‘I’ll claim self-defence,’ he said. ‘Protecting myself from a murderer.’
‘The police know that I didn’t murder Amelia. I can prove I was in Birmingham all night.’
He took no notice, advancing to within a couple of feet. I pressed my back up against the door, and, to open it, I would have to move towards him.
I didn’t.
‘You’re lying,’ he barked. ‘Everyone knows you’re a killer. Read the papers. It even says so on your garage door.’
So had it been he who had painted that? I suppose I should be grateful he hadn’t burned the whole place down while he was at it.
I felt around behind me with my hands, searching for some sort of weapon or at least something to shield me from the stabbing thrust that I knew was coming. But there was nothing.
He smiled again. He was enjoying himself.
His arm went back.
‘Joseph!’ snapped his mother from the kitchen door. ‘Stop it! Stop it right now.’
He hesitated, just for an instant, glancing over his shoulder towards her.
I needed no second invitation. I lurched forward, pushed him away and was out through the front door quicker than a greyhound leaving the starting traps.
I ran to Amelia’s car and jumped in, locking the doors from the inside.
Joe had parked his black Nissan immediately behind the Fiat so I couldn’t reverse out. Instead I engaged forward gear, gunned the engine, and drove sharply left, bouncing over the front lawn and then out through the gate onto the road. Amelia would have been horrified at how I treated her beloved 500.
But I was shaking so much that I had to stop in order to avoid hitting something, all the while keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the rear-view mirror, just in case Joe had decided to follow. Thankfully, he hadn’t, and the road behind remained clear.
Gradually, I recovered my composure and I drove to Banbury without mishap, pulling up in front of the police station.
I went in to report the incident.
DS Dowdeswell came out to the lobby to see me.
‘Ah, Mr Gordon-Russell,’ he said. ‘I’m glad you’ve come in. I was about to come looking for you.’
‘Why is that?’ I asked with rising trepidation.
‘We’ve just had an emergency call from Mr Joseph Bradbury. He’s accused you of threatening him with a carving knife.’
22
I found myself back in the same interview room as before, this time questioned under caution on suspicion of engaging in threatening behaviour with a bladed weapon.
‘It’s not true,’ I said. ‘In fact, quite the reverse is the case. He threatened me with a carving knife and, what’s more, he said he’d kill me if I ever went to see his mother again.’
‘So you admit that you’ve been there this morning, then?’ said the DS.
‘Yes, of course. I went to visit Mary Bradbury.’
‘Why was that?’ he asked.
In the cold light of day, it seemed like a very good question. Why, indeed, had I gone there? I could have phoned her for the information about the Wilsons.
‘Why shouldn’t I go and see my mother-in-law?’ I said. ‘The poor woman has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Amelia and I were a huge part of her life for so many years, that was until Joe Bradbury convinced her that I’m the devil incarnate.’
I was getting quite worked up. To coin one of Joe Bradbury’s favourite phrases: How could he? How could he accuse me when it had all been his doing?
I made a conscious effort to relax, as being angry wouldn’t help my current predicament one bit.
‘Have you spoken to Mary Bradbury?’ I asked calmly. ‘I am sure she will corroborate everything I’ve said. I’m in no doubt that it was only her intervention that enabled me to get out of her house alive.’
‘Mr Bradbury claims you verbally abused his mother in a highly aggressive manner and he says that she is too upset by the incident to be interviewed at the present time.’
‘And you believe him?’ I asked incredulously. ‘Have you learned nothing? The man is a pathological liar.’
‘That’s precisely what he says about you.’
‘I will tell you exactly what happened.’
I went through everything, leaving out only the conversation I’d had with Mary about the Wilsons. I felt, right now, that it would simply confuse matters and I wanted to investigate what Nancy Fadeley had said a little more before I made any accusations to the authorities. It certainly wouldn’t help my cause if the police investigated and it turned out to be all a pile of tosh.
‘Get your forensic team over to Mary Bradbury’s house,’ I said. ‘You won’t find my fingerprints on any of her knives. I never touched them.’
He waved a dismissive hand, suggesting that his forensic team had far more important things to be dealing with.
‘So,’ I said. ‘Are you going to charge me or not? I have other things I need to be getting on with, like fixing the lock on my back door.’
‘Wait here,’ he said, and he went out, no doubt to confer with his superiors.
I just couldn’t believe what was happening.
How did Joe Bradbury have the nerve?
He must have worked out that I would go straight to the police and hence he’d decided to get his accusation in first. What I couldn’t understand was why they believed him. It was a clear demonstration of how much they didn’t trust me.
The detective sergeant returned.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘You’re free to go for the time being. But we will continue to investigate this incident.’
‘You just do that,’ I said. ‘It will prove what I’m saying is the truth.’
I started to walk out but I turned back.
‘And when are you going to stop treating me as a suspect for my wife’s murder? You must realise by now that I couldn’t have done it.’
‘Releasing you from the investigation would have to be a decision of DCI Priestly.’
‘So where is he?’
‘What? Now?’
‘Yes. Right now,’ I said. ‘I want to speak to him.’
‘But it’s Saturday,’ he said.
‘So? You’re working, aren’t you?’ Which I had to admit was a bit of a surprise. ‘Get him on the phone.’
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible,’ said the detective. ‘Yes, I am working, but he is not. He has the weekend off.’
I thought I could detect a slight touch of envy in his voice, as if weekends off during a murder investigation were the exclusive domain only of senior officers.
‘Well, first thing on Monday morning, you tell him from me that I should no longer be under arrest or considered as a suspect. And I also demand a statement be made by the police to the press confirming that fact.’
He gave me a look, which implied that that was not going to happen.
‘Otherwise,’ I went on, ‘I will lodge a lawsuit with the courts citing wrongful arrest and police harassment. You have no evidence against me, you never have had, and you know it. It is absolutely disgraceful the way I’ve been treated both by you and the media. I am one of the victims here. My darling wife has been murdered.’
‘We did have reasonable grounds for arresting you,’ the DS protested.
‘What reasonable grounds? Accusations by Joe Bradbury and a life insurance policy? Don’t make me laugh. That’s not evidence. It’s Joe Bradbury you should be arresting, both for killing his sister and for threatening to kill me.’
I didn’t want to argue the point with him any further. I’d need to speak to a lawyer. So I marched out of the police station and climbed back into the Fiat.
Needless to say, I didn’t go home and fix the lock on my back door.