Chapter 14 #2
The aroma of pizza announced Oliver’s entrance.
“Smells delish!” Helen looked up over her reading glasses.
“Set it over there.” She pointed to the top of a low cabinet and rolled her chair away from her desk.
Oliver opened a bag that contained paper plates and napkins, a small container of red pepper flakes, and extra parmesan cheese.
“If you ever think of leaving the bobbies, you can get a job as a delivery person.”
“Less stress I am sure,” Oliver responded with mutual jocularity.
Helen leaned over the pizza box and ripped a slice of the gooey, pepperoni-covered delight. “Oh, this looks scrumptious. Thanks much for doing this.”
“My pleasure. Your help in this is beyond anything I could have hoped for. I really thought I might be swimming against the tide.”
“You are righting an iniquity, for the councilor and Henry. It’s the least I could do.
We’re both on the side of justice.” She folded her slice and took a huge bite.
A little oil dripped from the corner of her mouth.
Oliver handed her a napkin, resisting the urge to wipe it for her.
He decided he was growing increasingly fond of this enigmatic women.
“Mm … mm … this is quite good,” she said after a big swallow.
“Better than fish and chips, I’d say.” Oliver tore off some for himself and began to munch on his piece of the pie. They ate in silence for several minutes, savoring the Italian staple.
After she finished her first slice, she pulled another one off and placed it on her mushy plate.
Oliver handed her a fresh one. “You’re quite the gentleman,” she said, and then continued.
“I’ve finished the Manchester paperwork.
Next will be the Crown Prosecution Service to request a withdrawal of the arrest warrant. ”
“He’s going to need a lawyer, but first I have to locate him.”
“You don’t know where he is, correct?”
“Only proximity.” Oliver thought for a moment. “I suppose I can find a solicitor for him, try to locate him, and then the three of us can go to London.”
“And not bring me with you?” Helen balked.
“Oh, of course.” Oliver quickly revised his statement. “I meant the four of us.”
“That’s what I thought.” Helen raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
Oliver’s phone rang, mid-bite. He wiped his hands and reached for his mobile. It was Kathleen. Odd. Why would she be calling him?
“Kathleen. Everything alright?” he asked as he ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth, dislodging remnants of pepperoni.
“Oliver! I have incredible news!” Kathleen sounded animated.
“Do tell.” Oliver looked at Helen and shrugged.
“Oliver, you are not going to believe this, but Ashley is here with her mum.”
Oliver had to think for a minute. He didn’t know anyone named Ashley. “Ashley?”
“Yes! My daughter!” Kathleen was overly excited. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to maintain her composure. “The one who was adopted!”
Oliver was stunned. It had been years since the adoption, and he could not remember the last time Henry or Kathleen mentioned her. “I don’t understand. How did this happen?” He put the call on speaker so Helen could better understand the exchange.
Kathleen explained in full detail the circumstances which produced this miraculous reunion.
“Blimey!” Oliver bellowed in return. He looked over at Helen and mouthed if he should tell Kathleen what they discovered. She nodded and whispered, “We may need their help.”
“Oliver, is someone with you?” Kathleen asked, noting the difference in the background noise.
“As a matter of fact, there is. Meet Helen Miller. She’s a top-notch forensic scientist and has been working on a project for me.”
Helen spoke into the phone. “Hello, Kathleen.”
“Helen? Hello,” Kathleen replied, wondering why Oliver brought her into the conversation.
Oliver continued. “I did a little digging into Henry’s case. You’re probably aware that Judge Stephen Gilmore has been arrested.”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with Henry?” Kathleen was never given all the details about what Henry and Oliver suspected. She only knew it was someone powerful enough to keep Henry on the run. Oliver felt it was for her own safety that the less she knew, the better.
“He was at the scene behind the bank. And now we have proof the judge was the one who pulled the trigger.”
Kathleen had to steady herself again. Emily moved to her side and pressed the speaker button. “Uncle Oliver, it’s me, Emily. What’s this about?”
“Henry explained the situation and then recognized the judge coming out of the courthouse. I warned Henry that the judge would guarantee that Henry wouldn’t survive more than two days in jail. The judge would see to that, and not in a good way.”
“I still don’t understand.” Kathleen was still reeling from Ashley’s appearance, and now this.
“I pulled the original sets of fingerprints from the shooting. There was one latent print. One they couldn’t identify, but when the judge was arrested and charged with fraud they took his fingerprints, and my dear friend Helen analyzed the two of them.
It was a match. She’s busy writing up the reports now.
With pizza.” Oliver smiled. “Clearly there’s a lot to talk about. ”
“Clearly,” Kathleen echoed. She was in shock. Could this be true? Could Henry be coming home, too? This was too much to take in and she couldn’t get her hopes up. “What do we do next?”
“We need to find a lawyer and then find Henry,” Oliver stated.
“But we can’t afford a high-priced lawyer,” Kathleen fussed.
Emily broke in. “I know someone who might be able to help. He’s studying to be a solicitor, and maybe could recommend someone who may take on the case pro bono. Let me reach out to him. He knows the situation.” Emily raced to get her phone.
Kathleen stayed on the line while Jessica and Ashley listened in. “How are we going to find Henry?”
“The last known address was in Swindon. He couldn’t have gone very far from his post box.” Oliver cleared his throat. “He’s using the name Kenneth Barlow.” Helen shot him a glance. She remembered the name. Oliver shrugged and whispered, “It was the best I could do.”
Helen mimed typing. She had to finish her reports before anything else could be done.
Oliver pressed on. “Listen, Helen is filling out the forms now. Let’s see if Emily can find a solicitor, then we can regroup and decide our next steps.”
“Oliver, I hope this will be the end of a very long and lonely decade. For us, and him.” Kathleen had a morsel of hope in her voice, and a tear in her eye.
“We’ll get on it. Ring me when Emily has more information.”
“Will do. Ta.” Kathleen ended the call.
Emily returned to the living room where everyone sat, gobsmacked. She was smiling. “Blair is going to speak to one of his professors. He’s going to phone as soon as he has news.”
Kathleen grabbed Jessica’s hand. “You’ve brought me luck. My daughter, and next my husband.”
“I can’t take credit for this new development with Henry.” Jessica patted the nervous woman’s hand.
Kathleen appreciated Jessica’s support. “One miracle at a time, eh?”
Ashley had remained quiet, trying to grasp the magnitude of what had transpired. She was still reeling from the activity of the past twenty-four hours. And now this. Do they really have enough evidence to clear Henry’s name? she wondered. Will this be the family reunion I’ve been seeking?
Emily wasn’t the only one who leaned favorably toward manifestation.
Ashley too had her woo-woo moments. Wasn’t meeting Emily via a stranger on a bicycle enough to give props to spiritual optimism?
She thought so. She also had secreted away several thousand dollars over the past three years, saving for a rainy day.
It appeared that rainy day was here. She cleared her throat.
“I’d like to offer some Return Henry Home funds. ”
“Say what?” Emily looked at her curiously.
“We’re going to need some money to get to Swindon, hotels, and I am sure Blair’s professor will want some sort of compensation. We’re disrupting his holidays, after all.”
“Good point, and I appreciate your generosity,” Emily said and patted Ashley’s thigh. “Blair mentioned one professor in particular who lives in Cambridge and usually spends time with holdovers.”
“Holdovers?” Jessica asked.
“Students who don’t go home for the holidays,” Emily answered.
“That’s sad,” Jessica mused.
“I suppose it depends on how fine or crummy your family is,” Emily remarked wryly. “For now, how about some dinner? I’m famished.”
Kathleen was still flustered. “Oh, my manners. I barely offered anything besides tea and biscuits.”
Jessica snickered. “It’s not as if you were expecting guests.”
“There’s a great pub just down the road. Let’s head over there. I could use a steaming, heaping dish of shepherd’s pie,” Emily suggested.
“It’s fish and chips for me!” Jessica added.
Ashley grinned at her mother. “For someone who hardly ever eats fish, you’re sure tearing across the county, gobbling it up.”
“That’s because it’s so good and it’s a little different every time. A little more salt here, a little bit of pepper there. Delicious!” Jessica defended her fishy opinion.
Kathleen spoke. “I don’t know if I can eat anything right now. I’m too nervous.”
“Maybe two fingers of some of The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Reserve Number 7,” Emily replied.
“Aren’t you fancy, now?” her mother teased.
“I’m trying to acquire a taste for the finer things.” Emily grinned. “Shall we?” She nodded toward their outerwear that was hanging on a hook next to the door.