Launch Code

FIFTY-FOUR

Bill shut himself in his study, only coming down to the kitchen to wolf down the fish and chips Toby brought from a shop in the next village. To say the silence around the kitchen table was awkward would be an understatement.

Toby had told the three sisters about Bill’s arrangement with the admiral to meet him above Old Hunstanton later that evening. Brooke decided to stay at Barnholt to see what, if anything, happened.

Megan had suggested that they all watch a repeat or two of Friends in the living room. It was a good call, bringing back memories of the girls crowded around the TV when they were children, and distracting them from the destruction of their family in front of them.

Bill put his head around the door at about twenty to nine, announcing he had to go out. Only Toby acknowledged him.

‘You know, despite what the admiral says, I still can’t believe Dad killed anyone,’ said Megan, as they heard him drive off in his Range Rover.

‘I’m sorry, Megan,’ said Alice. ‘I know it’s unbelievable, but it happened.’

‘Maybe he’ll be able to prove to the admiral that he’s innocent?’

‘Perhaps someone at the plumbing place will remember him,’ said Toby. ‘Did anyone see the tap he was talking about buying?’

No one had.

‘His best theory is that I did it,’ said Alice with contempt. ‘And I know I didn’t.’

‘What do we do?’ said Brooke. ‘When Dad comes back?’

‘Depends what he does,’ said Alice. ‘He may want to talk to us. Confess. Or he may have confessed to Admiral Robinson. Maybe he’ll hand himself in to the police.’

‘But what if Dad just comes back and says nothing?’ said Brooke. ‘Goes to bed?’

‘Then we go to bed,’ said Alice.

‘But we can’t just pretend none of this happened!’

‘We’ll have to,’ said Alice.

Toby was with Brooke on this. Alice glanced quickly at him. A warning shot.

Bill being a murderer was bad enough. So was Lars being killed. And Sam Bowen. But Toby could see the decision he had put off re-emerging. Whether to tell the cops about Bill, and lose his wife. Or keep quiet. And what? Live for ever with a father-in-law who he knew was a murderer.

It wouldn’t work.

Toby would need courage to do what he had to do; he wasn’t sure he had it. There had to be some way of avoiding the decision, of finessing it somehow.

Pray for a miracle. Maybe Megan was right; maybe Bill would be able to convince the admiral of his innocence.

He was finding the waiting difficult, and Friends was irritating the hell out of him.

Brooke’s phone rang. ‘It’s Justin,’ she explained. She withdrew to the kitchen, and reappeared a minute or so later. ‘I’m just going to pick him up from the hotel. I told him about Bill. He wants to be here, and I’ve got the car.’

‘I’ll go and get him, if you like,’ said Toby. He wanted to be doing something. And he wanted to talk to Justin alone. Reluctantly, he could see that Bill must have killed Sam. But it was harder to believe he had shot his old friend Lars. Whereas Justin?

Brooke glanced at her sisters. It was clear she wanted to stay with them. ‘Thanks, Toby. I’ll give you the address of the hotel.’