Dying to Know (A Detective Inspector Berenice Killick Mystery) (20 page)

His
voice was loud in his distress. Virginia hushed him. ‘It’s all right, love. We’re going home.’ She faced Chad, her eyes steel-bright.

He
could think of no answer. He held the door for Tobias as he curled himself into the back seat.

‘Philalethes
faced the Dragon and won,’ Tobias said.

Chad
started the engine, turned the car round on the narrow lane.

But
afterwards, having dropped them back at the cottage, he couldn’t help but wonder. That police inspector would want to see Tobias. Two men killed. One of them, his sort-of-father. But the other…. At least the poor boy should clear his name.

Chad
turned off the coastal road, drove towards the town centre.

We
know he’s innocent.

His
words circled in his mind. He tried to dismiss the doubt that shadowed them.

Chapter Fourteen

15th
August
,
1922

‘
Entelechia
?
’
Gabriel
faced
his
wife
. ‘
This
is
all
nonsense
,
Amelia
.
’
He
handed
the
book
back
to
her
.

‘
My
father
writes
about
it
.
Completeness
,
’
she
said
. ‘
What
Aristotle
called
the
perfection
of
matter
–
’

Gabriel
was
shaking
his
head
.

‘
My
brother
believed
–
’she
began
.

‘
Your
brother
?
’
He
reached
for
the
bottle
of
claret
.

‘
Gabriel
–
it’s
only
luncheon
…
’

‘
Your
brother
was
a
scientist
.
’
His
voice
was
harsh
. ‘
As
I
am
.
’

‘
And
my
father
too
.
’

‘
Your
father
was
wrong
.
’
He
splashed
wine
into
his
glass
. ‘
Your
father
never
lived
to
see
the
work
that
men
are
doing
now
.
Our
work
,
our
machine
,
is
about
seeing
the
universe
as
it
really
is
.
Your
father
was
content
with
faith
,
not
proof
.
Our
detector
will
help
us
see
the
truth
,
the
quintessence
,
the
tiniest
particles
that
show
us
the
whole
.
We
don’t
need
Aristotle
.
’

She
was
watching
him
,
waiting
for
the
signs
of
rage
,
of
madness
,
but
he
seemed
calm
.
He
turned
to
her
. ‘
It’s
like
this
.
If
I’m
walking
on
the
beach
,
and
it’s
raining
,
and
I
look
at
the
pattern
made
by
raindrops
in
the
sand
–
I
think
I
see
something
.
The
particles
that
Guy
and
I
are
seeking
,
they’re
as
elusive
as
that
.
’
He
smiled
at
her
. ‘
Your
father
was
content
with
the
gaps
.
Where
he
saw
an
emptiness
,
a
space
between
the
particles
,
he
called
it
God
.
Fairy
tales
,
you
see
.
Mere
fairy
stories
.
’
He
patted
her
hand
. ‘
In
the
end
,
Guy
and
I
knew
better
.
’

She
smiled
up
at
him
,
breathing
with
relief
.

He
reached
for
the
fruit
bowl
. ‘
The
last
of
the
peaches
,
’
he
said
.

‘
The
end
of
the
summer
,
’
she
agreed
.

He
cut
the
peach
into
quarters
.

She
watched
him
eat
it
.
She
wanted
to
clasp
this
to
her
,
this
moment
of
peace
between
the
two
of
them
,
a
married
couple
finishing
their
lunch
with
the
late
summer
sunshine
falling
across
the
windows
,
their
daughter
sleeping
in
the
nursery
…

She
reached
for
her
father’s
book
.

‘
That
can
be
thrown
into
the
fire
,
’
he
said
.

She
hesitated
. ‘
I
would
rather
keep
it
,
’
she
said
.

‘
A
museum
piece
,
’
he
said
. ‘
What
place
is
there
for
all
that
now
?
’

‘
But
you
must
agree
,
’
she
began
, ‘
that
the
new
physics
still
follows
Newton
-
’

‘
When
I
speak
of
gravity
,
I
am
describing
a
force
within
the
universe
.
That’s
all
.
I
have
no
interest
in
divining
the
workings
of
some
God
or
other
.
Do
you
really
think
we
are
put
on
this
earth
because
of
some
benign
force
?
’

‘
But
Guy
always
said
–
’

‘
What
do
you
know
of
what
Guy
believed
?
’

The
flash
of
rage
in
his
voice
.
I
should
not
have
spoken
,
she
thought
. ‘
You
forget
,
Gabriel
,
dear
,
that
Guy
and
I
were
educated
by
our
father
–
’

‘
Your
brother
came
to
know
better
.
If
he
ever
once
believed
that
there
was
an
order
in
the
universe
,
a
controlling
force
–
such
beliefs
were
trampled
to
death
in
the
mud
of
France
.
’
The
table
shook
as
he
got
to
his
feet
. ‘
Only
I
know
how
it
was
.
’
His
voice
was
loud
.