Murder by Suggestion Read online

  The dogs began to bark as she raised her voice.

  Terry laughed. ‘Get away with you, you tired old hag! I told Walt, it’s more than time he got rid of you and picked something juicier. I’m happy to see he’s done just that!’

  Russet shrieked, ‘Walt was worth a dozen of you, you nasty little boil, spitting out poison every time you open your …’ She stopped and reached for the newel post at the bottom of the stairs to steady herself. She dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘You don’t know, do you?’

  ‘What? Quiet, dogs!’ They whined, cringing away from him. Were they expecting another slap?

  ‘You really don’t know?’ Russet broke into a painful laugh. Then stopped herself, fighting for self-control. She leaned against the banister for support.

  Ellie stirred herself. ‘This has gone on long enough.’ She checked that Barbie was looking after Trish, and that Susan and Kat were too far away to help Russet. Ellie helped Russet to sit on the bottom stair. Then she faced Terry. ‘Your friend Walt died yesterday afternoon by falling down the stairs.’

  He blustered, ‘What absolute nonsense! That’s ridiculous! I don’t know who you are, but what you don’t seem to know is that my good friend Walt had a very good reason to throw Russet out yesterday morning. And as for you …’

  Thomas moved closer to Ellie on one side, and Rafael stepped up on the other.

  Ellie said, ‘My name is Mrs Quicke. This is my husband, Thomas, and this is Rafael, a good friend of ours. Together we have been looking after your wife and her friends. I understand that you didn’t know Walt had died when you came here, but that’s no excuse for your bad behaviour. I suggest that you check with the police at the earliest opportunity to find out what’s been happening. They will no doubt want to ask you various questions. Now I must ask you to leave. Your wife’s injury has been photographed and can be used in evidence against you if you try to contact her again without her permission. She needs a period of recuperation among friends before she decides what to do in the future, so—’

  Terry sneered. ‘Walt’s dead? I don’t believe it. I’d have heard if that had happened. Trish has fooled you with some wild tale or other. She’s not quite the thing, you know. She sleeps around. She needs to be with someone who knows how to make her behave herself. So, get out of my way, old woman.’

  Old woman! Ellie winced. Thomas drew in his breath sharply. Ellie felt rather than saw that Rafael was smiling. Not nicely.

  Terry called up the stairs. ‘Come along, Trish. Playtime’s over. You’ve wallowed in your fantasy long enough, with your “so-called” friends egging you on, no doubt. When you’re ready to admit your mistakes, I’ll forgive you. Right. So, it’s time to get back to real life. You can leave your car here while you take the dogs for a walk. I’ve a meeting in fifteen minutes, but I’ll be back for lunch and I expect you to be home with food ready for me by then, right?’ He grinned, revealing prominent eye teeth.

  Everyone looked up. Trish was holding on to Barbie … or Barbie was holding on to Trish. Someone whimpered. Maybe it was the dogs, who were also looking up at Trish. They’d recognized her, hadn’t they? One of them tried to get to the stairs, trying to reach Trish. The other, kept on a shorter chain, tried to follow but was held back with a curse from Terry.

  He said, ‘Come on, girl! I haven’t all day.’

  Trish managed to get to her feet. She pushed Barbie away and made it to the head of the stairs. She took two trembling steps down and stopped. ‘Let the dogs come to me.’

  Terry released them, and they shot up the stairs to press themselves against Trish. She cradled their heads and hugged them. She wept. Perhaps the dogs did, too. It was clear they loved her, and that she loved them.

  Trish wanted children. Terry didn’t give them to her. She’d made the dogs a substitute for children. She won’t be able to let them go.

  Trish stood up, her hands on the heads of the dogs. ‘Terry, I swear I’ve always been faithful to you. I need some space to think about what’s been happening in our marriage, so I’m going to stay with my parents for a bit.’

  His mouth turned ugly. ‘So you’d walk out on me, would you? And the dogs? I was serious, you know. If you refuse to look after them, you leave me no option but to have them put down.’

  A sharp intake of breath from Russet, and a ‘No!’ from Barbie.

  Ellie tried to think. Surely vets refuse to put down healthy dogs, although they would offer to rehome them. Did Trish know that? Apparently not. Would she give in? Probably.

  Rafael said, ‘That’s blackmail!’

  Trish swiped tears from her cheeks. ‘Terry, this is not like you. I know you love the dogs, too. But I can’t … I won’t …!’ She bent to kiss the dogs again, and then gave them a little push. ‘I love you. Go back to your master. Off you go.’

  Obedient as ever, they descended the stairs but kept turning their heads back to check that she really intended to dismiss them.

  Terry’s colour rose. ‘I mean it, Trish. You will be responsible for their deaths, not I.’

  Rafael stepped forward. He picked up the trailing dog leads and gestured the dogs to his side. Rafael was the sort of person whom people obeyed, and the dogs knew it. They pricked up their ears and eyed him with the whites of their eyes showing but made no resistance when he twitched on their leads to get them standing at his side.

  Rafael said, ‘You have handed the dogs over to Trish to care for, so care for them she shall. Trish, I know you have nowhere to take them for the moment, so may I suggest that until you can make proper arrangements for them, I put them into kennels for you?’

  ‘What!’ Terry couldn’t get his head round this. ‘You can’t do that!’

  ‘Yes, I can,’ said Rafael. ‘We’ve all just heard you hand them over to her.’

  Not exactly, no. Terry didn’t say that, and he didn’t mean that. But if Rafael’s words made Terry rethink …?

  Russet gave a hard little laugh. ‘That’s right. You did. I heard you. Terry, you said you couldn’t keep the dogs and you said you were giving them to Trish to look after.’

  Barbie hung over the banisters. ‘I heard him, too.’

  Susan shouted down from above, ‘Rafael, I love you!’

  ‘Ditto, ditto,’ said Rafael, teeth gleaming as he looked up at her.

  ‘What …!’ Terry gibbered. Then swung round on Thomas. ‘What lie is this? I didn’t mean I was giving them to her, and you know it. He’s twisting my words. What he’s proposing is theft!’

  Ellie saw Thomas struggle with his conscience. He knew Terry hadn’t meant to give the dogs to Trish. He also knew that what Terry had been doing amounted to blackmail.

  Ellie spoke up. ‘Terry, you did say you wanted Trish to look after the dogs. You said that if she didn’t take them, you were going to have them put down. In effect, you condemned them to death. As you have said they should die, then they are as good as dead. What Rafael is going to do with two dogs he’s rescued from death is his own business.’

  Terry gaped. ‘That’s not what I meant at all! These are two very valuable, pedigree dogs. I paid a pretty penny for them on the understanding that she would look after them and, well, I don’t slobber over them as she does, but … Well, they’re mine. They’re part of the household.’

  Rafael said, ‘Shall I buy them off you?’

  ‘No, I …’ He looked wildly around. ‘Trish, I didn’t mean … This is not how this is supposed to work.’ He turned on Rafael. ‘As for you, you keep out of this, Mister whatever your name is!’

  ‘My card,’ said Rafael, producing one from his back pocket. ‘As you have condemned the dogs to death, you won’t have the cost of feeding them in future. On the other hand, if you want to return them to life at some point, then I’ll let you have the bill from the kennels for their keep. Understood?’

  Russet applauded. Barbie laughed, and joined in. As did Susan and Kat.

  Finally, Thomas shrugged. And smiled.

  Ellie pu
lled the front door open and gestured for Terry to leave.

  Terry hesitated. Would he leave without the dogs? How much did he really care for them?

  He said, ‘No, I can’t …’ He grabbed the dogs’ leads from Rafael, and said, ‘Heel, boys!’

  The dogs obeyed him, and Terry whisked them out of the house.

  Ellie watched Terry put the dogs in the back of his car and get into the driver’s seat. Spurting gravel, he drove away, narrowly missing the gatepost as he did so.

  She closed the door on the outside world and turned to find Trish had come down the stairs and was hanging on Rafael’s neck. ‘Thank you. You were brilliant! He didn’t really mean it about putting them down. He does love them, you know. The first thing he does when he gets home at night is to take them out to the common and throw a ball for them to catch.’

  Barbie said, ‘It was all a bluff, Trish. Someone primed him to lean on your love for the dogs so that you’d return to him.’

  Ellie said, ‘You think someone has been putting ideas into Terry’s head?’

  Barbie said, ‘On the button. It’s that slimy toad, Rupert. Always going on about men being the master of the house and women needing to be shown their place in the world. Rafael, I’d like to shake your hand. Shaking hands may be old fashioned, but some sort of gesture seems to be called for.’

  ‘Oh, no!’ said Kat, welling up with tears. ‘It’s not Rupert. I’m sure not.’

  Of course it is!

  Trish hung on Rafael’s arm. ‘I did wonder if he’d let me take the dogs, but when I spoke to my parents and my sister last night I realized it wasn’t possible. My parents have just downsized to a second-floor flat, and my sister’s a worse case because she lives miles away and works from nine to five. I’d never in a million years have thought that Terry would want to kill them. I’m sure he never thought that up himself.’

  Barbie nodded. She rolled her eyes at Russet, who nodded in agreement. They were both of the opinion that Rupert had been getting at Terry.

  Trish went on, ‘I do see that I have to let things calm down. When I’ve spent a few days with my parents, maybe I can come back here and get a job so that I can take the dogs out now and then. I’m sure I can get some work as a supply teacher. If I can’t, then I’ll go in as a teaching assistant somewhere.’

  ‘Atta girl!’ said Russet. ‘Congratulations on standing up to Terry for once.’

  Ellie thought, but did not say, that neither a supply teaching job, nor that of a teaching assistant would give Trish enough money to live on in their expensive neighbourhood. But if she divorced Terry, he would be forced to make her some sort of allowance so maybe her scheme would work.

  Susan and Kat came downstairs to join them. Susan looked at her watch. ‘I’m sorry to hurry everyone, but I’ve got half an hour before I have to be in college. I could do coffee or tea and toast for you all if you’d like?’

  There was a general move towards the kitchen.

  They all heard a key turn in the lock on the front door and turned to see who it was. Diana. She was dressed for the office in her usual black and white, but there were dark shadows under her eyes.

  ‘What?’ said Ellie. ‘You’ve been out already? Diana, don’t you realize that—’

  ‘I wanted to see my son before he went off to nursery, but they wouldn’t let me into the house and he didn’t come out. I think they’ve moved him somewhere.’

  Ellie said, ‘But, how did you get out of this house?’

  ‘I came down early. That long streak that’s engaged to your cook person was on guard. He doesn’t like me for some reason and I didn’t want to have to explain where I was going to him – or anyone else for that matter. So I went round the landing and down the back stairs into the kitchen and got out that way. I thought it was going to be a nice day but it looks like rain again. I did go on to the nursery just in case he might have gone there early. I waited till they were all in, and I checked with the organizers, who were very rude, I must say. I mean, who’s been paying the bills, eh? Apparently my son is not going there any longer. So I dropped into the doctor’s to make an appointment for you to see him with me this afternoon at three sharp, and came home. So, is breakfast ready?’

  Without waiting for a reply, Diana marched off to the kitchen.

  Ellie tried to grapple with this and failed. A doctor’s appointment? Diana had been out and about, without reflecting that this might deprive her of an alibi? Ah, but she didn’t know there was any need for her to have an alibi, was there?

  Rafael had been having a quiet word with Susan, but now broke off to speak to Ellie. ‘I haven’t much on today. I’ve got an errand to run, but I’ll drop back later, right?’

  Thomas was also looking at his watch. ‘Can you manage, Ellie? I’ll be off, too, if you don’t mind. I’ve had a cup of coffee already and I’ve set up an appointment with a different printer for half nine. Ring me if there’s a problem.’

  Exit the two men.

  Russet fingered her phone. ‘Barbie, what do you think? I’ve got to get back home. I need to see Walt. Where do you think they’ll have taken the body? And the house. Did the ambulance men have to break in to attend to him? I ought to be there. Heavens! I’ve got to start ringing round, making arrangements for the funeral. I suppose I have to see his solicitor, too. Walt made a will in my favour when we got married so that’s all right, but there’s so much to be done. The bank, his credit cards and driving licence. I know you’ve just been through all this. It’s all rather daunting, isn’t it?’

  Barbie said, ‘You’re right, there. I’m thinking I shouldn’t have let them walk all over me yesterday. I’m sure I can rustle up enough paperwork to prove that the miniatures are mine, but it will take time to organize. Would you like me to come with you, see you through the worst of it? I could book into a hotel, stay somewhere local for a couple of days if it helps.’

  ‘Would you? Stay with me, of course. I didn’t like to ask, but that would be …’ Her eyes starred with tears.

  ‘Come on.’ Barbie shepherded Russet up the stairs. ‘Let’s get dressed and put our war paint on.’

  As they went their way, Ellie heard Russet say, ‘I know Walt was a right old whatsit, but I’m going to miss him, I really am. I was just thinking – there’s his case of wine that I bought for him, and I must collect his dry cleaning, too, though what I’m going to do with it I don’t know. My brother’s going to try to come over later today – you’ve met him, haven’t you? He says he can’t stay long and he’s not that good in an emergency, but … Then I ought to ring the people we were supposed to be dining with last night.’

  Ellie told herself that she had to take control of the situation, which was getting out of hand. Nobody should be making plans till they knew if the police were going to act or not.

  First things first. Breakfast.

  In the kitchen, Ellie found a red-faced Susan emptying the dishwasher and spinning plates and mugs on to the table while a kettle screamed and Diana lectured her about the correct way to lay a table.

  Ellie said, ‘Leave it, Diana. Thank you, Susan. You’ve done more than enough. Off you go or you’ll be late. We’ll manage. I’ll make some tea and a cafetière of coffee, too.’

  Diana flounced into a chair, saying, ‘There’s a right and wrong way to do things, and there’s such a thing as letting things get too slack. Susan takes advantage of your good nature, Mother. Now I’m here, things are going to have to change. I’ll have a boiled egg and some dry toast, tea without milk, nothing else.’

  Susan ignored Diana to say, low-voiced, ‘Mrs Quicke, it’s that time of the month for Kat. She needs tampons and her husband didn’t think to pack her toiletries. I’ve fixed her up for now, but she needs to shop for her own.’

  ‘Thank you, Susan. I’ll deal with it.’

  Susan seized her jacket and a tote bag and made her way out … which is when Midge appeared for his breakfast. At least Ellie knew what the cat would eat. What would the
others want?

  Barbie came in, looking immaculate. How on earth did she do it in the time? She was followed by a wan-looking Russet. Behind them came a pale-faced Trish, shepherded by Kat. They were all trying to smile, after a fashion.

  Kat said, ‘I can help, no?’

  Trish tried to pretend everything was normal. ‘We’ll all help. Tell me what to do, Mrs Quicke. Do you have any cereal? Shall I boil some eggs or fry some bacon? Where is the toaster?’

  ‘Cereal on the dresser, milk and fruit juice in the fridge. Saucepan for eggs under that counter, eggs are on the shelf above. Will everyone have cereal and eggs? And perhaps something from the fruit bowl as well?’

  Somehow everyone got fed. Diana was good enough not to criticize her mother for serving tea and coffee in mugs and not in the best china. Ellie did make one mistake. She put the cafetière down on the table near Diana, who turned pale and moved it away from her. Ah, pregnant women often can’t stand the scent of good coffee, can they?

  There wasn’t much conversation. They all had too much to think about.

  Ellie made a note to do another shop as they were running out of staples. But how many should she cater for? Lesley wanted them all to stay but it might not be possible to arrange that? Ellie made another pot of tea and some more coffee before gesturing for silence.

  ‘Now, ladies, a word. Some of you met my friend Lesley here yesterday afternoon. Apart from being a friend, she is also a police officer. She has taken copies of the emails you sent around to one another as a joke and will be presenting them to her superior officer this morning, to see if they consider the situation warrants investigation.’

  Frowns all round. They were bemused, not frightened.

  Barbie said, ‘Bunny got his pills mixed up. I told the policewoman who came round. He was a bit of an idiot about his pills, I know, but—’

  Ellie tried not to ratchet up the tension. ‘I know. You explained. It was all perfectly understandable until it was revealed that one of your friends had suggested killing someone off in that way.’

  More furrowing of brows. A couple of reluctant nods. Diana shrugged, trying to pretend that this was nothing to do with her.