Chapter 15

Victor came to consciousness early that Wednesday morning, but felt more rested than he had been since he returned from his holiday. He then realised there was a woman in his bed, and fleetingly wondered which of Jeanette or Judy it was, before remembering it was Angela.

She was naked and partially uncovered by the duvet, and he leant on his elbow as he gazed at her lovely body, the sinuous back and curve of her breast as she lay with her back to him. He felt a deep sense of gratitude to her for coming to him, and wondered about her job and how she’d got the time off.

His thoughts turned to his chaotic life, and to Susan. Victor was realistic. He suspected that after the news coverage Susan would know about his arrest and for what he had been arrested. So he had not expected a reply when he had made the phone call, and he had received none.

He still felt dejected, however. He had always valued her friendship and loved her children and he knew they loved him; they had been the nearest to home that he could remember. Now it seemed irredeemable.

Yes he knew, had always known, that as a love interest, Susan was too young for him. She was a good deal nearer the beginning of her life than he was, and she needed someone of her own age.

However.

Angela had ensnared him. He knew he loved her and wanted her, even though they hardly knew each other, and if his love would never be fully reciprocated, they had made love and he felt close to her. He sighed, depressed. She was not that much older than Susan! But she was older.

He left the bed and Angela sleeping, and made his way downstairs. Jeanette was on watch, and offered to make him some tea, saying she needed to stretch her legs.

He covered for her gratefully, and while she was in the kitchen he saw a solitary policeman walking up the drive. Victor went to the door before he could ring the bell and wake the house. The man had a summons to attend the police station to be questioned in an hour. Victor phoned Gordon who said he would pick Victor up.

Victor sat down and must have looked worried, for as Jeanette passed behind his chair, she trailed her fingers over his shoulders in a gesture of sympathy, but she said nothing and asked no questions. He assumed she had heard the conversation with the policeman or with Gordon.

Faced with another interrogation by the police, Victor suddenly felt a need to phone Susan again, and tried. It went to answer phone. He tried to keep the begging tone out of his voice but failed.

“Susan, please. Don’t believe what people might be saying. Someone has set me up. Please ring me.”

He waited by the phone. Susan would be up, so would have received the call, but again there was no response. Eventually he got up and went to dress, taking Angela some tea on his way. She was awake but sleepy and smiled at him. He bent and kissed her and she pulled him onto her. She felt very warm and so soft, but he told her of his forthcoming appointment and she frowned.

“The team will look after you,” he told her. “Get some breakfast. I hope I’ll be back soon.”

She pulled him down again, and they kissed at some length, before he had to disentangle himself reluctantly from her embrace.

As Gordon and Victor sat before the two police officers, Victor noticed they looked confident and wondered why. However, after the debacle in the magistrates’ court, they were more circumspect, though the early questions were the same.

When had he downloaded the photos? He hadn’t. Did any of the key holders have a grudge against him? No. Any other keys? Not that he knew. Then it must be Victor. No, it wasn’t.

At this one of the interrogators took out the series of photos found in the flat. Did Victor get off on seeing photos of naked children? No. Then why did he keep them in his bedroom – did he masturbate to them? No, he knew nothing of the photos. They laid out the photos in front of him. Did the photos excite him? No, they revolted him. Then why did he keep them? He hadn’t.

They went back over the fact that no one had access to the flat, and therefore he must have printed the photos. No he hadn’t. Didn’t he understand that a jury would easily convict him on that evidence, why not make it easy on himself and confess? He said nothing to that.

At this point, one of the interrogators changed tack.

“Where were you between ten pm and midnight on the 28th October?” he asked. There was a predatory smile.

Victor thought, then smiled in his turn. “On holiday in Scotland.”

The officer looked shocked. “Can anyone verify that?”

“The owners of the hotel where I was staying.”

They asked for the name of the Hotel and its location, and one of the interrogators left the room.

Gordon looked casually at the photos. “There’s a date and time on these printouts, Victor. Whoever did this was an amateur. You’re in the clear.”

Both Victor and Gordon already knew this, but he said it for the benefit of the remaining detective and the tape recorder. When the first policeman returned there was a whispered conversation between the two.

“Do you remember what you did on the 28th?” asked the detective who had been out of the room.

“Was it a Friday?”

“Yes.”

“I can tell you exactly.” He went on to chronicle the day he had spent with Angela, explaining about her anniversary. He did not cavil at telling them he spent the night in her room either. He pointed out that she was staying at his house at present and they could easily check with her.

Gordon spoke. “Surely it can’t have escaped you that Mr Freeman could not possibly have printed off those photos. Three hundred miles just to print off some porn? And then to hide it in a wardrobe, before driving three hundred miles back again? It’s ludicrous.

“And since someone else must have got into that flat to print them at all, you’ve got to assume that they were trying to frame my client, and if that’s the case, they were the ones who also downloaded the photos into the laptop from the Internet as well.