Tug of War

Chapter Eleven

‘Not his stepfather? Can you be certain? And, if you are, then who? Who on earth could take a stick to such a little angel?’

‘The one who abused him as a child and is now planning to abuse him as a witless and helpless adult. His mother.’

Joe lapsed into a shocked silence. ‘You’re going to have to explain this surprising accusation, Dorcas.’

‘You could have interviewed Julie yourself but I don’t think you’d have got any more information out of her than you managed to extract from her mother. Madame Langlois may not have been born a wicked person but — goodness, she had a bad enough start in life! Enough to drive anyone to despair and make them unstable, I’d have thought. That’s if she’s telling us the truth, of course. But Julie, who had no reason to lie to me, told me the family stories. The ones she had from her sisters. They were not mistreated. Only Albert. But, apparently, the old man, though he used to rage and storm at the boy and made his hatred very apparent, never actually hit him. It was his mother who beat him mercilessly.’

She was speaking quietly and trying, Joe thought, for the dispassionate tone he had advocated. ‘Does Julie have any idea why she would have behaved in this way?’

‘Oh yes. She thinks she did it to divert Langlois’s anger. To turn his rage away from her and the girls on to the boy who counted for so little in that household. A sort of whipping boy, you might say. First in line for punishment when punishment was necessary.’

‘A demonstration of her loyalty and her acceptance of the situation between them?’ suggested Joe.

‘That’s what the girls think,’ said Dorcas. ‘But I don’t think that would be enough. Not enough to make a mother do such a dreadful thing, do you?’

‘You have a different theory?’ he enquired gently. The question of mothers would always be a tricky one with Dorcas, deserted practically at birth by her own.

‘Yes. See what you think. There’s a girl in the village. . No! Don’t shudder in that showy way!’ she said crossly. ‘All right — I know I exaggerate sometimes. . occasionally I lie. But I always know that I’m not deceiving you or I wouldn’t do it. This is a true story, so listen! Have you seen Cora with the red hair who works in the chemist’s? No? Well she was a very pretty girl but she’s never married. When she was just old enough she went to Godalming to do her bit for the war effort. The gaffer in the factory she was sent to was a no-good. She came home pregnant and only when the baby was born did she tell her father what had happened. She’d been raped. It’s a good family. The mother wanted to bring the child up as her own and the father went straight off to Godalming and beat the man nearly to death. They arrested Cora’s dad and he was up on a charge of GBH. They put him away for five years’ hard labour.’

‘A sad story. And not uncommon,’ said Joe quietly.

‘It got sadder. When the baby was born they kept trying to persuade her to feed it. She wouldn’t. Wouldn’t even look at it. It kept howling with hunger and then it suddenly went quiet. When her mother ran upstairs to see if all was well, Cora was lying in bed just staring and the baby was by her side. Not breathing. It was dead. She tried to explain to the doctor who came that she hated the baby and couldn’t bear to touch it.’

‘Terrible tale. Were there repercussions for poor Cora? I’m afraid she could have been facing a murder charge.’

‘There would have been but it was all hushed up. So hushed that nobody speaks of it outside the village.’ She added thoughtfully, ‘But the doctor is very highly respected. You often hear them say, “I’d give my right arm for that man! He’s a champion feller.” But the point is, Joe, if Albert’s mother treated him as she did, don’t you think there may have been a sinister reason for this? Vulnerable young girl attacked by stranger passing through? She might well, like Cora, have secretly hated the child. But that’s not something a woman could ever confess to. She disguised the nastiness for our benefit.’

‘She was spinning us a tale, you think?’

‘Yes. She gave us a much more romantic and acceptable version. Well, it certainly captured your sympathy, didn’t it? Can’t say you weren’t warned! Old Langlois told you — “Don’t fall for her nonsense.” A woman in her situation must get used to lying convincingly. A way of life, I’d have thought. But I’ll tell you what, Joe. . however dispassionate you might think yourself, you can’t let Thibaud be handed over to her. Can you? He’d be at her mercy! Think of the awful life he would lead.’

Joe spoke sharply in a sudden rush of anger. ‘I’m a foreign policeman passing through. I have no authority, no magic wand. If the French can prove to their satisfaction that this woman is the patient’s mother, that’s it. Nothing I can do. Now, I’m grateful for your insights, Dorcas, never think otherwise, but if you’re going to get so involved with these claimants I think you’d be better kept at a distance. I’ll go by myself to see the Tellancourt family tomorrow morning and leave you behind.’ He glanced at his wrist-watch. ‘Half past one. I think I could probably make that phone call to the doctor now. He should have something for us. But first we’ll go and have a well-earned lunch, shall we? We’re a bit late but I expect they’ll be able to put something together.’

Varimont answered the telephone himself. His staccato tones had the added energy of excitement: ‘Sandilands! Glad you rang. Look — why don’t you come round to my office if you’re free? Soon as you like. Much easier to show you what we’ve found, I think, rather than explain. Oh yes, we have found something. Not much but it could make all the difference, I think you’ll agree.’