The Running Grave полностью

‘Not at all,’ said Robin, before Strike could speak. ‘We’re simply saying Will needs very careful handling right now. He’s got to feel safe, and that he’s in control, and if he knows we’ve told his family he’s out, he might take off again. If we can just find Lin—’

‘What d’you mean, “if”?’ said James, from over beside the coffee machine. ‘Dad told us you know where she is.’

‘We think she’s at Zhou’s Borehamwood clinic,’ said Strike, ‘and we’ve just put someone in there undercover – but we can’t know she’s there until we’re inside.’

‘So we’re going to mollycoddle Will, and let him have it all his own way as usual, are we?’ said James. ‘If I were you,’ he said to the back of his father’s head, ‘I’d go straight over to this Pat woman’s house and tell him he’s caused enough bloody trouble and it’s time he got a grip.’

He now turned the coffee machine back on. Raising his voice over the loud grinding noise, Strike said,

‘If your father did that, the risk to Will might be bigger than you realise, and I’m not just talking about his mental health. On Monday, a masked figure holding a gun tried to break into our office, possibly to get their hands on the UHC case file,’ said Strike. Shock now registered on all three Edensors’ faces. ‘The church now knows they’ve had a private investigator undercover with them for sixteen weeks. Will had direct, one-on-one contact with Robin before he escaped, which means the UHC might assume he’s now told her everything he’s feeling so guilty about.

‘Will’s also taken off with Wace’s granddaughter. Wace doesn’t seem particularly attached to either Lin or Qing, but he values his own bloodline enough to keep all the children related to him at the farm, so I doubt he’s going to be happy Qing’s disappeared. Meanwhile, if we can get word to Lin that Qing’s out, it makes it very likely she’ll want to leave. Lin grew up in the church and is likely to know a damn sight more than Will does about what goes on in there.

‘In short, Will’s got his finger in the ring pull of a large can of worms which, incidentally, also incriminates a well-known novelist, who appears to be going to Chapman Farm to sleep with young girls, and an actress who’s been pouring money into a dangerous and abusive organisation. As far as we know, the church has no idea yet where Will is, but if family members start visiting him, or if he starts visiting family lawyers, that could change. We think we were followed here this morning—’

‘We aren’t sure,’ said Robin, in response to the increasing alarm on Sir Colin’s face.

‘—by a red Vauxhall Corsa,’ said Strike, as though there’d been no interruption. ‘I’d advise you to keep an eye out for it. It’s possible the UHC is keeping tabs on us, and on you.’

There was a brief, appalled silence.

‘You’ve been to the police about this masked intruder?’ said Sir Colin.

‘Naturally,’ said Strike, ‘but they’ve got nothing so far. Whoever it was was well disguised, right down to a balaclava, and dressed all in black – and that description tallies with the only sighting of Kevin Pirbright’s shooter.’

‘Dear God,’ muttered Ed.

James, who’d refilled his own mug without offering coffee to anyone else, now advanced on the table.

‘So, Will’s potentially put all of us in danger? My wife? My kids?’

‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ said Strike.

‘Oh, wouldn’t you?’

‘They’ve never yet gone after the families of ex-members, except—’

‘Online,’ said Sir Colin. ‘Yes, I’ve seen my new Wikipedia page. Not that I care—’

‘You might not,’ said James loudly, ‘but I bloody well do! So what’s your solution to this mess?’ James threw at Strike. ‘Keep Will in hiding for a decade, while my father single-handedly funds an investigation into the whole fucking church?’

Strike deduced from this comment that Sir Colin had confided his doubts about the Daiyu line of enquiry to his elder son.

‘No,’ he began, but before he could elaborate on any course of action, Ed piped up.

‘It seems to me—’

‘Will you piss off with the bloody psychotherapy?’ spat James. ‘If they’re following and shooting people—’

‘I was going to say,’ said Ed, ‘that if this girl Lin’s prepared to give evidence against the church—’

‘She’s Wace’s daughter, she’s not going to—’

‘How the hell do you know?’

‘I know enough to know I don’t want to be beholden to her—’

‘We’ve got a duty of care—’ began Sir Colin.

‘No, we bloody don’t,’ shouted James. ‘Neither she, nor her bloody misbegotten child, are of any interest to me. That stupid little shit’s dragging Jonathan Wace’s people into our lives in place of our mother, who wouldn’t be bloody dead but for the UHC, and as far as I’m concerned, Will, this Lin and their bloody kid can go drown themselves—’

James swung his coffee mug towards the distant river, so that an arc of near-boiling black liquid hit Robin across the chest.

‘—and join his fucking prophet!’