Faceless (60 page)

her brother and sister. Marshall had adored Marie, preferring her

company to his mother’s because Marie had always been able to

make him laugh. She had been a comical person in her own dry way.

‘Why did you let it happen to me. Mum? I lost everything. Me

kids, the best years of me life, gone.’

Louise shook her head as if unable to believe what she was

hearing.

‘I did it for my son, of course. Because I was not going to have

that boy’s memory sullied over a pair of bloody whores. He was not

going to be pulled down into the gutter with you. You tried to

make him like you. Tou brought Patrick Connor into our lives, you

with your men and your drugs and your filthiness. You broke my

heart and you killed your brother. You deserved to go away in

exchange for the life of my boy. Now your own child is dead you

might understand what I went through over my Marshall.’

Marie didn’t answer her for long moments. Then she said quietly,

‘I hope you live for years. Mum, in pain and alone. Me dad has a

good woman now. He will find a measure of peace and I wish that

for him. I hold nothing against him because, like everyone, he was

terrified of you. You deliberately left me to rot. Left my children,

your own flesh and blood, in care. Well, I’m the strong one now.

I’m the one who is on top because I feel nothing for you any more.

‘I had beaten myself up for years over what I thought I had done

to Caroline and Bethany, and to Marshall, and to you - yeah, even

399

to you who despised me from the day I came out of you. All those

years I was convinced I had killed my two friends when I had done nothing. Now I might have lost my poor Tiffany, but I still have my

son and he’s a good kind boy. He passed all his exams and is on his

way to university. I also have my granddaughter, my Tiff’s little

one, so all in all I have more than you ever had or ever will have.

Because they are in my life through choice, not through emotional

blackmail or fear like we were in yours.’

Lucy listened with a mixture of fear of her mother’s possible

reaction and complete and utter shock at the calm way Marie was

recounting all that had happened to her. If it had been her, she

would have been screaming the place down.

‘Come on. Luce, let’s go and have some lunch. This place gives

me the creeps.’

Louise watched as her two daughters left the room. At the door

Marie turned and said, ‘I understand Dad wants this all to become

common knowledge, so I thought I’d better warn you.’

Then they were gone without a backward glance.

Lucy was finding it hard to accept she was sitting in this beautiful

house with her nephew and sister and actually enjoying herself. She

watched as Jason smiled at his mother and felt a lump form in her

throat. She had told him what had really happened all those years

ago, and he, like his mother, seemed happier for the news. Even

that Verbena bird she had been warned about seemed friendly.

Lucy still wondered at her sister, though. How could she accept

what had happened to her without any show of bitterness or anger?

Lucy supposed it was the years of prison. It took a certain type of

person to be able to put up with that amount of time away from

everything and everyone they knew without cracking up.

It seemed all Marie was interested in now was building a solid

relationship with her son and granddaughter, and who could blame

her for that? Unlike most people she actually had her priorities

right.

Lucy was pleased with the relationship that was blossoming

between her sister and herself too. All her bitterness was gone now

because every time she thought of what had happened to Marie her

heart felt as if it would break.

All those years poor Marie had believed she was the cause of two

deaths when all she was really guilty of was stupidity. Of being an

addict. She had even said that maybe it was a good thing it had

400

happened because she would probably have been dead now, the way

she had been carrying on. It was the bigness other, the forgiveness

in her heart, that made Lucy feel sad for her. She knew she would

never have been so good about it if it had been her.

One thing was sure, their mother was no longer a part of their

lives and that in itself was helping Lucy to build a new relationship

with her sister.

Verbena felt her husband’s hand in hers and sighed with relief. It

had been a frightening few days when he had given her the

ultimatum: either sort herself out or they would part. Now as she

watched her son and his natural mother she made herself smile and

function normally, and if it got too much for her she just went out

to the garden or up to her bedroom.

She was not going to lose her man over Marie Carter. Since they

had found out what had really happened even she had felt compassion

for the woman. To be locked up for all that time, during the

best years of her life, when she was innocent all along must have

been terrible.

It was a tragedy, but one that had given them Jason. So she

couldn’t be too sorry about it no matter how hard she tried.

She squeezed her husband’s hand tightly, aware of just how lucky

she had been in life compared to so many other people.

Marie Carter being one of them.

Susan and Kevin sat holding hands in the garden. Since he had

spoken about what had happened he was getting better in leaps and

bounds. He would not be tried for murder, but for manslaughter

through diminished responsibility. The entire sorry tale would come

out at the trial, and what a can of worms that would open.

Still, from Marie’s point of view it could only be a good thing.

Her solicitor seemed to think that they had a good case for

wrongful imprisonment as the police had failed to make a proper

forensic examination and made mistakes in the arrest procedure.

Added to which, Marie’s drug levels were never given in evidence in

court, only the basic facts that she was an addict. It seemed she was

assumed to be the perpetrator because of her reputation, and that

was not enough, not nearly enough, to put someone away for so

long.

They had wanted a conviction as quickly as possible and that was

what had happened. Marie, believing she had committed the

murders, never tried to defend herself.

401

justice naa Happened, Marie was just

pleased the years of remorse and shame were over now the truth

was known. That seemed to be enough for her.

As if she had been conjured up, Marie came into the garden with

Lucy and a young man. A handsome young man.

They came quickly across the grass to Susan and Kevin. She saw

Kevin’s eyes light up as he recognised his daughters, then his face

froze as he saw the boy.

‘Marshall?’

Marie smiled as they all sat down.

‘I know, Dad. Uncanny, ain’t it? Jason, this is your grandad.’

Her voice was matter-of-fact and helped ease the situation.

‘Hello, sir.’

Jason held out his hand and Kevin grasped it and held it to his

cheek. Tears were standing in his eyes as he said, ‘Don’t worry. I’m

crying from happiness. I never thought I would see the day when I

finally had all me family around me.’

He looked at his daughters and grandson as if frightened they

would disappear if he took his eyes off them for one moment.

Marie sat and felt the peace she had craved for years wash over

her as they all chatted together like a normal family.

She only wished her Tiffany could have experienced this day with

them. Had lived to find out that her mother was not the monster

they had all thought.

But one thing she had learned in prison was that regrets were a

waste of time. She was living for the future now and putting the

past firmly behind her.

402

Epilogue

The man tending his wife’s grave saw the woman with the little

girl and smiled. They came every week to the cemetery and she

always said hello to him and he was always happier after they had

spoken.

She was a very attractive woman, with a wistful smile and a lovely

nature, it was plain to see.

She knelt down to place flowers on her daughter’s grave and he

smiled to himself as the little girl’s voice drifted over to him.

‘Hello, Mummy. I done writing at school, and drawing.’

He liked the way this woman encouraged the child to talk to her

mother. Tell her about all the little events in her life. She seemed an

extraordinarily kind person.

Marie watched Annie, as she was now called, dancing for her

mummy. Since going to ballet she had decided she was the next

Margot Fonteyn. Marie suppressed a smile as Annie danced on the

grass. She was all legs, was going to be very tall, that much was

evident. Lorraine and Peter gave her such a good life and the fact

they allowed Marie to be a part of it too made her feel happier each

and every time she hugged her granddaughter to her.

‘Look at me, Nanny, I’m dancing!’

‘I can see you, sweetie.’

‘Can Mummy see me? Mummy Tiffany?’

Marie nodded.

‘I told you, Mummy is in heaven. She is in every flower you see

and every butterfly and in the clouds and in the trees.’

‘She’s taking care of me, isn’t she?’

Marie nodded.

‘She’s with you all the time, sweetie. All the time.’

They sat together on the prickly grass. Marie unpacked the little

picnic she always brought. As she laid a cloth on the ground she was

greeted by different people as they made their way to their own

403

loved ones’ graves. She was a fixture here and it gave her a measure

of peace to come here and be with her daughter as she had never

been with her in her child’s life.

‘I love chocolate cake.’

‘I know, Annie, that’s why I brought it.’

The little girl kissed her on the lips, a big fat smacking kiss that

made Marie laugh.

‘Is that a chocolate cake kiss?’

Annie nodded and bit into the sweet confection with relish. ‘Oh!’

She put her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. ‘I forgot to tell

Mummy where we’re going later.’

She looked at the photo of Tiffany on the gravestone and said

happily, ‘We’re going to the cinema and then to Burger King with

Grandad Kevin, Sue and Auntie Lucy!’

‘Hello.’

Marie looked up to see the tall black man who tended his wife’s

grave every Sunday. Over the last two years they had got on to

first-name terms.

‘Hello, Easton.’ She smiled. ‘Beautiful day, isn’t it?’

He nodded.

‘It certainly is.’

He looked at Annie and said kindly, ‘I heard you say you were

going to Burger King, you lucky girl.’

She grinned.

‘That’s right. With my Nana.’

‘Would you like a cold drink, Easton?’

It had become a regular thing, his dropping by to talk to them

both.

‘I would, Marie, if you don’t mind.’

He seated himself on the grass beside her.

‘How’s work?’

She shrugged.

‘The usual. I enjoy it, though. Teaching is rewarding. A bit like

your job, I should imagine.’

He nodded his agreement.

”Only if I win my case. If I don’t then it’s not too good.’

She didn’t answer. He was a barrister and she knew he knew all

about her. It seemed everyone did these days. Her father’s trial had

been big news in its day, as had hers. Both had been acquitted,

although for different reasons. Then Easton surprised her with a

question.

404

‘What are you doing after Burger King?’

She shrugged.

‘Going back to my flat. Catching up on some housework. The

usual Sunday routine. Annie’s parents pick her up around seven on

a Sunday.’

He took a deep breath and said lightly, ‘How about a drink later,

or a meal?’

Marie was nonplussed for a few moments and then she looked

into his kind brown eyes and said gently, ‘A drink would be lovely,

Easton, thank you.’

He was really smiling now.

‘The pleasure, Marie, is all mine.’

Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mother struggling

to get to her brother’s grave but Marie ignored her though they

were very much aware of one another. Marie had already laid her

own flowers there when she had first arrived. She knew her mother

watched Annie, and especially Jason, when they came here. She

must have noticed his uncanny resemblance to Marshall.

‘Can I give you a lift to the cinema?’

‘That would be lovely, thank you.’

A little later they strolled out of the cemetery together, Marie

holding Annie’s hand and the little girl chattering away twenty to

the dozen as usual. Her mother was only five yards away at one

point but Marie still ignored her.

Instead she said loudly to Annie, ‘Wave goodbye to Mummy,

darling.’

Annie turned and waved in the direction of Tiffany’s grave.

The sun was high and the breeze was cool and her Annie was a

beautiful and graceful child. Marie knelt down and held out her