Murder in House Read online

  Stewart shook his head. ‘It’s all right, Ellie. After all, if we’d left it to Diana to make the bed, she’d be sleeping on the mattress.’

  ‘I’d have asked Rose to make it up for me,’ said Diana, smiling sweetly. ‘After all, that’s her job, isn’t it? Or isn’t she up to doing even that, nowadays?’

  Ellie pushed the last pillow into place, and realigned the telly so that Diana could watch it in bed. ‘You leave Rose alone. And now I’d better go down and see about supper.’

  ‘Which,’ said Diana, ‘Rose should be doing, right?’

  Ellie ignored her. ‘Stewart, I’ve got some photos I’d like to show you. See if anyone in them rings a bell.’

  Once downstairs, she showed him the photos and he hovered over the one featuring Anthony Prior. ‘It might be him. The same build. But, of course, I didn’t see his face. Who is he?’

  ‘Anthony Prior. Son of the developer. But I can’t be sure, of course.’ Ellie explained how she’d come to tangle with the Prior family, and Stewart nodded.

  He said, ‘You think this man tracked you down to your old house by the entry in the phone book? So he might pay a visit to Denis at Diana’s flat next?’

  This struck both Ellie and Stewart as a beautiful thought. Stewart rubbed a hand over his mouth to stifle a grin. ‘Dear me.’ Not meaning it.

  Ellie didn’t bother to hide her amusement. ‘I’ll tell Diana to warn him.’

  Stewart put his arm around Ellie and gave her a hug. ‘I love you, mother-in-law.’

  She went on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. ‘Call me Ellie, please, son-in-law. It was a good day for us when Diana brought you into the family. Give my love to your darling wife Maria. Now, would it be best if you kept little Frank with you this weekend? I hardly think Diana’s going to be able to look after him.’

  She let him out into the winter evening, double-locked the door, and shot home the bolts.

  What next? Supper for five. In the old days Rose would have thought nothing of rustling up a meal for five, but she might not be up to organizing it now. Ellie’s instinct was correct. Thomas was in the kitchen, throwing together the ingredients for the main course, while Rose sifted something in a bowl. Pastry or crumble topping?

  ‘Mrs Belton’s vegetarian,’ said Thomas, layering lasagne at speed. ‘So I’m making two lots, one veg and one not.’

  Rose looked as fierce as her mild countenance allowed. ‘She says she’s used to a bath sheet, not a fiddly little towel, and would I find her something more suitable. People nowadays don’t ever say “thank you”, do they? I was always taught to say “thank you” for everything I received, and she never even thanked Thomas for getting her a hot drink and some aspirin.’

  ‘Have you put the cheese in the sauce yet, Rose?’ said Thomas. ‘Is there enough for both dishes? Ellie, go and do your phoning. The number’s on my phone pad in the office. I’ll cope here. Lasagne to start with; apple crumble for afters. And there’s some cheese, too, though perhaps not enough.’

  Rose ladled sauce. ‘They should be grateful for what they’re going to get. Not that I’ve ever known Diana say “thank you” for anything.’

  Ellie clapped her hands to her head. ‘Of course. I must phone Ursula—’

  ‘You’d better phone Mr Abrahams first. That’s the doctor who’s looking after Mia, isn’t it? He rang earlier, but wouldn’t tell me what it was about.’

  Ellie went through the hall, ignoring a plaintive cry from Mrs Belton that she’d appreciate someone turning on the television set for her, as she went. Ellie was beginning to share Rose’s opinion about both their unexpected guests.

  Ellie got out the telephone number Mr Abrahams had given her to phone for news of Mia. It matched the one Thomas had taken down on his pad. She knew it was going to be disturbing news, even before she reached him. ‘You asked me to ring you about . . .’ She tried to remember the name he’d given her to use. ‘About Flavia.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Mrs Quicke, but bed rest and antibiotics didn’t do the trick. Flavia started to bleed heavily early this morning, and miscarried at noon. We will have to do a D. & C. to make sure everything’s come away. She’s heavily sedated at the moment, and I don’t think she realizes what’s happened yet. I hope the news will be a relief to her when she comes round, but it may not be. I would welcome some input on this. Do you know how she felt about being pregnant? I couldn’t make out what her feelings were when I told her last night.’

  ‘I know what you mean. She seemed fatalistic and terrified by turns. Everyone I’ve spoken to says she was a nice girl, definitely not the sort to sleep around. I’ve not heard of her having a serious boyfriend, so I suspect the pregnancy was down to rape. But if she had realized she was pregnant, she might have felt she should carry the child to term. You will arrange some counselling for her?’

  ‘Of course. How is the manhunt going?’

  Ellie grimaced. ‘Getting nearer. I’ve got two more victims of vicious attacks under my roof at the moment, though neither is in need of your services, I’m happy to say. Do you think . . . do you have a fax machine there? Would it be possible for you to fax through some photos of Flavia’s injuries? I need something, anything, to take to the police.’

  ‘I’ll do that.’

  The pictures came through within ten minutes, but alas, it was too late to find DI Willis at the police station, though Ellie tried and left a message for the woman to ring her.

  Then she squared her shoulders, flexed her neck, and put in a spot of praying. Dear Lord, this is me again, asking you to help me say the right things to Ursula. She did ask for help – in her own fashion – by going to church for a sit-in. You know far more about this affair than I do. Tell me what to say to her.

  She wasn’t sure that He’d got the message, but lifted the phone and got through to Ursula.

  ‘Ursula, where are you? Are you with friends?’

  Ursula gasped. ‘Is the news that bad?’

  ‘No, but it is disturbing.’

  ‘I’m at the house, which I share with five others. Three of my friends are in the kitchen, but I’ve had my supper, was just settling down to some work. Somebody’s died? Not Mia?’

  ‘Nobody’s died.’ Except the foetus. ‘Ursula, you drew us into this business, but I don’t think you were entirely straight with us. You presented it to us as if it were some kind of puzzle to be solved. You talked of a broken engagement, but you got me to take your ring back. A disappearance, you said, and I agree that you really were worried about Mia. But when you spoke of a murder, you didn’t tell us why you thought it wasn’t an accident, and you weren’t afraid to tackle the man you thought responsible.’

  Ursula caught her breath. ‘Was I right?’

  ‘I think so. It’s time to grow up, Ursula. Stop playing games, because everyone else has.’

  ‘What’s happened? Tell me!’

  ‘Your mother was mugged on her doorstep last night, and spent the night in hospital. She’s all right, apart from cuts and bruises on her face and a sprained wrist, but she had her money, cards and mobile phone stolen from her handbag by two lads in animal masks—’

  ‘Oh, no!’

  ‘And her living room was wrecked. Every piece of furniture turned over, every ornament and every picture smashed.’

  ‘What! Oh, no! I don’t believe it! She’s all right? I must get back, I don’t know how late the trains run, but—’

  ‘Use your head, Ursula. Isn’t that what he wants?’

  ‘What? You mean . . .? No, no! He couldn’t possibly—’

  ‘Your mother phoned me to fetch her from the hospital and when we got to her flat I took a phone call meant for her, which said that Ursula should contact him immediately.’

  An indrawn breath. ‘You mean, he’d go to all those lengths to get me back?’

  ‘Why, Ursula? Why is it so important to him that you return to London?’

  ‘I . . . don’t know. I’ll have to think.’

  ‘All right,
you do some thinking, but while you’re thinking, he’s still trying to find Mia. He knows I took her away, he knows my name, and now he’s trying to find me, in order to recover Mia. He beat up my daughter today because he thought she was me. The police were contacted for your mother’s assault, and also for that of my daughter, but they don’t seem to be tying these two incidents to Mia’s disappearance. Are they right, or wrong?’

  ‘You did say Mia was all right, though. She is, isn’t she?’

  ‘Define “all right”. She’s shattered. She’s been beaten up, raped, and bitten. Some of the bites were going septic. She was also pregnant.’

  Ursula dropped the phone with a wail.

  ‘Ursula! Pick up!’

  Ellie waited. Eventually Ursula picked up the phone. She was crying. ‘Mrs Quicke, don’t go on at me, please! I had no idea! I’ve got to think. I need to speak to my mother.’

  ‘She’s staying with me. I’ll get her to ring you in a little while, after she’s had supper. Now, don’t worry too much about Mia. She’s in a private nursing home and being well cared for. She’ll stay there until she’s well enough to make a statement to the police. She lost the baby, by the way.’

  Ursula was crying hard.

  Ellie put the phone down and sat back in Thomas’s chair, feeling worn out. At some point Thomas had come in and seated himself opposite her. Listening.

  Ellie pressed her hands against her eyelids. ‘Was I too hard on the girl? I don’t know what came over me.’

  Thomas shook his head. ‘She hasn’t been totally honest with us. She was naive, not realizing what a dangerous game she was playing.’

  ‘Thomas, I’m so sorry. I ought to have phoned you before I brought Diana back here, but I couldn’t think what else to do at short notice. So much is happening, so quickly. I’ll find her somewhere else to live tomorrow.’

  ‘Ah, that reminds me. A couple of phone calls: Armand rang to say Kate’s gone off with the littlies to stay with a friend. He says he found your sausages and chops in his car and proposes to eat them this evening with a friend of his from school. He hopes you don’t mind.’

  ‘So he did find them. Good.’

  ‘Then Mrs Belton’s been asking for her daughter. I told her you were trying to contact Ursula this very minute. Meanwhile, we’ve a nice little comedy playing out in the kitchen. Come and see.’

  ‘Ant, where are you? I’ve been sitting outside Ursula’s place for hours and there’s still no sign of her or her mother.’

  ‘That’s ridiculous. She left hospital this morning. I checked. The Man’s going frantic. If we don’t deliver Ursula on time, he’s going to cut his throat.’

  ‘Not really?’

  ‘No, of course not really. But, as usual, it’s left to us to do the dirty work. I’ve been chasing around all day . . . well, never mind that. Why are you ringing? More bad news?’

  ‘I know you don’t think I’ve much in the way of brains, but I’ve been working on the problem. Daniel’s been keeping me company this afternoon. He’s as anxious as we are to see Ursula. He’s reached the stage of being so angry with her that he’d like to do her an injury. We can work on that, can’t we? He says his mum’s got the Quicke woman’s phone number, so what I suggest is this . . .’

  FOURTEEN

  Thursday evening

  As they entered the kitchen, they heard Diana complain, ‘I really don’t see why we have to eat in the kitchen. What’s the matter with the dining room, may I ask?’

  Diana and Mrs Belton were standing side by side, with identical expressions of distaste upon what could be seen of their faces through their cuts and bruises.

  Rose was bending down to take hot plates out of the oven, and what could be seen of her face was pink with indignation. ‘I can’t be expected to traipse food all the way across the hall into the dining room.’

  Ellie rushed into the fray. ‘It’s nice to eat in here in the winter, when the food comes hot to the table. Mrs Belton, would you care to sit here, and Diana beside you?’

  Mrs Belton groaned artistically as she seated herself. ‘I do hope the food isn’t too rich. I’m a martyr to my stomach.’

  Diana snapped out, ‘I could eat a horse.’

  Thomas served Mrs Belton as Rose drained vegetables. ‘Can you manage with one hand, Mrs Belton?’

  Diana stared at Rose. ‘Have you laid a place for yourself, Rose? You aren’t expecting to eat with us, are you?’

  Rose quivered with indignation, then drew herself up to her full five foot. ‘If you’ll excuse me, Ellie, I’ll take my supper next door where I can watch my television programme in peace.’

  Ellie gasped, ‘Rose, no! Diana, how dare you! Apologize at once.’

  Rose tossed her head. ‘It would curdle my digestion to eat at the same table as her.’ She slammed her plate on to a tray and left the room.

  Thomas had his stone face on. He served Ellie and himself without speaking.

  Silence ensued. Then Rose turned her television on next door, and everyone jumped. Rose liked to hear everything properly. Rose liked action films with lots of gunfire and explosions. Loud.

  Ellie said, ‘I trust no one’s going to ask Rose to turn the sound down, after that display of bad manners. Mrs Belton, a glass of apple juice?’

  ‘Nothing stronger?’ asked Diana.

  ‘It is most unwise,’ said Mrs Belton, ‘to drink anything strong when you’re on painkillers.’

  ‘I can take it,’ said Diana, being flippant.

  ‘Well, you didn’t have to spend the night in hospital, as I did.’

  ‘I expect that, as I’m younger than you, I shall recover more quickly.’

  Mrs Belton bridled. ‘I understand you were only attacked by one man, whereas I had two assaulting me.’

  ‘Mine was something of a gorilla—’

  ‘One of mine moved like an eel—’

  ‘Ladies,’ said Thomas, ‘could you manage a trifle more food?’

  Both declined.

  Ellie was puzzled. She’d thought both women had been attacked by the same man, but there seemed to be a discrepancy here. ‘Diana, Stewart said your man was as tall as him and well built, probably in his late twenties. Well dressed.’

  Diana nodded. ‘And strong.’

  ‘Mine were strong, too,’ said Mrs Belton, not willing to be outdone. ‘The one who clasped me from behind, I shudder just to think about it. His breath stank. I don’t know when he visited the dentist last. I can still feel his greasy leather jacket across my throat. I shall have nightmares, I know I will.’

  ‘Leather jacket?’ said Diana. ‘Mine was wearing . . . oh, I don’t know. A good quality suit, I think. Definitely not leather. But his mask . . .’ She pushed her plate away. ‘Ugh. A wolf’s head with a horrible sort of mane.’

  ‘A skeleton,’ insisted Mrs Belton, ‘and a Dracula’s head. As if I could forget!’

  Ellie collected dirty plates and put them into the dishwasher, while Thomas dished up apple crumble and got some cream out of the fridge. As Ellie returned to her seat, she took a good look at the two women, sitting side by side. Mrs Belton’s face bore the most damage on her right side. Diana’s on her left.

  Ellie asked Diana, ‘Was your man left-handed?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘Mine was,’ said Mrs Belton. ‘I don’t know about the man who held me from behind, but the man who hit me was definitely left-handed. Odd how much one remembers, isn’t it? Oh, dear –’ with a hand to the side of her face – ‘I have a horrid feeling that he’s jolted one of my crowns loose.’

  Diana arched her eyebrows. ‘I’m happy to say that my teeth are all my own.’

  ‘Give it time,’ said Mrs Belton, grimly.

  Ellie avoided Thomas’s eye, lest she laugh out loud. What a duel! Who’d have thought Diana could be bested by words. She remembered something she’d meant to do earlier. ‘Diana, you’d better use the landline here to phone Denis; warn him that he might get a visit at your flat.�
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  ‘I don’t need advice from you,’ said Diana, causing everyone else in the room to grit their teeth.

  Mrs Belton waved away the offer of a pudding. ‘I really must speak to my daughter. I expected her to be here long before now. You have children, Ms Quicke?’

  ‘A son. Too young to help.’

  ‘I’m more fortunate than you, there. My daughter is always ready to help.’

  Before Diana could have a fit, Ellie ushered Mrs Belton out of the kitchen. ‘I’ll show you where there’s a phone you can use in private. Press the Redial button and you’ll get through to her.’

  Ellie left Mrs Belton and returned to the kitchen, where Thomas was clearing the table. There was no sign of Diana.

  Thomas said, ‘Diana wants some coffee taken up to her room. I agreed, to keep the peace. I checked on Rose, and she’s OK. What did you make of the two women’s stories?’

  ‘I don’t understand. I thought there was just one attacker, and that he was Anthony Prior, but there seem to be three. Do you agree?’

  ‘Diana’s attacker is different from the other two. Mrs Belton’s assailants were probably younger, from the way she says they moved. One moved like an eel, remember? Of her two, one was left-handed and the other had bad breath and wore a leather jacket. But, they all wore masks.’

  ‘Masks are the trademark of the youngsters who’ve been creating mayhem locally – supposedly a teenage gang. Now where did I get that idea from? Not sure it’s even right – but Anthony Prior isn’t a yob, is he? I’m bewildered. I thought the attacks were all tied up with someone looking for Mia, and now I don’t know what’s going on.’

  ‘I think you’re right, and they are.’

  ‘I wish I knew what to do next; apart from getting rid of Diana, that is.’

  ‘My love.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Your instincts are infallible. How do you propose to do it?’

  She couldn’t help grinning. ‘I’m rather hoping that Anthony – or whoever it is in the wolf mask – is about to pay Denis a visit. With any luck, our most unfavourite estate agent will end up in hospital, and Diana can get her flat back.’