Chapter 29

He could put it off no longer. He left his office at 3pm and made his way to the police station in the town. Dan presented himself at the desk and said that he had information about the gas bomber. He had decided to go to the authorities and see what happened. If, as he hoped, he was free to go after making his statement he could go home and explain everything to Sam. If he was detained, there would be nothing he could say to make things right.

The man at the desk in the police station seemed a little bemused by his approach. Dan suggested that he go and get one of his superiors and he did so. The station chief came and invited him to his office. Dan explained that Eric McBride was his father-in-law and that he had been at the party which had been attacked. The chief got a pen and notepad and the interview commenced.

Dan told his story and he managed to stick to the script. His interviewer nodded and scribbled and he was allowed to talk without interruption. When he had finished Chief Inspector Frankel asked him to wait and he left the office. This information was important and had to be passed to those further up the line. Frankel made a call to the Ministry of Defence then spoke to a string of people, each more senior than the last.

All of the members of the authorities who became involved queried Dan's role. The general consensus was that he had been naïve and reckless, but that he was not a dissenter. Bertie had targeted the party knowing that he was there. Would he have tried to kill a fellow rebel? Dan had, after all, come forward with vital details about those that had been carrying out the attacks, when he had become aware of the real depth of the problem.

They agreed that Dan would be questioned again by people from the ministry. He would be allowed to leave and he would be contacted later to arrange another meeting. Frankel delivered the news to Dan and thanked him for coming forward. To have a name and description of the main protagonist was a huge step forward in the search for the rebel.

The ministry had already despatched a team of covert operatives to track Dan to see if he made contact with anyone. Martin had said that this was likely and they had agreed that they would not see each other outside of work. Dan would go straight home and would lead a quiet life for the foreseeable future.

He would wait until Phyllis had left before he spoke to Sam. That was a more frightening prospect for Dan than speaking to the police had been. His wife was in a high state of stress already and this news would probably induce a complete melt down. The following morning, he would have to tell Phyllis about Bertie's role and that would be difficult too.

Dan really needed a drink and as soon as he got home, he found the brandy. Phyllis examined him as she served the dinner and knew that there was something wrong. He could see that Phyllis had noticed his discomfort and managed to find a moment to talk to her.

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

He read bedtime stories to Grace and Alex and then joined his wife in the lounge. She looked even thinner than usual and he felt wretched about adding to her worries. She looked annoyed that he was in the same room as her, so he was anticipating a negative reaction to what he was about to tell her.

"You stupid bloody idiot."

The old Sam had sworn occasionally but this one never did. It gave an indication of just how much he had messed up.

"You have risked this family's safety. My mother was killed. All that because you wanted to help our servant. She does not matter, we do." It was a brief but harsh assessment.

She hadn't finished.

"My father is a member of the OWG. You could have ruined his career. As it is you have killed his wife." Dan started to object at that point but she shouted him down.

"AND WHAT ABOUT ME. Do you want me cast out into the labour zone when you are branded a traitor? What will people say."

He let her vent her anger and the same arguments were repeated again and again. Her mother's death, her father's position and losing her life of comfort were her main concerns, with the children mentioned as an afterthought. Shouting was interspersed with sobbing and finally she was quiet apart from the odd whimper.

Dan got his opportunity to speak again and he took a stern tone. He had to explain clearly to Sam that things were bad, but that there was no need to panic. He said that the police had released him. This would not have been done if they thought he was involved in any way. There was a perfectly rational explanation for how he had got caught up in this mess which the authorities had accepted. The truth was somewhat different, but she didn't need to know that.

He said that she was not to blame Phyllis or take it out on her in anyway. That brought Sam close to protest, but Dan was adamant.

"She is a good loyal member of staff and I will not have you harass her in any way. Don't look at me like that. Think about the last couple of weeks and how she has cared for all of us."

"Probably out of guilt." Sam said petulantly.

"She doesn't know about Bertie's role in this. I'm going to tell her tomorrow." That shut her up.

Sam's first instinct was to get the children and go to her father's house. She thought things through and changed her mind. She had to stay and make their lives look as normal as possible. If she left, she would be indicating that Dan was guilty of something. They had to keep this quiet and if she made a rash move that would only make tongues wag.

The following morning was tense to say the least. Sam stomped about the house leaving a room the moment Phyllis entered it. Dan took his servant to the kitchen and shut everyone else out. Now that they had some privacy they could talk. He began the conversation by saying that what he was about to tell her would be difficult for her to hear. With a shaky voice she asked if Bertie was dead.

I found Bertie, but he asked me not to say anything to you. Bertie was worried about your safety. The thing is, he's an anti OWG rebel. It was him who had attacked the party where Sarah died. He's also killed more people at a football match. He's trying to stir people up to overthrow the government."

She didn't need to know about all the meetings and Dan's beliefs. He told her pretty much the same story that he had told the police. He said that he had told them that he knew about Bertie going missing and had decided to search for him. At no time had Phyllis asked for his help. If she was questioned, she must say the same.

Phyllis was worried about her job, but Dan assured her that she would not be fired. Sam was not going to make trouble because he had warned her against doing so. That was not to say that she wouldn't be difficult for a while. Phyllis had just found out that her son was a murderer and she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief before saying that she must get on with her work. No hysterics from this hardworking practical woman.

Dan was worried about the effect on Phyllis after hearing this news. He insisted that she take a moment and tell him her thoughts.

"He is my son and I love him. Did I think that he was capable of something like this? When I think about it the answer would be yes. He was determined and single minded. Bloody minded would be more accurate. Nothing stood in his way if he wanted something."

That was what Dan had seen when he had dealt with Bertie, he now realised. Had he known what he was like sooner, he would not have passed on the information that he had. It was too late for those types of regrets. He could not change the past. He was deflated and desperately sorry for all the trouble which had been caused.

He had at, one stage, thought that he had been sent to this world with a purpose. Dan had hoped that some higher power had sent him here with his superior knowledge to guide this earth into a more enlightened age. His efforts had gone spectacularly wrong. People had died and the campaign against the OWG had been set back possibly years. What should he do now? Give up or find another way to try to help.