come and live with you now?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Why not? I have done what you asked.’
‘You have served the gods well. They see you are ready to leave your earthly drudgery behind and live out your days with us, free of corruption from the outside world. But your task is not yet complete.’
‘What more do they want me to do?’
‘Return to your house and continue as before. Be wary. We are beset all around by dangers. Our enemies are everywhere. If the police suspect you were responsible for her death, everything will come to nothing. See to it they never find out what happened. You can arrange it.’ The leader’s voice was gentle. ‘You have my trust.’
The others were recalled and Warrior sat beside the leader, close enough to reach out and touch him. He was truly a servant of the cause. He understood that anyone who stood in their way had to be removed. It was immaterial that she had been the cause of so much trouble in his own life. She no longer existed. Her soul would perish in eternal fires. After more than fifty years of drudgery, she had left the world with nothing. It could so easily have been his own fate, but he had been enlightened. He had been granted a glorious future of everlasting peace. All that mattered was that he had discovered his calling, and he had found courage to answer the summons. The leader had invited him to follow the path of righteousness, and he had been ready. His whole previous life seemed like a distant dream, before he met the leader. Nothing happened by chance. This was his destiny. He was Warrior. He had found enlightenment.
21
M ARTHA ’ S HUSBAND REMAINED THEIR only suspect so far. It seemed unlikely anyone would invent an alibi that could so easily be disproved, but Henry hadn’t struck Ian as particularly shrewd, and people often behaved stupidly under pressure. He couldn’t find any local record of a girl called Della which didn’t surprise him, seeing as he only had a first name which was probably false. He could have initiated a search, but without a real name that was unlikely to produce a result. It would be far quicker to simply pay the club a visit and ask around. As soon as it opened in the evening, he would be there. In the meantime, all he could do was wait. With luck no one at the club would have heard of Della, and it would be obvious Henry had invented his alibi. Or if she did exist, Ian hoped she would deny having spent time with Henry on Friday evening. He imagined her shaking her head and frowning.
‘Who the hell’s Henry Martin? I don’t know anyone called Henry. Someone’s taking the piss, mate.’
The day passed slowly, livened up only by joshing from some of Ian’s colleagues who had got wind of his visit to the strip club.
‘How come Ian gets all the good gigs?’ a constable called out.
‘Don’t forget to take protection, Sarge, and I’m not talking stab vests.’
‘You sure you should be going there, now you’re a married man?’
Behind the laughter and ribbing, they were all curious about Henry’s alibi.
At last the conventional working day came to an end. At a time when most people were heading home, Ian drove in the opposite direction towards Margate. He tried not to think about his wife arriving home to an empty house where she would spend the evening alone, while he was nearly an hour’s drive away, occupied with a job he loved. He frowned. Bev had known what she was letting herself in for. It wasn’t as though he had joined the police after they were married. She had no grounds for complaint. She would just have to make the best of her life as the wife of a detective.
One of the earliest English seaside resorts, Margate had attracted holiday makers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when bathing in the sea was fashionable. With the advent of air travel, the town had been unable to compete with cheap holidays in sunnier climates. In spite of its sandy beach and colourful amusement arcades along the
‘Not yet.’
‘Why not? I have done what you asked.’
‘You have served the gods well. They see you are ready to leave your earthly drudgery behind and live out your days with us, free of corruption from the outside world. But your task is not yet complete.’
‘What more do they want me to do?’
‘Return to your house and continue as before. Be wary. We are beset all around by dangers. Our enemies are everywhere. If the police suspect you were responsible for her death, everything will come to nothing. See to it they never find out what happened. You can arrange it.’ The leader’s voice was gentle. ‘You have my trust.’
The others were recalled and Warrior sat beside the leader, close enough to reach out and touch him. He was truly a servant of the cause. He understood that anyone who stood in their way had to be removed. It was immaterial that she had been the cause of so much trouble in his own life. She no longer existed. Her soul would perish in eternal fires. After more than fifty years of drudgery, she had left the world with nothing. It could so easily have been his own fate, but he had been enlightened. He had been granted a glorious future of everlasting peace. All that mattered was that he had discovered his calling, and he had found courage to answer the summons. The leader had invited him to follow the path of righteousness, and he had been ready. His whole previous life seemed like a distant dream, before he met the leader. Nothing happened by chance. This was his destiny. He was Warrior. He had found enlightenment.
21
M ARTHA ’ S HUSBAND REMAINED THEIR only suspect so far. It seemed unlikely anyone would invent an alibi that could so easily be disproved, but Henry hadn’t struck Ian as particularly shrewd, and people often behaved stupidly under pressure. He couldn’t find any local record of a girl called Della which didn’t surprise him, seeing as he only had a first name which was probably false. He could have initiated a search, but without a real name that was unlikely to produce a result. It would be far quicker to simply pay the club a visit and ask around. As soon as it opened in the evening, he would be there. In the meantime, all he could do was wait. With luck no one at the club would have heard of Della, and it would be obvious Henry had invented his alibi. Or if she did exist, Ian hoped she would deny having spent time with Henry on Friday evening. He imagined her shaking her head and frowning.
‘Who the hell’s Henry Martin? I don’t know anyone called Henry. Someone’s taking the piss, mate.’
The day passed slowly, livened up only by joshing from some of Ian’s colleagues who had got wind of his visit to the strip club.
‘How come Ian gets all the good gigs?’ a constable called out.
‘Don’t forget to take protection, Sarge, and I’m not talking stab vests.’
‘You sure you should be going there, now you’re a married man?’
Behind the laughter and ribbing, they were all curious about Henry’s alibi.
At last the conventional working day came to an end. At a time when most people were heading home, Ian drove in the opposite direction towards Margate. He tried not to think about his wife arriving home to an empty house where she would spend the evening alone, while he was nearly an hour’s drive away, occupied with a job he loved. He frowned. Bev had known what she was letting herself in for. It wasn’t as though he had joined the police after they were married. She had no grounds for complaint. She would just have to make the best of her life as the wife of a detective.
One of the earliest English seaside resorts, Margate had attracted holiday makers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when bathing in the sea was fashionable. With the advent of air travel, the town had been unable to compete with cheap holidays in sunnier climates. In spite of its sandy beach and colourful amusement arcades along the
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