Nightmare

53

Nightingale wiped his face with the tea towel that Barbara had given him after Jenny stormed out of the kitchen and upstairs to her bedroom. ‘She didn’t take that well, did she?’ he said.

‘What did you expect, Jack? You accused her of betraying you. That’s not something you say lightly.’

‘I didn’t mean that she did it deliberately,’ said Nightingale, dabbing at his soaked shirt. ‘I think Fairchild has conned her. Maybe even hypnotised her.’

‘Jack, she’s known Marcus since she was a child. He’s been a close friend of Jenny’s father since before she was born. He’s her godfather, for goodness sake. You can’t go making vague accusations like that.’

‘I don’t think I was that vague, actually.’ He dropped the tea towel onto the worktop. ‘I’m serious about this, Barbara. She told him that the police had taken me for questioning. Why would she do that?’

‘He’s a lawyer, and a bloody good one. She wanted to help you.’

‘But after what happened with my sister, she must have known that I’d want nothing to do with him. So why talk to him about me?’

Barbara shrugged. ‘I can’t answer that. I don’t know.’

‘And the first time I met him, at her parents’ house over Christmas, he’d already talked to her about my sister.’

‘Well, he was on your sister’s legal team.’

‘And you don’t think that’s a coincidence?’

Barbara frowned. ‘You’ve lost me, Jack.’

‘Fairchild was on my sister’s legal team, but from what you got out of her under hypnosis it’s clear that he was responsible for her conviction in the first place. He killed at least one of those children, maybe all of them.’

‘That’s if you believe what your sister said. And that’s a very big if, Jack.’

‘I heard the recording, and that seemed pretty definite.’

‘I’m sure that your sister believed what she told me, but that doesn’t mean it’s true.’

‘What do you think, Barbara? Do you think my sister’s making it up? Or do you think that Marcus Fairchild framed her for murder?’

Barbara threw up her hands. ‘I don’t know, Jack. I’m sorry.’

Nightingale looked towards the stairs. ‘She’s really pissed off, isn’t she?’

‘Do you blame her? Her dad’s been best mates with Marcus Fairchild since the year dot. If you accuse him that’s as good as accusing her dad.’

‘This is nothing to do with her dad. Barbara, there’s something not right about that man, and I need you to help me prove it.’

‘Me? What can I do?’

‘Same as you did before.’

Barbara’s mouth fell open. ‘Jenny’s never going to agree to that,’ she said.

‘She might,’ said Nightingale. ‘If you asked her.’