing was full of half truths. We could have done a great deal more to help the locals but it would have cost millions and, quite simply, the company wasn't prepared to sacrifice any more of its profits than it had to. It was then that I decided I needed to get out and do something I believed in. Also, I hated having to commute on the tube, particularly late at night.'

‘So you made a lifestyle change and came down here?'

‘Yes,' replied Sarah. ‘I've got a degree in English and I applied to Exeter Uni to do a teaching diploma.'

‘Why here?' asked Harry.

‘The Uni's got a great reputation and there are some really good schools down here for work. In a way, it's the best of all worlds. You have all the benefits of a vibrant and multi-cultural university city within a few miles of some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK. There are not many places like that, particularly ones that are also near the coast.'

‘Is the coast important?' asked Harry, intrigued.

‘It is for me,' replied Sarah, ‘I'm a bit of a surf freak in the summer and Barnstable's not far away which is fantastic. It used to take me most of the weekend to get there when I lived in London.'

Harry was also a keen surfer. He'd been to Barnstable a few times and he also knew the Cornish surf beaches well. They spent the rest of the journey back to the barn comparing notes on which beaches were the best at what times of year. By the time they got back, they knew enough about each other to know that they would become friends.

‘I know you're knackered,' said Sarah as they pulled up at the barn, ‘but do you fancy a pint, my treat?'

‘I never say no to a woman who offers to buy me a drink,' said Harry. ‘Lead on.'

The two of them walked to the Ring O' Bells, chatting amicably as they went. Sarah liked Harry. He was interested in what she said and he clearly had no difficulty with her and Ellie being a couple. ‘I'll cook you something to eat after we've had a drink or two,' said Sarah, opening the door of the pub and leading Harry to the bar. They ordered a couple of pints and found a quiet table near the fire so they could continue talking without being overheard. Sarah asked Harry about his past and what he felt the future held. He told her about Lucy and that he was really looking forward to seeing her. ‘Why don't you bring her here,' suggested Sarah. ‘She can stay with us, at least until you know what you're going to do next.'