The Cure of Souls

‘Because of what you knew about Mr Stock?’

Lol nodded.

‘That’s fair enough, I’d’ve been a teensy bit worried meself after reading that stuff in the papers… and the local vicar himself refusing to have anything to do with him.’

‘It was the vicar who suggested I should try and talk her out of it.’

‘Was it now?’

‘He was suspicious of Stock’s motives. But Merrily doesn’t like to prejudge people.’

‘She’s a very nice person,’ Bliss agreed fervently. ‘I was there during that thing, back before Christmas at… Oh, what was that little church called? Anyway, she was giving it a spiritual clean-out after this bugger broke in and hacked up a crow all over the altar. She wasn’t very well that night, mind.’

‘I wasn’t there.’

‘She was with this priest looked like an old hippy. Hugh somebody. He took it over in the end, ’cause she wasn’t well.’ Bliss had a gulp from a can of Diet Pepsi. ‘See, unlike the Snow Queen in there, I’ve gorra very open mind about all that stuff. Comes with being raised a Catholic in a big Catholic city. You’re a Christian yourself, obviously.’

‘I’m not sure what I am,’ Lol admitted.

‘Just a good friend of Merrily’s, then, Lol.’ Bliss put down the can. ‘Listen, pal, I do know a bit about what happened to you way back, and I accept you may’ve had a bad time with coppers in the past… but I do like Merrily and I fully understand the problem she’d got with this guy. And I know it’s her job, and I realize that after that stuff in the papers there was no way she could duck out of it.’

‘No.’

‘So, you’ve gorra believe me when I say I’m not trying to stitch her up, I’m not trying to stitch either of yer up – it’s just we’ve got a feller down the cells putting up both hands to the big one and, before we start talking seriously to him, we want as much background as we can get. Make sense to you?’

Lol nodded. He decided that, for Merrily’s sake more than his own, maybe he should open up a little to this cop. To a point… a point stopping well short of the Lady of the Bines.

‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I just—’

‘You’re all right, pal. Take your time.’

‘Truth is, I was on edge from the minute we went in there. I mean, I didn’t think – not in a million years – that the guy was going to do anything like…’

‘Goes without saying.’

‘But everybody who’d had anything to do with Stock was on about what a conman he was, and a manipulator, and how he’d drop you in it without a second thought. Also, I’d seen him in the village pub a couple of times when he was well pissed. Had a big chip on his shoulder about this bloke Adam Lake – virtually suggesting he was behind Stewart Ash’s murder, rather than the two lads who went down for it.’

‘Let’s not open that can of worms for the time being, eh, Lol?’

‘I was just worried he might try and involve Merrily in that.’

‘How?’

‘I don’t know, but she doesn’t like to turn away from anyone.’

‘So what was he like when you and Merrily went along today?’

‘Not himself. I mean, he couldn’t’ve been nicer.’

‘Why was that, you reckon?’

‘Well, it might have been genuine. Maybe he was serious about needing an exorcism, and he didn’t want to put her off or make her suspicious. That was what I started to think, but now… I suppose that’d be for the tape, wouldn’t it? Like, if he was videoing the thing, he’d want to appear on it as a sincere and honest man, genuinely concerned about what was happening in his house.’

‘That’s a good point, Lol.’ Bliss thought about it. ‘Mind, he wasn’t being very appreciative at the end, was he, when he threw yer out?’

‘But he’d got it all in the camera by then, hadn’t he? Everything that counted. The Deliverance stuff. He could just have wiped the end of the tape afterwards.’

‘True. Why’d he turn nasty, you reckon? Apart from his wife’s attitude.’

‘I don’t think there was anything apart from that. Stephanie started taking the piss, so Stock took it out on Merrily.’

Bliss nodded. ‘Certainly the times you see him looking at her you can tell he’s trying to keep his temper – or something. But then, she was a lot younger than him. And clearly not too worried at being in a haunted house. Or was that bravado?’

‘She was a Catholic, like you. Protected. She said earlier – maybe before we went into the kitchen – that she didn’t think Uncle Stewart would do her any harm.’

‘Oh, we’re not scared of ghosts, us Catholics?’ Bliss blew out his lips. ‘News to me. How did Merrily react to the wife?’

‘Tried to ignore it. Just carried on.’

‘A true professional.’

‘A good person,’ Lol said. ‘Doing the best she could.’

‘You’re fond of her, aren’t you?’ Bliss smiled. ‘Who wouldn’t be, eh?’

Lol said, ‘You haven’t told me exactly what he did.’

‘How he killed her?’

Lol looked at Bliss: pale skin, freckles, an unusually small nose.

‘What happened when you all went upstairs, Lol?’

‘Well, just…’

Lol had a terrifying thought: the only cameras in the bedroom were the ones under the floorboards, pointing downwards, but suppose their microphones had picked up the voices from above, during Merrily’s blessing of the upstairs room? And during what happened afterwards, when Merrily had followed Stock downstairs. If there was anything on the tape, the quality would be terrible. But they could work on that. Someone like Prof Levin could clean up the thinnest of recordings.

‘… Just more or less what happened in the kitchen,’ he said. ‘With different words.’

He could tell Bliss about Stephie’s implicit invitation. But it sounded too incredible, unless you knew about the Lady of the Bines incident. Which he’d also kept quiet about. Which he hadn’t even told Merrily about.

Lol blanked it out. He was terrible at cover-ups. He would look furtive, he’d sweat.

Bliss said, ‘Nothing happened up there you think might throw more light?’

‘Not… not that I can think of.’

‘You wanna see the tape, Lol?’

‘Not really.’

‘Don’t blame yer. But… I think you’re gonna have to. I think we’re gonna have to take the both of you through it. I’m sorry.’ Bliss thought for a moment, then sighed. ‘Look, all right, I’ll be frank wid yer – he’s not saying a lot.’

‘Stock?’

‘In fact, the bugger’s not saying a thing. Won’t see a solicitor, won’t make a formal statement, just sits there like some bloody big Buddha.’

‘But he phoned you to confess…’

‘Oh aye. When we get there, he hands us the videos. Looking relieved, if anything. He won’t talk about it, though, won’t explain. That’s why you and Merrily are so important to us at the moment.’

‘I see.’

‘Don’t tell the Snow Queen I told you that.’

* * *

Annie Howe said, ‘Have you heard of the case of Michael Taylor?’

‘Yes.’

She’s loving this, Merrily thought. A case on a plate.