35
Truly, Madly, Forever
Edith left Vince making a phone call regarding the building work going ahead the next morning. She was so happy, and decided to wander the empty corridors to take in all that they had achieved. She could hardly believe the swift turn of events. There was so much to be done, she thought. The Empire would be transformed under their joint managership. Once more it would become a place of dreams.
‘Ah, mine, all mine,’ said a voice behind her as she stood before the massive cinema screen imagining all the movies as yet to be projected upon it.
She turned. ‘Leonard,’ she said. ‘You surprised me.’
‘Lenny,’ he said. ‘Why so formal all of a sudden?’ Leonard Kimble strolled down the centre aisle towards her, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. ‘The flood did a lot of damage,’ he observed, nodding at the muddy-grey gunge on the ruined carpets in front of the stage. ‘Going to cost something to get it all fixed.’
‘It was being refurbished anyway,’ she said. ‘I saw you today, at Laura Leach’s funeral. Did you know her?’
‘I knew her better than most, I guess. The entire story was good for the Gazette, though; good for me too, if I’m honest. That level of scandal in Langbridge will not come around again in a hurry.’
‘I’m pleased for you,’ said Edith.
‘You don’t like me, do you, Edith?’
The comment wasn’t expected. ‘What on earth makes you say that?’
He shrugged. ‘The way you look at me. The way you talk to me. Little things.’
‘What is it you want, Leonard? If you need to speak to Vince he’s up in his office.’
‘Yes, good old Vince. Done well for himself out of this, hasn’t he?’
‘He deserves to do well,’ she said.
‘Why him, Edith, eh? I mean, he’s a born loser, a nobody. He looks like a baboon wearing a suit. Why would you choose someone like him over someone like me?’
‘Vince is a nice, gentle-hearted man. I don’t think you ought to be saying such things. You shouldn’t even be in here. You’re trespassing, so I think you should leave.’
‘You really think you’re someone, don’t you? I know your mum and dad; they think they’re better than anyone else with their fancy Volvo, avocado-coloured bathroom suite and lawn sprinklers.’
Edith made as if to walk past him. ‘It’s time you left now, Leonard, before you say something you shouldn’t. If you don’t leave, I’ll – ‘
‘You’ll what?’ he said, grabbing her by the arm, jamming his face close to hers.
‘I’ll tell Vince.’
‘I’m so scared!’ he mocked. ‘You’re all the same, you women – you girls. Tarts, every last one of you, only good for one thing.’
‘Let me go, you’re starting to hurt me! What’s gotten into you?’
‘What would your precious Vince say if he knew the truth about you?’
She frowned deeply. ‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Let me go!’
‘I know who you are.’
She yanked her arm free. ‘You’re crazy, Leonard!’ she said, storming away up the aisle. ‘I’m going to get Vince.’
‘Your mum and dad – they aren’t your real parents, Edith.’
Edith stopped in her tracks and turned round. ‘What are you babbling on about? Of course they’re my real parents. Are you ill or something?’
‘Ever wondered how your mother managed to conceive, given that she’d had a hysterectomy a few years before you were born?’
‘That’s not true! I’m going to get the police.’
‘But it is true, Edith. I’ve seen hospital records and spoken to the woman who knew your real mother. You were adopted, Edith. They’re not your real parents. Mad Laura Leach was your real mother.’
Edith was speechless, the words she wanted to say drying up on her tongue. A swarm of strange, disturbing thoughts stung her mind. ‘Why are you creating all these absurd lies, Leonard? What do you hope to gain from it?’
He came towards her. ‘They’re not lies, Edith. You were the result of an affair between Laura and a married driving instructor. He killed himself because of it; she was put into Bartholomew Place because of it. Want to know what your real name was going to be? Alex – Alexandra, that’s what Laura called you, but that was never the name they were going to christen you. You were taken from her at birth and given like so much unwanted and troublesome baggage to a nice, discreet couple who couldn’t have children. You’ve been living a lie all this time. Just think if word got out you were actually loony Laura’s bastard child, your mother the suicidal Witch of Devereux Towers. Why, Vince wouldn’t want you, would he? Not now he’s a manager and on the up. You’d become the laughing-stock of the town, someone people would point out when you walked down the street. There’s that bastard, Edith – or is it Alex? They love that sort of thing around here. And think about it; proper legal channels weren’t followed when you were adopted, either. All done on the quiet. On the sly. Your dad was a crafty old geezer. Pulled the right strings to make it happen, keep it hush-hush. Your mum and dad might even go to court for it. At the very least they’d have to leave Langbridge. You all would. So you see, everyone’s been living a lie. You’re a nobody, Edith; the result of a sordid affair with so-called parents that were willing to take a child to satisfy their own shortcomings and help cover the whole thing up. Technically, you don’t belong anywhere.’
She sat on one of the cinema seats. She often wondered why there was no resemblance to her mother and father. Why they avoided talking about her birth, or why they couldn’t provide a birth certificate – destroyed, they said, or lost; or why they talked so cruelly about Laura Leach when she came back to Devereux Towers. And of course it made sense why her Aunty Liz always referred to her as the Miracle Baby. Her mother had been barren, she said; she couldn’t have children and God had smiled upon them…
‘You have proof of all this?’ she said quietly.
‘Oh yes, lots of it. It’s all true.’
‘Does anyone else know about this?’
‘Not yet. And they needn’t,’ he said, reaching out and putting a hand on her thigh.
‘What is it you’re after, Leonard?’
‘Isn’t it obvious? I want you. I always have.’ His hand squeezed her leg, then travelled down to the hem of her skirt.’
‘You want me?’
‘For starters, yes. We can talk how your parents can help financially a little later. Don’t come over all innocent, Edith; you know what it is I want from you.’ His fingers ran up inside her skirt, traced a line along the inside of her thigh.
‘I’ve never done that kind of thing before, Leonard…’ she said, her eyes filling.
‘A virgin? Don’t worry, I’ll teach you everything there is to know. I’ve even bought us a pack of condoms from the machine in the toilet.’
She placed her hand on his, stopping him. ‘Not here.’
He licked his lower lip. ‘Where, then?’
She rose from the seat. ‘Follow me,’ she said sullenly. They went through a set of doors behind the stage.
‘Where are you taking me? Why not do it here, behind the screen? No one will see us.’
Edith stopped. ‘You don’t have to be like this, Leonard. Why can’t you just keep quiet about it all? Why be so nasty?’ Her eyes were glistening with tears.
‘Because absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ he said. ‘And I like the idea of being able to get exactly what I want.’ He pointed. ‘Hurry up and get us to where we’re headed.’
They wound their way through dingy corridors, down a flight of steps. Edith eventually paused at a door. ‘Please, Leonard. Reconsider…’ she said.
‘Through there?’ he asked. ‘What’s through there?’
‘The basement,’ she explained.
His eyes lit up. ‘Where they found the bodies?’
She nodded. ‘It’s quiet; no one comes down here at all. We won’t be disturbed.’
He rather liked the idea. The thought of having sex in the very place they’d fished out the two stiffs caused him to get all heated up and he suddenly grabbed Edith by the throat. His hand groped roughly at her breast. He tried to kiss her but she averted her head. There was the sound of ripping cloth as he tore her blouse, revealing her lacy, white bra. Kimble’s eyes widened in animal anticipation. ‘F*ck it,’ he said. ‘I want to do it right here, against the door!’ He let his hand fall to the hem of her skirt, hoisted it and placed his fingers firmly between her legs, moaning as he felt the soft, resisting mound beneath.
‘Leave her alone!’
Vince couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He’d been on his way to the basement to check out something following the phone call with the builders, needed to get back to them with more information. His surprise morphed into anger when he saw what Kimble was doing, the pale band of flesh beneath the torn material of Edith’s blouse, and her terrified face.
‘F*ck off, Moody!’ Kimble snarled, continuing to hold Edith by the throat. ‘Can’t you see that we’re busy?’
Vince rushed forward. ‘I said let her go!’ He grabbed hold of Kimble and tore him away from Edith. Kimble released her, lashed out with his fists and sent Vince reeling backwards with a couple of well-placed blows.
‘And I said f*ck off, you moron!’ said Kimble.
Shaking his dazed head, Vince cried out in rage and launched himself at Kimble again, who tried to fend off a rain of blows, covered his head with his arms. But he wasn’t so easily beaten and he threw his entire weight at Vince, bowling him over to the floor. He kicked him in the ribs and Vince wailed in pain.
‘Stop it! You’ll kill him!’ cried Edith.
‘Shut up, bitch! I told you he was a f*cking loser. You’ll get what’s coming to you in a bit.’ He bent over Vince who was doubled-up in agony. ‘Hear that, Moody, you little weed. I’m going to f*ck your precious little bitch and I’m going to let you watch. And guess what? She’ll let me do it, too, without a tiny f*cking squeak of protest, because I know what I know.’ He sent another boot into Vince’s side, then another, his teeth gritted, his face a devilish mask.
The next instant, Kimble’s head lurched sideways, his skull split open at the back, his blood fanning out to splash the walls and the door. He sank immediately to the ground beside Vince, not a single word or breath coming from him and he lay there, a lifeless mound of clothes. Blood oozed into a large puddle on the floor.
Vince looked up. Edith was holding the new fire-axe she’d removed from the hooks on the wall. As soon as he realised what had happened he scrambled painfully to his feet, clutching his bruised ribs. ‘Christ, Edith – what have you done?’
‘He was hurting you,’ she gasped. She dropped the axe to the floor. It clattered noisily. ‘I was afraid he was going to kill you.’
‘Oh shit!’ Vince said, looking down at the still form of Leonard Kimble, the back of his skull missing, a bloody pulp sitting inside the rest of it. ‘Do you suppose he’s dead?’ It was a silly question. ‘We have to call the police,’ he said, and looked up at her. ‘Are you alright? Was he trying to rape you?’
‘I had to do it, Vince, I had to! I didn’t have a choice. He was raping me and he was hurting you. I had to make him stop, like I had to make all of them stop. They were hurting us, can’t you see?’
Vince’s eyes narrowed. ‘Edith, you’re not making any sense.’
‘I did it for you, Vince. It was all for you, because I love you!’
Vince sank to his knees, reaching out and touching Kimble on the shoulder. ‘Jesus, Edith, you’ve killed him. What are we going to do?’ Then his face screwed up in thought. ‘What are you saying, you had to make all of them stop?’
She licked her lips, tried to regain control of her breathing. ‘I killed Monica,’ she said.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Edith. You’re in shock, is all.’
‘I’m telling you the truth, Vince. I killed Monica. I did it for you, and me, for both of us.’
’Why are you talking this way? Stop it, Edith, you’re getting hysterical and you’re starting to frighten me. Martin killed Monica. The police arrested him, they had all the evidence.’
‘I made it look like it was Caldwell who did it.’
Vince clutched his head, dazed. His vision began to swim. ‘Do you know what you’re saying? Stop it. Help me think about what we’re going to do about Leonard.’
She took hold of his arm, shook it. ‘Vince, I killed Monica!’
He stared into her watery eyes, observed how her lower lip shivered like it was cold. ‘Why? Why would you even admit to that?’
‘Because it’s true, Vince.
She shook her head slowly. ‘Monica told me she was going to get rid of you, get you kicked out of the Empire. You didn’t deserve that. Or her constant, poisonous nastiness. One day I heard her arguing with Mr Caldwell in his office, saw her storm out, telling him she’d show him just how much trouble she could be if he didn’t do right by her. She was really riled up. She stomped off and Caldwell saw me outside in the corridor. He told me she was having a bad day and to go keep an eye on her, so I did. I followed her down to the basement. When I looked inside I saw her taking some of your old films out of their cans and piling them on the floor. She had a box of matches and was about to set light to them.
‘I told her to stop it. She was steaming-mad at Caldwell, and said she’d burn the f*cking Empire down if she had to. I guess she knew the films were already a fire hazard. She was in a state and maybe she didn’t know what she was doing, being so angry. I told her that the films belonged to you, but she laughed at me, told me to get the f*ck out of there and mind my own business; and the fire would be enough to get you the sack if nothing else.
‘It all happened in an instant. I went down into the basement, told her to leave the films alone, and when she wouldn’t I picked up one of the cans and hit her over the head with it. She began to scream, loudly, so to stop her I hit her again, and again, on the side of the head.’ She pointed to her temple. ‘To keep her quiet.’
‘You killed her?’
‘No, she wasn’t dead at that point.’ Edith had stopped crying. Her face was now all but expressionless, her eyes blank. ‘She was barely conscious, but not dead. So I thought about things for a bit and then I went upstairs to the cleaners’ cupboard. I’d saved Mr Caldwell’s Oscar statuette from the trash can when I cleaned his office – I thought it such a shame to get rid of it, especially as Mr Caldwell’s wife had bought it - and stashed it away in one of the cupboards under a pile of junk. I took the Oscar, came back downstairs…’ She sucked in a deep breath. ‘And then I hit Monica over the head with it. That’s when she died, there and then. I told Caldwell she’d gone home. But I didn’t feel anything for her, not a single thing. She was a horrible, horrible woman.’
‘It was you that dumped her body in the well?’ said Vince. She nodded quickly. ‘And you used Caldwell’s statue so that if she were ever found people would suspect it was him that killed her, not you.’
‘That’s right. I did it for you, Vince.’
‘For me? You murdered someone for me?’ He shook his head. ‘That can’t be true, Edith. You couldn’t do something like that, not you! It’s not in you!’
‘I did it to protect you, Vince, because I love you. And because I wanted the best for you, for both of us. That’s why I had to kill Felix, too.’
‘What? Christ Almighty, Edith, tell me this isn’t true! Tell me you’re making all this up!’
‘I think he’d been to see Laura, and something obviously didn’t go right because he was furious. He came round to the Empire to find you. It was very late, I was on my own at the kiosk and Felix was stone-drunk. He grabbed me, told me to take him to you and that he was going to kill you for what you’d told Laura, for spoiling his plans to con her. He remembered me, you see, from the night he came and beat you up. I was afraid for you, Vince; I didn’t want him to harm you, not again. I think he would have killed you, he was so mad.
‘And that’s when it all came together in my head. How I could make things better for you and me, Vince. How I could make the Empire ours. I told him you were in the basement, brought him down here, just like I did with Leonard. I unlocked the basement door, told him you were down there, and as he went down the steps I took the fire-axe from the wall and hit him in the back with it. He fell down the steps to the bottom. He lay there. He wasn’t dead. I undid the bolts on the metal grating again and dragged him over to the well. He was heavy, but I did it eventually. I let him fall in and put the grating back on. He wouldn’t hurt you, Vince, I made sure of that.’
‘Oh my God!’ said Vince, getting to his feet and looking down at Kimble. Realisation crashed in. ‘You brought Leonard down here so you could do exactly the same to him!’
‘He was trying to come between us, Vince. He wanted to harm us. He was saying things…’
‘You planned it, didn’t you?’ said Vince incredulously. ‘You planned it so that Caldwell would take the blame for all this. Why, so that I could become manager? Is that it? And if the storm hadn’t happened and the bodies hadn’t been accidentally discovered…’
‘I’d have found some way of notifying the police,’ she said evenly. She went up to him, put her arm around his waist and drew him close. ‘They all got what they deserved, Vince. Nothing can come between us now. No one can hurt us anymore. It doesn’t matter if Caldwell takes the blame, does it? Who cares about him? He’s a nasty man, Vince. I mean, you’re manager now, aren’t you? He’s out of the way and paying for doing all the horrid things he’s ever done in his life. They’re all out of the way now. Just like in the films, the bad cowboys in the black hats get what’s coming to them…’
Vince put a shaking hand to his dry mouth. ‘Cowboys? Are you mad? Think about this seriously; we have to go to the police, Edith, because what you did, that was premeditated murder. And you’ve gone and killed Leonard, too! If I go along with that I’m an accessory, or something; I’ve aided and abetted and tons of other stuff they’ll lock me away for and then throw away the f*cking key! Jesus, what kind of a woman are you?’
‘I’m a woman in love.’
‘That’s no excuse! We’ve got to go to the police…’
‘I’d go to prison,’ she said flatly. ‘But I don’t have to.’
The thought of Edith being taken away from him ate at his brain. But he didn’t know what he should do. ‘We haven’t got a choice; we have to tell them,’ he said. ‘We should tell them what you’ve done, tell them about Leonard. Oh Christ - what are we going to do about Leonard?’ he exclaimed, stepping smartly away from the bloodied corpse.
‘We don’t have to admit anything and we don’t have to say anything about Leonard either.’
‘He’s dead, Edith! He’s dead and he’s here, if you hadn’t noticed! He’s not going to go away, is he? None of this mess is!’
She opened the door to the basement. ‘It can all go away,’ she said. ‘We put his body in the well, like I did with the others. Tomorrow the builders are coming in to cap the well and lay the entire floor with concrete.’ She squeezed him tight. ‘Look at what we’ve got now, Vince. We’ve got each other and we have the Empire all to ourselves. Do you really want to give all that up?’
He couldn’t bear looking at Kimble’s leaking skull. ‘No, of course I don’t, but…’
‘We put him in the well,’ she said calmly, ‘weigh him down so that he sinks. No one will ever know he is there. You saw what he was doing to me, Vince; he was going to rape me. He was a bad man. Did you want that to happen to me? Did you want him to rape me?’
‘No, you know I didn’t.’ He stared at her quietly-composed face. She smiled at him. It was no longer the smile of the young woman he’d first met. There was more depth to it now, like it was a smile that came from a life long-lived. It spoke volumes. ‘You planned it…’ was all he could say.
‘For you. For us. They’ve had their turn as pretty little butterflies, and now it’s our time, Vince. You and me together. No one can stand in our way. Our love is far too strong.’
He thought about it. He didn’t want to give up his managership before it had even started. In a few years he could be area manager, then who knew? Maybe national director one day. Nor did he want to give Edith up. He’d only just discovered love – real, physical, all-encompassing, soft-lipped, soft-bosomed, emotionally invigorating love. His life had changed almost overnight and it could all be taken away from him just as quickly. ‘Yes,’ he said, his voice hushed, his breathing more relaxed, ‘you’re right; they deserved it, all of them.’ Edith kissed him deeply, meaningfully. He felt her probing warm tongue wet on his lips. ‘You do love me, don’t you?’ he said, holding her by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. ‘You’re not just saying it?’
‘Truly, madly, forever,’ she said. ‘Why do you think I did this? I did it for us. That’s love. That’s true love, like in Annie’s Song. I want to drown in your laughter, and die in your arms, Vince!’
‘I would hate anything bad to happen to you, Edith,’ he said. ‘You mean more to me than anything in the world.’ He looked about him. ‘And this place really is ours now, like you say. This is our chance to change things. Together we’re stronger, aren’t we? We’re a team. And, damn it, you’re right; nothing should stand in our way. We’d lose everything we’ve only just found, and that’s not right, is it?’
‘You know it makes sense, Vince,’ she said.
‘I love you, Edith,’ he said. ‘And I don’t aim to let you go.’ He bent down to Kimble’s dead body. ‘Give me a hand down the stairs with him. Then I’ll fetch my spanners and take off the grating over the well.’ He looked at the lake of dark, sticky blood spreading across the stone slabs and running in rivulets down the walls. ‘And maybe you ought to fetch a mop and bucket,’ he said.