Hall allowed a further hour for Perry to read everything before he telephoned London for the second time.
‘You sure you want all this?’ demanded the solicitor, at once.
‘I wouldn’t have asked if I hadn’t been.’
‘I’ve read the same file, as closely as you have. It was a scarcely adequate inquest but then a lot of inquests are scarcely adequate. None of the statements – not even of witnesses who weren’t called – incriminate Lomax in any way whatsoever. And it doesn’t take you one step further to what you’re trying to prove: Jennifer isn’t involved at all.’
‘That’s what I’m trying to prove?’
‘That wasn’t what I meant and you know it,’ said Perry, irritably.
‘There were a lot of questions that should have been asked but weren’t.’
‘Six years ago!’
‘That’s when Jane died. The time we’re talking about.’
‘The time you’re talking about.’
‘I’d like the answers as soon as possible.’
‘Bert called me. He wants to know where you are.’
‘Did you tell him?’
‘I promised you’d call.’
‘I will,’ agreed Hall.
‘I’ve got five more offers, all for books. Three are repeats, upping their first offers.’
‘Hold them.’
‘Have you discussed any with her yet?’
‘That’s way down the list.’
‘We’ve got a bill for police time. And for damage to equipment. Twenty-three thousand.’
‘Ignore it. If they issue a writ, file a necessity defence under the Public Order Act. Anything else?’
‘You tell me.’
‘Not for the moment.’
Colin Dawson perfectly suited the opulence and ambience of his surroundings, a white-haired, pink-faced avuncular gentleman priest of independent means who had never believed his genuine religious piety needed to be reinforced by secular hardship. He rode to hounds on one of his two hunters, favoured burgundy over claret in a wine cellar the envy of the county and donated his entire church salary to Save the Children. His cassocks were tailored.
He came curiously but sincerely concerned into Jennifer’s suite, made totally unafraid of encountering a woman possessed by a murderous ghost not just by his belief in the protection of God but by never having known a life without a financial armour through which no harm or ill had ever penetrated.
‘ The Jesus jockey,’ Jane greeted.
The man had been well briefed by Julian Mason. He said, ‘It doesn’t matter what she makes you do or say. She can’t frighten or shock me. I’m stronger than she is, because I have God and she is evil, the Devil incarnate. Let her fight me. I’ll fight her back and I will win.’
‘ The fuck he will.’
Jennifer had found it easier – a relief even – simply to be the conduit between Jane and Jeremy Hall and she did it now with Dawson, too exhausted, too apathetic, any longer to censor the words.
Dawson laughed at the obscenity. ‘And St Matthew said “The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men”.’
‘ And Exodus teaches “Life for life. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. ”’
He laughed again. ‘And the Prayers say “Keep thy tongue from eviclass="underline" and thy lips, that they speak no guile. Eschew evil and do good: seek peace and ensure it.” Which is what I’ll do, if you help me, Jennifer. I’ll eschew the evil that possesses you and give you peace.’
‘If only you could,’ said Jennifer.
‘ Verse 8. Romans. ’
‘Ah!’ said the priest. ‘Interesting!’
‘ Forgotten it? ’
The man shook his head. ‘“Let us do evil, that good may come.” So you know your Bible, Jane? Therefore you must believe? Or did believe, once. Philippians, 26?’
‘ Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath ,’ Jane recognized, immediately.
‘All right,’ accepted Dawson. ‘So I have a formidable adversary.’
‘ You’d better believe it. I can out-argue you creed for creed, ritual for ritual.’
‘When did you lose your way, Jane?’
‘ When I lost my fucking life! ’
‘Become a catechumen again, Jane,’ said the priest, urgently. ‘Be my pupil. Learn to believe again. To love again. And leave this child whose mind you occupy and whom you want to destroy.’
‘ This “child” conspired to kill me! Took part in it…’
‘Then hers will be the punishment on the terrible day of judgement.’ He was sweating, his face pinker than usual.
‘ No way, pops. I’d rather do it myself. My way.’
The psychiatrist’s briefing had been total. Dawson said, ‘You’ve chosen judgement without proof.’
‘ Been talking to people, haven’t you? ’
‘Will you listen to me?’
‘ Until I get bored.’
‘Will you listen to the lawyer who’s trying to prove you wrong?’
‘ He won’t.’
‘Will you go, leave her, if he does?’
‘ That’s the deal. Easy one for me to make. ’
‘Maybe I’ll persuade you to leave first.’
‘ Then again, maybe you won’t.’
‘Jennifer, could you learn to believe in God? Love God?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Will you go through the services with me? Pray with me? Try?’
‘Yes.’
‘ Hypocrite.’
‘“Though ye believe not me, believe the works”,’ retorted the man.
‘ OK pops. Show us the works.’
‘I will,’ said Dawson, sincerely. ‘I’ll make you believe again, even if I can’t make Jennifer.’
‘ Nah! ’
‘“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth”,’ said the priest, quoting again.
‘ Corinthians,’ identified Jane, as quickly as before.
‘I can guide you back.’
‘ Let’s make it a challenge, like it is with Jeremy Hall! ’
It was in the lawyer’s rooms, thirty minutes later, that Dawson, who could find his way around the establishment’s wine list with the sure-footedness of a tightrope walker crossing Niagara Falls, selected the Roederer Crystal (‘the Krug they’ve got is too buttery,’) and announced, ‘I’ve found the weakness.’
‘What?’ demanded Mason and Hall, almost in unison.
‘Jane believes in God. Or did, very devoutly.’
‘Her father was an Episcopalian bishop,’ remembered Hall.
‘Ah!’ exclaimed the man, a mystery solved. ‘This might not be as difficult as we thought it was going to be.’
‘You think you can do it?’ demanded the lawyer.
‘I’m more confident now than I was an hour ago.’
‘Which only leaves me to do what I have to do,’ accepted Mason.
Dawson nodded. ‘And Jennifer will be saved.’
Chapter Thirty-one
The well established and practised discretion of the clinic extended to a pool of cars registered to Henot House, which avoided Jeremy Hall having to hire one in his own name and risk disclosing their whereabouts. He had to identify himself by telephone, though, to get the meetings he wanted and from the quickness with which people – even the police – agreed he decided the danger of being publicly recognized was outweighed by the speed with which every door opened to him. And he was in a great hurry.
Despite the psychiatrist’s warning of Jennifer’s dependence upon him, he’d been confused by the strength of her reaction to his leaving. He only bothered to tell her at all at Julian Mason’s urging and was glad the psychiatrist was with him when he did. She at once came close to tears – which he realized for the first time she’d rarely done during a lot of the horror she’d suffered – and needed the hand-holding assurance repeated several times that he was not abandoning her but would return immediately from talking to people it was imperative he see.
‘Today. Tonight,’ she’d insisted.