Legacy of Lies

Alec nodded. He hadn’t been expecting anything else but he thought he ought to ask. ‘But, the publicity,’ he said, ‘you can handle that?’

‘That I can do,’ Fine agreed. ‘We’ll get the local media involved and Ki

‘Minor celebrity?’ Alec laughed. ‘Rupe would have enjoyed that.’

‘Well, he almost was,’ Fine said. ‘We’ll just give it a little spin. It shouldn’t be difficult, not with the local writer angle and the circumstances in which he was found. It might take a day or so to build, but I reckon we can get his picture and a brief statement in tomorrow’s papers. That would be a start.’

‘Good,’ Alec told him. ‘Then the next move will be up to Ki

‘There’s something else,’ Naomi said. ‘Probably unrelated, but Patrick’s befriended a young lad by the name of Da

‘At the farm back of Fallowfields,’ Alec elucidated.

‘His mother went missing about the time of Rupert’s death. Da

‘And you want me to see if there’s any previous?’

‘Please,’ Naomi said. ‘It occurred to me there might be a history. I wondered if you could check out the local women’s refuges.’

‘I could get that done,’ Fine said, though he sounded a little wary. ‘You realize, though, that I couldn’t tell you anything. If she’s there it’s because she’s in need of protection. It’d be up to her if she wanted to make contact with her son.’

Naomi nodded. ‘I think it would be something for Da

‘So, won’t knowing that she hasn’t been be harder still on the lad?’

‘I don’t know,’ Naomi told him. ‘But we promised to try and find out.’

Fine considered for a moment then pushed his chair out from behind the desk. ‘Give me a minute,’ he said.

It was in fact almost ten before he came back. He dropped a folder on the table. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘You know I can’t go into detail, but you were right. There is history. A half dozen calls in the past three years. Nothing before,’ he sighed. ‘It’s become more common round here of late to be called to domestics. Pressures on farmers have never been greater and tempers boil over. From my reading of the reports though, this was a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other. Sharon Fielding has a temper and so does her old man. She walloped him with a cast iron pan last year. Lucky not to crack his skull. Neither of them have ever pressed charges.’

‘I see,’ Naomi said. ‘So it could be that there was violence this time.’

‘You’re afraid Da

She nodded.

‘OK, look, I’ll do a ring round. I’m assuming they’ve called the hospitals and the usual stuff?’

‘You know, I’m not sure they have,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Patrick said that Da

‘Well, we can get on to that,’ Alec said.

‘They might not let on she’s there, you know. Depends if she’s told them not to,’ Fine reminded him. ‘And if she was unconscious and had identification then the family would have been informed. You can give a description, of course, see if they have any bodies they don’t have a name for. I’ll do the mortuary,’ he added. ‘Be easier for me.’

‘Thanks,’ Naomi said though she suddenly felt terribly depressed. What if Sharon Fielding did turn up dead or badly injured?

She sighed. Well, she supposed, at least then Da

Da

Patrick met Da

‘Does your dad know you’re here?’

Da

Patrick led him through the garden and into the house, entering through the kitchen door. ‘You want something to drink?’

‘You got coke?’

Patrick got a couple of cans from the fridge. ‘Here.’

‘Thanks.’

Da

‘Did you make the list?’

Da

‘Did you try the hospitals?’ Harry asked. They both jumped, neither having heard him come in from the hall. Da

‘Thanks, Dad.’

Harry nodded. ‘I’ll just make myself some coffee.’

Da

Da

‘You can tell my dad anything,’ Patrick found himself saying. ‘He just wants to help, too.’

For a moment, Da

Patrick pulled the list towards him and began to read.

At Harry’s suggestion they worked back through the list from the begi

There were a few friends listed, some without numbers. It was clear that Da

Harry took over. He sat down at the table and examined the list. ‘We should try hospitals,’ he said. ‘You never know she might have been in an accident and not had anything with her to say who she was.’

‘You mean like, she might have lost her memory?’ Da