Condemned, R.C. Bridgestock [most romantic novels TXT] 📗

line of questioning. ‘We are not investigating the taking of the photographs to discredit Father Connor O’Doherty as you might think,’ he said, ‘but what we are trying to establish is, could these photographs be of assistance to us in identifying the murder victim buried in the cellar?’

Still the old lady’s face was unreadable.

‘This is really important. If the pictures can’t help us then that is the end of this line of enquiry. Do you understand?’ asked Mike.

At that moment, Charley saw the sun shine through the stained-glass window at an angle that transformed the adjacent wall into a colourful mosaic.

Oblivious to what Charley was looking at, Mike carried on. ‘You see sometimes Lily, through misguided loyalty, people do things that they think might help someone, but in fact it just creates more problems. Does that make sense?’

The room was silent, warm and peaceful. Light turned to darkness when a cloud covered the sun. But the next ray of sunshine, stronger than the last, put the cut-crystal glass vase containing a posy of wild flowers into the pool of light. She counted five; primrose, spear thistle, red campion that was actually bright pink, snowdrops and bee orchid.

Lily’s cloudy eyes followed Charley’s gaze. ‘I assure you I’m not being obstructive. You see, my family and I… we are indebted to Father Michael, who found a way for my father to take my mother into the church instead of the workhouse… and to Father Connor also—’ Lily faltered here, ‘—as what you don’t understand, is that later on in life I found out that he was my father by birth.’

‘How?’ said Mike.

‘When Walter, my father, was dying, I was the one who nursed him. When he needed a blood transfusion, I gladly offered mine. But my mother denied me the chance to help him. I screamed and shouted, as I couldn’t understand why she would do that.’ Lily’s face twisted in pain. ‘In the end she had no choice but to tell me that it was because she knew it would be futile, because there was no blood connection.’

Charley absorbed the information and picked up on her enquiries. ‘But when you saw Connor’s photographs, even as a young child you must have suspected that there was something wrong about them?’ Charley said. ‘Why else would they be hidden? Do you think you didn’t tell anyone about them in order to protect Father Connor, or for fear that your home life, as you knew it, would be changed for ever?’

Lily put her hand to her forehead. ‘I don’t know. I was a young girl. I came across the photographs by accident. Father Connor had sent me to fetch the copy of the precious Saint John’s Bible. I felt honoured, and quite nervous. Whilst doing so I must have inadvertently triggered a lever in the sacristy, which opened the secret cupboard. I must have been gone a long time because Father Connor came looking for me, and that’s when he caught me looking at the photographs. He made me swear on the Holy Bible that I wouldn’t tell, and then he took the box from me, and gave me the Bible as a present. He told me I was his very special girl, and I deserved a gift for my birthday.’

‘Do you remember anything else that happened that day?’

‘It was a hot, sunny summer’s day. He said I could invite all my friends around to my party. He took us down to the stream, and Mum made sandwiches, and jelly. We swam, and played in the garden, until our wet clothes dried and the sun went down. Father Connor loved taking photographs.’

‘Did he take photographs that day?’

Lily nodded, ‘Yes.’

‘Even though he made you swear on the Bible, you did tell someone about the photographs though, didn’t you?’

‘Josephine… my playmate and the person that I thought of as a sister for a while. We told each other everything. That’s why when you told me you knew about the photographs, I knew it had to be her that had told you.’

‘Are you still in touch with Josie?’

Lily looked sad. ‘No, not long after my eighth birthday party, she vanished. I know it sounds odd, but I was told she had been adopted, and that was that! There were no goodbyes and she was never mentioned again.’

Charley looked surprised. ‘Did you ask to see her?’

‘Yes, but I was told her new mummy and daddy wouldn’t allow it. I remember thinking that if God loved us, why had he done this to us both?’

‘Yet you haven’t tried to contact her since? Especially now that she is back in the area.’

Lily shook her head. ‘I know where she lives, but it is only recently that her adopted father died. I read in the papers he was a hundred years old. Truth is, I didn’t feel it was ever the right time to intrude.’

‘Do the photographs still exist, Lily?’

The old lady hesitated for a moment. It seemed that her words were caught in her throat. After a few moments, she nodded.

‘Can you show us where they are?’

Choked by emotion, Lily’s voice wobbled. ‘They’re still where I found them.’

Charley frowned. Her questioning eyes found Mike’s. ‘We’ve searched, haven’t we?’

Lily cleared her throat, inviting the detectives to look at her. ‘Yes, but there are many secret hiding places in this house of God.’ She sensed Charley’s frustration. ‘Please, don’t blame your officers, this is nobody’s fault but mine.’ Lily stood up, and shuffled towards the door leading into the church. Before she disappeared into a shaft of light, she beckoned them to follow.

The old tin box was easily found. With gloved hands Charley took it from Lily. Tentatively she opened the lid, and fleetingly she looked at a photograph or two inside.

‘Do you know any of the people in these photographs?’ asked Charley.

Lily closed her eyes, her chin dropped to her chest. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Father Connor showed me my mother.’

‘Now, is there anything else that you can tell us that may