Above the Harvest Moon (46 page)
Adam did not answer. He took off his cap and ran his fingers through his dark thick hair without taking his gaze from Hannah’s averted eyes. Quietly, he said, ‘You know Lily’s taken the bairn and gone home to her mam’s, I suppose.’
Hannah looked at him. Did he really think she cared two pins about that when Jake was incarcerated in prison?
Her face must have conveyed her thoughts because he leant back in his chair. ‘I see. Couldn’t care less.’
‘Don’t start.’ It was Rose who spoke and her voice had lost the tender quality of earlier and become harsh. ‘Not today of all days. Hannah went to see Jake this afternoon and she’s upset.’
‘Oh aye? They let you in then. Mam’s been a number of times and had the door closed in her face.’
‘Jake agreed to see me, yes.’
Adam swallowed half his tea, scalding hot as it was, before he said, ‘And how is he? The big fella? Cocky as ever?’
Hannah saw Rose’s expression but before Jake’s mother could say anything, she snapped, ‘He’s not like that and you know it.You just can’t bear that he’s made such a success of his life compared to you.’
‘Success? Am I missing something here? Forgive me but I thought he was the one banged up in a cell.’
‘That’s a mistake. He didn’t kill his father.’
‘No? Well, Sidney Benson says different.’
‘Like I said, he’s mistaken.’
‘And you know, do you? You’ve got some divine link to the Almighty?’
‘Yes I know.’ Her eyes flashing, Hannah glared at him. She hadn’t realised until this moment how much she disliked Adam Wood. ‘I know what sort of man Jake is. He’s a good man through and through, he wouldn’t do a thing like that.’
There was a moment of profound silence.Then Adam said slowly, his eyes wide and hard, ‘So that’s it.You and him.’ The two women watched him swell with anger before he ground out, ‘Well, aren’t I the prize idiot? Here was me thinking it was Daniel Osborne when all the time you’ve had your sights set on a meal ticket for life. And don’t tell me it’s his good looks that set your heart beating faster.’
‘Jake is handsome to me.’ Her face white but for two spots of colour burning on her cheekbones, Hannah rose to her feet. ‘But he’s much more than handsome. He’s decent and good and kind, all the things you’re not.’
‘Decent and good and kind, is he?’ he mimicked raspingly. ‘So decent and good and kind he decided to do in his own father rather than fork out to keep our good name from being dragged through the gutter. And don’t tell me he couldn’t afford it. What’s ten pounds a week when he’s got that farm and the house and plenty in the bank, likely as not?’
Hannah stared at him. Her mind was groping at something, something she knew to be vitally important but couldn’t put her finger on. And then it came to her. Slowly, she said, ‘Ten pounds a week. You said Jake was giving his father ten pounds a week.’
‘What?’
‘How do you know that?’ Her stomach was turning over.
‘Everyone knows Jake’s been paying him off.’
‘Paying him off, aye, but not the amount.’
Adam glanced from Hannah to his mother and then back to Hannah. He shrugged. ‘I must have read it in the papers.’
‘I’ve read every word in every paper and no sum has ever been mentioned.There was nothing in Jake’s father’s pockets when he was found. Not even a handkerchief. Don’t you think that’s strange?’ When Adam said nothing, she went on, ‘Well, don’t you? And don’t tell me you haven’t got an opinion about it. You have an opinion about everything. If someone killed Silas to make it look like a robbery then I can understand his pockets being empty, but why would Jake do that?’
‘Obvious.’ Adam’s tongue wet his lower lip, betraying his nerves.
‘Is it?’ Rose’s face was chalk white. ‘Not to me, lad.’
‘Come on, Mam.’ The anger in Adam’s voice was forced, both women recognised it.‘What are you saying? That I had something to do with all this?’
Rose sank down on one of the kitchen chairs, and it was Hannah who said, ‘Did you?’
‘Don’t be daft. And course Jake’d empty his da’s pockets. That way it looked like some down-an’-out had been done in and there’d be nothing to trace the body back to Jake.’
Hannah didn’t take her eyes off Adam. ‘You haven’t said how you know Jake paid his father ten pounds.’
‘I can’t remember, all right? And what does it matter? A pound, five, ten, it don’t make no difference. Jake killed him and that’s that.’
‘Jake did not kill him. Sidney Benson himself said in the
Echo
that Jake knew someone was with his da up here, that Silas wasn’t alone. Why would Jake kill him and lay himself open to exactly what’s happened? But if someone killed Silas who didn’t know about the other person, that’d make more sense.You did it, didn’t you? Somehow you found out about Silas and you waited on the North Hylton Road and you killed him.’
Echo
that Jake knew someone was with his da up here, that Silas wasn’t alone. Why would Jake kill him and lay himself open to exactly what’s happened? But if someone killed Silas who didn’t know about the other person, that’d make more sense.You did it, didn’t you? Somehow you found out about Silas and you waited on the North Hylton Road and you killed him.’
‘I’m not sitting here listening to any more of this.’ Adam swigged the last of his tea and stood up, and so did Rose.
‘You used to go and spy on ’em at that farm,’ she said woodenly.‘You started it a long time ago. And them spots on your coat and trousers, you said there’d been a fight at the Friendly and you and your da had had to separate two blokes.’
‘What of it?’
‘It wasn’t some drunk’s blood you got splattered with, was it? It was his, Silas’s.’
‘You’re as bad as her.’ Adam made to push past his mother but neither women gave ground and he was forced to remain where he was. Glaring at Rose, he said, ‘Ask Da if you don’t believe me. We were together that night, first at the meeting I told you about and then in the pub with the rest of them.’
‘Your da’s not been himself since that Sunday.’ It was as though Rose hadn’t heard him. Indeed, she was talking as though to herself. ‘He said it was a stomach upset but that wouldn’t have him walking the floor most nights and looking like death, not after more than three weeks.’
‘There was bad beer on that night, several of the lads have had gippy stomachs since. That’s all it is. By all the saints, Mam, would I lie to you about this? What do you take me for anyway? And what are you saying now, that Da’s part of some conspiracy or other? Just listen to yourself. Look, I know Jake’s your son and you’re worried to death, that’s understandable. But I’m your son too or have you forgotten that?’
‘No . . .’ Rose was in anguish. Reaching out and holding Adam’s hands, she said, ‘Swear to me, lad. Swear to me you know nothing about this.’
‘I swear, Mam. On me bairn’s life, I swear I know as much as you or anyone else about it. I know me and Jake have never hit it off but do you honestly think I’d set him up?’
‘I don’t think you purposely set him up,’ Hannah said steadily,‘but you didn’t know about Sidney Benson. You might fool your mam, Adam, but you don’t fool me.’
‘Is that so? And this spite couldn’t have anything to do with Lily, could it? I’ve said I’m sorry for that, it was a mistake and believe me I’ve paid for it, but once she’d fallen for the bairn I had to do the right thing by her. That’s something you’ve never understood, isn’t it. Asking me to go away with you, saying we could make a new life together down south where no one would know us. I couldn’t do it, Hannah, much as I wanted to. But I told you, it was the bairn, not Lily, that held me. I couldn’t abandon my own flesh and blood. Everything was different once a bairn was on the way.’
Rose had pulled her hands free and taken a step backwards as Adam had been speaking, but he had his eyes on Hannah, not his mother.
‘You liar.’ Her face scarlet, Hannah turned to Rose. ‘He’s lying. It was him who said all that about going down south, not me. He came to the farm, he said all sorts of things—’
‘I came to the farm? And Jake invited me in, I suppose. Or maybe Farmer Shawe did that.’
‘It was at Christmas and Jake was here, you know he was, and Farmer Shawe didn’t see you.’
‘That’s convenient.You’re a woman scorned, Hannah. That’s what this is all about.’
Rose’s hand was pressed to her mouth and she looked ill. Hannah wanted to reach out and help her but this was too important. If they convicted Jake, if they found him guilty of cold-blooded murder, he could hang. ‘I’m going to the police.’ She watched Adam’s expression change as she spoke but she refused to be intimidated. ‘I shall tell them what you said about the ten pounds and they can check who was at that meeting and what time you and your da arrived at the pub. They’ll find out if there was a fight or not.’
‘There’s no need for that.’ The quiet voice from the scullery brought all three heads turning and the next moment Wilbur pushed the door wide open.
‘Da, how long have you been there?’
Wilbur looked at his son. ‘Long enough.’
‘So you heard what she’s been saying? What she’s trying to pin on us?’
‘Not you, Mr Wood. I don’t know about you. But I think Adam knows more about Silas’s death than he’s saying.’
‘Tell her, Da. Tell her about the meeting and the fight in the pub, she won’t take my word for it. Tell her—’
‘It’s over, lad.’ Wilbur’s gaze was pitying. ‘Accept it.’
Rose looked at her husband. ‘Wilbur?’
‘Shut up, Da,’ said Adam. ‘I’m telling you, keep your mouth shut.’
‘Lad, you can’t talk your way out of this one.’Turning his gaze on Hannah, he added, ‘You wouldn’t let him, would you?’
‘No, Mr Wood, I wouldn’t. I’m going to the police.’
‘I’m sorry, lass.’ Wilbur’s eyes moved to his wife. ‘It was me who did it. Adam was there but it was me who bashed his head in. Adam tried to stop me but I went sort of mad. I didn’t mean to kill him.’
He was lying. Hannah looked into the grey old face that seemed to have aged twenty years in the last three weeks. He was protecting Adam. She’d never been so sure of anything in her life.
‘We were just going to talk to him, perhaps frighten him enough for him to take off to wherever he’d been for the last thirty years but it all went wrong. I didn’t mean for Jake to get involved but suddenly it was like I was on a runaway horse and I couldn’t stop it.’
Rose was leaning against the table for support. ‘You killed Silas?’ she whispered.
‘Aye, I did, and you, lass,’ Wilbur turned to Hannah, ‘you don’t need to go to the law. I’ll be going meself in a minute or two but I’ve a mind to have a last cup of tea first.’ He sat down in the armchair by the range and took his cap off. Rose glanced helplessly at Hannah before pouring her husband a cup of tea and taking it to him. ‘Thanks, lass.’ He looked up at his wife and his face was calm. ‘You always make a grand cup of tea.’
‘You shouldn’t have let them put Jake away, Wilbur. Not my lad. That was cruel.’
‘Aye, I see that. I’m sorry, lass. Heart sorry.’
‘Da—’
‘We’ll talk on the way to the police station.’ Wilbur cut Adam off quickly. ‘All right? Just let me drink me tea first. It’s better you come with me now. There’s folk in the pub know we were together that night but I’ll tell ’em you tried to stop me and none of it was your fault. But what son wants to shop his own da, eh? They’ll understand that.’
Hannah sat down at the table, her legs were trembling so much. Rose seemed to have accepted completely that it was her husband who had killed Silas but every word Adam’s father had spoken confirmed who the real murderer was as far as Hannah was concerned. She raised her eyes and met Adam’s. They stared at each other for some moments and it was Adam who looked away first.
When Wilbur stood up and pulled his cap on his head, Hannah half expected Rose to go to him and put her arms around him or at least see him out but she didn’t move until Adam and Wilbur had left the house.Then she went and stood by the window, looking out at the thickly falling snow. ‘He would have let my lad swing for something he didn’t do,’ she said quietly, her back to the room. ‘And Jake’s been suffering the torments of the damned the last weeks in that place, confined like he is. Wilbur knew that. He knew how bad it’d be with the way Jake is. And then there’s Adam. Why didn’t he think of Adam being with him before he lost his temper. What sort of father is he anyway?’
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