Page 139 of The Dead Ex

But before long, I will be responsible for another.

61

Vicki

16 September 2018

One minute, a life sentence is stretching out before me. The next, comes the phone call from my solicitor, which I took in the governor’s office, to say that Zelda has been arrested for the murder of Tanya and for attacking Patrick. Thank God my old friend was all right.

Even when Zelda was found guilty, they couldn’t release me immediately. Technically, I was a convictedmurderer. These things take time. An application has been made for my conviction to be quashed. Eventually, I might even seek compensation, according to my solicitor. But I’m not going to. It’s not always easy to decide who is guilty and who is not. When I was in charge, I knew there were probably a handful of inmates who were there for crimes they had not committed.

In the meantime a bail hearingwas set and held in my absence. At last I am allowed out! The officer hands me a plastic bag containing the possessions I came into prison with. As luck would have it, they had ‘found’ the Welsh love spoon which my father had given my mother. I take out the spoon now and trace its heart-shaped handle with my finger as my mother might have done herself. It calms me, as does the scan picture ofbaby Patrick, which reminds me that, once, he really did exist.

I walk through the prison gate, gulping in the fresh air, and head for the taxi rank. The local drivers know a good market when they see one.

A tall figure walks towards me. It’s raining, so it’s hard to make out the face. My heart gives a little thud inside. But it’s not who I thought. It’s my solicitor. I try to hide my disappointment.

‘How kind of you to meet me,’ I say. ‘I was going to get a cab.’

‘I brought my car.’ Penny waves her hand towards a dusty navy-blue estate a few yards away. ‘I thought we could talk. There’s something I need to tell you. It’s about your ex.’

My mouth goes dry. ‘Is he all right?’

I hate myself for even asking the question. Surely I don’t care any more – especially after what he said in court.

Penny’s lips tighten. ‘Men like David will always be all right.’

We get into her car. She doesn’t start the engine. Instead, she talks. ‘The thing is that I’ve got a good friend or two in the police force. Every solicitor needs one.’

There’s a short silence. I want to break it, but something makes me wait.

‘I’ve found out a few things. You were right. David was involved in something illegal.In fact, he was dealing in arms. He got into it when he was in the army, apparently, and got chummy with an American serviceman in Afghanistan. Your ex-husband and his American friend set up together using their contacts. They did very well. I’m not an expert on this, I must confess. But from what I can tell,the property business was the perfect front. These men always hide behind a veneer ofrespectability.’

She paused for a minute to let that sink in. ‘But they needed to hide their tracks. You were right once more when you thought David was laundering money through buying houses. It’s one of the most common methods.’

A burst of adrenaline hits me, along with anger and sorrow. ‘And the police knew?’

She shook her head. ‘Only Interpol. They’d been watching him for months, it seems,but it was hush-hush. When he said on the stand that he’d been in a retreat, that was true. But he was actually there because he’d been threatened by one of his arms-dealing clients. This coincided with Zelda’s daughter telling him she was pregnant, which gave him even more reason to get out of the country.’

He’d got her pregnant? It feels like a punch in the stomach.

‘Interpol flushed him outof the retreat and offered him a deal,’ continued my solicitor. ‘If he gave them details of his arms dealings, they would grant him a safe passage back and offer protection. He wanted to get home to see his daughter. But the police over here got wind of the fact that Interpol had known where he was all the time and were not happy. They were convinced you were guilty of Tanya’s murder and stillneeded more evidence. So as a “sweetener”, Interpol told David that he had to give evidence against you.’

‘And lie about me being violent?’

Penny shrugged. ‘I don’t know exactly how the conversation went.’

‘And now where is he?’

‘Staying with his daughter under police protection.’

‘So he’s free?’

There’s a sigh. ‘I’m sorry. I know it’s unfair, given that he lied under oath. I wanted youto know from me. Obviously you could go to the newspapers but if you want my advice, I’d let it go. You’ve been given a clean start.’

62

Helen