CHAPTER 26
It took almost two weeks for Joe’s bruised and swollen face to look anything like normal again. The colours changed from yellow to black, then yellow again and his hip and shoulder were still quite sore. Taking Liffey out was good exercise, although he slowed his pace accordingly, as he didn’t want to seize up and he’d had enough of recuperating after the accident in February.
If he didn’t keep busy, Joe’s thoughts ran away with him. It would be so easy to fall into the trap of self-pity after the dramas which had befallen him of late but he steadfastly refused to go there. The year was certainly turning out like no other he’d ever experienced. Losing Alison was more than enough to bear but David’s murder had also hit him hard.
It was still an ongoing investigation, but the police had charged Pamela with the stabbing and it looked as if it she might even confess. When he received another call from DS Armstrong wanting to interview him again, he could no longer put off a visit to Eastleigh. Joe was hoping that his involvement might simply amount to arranging the funeral, but he was aware there was the matter of the flat to consider.
The drive was uncomfortable as Joe’s hip was still sore but he’d decided to travel after work on Friday night; he’d already taken more time off work than he’d have liked, and the traffic was mercifully light. He’d arranged to meet DS Armstrong at 9.00am on the Saturday; and so he’d booked a room in a Premier Inn for the night.
The hotel was clean and comfortable and surprisingly Joe slept like a baby, thoroughly exhausted.
After a hearty breakfast in hotel restaurant, Joe set off to meet DS Armstrong. There was no police station in Eastleigh, so he travelled the five miles to Southampton Central, where the detective was based. He was greeted cordially and offered coffee, which he accepted gratefully, and then Armstrong began to update him.
‘Mrs Parker has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, her plea being that her mind was disturbed due to her husband’s constant abuse.’
Joe was shocked. ‘Constant abuse? Is she trying to say that David abused her throughout the marriage?’
‘Yes, apparently. She’s citing physical abuse and mental cruelty.’ Armstrong watched Joe carefully for his reaction, and then asked, ‘Do you buy that?’
‘No! I can’t claim to have been close to David, especially in later years, but I’m pretty certain that he wouldn’t have been violent towards her.’
‘You think that, even though he tried to kill you?’
‘I know it seems incongruent, but if you’d told me it was the other way round, that she abused him, I’d find that much easier to believe. During our last encounter, David appeared almost penitent for his actions, she was certainly the more hostile of the two, and I got the distinct impression that she’d been the driving force behind his attempt to kill me.’ Joe couldn’t be certain but that’s the way he’d read it at the time.
‘Sadly impressions count for nothing in a court of law, Mr Parker. Her defence will be thorough and the prosecution are currently looking for witnesses to disprove her story, but rather unsuccessfully, I’m afraid. Your brother and his wife seem to have kept themselves to themselves.’
‘But surely there will need to be witnesses to prove her defence, too?’ Joe asked.
‘Presumably. We’re doing all we can to investigate exactly what happened and what kind of relationship they had. The information you gave me about your brother’s attempt on your life will, of course, be integral to the case, and in due course you’ll most likely be called to give evidence to the events of that time.’
‘What? But what has that all got to do with Pam killing him? Surely I don’t have to be involved?’ Joe was horrified. He hadn’t expected this, and to have to go over everything in court was the last thing he wanted. It also occurred to him that if he testified to David running him down, it would only strengthen Pam’s claim that he was a violent man. What had he got himself into?
‘I’m sorry, Mr Parker, but depending on what charge the CPS pursue, it’s a very likely possibility that you will be called to give evidence. Now, I have the address and number of the landlord of the flat your brother rented. He’s aware that you’re here this weekend and that you need to see the flat.’
Joe took the piece of paper Armstrong offered and left the police station in a daze. Having assumed that telling the detective the truth and holding nothing back was the best way forward, now it seemed as if his honesty would assist Pam in getting away with murder, quite literally.
Joe sat in his car, trying to get his head round what had happened and also what might be in store for him in the near future. He didn’t want to get involved with any part of David’s life, but now it seemed as if he was the one left to sort out the mess his brother had left behind.
Eventually he pulled out his phone and dialled the number which Armstrong had given him. He spoke briefly to his brother’s landlord and agreed to meet him at the flat later that afternoon. Joe’s next task was to pick up a death certificate from the hospital and register the death at the registrar’s office. Mentally, he thanked Phil for the crash course he’d received in the red tape involved after a death. Wading through the bureaucracy after Alison’s death had been difficult and he’d certainly not expected to be repeating the process so soon afterwards.
George Thompson could have been anywhere between sixty and seventy years old, Joe found it difficult to tell. He was a short, stocky man with a head far too large for his body, a ruddy complexion, a large, bulbous nose and he reeked of cigarettes and beer. Thompson was inside the flat when Joe arrived and was obviously not in the best of humour.
‘I need this place clearing out, and fast!’ was his greeting. ‘The police have kept me out too bloody long and I’m losing money on it, and mentioning money, your brother owed seven hundred pounds in rent and I don’t take cheques or cards.’
‘Seven hundred? I don’t carry that much round with me in cash.’ Joe was taken aback. It seemed that he’d not only have to pay for a funeral, but settle David’s debts, too.
‘There’s a cash machine round the corner. If you’re staying here this afternoon I can call back in a couple of hours to collect it.’
‘I bet you can!’
‘Look, you’re getting off bloody lightly with only seven hundred quid. They haven’t exactly looked after this place as you can see, and I’ll have work to do before I can let it again. Be grateful I’m not asking for more. And now it’s got the stigma of having a murder committed here an’ all. Who’s going to want to live here now, eh?’
Thompson was a real bundle of joy, Joe thought. ‘I’ll get your money if you’ll leave me a key. Two hours is all I need so if you’re back then it’ll be waiting for you and you can have the key back.’
‘When’re you gonna move the stuff out then?’
‘I doubt I’ll want to take anything so I’ll put it in the hands of a house clearer. Can I give them your name and number to liaise with?’ This seemed to be the most sensible thing to do. Joe already wanted to be out of this flat, it reeked of misery, and his eyes kept straying to a dark patch on the worn, dirty carpet which he felt sure was his brother’s blood.
‘Okay by me, as long as they can do it quickly.’ Thompson left a key and said he’d be back in two hours’ time.
Joe looked around, appalled that his brother had come to this; the flat was small, yes, but the state of it horrified him. He thought about his parents and the way they had brought up the two brothers. They too had had very little money and lived in a small rented house, with second-hand furniture and very little in the way of luxuries, but the house was always spotless, the floors scrubbed and everything neat and tidy.