Chapter 6
The Third Secret
Henry Evans
Swindon, England, was the most recent town where Henry managed to hide and evade those who were chasing him.
A few years ago he had grown a beard and dyed it with a steel-gray tint, a color which he also added to his hair.
It was believable enough; he was in his mid-forties.
A lot of men turn gray in their mid-thirties.
He had spent the last ten years working at dairy farms across the country, a far cry from Manchester and his job at the bank.
Henry had a low-paying job as a teller when he first got married, but it was enough for two young kids in love.
They didn’t live a life of luxury, but Kathleen never complained.
Then she got pregnant. It was a difficult pregnancy, and when they discovered they were having twins, Henry knew he needed to do more to support a family of four.
He supplemented the family income by working at a local pub at night and doing double shifts on the weekends.
He was exhausted most of the time and rarely ate a real meal.
Too often he’d find himself yawning at the bank, coming dangerously close to nodding off.
Kathleen watched his heroic efforts take their toll on him.
She knew things could not go on much longer, with Henry working twelve hours a day, every day of the week.
Something had to give, and neither of them wanted it to be his job at the bank.
It was a secure job, and they knew there was room for advancement there.
But having two wee ones to look after was weighing heavily on both their minds.
They wanted to be good parents. They wanted to be present, involved.
After many nights of tears and discussions about the quality of life they could provide, he and Kathleen made the excruciating decision to put one of the twins up for adoption.
Kathleen was brave. Even though the idea of giving up one of her newborns tore at her soul, she believed family services would find a wonderful, loving home for her girl.
Rather than looking at it as a loss, she changed her perspective and realized she was actually giving the child a gift: a promise of a good life.
When she heard that the prospective family had tried for five years to have a child, she felt she was giving them a gift as well.
Four weeks after baby Ashley was born, family services delivered the precious bundle to a wonderful couple in the United States.
Henry and Kathleen had come a long way since they first got married and made the heartbreaking decision.
For the next fifteen plus years, their life was comfortable.
They lived in a two-bedroom flat several blocks from the school where Kathleen obtained a position.
Henry opted to ride his bike to and from work.
Their daughter Emily was flourishing in her studies and had an exceptional talent for art.
Henry knew the life of an artist could be emotionally and financially painful, but he encouraged her to further her education.
Once she finished her secondary school he hoped she would continue on to sixth form.
When Emily was about to turn sixteen, their lives were completely turned upside down.
Henry was working at the bank when one of the local councilors was waiting to cash a check.
It was a sizeable sum. Henry noticed the councilor seemed a little nervous.
Who wouldn’t be, walking around with ten thousand quid?
Henry knew it was not for him to say or ask.
The councilor placed the bulky envelope inside his trench coat and left.
Henry checked the big clock on the wall. It was time for his break. He was looking forward to a slice of the apricot cake Kathleen had made for him.
The sun was shining and Henry decided to go outside in the back of the bank to have his snack.
There were three men about a hundred feet away from him.
All of them were impeccably dressed. Henry thought it an odd place for a meetup, but it was none of his business, until he realized one of the men was the councilor he had assisted minutes before.
The men appeared to be having an argument.
Suddenly the barrel of a handgun flashed in the sunlight.
Henry was taken aback. Guns were uncommon in the UK, as were robberies in broad daylight.
The councilor ducked, then attempted to wrestle the gun from the assailant’s hand but it went off and blew a hole in his midsection.
The men took off. Henry ran to the councilor’s aid.
The man was holding the gun that shot him and was bleeding profusely.
Henry removed the gun from his hand and began CPR but to no avail.
The only thing he managed to do was get blood on his hands and his fingerprints on the spent gun.
People came running from inside the other buildings and began shouting questions.
Several phoned the police. When the constables arrived, the councilor was dead and it appeared that Henry had killed him.
Next to the body was the envelope full of money.
It appeared to be a robbery gone wrong and the police arrested Henry on the spot.
They held him in custody for thirty-six hours, but without any eyewitnesses, they released him pending further investigation.
On his way out of the police station, he saw a well-dressed man climbing the steps of the building.
He appeared to resemble one of the men in the argument from the day before.
It wasn’t just the expensive camel-hair coat.
It was the shoes: a pair of brilliantly polished burgundy-colored loafers with tassels.
A chill went up Henry’s spine, especially when he noticed the man eyeing him as he passed by.
Henry felt as if he was being stared down.
Henry decided that he was in shock, and his imagination was running wild. It had been a very unusual thirty-six hours.
When he arrived home, Emily was starting dinner. “Pa! You look like something the cat dragged in!”
Henry wasn’t sure how much Emily knew, and he wasn’t about to tell her. “Where’s yer ma?”
“She’s next-door. I’ll go fetch her. You look like a bloody mess.” She eyed his clothes. “Literally. Is that blood?”
Henry winced at the word “blood.” “I’ll go give myself a clean-up. Tell her no rush.” Henry had no idea what kind of reception he was going to get from his wife. It was either going to be a tongue-lashing or a sob festival.
Twenty minutes later Kathleen returned and finished fixing dinner. Henry walked carefully into the kitchen.
“Hello, love.” He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She let him. It was a good sign. At least she didn’t greet him with a rolling pin.
“Smells delicious,” Henry said as casually as he could. He leaned in and whispered in Kathleen’s ear, “We’ll chat later.”
Kathleen nodded. She didn’t have any details, but she knew her husband. He was kind and upstanding. Whatever happened, she was certain he had a good explanation. Kathleen called for Emily to come to dinner.
Henry said, “I’ll tell her someone started a fight at the bar.”
Emily was fascinated by the idea that her father broke up a bar fight. Brutality was not part of his personality. “What was it about?” she asked innocently.
“Oh, you know how these lads can be when they’re pissed. One got his knickers in a twist and accused the other one of flirting with his gal.”
Emily chuckled. “But how did you get involved?”
“I happened to be sitting next to the one who got punched in the snout.” He looked over at Kathleen to see if Emily was really buying his story.
“Men can be so stupid,” Emily remarked, then stabbed a potato with her fork.
Henry didn’t dare to give Kathleen a thumbs-up, but it appeared his story landed with their daughter.
The following day, Henry’s friend Oliver showed up unexpectedly at their door. He looked quite grim. Oliver was a detective chief inspector with the police and had been one of Henry’s good mates since childhood.
“Oliver! What brings you here?” Henry opened the door to let him in. “Fancy a cuppa?”
“Thanks, but no. I can’t stay long.” He looked around the room and lowered his voice. “Is there a place where we can talk?”
Henry led Oliver to his bedroom. He trusted Oliver with his life. Within minutes he realized how much.
Oliver spoke without emotion. “They’re out to get ya, mate.”
“Who?” Henry imagined he had a lot of chaos ahead of him due to the circumstances and the people involved.
“The police. And the others.”
Henry had no idea what Oliver was talking about. “What others?”
“The others who were there the day before,” Oliver said.
“The other tenants in the other buildings?” Henry’s mind was racing.
“No. The ones whose deal was interrupted.”
“Oliver, you are going to have to be less cryptic.”
“One of the men is a judge. There’ve been rumors of him being a bit dodgy and taking kickbacks for facilitating land leases.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
“He’s going to push for you to take the fall. He’s already making waves for the force to come after you.”
“But I didn’t do it.” Henry’s face was turning red.
“I know that and he knows that. You’re a witness. And the scapegoat. Case closed.”
Henry grabbed the back of the nearest chair in order to steady himself. “What should I do?”
“Normally I’d advise you go through the process and be exonerated.”
“So, are they going to arrest me?”
“Tomorrow.”
Henry went pale. He looked at his friend. “What did you mean by ‘normally?’”
“They are going to railroad you, and I’d hate to wonder what will happen to you in the nick.”
The blood was draining from Henry’s face as Oliver continued.
“Bad things can happen in there, especially if someone at the top wants you to disappear.” Oliver looked at Henry. “You didn’t hear this from me, but take a flyer. Get out of town.”
“For how long?” Henry was almost pleading with his friend.