‘You’re a natural,’ conceded Lucy and they both laughed.
‘Something tells me you’re not a scientist?’ said Steven.
‘An English teacher,’ said Lucy. ‘Maybe it would have helped if I had been and understood more about what Owen was working on, but Bunsen burners and bad smells were never my scene.’
‘I don’t think it would have helped at all,’ said Steven. ‘Maybe a master’s in psychology, but even then... Owen’s been treading where angels fear to go.’
‘I’m not with you.’
‘Sorry, I’m struggling here myself,’ Steven confessed. ‘It’s a bit like trying to define charisma. It’s impossible, but we all recognise it when we come across it. Those who have it can often influence — even inspire the rest of us — and it’s not unusual for some people to fall completely under their spell. In Owen’s case he’s come up against the evil equivalent of charisma. There are those who exude evil and malice to a spellbinding degree and unfortunately, these people exert influence too... sometimes with catastrophic consequences.’
‘That sounds positively terrifying,’ said Lucy. Her eyes widened and she seemed to take an age thinking about it before saying, ‘Do you know what I think is the most alarming thing for me?... it’s that Owen seemed to know that... He spoke about loathing Lawler but also being fascinated by him. He hated him for what he’d done, but the more he hated him the more interested he seemed to become in him. It sounded like an addiction being described by a scientist, but he was talking about himself.’
Steven nodded.
‘And now the big money question, what will happen if he can’t see Lawler any more... will he come back to me? Will I get my husband back?’
‘Let’s hope so,’ said Steven. ‘Understanding what you’re dealing with and what you’re up against can be a big advantage in a situation like this. It helps you rationalise things and, from what you say, Owen knows what’s been going on inside his head. He needed data for his study and he’s been prepared to take the risk of associating with a number of absolute monsters for quite some time. He must have convinced himself he could handle it.’
‘And then along came Lawler.’
‘I remember when we spoke for the first time,’ said Steven. ‘He said there was something special about Lawler. He couldn’t put his finger on it at the time but it seemed clear that Lawler was in some awful different league to the others in his study. It’s no surprise to hear that Lawler has gotten to him, but he was obviously prepared to take the risk and maybe push his luck... too far.’
‘I think that explains things perfectly,’ said Lucy quietly.
Steven said, ‘Many people who come into contact with the seamier side of life on a regular basis convince themselves that they can leave the job behind when they go home at the end of the day and then find they can’t. They start seeking help from booze and pills and then resent anyone who notices they have a problem and tries to help — usually the ones who care the most. An unfortunate few discover just how few steps there are between having a secure family life and settling down for the night under a railway arch.’
‘Owen’s started drinking.’
Steven saw the panic in Lucy’s eyes and could see this wasn’t the time to trot out glib assurances. He said, ‘We should consider the positives.’
‘Which are?’
‘Lawler is the problem.’
‘Agreed.’
‘Moorlock Hall is not going to exist for much longer. Its inmates will be transferred to other secure units. Owen will not be granted further access to Lawler.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I will see to it.’
‘Can you do that?’
‘Yes.’
‘Owen told me you were a doctor,’ said Lucy. ‘but you’re not a psychiatrist, are you?’
‘So, what do I know...’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply...’
‘I was an army medic,’ said Steven. ‘Let’s just say I came across the evil dregs of humanity in my time and saw what they did. I learned from the experience.’
‘I see, and now?’
‘I’m chief investigator with Sci-Med.’ Steven explained Sci-Med’s function.
Lucy nodded. ‘Okay, I believe you, no more meetings with Lawler. Happy days.’
‘Owen probably has enough samples from Lawler to give him data for his research and, if not, he has material from prisoners in all the other secure units. There’s no reason why he can’t get on with analysing them and completing his project. Maybe once he gets back to working full time in the lab and stops spending so much time with deranged killers, he’ll find his way back to normality.’
‘I desperately want to believe you,’ said Lucy with an attempt at a smile.
Steven got up to go and gave her his card. ‘Call any time if you need me.’
‘What should I do about warning Owen there’s going to be stuff in the papers?’ Lucy asked.
Steven could see the difficulty in the situation. Lucy wouldn’t want to tell her husband she’d been seeking a shoulder to cry on. ‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘Have an early night. Go to bed. Leave a note for Owen telling him I phoned and that he should call me back when he got in. The time doesn’t matter.’
Ten
Steven stood in the darkness of his empty flat for a few minutes looking out the window at the lights of the river traffic. It moved slowly and the lights were pretty. He felt uneasy and concerned about Lucy Barrowman. He had believed the situation to be manageable until she’d told him about the attack on her husband and the fact that, despite the experience, he still wanted to continue working with Lawler.
Although he hadn’t said so to Lucy — because she needed reassurance not cause for further anxiety — that took things to a new level. This was not the normal behaviour of a person whose life had been in danger. Joe and Jill Public would have been more than happy to have the emergency services appear on the scene — the more the merrier — and to have had medical checks carried out and reassurance provided. There was a real risk that Barrowman had stopped rationalising his association with Lawler and had fallen completely under his spell. If that were so, Lucy could be in danger. One thing was for sure, if there was to be any chance of recovering the situation, Barrowman had to be stopped from seeing Lawler.
The phone rang and broke his train of thought. It was Tally.
‘Where have you been?’ I’ve called twice, the last time half an hour ago.
‘I went to meet a young lady.’
‘I should have known,’ said Tally. ‘Turn my back for ten minutes and you’re out on the pull.’
‘I can hear you sharpening your scalpel.’
‘No, I’m going to use a blunt one.’
‘I went to see Lucy Barrowman. She has fears for her husband.’
‘With cause?’ Tally asked.
‘I think maybe.’
‘Oh dear, so what’s the plan?’
‘He has to be kept away from Lawler. I’m going to speak to John in the morning and maybe I’ll pay the director of Moorlock Hall a visit before the world and his wife turn up.’
‘You don’t think a D notice will be issued?’
‘I can’t see it,’ said Steven. ‘It’s not a matter of national security and whoever set up Moorlock Hall in the first place was clearly in the wrong — legally, morally, politically. Common sense will be excluded from any argument to the contrary.’
‘I suppose.’
‘How’s your mother?’
‘She’s stable and comfortable, but the next 48 hours will be crucial.’
‘Of course. Did you ask to see the X-rays for yourself?’