Julia chapter 24 contd / 25 / 26

One of the things I’ve learnt recently is that Geoffrey is a different person to each and every one of us. I have my thoughts about him, you have yours, mother has hers, and the children have theirs, and they see him as their father and they still love him.  As far as the financial side of things is concerned Justin says his father has probably got an addictive personality and that is why he gambled, so we shouldn’t judge him on it, it is a disease.    ‘Have you told him about the prostitutes?’  ‘Julia! Of course I haven’t.’

‘Well there you go.’  I realize having said it that it was not a positive to say. I’m not qualified to talk about relationships with offspring as I’ve never had any, it is just that I am afraid Valerie will bend with the pressure and give in if Geoffrey asks to see her.    ‘Look this isn’t helpful to you, I’m sorry, but you know how manipulative Geoffrey is and I don’t want you to get caught up with him again, it won’t do you any good.’  She nods but says nothing.  I reach out a hand and squeeze hers.  She tries to smile but it is forced.  ‘I had better go and see mother’ she says dutifully.      ‘She is smaller’ remarks Valerie upon her return.  ‘Yes’ ‘She says you have been painting her?’  ‘Yes, do you want to see?’ Valerie seems pleasantly surprised by my offer.  In the past I have been prickly about showing anyone a work in progress, it is a sign of how I’ve changed without even knowing it was happening.  We go to the conservatory where the painting is standing. ‘My God Julia that is stunning!’ Valerie is not one for praise of any sort and I am slightly taken aback by her reaction.

‘Do you think so?’ I ask.  ‘I didn’t know you could paint like that.  The things you have produced in the past have been…..well….a bit avant garde.’ I laugh.    ‘Call this my realist period, no more head in the clouds, reality has struck home in the past year or two.’ ‘But she seems so alive!’  ‘Thanks she’s meant to be.’

‘No, you don’t understand what I mean.  There’s something about this painting which draws you in, it’s fascinating. Frightening actually.’ ‘Ah now we are getting back to the old Valerie. Frightening eh?  That’s more like the reaction I expected from you.’

‘No, I won’t shy away from it Julia, it is brilliant, really.’  Valerie’s comments confuse me. On the one level I know she’s not a connoisseur of art, but on the other she seems genuinely affected by the picture. For once I’m not sure how I should feel, flattered or disturbed that she likes it. I’m almost afraid I must have sold out for her to appreciate it.  I take my mind in hand and tell it to stop doing this to me.  If she’d had no reaction to the work then I would have been upset, so why go through this ritual of self-deprecation?  Such is the lot of artists.  You want people to appreciate what you have done, but when they do you wonder whether what you have produced is actually valid.  It’s a form of snobbery, and one I need to shed.  ‘What does she think of it?’

‘She hasn’t seen it.  She says the smell of the oils would make her feel ill so I’ve used the sketches I produced to create it. In a way I’m glad she hasn’t asked to look at it, she wouldn’t like seeing herself like that.’

‘No I don’t suppose she would.  She would rather look like that ghastly huge photograph of her and Brian that used to hang over the fireplace.  What happened to that?’  ‘I’ve no idea.  Perhaps she burnt it before taking to her bed’ I offer.

‘What are you going to do with this?’  ‘I haven’t thought that far.  It wasn’t done for that sort of reason.  It has been a sort of therapy, me facing my worst fears, mother and the realist in me!  I have to say it has worked.  I can sit in that room watching her with the TV on and be completely oblivious to the world.  I am not sure what I shall do now that the picture is almost done.’ 

‘You can paint me’ replies Valerie in all seriousness. Her suggestion takes me by surprise and I take a moment to think about it.  Would that work? Perhaps it would. Perhaps I need to paint everyone with whom I’ve had a problem in my life and in so doing come to terms with my feelings. ‘Alright’ I say ‘I will.’   Valerie laughs. 

Chapter 25       The prison doors are twenty feet tall at least, but the door through which Valerie enters is normal size and being cut into the fabric of the huge wooden frame looks like a mouse hole in the skirting. Just like a mouse she looks around to make sure no one is watching as she enters. Mr.Vance the solicitor holds his documents close to his chest like a shield and signals for her to go first. He is used to the premises and seems unperturbed by its overpowering nature.  He smiles reassuringly at Valerie as she nervously enters the courtyard behind the doors.  Inside the prison it is functional in the way school toilets are functional.  Light green shiny paint on the walls, scrubbed tiles on the floor, and confronting them, a barrier of prison bars, thick struts with heavy locked doors barring the way.  The immediate impression is that of echoing noise.  Everything echoes, everything rings off the wall as if even the sounds inmates make are destined to be trapped by the place.  Mr.Vance deals with the formalities and checking in his documents, phone and other loose items he proceeds through the screening arch which reminds Valerie of the ones at the airport.  She is next and offers up her watch and phone.  The guard is polite enough says nothing other than the usual instructions, he has obviously been through this a thousand times. On the other side they are escorted down a corridor towards the thrum of the noise. 

‘Don’t worry Mrs Mitchell we aren’t going into the body of the prison, the interview rooms are just down this corridor, your husband will be brought through once we are in the room.’  Valerie signals that she is alright.  In truth she is far from it.  Her heart is racing, her mind beset by thoughts of Geoffrey, she feels ill and claustrophobic, the nature of the corridor is making her feel worse. Julia had told her not to come, but her loyalty lay with the children and she could not be seen to dismiss their father when they wanted her to acknowledge him. To lose Geoffrey was one thing, to lose her children would be another, she could not afford to appear heartless towards him no matter what she actually thought.         By the time they reached the room she needed to sit.  Her throat was tight and her head swimming. ‘Are you alright Mrs Mitchell’ asked Mr. Graves

‘I think I could do with a glass of water’ replied Valerie. The warder hearing her say this left the room and Mr. Graves tried to reassure her once again that everything would be alright. ‘Your husband has asked me to stay with you when you see him if that is alright?’  Valerie is relieved, she does not want to be left alone with Geoffrey.  ‘In case any technical questions need answering.’ ‘What sort of technical questions?’ asked Valerie. ‘To do with the court procedures, that sort of thing.’

The warder appeared with a water in a plastic beaker. There is no glass in the prison, it had too many potential uses.  Valerie sipped at the water which was tepid, she thought it might have been from a hot tap.  Mr. Graves shuffled his papers appearing to look busy.  Then the door eased open and Geoffrey appeared.  He was wearing a tracksuit that didn’t suit him and his hands were cuffed together.   He did not smile and his expressionless face looked older than she remembered.  The warder sat him down as if to exert his authority.  There was an uncomfortable moment when no one spoke and Valerie thought she was going to faint.

‘You came then’ said Geoffrey.  His voice hadn’t changed, it remained higher echelon commuter belt come prep school head master.  ‘Yes, the children wanted me to.’  Valerie needed to make it clear she was there under duress.  ‘Are they alright?’   ‘As well as can be expected under the circumstances.’  Geoffrey’s face remained stony cold. ‘Yes, well, I suppose they won’t be over the moon about all of this.’ ‘No.’  ‘I didn’t do it you know.’ ‘What? You didn’t take mothers money, steal her house, raid the clients cash accounts?’ Valerie could not help herself.  Months of pent up anger were boiling under the surface.

‘Murder Brian, I didn’t murder Brian.’ ‘So why did you run away?’  ‘I ran away because of the financial mess.  I didn’t want to face the inevitable.  I didn’t run away because of Brian. ’  ‘Put yourself in my shoes for a moment Geoffrey.  You have lied to me about everything over the past twenty years.  I know it got worse towards the end but you’ve been doing underhand things for years.  Why should I believe you now?  If you didn’t kill Brian, then who did? If the police thought it was someone else then surely they would have looked for them.’     ‘They don’t care.  Why should they? The man's dead, they want a conviction, I’m the sucker they chose.’  Geoffrey’s tone changes, it is harsh and bitter. ‘What about the car?’ ‘What?’ ‘Why did you get it steam cleaned, why did the bumper need repair?’ Mr.Vance interjects before her husband has time to speak.

‘I think it might be time to discuss Mrs Mitchell approach to the trial?’  He looks at Geoffrey in such a way that Valerie knows they have talked together prior to the meeting. ‘What do you mean?’ asks Valerie.    ‘As part of Mr Mitchell’s defence team it is important for us to know whether your intention is to support Mr Mitchell. in this case.’ Valerie looks at Mr.Vance and then at Geoffrey.  She had not thought Geoffrey would have the nerve to ask her to help him after what he had done. ‘I’m not sure I understand?’ she replied.

‘For Gods sake what is there to understand!’ Geoffrey is shouting and is half way to standing when the warder clamps a hand on his shoulder and stops him in mid air.    ‘Under British law a spouse cannot be made to testify against their partner.  The question is whether you intend doing so voluntarily?  What we would like to know is that if the prosecution approached you, you would refuse to appear in court on their behalf and claim your right not to speak?’  Brian’s eyes stare at her as if willing her to do his bidding. ‘Is this why I’m here?’ she asks.  ‘Did you get the children to maneuver me into this?  God Geoffrey you must think I’m a pushover.  What you’ve got to realize is that I’m no longer scared of you.  Not because you are in prison but because I came to realize once you were gone that I had been under your thumb all the time we were together.’

‘I never touched you, or abused you, what are you talking about?’ Geoffrey’s voice is deriding and harsh. ‘You didn’t need to Geoffrey, you just kept control by dominating everything.  You were a bully, you always have been.  Julia warned me early on, but I didn’t listen.’ Geoffrey’s face noticeably hardened at the mention of Julia.

‘Julia, the barren hippy, you’ve not been listening to her have you? She’s a crackpot, always has been.’  Valerie noticed Mr.Graves looking concerned.   ‘I don’t think getting into a family dispute is going to help the situation.  After all your wife has come along today to see you and we still haven’t answered the question about testimony.’  Despite his anger Valerie noticed Geoffrey take heed of his solicitor and he took a deep breath and said no more.

‘It’s important for my client to know what your intentions are.  You must realize that your husband faces a long custodial sentence for a crime he did not commit, this is nothing to do with past grievances.  It is vital you understand the severity of the issue here.  Given your husbands age and the likely sentence he would receive should he be found guilty then we are talking about the rest of his life behind bars.’  Valerie heard the words but felt no sense of responsibility.  When Geoffrey had stolen everything she had, and then run away, it was as if something inside her had cut any links to him, it had severed her emotional attachment forever.

‘I will think about what you have said.  If it makes any difference to you no one has approached me, and even if they did I want nothing to do with this. I have been through enough, but I give you fair warning Geoffrey, if I find you have damaged anyone else along the way then you will find me your worst enemy, believe me.’  With those words she stood up and left the room, she did not look back.

‘Mrs Mitchell Mrs Mitchell’  It was Mr. Graves calling her as she made her way back to the entrance. ‘I apologise for Mr Mitchell’s comments, please don’t let them affect your judgement on this matter.’  ‘Are you Geoffrey’s conscience now?  You don’t think an apology from you is going to make any difference do you?’ Mr.Graves took her comments on the chin. ‘Mrs Mitchell can I ask you one question?’  ‘Yes, alright, but just one.’‘Do you think your husband is capable of murder?’  Valerie thought for a moment and then said ‘I really don’t know, do you?’  

Chapter  26   ‘Will you come with me?’ Valerie asked. ‘What, to the trial?’ replied Julia. ‘Yes.’ ‘You really want me to?’ ‘I don’t think I could face it alone.’  ‘I’ll come with you of course but we’ll have to sort mother out, and the finances, rail fares, hotels, meals.  These things go on for months, you do realize that?’ ‘Oh God, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I suppose I have watched too many TV dramas, they are all over in five minutes.’ 

‘Unfortunately real life takes much longer and to be frank is far more boring.’ As soon as she had said it Julia realised the word was inappropriate.  The trial would be anything but boring for Valerie.  ‘Sorry Valerie, I didn’t mean to sound flippant. What I meant to say was that there is a huge amount of administration and general background discussion before a case goes anywhere.  Geoffrey won’t be in the dock for days if not weeks. Sometimes people have to put their lives on hold for a year or more from start to finish.’   ‘He’s pleading not guilty you know. His solicitor contacted me again the other day and asked again whether I intend testifying against him.’ ‘Do you?’ ‘What? Intend testifying? No of course not. What do I know about it all? I was out of the loop as they say nowadays. I didn’t even know he’d come down to the Island and stayed with mother that weekend. As far as I was aware he was in Switzerland looking at houses.’   ‘But that’s relevant.  I mean if he told you a lie about where he was then that would show he was up to something underhand.’  I realize I am trying to persuade Valerie to give evidence against Geoffrey, but cannot help it.  The truth matters in such cases and could make a huge difference where a jury is concerned.   ‘Julia I can’t get involved.  The children would never forgive me. If there’s a strong enough case against him then he’ll be found guilty, my little snippet about him lying to me isn’t really going to matter.’   I don’t want to argue with Valerie as I can see the state she is in already, but I know from experience how minor pieces of evidence can unlock the minds of wavering jurors, and a lie to a spouse is one of those unforgivable things. Valerie changes the subject. ‘I asked the solicitor about when he might go to trial on the fraud and theft charges but he didn’t know.  What he did say off the record is that if found guilty Geoffrey might get a seven year sentence but would probably serve no more than four.  If he did serve four it would be in an open prison. Not much for ruining so many lives is it?’  ‘I hate to sound vindictive but I hope he goes down for Brian’s murder then.  If he doesn’t there’s no justice in the world.’ Valerie shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head.  ‘Sorry’ she says ‘I didn’t mean to move.’

I'm painting Valerie looking out of the conservatory window, but in the final version she will be set against a background of rocks, the ones I sketched when I first started drawing in the cove. I see her as a lover looking out to sea waiting in vain for her loved one to come home.  It will be full of symbolism just as ‘Julia’s mother watching TV’ is.  I have taken my inspiration from Jan Van Eycke’s paintings although the style is more like Hockney’s ‘Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy.’