HIDDEN SECRETS (15 page)

The canal was still as Joseph disappeared into the depths and darkness of the muddy waters, never to see the daylight again; never to see the kestrel hovering in the sunlit sky. Anne waited and watched until the water was calm. When she was certain, she turned away and hurried back to her car. A jogger sped past her as she approached the car park, followed by an elderly couple exercising their dog.

“It’s a grand day, isn’t?” the old man spoke as she passed by.

“It certainly is,” Anne replied with a smile, “and it’s going to get much better.”

Before she opened the car door, she wiped the mud from her shoes and polished them with a clean tissue. She hated to see dirty shoes, people would get the wrong impression of her, and that would never do.

CHAPTER 12.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5TH

Alex Lawton hated confrontation especially in his own hotel, but he knew it was now inevitable as he witnessed the increasing antagonism before him. Unaware of his identity, Ben recoiled under the intense stare from Charles Lewis. Ben had taken the news of Emma’s death very badly, and he appeared to be in a state of shock.

“I was warned that someone would get hurt, but I thought they meant Kate.”

“Am I supposed to be pleased about that Ben?” Kate snapped.

“I didn’t mean it to sound like that love,” he took a step towards her but she backed away.

“How long had you been seeing this woman?” she demanded to know.

“This woman was my wife and she was a wonderful person; she just made a big mistake getting involved with your cheating husband. She’d still be alive today if it wasn’t for him,” Charles was choked with emotion and anger.

“That’s not true you don’t understand what’s happened. It’s nothing to do with me, it’s your fault that Emma’s dead, not mine,” Ben replied in desperation.

Charles leapt from his seat and attempted to lash out at him, but Alex intervened before he could strike a blow. After a traumatic visit to the mortuary to identify the body of his young wife, Charles was extremely distressed. Now he was sitting in the same room with the man she had been unfaithful with, and it was too much for him to bear.

         Before another word was spoken, Alex was called away to reception to take a phone call. He returned a few minutes later, his face grey and strained.

“That was Inspector Salt,” he paused and glanced at Charles.

“The autopsy confirms Emma was strangled,” he spoke quietly.

Charles lowered his head and wiped a tear from his eye.

“There was something else Charles,” Alex looked in his direction.

“Did you know Emma was pregnant?” he asked.

“Pregnant, no I didn’t. But it can’t be mine; you bastard Preston.” He lunged forward, Alex intervened.

“Calm down Charles you can’t be certain it’s not yours,” Alex stood between the two men.

“Oh yes I can, I’m infertile. Mumps when I was a child, so I do know for certain I’m not the father,” Charles stared at Ben.

“I’m really sorry Charles,” Alex laid a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“You’re the father aren’t you?” Kate glared intently at her husband.

“I’m sorry Kate I really am, I never meant to hurt you,” his tone was remorseful.

“Everybody’s sorry, but that’s not going to change anything is it?” she burst into tears.

Ben attempted to comfort her, but she drew away from him and continued to cry.

“Can we talk about this later? There’s something really important you all need to know,” Ben pleaded.

“What’s more important than our marriage Ben?” Kate dabbed her eyes and looked up at him.

“Please Kate will you let me explain?”

“Spare me the details.”

After a few minutes silence, Ben turned to Alex. “I need to tell you what happened,” he began.

“When I was in the bar on Tuesday evening I met Emma Lewis. It was pre-arranged, I will admit that, but I was going to finish the affair.” Ben omitted to mention that he was seriously considering leaving Kate, it didn’t matter now anyway.

“When she left my room, I received a phone call from a woman I knew about ten or twelve years ago. She said she had something to tell me and that I should book out of the hotel and wait in my car for her. Stupidly I did as she asked, but she was in the back seat and put chloroform or something over my mouth; when I came to I was tied up in a dirty basement somewhere,” he paused.

“Who is she Ben?” Alex asked.

“It’s not important at the moment,” he avoided glancing in Kate’s direction.

“This woman belongs to an animal rights group; a very radical and dangerous one. Their idea of retribution is to kill a member of the family, or a close friend of a Company owner who use animal testing for their products. Your cosmetics company test on animals Charles, that’s why Emma was killed. You were the next intended victim Kate. On the day our house was ransacked when you were out, they were after you .Your name has also been mentioned Alex. They have a list, and there are others who’ve been killed in the past in accidents, but Emma’s death was no accident.”

“Why me, I don’t have anything to do with animal testing?” Alex protested.

“You were about to use my cleaning products, which are. It goes a bit deeper than that, the group also despise the fact that we make money and live comfortably from animal suffering.”

“Are you saying my wife was murdered because of my company’s policies?” Charles was horrified.

“That’s what I said,” Ben leered at him.

“How do we know you’re not making all this up, we only have your word for it?” Kate was doubtful.

“Why would I do that love?” he turned to face her.

“Because you’re good at telling lies love,” she taunted him.

“I think he’s telling the truth Kate,” Alex intervened.

“If you were tied up, how did you escape?” Kate continued to distrust him.

“I just asked her nicely and she let me go; how do you think? I managed to overcome her.”

“We should get the police here,” Charles spoke up.

“I haven’t finished yet,” Ben turned away,” You have members of the group working in this hotel, and probably in your company Charles, employees you’ve trusted for years.”

Alex turned and glared at Ben.

“That’s not possible; I scrutinise all potential employees myself, you must be mistaken,” he argued.

“One of your trusted employees has gone missing Charles,” he pointed out

“You mean Joseph, don’t you?”

“I don’t know any names, but there could be hundreds of them in this city alone.”

“You must know the woman’s name Ben?” Kate persisted.

Ben stood up and paced nervously up and down the room trying to avoid Kate’s constant stare and relentless questions.

“Is it someone I know?” she asked.

“No, you don’t know her, but you’ve seen photographs of her. The ones you received through the post. It’s the same woman.”

“It is you in the photos, isn’t it?” Kate nodded her head.

“Yes of course it is.”

“So who’s the woman, tell me Ben.”

He hesitated, “my first wife, Anne Parrish.”

“Your first wife, you never told me you were married before.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

“I don’t think I want to hear any more”.

“We had twin daughters. One of them died in an accident when she was ten, and I’ve recently learnt that her sister died of a heroin overdose.”

“That’s terrible.” Alex said.

“So this Anne Parish is involved with the animal rights group?” Charles asked.

“She’s the organiser.”

“How can she be name Parrish; is it her maiden name?” Kate asked.

“That’s my name.”

“Now you’re scaring me Ben, I don’t understand,” she stood up. 

“Parrish is my birth name,”" he muttered the words.

“I don’t know who you are any more, you’re a stranger.” Kate sank into a seat and stared vacantly at the wall.

“Why did you change your name?” Alex asked.

“I’m still married to Anne Parish, we never divorced. Our marriage broke down after the death of our daughter. I just picked the name Ben Preston from a gravestone. It was easy to get a birth certificate and passport.”

“Oh my god, we’re not even married. I don’t want to hear any more Ben, please stop,”

Kate began to cry again. This time Alex put a comforting arm around her shoulder and she didn’t resist as Ben glowered at him. Alex felt genuinely sorry for her; her husband was a callous liar and she didn’t deserve to be treated so badly. Kate stopped crying and looked up to meet her husband’s cold stare.

“Our marriage has meant nothing to you has it? It’s just a farce, and all this time you knew we weren’t legally married. At least now I won’t need to divorce you.”

“We can talk about this Kate I’m sure we can sort it out,” he pleaded with her again.

“Sort it out; how the bloody hell do we do that Ben? You’ve been living a lie for years. Why didn’t you tell me, it’s easy to get a divorce?” she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Ben desperately wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, but he knew she was burning with the pain of betrayal, and watched on helplessly as her body shook with sobs. When she had calmed down, she looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes.

“Did you ever really love me Ben?” 

“You know I did, I still do,” he knelt down beside her and reached out to take her hands, but she pushed him away.

“I did try to tell you about my past, but as time went by it got harder and harder. I never thought I would meet Anne again.”

“I went to Max’s café on Tuesday. I spoke to him about the Parish’s, I knew it was you in the photograph, but I told myself I was wrong. I’d have known if you’d been married before. Now I know what you really are, a liar and a cheat, and you deserve to be on your own,” Kate spat the words at him.    

“I’ll call Inspector Salt and get him to come over,” Alex said as Charles, who hadn’t got much to say, stood up and dragged Ben from his seat. With his clenched fist drawn back, he punched the unsuspecting man full on in the face. Blood spurted from his nose as he attempted to stem the flow with a cupped hand.

“That’s for getting involved with my wife. I’d like to kill you, but you’re not worth going to prison for,” he rubbed his smarting hand.

Ben didn’t speak or retaliate as blood dripped onto his shirt.

“I’ll get some ice,” Alex offered.

“Don’t bother, I’ll go upstairs and clean it up.”

“Do you think that was necessary Charles?” Alex asked.

“He’s lucky I didn’t hit him any harder.”

“Emma would still be alive if she hadn’t been here with that bastard. I would have forgiven her and bought the child up as my own. She didn’t have to die in such an awful way.”

Kate was deeply humiliated and distressed by her husband’s confession, and left the room. Ben followed, desperately trying to make her listen to his feeble excuses.

“Go away Ben, I need time to think I just can’t take it all in. When I married you I thought I knew you, but I don’t know anything. Leave me alone, I can’t bear to look at your face.” Ben saw the pain and hurt on her face and realised it was useless to pursue the matter. He was a pitiful sight as he walked slowly towards the lift with his head bowed low.

Downstairs, Charles was still revelling in self-satisfaction and turned to Alex.

“Don’t tell me he didn’t deserve that; I wouldn’t be surprised if he had something to do with Emma’s murder.”

“You told me you’d kill her yourself if she was unfaithful,” Alex reminded him.

“I didn’t mean it I was angry. I’d never hurt her, I loved her too much,” tears welled in his tired eyes.

“I know you did Charles, but I don’t know what to say to make things better.”

“There’s nothing you can say Alex. I just hope the police find the person who’s responsible for this before it happens to someone else.”

“Have they told you when the body will be released for the funeral?”

“Possibly next week. I’ll have to make some arrangements; she would have liked to be buried next to her father.”

“I’m sure she would,” Alex placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.