Faith - Lesley Pearse [236]
Meggie’s voice wafted up to Laura from the hall below. She couldn’t hear what her sister was saying, but there was a tinge of excitement in her tone that made Laura curious enough to get up and open her door.
‘Bruised but not broken,’ she heard Meggie say. ‘The police thought she was incredibly brave and handled herself very well. But I think his visit is bound to have brought back nasty stuff from the past.’
‘Who is it, Meggie?’ Laura called out.
‘Stuart,’ Meggie shouted back. ‘I thought you were asleep.’
‘I always wake up when people are talking about me,’ Laura said as she padded down the stairs and took the phone.
Stuart was very concerned about her and explained that Fielding had fled to London because he’d attempted to kill David Calder, the solicitor. ‘It was three days ago,’ he explained. ‘Calder was walking from his office in Portobello to his car around seven in the evening, when a car came straight at him at speed, mounting the pavement. It knocked him flying and drove off. A witness got a partial number plate, described the driver, and apparently that description fitted Fielding. The car used had been stolen in Edinburgh earlier the same day. But by the time the police had got all this information and gone to Fielding’s pub to arrest him, he’d already flown. Tipped off no doubt by someone in the force he kept in his pocket.’
‘But why did he do it?’ Laura asked.
‘I’d make a guess that Calder was about to spill the beans about whatever it was the. pair of them had been up to.’
Laura told him that she thought Fielding had discovered Belle killed Jackie and was blackmailing the couple. Stuart agreed. ‘But I don’t think either of them knew about the new will. I’m pretty certain Fielding forced Calder to keep quiet about that, because he knew if the Howells got nothing, neither would he.’
‘Why didn’t Calder just destroy it then?’ Laura asked. ‘Who would have known?’
‘I think it must have been because his secretary witnessed it. It’s one thing to pretend you’ve forgotten about a legal document,’ Stuart said, ‘quite another to destroy it. Perhaps Calder was afraid the woman would remember its existence at some time. But I think it will transpire that there was more to Calder and Fielding’s relationship than just this stuff with Jackie and the Howells. I’ve heard a whisper about mortgage frauds and no doubt a great deal more will come out of the woodwork before long.’
‘Is Calder very badly hurt?’ Laura asked.
‘Well, he’s still in intensive care. But apparently they are hopeful he’ll recover.’
Laura told Stuart then that Fielding had claimed Charles killed Barney. ‘Tell me that isn’t true,’ she said. ‘He just wanted to hurt me more, didn’t he?’
Stuart’s hesitation in replying was enough.
‘Sorry, sweetheart,’ he said very sadly. ‘It is true. Charles has confessed to it. I’ve got to admit I suspected it some time ago but Patrick, David and I didn’t tell you because we knew how upset it would make you.’
‘And Jackie knew it was him?’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so.’
Laura fought back tears as Stuart explained why he thought she’d done it, and how everything else that happened later was because of it.
‘I don’t feel angry with her,’ she said. ‘I’m sure she thought it would be better for me to think it was a stranger. But she obviously never realized what it would do to her. It must have been agony for her watching me crack up while Charles got away with it.’
‘I think she hoped it would make Belle and Charles better people,’ Stuart said. ‘But look where that led!’
He suggested he came down to London to see her, but Laura put him off. She said that she’d taken up enough of his time and energy already, but the truth was she couldn’t bear for him to see her looking so battered.
‘I’ll see you at the appeal,’ she said. ‘Angie has said Meggie and I can stay with her for a couple of days and maybe we can all have some sort of celebration together.’
‘And afterwards?’ Stuart asked. ‘Have you