Chapter 17

Colin picked me up at eight. The others were already in the car. We had toyed with the idea of going into the pub for a drink, but Keith counselled against it.

"If he leaves early it will be obvious if we all troop out after him. I suspect that if he thinks no one has seen him with us he'll be more likely to talk."

We had to agree, and remained thirsty. At nine, out came Ted O'Malley. He had to come by our parked car on his walk home. The events that followed resembled a gangster film. Keith opened the front door, stopping him, while opening the back door allowed me to get behind him.

"You again!" he addressed Keith.

"Yes. Get in."

"I don't think so."

Colin had emerged from the other side of the car. "Get in or you'll be in the nick before morning. There are a few things about you I'm sure they'll love to know!" Perhaps it was a bluff, but he fell for it.

I stood back and he got in the back of the car. Colin got in the other side and I followed him. Keith got in the front.

"What's this about?" O'Malley asked sullenly, looking a little fearful.

"You remember our talk?" asked Keith, "Well, now we need names. Who employed you and who were the other three blokes?"

"No way!" he exclaimed, "More than my life's worth."

"Let me put it this way," said Colin, "Sitting to your left is the man you were sent to tail. Take a good look at him."

He looked and shuddered.

"You led those three to me Mr O'Malley," I growled, "and they were under orders to kill me, obliterate my face and take everything that might identify me. They thought they had succeeded. They hadn't. Now I'm just a tad annoyed that they, and you for leading them to me, have destroyed my life. Now, with the info the police have and what they're going to get, they're going to be knocking on your door. Accessory to attempted murder, how long Colin?"

"Five years?" suggested Colin embellishing the time a little.

"And if you get off, Ted," I continued, "I'll be coming for you. I may look a wreck but I'm very strong, I had to be to survive. How would you like to look like me – Ted?"

He began to tremble.

"So," said Colin, "You tell us names, and when the others are arrested we'll make sure the police know that you've been helpful to us."

"But we can guarantee that the others won't know about this conversation," Keith added. "Of course, if you don't talk to us it may get around that you have been shooting your mouth off. So, how about it?"

O'Malley began to look wretched, beads of sweat appeared on his face and reluctantly he nodded.

"Who paid you and how much?" asked Colin.

"I don't know. You've got to believe me. A man approached me. Very tall he was. He promised to pay me well for tailing ... you, and he said there would be building contracts for me, if I kept me mouth shut."

He spoke quietly, he seemed defeated, "I got three thousand quid."

"Did you know the man?"

"No. I think he must be a friend of Derek Fanshaw. I think I saw him in Fanshaw's office a few years ago but I couldn't swear to it. That's what I thought, that it was the same man."

"Why should you think that?" asked Keith.

"Fanshaw is my usual contractor. I work for him most of the time."

"And the others?"

"What others?"

"The three thugs who did this to me," I muttered.

"Craig Wilson, Lee Harper, Gary Grantham. They work for Fanshaw."

"How much did they get?"

"They were gloating over me, said they got ten grand each."

There was a collective gasp and a "Good God!"

"Now their car," said Keith, "The Red Toyota. Registration?"

"MZ 02 QBW, but Craig got rid of it as soon as they got back from Newcastle."

"You knew they went to Newcastle?" Colin pounced.

"They said they'd 'done the job' there."

"So you knew they'd taken me there," I hissed in his ear, "and you let my wife suffer, knowing that!"

"I don't know your wife. It was just a job for me."

My hands were clenched and Colin could see. He hurried to speak.

"Listen, toe-rag, you'll be arrested some time soon, and so will they. Keep your mouth shut and they'll not know you've talked. Tell them about this and you'll go down for years, after we let Allan here have his fun with you. Understand?"

He nodded, the sweat was running down his face.

"OK, get out." spat Keith.

I made room, he got out, and we drove away.

What a strange feeling. After all this time we knew, I knew, who had tried to kill me; who wanted me dead. I didn't care what Fanshaw's motives were, whether he wanted to have my wife, or my money, or both. He was a murderer. It was a strange feeling because until the moment O'Malley said Fanshaw's name, I had felt the quest was almost about someone else. Now it was very personal.

The man who had stolen my life, my future married life, my wife, my children and who was scheming to get my money and destroy my company, was happily living with my wife, and worse she was living happily with him, blissfully unaware that she was sleeping with the man who had effectively murdered her husband and her previous life. Further he had fawned over her, played the solicitous friend and in all that had lied to her in the most basic way. Now he was planning to marry her.

"The marriage must not happen," I said out loud.

There had been silence in the car, each of us with our own thoughts, though I suspect they were wondering how to talk to me about it. We were fellow conspirators. Yet now I was alone. After all, it had not happened to them, though their faith in me was vindicated.

"No, it mustn't," said Colin, "All that info goes to the team tomorrow. It won't take long to find the car. It'll have your DNA in it somewhere."

"But Wilson sold it," said David, "It could be anywhere."

"No matter. If it's not been scrapped, we'll find it. Just watch."

We went to the Cross Keys and had a few. Poor Colin had to drink orange juice since he was driving. He dropped everyone off and then took me to the house.

"You're not going to do anything rash are you?" he asked, as I began to get out of the car. "It would be a bad idea to tell Greta."

"Greta hates the man, even more now she's found me again. She won't talk. But I want her to keep me informed about what goes on in the house. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"Just don't mess up the investigation."

I nodded. I repeated, "I'll be careful. I'm more interested in getting Ann out of Derek's way, but if I can I want him to squirm as well."

"Please don't do anything about Ann until we have the case sewn up. Promise me, Allan!"

"Sorry Colin," I said firmly, "I'm going to try to contact Ann as soon as possible. She's in some danger and I'm damned if I'm going to let her marry that bastard."

"Then can you promise me to keep Derek's guilt out of it until we have the hard evidence?"

I promised I would try, he left and I made myself a simple supper of microwaved stew and some bread. Waste not, want not! After the meal I sat and thought about how I would get at Derek and how I would eventually deal with meeting my own ex-wife, who I hardly knew any more, and against whom I felt deep resentment.

Jenny arrived at work on Tuesday with a happy but tired face.

"Success?" I asked

"Oh, yes," she answered quietly. "It was harrowing, but we ended up with the air cleared. I'm glad you persuaded me to go."

Jenny found the phone number of the company where Ann worked. I had told her that her fears had been right, and that the evidence pointed to Derek as the one responsible for my condition. She agreed the wedding needed to be stopped if at all possible.

I phoned. The receptionist asked who I was.

"Allan Jonsson, her ex-husband," I replied. "I need to see her urgently."

There was a long, long pause. Then she came back.

"Mrs Jonsson says she does not wish to speak to you or meet you. Please talk through her solicitor." Connection severed. That was it.

Jenny's face was like thunder.

"Here," she said, "give me the phone."

"Hello," she said when connected, "This is Jonsson's. Could you put me through to Mrs Jonsson."

"Mr Bucklow's secretary," She waited then handed to phone to me.

"Ann," I spoke hurriedly, "Please don't hang up. I need to see you. It's important."

"How dare you trick me like this. You louse. You disappear for three years and then want to talk to me?" she was shouting, "You've got a nerve. We're divorced. Marry your slut and leave me alone."

"Ann," I begged, "You need to know the true facts–"

"I know them. I've even got pictures. Talk to my solicitor." She disconnected.

Jenny made me some tea. I needed it. I was irate. I was seething, but there was no point in trying again. I would have to see what David could do about arranging a meeting.

After work I called at the Police Station and gave a sample for a DNA test. Then I went to the gym and worked off my anger until I was exhausted. I was only home a few minutes when Greta rang.

"Dad, did you ring Mum today?"

"Yes," I answered in a monotone.

"Well it made teatime interesting," she laughed. "Mum was ballistic. She told Derek he'd never guess what happened and then launched into this tirade against you. It went on and on.

"But the interesting thing was Derek's face. He definitely didn't believe it and when Mum paused for breath he said so. It was a hoax call he reckoned. But Mum floored him by saying that you wanted to meet her.

"He suggested she did just that, if it was you, you could negotiate, if not she'd have called this person's bluff. He reckoned David had organised it because of the court case over the money, what is it called, alimony?"

"Something like that," I replied.

"Anyway, she said there was no way she was going to meet you, after all you did to her. Then he said it might get her the money quicker if she did talk. She hit the roof! She wasn't interested in the money; it was all he ever talked about. He said she was being stupid. I left at that point and so did the boys."

"Well thanks for letting me know, Chicken," I said, without enthusiasm, "You'll remember your promise won't you? I've got to work this out for myself and soon I'll be able to tell you the whole story."

"Oh, by the way," she said by way of conclusion, "I got the test done; they're sending the results directly to you."

We signed off with expressions of mutual love, and I sat a while and thought.

Why was she so angry? OK, so she thought I'd left her but that was two years ago and now she had another man in her life. There seemed to be hatred in her attitude. Surely after twenty years together and my offer to explain, she would want an explanation? I had no answers to those questions, they resided in Ann's own mind, not mine. The thing I couldn't work out was how to get through to her.

Now, there are times in life when we look back on certain crucial actions of ours, and when we do, the interrogative we use most is 'why'. We know 'what' we did but often seek reasons – the 'why'.

Why didn't I march round to her offices and confront her? I still don't know. I know I was deeply resentful and angry at her attitude and the fact she did not search for me longer than she did. Now I was incensed at her unreasonable refusal to speak to me. I can be obstinate; very obstinate. Witness my obsession with getting better. I often wonder if I was so pig-headed before the attack; brain damage can often change behaviour.

However, there was little time in the next few days to dwell on the matter. On Friday Jenny and I were to fly to Hamburg for a meeting on Saturday with a client. It was a complicated brief and he wanted to talk to us and then work towards a contract on the Monday. We had much preparation to do; meetings with Geoff and with one of our best technicians, preparation of a presentation, the usual things.

We had so much work on at the time that there would be a delay in producing what he wanted beyond a prototype, and I was sure this might be a break point. Jenny was already putting out feelers to a number of companies that could do the fabrication, to sub-contract the work if necessary, but obviously this was to be a last resort.

Two events were relayed to me by Colin, and I did one thing that my daughter thought was really stupid.

On Wednesday, Colin rang in the evening to tell me the car had been found. It was being driven by a lad with no insurance, and as such had been confiscated. Normally it would be crushed, but some observant copper had noted the registration number and forensic took over. Keith was away somewhere so the 'four' did not meet.

Also on Wednesday I was told by Viv that it was my wedding anniversary on Friday, so I hit on the idea of sending Ann a card. It did not say "Happy Anniversary"! It said "On Your Anniversary" and the inside was blank. I summoned up all my strength, writing was a painful exercise for me – and wrote:

On Thursday, Colin rang to say that Derek's accounts had been taken and were being examined. He hastened to say that Derek thought the police were acting for the Inland Revenue and they did not enlighten him.

Friday the DNA results for Greta came through. I had sent mine to the same company by post, and the report asserted in their legalistic way that Greta was indeed my daughter.

Jenny and I were taking an evening flight to Hamburg, and Greta caught me on the phone as I was awaiting the taxi.

"Hey, Dad," she bubbled. "Nice one!"

"Pardon?"

"The card!" she almost shouted. "Mum went ballistic! She ranted on to Derek about knowing all there was to know about your infidelity, and would see to it you suffered for 'this campaign' as she put it.

"Derek pointed out that the writing did not look like yours, and that stopped her for a minute. She put it down to 'another of your tricks' to arouse her curiosity. Well, she said, it was not going to work. Dad she's even more resolved not to see you or talk to you now."

"Oh." I must have sounded disappointed for her reaction was one of total surprise.

"Good God Dad," she said quite seriously, "surely you didn't think sending a card would help did you? I thought you were pushing her buttons! You are thick sometimes Dad!"

"I think I must be," I replied.

The trip was not a success apart from very pleasant Sunday seeing Hamburg and sampling the food stalls along the waterside – that, and making love with Jenny each night, and a 'quickie' on Monday morning. She had surprised me telling me she had started on the Pill, and had been fitted with a Cap until she was safe, which allowed us more freedom and spontaneity.

The bottom line was that ours was a superior product, but they didn't want us to sub-contract and the time delay was too long. The penalty of success; my company had too much work on. We needed to expand and I resolved to discuss this with Geoff when we returned. Jenny was depressed and I was morose on Monday night. We hugged briefly and went to sleep.

No sooner was I back in the office on Tuesday after a bumpy flight back than I got a call from David.

"You know the court hearing is Thursday?" he began without preamble. I had in fact forgotten.

"I thought you were handling that," I said rather tersely.

"Bad trip?" he divined.

"Couldn't have been worse."

"Anyway," he moved on swiftly, "it may come to it that you have to prove who you are and to do that you'll need to be present. Just in case, you understand."

"Right," I replied. "That raises two points. First, I've phoned and written to Ann and she has utterly refused to see me. I'm not happy, and I have no intention of meeting her without her agreement. She's insisting everything is done through you and her solicitor. I want you to ask her for a meeting on my behalf, preferably before the court date.

"Second, OK, I will be in court, but as a spectator unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to meet her under those circumstances if I can avoid it."

"OK," he replied in a resigned tone. "I'll talk to her."

"No mention of my attack though, David. She has to meet me still believing I've left her. I want the pleasure of seeing her face when she realises the truth. Oh, and under no circumstances is Derek to be there when we do meet."

"Understood."

It appeared that he tried. He was back to me in less than an hour.

"Sorry, old son," he sympathised, "your ex. is feeling vindictive and vengeful. I don't know what you put in your letter but, let's put it delicately, she didn't like it. I tried everything, I said she'd get a better deal from you if she saw you. No she'd let the court decide. I put it to her that she would probably get less than she gets at the moment. She didn't care. I tried that you had information that would change her mind about you. Not interested."