think. He was responsible for the deaths of many innocent men, including my darling husband, so I shot him.’
Pat gasps and holds her hand to her mouth, then exclaims, ‘This is getting out of hand! She’s an old lady, in her nineties. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.’
But Inspector Williams cautions her again with a slight wave of his hand and says, ‘And can you remember when you did this?’
‘Oh, I’m not sure exactly when. It was years and years ago.’
‘And where did this murder take place?’
‘At Kingsley.’ She hears Pat gasp again. ‘I left his body in the woods at Kingsley, but I doubt you’ll find anything there now. It was all a terribly long time ago.’
Then the Inspector sits back. He pulls out a file from his briefcase and presents Evelyn with the pictures of the sweater and trousers he had shown her before. ‘Does the murder of Colonel Robinson have anything to do with the bloodstains we found on these items of clothing, madam? They were found in the suitcase stored at your home.’ He points to the ringed stains in the pictures: ‘Could this be Stephen Robinson’s blood?’
Evelyn laughs. ‘Oh goodness me no! That’s not his blood. That’s someone else’s entirely, from many, many years ago. Oh no, I was much more careful this time round.’
‘This time?’
‘The second time. The time I had to deal with the nasty Colonel.’ Pat is muttering behind her. She can hear her quite clearly.
‘And the time before?’
‘Oh, that wasn’t planned. It just happened.’
Inspector Williams looks stern. ‘I see. So, you appear to be telling me that you have killed more than once? Am I to understand that you are saying that you have committed two murders?’
‘Oh yes, just the two. I was trained to kill, you see. We all were.’
Pat stands up. ‘That does it, I’m not having any more of this. She’s finally lost her mind. Can’t you see it’s all nonsense?’
‘It’s the truth, dear. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.’ Evelyn laughs after this statement, recalling all the many courtroom dramas she has seen in films and on television during her long lifetime.
And then Mary pushes open the door to the morning room, backing in with a loaded tray that rattles as she waddles across the carpet, saying, ‘The mince pies had all gone, but I’ve found yous some nice shortbread.’
‘How lovely, Mary,’ Evelyn says. ‘I’m quite peckish after all this talking.’
Pat and the Inspector stand up and move to a corner of the room, speaking in hushed voices. Evelyn can’t catch every word above the clatter of the cups being set down, but she hears Pat say, ‘But the property is going on the market early next year. I can’t have this going on.’ And he replies, ‘Don’t worry just yet. Searching those woods needs a lot of manpower. I’ll have to have a good reason to do that.’
And Evelyn takes a piece of shortbread and thinks that just this once she will try dunking it in her cup. Just this once. To celebrate.
Part XI
Keep your mouth shut or they’ll give you away (4,4,4)
76
5 December 2016
Am I mad?
My dearest darling,
I think you too would find this all quite amusing. I’ve so enjoyed playing my little games with Pat and that nice policeman and now I have the chance to have one more turn. My time in this wonderfully kind care home would have been quite dull if I hadn’t had this interesting diversion. Do you remember how when you came home on leave we loved to play charades? This has been like one long game of charades, one long Christmas party.
And now I feel fairly sure that they are all beginning to suspect that I really am demented, so if I throw the dice just once more, I think I will be able to convince them that my mind is in pieces and then they will never believe anything else I say.
But I will never tell them everything. I will never tell them I still write my letters to you in my head and I will never tell them about Liese, my darling little Liese. She is our little secret.
Goodnight, my darling, I will see you very soon.
With all my love,
Your Evie, xxx
Ps I love you
77
Mrs T-C, 10 December 2016
Fire, Fire
Evelyn gazes at the tiny black and white photograph of the little girl. The surface is cracked and creased from handling, from the thousands of times she has held it and kissed