All Passion Spent, Bergotte [e book reader online .txt] 📗

a cupboard and fished out an old machine. “I don’t use it much,” he said. “It looks like it came out of the ark.” He plugged it in to a wall socket. She switched on and began brushing her hair once more. “Okay,” she said, “I’m ready.” Jack let her go in front of him up the stirs and into the bedroom. He thought that on balance it was better for him to be able to keep an eye on her during the rest of the night. Bed was the best place. She might leave while he was asleep but he thought he would take the risk.

When Rita allowed the dressing gown to slip off her shoulders on to the bedroom floor her companion thought was restored to her former self. The experience of the earlier part of the evening at the hospital was a mental aberration, a distortion of reality. This was Rita as she really was; a truly loving young woman. She smiled at him as she sat on the edge of the bed and swung her legs up. He covered her with the duvet and held her in his arms. “Do you love me at all?” she asked him. “I don’t know you well enough to swear love and devotion to you.” “How long do you need?” “I don’t know. I’ve never been in this situation before.” “Have you never loved anybody?” “No, I don’t think I really have. I’ve known a few women in my time but I’ve never had a close relationship with any of them.” “Do you think it will be different with me?” “I can’t say, I don’t know. Let’s try and sleep shall we?”

They fell asleep in each other’s arms. Anyone looking into that room would have been struck by a scene of domestic bliss and tranquillity. It was after 2.00 a.m. when Jack awoke and gently extracted his body from Rita’s slumbering arms. For several moments he watched her breasts rise and fall with her breathing before he eased himself off the bed and went downstairs. He found his way into the kitchen and unlocked the back door. He tiptoed upstairs again and retired once more to bed, but this time he did not attempt to sleep. Rita moved in her sleep, turned over and was still once more. Jack looked at her and waited.


CHAPTER TWENTYSEVEN

Wednesday, November 1: morning

The clock had already struck 2.30 a.m. when an unmarked police car arrived in Weston village at the house belonging to the man whom Rita had learned to call Jack. It was followed by another marked police patrol car. From the first vehicle Gerrard and Anna alighted. The second police car containing a young police constable Atkins and WPC Evans drew up immediately behind them. Gerrard and PC Atkins went to the front door whilst Anna and WPC Evans quietly opened the back door and went inside. When Gerrard pressed the bell switch Jack immediately rose and went downstairs to answer it. His companion slept on, unaware of what was happening. Jack said nothing. He remained downstairs while Gerrard and Anna went up to the bedroom. Anna knocked on the door and entered before she heard any response.

Rita sat up in bed, pulling the duvet around her when she saw in the light from the landing that it was not Jack who stood by the bed but the young police officer. Anna asked her to dress, and meet her downstairs. They were joined by WPC Evans, PC Atkins remaining by the back door. “Mrs Margherita Fellingham, I have to inform you that you are under arrest on suspicion of murdering Mrs Laura Fellingham on the evening of Saturday 21st October 2006. It is my duty to warn you that anything you may now say in the presence of the two police officers here may be used in evidence in any future proceedings,” intoned Inspector Rossi, slowly. “We are acting on information received,” explained Gerrard. While Rita stood in handcuffs Jack described finding a pair of muddy shoes in Rita’s locker earlier in the evening.

“They have blood on them as well as mud,” said Gerrard. “Forensics will confirm it is your mother’s. We have enough to charge you. We will speak again when we’ve all had some sleep. Take her away constable.” “You bastard,” said Rita to Jack as she was led out of the house to the waiting patrol car. Gerrard and Rossi emerged a few minutes later. They stood on the doorstep as they watched WPC Evans and PC Atkins escort Rita down the garden path. Evans sat beside Rita on the back seat whilst Atkins started the engine. “Thank you very much for contacting me,” said Gerrard to Jack, “it was your quick thinking in alerting the security officer that did it.” “I still can’t believe it,” said the disconsolate man. “I’ll come to station later on and make a full statement.” He closed the door.

Gerrard caught sight of the next door bedroom curtain being drawn aside as the face of Sally Stoneham looked down at him from her window. At the police station in the interview room Gerrard placed a pair of ladies’ shoes on the desk. When presented with the evidence Rita confessed her ownership of them and acknowledged the dried blood that could clearly be seen. “Forensic report later in the morning will confirm it is your mother’s blood,” Gerrard told her. Rita would spend the rest of the night in the cells. At 9.00 a.m. Rita was brought from the cells to face more questioning. Once again she was shown the shoes, the only piece of evidence the police had that put her at the crime scene. Gerrard said to her gently. “Tell us what happened, please… take your time.”

Having been remanded in custody and confronted with the evidence Rita admitted to being in the park. “Where were you exactly?” asked Anna. She told them both her story. “I left home, drove from Bathford, along the A4 London Road and turned left over the toll bridge to Bathampton and on to the Warminster Road. I drove down the Warminster Road and parked at the top of Sydney Gardens. I didn’t want to be seen by any member of my family, so I walked down the road where I saw my mother’s car parked and deduced that she must have arrived. I went into Sydney Gardens at the side entrance. I walked along the path and into the bushes.” “Why go into the bushes?” asked Gerrard. “Why on earth does any woman go behind a bush?” replied an embarrassed Rita. “But the toilets are only a few yards down the path,” interjected Anna.

“And so was my mother as far as I knew. I did not want her to see me. I walked down the road and I needed to relieve myself. Afterwards I saw a body. I switched on the bicycle light I normally carry with me. I then recognised it as my mother’s body. She was just lying there. She looked quite dead. I left her and walked back through the gardens. I came out at the top entrance to the gardens, by the tennis courts. I got into my car and drove to work.” Rita sat still in her chair and waited for Gerrard’s response. “What about the blood on your shoes? Where did that come from?” “It came from the injuries that she had already received when she was hit by the car.” “Why did you not raise the alarm, shout for help or phone the emergency services?”

“It would have made me a suspect. I didn’t want to incriminate myself.” “Come on, this is your mother lying there in a pool of blood and you just walk away from her!” Rita shrugged her shoulders and made no reply. “There is blood on top of these shoes,” said Gerrard, pointing to the telltale signs on both items. “I’ve just told you. It came from the injuries that she got when she was hit by the car.” “The blood would be on the soles of the shoes. These are spatters of blood from a knife wound or something similar.” Once again the woman shrugged. “This blood on these shoes could only be there as a result of blood falling on the shoes from above. Rita shrugged again. Gerrard sat back in his chair. He knew the evidence against Rita Fellingham was compelling in some ways but not conclusive. He needed a confession from her.

He realised that she was not going to give in without a fight. He allowed his sergeant to enter the fray. Anna tried another approach. “If, as you say, the blood came from injuries that Mrs Fellingham received as a result of being hit by the car, why did you hide your shoes?” “I didn’t hide them. They were muddy and spattered with blood so I put them in my locker at the hospital. They weren’t hidden, just there. My next door neighbour found nothing.” “Why were you so angry with him?” “Because he was trying to get me into trouble. I often wear shoes that I cannot work in and change them when I get there.” Gerrard said quietly, “Mrs Fellingham, it is only a matter of time before our forensic team will confirm that the blood spatter is consistent with a stabbing. Now, I put it to you that you were responsible for that stabbing.”

Gerrard guessed what effect this speech would have on his chief suspect before he had finished uttering the words – silence and a shrug. Angry at not getting anywhere and having his time wasted he suspended the interview. WPC Evans remained in the interview room with Rita Fellingham whilst Gerrard and Rossi repaired to his office for a cup of coffee and discussion. Gerrard phone the forensic people and they confirmed what he had already said to his suspect. He put the phone down and turned to Anna. “The blood was a spatter from a wound caused after Laura Fellingham had lain there in Sydney Gardens.” There was a knock on the door. The desk sergeant put his head round to say that the other members of the Fellingham family had arrived. They were ushered in to the room where Paul announced that they all wanted Rita to tell the truth.

Anna went down to the cells in the company of WPC Evans. Rita sat quite still, her chin on her hands. She barely looked up when the women entered the tiny room. “How are you Rita?” asked Anna, but the prisoner made no reply other than the now familiar shrug of the shoulders. “Your family have arrived and want to see you,” continued Anna, but still elicited no response from Rita. At length Anna managed to persuade Rita to see her family. She was taken upstairs, handcuffed to WPC Evans and shown into Gerrard’s office where he was waiting with the other Fellinghams. Paul spoke on their behalf. “We would like you to tell the truth. We can’t understand it will be easier for you if you tell the truth. You need help Rita, we know that and we think that you know it also.”

Rita made no response. She looked blankly at them wondering why they had turned against her. Paul spoke again. “I have asked the family solicitor to come. He will see that you are properly represented. We all support you, Rita and will stand by you.” Gerrard knew he had to be patient. He could sense that the tide was beginning to turn in his favour but he also knew he had some way to go before he had solved the crime. Once again the suspect