Northern Spirit (25 page)

Hannah had a dilemma, but the door burst open. It was Linzi.

David looked determined at his sister. ‘I’m not coming back, Linzi,’ he
repeated.

‘Don’t be so pig-headed David. . . . You’re coming home, and now. Mum
can’t keep coming backwards and forwards for you. Besides, Tony’s dad will be
here soon and Jo needs to get home to pack.’

‘Pack, what do you mean, pack?’

‘She’s got to go to her Aunty Marian’s in Aberdeen.’

David looked at Hannah and yielded.

*       
*        *

Joanne was impatient and restless; she was fully dressed and sitting
with some elderly ladies in the day room; angry and perplexed at her father’s
suggestion of taking her back to Scotland.

‘Come on, Jo. . . . It’s time to go,’ Linzi beckoned.

David and Hannah were waiting in the corridor but at the sight of them
together, Joanne retreated to the day room and whispered to Linzi, ‘The staff
nurse wants to speak to David.’

‘Speak to David. Why?’ Linzi just wanted to get him home, and was tired
and frustrated at this unnecessary intrusion to her short break at home. She
hadn’t intended staying so long at the hospital as it was. But as they were
whispering, the nurse arrived. She beckoned Linzi and David into a small office
and closed the door. ‘We’re just concerned about the bruising on Joanne’s
wrists and arms. She said she’d done it to herself. Could that be true?’

David was slow to register what the nurse had just said, when Linzi
interceded: ‘Yes!’ She gasped. ‘She probably did do it. . . . She’s done it
before. . . . She tries to hurt herself. . .  You see, she hates herself.’

David couldn’t believe what his sister was saying, and quickly came to
his senses as he realised Linzi was covering for him. But how could he have
saved Joanne if he hadn’t dragged her off the fells.

The nurse had a look of suspicion and David sensed she knew Linzi was
lying. He held his head aloft hoping to hide the guilt. But his face flushed
and the palms of his hands were clammy and, as he nervously rubbed his hands
together, he saw the nurse peer at them and David guessed that his secret had
been discovered.

*       
*        *

As Hannah drove back to Keld Head, Linzi and Joanne sat huddled
together on the back seat of Barry’s spare car. David was sitting in the
passenger seat next to Hannah, and as she carefully drove the unfamiliar car
back through Windermere and Rydal, David found her caution endearing. How happy
he had felt almost twenty-four hours ago when he was in the driving seat.

David shut his eyes; the daylight was a welcome change for him. The
bright blue sky and sunshine were the result of last night’s stormy weather.
The snow was thawing and dripping off the roofs and gutters. He felt the warmth
of the sun touch his face, the dappling of the branches of the trees shading
him from time to time. Green fields, streaked with thawing snow looked like
white threads in a silk garment. David knew there was no more he could do for
Tony, and worried that he could be implicated with Joanne’s injuries, was relieved
to be leaving. He desperately needed to rest himself and try to re-think his
future under more favourable conditions.

Linzi had been astute in her planning and, as her mother had insisted,
never left David alone with Joanne. She took her straight to the bungalow to
wait for Joanne’s aunt.

When Kathy saw David, she protectively clasped him close to her. Hannah
looked on and touched by their reunion felt like an intruder and left,
unnoticed.

Hannah was unsettled for the rest of the day. She’d only a scant
understanding of what had happened that night, suspecting Linzi hadn’t told her
the full truth. Why Joanne was alone on the fells at all, Linzi could only
guess at, and then fabricate the rest.

The thought of Tony Milton lying in the hospital, desperately ill,
while she was safe and well at home, made her feel guilty of how she’d judged
him. He really had just been teasing her and Hannah guessed she’d taken things
too seriously. She had a vivid picture in her mind of David sleeping at Tony’s
bedside, and then waking, with the forlorn look on his face. Her feelings
towards her new friends had grown, even her view of David had dramatically
changed from one of disgust to one of respect, and she found she couldn’t stop
thinking about him.

Hannah flicked on the television and tried to relax, but couldn’t; she
must be positive about things. She’d been nagging Barry for weeks about the
state of his office, with papers scattered everywhere and bottles of medicine
on the shelves that were out of date. Files were in the wrong order and the
whole place generally wanted a clean-up. Barry had said if she ever got the
chance, she had his permission to tidy things; Eleanor would never have the
desire to do it. This surprised Hannah as this was Eleanor’s livelihood, yet she
showed no regard for it whatsoever.

It was no secret that Eleanor hated the animals. In fact, she detested
the rural way of life. She’d rather be shopping in the city, meeting old school
friends, commuting on the train to Carlisle or Preston; anything to get away
from the Lakes.

Hannah grabbed a large black bin-liner, some dusters and polish. She’d
promised Barry not to throw away anything of consequence, but she knew she
could certainly find a bag full of rubbish. She started with the medicines,
checking each date, and putting to the back of the shelves the newer stock in
order to circulate it properly. She tidied the various bottles and packets,
neatly arranging them in the storeroom. Her bag was soon crammed with
out-of-date packets, no longer safe to use.

This is going to take me forever
! Hannah regretted starting the
job at such a late hour. She searched through the shelves and cupboards,
looking for items to be discarded; for two hours, her mind was fully occupied
by the job. She began to tire and decided to spend only half-an-hour more. She
was discreet enough not to interfere with the drawers and baskets of statements
and private documents, but just straightened a few papers and threw out some
old circulars and the like. As she glanced through the box-files high on the
shelves, there was one that she hadn’t seen before; it was labelled, “Press
Releases”. Assuming these to be useful documents on new drugs and procedures,
Hannah took the file down to look. Inside she found some magazine cuttings of radical
ideas that had worked in healing sick animals. There were several
advertisements and coupons that Barry had saved, recommending new drugs and
surgical equipment. She became engrossed in the contents of the file and sat
down in a large black leather swivel chair.

Hidden in amongst the other cuttings were press releases from the
various local papers. There were photographs and articles written about Barry
and other vets in the area; some were stories about farmers whom she vaguely
recognised. She found some press photographs taken at the local agricultural
shows of Barry putting rosettes on cattle and sheep and handing out prizes and
trophies. She also found some old cuttings of young boys, proudly holding
prize-winning calves, along with Barry in his much younger days. His hair was
still dark with no sign of the ageing grey colour he now had. She smiled at his
handsome face and his youthful appearance.

Hannah read the text under one of the cuttings, and was surprised to
see that the boy in the photograph with him was David. It must have been taken
when he was perhaps only fourteen or fifteen. Hannah found herself transfixed
by the young, dark-haired lad, holding proudly the halter and rosette on the
prize-winning Friesian heifer. But she was disturbed when she heard Barry
coming into the surgery.

‘Hannah. . . . Is that you?’

‘I’m in here,’ she shouted as she swivelled around in the large chair.

‘What are you up to?’

‘Come and see.’

‘You’re taking over then, are you?’

‘I thought I better had, before they strike you off for selling
out-of-date drugs! Look at this lot.’ She rustled the large plastic bag beside
her. ‘It’s disgusting. . . . You’re so wasteful!’

Barry looked into the bin-liner and was surprised to see the amount of
bottles and packets she’d collected and, picking some of them out, read the
date stamp to check she was right. As Barry continued to rummage through the
bag, Hannah carried on looking at the press cuttings, gathering up the small
pieces of newspaper and carefully reading them.

She found some cuttings that appeared to be new, not yet yellowed by
age, and began to read as the headings caught her interest: Dated October 1973.

HAWKSHEAD MAN SHOT IN FAMILY FEUD
.

The police were called out today to a serious incident at Keld Head
Farm, near Grasmere. Retired farmer, Frederick Thomas Keldas of Hawkshead, was
shot in the chest. 90-year-old Mr Keldas was rushed to hospital where his
condition is critical.

The police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting

Dated October 1973

FARMER ARRESTED ON ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE

George Samuel Keldas of Keld Head Farm, near Grasmere, was today
charged with the attempted murder of Frederick Thomas Keldas and the attempted
murder of David Robert Keldas, at an incident yesterday at Keld Head. George Keldas
has been remanded in custody without bail.

Dated November 1973

INJURED FARMER DIES

F
rederick Keldas, 90-year-old, retired farmer from Hawkshead, died
today in hospital three weeks after being shot in the chest. It appears Mr
Keldas was protecting his great-nephew, David, when the incident occurred. The
police praised Mr Keldas for his bravery, despite losing his life; he no doubt
saved the life of his young nephew. Fred Keldas leaves a widow, Betty.

‘Barry. . . . Is this about David’s family?’ her voice, shaky. ‘Who are
these people?’

‘Ah . . .’ Barry paused.

‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been prying.’

‘No . . . no. . . . It’s okay. You’re not prying. These things aren’t
private.’

Hannah placed the cuttings back in the file, and was about to close the
lid when Barry took them from her hand. ‘You really don’t know who these people
are, do you?’

‘I’m - I’m not sure. Keld Head is the Keldas Farm, I know that much,
but who was the man that was shot?’

‘Linzi hasn’t told you about her father then?’

‘Well, no. . . . Not really. None of them speak of him.’

‘Aye, that’s right. They wouldn’t. I’m not surprised at that really, I
suppose.’ Barry took an involuntary breath. ‘You see David’s great-uncle, Fred
Keldas, was killed by David’s father, George!’

Hannah put her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh my goodness!’ Gasping now, she
tried to stand, realising that her question had stirred up an unwanted
explanation.

‘Don’t leave yet. Hear me out . . . George was trying to shoot David,
and the old man, Fred that is, stood in his way. Whether the gun went off by
accident or if he intended to shoot, no one knows, only George Keldas.’

‘But this is dated November last year, how can that be, we were at the
farm then!’

‘That’s why I tried to tell you to be patient with David. They’d only
just buried Fred the day before we called. The lad’s had a tremendous shock and
that’s why he was so sullen.’

‘But why would a father want to kill his own son?’

Barry put his arm around her shoulders. ‘George Keldas was the most
belligerent person I’ve ever met. . . . He became crazed - jealous too, amongst
other things. He accused David and his mother of all sorts of rubbish. He
thought David was trying to drive him out and take over the farm, which of
course was all nonsense.’

‘So when did David’s father die?’ Hannah picked up the cuttings again
and started to read, trying to find the answer.

‘George Keldas die!’ Barry replied. ‘No, he’s not dead - though some
would want it - he’s in prison!’

Hannah quickly returned the cuttings to the file, not wanting to touch
them. ‘This is bizarre! I’ve misunderstood everything you said. I’m sorry,
Barry, I don’t think I can handle this.’

‘Well, I don’t suppose you can, but then you don’t have to live with it
do you? David, Kathy, Linzi, and those dear little children do. They have to
cope with it every day of their lives. Don’t back off from them please,
everyone else does. They’re not to blame. They should be admired for battling
on.’

‘What will happen now?’

‘There’ll be a trial, as soon as the lawyers have finished arguing.
Then probably, if justice is done, David’s father will stay in prison for a
very long time. The experts are trying to decide if he really knew what he was
doing, but for now, the Keldas family are all safe and trying to get on with
their lives.’

‘Poor David. . . . Poor Linzi. And now they’ve had all this worry over
Joanne Milton and Tony!’ She thought of David again, and how he was that
morning, sitting in the hospital, defeated. ‘Oh, Barry. I wish I’d have known
sooner. I don’t know if I’ve said anything horrible to them or not! They must
have presumed I knew everything.’

‘Hey . . . hey. . . . You wouldn’t say anything awful to anyone. If
you’d have upset them in any way they wouldn’t have wanted you to be their
friend, now would they?’

Hannah’s mind raced back to the conversations she’d had with them all,
trying to recall David’s actions; Linzi’s unhappy life at college; Kathy
Keldas, so attractive and balanced, how could that be when she’s had so much
unhappiness?

‘So you see you really didn’t know David well enough to judge him as
you did.’ But Hannah interrupted him. ‘Oh, please don’t, Barry. I feel bad
enough about it as it is. He was like two different people. I didn’t know what
to think of him. First, he was rude to me, and then he was cheeky to the point
of being obnoxious. Then the next time I met him he was charming, almost as if
he was trying to win back my favour. He was flirting with me, but then there
was nothing at the end of it! When I saw him today at the hospital, all his
arrogance had gone - he was like a little boy. His eyes were almost pleading
with me; they looked so dark. His strange eyebrows were frowning at me, yet
beckoning me. He had teased me - one minute it’s
“keep away from me. You’re
not good enough for me."
(Linzi had given her this perception of
David.) Then he seemed to want me around. I didn’t know where I was with him.
When I met Linzi and Kathy, they seemed, well - dare I say it - normal -
different from David.’