Read Online The Outcast by Sadie Jones - Free Book Online
Authors: Sadie Jones
Tags: Literary, Suspense, Romance, Historical, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Romance, Genre Fiction, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thrillers & Suspense, British & Irish
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on the ground nearby.The time went by him and he had no sense of it, but he kept his eyes on the bank opposite with the picnic things on it.
In the morning there was a mist and the sun coming up made it very bright and pearl-coloured. Gilbert and the policeman came out of the woods into the bright light and saw Lewis, and the remains of the picnic on the ground on the other side of the river. He didn’t answer any of their questions, or seem to see them. Gilbert picked him up to carry him home and Lewis’s head was pressed against his father’s chest. Gilbert was talking about what could have happened, saying all the terrible pos- sibilities, and the policeman was walking next to him and answering him and then Gilbert stopped. He put Lewis down,
58
onto the ground, and went to the bank. He looked down into the water and then went down on his knees, still looking. Wilson ran over to him and the two men stared down into the water and Lewis, lying on the ground, didn’t move.
59
C hapter F our
Elizabeth’s elder sister, Kate, travelled up from Dorset on the Monday before the funeral. On the train she thought about what should be done with Lewis, if he should live with her and her husband and boys. She had to change trains and the journey was long and she brought sandwiches with her, which she shared with a little girl who was travelling alone and whose mother had asked Kate to keep an eye on. She and the little girl played beg-o’-my-neighbour, resting the cards on the seat between, and Kate felt absolutely calm and cool about travel- ling to see Gilbert and Lewis, with her sister dead. She placed the cards carefully on the sloping seat and planned the funeral and imagined taking Lewis back on the train with her.
Gilbert met her atWaterford station.The house felt strange and cold and Kate tried to be efficient, while Lewis and Gilbert were almost silent and kept apart from one another, and from her.
OnTuesday morning the coroner, doctor, two policemen and a stenographer came to the house to talk to Lewis about his mother dying. The rest of the inquest was to be in Guildford the next day. Kate led Lewis into the drawing room and sat him in the straight-backed chair brought in from the hall.
60
‘Now, Lewis, how are you feeling?’This was Dr Straechen. ‘Fine, thank you.’
Gilbert sat on the arm of the flowered armchair next to Lewis, and looked down at his hands on his knees.
‘Let me introduce you to all of these scary people,’ said the doctor and Lewis looked around the faces.
‘Of course you know me – and I’ve known you since you were born, haven’t I? That gentleman there is called Mr Liley, he’s what we call a coroner, which is a sort of official who finds out about things, often sad things, like deaths. You know Constable Wilson don’t you? And Detective-Sergeant White. Your daddy’s going to sit by you and all you have to do is answer the questions we put to you, calmly and sensibly, and tell the absolute truth. Do you understand?’
Lewis nodded.
‘I’m afraid you need to say “yes” or “no” because that lady there is called a stenographer and she’s going to take down everything we all say on that clever machine, so that Mr Liley can look at it all later, and she can’t put down nods and head shakes. All right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Let’s start with an easy one.What’s your name?’ ‘Lewis Robert Aldridge.’
Kate, watching him, glimpsed the boy he had been in the way that he said it.
‘How old are you, Lewis?’ ‘Ten.’
‘Good. Well done. Now, do you remember what happened on Thursday? Do you remember what happened on that very bad day?’
‘Yes.’
61
‘You went for a picnic with your mother, didn’t you?’ ‘Yes.’
‘Where did you go to?’ ‘To the river.’
‘It was quite far away, wasn’t it? Near what’s called the Deer Park, by Overhill House, wasn’t it?’
Kate felt removed and quiet. She wondered if she really should take
In the morning there was a mist and the sun coming up made it very bright and pearl-coloured. Gilbert and the policeman came out of the woods into the bright light and saw Lewis, and the remains of the picnic on the ground on the other side of the river. He didn’t answer any of their questions, or seem to see them. Gilbert picked him up to carry him home and Lewis’s head was pressed against his father’s chest. Gilbert was talking about what could have happened, saying all the terrible pos- sibilities, and the policeman was walking next to him and answering him and then Gilbert stopped. He put Lewis down,
58
onto the ground, and went to the bank. He looked down into the water and then went down on his knees, still looking. Wilson ran over to him and the two men stared down into the water and Lewis, lying on the ground, didn’t move.
59
C hapter F our
Elizabeth’s elder sister, Kate, travelled up from Dorset on the Monday before the funeral. On the train she thought about what should be done with Lewis, if he should live with her and her husband and boys. She had to change trains and the journey was long and she brought sandwiches with her, which she shared with a little girl who was travelling alone and whose mother had asked Kate to keep an eye on. She and the little girl played beg-o’-my-neighbour, resting the cards on the seat between, and Kate felt absolutely calm and cool about travel- ling to see Gilbert and Lewis, with her sister dead. She placed the cards carefully on the sloping seat and planned the funeral and imagined taking Lewis back on the train with her.
Gilbert met her atWaterford station.The house felt strange and cold and Kate tried to be efficient, while Lewis and Gilbert were almost silent and kept apart from one another, and from her.
OnTuesday morning the coroner, doctor, two policemen and a stenographer came to the house to talk to Lewis about his mother dying. The rest of the inquest was to be in Guildford the next day. Kate led Lewis into the drawing room and sat him in the straight-backed chair brought in from the hall.
60
‘Now, Lewis, how are you feeling?’This was Dr Straechen. ‘Fine, thank you.’
Gilbert sat on the arm of the flowered armchair next to Lewis, and looked down at his hands on his knees.
‘Let me introduce you to all of these scary people,’ said the doctor and Lewis looked around the faces.
‘Of course you know me – and I’ve known you since you were born, haven’t I? That gentleman there is called Mr Liley, he’s what we call a coroner, which is a sort of official who finds out about things, often sad things, like deaths. You know Constable Wilson don’t you? And Detective-Sergeant White. Your daddy’s going to sit by you and all you have to do is answer the questions we put to you, calmly and sensibly, and tell the absolute truth. Do you understand?’
Lewis nodded.
‘I’m afraid you need to say “yes” or “no” because that lady there is called a stenographer and she’s going to take down everything we all say on that clever machine, so that Mr Liley can look at it all later, and she can’t put down nods and head shakes. All right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Let’s start with an easy one.What’s your name?’ ‘Lewis Robert Aldridge.’
Kate, watching him, glimpsed the boy he had been in the way that he said it.
‘How old are you, Lewis?’ ‘Ten.’
‘Good. Well done. Now, do you remember what happened on Thursday? Do you remember what happened on that very bad day?’
‘Yes.’
61
‘You went for a picnic with your mother, didn’t you?’ ‘Yes.’
‘Where did you go to?’ ‘To the river.’
‘It was quite far away, wasn’t it? Near what’s called the Deer Park, by Overhill House, wasn’t it?’
Kate felt removed and quiet. She wondered if she really should take
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