Michael Ridpath: See No Evil

‘How is he?’ he asked as she came into the small relatives’ waiting room.

Her face was even paler than usual and her dark hair fell in bedraggled curls over her red-rimmed eyes. As she sat in a ball in the chair next to him, small and hunched up, she was shaking. ‘Oh, Alex. He’s still unconscious. They’ve stitched up the wound, but they think he’s fractured his skull.’

‘Is he breathing OK?’

‘Yes. It’s just they don’t know how long he will be under. And when he comes round whether there will be any... damage. You know. Permanent damage.’ She began to sob, and leaned into Calder who put his arm round her and squeezed gently. ‘He looks so pale. And his head... they had to shave some hair off. It’s all bandaged now. I asked them when he’ll wake up and they wouldn’t answer.’

Calder’s face tightened as he stared blindly ahead. Kim seemed to be trying to bury herself into his chest. ‘What if he doesn’t wake up, Alex?’ She looked up at him. ‘What if he doesn’t wake up?’

‘He’ll wake up.’

For a second there was a glimmer of confidence in her eyes and then she sat up, pushing him away. ‘You don’t know that. You’re just saying that to make me feel better, like you did with the aeroplane.’

Calder shrugged helplessly. ‘We have to believe he’ll wake up.’

‘You said it was perfectly safe. I was worried that the plane was so old, but you said it didn’t matter.’ A tear slipped its way into the corner of her mouth and she sniffed. ‘You always did take bloody idiotic risks. Like that time you crawled over the roof of South Court to get into the college ball. You were pissed out of your head and I was convinced you were going to kill yourself. You thought it was funny, but it was just so stupid .’

Calder knew he couldn’t run from this. ‘I know what I said, Kim. And it should have been safe, but it wasn’t. I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.’

Kim glared at him for a couple of seconds. And then she bit her lip. ‘What happened? No one here is absolutely sure. I can’t make sense of it.’

Calder gave her an account of the engine fire and the landing on the sandbar.

‘What do you think caused it?’

‘I don’t know, but my first guess is a cracked cylinder.’

‘Don’t they check for that kind of thing? The maintenance people? You said the plane was thoroughly checked.’

‘It was. I had another look at the logs just now. All the maintenance was up to date and signed off. I don’t think there’s anything else anyone could have done. Engine fires are nasty things, but they are rare. This is the first one I’ve experienced.’

‘So we just have to accept it? Will there be some kind of investigation?’

‘Oh, yes. The AAIB, that’s the Air Accident Investigation Board, will get involved. They’re very thorough. They’ll look through all the records, they’ll probably drag the aeroplane out of the water and examine it. They’ll find the cause, they nearly always do.’

‘Are you worried?’

‘About an investigation? No. I don’t think I did anything wrong. I’m worried about Todd.’

Kim gave him a weak smile. She clung on to his arm and more tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

Had he been at fault? Should he have ditched? No, Todd could just as easily have hit his head on impact with the water, and it would have been hard to fish him out. Flying aeroplanes, especially old aeroplanes, was inherently dangerous. He should have admitted as much to Kim. She had trusted him, and because she had, Todd had.

‘Will the police be involved?’

Calder glanced at her. Pensive traces of a new worry furrowed her brow. ‘Probably,’ he replied.

‘Is there any way that someone could have caused this?’

‘You mean deliberately?’

She nodded.

‘I don’t think so. Unless they tampered with the engine somehow. Weakened the cylinder. But it’s pretty unlikely.’ Calder looked at Kim. ‘Isn’t it?’

Kim bit her lip. ‘Yes, I’m sure it is. It’s just that Todd has been asking all these questions about Martha’s death and no one else has shown any interest. That seems strange to me. His whole family seems strange. It’s almost as if they didn’t want him asking those questions.’

‘You don’t think...’

‘I don’t know what to think.’

‘Should you talk to the police about this?’

‘God, no.’ Kim’s voice was firm. ‘Todd would hate me to do that. I’m probably just imagining things. But see if you can get them to check that there was nothing funny going on, or at least bear it in mind.’

‘I will,’ said Calder thoughtfully. He considered her question. Sabotage was technically possible. ‘Do you really think Todd’s family would do something like that?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kim said. ‘I don’t really trust them. I don’t trust Edwin — that’s Todd’s half-brother — at all. And Cornelius? Cornelius has been trying to get his claws into Todd all his life, and Cornelius usually gets what he wants. We had a major row with him a few days ago about whether Todd should go back to Zyl News. We walked out of his house and stayed in a hotel.’ She raised her wide grey eyes to Calder. ‘Would you go and see Benton Davis? Please? Ask him if he knows why Martha was killed.’

Calder nodded. ‘All right.’ His previous reluctance seemed churlish now. After what had happened that afternoon, he would do anything for Kim.

‘Thanks.’ She smiled quickly. Then she groaned. ‘Oh, God. I should tell Cornelius what’s happened.’

‘Do you want me to do it?’

‘Would you? Here, I’ll give you the number.’ Kim pulled out a PDA and tapped its screen. ‘There. It’s the London one.’

Calder pulled out his phone and dialled.

‘Hello?’

‘Can I speak to Mr van Zyl?’

‘This is Edwin van Zyl.’ The voice was South African, curt, precise. And he pronounced his name ‘fan Sail’, as opposed to ‘van Zill’, the way that the name was usually pronounced in England and America.

‘Can I speak to Cornelius?’

‘Who is this?’

‘My name’s Alex Calder. It’s about Todd.’

‘You can speak to me. I’m his brother, man.’

Calder gave up his attempt to get to the father. ‘I’m with Kim. We’re in a hospital in Norfolk. He’s had an accident.’

‘One moment.’

A few seconds later another voice came on the phone. Stronger, more authoritative. ‘What happened?’

Calder gave a thirty-second description of the afternoon’s events.

‘I’ll come up there right now,’ the voice said.

It took him just over two hours. Calder stayed with Kim, sitting next to Todd, watching him lie amongst the tubes and machines, still. A nurse informed them of Cornelius’s arrival, and they went out to meet him. Calder was impressed by the man’s size and aura of determination. He had Todd’s square jaw, but he looked harder, stronger, tougher than his son. He also looked very worried. As soon as he saw Kim he held out his arms. Kim hesitated and then let herself be enveloped by that large embrace.

He held her for several seconds and then glanced at Calder. ‘You the pilot?’

‘Yes,’ he said.

‘Was it your fault?’

‘No.’

Cornelius’s blue eyes stared hard at Calder. Calder held his gaze. He was sensitive to Cornelius’s concern, but he wasn’t going to be intimidated by the man.

Kim pushed away from Cornelius’s chest, her eyes igniting with anger. ‘Alex has told me in detail what happened and it’s quite clear that he did nothing wrong. In fact, he saved Todd’s life.’

Cornelius ignored her. ‘Because if I find you were responsible for my son’s injuries, you will pay. You will pay dearly.’