downstairs.
‘Simon?’
‘What?’
‘Helen Yardley’s murder is about Helen Yardley, not Proust,’ said Charlie. ‘You won’t find the right answer if you’re asking the wrong question.’
Proust got out of his chair to open the door for Simon – something he’d never done before. ‘Yes, Waterhouse?’
‘I’ve read the book.’
Which is why I’m here, giving you another chance to be reasonable, instead of at Human Resources complaining about you
. Except it wasn’t a real chance; Simon couldn’t pretend there was anything generous-spirited about it. He wanted to prove Helen Yardley wrong. It was ridiculous; embarrassing. Didn’t he know Proust well enough after years of working with him?
‘It’s a pity you never met Helen Yardley, Waterhouse. You might have learned a lot from her. She brought out the best in people.’
‘What did she do with it once she’d brought it out?’ Simon asked. ‘Bury it somewhere and leave clues?’ He couldn’t believe he’d said it, couldn’t believe he wasn’t being ejected from the room.
‘What’s that?’ Proust nodded at the sheet of paper in Simon’s hand. Was he stifling his anger in order to deny Simon a sense of achievement?
‘I think there’s an angle we’re neglecting, sir. I’ve made a list of names I think we ought to talk to. All those who had a vested interest in Helen Yardley being guilty, and others who—’
‘She wasn’t guilty.’
‘There are people who need to cling to the belief that she was innocent,’ said Simon neutrally, ‘and people who need to cling to the belief that she did it because they can’t live with themselves otherwise: the eleven jurors who voted guilty, the prosecuting lawyers, the social workers who—’
‘Dr Judith Duffy,’ the Snowman read aloud, having snatched the paper from Simon’s hand. ‘Even in my line of work, I haven’t met many human beings I’d describe as out-and-out evil, but that woman . . .’ He frowned. ‘Who are all these others? I recognise a few: the Brownlees, Justice Wilson . . . Waterhouse, you’re surely not suggesting Helen Yardley was murdered by a high court judge?’
‘No, sir, of course not. I put him on the list for the sake of completeness.’
‘Any more complete, it’d be a perishing telephone directory!’
‘Justice Wilson played a part in sending Helen Yardley to prison. So did eleven jurors whose names are also on the list. Any of them might have reacted badly when her convictions were quashed. I’m thinking . . . well, maybe someone reacted very badly.’ Simon didn’t want to use the word ‘vigilante’. ‘That’s why Sarah Jaggard and Rachel Hines are on the list too. Chances are anyone who thinks Helen Yardley escapedjustice will think Jaggard and Hines did too. We need to talk to them both, find out if anyone’s been bothering them, if they’ve been threatened or noticed anything out of the ordinary.’
‘Make up your mind, Waterhouse. Is this a list of people who have a vested interest in Helen Yardley being guilty, or is it something else entirely?’ Proust held the piece of paper between his thumb and forefinger, as if it hurt him to touch it. ‘Because it seems to me that Sarah Jaggard and Rachel Hines might have a vested interest in her being
not
guilty, since they were the victims of similar miscarriages of justice, and Helen campaigned on their behalf.’
Helen. Helen and her friend Giles
.
‘Sarah Jaggard was acquitted,’ Simon said.
Proust glared at him. ‘You don’t think being charged with murder when all you’ve done is look after your friend’s child to the best of your ability constitutes a miscarriage of justice? Then I feel sorry for you.’
As far as Simon knew, the Snowman had never met Sarah Jaggard. Did his outrage on behalf of Helen Yardley automatically extend to all women accused of the same crime? Or was it Helen Yardley’s certainty that Jaggard was innocent that had convinced him? If Proust had been an
‘Simon?’
‘What?’
‘Helen Yardley’s murder is about Helen Yardley, not Proust,’ said Charlie. ‘You won’t find the right answer if you’re asking the wrong question.’
Proust got out of his chair to open the door for Simon – something he’d never done before. ‘Yes, Waterhouse?’
‘I’ve read the book.’
Which is why I’m here, giving you another chance to be reasonable, instead of at Human Resources complaining about you
. Except it wasn’t a real chance; Simon couldn’t pretend there was anything generous-spirited about it. He wanted to prove Helen Yardley wrong. It was ridiculous; embarrassing. Didn’t he know Proust well enough after years of working with him?
‘It’s a pity you never met Helen Yardley, Waterhouse. You might have learned a lot from her. She brought out the best in people.’
‘What did she do with it once she’d brought it out?’ Simon asked. ‘Bury it somewhere and leave clues?’ He couldn’t believe he’d said it, couldn’t believe he wasn’t being ejected from the room.
‘What’s that?’ Proust nodded at the sheet of paper in Simon’s hand. Was he stifling his anger in order to deny Simon a sense of achievement?
‘I think there’s an angle we’re neglecting, sir. I’ve made a list of names I think we ought to talk to. All those who had a vested interest in Helen Yardley being guilty, and others who—’
‘She wasn’t guilty.’
‘There are people who need to cling to the belief that she was innocent,’ said Simon neutrally, ‘and people who need to cling to the belief that she did it because they can’t live with themselves otherwise: the eleven jurors who voted guilty, the prosecuting lawyers, the social workers who—’
‘Dr Judith Duffy,’ the Snowman read aloud, having snatched the paper from Simon’s hand. ‘Even in my line of work, I haven’t met many human beings I’d describe as out-and-out evil, but that woman . . .’ He frowned. ‘Who are all these others? I recognise a few: the Brownlees, Justice Wilson . . . Waterhouse, you’re surely not suggesting Helen Yardley was murdered by a high court judge?’
‘No, sir, of course not. I put him on the list for the sake of completeness.’
‘Any more complete, it’d be a perishing telephone directory!’
‘Justice Wilson played a part in sending Helen Yardley to prison. So did eleven jurors whose names are also on the list. Any of them might have reacted badly when her convictions were quashed. I’m thinking . . . well, maybe someone reacted very badly.’ Simon didn’t want to use the word ‘vigilante’. ‘That’s why Sarah Jaggard and Rachel Hines are on the list too. Chances are anyone who thinks Helen Yardley escapedjustice will think Jaggard and Hines did too. We need to talk to them both, find out if anyone’s been bothering them, if they’ve been threatened or noticed anything out of the ordinary.’
‘Make up your mind, Waterhouse. Is this a list of people who have a vested interest in Helen Yardley being guilty, or is it something else entirely?’ Proust held the piece of paper between his thumb and forefinger, as if it hurt him to touch it. ‘Because it seems to me that Sarah Jaggard and Rachel Hines might have a vested interest in her being
not
guilty, since they were the victims of similar miscarriages of justice, and Helen campaigned on their behalf.’
Helen. Helen and her friend Giles
.
‘Sarah Jaggard was acquitted,’ Simon said.
Proust glared at him. ‘You don’t think being charged with murder when all you’ve done is look after your friend’s child to the best of your ability constitutes a miscarriage of justice? Then I feel sorry for you.’
As far as Simon knew, the Snowman had never met Sarah Jaggard. Did his outrage on behalf of Helen Yardley automatically extend to all women accused of the same crime? Or was it Helen Yardley’s certainty that Jaggard was innocent that had convinced him? If Proust had been an
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