Beyond Innocence (31 page)

“Your mother wrote to you whilst you were in prison, and you replied insisting that you couldn’t agree to any contact, let alone a meeting as long as you were in prison. Whilst reading that letter, your mother suffered a tremendous stroke which left her blind, deaf, and completely paralysed. As a result, she exists now only with the aid of a life support system.” She paused again because she knew she was coming to the hardest part, and she was willing herself to stifle the emotion mounting deep inside her. Your mother’s maiden name was Paula Bibby, and her married name was Harris – Paula Harris. I don’t suppose that means a lot to you, but when I tell you who in all probability your father is, things might look a little more clear. This is because we think your father is Timothy Harris, the disgraced MP, who was recently sent to prison for committing perjury. We can only say we think he is your father because the tests haven’t yet been conducted, but we are hopeful this will take place sometime next week. As you will have read in the press, Timothy Harris was also involved with Angela Clarkson, and it was he who gave her the watch which you subsequently found. It has to be said that, as a result of the cover up which followed, you were drawn into the murder inquiry. Had there not been any cover up, or had Timothy Harris come forward, then you would not have become implicated in the Clarkson case. Having said that it doesn’t mean that the police wouldn’t have arrested and charged you with the murder of Diane, but it would have meant that the case against you was a lot weaker and for now there’s no point in us wasting valuable time speculating upon what might have been.”

“Well, what about my brother? he asked?”

She knew she had to answer, and she knew she had to face him, no matter how hard, or painful, she found the ordeal,

“Well, I was just coming to that because your brother Anthony died a few months ago. Apparently, he dabbled with drugs, and he was also on medication. The combination of the two caused a reaction, as a result of which he died in a coma but we’ll deal with that later. Now look at me Harry,” she said, with her voice quivering with emotion, “we have an application going before the courts to exhume the body of your brother in order to carry out DNA tests as it’s our belief that your brother Anthony is the murderer of your girlfriend Diane Wilson, and also Angela Clarkson.”

Almost at breaking point, she continued, “before we can do that we need to establish first and foremost, that your real father is Timothy Harris, because if it turns out that he isn’t, then the forensic tests already carried out cannot lie. You understand what we are saying now, don’t you Harry? For your sake, I hope and pray to God that he is because, if he isn’t there’s no point in continuing with the exhumation in an effort to prove your innocence. This is because, in these circumstances, Anthony’s DNA will not match those taken from the clothing of the two women.”

Harry was no longer in the mood for celebrating; the shine had been well and truly rubbed off the victory. He sat there, motionless, with his head in his hands almost oblivious to the things going on around him, still wondering if there was ever going to be an end to this nightmare. Then he became aware of Michael standing in front of him saying,

“We think you had better look at these pictures of your brother. We have to say the resemblance is absolutely uncanny, so much so even though you were born weeks apart, you’re both truly twins, but not ‘Identical’ twins in the accepted sense as you were both conceived with separate eggs. So we’re hoping, and praying, for the best possible outcome. Before we go any further, we have to tell you that we couldn’t introduce any of this fresh evidence in court, as we felt that we might be overstepping the mark insofar as we had objected to the prosecution bringing in fresh DNA evidence. Not only that, but we have our own forensic expert waiting to testify that the new evidence could, and I emphasise the word “could,” be flawed, or contaminated.”

“You see you mustn’t run away thinking, just because you have an identical twin brother, that his DNA will match yours exactly. According to our expert, if the pair of you are identical, then, a match of 90/95%, would be considered to be more than sufficient, taking into account any deterioration which could have occurred due to exposure to the elements. After this, you then have to face up to the fact that your brother killed both of these women and it was his DNA which was left behind. Although Anthony’s death was drug-related, we have to tell you that according to the autopsy report, it was due, in part, to another drug he was taking for medicinal purposes. Apparently, the combination of the two drugs caused him to go into a coma, and he literally drowned in his own vomit. His badly decomposed body was not discovered for a long time afterwards.”

“Going back to your mother, we also have to tell you that she and Timothy Harris, had agreed to divorce but following your mother’s illness, Mr. Harris applied to the courts to have her life support system switched off due to the fact that she appeared to be totally incapacitated. The judge hearing the application ruled, if there was no improvement in her medical condition within seven days, then she would be allowed to die. Fortunately for both of you, the medical team discovered that she could hear, and she had limited use of the little finger on her right hand. By this means, she is able to communicate with those around her but it’s strictly on a limited basis, and it’s very time-consuming. When you get back home you can make arrangements to see her, bearing in mind as far as we’re aware, she hasn’t been told of the outcome of today’s proceedings. We thought this should be something very private between the two of you.”

“Irrespective of whether or not, Timothy Harris is your real father, you will have to consider the fact that you will have a say in the decisions to keep your mother alive. As her son by birth, legally, this decision can’t just be left in the hands of your father. All we can say regarding this is, according to the medical team, she’s not in any pain as far as they are aware. How long her condition will remain in this state is a matter of pure speculation.”

Michael indicated to Irene he’d finished, and she asked Harry if he had any questions to ask about the news they’d just imparted. He didn’t look up to face them, and merely shook his head whilst continuing to stare at the floor. She moved a little closer to him, saying, “Harry we know it’s been a long hard day. You must feel as though you have been put through the wringer, but you have to appreciate that there was no other way for us to tell you. We had to tell you at this very moment because, there’s so much going on, and so much more which still has to happen.”

“Before we go, I must warn you what to expect from today onwards, and in the near future. As a result of the verdict today the press will have a field day at your expense. In all probability, you’ll see banner headlines in the papers proclaiming, “double killer freed on a technicality. Killer freed to strike again, and countless other variations on the same thing. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to stop this type of thing happening, so, for your own sake, you’re going to have to keep a very low profile indeed. To this end, we’ve arranged a safe house for you, and we can’t stress too much how important it is for you to stay there keeping out of sight.”

“Dealing with the press of tomorrow is one thing, but you will also have to contend with the press of the future, and, by this, I mean the eruption which is bound to follow once the exhumation order becomes public knowledge, coupled with an explosion which will be created if and when it’s confirmed that Timothy Harris is your real father. Believe me, there’s no way you can escape any of this, and it certainly won’t be an easy ride. Then, you will also have to come to terms with reality after all the tests have been concluded. Hopefully by then, we will be able to prove to everybody that you weren’t guilty, and this will set off another mad scramble with press, TV interviews, and all manner of things. Strictly speaking, you aren’t going to have anything like a normal, or a private life, for quite a considerable period of time. Whilst all this is taking place, you will also have to consider the impact all of this will be having on your adoptive mother. Don’t forget, since the trial she hasn’t seen or heard from you, and I know she’s taken events so far very hard indeed and it’s only going to get harder still for her.”

Still staring at the floor, Harry finally spoke but his voice betrayed no sign of emotion whatsoever as he said, “Before we leave here let me say to both of you, I really do appreciate everything you have done for me during this terribly dark period of my life. As you said, it has been a very trying day and I realise my ordeal is far from over. I also realise I am deeply indebted to a lot of people, and I’ll do my best to ensure that their trust, and belief in me, has not been misplaced. Right now, the news you have given me has only just begun to sink in and I’m finding it very difficult to come to terms with. All I want now is to be allowed to go somewhere quiet, and peaceful, whilst I contemplate and reflect upon my life before deciding where I go from here. At some stage, I know I have to face the press, and the public, so I think it would be better if we prepared a short statement for those persons from the press waiting outside on the basis that no questions will be asked or answered. Following that release, we should be allowed to leave in peace without being hounded. After Michael had prepared a statement for the press they made their way to the exit.

Once the great steel studded doors were opened, the press surged forward as one. The agreement was totally forgotten as question upon question was hurled upon them, and, flash followed flash, as each person present endeavoured to secure the best pictures. Surrounded on all sides, but still making slow, but painful progress to the waiting car, Michael read out the press release.

“My client is truly grateful that his period of incarceration is now behind him and he is pleading with everybody here to allow him some privacy so that he can pick up the remaining threads of his life. Throughout his ordeal, my client has always maintained his innocence, and he continues to do so. At the present moment, he regrets that he is unable to answer any questions, or arrange any interviews, but in the fullness of time, he will be more than willing to face all his detractors, and answer any questions raised.”

“Please understand, this has been a momentous day, and, allow us all to leave peacefully.” They had reached the safety and sanctuary of the car and once inside, they were driven quickly away with the press trying to follow in hot pursuit.

Although the madding crowd had been left behind, none of the occupants felt they could relax. They cast anxious looks behind themselves on countless occasions to ensure they were not being followed. As they became more secure they did relax however and, one by one, they fell asleep exhausted by the day’s events.

They awoke to the sound of the car being driven on the gravel of a long winding drive. The car drew up outside the impressive front entrance of a very large house, and they were quickly ushered inside where Harry and his companions, found the welcoming figure of Sebastian Kreiff. With a minimum of fuss, drinks were produced and served, together with refreshments. When he deemed it appropriate, Sebastian rose from the table to announce a toast, “Ladies and gentlemen, will you please allow me to propose a toast in honour of our partner, Irene Yarwood, who has done such a magnificent job in securing the freedom of her client, Harry Thompson. Glasses were raised in her honour to cries of
speech
, and Irene duly responded,

“Sebastian, Ladies and Gentlemen, first of all let me thank our host for having so much trust in me at the start of my career. I think I was very fortunate in having such a high profile case thrust upon me. I must thank everybody who has helped and assisted me during this long saga which is still not quite over. I really am indebted to you all. Finally, to those of you who have not yet met him, let me formally introduce you to Harry Thompson who has been through such an ordeal, and who has mercifully been freed by the judges today. Let me assure all of you here now that this fight, Mr Thompson’s war, still goes on and he won’t rest until he has been granted a Queen’s pardon. This is the only thing which will lift the stigma with which he will be associated for some considerable time to come.”

The strain of the day’s proceedings had really begun to tell on all of the persons assembled, and it was a welcome relief when Irene and Michael, could take their farewell, leaving Harry, in the capable hands of Sebastian and his wife.

One thing was sure, the next day the hounds were certainly in full cry and baying for blood, in fact anybody’s blood. All the press carried thick, black banner headlines proclaiming a person’s right to silence as the ‘criminals’ charter.’ Most of the broadsheets led with lurid headlines laying claim to, “Crazy Killers being allowed to roam the streets,” “Guilty Man Walks Free,” “Serial Killer Granted Licence, May Kill Again,” and many more, all destined to strike fear into young and old alike.

The leader and political columns did no better and, to the public at large, it must have seemed justice had been turned on its head as the press united on a solid front against the government, and the legal profession, for allowing, what they could only perceive to be such a gross miscarriage of justice. In some of the tabloids, Irene, came in for more than her fair share of criticism, being named in an attempt to shame her as being the instigator of a gross manipulation of the law; calls were made for her to be banned from practising law altogether.

The team had received the results of the DNA testing which proved, beyond any shadow of doubt that Timothy Harris was indeed the father of Harry Thompson, and, as the days passed allowing some form of normality to return to the scene, the hunt took on a different direction, with the tabloids leading with stories such as, “Where is Double Killer Thompson, £5000 reward for sighting of Thompson.”

“Double Killer Thompson too afraid to come out of hiding. Later, as the press interest began to wane, the inevitable happened when news broke about the hearing for the exhumation order, to enable the tests to be carried out, on the samples taken from Anthony Harris deceased.

Like rats out of a sewer, journalists appeared from the length and breadth of the country, sensing with an extraordinary acute perception, that this was to be no ordinary occasion. Any exhumation order carries with it the prospect of a story, but this was going to be something so much bigger. Something told them it had to be, due to the fact that Anthony Harris was the son of Timothy Harris. The MP who had been involved in the Clarkson case cover up, and this latter item had spilled over into the Thompson murder trial. One by one, they started to accumulate snippets of information and, like a jigsaw, they began to build up their own pictures.

Once again the banner headlines appeared, screaming, What is Double Killer’s Link with ex MP’s son? They led with highly controversial comment, “What is the mystery surrounding the exhumation of the body of Anthony Harris, the late son of the ex-MP Timothy Harris? Surely with his father behind bars, and his body being interred over six months ago, why all the secrecy surrounding the application?”

“And, what on earth do the police hope to gain by allowing such action?”

‘Despite this particular reporter spending most of the morning at the court, not one person would offer any explanation to this dramatic turn of events, and yet it must indicate a lead, or a different line of enquiry into an ongoing case, or even cases, which have remained unsolved on the files for some considerable time? When our reporter put this to the officer in charge, the only response received was a polite request to move away, and to direct all questions to the Chief Constable’s office. For the police to behave in such a heavy handed way, only fuels speculation there are going to be some dramatic events taking place very shortly.”

Throughout it all, Harry Thompson had followed his instructions to the letter; keeping a very low profile, he had remained out of sight at the safe haven provided by the senior partner in the chambers. Owing to the pressure applied by the media, he had only minimum contact with his adoptive mother, Sally. Arrangements for them to meet had been planned like a military operation, because, the media had all but taken up residence outside his former home, in the hope that Sally would lead them to his hideaway. However, with a couple of swift car changes on dual carriageways, the bloodhounds of the press had been thwarted. Such were the attentions of the press however, it was decided it was far too risky at this stage to repeat the operation.

A tight security blanket had been thrown around the hospital where his mother remained, still cocooned in her inert state, and although his mother had been told of his release from prison, she had also been told he would not visit her until his name had been fully cleared. With no further improvement in her condition, Paula Harris lay there in a highly charged emotional state despite the constant attention of the dedicated staff devoted to her care and well-being. Her consultant, Peter Woods, was in constant touch, and arrangements were in hand for him to visit immediately, should anything untoward occur. With a twenty-four hour news blackout, it was hoped that Paula, and the events and happenings of the outside world, could be strictly controlled, and monitored. This was in order to spare her as much anguish as possible.