Easy peasy, he thought as he remembered his daughter Jenny’s favourite saying when she was younger; everything was easy peasy until proven otherwise. It had been a couple of months since he last made the trip up to Scotland to see her. It used to be every other weekend until her involvement in out of school activities had multiplied to such an extent that she seemed to have less free time than he did.
He had always known that this was bound to happen. Jenny had lived almost her entire life as a much-loved member of another family and the next stage would be a growing independence. The main thing was that she was happy and by all accounts she was. He could hardly get a word in when he phoned, she was so full of news and enthusiasm about everything she was doing. He’d given up counting the clubs and societies she belonged to, but thinking about her made him decide to phone her when he got in.
Susan, his sister-in-law, answered and gave him a run down on what was happening in Glenvane and how Jenny was doing at school. ‘And now the bad news, Steven... she’s not in at the moment.’
‘Not in?’ Steven exclaimed.
‘She’s over at Jason’s.’
‘Jason?’
‘Her boyfriend.’
‘Her what?’
‘Steven, she’s a teenager. It happens, he’s a very nice boy.’
‘She’s a ch...’
‘No, she isn’t, she’s a young woman and a very sensible one if it helps.’
Steven struggled to get over the shock but finally said reluctantly, ‘Suppose you’re right, you usually are.’
‘Thank you, I am in this case.’
Steven looked at his watch then asked anxiously, ‘How will she get home?’
‘Jason’s dad is driving her over.’
‘Good... shall I try tomorrow?’
‘She has karate, but she’ll be in by eight.’
‘Right,’ said Steven distantly. He put down the phone, suddenly feeling very old.
Tally called while he was pouring a whisky. ‘How’s your mum? He asked.’
‘Sober, have you been drinking?’
‘How on earth?...’
When Tally stopped laughing she said, ‘A lucky guess. Susan called me. She was worried that you were upset about Jenny having a boyfriend.’
‘Why do I get the feeling the monstrous regiment is ganging up on me?’
‘I know she’ll always be your little girl, Steven, but she’s growing up. She’s a teenager and she has started to notice boys. She’s also a very well brought up young lady and you have nothing to worry about.’
‘If you say so,’ Steven conceded.
‘I do say so. Mum’s fine, I’m planning on coming home tomorrow. Now tell me about your day.’
‘Bad doesn’t begin to cover it. Barrowman’s still missing, John’s on a collision course with MI5 and someone planted an idea in my head that just won’t go away.’
‘Tell me about it.’
Steven told her what Tyler had casually pointed out about Dorothy Lindstrom’s post docs.
‘Do you think he did it deliberately?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then that must mean that he thinks there was something dodgy about the American deaths?’
‘It was something he mentioned as we parted company so I didn’t have the chance to quiz him, but I’ve asked Jean to dig up what she can.’
‘You could also ask her current American post-doc, she must have been there at the time of the fire?’
‘You’re right. Maybe I’ll do that while John is bending the ear of the Home Secretary about Five’s refusal to talk.’
‘Suppose she refuses too?’
‘He won’t take that lying down. You know what he’s like about Sci-Med’s right to investigate without government obstruction.’
‘Could be a big day tomorrow,’ said Tally.
‘It will be, you’re coming home.’
‘Oh, Mr Smoothie strikes again,’ laughed Tally. ‘I’m all of a quiver.’
‘Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
In the morning Steven decided to wait until Jean had come up with a file on the American deaths before talking to Jane Lincoln. He would use that as a primer to highlight any questions he thought needed asking. In the meantime, he would visit Lucy Barrowman who he found alert and looking much better than last time. ‘You’re a quick healer.’
‘Just as well,’ said Lucy wryly.
Steven saw once again the strength of Lucy Barrowman’s character. She’d had time to think about things and, unlike many women, she wasn’t going to search for excuses for her husband’s awful behaviour. He sensed that Barrowman had already been consigned to yesterday.
‘Have the police found him yet?’ she asked.
Steven shook his head. ‘He’s completely disappeared.’
‘Maybe they aren’t looking hard enough,’ Lucy said with barely disguised bitterness.
‘What makes you say that?’
‘The whole mess,’ said Lucy. ‘Secret prisons for the criminally insane that no one — not even the government of the day — is supposed to know about, MPs using leaked information to create a big scandal for their own ends. Liberal lefties full of concern for the criminals rather than their victims. My husband attacking me after getting involved with these people. I’m sure there are those in power who just see it all as a huge embarrassment and who would like the whole damned thing to disappear.’
‘I’m sure you’re right,’ Steven agreed, ‘and maybe it will. I hear that Mrs Leadbetter’s concern for the denizens of Moorlock Hall is not being shared too deeply by the general public. That being the case, the papers will drop it and move on.’
‘Good.’
Steven changed the subject. ‘The Lindstrom lab has had a chance to examine Owen’s notes and computer files...’
‘And?’
‘The results of his studies on psychopathic killers in Carstairs, Rampton, Broadmoor and all the other places he visited are there with one major exception.’
‘Moorlock Hall?’
‘Correct. He’s obviously hidden anything to do with Lawler.’
‘The special one,’ said Lucy
‘The one he thought was special from the outset,’ agreed Steven. ‘Dorothy is pleased with what he came up with from his work on the others and thinks it will all be publishable so she’s not too concerned that one patient is missing.’
‘I take it Owen didn’t talk to her about Lawler?’
‘Looks that way.’
‘Why wouldn’t he do that?’ asked Lucy looking genuinely puzzled.
‘I think he’s discovered why Lawler is special — a major discovery that he wants to keep to himself and get all the credit for when it’s published.’
‘All this is about ego?’ Lucy exclaimed.
‘It’s about people.’
‘Yeah, they’re great...’
‘And now for the big question... have you any idea where he might have hidden his material on Lawler?’
‘If I did I’d gladly tell you, but he didn’t confide in me at all. I suppose he must have loaded it on to some computer cloud.’
‘Possible,’ Steven agreed, ‘but I tend to think that he wouldn’t put all his eggs in the one basket to quote you quoting him. I think he’d keep something more tangible than a cloud account somewhere.’
‘Like a disk in a bank vault?’
‘Something like that.’
‘I’m not sure if he’d know how to go about that, I wouldn’t. It’s something you see in the movies.’
Steven smiled. ‘Used by rich people to hide money and valuables from the tax man.’