Chapter 17

Susan was thinking all the time she was driving and when she got back to the flat, with Gail chatting away and getting absent noises from her mother. Gail went off to play with Carl and she thought some more.

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach did not go away. She reprised her relationship with Victor in the light of what she had heard. She had been so angry to see him in the office with George, and wondered about it, but he had been cold and distant in his replies, and she remembered George’s rebuke about Victor being innocent and about the intrusion into his flat while he was on holiday.

Victor had always been very reserved about dealing intimately with Gail, it came home to her how uncomfortable he had been, and how insensitive she’d been to get him to deal with her.

He always insisted Susan was there; he was always reluctant. He was always gentle with both the children and the children’s attitude to him spoke volumes.

Then there was the evidence about the keys. George had been right; the only keys that opened Victor’s flat had to have come from her ring, or been a copy of those keys. She felt a hollow fear as she realised that Seth had to have been the one who had been in Victor’s flat. George did not have a key to Victor’s flat: Victor was an owner occupier, but his key was on the flats’ ring.

Suddenly she remembered the conversation when the police first arrived. Seth had known about it, and about why Victor had been arrested. He’d said he knew people in the police, but now she didn’t believe him.

She remembered his insistence that Victor be kept from the children. He was jealous, she realised. She wondered with what lies he might have been infecting Gail.

It all came together. She burned with hatred for the man who had destroyed her friendship and perhaps something more with Victor. Then she realised why. Seth thought she was sleeping with him. Seth had been evicted from the flat by Victor’s complaint. It was simple revenge.

She also realised that it was unlikely that Victor would forgive her for so easily condemning him, and on the word of Seth of all people.

Seth. What should she do about Seth? She felt fear that he might abduct the children if he thought she suspected him, yet she wanted nothing more to do with him. She wanted her children free from such a man.

It was next morning after she had taken Gail to nursery school that she was in the living room working through some tenders for a new roof on one of the blocks, when the doorbell went. She went to the door and saw it was Seth and Claire. So he hadn’t a key to the flat, at least not any more, but he had got through the front door.

She opened the door and stood back to let them in. They went through to the living room.

“Thought we’d take Carl to the park while the weather is warm enough,” said Seth, smiling at Claire.

“Fine,” said Susan. “Coffee before you go?”

The agreed and Claire and she made the drinks while Seth played with the toddler.

“He’s getting better with Carl,” said Claire, looking over her shoulder at Seth who was on the floor building something with wooden bricks. “He’s so happy to be seeing the kids more.”

Susan made an approving noise, and they returned to the living room.

“George was saying that Mr Freeman hasn’t just been let go,” ventured Susan, “They’re saying the evidence points to someone planting stuff in his flat – trying to frame him. He really is innocent.”

She saw Seth’s face crease in anger.

“Don’t believe a word of it,” he snarled, “The bastard is a child molester. He’s rich enough to get the best lawyer in town, that’s all. You want details? There were photos of him with a little girl in a park. And there were pictures of paedos with kids on his computer. My mate said it made him sick.”

Seth got up and began pacing up and down. “He might had wriggled out of it, but some mates of mine don’t like what he’s been doing, and we’re going to sort him out. He won’t be bothering kids any more after we’ve finished with him!”

“They’re vermin!” added Claire. “He deserves to be castrated. Evil fucking snake!”

Susan recoiled at their violence, but said nothing, shrugging her shoulders.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” said Seth, sitting down again. “Keep away from him.”

Susan said nothing, but now she knew. She had to see Victor. Warn him. Find out the real truth. When the two had left with Carl in his buggy, she locked up and phoned George from her car.

“George,” she said without preamble, “I need to see Victor now. He’s in danger. Where’s his house?”

George smiled. He had known she would work it out. He gave her the address, and she drove off to find him.