Drive by Shooting

A little later, the doctor returned with a couple of nurses and they began to prepare Maureen for the Cat-scan, suggesting that I go and wait in the family room.

When I entered, there were several other people sitting around, one of whom was watching the TV in the corner. For want of anything better to do, I wandered over to the beverage machine and was still trying to fathom the machines workings, when I sensed a presence at my shoulder. Turning I found DI Sharpe standing beside me.

"I'm sorry I should have realised that Maureen might do something..." His voice petered out as he realised that I was no longer looking at him.

My eyes — and ears - had become glued to the television set in the corner of the room where I could see pictures of two faces that I recognised being displayed on the screen. One was of Maureen's old boss, Norman Coolidge; the other was of Audrey Temple one of Maureen's one-time work colleagues.

The newscaster was saying something about Norman and Audrey having been shot dead in a room of a hotel near Heathrow airport the previous evening. He went on to say that a female - reputed to be Norman Coolidge's wife Greta - had been detained at the scene and was helping police with their enquires. Then he added that it was rumoured that Mrs Coolidge was also being questioned about an earlier shooting of a female in West London, and that urgent forensic tests were being carried out on the weapon used to kill Norman and Audrey.

I looked from the television back at DS (by then DI) Sharp.

"I'm sorry but I felt that I had to warn Maureen before it hit the media. I honestly had no idea that she'd react as she did."

"How long?" I asked.

"Have I known? Well, I worked it out eventually, but I couldn't find the damned gun. I've got to assume Greta Coolidge used the same one to kill them as she did to shoot Maureen. From what she's been telling my colleagues, Mrs Coolidge caught him with Audrey and she decided that he wasn't going to do it again." DI Sharp replied.

"No, how long did Coolidge and Maureen's affair go on for?"

"To be honest with you I'm not sure; not for very long I don't think. I got the impression that they only had the opportunity of consummating it once, and I've no way of knowing whether Maureen actually went through with it or not. Coolidge kept his mouth tightly closed about it and Maureen has always claimed that she couldn't recall what happened that day she was shot. It appears that Mr's Coolidge has always kept a very close eye on the bugger though.

"Are you sure?"

"About the one opportunity? Yes pretty sure! That was the only afternoon that Maureen ever took off work that I know about; we went through company records with a finetooth comb and questioned all of the staff thoroughly. Few had any inclination that anything was going on between Norman Coolidge and Maureen, but a couple were suspicious. I really don't think that Coolidge could have got away from his wife's surveillance any other time that I could find out about. Mrs Coolidge had spies all over that Company. It's probably how she knew about Maureen and Coolidge so quickly, and about him and Audrey Temple last night."

"But there were evenings when I was away, that Maureen wasn't home."

"All accounted for Mr Broom, I can assure you of that. She was either with her sister or her mother where she told you she had been."

"One of them could have lied." I suggested.

"They could have, but I didn't get the impression that they were lying. You know we get a kind-of sixth sense about that kind of thing after a time. All I needed was to be able to prove that your wife and Norman Coolidge had met out of the office just once, and that would have given me a motive for Greta Coolidge to have shot Maureen. Then I'd have been able to get the search warrant's I required. It is common knowledge that Mrs Coolidge was very possessive of her husband and a bit of a nut case as well on the quiet. She's also shown a tendency towards violence in the past. To be honest, I very much suspect she'll be judged unfit to plead and will be sectioned to somewhere like Broadmoor or Rampton. I was always convinced that the gun was in their house somewhere; I just never had just cause to get a damned search warrant."

"So what happened this morning then? From what you said when you walked in here, I gather you saw to Maureen."

"When I signed on this morning I heard about the shooting. I knew that no names had been released because the bodies hadn't been formally identified at that time and all the next of kin hadn't been informed. Anyway I knew that Maureen had always been a little paranoid..."

"Not a good choice of word!" I interrupted.

"No sorry, but Maureen's silence about whatever had gone on between her and Coolidge led me to believe that she had kept it secret from you. Really, I should have minded my own business, but I got very fond of your wife and I knew that she loved you very much. It was obvious to me ... well I feared that Greta Coolidge had used the same gun to kill her husband and Mrs Temple as she'd used to shoot Maureen. And that very soon it was going to become common knowledge. So I went around to your house this morning and forewarned Maureen about what the fallout might be."

"What did she have to say for herself?"

"Very little, she cried a lot because she knew as well as I did that very soon you'd work everything out. She loves you very much and she was scared that you'd leave her. When I left, she was going to call her sister Annie. The next thing I hear, Maureen and your names are tagged on my computer; the moment anything concerning either of you goes in the system, I know about it. Anyway when the river police identified Maureen I heard about it straight away and came down here."

"Did she jump?"

"Yes, she was seen jumping off Battersea Bridge on the CCTV cameras. What she didn't know was that a River Police launch was a few minutes up-river. They fished her out quite quickly and identified her from her car that she'd left on the Bridge. Probably that launch being so close, is what saved her life. The question now, sir, is what are you going to do?"

"I really have no idea, detective. You're right I would have been able to put two and two together, and I'm very disappointed. Whether I can get over it or not depends though. I love Maureen, I always have, but to find out that she had an affair; I'm not sure how that's going to affect my feelings in the long term. It's all been a bit of a shock to me."

"Well please take your time before you make any decisions. At the moment, Maureen is going to need you, you know. If you walk out on her now she might well not make it, think about how your children will feel as well."

"Don't worry I wont go jumping the gun." I told him.

Maureen hadn't suffered any discernible brain damage from lack of oxygen, and she was released from hospital three days later. Whilst she was in hospital, I said nothing about Audrey, Coolidge or his wife to Maureen, but she obviously knew that I was aware of events and there was an awkwardness about our conversations.

Of course I didn't ask her why she'd tried to commit suicide, I believe that — with DI Spark's help — I'd worked that out. Maureen just couldn't face up to fact that the girls' and myself would put two and two together regarding her affair with Norman Coolidge. Having explained the situation to the shrinks, I was advised to leave that to them for the time being.

Regretfully, during those couple of days Maureen was in hospital, I worked out that her sister Annie must have known about her and Coolidge's, little fling. Moreover, I'll add that I suspected that Annie might have even encouraged it. She definitely helped to hide it. But then, Annie had never been a member of my fan club, nor I of hers. It's a fact of life, that we can pick our spouses but we can never pick our in-laws. Annie and I had tolerated each other for Maureen's sake from our first meeting.

How did I know of Annie's convenience? Well, one question that had bugged me ever since Maureen had been shot - because it had never been answered - was, what had Maureen been getting from the boot of her car the day she'd been shot? I believe that I've worked out that it was an overnight bag, most likely containing a change of clothes. There was nothing in that boot when DI Sharp and — later - I had looked in there; but the first neighbour on the scene mentioned that he he'd noticed something that he thought was an overnight bag in the boot.

After thinking long and hard on the subject, I could not recall seeing one of Maureen's bags in the cupboard until several months after she had been released from hospital following the shooting. I'd looked for the damned thing to pack the gear in that she'd accumulated in her bedside locker and pack the clothes that she needed to wear on the way home in.

On reflection, it stood to reason that Annie must have removed that overnight bag from the car when she'd arrived to look after the children that day. For her to have done that, surely implied that Annie knew what was in the bag and understood its significance.

At the time, I hadn't seen the significance of my not being able to find that bag in the house. However, after Maureen's suicide attempt, I got to thinking about everything again. I challenged Annie on the subject and she denied all knowledge of that bag; that told me all that I needed to know.

To say Maureen was in a delicate mental condition when she came home from hospital would be putting it mildly. The shrinks asked — or rather warned — me be to be careful about talking about Maureen reason for doing what she didn't. They told me it was best if I let Maureen bring the subject up when she was ready; it was implied that eventually when she was ready, she would confess all to me. The problem was, she never did!

Quite literally whenever the subject came anywhere near either Maureen getting shot, Norman and Audrey's murder, or her suicide attempt. Maureen would ... Well she'd sort of clam up and go somewhere in her own mind.

At other times, she'd clumsily and nervously fuss around me - with a guilty expression on her face — continually saying sorry for no apparent reason, but I don't think she was saying sorry for her adultery she was apologising for being clumsy. Whenever I spoke to her when she wasn't expecting me to, Maureen would physically jump, as if I'd shouted boo or something, and then look at me with frightened eyes as if she was expecting me to hit her. It was very soon obvious to me that thing could go on like that forever.

Maureen and my marriage lasted just over four years after her suicide attempt. I never did ask her about her affair with Coolidge and maybe that was a mistake. At the time, I thought that not knowing the details would make it easier for me to forget; but probably I was mistaken in that belief as well. Maureen tiptoed around me for three years before she had a complete nervous breakdown and she was admitted to hospital again.

Annie and I were both asked to leave the hospital one day, when Annie accused me of harassing Maureen into her nervous breakdown. Annie accused me of never letting Maureen forget that "she had strayed" (Annie's words).

Maybe — in a way - Annie was right. However, it wasn't me who kept reminding Maureen what she'd done. I have to believe — for my own sanity — that it was Maureen who couldn't admit that she'd done wrong. I suspect that if she had confessed to me we could possibly have put it all behind us. As it was, we both lived a lie; I knew — or at least had a good idea - what she'd done and what's more Maureen must have known that I knew. Probably I should have "done my nut" in the first place and vented my anger at her. Maybe then, she would have admitted everything. But the shrinks advised me against that.

Eventually Maureen recovered and came home, but it wasn't to last for very long. Less than six months later, I came home from work one day and she'd packed up and moved in with Annie. She left no note or anything, Maureen just left.

The divorce didn't take very long to go through. If Maureen wasn't going to live with me, I could see no point in continuing the marriage.

What explanation Maureen — or rather Annie, - gave our daughters I don't know, but they drew back from me for a couple of years at least. As I understand it, Annie became Maureen's mouthpiece for a long time.

I had climbed quite high up the ladder by then and I was on a very good salary. Maureen got half our community assets of course, but she made no request for alimony. I supported the girls at university even if they weren't talking to me. Eventually though they both came to visit me and apologised for their behaviour, by then they'd realise how much influence Annie had over Maureen.

With Maureen and the girls' gone I could see no point in keeping the house so I sold it; I'd bought Maureen out in the divorce settlement. I found a little bachelor pad near the office that I rented, there was nowhere for the twins; but hey, they weren't talking to me at the time. I had no idea where they were living; possibly at their grandparents house or maybe with Maureen and Annie.

I dated a few women, over the next few years, but I couldn't seem to be able to find anyone who I believed would replace Maureen in my heart. So I buried myself in my work and played golf for relaxation. Because free membership to a health club came with my work, I also spent a lot of time in the gym and eventually I became very fit, possibly fitter than I'd been for many years. Being so fit and not particularly bad looking — for my age - I did find that I was turning a few women's heads; which, considering my age, surprised me a lot. However, being a single man again, I was quite well off and most everybody around knew it; I was never sure if was my fit body or my large bank account that was the attraction. Consequently, I kept most females at arm's length.

Really, I'd fallen into a bit of a rut, although I hadn't realised it. Work, gym, golf and gym, were my life at that time. Oh plus the odd visit to the pub, although I probably spent more time drinking at the nineteenth hole, than I did at my local pub.

Then one Saturday afternoon about three or four years after my divorce, everything changed again. With the rest of my regular four, I was coming off the eighteenth green, heading for the nineteenth as usual, when an old friend of mine came out to meet me. Taking me to one side, he —as tactfully as he could — informed me that Maureen was in the bar with a certain police officer.

I, of course, knew that DI Sharp was a member of the club, but I'd rarely run into him; our tee times just never seemed to coincide, or one of us would be gone before the other got into the bar.

Whatever, I wasn't too sure how I would handle seeing Maureen and DI Sharp together. So I headed directly for the changing rooms. Surprisingly the rest of my four came with me and we went off to a nearby pub for a drink that day.

I don't know why, but the realisation that Maureen was out and about again, kind of upset me some, even more so that she was going out with men. It caused me to rethink what I was doing, eventually I was bound to run into her again some place and I knew that if she were with a man it would upset me.

Then I found myself wondering why I was working so damned hard, why wasn't I out every night having a good time; I had no answer for that one. But, somewhere along the line I decided that I'd had enough of everything, especially the damned city. I knew that I had plenty of cash in the bank and that I'd get a damned good pension if I took early retirement, so that's what I resolved to do. I literally cashed in my chips and moved on to pastures new.

Well the south coast anyway, eventually settling in a seaside village in Cornwall, where I could fish, sail and play golf to my heart's content. Found a nice little cottage that needed some renovation even though it cost me and arm and a leg, and I bought myself a boat.

Eventually I did let the twins know where I was, by writing to both of them care of their grandmother. That's how I contacted them at that time; neither were writing to or contacting me in any way. Although I didn't inform them that I was leaving city, until after I had left. Yeah I think that maybe I was sulking a little about the way they'd taken sides. As far as I saw things, I'd bent over backwards to be as conciliatory as possible towards their mother. Yeah, I went for the divorce, but I never threw her out, she walked out on me!

I had a good spring and summer settling into my new life and really enjoyed the next six months or so. But then one evening I was sitting at a table outside one of the local pubs, enjoying a pint and watching the sun set over the small harbour and the Fal estuary, when I noticed someone who looked unsettling familiar, climb of off the Falmouth Ferry. Very quickly she passed out of my sight as she walked along the quay, and I successfully convinced myself that my mind was playing tricks on me and that I was seeing things.

Having emptied my glass, I got another from the bar and had only just returned to my seat when I noticed one of the young boys from the village run along the sea wall. He stopped, looked directly at me, then turned around and ran back out of sight again. I'm not sure why I noticed him, possibly because seeing any of the local lads bother to run when they aren't in trouble was unusual. Oh, those lads were in trouble a lot by the way, but otherwise they are not a very energetic bunch unless they are diving into and swimming in harbour showing off to the young girls.

About ten minutes later Maureen suddenly appeared beside my table. I discovered later that the young lad had shown Maureen how she could approach the pub - by going along a little alley between some houses — without being seen from where I was sitting. I can only assume Maureen thought I'd do a disappearing act had she tried to approach from the sea wall.

"May I sit?"

"It's a free world." I replied, wishing I had the gumption to ask her what the hell she was doing there.

"Thank you. Do they come out and serve you here, or do you have to go to the bar?" She asked.

I stood up and asked, "What's your poison, Miss Murdock?"

"G and T, please." She said holding out a fiver for me to take.

I ignored the five-pound note and went to the bar to buy her drink.

"By the way, it's still Mrs Broom; I have no intention of reverting to my maiden name. It wasn't me who applied for our divorce."

"No, but it was you who walked out, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was and I know now that it was the biggest mistake ... no the second biggest mistake I made in my whole life."

"The second, what was the first?"

"Norman bloody Coolidge as if you didn't know! Mind you, you'll never know how much I've wished that you didn't know about him."

"Well, guess what Maureen, I don't know about him. Or rather, I have no idea what kind of a relationship you had with him. I'm of course aware that it was hot enough for the nutter of a wife of his to want to murder you. But I have no idea how long it went on."

"One thing it wasn't and that's hot. Yes we had a sort-of affair, I went to diner with him a couple of times and we spent exactly one hour in a hotel room together."

"And I'm supposed to believe that. Anyway an hour is plenty long enough."

"Not for you and me when we made love!"

"So you admit now, that you shagged him?"

"No, not really. I'll admit that we were going to have sex and we even got into the foreplay but..."

"But what?"

"Greta! First she called Norman and put the fear of god into the bugger, and then she called me on my mobile. She said that if Norman wasn't out of that room in five minutes, she was coming in to get him. Norman was out of there like a rabbit with a rocket up his ... Well as fast as he'd have gone done, had you walked into the room!"