Unravel a Crime - Tangle With Women (47 page)

“
You may think that, I
couldn’t possibly comment.” he replied. They started to walk again.

“
No Jonny dear,” she lay a
hand on his arm. “It’s just that I have more time on my hands than I ought, and
so I probably think about things that are really no concern of mine - except
that you are my concern now of course. I wouldn’t want you to leave. Not so
soon after Gordon’s death.”

Brakespeare thought that she
was going to cry.

“
I’m sorry,” she continued, “
but I worked with him for over 20 years. He, well.” She struggled for words.
Then she took a deep breath. “They say that every good secretary is in love
with her boss. I was in love with Gordon. There I’ve said it.”

She fell silent, and they
walked even more slowly.

“
Were you…?” Brakespeare began
his question hesitantly.

“
Lovers? No. never lovers. In
fact I don’t even know if he felt the same about me. It was a romantic sort of
love; if you can understand what I mean.”

“
Do you mean that you were in
love with the unattainable?”

“
I suppose so. That only makes
you love them all the more; doesn’t it?”

“
I don’t know about that.”

“
I think you do,” said
Margaret. “Lisa”

“
I’m not in love with Lisa.”
Brakespeare laughed.

“
No, but she’s in love with
you.”

“
How do you know that. Has she
said so?”

Margaret shook her head. “No,
but I can tell. She was the same way with Gordon; at first. Please don’t repeat
this, but I think that in a way he took advantage of her. He gave her a job, although
I understand that she had a somewhat troubled past; she was grateful and fell
in love with him because he represented someone who was kind to her and whom
she could trust.”

She looked him straight in the
eye. “What man wouldn’t take advantage of a girl in that situation? You haven’t
of course?”

“
Haven’t I?”

“
I expect that you’ve wanted
to; but Gordon; well he wasn’t like you, divorced and away from his problems.
He had a choice to make. I think he made the right one.” She smiled.

“
By not leaving his wife and
children.”

“
Yes.”

“
You didn’t like Lisa for
that, did you.”

“
No, I didn’t. The
relationship would never have lasted; he was far tool old for her – nearly 20
years between them.” She thought about what she was going to say.

“
And I suppose I was jealous.
She had done something that I hadn’t been able to – in different
circumstances.”

“
And now?”

“
And now? Lisa and I have
something in common. We both loved the same man, although there is a
difference.”

“
What’s that?”

Margaret remained silent,
looking at her feet as she walked. They had walked all the way round the
cloisters and the exit was coming up. The conversation was probably nearing
it’s end. Margaret clutched at Brakespeare’s sleeve to make sure that she had
his attention.

“
I didn’t stop loving him. I
never will. I love my husband – even though he’s not really a husband any more,
but I have never loved anyone like Gordon Morrison. I am just so, so glad that
we were able to share our companionship. He knew all about me and my life. I
knew all about him and his life. I shared his happiness in watching his
children grow up. I shared everything. I shared his relationship with Lisa.
Another place; another time – well, who knows. But ours was the perfect
relationship. It never went wrong.”

Brakespeare was stunned. What
had prompted Margaret to tell him all this.

“
So what are you telling me?”

Margaret thought. “I didn’t
think that I was telling you anything – in that sense, but, I suppose if you
are asking me for some advice, it’s ‘take your opportunities while you can.’”

She looked up at him and
smiled.

“
Will you.”

Brakespeare smiled back.

“
Yes, yes I will.”

Only he didn’t know which
opportunity.

Brakespeare took the cross
country route home. He had a lot to think about. He had arranged to meet Lisa
at the Court. She was happy to find her way there from whatever hotel she had
booked. He hadn’t pressed her for details. Armed with the minimum of papers in
the case he had said “au revoir” to the office for an expected few days.

He hoped that Mel would be in
contact. He missed her company – and her body. Sophie was his major concern. He
would have to face her when he saw the kids. He was going to have to telephone
to see what the arrangements were going to be for the weekend. Should he try a
sexual reconciliation again with her? But where? Her parents were likely to be
home. He could bring her back to the digs. That would raise Trevor’s eyebrows.
Did he really want to try and make love to her there? In the same bed in which
he had had sex with Mel? Then there were the kids. Where were they going to
park the kids? Children were the best form of contraception, as every couple
knows. It would all seem contrived and forced.

Mel had hinted that she would
always be available for the foreseeable future, but knowing the way life ran -
in anything but a straight pattern - how far ahead was the foreseeable future?

Should he perhaps agree to
move back with Sophie temporarily - just see how things went? But where? They
would have to find a house – probably rent at first, but that would mean tying
himself in for at least six months. What if it all went wrong again? Was he
sure enough of his feelings for Sophie to want to take the risk? Not really. He
felt nothing for her. It was the kids.

There again, where would he
work? Should he move the whole family to Worcester? Should he stay with
Mortimer Ridley. Should he go back to square one and the C.P.S. in Birmingham.
Should they move back to Edgbaston again. Oh my God, that would be so
embarrassing.

No, first he would try and see
Mel, and discuss what the situation was there. There was no point in discussing
all his problems with Mel. She would simply leave him to make his own decision.
That’s right. See Mel first, and take it from there. Only he didn’t know where
she was. In the confusion of last weekend, he had forgotten to ask her. She had
said that she would come and see him. Perhaps she would get in touch. How? For
some reason he had never given her his number. Mel had no transport and the
public transport in Milton Keynes was non existent. Shit.

He pulled in the drive of the
Furzton house. He felt sad that there was no Mel to welcome him there. He
tugged his bag out of the car and unlocked the door.

On the table in the hallway
where no doubt Trevor or Martin had put them, there was some post. He glanced
at it and saw two letters addressed to him. One had a typed envelope; the other
was addressed in a scrawly writing. Mel!

He dropped his bag and tore
the handwritten envelope open. It was from Mel. The message was simple, but
what he wanted.

“
Come and see me anytime
Saturday. Missing you.”

The address was one in
Netherfield. He grimaced a little to himself. Netherfield was one of the first
estates to be built in the new Milton Keynes, over a period of 5 years in 1972.
It was well laid out with avenues and tree lined boulevards, but the houses had
been built with wooden frames and aluminium cladding. To say that parts of the
estate were downmarket was being polite.

He knew that many of the
houses had been bought off the old Milton Keynes Development Corporation, and
were in private ownership. Many were let out. The rents were relatively cheap.
That’s why Mel had gone there. Still, it was Mel whom he was going to see; not
the house. He wondered if her own kids were there yet.

The other envelope had a
Milton Keynes postmark. It wouldn’t be important, so he collected his bag and
went up to his room. He sat down on the bed and opened the letter. It was from
the same firm of solicitors to whom he had recommended Mel. His blood froze as
he read it.

“Dear Sir,

Re: Your former wife and yourself.

We
have been consulted by your former wife, Sophia in connection with the
financial arrangements for herself and your two children, Kirstin and Daisy.

As you are aware the financial
arrangements at the time of your divorce were dictated by the fact that you had
been made a bankrupt, and your former matrimonial home had to be sold to enable
your share of the net proceeds of sale to go towards meeting your debts.

Because of your long period of
unemployment, our client has used her share of the net proceeds of sale in
support of Kirstin and Daisy and Kirstin’s school fees..

As you are further aware, at the
time of the financial arrangements our client was granted £0.05 per annum maintenance
because there are two young children, and in order to preserve her rights to
full financial relief.

We are instructed that our client’s
circumstances have now change drastically, and she is now living with the two
children in her parents property in Milton Keynes.

This is only a temporary measure and
our client now needs secure accommodation for herself and the children.

We understand that you are in full
time employment as a solicitor, and are now able to make a significant
financial contribution.

Our client instructs us that she
would wish to settle matters amicably if at all possible. Would you therefore
within the next 10 working days let us have full details of your current income
and expenditure for us to consider, and at the same time let us have your
proposals for maintenance of your former wife and the children.

Finally our client feels that the
children require a more structured contact with you, and would like to make the
arrangements for contact, which have hitherto been on an ad hoc basis, more
defined.

We understand that you cannot offer
the children overnight accommodation yourself, and that you work some distance
away from Milton Keynes. She therefore proposes that contact take place for a
half day every alternate Saturday from 2.00pm to 5.00pm, and on the alternate
Sundays from 10.00am to 5.00pm, thus allowing our client some respite. In
addition, and provided that she is satisfied with the arrangements, our client
will agree to your taking the children on holiday for 2 weeks every year. We
trust that this is acceptable.

Yours Faithfully.”

Brakespeare started to shake,
and then felt sick. He rushed to the bathroom and retched. There was nothing
but bile. He went back to his room and lay on the bed. The sobs came easily.

For half an hour he lay there,
his head buried in the wet and salty pillow.

The bitch. The fucking two
faced bitch. All she was after was his money. That’s what was behind the basque
and the shaven pussy.

Fuck. After she had been
shacked up with Tony for 6 months he could have had the nominal maintenance for
her cancelled. Why hadn’t he done so? Because he trusted her he supposed. The
mother of his two children.

She was also using the old
trick of restricting his contact with the children as a lever to get money. The
letter did not spell that out of course. Such letters never did, but he knew
from his professional experience that if he did not pay what she wanted, there
would be difficulties over seeing the kids. Even the Courts could do little in
such circumstances.

She had totally betrayed him.
Again.

That was the worst of it. The
feeling of betrayal. Twice in a lifetime.

He sobbed some more.

Gradually his emotion was
spent, and he sat on the edge of the bed, feeling drained; his head cupped in
his hands, staring at the floor.

There was a tap at the door.

“
Hello?”

Trevor’s head came round the
door.

“
You all right, Jonny?”

Brakespeare tried not to look
at him. His eyes were bound to be blood shot.

“
Just a little set back.
Nothing that can’t be sorted out.”

“
Good. I’m off again. Martin’s
not in. The house is yours for the weekend. Cheers.”

Well that was something; he
could bring Mel back.

He suddenly felt terribly
tired. He didn’t feel hungry. Slipping off his clothes he climbed into bed, and
gradually sleep rescued him from his depression.

The next morning, Brakespeare
felt much better for his sleep. In fact he was quite excited at the thought of
seeing Mel again. He tried to put thoughts of Sophie and her solicitors out of
his mind. He knew that she would be waiting for a telephone call or even a
visit from him. He was not going to give her the pleasure of feeling that she
had him under her control. If that meant not seeing the kids; well so be it.

He also tried to put thoughts
of the Newberry case behind him; even thoughts of Lisa.

He could not in all seemliness
see Mel until about 10.00 am, and so having made himself some cereal and toast
for breakfast, he idled about and watched morning television to distract his
brain until it was time to go.