‘Of course I’m okay. I’m not sure Ellie will be though. It shows that her mother was a lying bitch. Why in God’s name didn’t she tell Ellie? Why on earth would she lie about it? Why not just say that he was dead? Ellie’s spent years believing that he’s still out there somewhere, because as far as she knew there was no evidence otherwise. She’s been tortured by the fact that he didn’t want to see her. She could have been saved all of that. It’s Ellie I’m worried about. Not me. I’ve told you, I don’t care.’
Of course you don’t, Tom thought. I can see that all over your face.
‘It’s possible that she didn’t tell you for a good reason, even though you might find that hard to believe.’
‘What good reason? There’s no good reason for not telling a child that her father is dead.’
Tom wasn’t sure if she was referring to herself, or to Ellie, but he let it pass.
‘Once I knew he was dead and when he died, I was able to spread the net a bit wider and legitimately ask a few questions. The sources are good. I’m confident that they’re correct, and with the details I’m about to give you, you’ll be able to check for yourself with the authorities.’
‘If you say the information is correct, I believe you. You don’t need to give me the provenance.’ The prickly Leo was surfacing again
‘The thing is, he was in prison when he died.’ Tom paused. ‘This is going to be hard for you to accept, Leo. I’m afraid he hanged himself.’
Leo maintained the same facial expression, but he could feel her grip on his hand tighten and her skin had lost all colour.
‘What had he done?’ she asked in a level voice.
‘He was on remand at the time of his death, awaiting trial.’
‘You’re avoiding the question - what had he been charged with?’
‘There’s no easy way to tell anybody this about their father.’ Tom paused and saw a flash of apprehension in Leo’s eyes. ‘It was rape, I’m afraid.’
Tom saw the look of shock that flashed over her face before she managed to control her features, and he wished she would let herself go. He gently took her other hand.
‘Is there more?’ she asked, her voice harsher than before and tinged with a fake indifference.
‘I know that you’ll try to get hold of the details, so I’ll tell you myself that he when he died, he left a note. He admitted to a series of other rapes, going back a few years.’
Leo’s eyes were enormous in her narrow face. Her bright red lipstick looked lurid against her bloodless skin.
‘And was it true? Had he done it before? How many times, for God’s sake?’
‘He didn’t provide names - maybe he didn’t know them. He did give dates and places, but Leo, none of them happened while your mother was alive.’
Leo gave a shrill laugh. ‘Oh, well that’s something, I suppose. Thank heavens for small mercies. If my mother had known what he was - even what he potentially was - she’d have castrated him personally. Christ, I hope she can’t see any of this from the grave. Thank God I don’t believe in ghosts, spirits and reincarnation. Where did these rapes take place?’
‘You don’t need to know that - it doesn’t matter,’ Tom said quietly.
‘Of course it bloody matters. Where, Tom? There must be a reason you’re not telling me.’
‘And I wouldn’t tell you now, but as you have the basic details you could find out. In the three years after he left here, they happened in several places in East Anglia, which is where he was living.’
‘And before that?’
‘I understand that a few of them were local. According to his note, one was actually in the village.’ Tom had known that she would want the details, but he had dreaded telling her this part.
‘What? Who in God’s name did he rape in the village?’
‘As I said, there were no names given. Only approximate dates, and the area of the country. Some of them had been reported, and so the police were able to tie up a few loose ends. But nobody ever reported a rape in the village. I checked.’
‘Just because it wasn’t reported doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, though, does it? What percentage of rapes are reported, Tom? You should know. You’re the bloody policeman.’
Tom didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. If her father said he raped somebody in Little Melham, he