‘Is he breathing?’ the woman on the other end of the line asks.
‘I’m not sure. He’s still got his helmet on.’
Harry turns to me with a look of alarm. ‘I can’t find a pulse.’
I repeat this to the operator. ‘You’re going to have to gently take his helmet off to administer CPR,’ she says calmly. I repeat this to Harry. ‘And someone needs to support the head.’ I bend down and do as she says while Harry gently lifts the helmet away. The man’s head feels sweaty and he has a buzz cut, the bristles rough against my hands. Harry shrugs out of his jacket and places itbetween my feet and then I lower the man’s head gently onto it so that Harry can administer CPR.
I stand up, finally getting a good look at the man’s face.
And I gasp.
Because I know who this man is and why he’s been trying to frighten me.
50
DI Shirley meets us at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. Harry and I sit in the corridor nursing plastic cups of lukewarm coffee.
‘Is he alive?’ I ask as soon as she walks towards us, her long coat fanning out behind her. She has a harassed look on her face and her hair is even more dishevelled than usual.
‘Yes. He’s very lucky – or unlucky, depending on how you view it.’
Ironic that Harry saved his life when he was trying to take ours.
‘And is it him?’ I know it is, but I want to hear her say it.
‘Yes. It’s Dominic Filcher. He’s told me what happened and how you helped put his father away for corruption and then went after him too.’
Jeremy Filcher’s son. All this time I’d assumed this was something to do with Dorothea’s death and it was all about Filcher.
I’ve already told Harry all about it on the drive over.
‘And Dennis? Did Dominic admit to attacking him too?’
‘Well, no. That’s the strange thing. He’s adamant he had nothing to do with Dennis’s attack. He said he only ever wanted to frighten you, not hurt you.’
‘And you believe him?’
‘I’m not sure, yet. He’ll need to be questioned further.’
‘I know it wasn’t him who broke into Dorothea’s study. That man was a lot younger. But what about locking me and Dennis in the bunker? Did he admit to that?’
‘He said he’s never been on your property.’
‘And it wasn’t him who damaged the keypad on the gate?’
‘Apparently not.’
‘So we’re still no closer to finding out who killed Dorothea?’ I can hear the disappointment in my voice. I feel like I’ve failed her.
‘There is no “we”, Imogen,’ says DI Shirley sternly. She takes a seat next to me on one of the plastic chairs and leans forwards to put her empty coffee cup on the lino. ‘Now can I take a statement from you while you’re here? I need to know everything that happened with Dominic Filcher. Start at the beginning.’
Harry pulls up outside the villa. A shimmer of sunlight beams in through the windscreen, highlighting the tawny patches in his green eyes.
‘Will you be okay?’ His face fills with concern. ‘All a bit of a shock.’
I’m tempted to say no, I won’t, mainly because I don’t want to be on my own in the villa, especially now anyonecan gain access through the side gate. But I decide against it. It’s about time I stood on my own two feet.
‘Thanks, Harry. But I’ll be fine.’
