Saturday cont. then Sunday
As Cleo prophesied over the nightcap coffee she and Gary
always drank when the day was ending, Mia and Greg’s shoptalk had morphed into
a romantic tryst. Gary admitted that he had seen Greg gazing at Mia, but did
not think he would enter into a relationship so soon after his sobering
experience with Rosie, who obliged Greg to reward her willingness to ‘have fun’
with precious trinkets or expensive garments bearing a fashion label.
***
“You could ask him how it went with Mia,” said Cleo.
“I do believe you are curious, my love,” said Gary.
“I do believe you are, too, Sweetheart!”
“I could ask him, but I won’t,” said Gary. “I haven’t
forgotten how he accused me of interfering when I warned him about Rosie’s less
than rosy reputation.”
“So let’s talk about Mike instead, shall we?”
“His investigation accounts are promising, but he had not
actually reached a point where cops could have taken over.”
“So you’ll have to talk to him about his intentions, won’t
you?”
“He’s been out of circulation for a long time. I don’t
suppose h’s even thought about investigating further, given that he’s out of a
job.”
“I could give him a contract with the Agency if you like.”
“It’s a possibility, of course. We need facts in the priory
case and don’t seem to be getting any further. I’ll get to the prison and ask
him what he plans or hopes to do, Cleo. It’s only an hour’s drive and I won’t
need an appointment in my high-flying job.”
“Promotion does have its uses then!”
“I’m all for it. How about promoting ourselves from the sofa
to the bed?”
“I thought you’d never ask!”
“Not getting a headache, I hope.”
“Do I ever get headaches?”
“Come to think of it…”
***
Gary got up very early on Sunday morning and was showered
and dressed even before little PeggySue made for the breakfast table to enjoy
the customary breakfast ritual with her father and anyone else who got up early
enough.
The drive to Mike’s prison was accompanied by a phone-call
to Dorothy to tell her that he was looking forward to her contribution to the
video conference next day. Gary could be quite brusque if asked questions he
could not be bothered to answer at length, so he was glad Dorothy had not
bombarded him with questions about the reason for a video conference when she
could attend live by catching the bus. Gary explained that Cleo was still
nursing and would like to have Dorothy at the cottage.
“Are you all right with that, Dorothy?” he asked, sensing
that Dorothy had not thought of that angle.
“Of course, Gary. Thanks for letting me take part.”
“Come off it, Dorothy. You know damn well that I want you to
be part of it.”
“I suppose so,” said Dorothy.
“I’m hanging up now, Dorothy. I’ve arrived at Mike’s prison.
Cleo will tell you why.”
***
It took only a few minutes to complete formalities at the
prison. Gary and Mike met in his cell in the presence of a warder who had taken
the precaution of bringing along the latest puzzle magazine. He was not
interested in being a witness to the interview and Gary did not need him to,
but security obliged him to be there. Gary’s micro-recorder was switched on
unknown to Mike. The interview, carefully described as a talk, was not about
anything Mike might have done apart from some impressively shrewd
investigating.
“I’m out of here in two weeks,” Mike informed Gary.
“Jobless, of course.”
“Are you surprised, Mike? We are supposed to uphold the law,
not break it.”
“I’ve been in therapy, Gary. I’ve conquered my jealousy.”
“But you destroyed your marriage to a nice lady, Mike.”
“I know that now. I’m not aggressive by nature, but her
career was going so much better than mine and then I was dragged to
Middlethumpton and saw how popular she was.”
“I thought you wanted to be with your family.”
“Not as an office junior,” said Mike, who did not sound as
if his therapy had done him much good. He was exaggerating about the job in
Middlethumpton, but traffic patrols were not what he had in mind, either.
“So you punished Mia as a reward for her getting on in her
job, did you?”
“That’s what the therapist told me.”
“Do you want a reunion with Mia, Mike?”
“No.”
“Afraid it would start all over again?”
“Not really, but I’ll avoid her in case she has that in mind.”
2I think she’s probably scared of you, Mike, but we’ll be
keeping an eye on the situation.”
“There won’t be a situation, Gary.”
“What about Tim?”
“We agreed that I can see the little boy at least twice a
month for several hours.”
“I can’t get enough of mine,” said Gary.
“Your wife would hit you back if you tried anything, Gary. I
was a coward and she was timid. She used her female presence to best advantage
in her job, but that’s all.”
“All?”
“After she had the baby it was career all the way, as if
that was one of the components of being a successful woman. She was asking for
what she got.”
“Is that how you feel now, Mike?”
“No,” said Mike, and Gary was not sure he could believe him.
“Did your therapist put it that way?”
“No. She was quite compassionate about Mia, and we got on
well.”
“You were impressed, weren’t you? I expect your wise
therapist would retaliate if you became a bully, wouldn’t she?”
“I won’t give her a reason.”
Gary hesitated for only moment. So that was Mike’s game, was
it?
“Are you attracted to her, Mike?”
“She gives me the kind of intimacy I never had before,
Gary.”
“She’s a therapist, Mike. It’s part of her job.”
“She’s a single woman and very attractive.”
“I suppose you were alone with her during therapy sessions,
weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have sex with her?”
“Yes.”
***
Gary did not want to appear shocked or consider whether he
would have to report the therapist for exceeding her line of duty, so he gave
himself a moment’s respite before saying
“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here, Mike?”
“Aren’t you going to comment on my affair, Gary?”
“No. It’s none of my business.”
“So you won’t report her.”
“I could do.”
“I would say I have raped her. We agreed on that.”
“But that would put you in prison for a long time.”
“I didn’t think it would come to that.”
“But your attractive therapist was making sure she would be
in the clear.”
Mike looked perplexed. Gary had made him wonder what sort of
woman his therapist was. Did she go for prisoners as a matter of course? Did
she satisfy her own urges by involving guys hungry for attention?
There was a long silence broken finally by Gary.
“I’ve given you something to think about, haven’t I?” said
Gary. “Not all women are stupid, Mike. Your therapist won’t have told you that,
however, will she, if she wanted you for sex?”
Mike did not answer.
“Weren’t there rumours about her?”
“I ignored them.”
“Tit for tat, Mia would say,” said Gary.
***
“So why are you here, Gary?” Mike said, humiliated. He, the
macho, had probably been taken for a ride. He would show the little bitch what
happened to women who humiliated him.
“Don’t even consider it, Mike!” Gary said, as if he had read
Mike’s mind. Life with Cleo and Dorothy had taught him a lot about motives. “You
are bigger than those primitive revenge urges, but you would be knee-high to a
grasshopper if you tried anything.”
“I won’t.”
“And get a male heterosexual to therapize you.”
“I’ll refuse to see the woman. I’ll say she was ….”
“Don’t say anything. I’ll call her off tomorrow, Mike.”
“How?”
“I’ll think of something, or my wife will.”
Mike’s composure was in tatters. It took a while for him to
get over what had just become clear to him.
“What’s her name, Mike. I’ll get Cleo to want her advice in
a case.”
“Anna Grey,” said Mike.
***
“That research you did on Bailey wasn’t finished, Mike.
Let’s talk about that now, shall we?”
Mike pulled himself together. He had the same sinking
feeling as when he got the urge to ‘deal’ with Mia.
“He is a rat,” he said, “and I started my research to trace
his activities just for kicks.”
“Or you wanted to prove to yourself that you were better qualified
than your wife.”
“Bailey has a list of convictions as long as your arm.”
“But not in this part of the world.”
“No,” said Mike. “And he was hard to trace because he uses
various names for various activities.”
“What activities do you have in mind?”
“Money-washing, importing women and forcing them into
prostitution. That kind of thing. Actually more of a dogsbody for the rich and
famous who don’t want their status spoiled by criminal acts and cover-ups. They
had the money to farm out their ‘indiscretions’.”
“So murder by proxy comes into it.”
“He didn’t kill people himself. He hired professional
killers and if necessary just organized the disposal of the victims – at a
price.”
“Does that price include perverse rituals?”
Mike looked shocked for a moment before amusement took over.
“So that’s it. Not making headway with your priory case,
Gary? Want me to sort it out for you?”
“How do you know about it, Mike?”
“HQ is a porous as a sieve, Gary.”
“Could you sort it out?”
“I have no credentials,” said Mike, “and no job.”
“I’ll give you a job.”
“Mia won’t forgive you.”
“That’s her problem.”
“And I thought you were having it off with her on the side,”
said Mike.
It was Gary’s turn to look shocked.
“Was that why you mishandled her?” he said.
“Well, were you? She denied it.”
“As well she might,” said Gary. He had not known that he was
one of the reasons Mia had been abused.
“So why offer me a job if your conscience is clear?”
“The famous second chance, Mike.”
“What’s the job?”
“My assistant.”
“I don’t do secretarial work.”
“For the purposes of getting the job, you do, Mike. Nigel
has moved on and I need someone discreet who will do some investigating under
the cover of being a general factotum.”
“It sounds far-fetched, so I’ll do it,” said Mike.
“I thought you would.”
***
Gary left the prison secure in the knowledge that Mike was
onto something. Bailey would have to be exposed, but they needed more than
theories about his escapades and Mike had found very little proof. He would
have to take Greg onto the case. There was no time to lose.
Gary was not sure how he would break the news to Mia that he
was giving Mike a job, but surmised that with Greg now in her life (though he had
no idea if that really was the case) she would be sensible and not quit her job
at HQ. Mike would make enough money to pay her alimony and support the child.
Gary was also unsure about what Mia had told Mike about
their suspected affair. He hoped she had denied it, but Mike would have abused
her, whatever she had told him. Men like Mike thought they owned their wives
and were entitled to treat them badly. The therapist had tricked Mike for her
own ‘enjoyment’. He would have to find out if she abused her job regularly and get
her fired. What sort of prison governor sent pretty young women to therapize
guys like Mike?
***
Things were not going well at HQ, as Gary discovered when he
got there. It was a Sunday, but everyone involved in the cannibal case seemed
to have turned up for work.
Mia had arrived at HQ on Greg’s arm (as a gossipy
receptionist had reported). It occurred to Gary that Mike had not asked him how
he knew about the investigation. He would ask Mia if he had told her to pass on
the documents. Gary was starting to be uncertain about Mia.
***
Mia responded immediately to Gary’s request to come to his
office.
“He knew I would get at the satchel,” she said.
“But you never took an interest in the contents, Mia. Why?”
“It’s his thing. I did not want to cause trouble. Mike is a
born trouble-maker,” said Mia.
“Did you tell him we were having an affair, Mia?”
“Why would I do that?”
“OK. Why WOULD you do that?”
Mia paused for a moment.
“He said I was unattractive,” she answered. “I knew you
found me attractive.”
“But we never had an affair, Mia.”
Mia nodded ashamedly.
“I didn’t know he was going to react with violence,” she
admitted.
“But he did and not just once. Your medical report said
there were old scars and severe old bruises as well as the ones sustained on
the day of his arrest. I remember being shocked because I had not really
believed that good old Mike would move here and proceed to take you apart. You
should not have taunted him.”
“I didn’t. I later denied the affair.”
“Why did you say such a monstrous lie in the first place?”
“As I told you, you found me attractive. He clearly didn’t.”
But you can’t make up stories just out of vanity, Mia.”
“I know that now.”
“You should have sent him to me.”
“He’ll keep away from me in future,” she said. “We’re
divorces and I’ve found someone to protect me and Tim.”
“Does Greg know you see him in that light?”
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