“So you must know what clothes Boyd had. What’s missing?”
“He didn’t have much.”
“He must have had another overcoat. He’s left his parka.”
“No, he didn’t. He had an anorak, though. A blue anorak.”
Banks wrote it down. “What else?”
“Jeans, I suppose. He never wore much else.”
“Footwear.”
Mara looked in the closet and saw the scuffed loafers. “Just a pair of old slip-ons. Hush Puppies, I think.”
“Colour?”
“Black.”
“And that’s it?”
“As far as I know.”
Banks closed his notebook and smiled at Mara. “Look, try not to worry about the children too much. As soon as Superintendent Burgess catches Paul Boyd, he’ll forget all about the threats he made. If we catch him soon, that is.”
“I really don’t know where he’s gone.”
“Okay. But if you come up with any ideas…. Think about it.”
“People like Burgess shouldn’t be allowed to run free,” Mara said. She folded her arms tightly and stared at the floor.
“Oh? What do you suggest we should do with him? Lock him up?”
She looked at Banks. Her jaw was clenched tight and her eyes burned with tears.
“Or should we have him put down?”
Mara brushed past him and hurried down the stairs. Banks followed slowly.
Burgess and Richmond stood in the front room ready to leave.
“Come on, let’s go,” Burgess said. “There’s nothing more here.” Then he turned to Seth, who stood in the kitchen doorway. “If I find out you’ve been helping Boyd in any way, believe me, I’ll be back. And you lot’ll be in more trouble than you ever dared imagine. Give my love to the kids.”
147
II
Mara watched the car disappear down the track. She felt reassured by Banks, but wondered just how much he could do if Burgess had made his mind up about something. If the children were taken away, she thought, she could well be driven to murder the superintendent with her bare hands.
She became aware of the others behind her in the room. She hadn’t told them anything about what had happened with Paul, and none of them knew yet that he had run off for good. For one thing, she’d hardly had time to say anything. They had all drifted back close to meal-time anyway; when she was busy in the kitchen; then the police had arrived.
“What’s going on, Mara?” Seth asked, coming up to her and resting his hand on her shoulder. “Do you know?”
Mara nodded. She was trying to keep the tears from her eyes.
“Come on.” Seth took her hand and led her to a chair. “Tell us.”
Seeing them all watching her, expectant, Mara regained her control. She reached for her tin of Old Holborn and rolled a cigarette.
“He’s gone, that’s all there is to it,” she said, and told them about seeing old Crocker carrying the knife into the Black Sheep. “I ran back here to warn him. I didn’t want the police to get him, and I thought if they’d got the knife they might find his fingerprints or something. He’s been in jail, so they must be on record.”
“But what made you think of Paul?” Zoe asked. “That knife was just lying around on the mantelpiece as usual, I suppose. Nobody ever paid it any mind. Any of the people here on Friday afternoon could have taken it.”
Mara drew on her cigarette and finally told them about the blood she’d seen on Paul’s hand when he got back from the demo. The hand that turned out to be unmarked the following morning.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Seth asked. “I don’t suppose you approached Paul about it, either. There might have been a simple explanation.”
148
“I know that,” Mara said. “Don’t you think I’ve been over it time and again in my mind? I was frightened of him. I mean, if he had done it…. But I wanted to stand by him. If I’d told you all, you might have asked him to leave or something.”
“How did he react when you came and told him the knife had been found?” Rick asked.
“He went pale. He couldn’t look me in the eye. He looked like a frightened animal.”
“So you gave him money and clothes?”
“Yes. I gave him your red anorak, Zoe. I’m sorry.”
