Chapter 6
Mark crouched at the foot of the oak tree sifting the dark damp soil through his fingers. The spade leaning against the trunk had obviously been used by Charlie Farrah in his attempt to uproot the huge monument the previous evening. Steve too leant against the tree, carefully watching the house for sign's of life.
"He's in there" he whispered to his father "His wife left half an hour ago but he's still in there, our head of neighbourhood watch was sure of her facts."
"How long do we wait?" Mark asked.
"Not long would be my guess, this garden is his pride and joy right? Even if he's got nothing to hide from us he's gonna be less than impressed with you tampering with everything"
Mark continued to 'examine' the exposed roots of the oak and as instructed he barely flinched when Steve whispered "We're on."
Charlie Farrah staggered down the steps from the porch and headed across the lawn to where Steve stood. "What can I do for you gentlemen today?" he asked briskly.
Steve left a lengthy silence before answering; the old mans eyes danced between him and the soil that Mark was scratching around in. "My father is a keen gardener sir, hope you don't mind him taking a look around your garden again?"
"Well, no, I mean, what do you want to look at. I've got more to show you than just bare dirt. Saw you admiring my roses the other day, I can give you a cutting if you like" he offered and Mark smiled up at him.
"I'll pass on the roses thanks all the same. I was more interested in these trees, fine specimens may I say." Farrah smiled weakly and Mark continued "You planted everything in the garden from seed or bulb?" he asked
"Yeah, like I told you yesterday, it's the only way. I don't get no satisfaction just moving plants somebody else took the time to rear."
Mark nodded and massaged the soil that remained in his hand "Must have been a tough one" he patted the tree "getting these to grow in soil like this. But I guess they must like it, they seem to have thrived, I would have put them at nearer a hundred years old if you asked me to guess."
Farrah fell silent; Steve discreetly nodded at Mark to continue "You planted the trees yourself though, like everything else in this garden?" Mark held his arms wide open and looked around.
"OK, you got me on that one, they were already fair sized when I put them in, suppose I was a bit more impatient in my youth, wanted instant results you know."
"Ah-ha" Mark nodded "so what's the problem?" Farrah tried to look puzzled. "I see you're uprooting them but they appear healthy enough." He looked towards the house "They can't block the light from this distance, it would seem almost a crime to get rid of such a lovely pair" he taunted.
There was a series of coughs before he replied "Well, I won't be here much longer so I figured I'd dig them up and give them to my eldest son. He likes to garden and the grandkids could use them to build trees houses and the like."
"So when will your son be here to finish up and take them away?" Steve asked.
Farrah spluttered again "Oh, change of plan, they're too big for his garden after all so I guess we'll just leave them in place. They probably wouldn't take well to the shift anyhow."
Mark nodded but his relaxed pose wasn't mirrored by Steve who was now standing straight and had moved half a step closer to Farrah.
"You know Mr Farrah, that's a real shame, cos I for one would have been really interested to see what's under those trees." Farrah laughed nervously and Steve continued "You know what I'm talking about don't you Sir" he added sternly as he held the man's eyes in his glare.
"I'm afraid not sonny, nothing down there but good nutritious soil."
"What is it they say?" he asked Mark "when somebody dies they say there're pushing up the daisies right?"
The colour drained from Farrah's already pale cheeks and Steve waited until he'd finished coughing before he continued. "If I were to dig up those trees what would I find pushing them up Mr Farrah?" he asked "A tree for each of them, is that how it goes? Guess it gave the saplings some added nutrients to get them going."
"Talking nonsense boy" Farrah turned and made his way unsteadily towards the house. Steve and Mark followed slowly a few steps behind him. The old man eased himself into one of the chairs on the porch and wheezed as Steve bent down and addressed him again.
"What would I find Mr Farrah?" he asked again.
"Nothing, you won't find nothing, not that those trees are going anywhere, at least not while I'm still alive."
"How can you be sure?" Steve taunted.
"You've got no reason to be destroying my garden, your boss I'll hear about it if you go within a mile of those trees you hear me?"
"I hear you" Steve held his palms up "but you know there have been cases lately, garden vandalism, theft of plants and trees. Think Mr Farrah, what would happen if in the dead of night some good for nothings were to take a liking to your trees and make away with them? Think what would happen if a police officer just happened to be driving past and saw something suspicious poking out of a hole in the ground. In plain view, he'd be entitled to go and investigate don't you agree?"
Mark scowled behind his son now, feeling he was pushing the old man too far on pure speculation. And the way Farrah wheezed deeper and seemed unable to catch his breath concerned him greatly.
Steve remained crouched next to the old mans chair "Mr Farrah?" he asked gently "do you want to tell me what would happen if those trees were uprooted?"
Tears welled in the old man's eyes as he gazed across to the Reid's house. There was a gurgle in his throat before he whispered weakly "Dig 'em up for God's sake, see for yourself".
***********************************************************************************************
"What did I miss?" Susan asked breathlessly as she entered the small room and kissed Jesse on the cheek. Amanda and Mark stood watching Charles Farrah through the one way glass; a broad young detective in a shirt and loosened tie sat facing him.
"Nothing yet, Steve just said we should come over" Amanda replied.
"They're still pulling up those trees" Mark added just as they saw Steve enter the interview room. His eyes darted towards the one way mirror and focused somewhere above his father's head. "But as soon as they started digging Farrah asked to come down here."
"Couldn't watch his crime uncovered" Amanda hypothesised as she shook her head in disgust.
Steve took the seat next to the other detective and began reading Farrah his rights. Susan shuddered and Jesse placed an arm around her shoulder.
"Well we got the first tree up Charlie" Steve started almost jovially "We goin' to find the other sister under the next one?" he asked, but Farrah didn't respond. "Come on Charlie, you got nothing to gain by keeping quiet now, might as well get on with it, our guys'll have the whole garden up in a day or two. Wonder what that ornamental pond hides?" he gibed.
"I'm not a mass murderer for God's sake" the old man shouted in disgust, "I'm not even a murderer" he dropped his head.
"Convince me" Steve invited him "Tell me how she got under that tree Charlie and I'll say if it sounds like murder or not."
"It looks bad" he whimpered "but I swear I'd already dug the hole, for the trees I mean. It wasn't like I planned on it. Just all of a sudden I've got this, this body and there's a hole in the garden and I was going to put the trees in that morning anyhow. I just figured…." he didn't finish.
The four observers next door exchanged glances before their attention again fell on the old man at the table.
"How about you start at the beginning?" Steve suggested and Farrah nodded.
"I got out of prison, January '46 and headed home. Except when I got there Harriet and Annie had sold up and moved. I asked around but nobody knew where they were, so I went to the hospital where Annie worked. They told me she'd quit, was going up to join that dumb ass Donald in Canada, so I'm pretty stuck where to go next."
Steve sat with his arms folded, glaring at the old man, deeply wary of the story he was giving so far.
"A couple of days later I'm busy in the garden when I figure I'll try the hospital again, if Annie's left maybe they have a forwarding address for her up north. I was in luck" he smiled sadly "She was collecting the last of her stuff from the place, bumped right into her as she was heading out."
"What happened next" Steve prompted after a minute
"I got her in the car and we drove around for a while. She wasn't as vocal as usual, I kept asking where Harriet was and she kept telling me it was too late, Harriet was gone and I wouldn't find her. I told her we could drive all day if that's what she wanted but I needed to know where Harriet was. She kept looking at her watch, telling me it was for my own good that I let her go. She just kept saying it was too late, Harriet had realised I was no good for her and if I knew what was good for me I'd drop her back at the hospital cos she was really late for something important. Guess that was her train up to Canada she was talking about, don't know why she'd bother, Donald didn't really want her, not when he realised she couldn't give him a kid. That was half her trouble you know, she was frightened Harriet and me could be happy like they could never hope.".
"But you didn't drop her at the hospital?" Steve observed.
"Oh I did" Farrah corrected him "but when I let her out she started screaming and shouting, that's when…." He trailed off.
"Go on" Steve prompted.
"You got to believe me son, it was an accident" he began to wheeze heavily "She just, I had my hand around her mouth, pulling her close to me telling her to shut the hell up. When I loosened my grip she turned round and slapped me so I….I hit her. Just the once mind you but she fell hard. I was kneeling beside her and I thought she was OK at first, but then I realised what had happened so I put her in the back of the car. I know how it sounds but you've got to understand, if somebody came out and found me I'd be on death row. I'd just got out after and assault charge, who'd believe me huh?"
"So you buried her in the garden correct?"
Farrah nodded, "hole was already there, once I'd put the trees in that was it, what could I do?"
"What about Harriet?"
"Like I told you at the house, I looked for her when I got out but I never found her and that's the truth. After all that happened with Annie, I couldn't keep looking, I wouldn't have been able to face her even if I had found her."
Steve leafed through the folder on the desk in front of him for a moment as Mr Farrah sat staring at one of the walls. Amanda shook her head and whispered to Mark "what do you think about the baby?", Mark just shrugged as Steve began to speak.
"Mr Farrah, a few days ago the remains of an infant were found at a house on Garrett Drive. Can you shed any light as to how they came to be there?"
Farrah's eyes widened "What the hell is this now?" he screamed "Infant you say, I told you already I'm not a murderer and I sure as hell didn't kill any child."
"Did you ever go to Annie and Harriet's house on Garret Drive?"
"No, I didn't even know that's where they'd moved to 'til you told me the other day" he answered defiantly.
"So you have no idea how the remains of a baby came to be hidden under the floorboards of the outhouse there?"
"I told you no, I killed Annie but it was an accident, I've never been on Garrett Drive and I sure as hell don't know nothing about a dead baby! What kind of a monster do you think I am? I changed my mind if that's OK, I won't say anymore without my lawyer present. You're turning this into a goddamn witch hunt and I won't be a party to it." He folded his arms indignantly, Steve and the other officer exchanged glances before Steve left the room.
The four observers behind the one way mirror watched as Charlie Farrah began to rock gently in his chair before wiping away the tears which had formed in his eyes.
