Faith - Lesley Pearse [204]
David asked him about bringing Julia and the children back to stay in the flat the following week. ‘We could look after you, and we’ll keep the kids out of your hair.’
‘That’s still full of dried blood,’ Stuart grimaced, putting one hand up to touch his hair. ‘I still feel as if my lungs are full of coal dust too. But it would be good to have you all around for a bit. I’m sure Julia can be trusted to wash up occasionally.’
‘She can be trusted to wash your hair, feed you and tell you you’re a hero.’ David smiled. ‘She was horrified when we found out what had happened to you.’
‘Make out I’m more of a wounded soldier than I really am.’ Stuart laughed. ‘By the way, did you know that Belle’s been taken to Cornton Vale?’
‘Shit!’ David whistled through his teeth. It hadn’t occurred to him to ask where Belle had been taken. ‘Do you think she’ll come in contact with Laura?’
‘Belle will be on the remand block. But knowing Laura as I do, I’ve no doubt she’ll find a way of getting to her. I wrote to her a couple of days ago and warned her to keep away, but I don’t hold out much hope of her obeying. If I’d been locked up for two years for something I hadn’t done, I’d want revenge too.’
As David was visiting Stuart, Laura was busy in the library, but it wasn’t revenge that was in the forefront of her mind, only a desperate need to know the truth.
She had first heard the news about Stuart being taken to hospital from Beady, a week earlier. Beady had reported excitedly that when a photograph of him was flashed on to the screen, she recognized him as Laura’s visitor.
Laura’s initial reaction to the information that Belle and Charles had been arrested for Stuart’s attempted murder was one of incredulity. She could understand them being furious that she was to inherit Brodie Farm, and her sisters to get Kirkmay House, but it made no sense that they’d taken their anger out on Stuart. She was convinced that it would turn out that it was merely a brawl between the two men which had gone too far.
When Patrick Goldsmith came to visit her the following day, and told her that Stuart had been convinced for some time that it was Charles who killed Jackie, it began to make some sense. Laura could imagine Stuart going over to Crail with the sole purpose of provoking Charles. She had just about got her head round that, when Patrick went on to say that Stuart was alleging it was Belle who had stabbed him. Furthermore, Stuart was convinced that it was she who had killed Jackie, not Charles.
But Patrick was a lawyer through and through. He used words like ‘allegedly’ and ‘it seems likely’, not once revealing his own personal opinion. Nor did he share with her any inside information gathered from the police, or even tell her the street gossip about it.
He didn’t stay long with her either, leaving her with the news that the police had made a statement to the effect that they were opening a new investigation into Jackie’s murder, and as such he should be able to get an emergency appeal for her on the grounds that it had been an unsafe conviction.
Laura was left totally bewildered. While it sounded very much to her as if her appeal was in the bag, and freedom was around the corner, Patrick’s coolness suggested she shouldn’t count on it.
That night she would have given anything to be able to phone Stuart or David for a clearer explanation and their take on the situation. Ever since she was sentenced she had watched other prisoners fighting over phone cards, spending a whole evening queuing for their turn on the phone, and never once felt the desire to ring anyone herself. Suddenly everyone was prepared to stand back and let her make as many phone calls as she liked, but apart from Meggie there was no one she could call, for she couldn’t contact either of the men.
Meggie didn’t know about the attack on Stuart as it hadn’t reached the newspapers in England, which made it tough on Laura as she had to explain the whole thing before she could even attempt to get