"Right, I think that will be all Mr Mortimer," Sergeant Willis said as he, and Inspector Moore left Mrs Hughes' sitting room. Mrs Hughes had suggested to the Sergeant and the Inspector earlier before they talked to Mr Mortimer, that they use her sitting room and not Mr Barrow's office as the lamp in there had recently broken and the light would be dim at this time of the morning. Neither men questioned it and so they conducted their work there instead. It was not a complete lie, the lamp was indeed not working but only because she had taken the bulb out beforehand and replaced it with an old one. She was able to listen into conversations in her sitting room through a vent in the wall from outside in the hallway. She wanted to be able to know exactly what was being said so that if anything should be mentioned that any of the other men involved needed to know, she could tell them. She had also earlier asked Stephen to go up to the drawing room while the sergeant and the inspector were talking to Lord Grantham and Lady Mary to serve refreshment, and so that Stephen could tell her what they discussed. It turned out that while Lady Mary's cautious plan was impressive, it was not needed as the men did only discuss the matter of the crime having taken place on Downton grounds and to inform them that they would need access to conduct their investigations.
"There is one other thing you should know, inspector," Mr Mortimer began. "Martin Lee, he once told me, when he thought he had me under control, that he has friends in the police force in Liverpool. By that I mean he has bribed some of them significantly."
Mrs Hughes saw the inspector note that comment down, "I see, thank you Mr Mortimer."
"Mr Barrow, if you could follow us?" Sergeant Willis asked. Mrs Hughes noticed that Thomas was looking rather pale but other than that he was doing a reasonable job of keeping any indication of his severe distress over this whole ordeal, hidden. He just kept that mask of unfeeling up which she had seen so many times over the couple of decades he'd been at Downton. She had forewarned him about the police visit and he had not been surprised. She had reinforced the fact that he must try not to appear any more upset by what has happened than anyone else. Thomas had sadly told her that he was well practiced in hiding his feelings. It went hand in hand with being a man of his nature.
As they shut the door she returned to her spot near the vent and focused her attention on the words exchanged inside her sitting room. "So you were the second on the scene Mr Barrow?" she heard Inspector Moore ask.
"Yes. We had split up to cover more ground, that is Mr Ellis, Mr Webster and I. The woods are large enough and searching them was even harder in the dark."
"And did you see Mr Ellis being shot by the man who Mr Mortimer has identified as being Mr Martin Lee?" Mrs Highes heard Sergeant Willis open a page in his notebook as he spoke.
She heard Thomas hesitate. "No, no I only heard the shot but I arrived in time to see a figure of a man running back into the woods in the opposite direction to where Mr Mortimer and Mr Ellis were. I arrived afterwards just after Mr Ellis...just after he fell to the ground."
"So Mr Ellis was the one to get injured, to what extent we don't know yet, but Mr Mortimer was the intended target?" the Inspector queried. Mrs Hughes really wished that Mr Barrow did not have to relive the horrors of last night so soon. She could hear in his voice that he was struggling to appear only moderately affected by everything that's happened.
"Surely Mr Mortimer has told you that already?" Thomas asked, sounding exasperated.
"We need to hear all accounts of this Mr Barrow, so answer the question if you may?" the Sergeant prompted.
"Yes he was, I can be absolutely certain of that Sergeant. Mr Mortimer came to Downton around a month ago after fleeing Liverpool after Mr Lee made serious threats that he'd kill him. Rich—, Mr Ellis has never seen Mr Lee before in his life and neither have I."
"And what about Mr Webster? Has he ever seen Mr Lee before last night?" the Inspector asked.
"Not knowingly. He did encounter him the day before I think it was but he was a stranger to him. He did not know who he was exactly until very recently after the shooting. He, that is Mr Lee, was looking for someone who may have recently come to Downton. Mr Webster didn't know who he was referring too. When he realised he came to find Mr Ellis and I to ask us if we had seen Mr Mortimer so he could warn him about what he suspected, that Mr Lee was coming for him."
"And where were you and Mr Ellis when Mr Webster came to see you Mr Barrow?" Mrs Hughes felt a flutter of nerves. This was not something Thomas could lie about. He had to say that he lived with Richard. She silently willed him to be tactful.
"At our home Inspector."
"You and Mr Ellis live together Mr Barrow?" Mrs Hughes held her breath as she was sure she heard the Inspector's tone change. To her surprise she heard Mr Barrow chuckle.
"Not in the way you are thinking Inspector. I have a decent position here at Downton, but even with that, finding a house or even a small cottage in this area at a price I can afford to buy, I never want to borrow money, is near impossible. Mr Ellis needed extra funds for the keeping of his book shop business so I pay him rent and live there as his lodger. It's a responsible arrangement that suits us both. I get independence by living away from my place of employment and Mr Ellis is able to finance his business more securely." Mrs Hughes almost believed Mr Barrow's story herself, and when she heard the Inspector grunt, she assumed he had fallen for it too. As for Sergeant Willis, he had been local to Downton long enough to know about the rumours concerning Mr Barrow, but also he had been here long enough to ignore them as just that.
The subject shifted back to the matter of the investigation once more. "And what did you and Mr Ellis do in response to Mr Webster's fears?" the Sergeant asked.
"We went after Mr Mortimer. We didn't know where he would be or even if he was in the woods really, but it would have been obvious, don't you think, sergeant, if there was an armed man in the street?" There was a brief pause where Mrs Hughes imagined the men nodded. "So we split up to find him, as I said. Mr Ellis found him first. If it were either Mr Webster or I, perhaps it would be us in hospital now." Mrs Hughes reckoned Mr Barrow's defences were up again, after faltering earlier.
"Indeed, indeed," the Inspector muttered thoughtfully as Mrs Hughes heard him scribbling something down in his notes.
"After the man who shot Mr Ellis fleed, what happened then Mr Barrow?" he asked.
"I stayed with Mr Ellis, tried to stop the bleeding as much as I could." Mr Barrow spoke with a neutral careful tone, but she thought there was a slight quiver in his voice once more. "I have some medical training you see, from the war, and so it was best for me to stay, and anyway Mr Mortimer is a faster man than I. Mr Webster, as you will see when you talk to him, has a limp, also from the war, so he was not yet with us at that moment. I didn't see him, but I understand he bumped into David as he ran to Downton for help. He followed him, slowly back to Downton afterwards. It was safer here than being out there with a gunman in the dark."
"Yes, yes. Quite," the Inspector seemed to agree. Mrs Hughes reckoned Mr Barrow had managed to convince him that he was just a witness to a crime and a good samaritan with regards to helping Mr Ellis. "Well I think we are done here Mr Barrow. Thank you for your time. We will contact you again if we need to follow up anything from your statement."
There was a scraping of chairs and then the sound of the door opening so Mrs Hughes stepped away from her listening spot and casually appeared around the corner. "Would either of you gentlemen like a cup of tea while you talk to Mr Webster?"
"That would be lovely thank you Mrs Hughes," Sergeant Willis answered.
"Yes thank you," the Inspector agreed.
Mrs Hughes let Inspector Moore go ahead to the servants hall. He seemed to be the impatient type. But because of this she was able to speak to sergeant Willis alone. "Sergeant Willis."
"Yes Mrs Hughes," he responded, giving her his full attention.
"Between you and I, off the record, do you think it is likely that Mr Lee will be convicted?"
"Well, I shouldn't really say Mrs Hughes, but off the record, as you say, I think that the question at the moment is what he will be convicted for and that will depend on whether Mr Ellis shall recover. But as for the evidence, I'd say that we have the right man. We have at least one solid eye witness, two possibly if we can speak to Mr Ellis and if he recovers, other witnesses that place him at the scene and in the area the day before. We also got an anonymous tip off about the location of the weapon Mr Lee ditched earlier this morning too."
"Good. Thank you sergeant." Mrs Hughes was aware of Thomas standing a few feet down the hallway behind her hearing all of this.
"Sergeant! Are you coming?" Inspector Moore called.
"Sorry Mrs Hughes, I'd best be getting on," Sergeant Willis said.
"Yes, of course." The sergeant went to join his colleague in the servants hall where Mr Webster was sitting. Mr Barrow looked at her with tired eyes and breathed out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall. "You did well Mr Barrow."
"Thank y—" Wait? How did you know what I said?" he asked surprised.
She smiled, feeling youthfully mischievous all of a sudden. "I have my methods Mr Barrow. One thing though, what you told them about your living arrangements with Mr Ellis, will there be trouble if they try to confirm this. Can it be confirmed?"
Mr Barrow closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "It can be Mrs Hughes. I have been paying Richard rent from the day I moved in with him. It is just my contribution to our living costs like anyone else, but it is in bank records. If they looked, and I doubt they will as they have more important things to be getting on with, they would find monthly payments from my account to his. We keep them seperate as well, for appearances sake."
"That's good then. You two thought of everything didn't you?"
Mr Barrow sighed again. "We have to, Mrs Hughes. We have too much to lose to be careless."
She nodded, trying to show her understanding, although in truth she knew she would never be able to understand their situation fully as she was not in a situation like it. "You should go and sit down Mr Barrow. I'll get Charlotte to bring you a cup of tea also, you could do with one I think."
…
David stood along with Charlotte, who hurried out to fetch the men some tea, Phyllis and Mr Bates as the Sergeant and the Inspector entered the servants hall. He was expecting Thomas to join them and was concerned that he didn't. Perhaps he's already had enough of dealing with the police or maybe talking about it took its toll. He wanted to go and check on him but he also didn't want to leave Chris. Chris was the only one present in the room who didn't stand as the men entered the room. He was sitting in the rocking chair, foot on a stool to take the weight off his leg, that David suspected was hurting him more than he let on. David felt tense and also felt the nausea of apprehension and fear in his stomach. He knew what Chris's feelings were to the police. He had no love for them, no respect. David didn't blame him, he wasn't keen either as he knew that they, especially the York Inspector, wouldn't hesitate to arrest them if they knew the secret he and his friends were hiding. But he wasn't fearful of their secret suddenly coming into the light. He was worried about what Chris might say. He glanced over at him, his gaze previously had been on the floor. If Chris was scared he didn't show it. He had a cold expression on his face. His lips were pursed together and eyes were keen, as though he was readying himself for a fight. They were not here for him, Chris was merely a witness to a crime as far as they were concerned, but Chris didn't seem to see it that way. The Inspector gave him a look, but Chris didn't budge.
"Mr Webster, if you could follow us?" Inspector Moore instructed.
"As much as I would love to Inspector, as you can see I am not going anywhere. Too much time out in the cold yesterday, I can't possibly move now. War wound you see, muscles completely cease up sometimes. If you want to talk to me then you will have to do so here. I have nothing to say that you haven't heard already I expect, gentlemen." The last word came out deliberately bitter. David gave Chris a pleading look to ask him to cooperate, but Chris didn't look in his direction, so his plea was unnoticed. Don't provoke them please. I know you're angry but don't give them a reason. David knew then that it didn't matter that Chris had never seen these two men before because all he saw when he was faced with men in this uniform was those who arrested him and Thomas in York. The ones who pushed him in front of a judge and an unsympathetic jury, the ones who humiliated him and who almost kicked the life out of him in prison. David was scared that his anger at these men would cause him to slip up.
The Inspector huffed. "Very well Mr Webster, but everyone else must leave. We need at least some degree of privacy." The Inspector missed the smirk that flicked across Chris's lips as he turned his back for a moment.
Out in the hallway outside Thomas's office, everyone present dispersed obediently, although doors were left open and conversation was kept at a minimum so, as David suspected, they could still hear some of what was being said. David though, loitered on the stairs. He wasn't going to leave Chris alone. There was the sound of chair legs scraping on the stone floor as the two men sat down at the table, David presumed. "Right then Mr Webster, now that's settled, we need to get on with the business in hand. Tell us what happened yesterday evening from your own perspective if you may?" the Sergeant asked.
"I was supposed to meet Mr Mortimer at the pub yesterday after we had both finished work for the day." "Just for a few drinks as you do Sergeant, but when he didn't show up, I went looking for him. He is often late as he works on the farm—"
"Which farm would that be Mr Webster?" Inspector Moore enquired.
"Not sure how that will help you Inspector, but if you must know, he works for Mr Tomlinson."
"Right." There was a pause as David heard the men making notes. "Continue Mr Webster."
"He is often late, but he was unusually late last night. I thought perhaps he had gone to see Mr Barrow or Mr Ellis since they are friends, but he had not. I will admit I had a feeling that something was not quite right for the whole day, but I didn't act on my instincts and I regret that."
"What do you mean by that?" the Inspector asked.
"Well the day before I had an encounter with a man on the road near Downton Abbey. I was on my way to the book shop, Mr Ellis's shop, where I work when I was stopped by a man who seemed to be asking about if anyone had moved to the area or found work around here or at Downton Abbey recently. I thought nothing of it at first as I assumed he was looking for work himself. He wanted to know if anyone had been hired there in the previous couple of months, and my suspicions were raised by the precise time frame he asked me about. I knew about how Mr Mortimer came to Downton to escape someone who had a hold on him in Liverpool. But I didn't make the connection between the question he asked me and the fact that this was about the same amount of time Mr Mortimer had been running from him for, until much later in the evening yesterday. If I had done, I would have done something about it. All I could do, all we could do, was try to find him and warn him."
"So how did you know to find Mr Mortimer in the woods if you were to meet in the pub Mr Webster?" the Inspector asked. Chris had already lied to their faces about where he and David had agreed to meet. The pub was a meeting place that would be less suspicious since many men drank there at the end of a long day, which is why David assumed Chris had told them. David fidgeted with the stair rail where he stood as he continued to listen in.
"It was a guess if I'm honest Inspector. I thought he would try to find me since I didn't show at the pub either and the most direct route to where I live is through the woods. However, I know now that Mr Mortimer was already aware of Mr Lee's presence in Downton and that was the real reason he did not show up. With Mr Barrow and Mr Ellis's help, I would have never managed it on my own, we split up to cover the woods so we would find him quicker. Mr Eliis went through the middle of them whilst Mr Barrow and I skirted around the edges. It just so happened that Mr Ellis found Mr Mortimer first. It could have been either of us."
"But did you see Mr Lee shoot Mr Ellis and attempt to shoot Mr Mortimer?" the Sergeant asked.
"No. I heard the shot but I never saw any of them as I was not quick enough to get there in time. On my way in the direction I thought the shot came from, you understand that I couldn't be sure, not with the wind picking up and the darkness closing in. It was disorientating."
There was silence and David strained to hear anything he might have missed. He jumped when he suddenly saw Thomas standing next to him at the bottom of the stairs. "Tommy! Don't creep up on me like that!" he whispered.
"What are you doing David?" Thomas asked him.
"Listening in. He's already lied to them once and he'll have to tell many more now." David turned his attention back to the servants hall. Thomas stepped back a few steps but stayed, spying on the conversation as well now.
"I hid behind a tree," David heard Chris continue. "I thought it was Mr Lee approaching so I jumped him and punched him in the stomach. It was purely an act of self defence officers, I had no other means to do so. I was mistaken however, it was in fact Mr Mortimer I punched. Luckily he was forgiving." David could hear the smirk in Chris's voice. "Mr Mortimer couldn't stop long, but he told me what had just happened. I didn't delay him further as he had to get to Downton to raise the alarm and to get help. It was the closest place where there was a telephone."
"Where did you go after that Mr Webster?"
"To Downton Abbey. I didn't fancy hanging around in the woods with an angry armed man much longer. But it took me a lot longer to get there. I had to stop several times. I also made a slight detour back to my cottage. My leg was killing me and I needed painkillers fast. I may have woken my neighbour in my hurry to get inside and find them." David nodded to himself as Chris lied yet again. Maybe he was too good at this? It didn't matter, it was necessary now. It was a good move to mention this, just on the off chance that the police talked to Chris's neighbour. It would account for his visit to his cottage to fetch his weapon. It then occurred to David that he didn't know where Chris had put the revolver. He had gone home briefly earlier so maybe he took it back with him? Or maybe it is still here somewhere? He really couldn't wait for this conversation to be over now. "I got to Downton eventually though, can't say exactly when but it was late, after midnight perhaps?"
"Are you sure of that Mr Webster?" the Inspector queried.
"I think I would know where I went, Inspector." Chris sounded annoyed.
"Thing is Mr Webster. We can be sure that Mr Ellis and Mr Barrow were in the woods after Mr Ellis was shot, the medics who attended verified that. Mr Mortimer arrived here quickly after, but no one can prove where you were, can they?"
"Are you calling me a liar Inspector?" David's breathing hitched as he heard Chris getting angry now. Thomas looked at him worried.
"No one is accusing you of that Mr Webster," Sergeant Willis said, trying to defuse the tension. "Inspector Moore only asks because Mr Lee swears that he was not alone in the quarry we arrested him in. He told us that there was a man up on the top of the quarry cliff who had a gun trained on him and who threatened to kill him if he attempted to escape. He says the person fired a shot that almost hit him in the head. The arresting officers also heard a second shot which they assumed was from Mr Lee's own weapon."
"So you think that I was able to run through the woods in the dark with a painful leg and then almost shoot a man in the darkness? Even if I had the weapon to do so, which I do not, I could never have got to him in time in my condition!"
"So you stick with your story Mr Webster?"
"I do because it is the truth Sargeant! Not fictional at all! If there was another person then they should be thanked as from what you just said, they may have stopped him from escaping." David gripped the stair rail, his knuckles turning white with his efforts. Thomas looked equally as pale. There was more silence only broken by the Inspector muttering something inaudible to himself as he wrote in his notebook. David wanted to speak to Thomas but he couldn't find the ability to get any words out at the moment. His throat was dry and he wasn't even aware he was still breathing.
"Right. I think that will be all," The Inspector, who sounded just as annoyed as Chris did, said. David and Thomas both jumped. Thomas retreated to his office, quietly closing the door slightly, David quickly crept back down the hallway towards the boot room where he saw Stephen lurking. He heard the sound of the chairs being pushed back as they stood up. Mrs Hughes appeared in the hallway also. It seemed he and Thomas were not the only ones lurking in the background.
"Do you have everything you need?" she asked them both as they left Chris sitting in the servants hall.
"I think we do Mrs Hughes. Please pass on our thanks to his Lordship for his cooperation." Sergeant Willis said just as Alfred hurried down the hallway from the direction of the back door with a telegram in his hand.
"For you Sergeant," he said, giving him the card.
"Hmm, seems like we will be in Downton a little longer. Mathew Tomlinson wants to speak to us, he has information apparently. I suppose word will be getting out now. Thank you for your help Mrs Hughes," he said as she showed the two men out.
David reckoned many sighs of relief were let out after the door was finally closed on the Sergeant and the Inspector. David was about to rush into the servants hall to see Chris but was stopped in his tracks when Chris appeared at the doorway. "Did you hear all of that?"
"Pretty much. Do you think they believed you?"
"Mmm, I reckon so, eventually anyway. They've got nothing to reason otherwise."
"You should rest though, I could find you something for your pain?" David offered.
"I'm alright actually. Think the ones I took earlier are still helping me," Chris smirked.
"Wait, but...You said to them you couldn't move! Were you lying about that too?"
"Yes. I didn't fancy moving for them. I was rather comfortable as I was,"Chris grinned.
"You provoked them Chris, you shouldn't have! It was risky. What if the Inspector had recognised you? He was part of York police!"
Chris nodded. "True. But he didn't and anyway they have a lot of officers, detectives and inspectors. It was a while ago too."
"Not that long really. Not long enough for them to forget a face. Why couldn't you just play along?" David tried not to raise his voice.
Chris lowered his voice and leaned closer to him. "I'm not going to make things easy for them. Not ever David. I hate them and any who work for them!"
David guided Chris by a hand on his arm back into the servants hall in an attempt to keep this argument more private. "I know, I know you do but these two men had nothing to do with any of that."
"They wear the uniform David, they follow the law and they take it out on people like us. They would do that to any of us, even though it is nothing to do with the case they are here to investigate. So if I called the shots just now then I don't regret it in the slightest! What they did to me, to all those men after that night, can never be forgotten or forgiven. I wear the scars of their ignorance, their hate and I will have them forever. Maybe my anger is unhealthy but it has been the only thing I have had sometimes when I needed something to keep me going, something to remind me that I will not cower in the corner afraid anymore. As you know I cannot change who I am, and so I won't apologize for it! If making things a bit inconvientant for a couple of coppers is in my power, then I will. Afterall, there is little else we can do to change how things are, so little victories matter to me!" Chris angrily whispered back to him with determined eyes. "Now, since that is over, I am going into the village. I will hang back a bit, to let those two gentlemen get ahead of me and then I am going to the shop. People will have heard by now I am sure and I am going to tidy things up and make it look like things are normal, even if they never are again! Thomas doesn't need to worry about tidying things up when he eventually returns home." Chris shook David's hand off his arm and left before he had any chance of saying anything else.
He groaned to himself in frustration, hitting his fist against the wall. He'll let go of the past one day, he tried to convince himself. He has too.
…
Time passed strangely throughout the rest of the morning and into the afternoon for David. He felt like he had done nothing since the police had left, and time had crawled by as he hung around below stairs at Downton, not sure if he should stay with Thomas or leave and go and see Chris. But at the same time before he knew it, it was the mid afternoon and half the day was already gone. He should have been at the farm. He felt guilty abandoning Mathew to most of the work, and he considered leaving but was stopped as he watched Thomas out of the window. He was outside against a stone wall in the shade cast by the growing shadows of the afternoon sun. The sun had come out in the morning but it still felt cold, especially in the shade. Thomas had been outside for a while. He had been looking equally as lost as David felt all morning. He had gone out for a walk but returned only ten minutes later saying he didn't think he should stray too far from the house in case the telephone rang. He spent the rest of his time either in his office or outside in the yard smoking. David had been told by Richard that Thomas used to smoke a lot but only does so occasionally now, he began to stop when their relationship began over five years ago. He watched Thomas light yet another up, blowing out another puff of smoke before his arm dropped down to his side, cigarette still in hand. If the situation wasn't so tragic, David may have found these actions attractive. He may not have feelings for Thomas as he once did but he could still see how Downton's youngest ever butler cut a striking figure. However, he was too worried about Thomas, about Richard and what Chris had said earlier to think about him anymore. He had hoped that since Thomas was told that he would receive news on Richard first, that he might have been given some hope, but if anything the news, whilst he appreciated it, made him seem more distant. He had also hoped that such news would have come a lot sooner than this. There had been no call and the endless waiting was beginning to drag him down as well as Thomas.
David saw Thomas close his eyes and the half spent cigarette in his hand fall carelessly into a puddle at his feet, extinguishing itself immediately. He needed Richard to be okay. He feared that, if the worst happened and he was not, then his recently reignited friendship with Thomas would fail. It was his fault that any of this even happened and despite the fact that Thomas had told him yesterday that he didn't blame him, perhaps he would change his mind? And what of Chris? Would he blame him for pushing him into a situation that forced him to relive his memories from the war and from the abuse he received in prison? Would their relationship be over before it barely began? David had to talk to him about what they had sort of argued about earlier, but he couldn't leave just yet.
The telephone rang. "Mr Barrow!" David heard Charlotte shout. Thomas ran inside in an instant, pushing the door open and letting it hit the wall with a bang as he ran down the hallway in the direction of his office. David left the window and joined a small gathering of anxious and curious servants loitering by the entrance to the servants hall and at the bottom of the stairs outside Thomas's office, to which Thomas had shut the door.
"Do you think that's the hospital?" Charlotte asked no one in particular.
"Shh!" Stephen hushed her as they all tried to listen. They shouldn't be here listening in but this was important news that everyone was eager to hear. Up until now their collective hope that Richard would be okay was based on nothing factual, just hope itself. It was hard to hear much due to the sound of his own heartbeat in his head and through the thick wooden door. He only caught the brief word but perhaps Thomas was not saying much at all?
"Yes I am," David heard Thomas say. He assumed the person on the other end from the hospital was asking if they were speaking to Downton's butler. "Right." Silence. "Okay but—." The pauses were becoming unbearable, as was only hearing half of a conversation. "Yes. I see—. I understand. I will yes." Anna Bates appeared on the stairs behind them and was silenced by a look from her husband who was also listening in. "Thank you." There was a clang as Thomas put the recieve down. They waited, the seconds ticking by.
"Shall we go in?" Charlotte asked Mrs Hughes, who was looking pale.
"No Charlotte."
There was still no indication of any news good or bad. Thomas hadn't opened the door. No sound but silence. But then they heard him. A soft sound of sobbing, muffled by the door. There was a gasp from behind him as Phyllis clasped her hand over her mouth. Anna had taken her husband's hand in her own. Stephen looked like he was about to cry.
David felt cold. No, no, no! Oh God, what have I done!