Murder By Committee Read online

  Ellie thought that they deserved one another.

  He didn't reply to Felicity. Just stood there, frowning slightly. He said, ‘I need a drink.’ He set off down the corridor which led to his den, leaving the three women alone.

  Felicity began to gather her things together again. Ellie helped her.

  Diana perched herself on a hall chair. ‘Can I be of any assistance?’

  ‘No, thank you,’ said Felicity, dumping her clothing on the hall table. ‘I'll get some plastic bags from the kitchen to put these in, and then I'll go.’

  Ellie added the jewellery case and photo albums to the heap, but didn't follow Felicity out to the kitchen.

  Instead, she faced Diana across the hall. She said, ‘Diana, don't do this.’

  ‘Why ever not? Their marriage is well and truly broken. Nothing to do with me.’

  ‘Arthur is not a nice man.’

  Diana smiled. ‘I don't have any choice. I have to make my own way in the world - since you refused to help me.’

  ‘You can't put this on me. I've helped you many times in the past, but there has to be a limit.’

  ‘If you loved me …’

  Ellie sighed. ‘I love you, but I don't think I like you very much.’

  ‘I do what I have to do to survive.’

  ‘Does that include signing my death warrant?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know Arthur's reputation. He's ruthless and not above using questionable tactics to get his own way. When you sold your interest in my house, didn't it occur to you to wonder how soon I'd meet with a fatal accident, so that he could develop the site?’

  Diana gaped.

  Ellie clasped her hands together. ‘Use your head, Diana! He's no philanthropist. Why should he pay you all that money, if he didn't think he could cash in pretty soon?’

  A tiny sound made both women look up. Felicity had come through from the kitchen, with another armful of belongings and some large plastic bags, which she dumped with the rest of her things on the table.

  Ellie turned back to Diana, but it was too late, for her daughter's face was set against her. Ellie sighed. ‘You'd better tell Arthur straight away - if he hasn't already found out by looking at his faxes - I made a new will this afternoon leaving everything to the trust. You don't get anything from me.’

  ‘Diana, what does this mean?’ said Arthur, reappearing with a large glass of whisky in one hand and a fax in the other. ‘You showed me a copy of your father's will, which left you half the house at your mother's death, and you said you'd get the other half when she died. Here's a copy of a will she's just made, and it doesn't leave you anything. If you've tried to cheat me …’

  Felicity repeated what Ellie had said. ‘Ellie made a will this afternoon, leaving everything to a trust fund. You can't touch her now.’

  Diana looked into space. Then - and Ellie had to admire her for this - she stood to face Arthur. ‘I'd no idea my mother hated me so much. I'll tear your cheque up, now.’

  She delved into the pretty bag that hung over one shoulder, and produced a cheque, which she tore into small pieces and let fall to the floor.

  She took a step towards him. She didn't cringe or plead as Felicity might have done. She challenged him instead. ‘On the other hand, you said you'd made a killing this morning … and half a loaf's better than none, isn't it? And perhaps I have other - qualities - which might compensate …’

  She raised her arms and put them around his neck. His breathing quickened. He dropped his glass on to the table, and crushed the fax in his fist as she closed her eyes and kissed him. His arms went around her, and he kissed her back.

  Felicity said, in a tiny voice, ‘I think I've seen enough.’ She'd already filled two plastic bags with her belongings, and now she shook out another, to fill that.

  Arthur broke away from Diana, but retained her hand in his. He said to Felicity, ‘I want to see what you're removing from my house.’

  ‘Be my guest,’ said Felicity. She held things up so that he could see them as she stuffed them into the bags. ‘My recipe books, my gardening books, my trowel and small fork, my gardening gloves, my favourite saucepan, which I bought with my own money …’

  ‘All right, all right. Why don't you take a suitcase?’

  ‘They're all marked with your initials,’ said Felicity. ‘This is my library book, the picture my mother gave me, my winter boots and coat, my black ski pants - not that you ever took me skiing …’

  ‘Enough! Leave your keys on the table. Keep the car, if you can pay the garage bill. I'll need your address. You'll hear from my solicitor about a divorce, but don't expect alimony. If you choose to leave me, then that's desertion, and you don't get a penny.’

  Felicity stuffed her remaining belongings into the last plastic bag, and got out her mobile. ‘I'll get in touch with a solicitor as soon as I can, and we'll work something out that's fair to everybody. Ellie, what's the number of your minicab firm?’

  Ellie wasn't good at remembering numbers, but she could remember that one. She gave it to Felicity, who asked for a cab straight away.

  Felicity started to carry her bags out to the porch, and Ellie helped her. Diana stayed close to Arthur, smiling at him, and not taking any notice of her mother at all.

  Oh, Diana, thought Ellie. How could you?

  Arthur watched them go. Ellie wondered how soon he'd regret having lost his wife. He must have appreciated her once. Surely he hadn't married her solely out of spite?

  One last trip. Felicity draped her winter coat over her shoulders and looked around the hall. Saying goodbye? Would she miss the big house, and the status her marriage had given her? Possibly she'd miss the dog most.

  Arthur shed Diana's hand. Perhaps he still had some feelings for Felicity. He said, ‘You can tell your father …’

  Felicity shook her head. ‘I haven't seen or talked to my father since I was a child, and I've no intention of seeing him again. Or you. But I think you should know that my half-brother Julian has taken a turn for the worse, and it's touch and go whether he lives or dies. I hope the police get you for that.’

  Arthur stared at her, and made as if to speak. Diana touched him on the shoulder, but he ignored her.

  Felicity joined Ellie in the porch, slamming the door behind her. She looked around her. ‘I'll miss not having a dog. He was going to get a bigger dog this time. A Labrador. I would have liked that. But … I'll survive.’

  Eighteen

  The minicab came, and in no time at all they drew up outside Ellie's house. ‘I'll pay,’ said Felicity. ‘I've enough money for that.’

  ‘No need. I've an account with the firm.’

  The cab driver knew Ellie, of course, and was happy to help them struggle down the pathway and dump the luggage into the hall.

  Ellie picked up a couple of bags. ‘I think there's enough room in the wardrobe and chest of drawers in your bedroom.’ Felicity stopped her. ‘Hold on a minute. I just want to make sure the cab's gone.’

  She looked out of the door. It had. She shut the door, and set her back to it. ‘You'll think me paranoid, but Arthur heard you give the telephone number of the cab firm, and knowing him, he'll ring them soon, to check that you've actually brought me here.’

  Ellie nodded. ‘So …?’

  ‘There's rather more in one of those bags than my belongings. I put Arthur's laptop and mobile in, before he started checking on me. They were on the table with all my stuff, you see.’ The girl could act innocent when she wanted to.

  ‘Ah,’ said Ellie. ‘So what do you want to do with them?’

  Felicity's chin came out. ‘I thought Miss Quicke might help us, if we took the laptop over there. Or your friend … Kate, is it? Someone who'd be able to use the information on the laptop and mobile to upset Arthur's nasty little plans. As for the mobile, don't you think the police would be interested in hearing what he's been up to, if my half-brother dies?’

  ‘Felicity, you're amazing!’ Ellie looked at the p
hone. The answerphone light was flashing. As usual. She never seemed able to leave the house without someone ringing her, wanting something from her.

  Ellie tried to think quickly. ‘Not Kate. It wouldn't be fair to involve her. She's too vulnerable, because of the baby. It would be best to take the stuff straight away to Aunt Drusilla's. They're expecting us for supper, and she's got the sharpest brain on the block. We can ring the police from there. I'll get hold of a black taxi cab; they've got a rank outside the station. Then if Arthur checks with the minicab firm, he won't be able to trace us.’

  Felicity dragged some of her bags upstairs, while Ellie phoned. She ignored the flashing light on the answerphone, and found a shopping basket to put the laptop and mobile in. She looked in a couple of obvious places, but still couldn't find her own mobile.

  Unlike Arthur's mansion, Miss Quicke's house looked very much alive. It was well cared for, nowadays, and no one had sprayed graffiti on its doors. Welcoming lights were on in the porch, Roy was just coming across from his quarters in the converted garage at the side, and into the drive behind them drove Thomas, tooting merrily.

  Rose opened the door, wiping her hands on her apron, and crying out a welcome.

  Felicity gave a little sob. ‘You're so lucky to have all this, Ellie!’ ‘I know I am,’ said Ellie. ‘But each of these people has had to overcome - oh, not what you've been through - but still, a lot.’

  Felicity followed Ellie into the hall, where Miss Quicke leaned on her stick, lifting her face to be kissed by one and all.

  ‘Supper's ready,’ cried Rose.

  Ellie stopped her. ‘Could it wait? Maybe half an hour? We've got something that needs doing first. Urgently.’

  Miss Quicke nodded and led the way to the drawing room, while Rose squawked and dived off to the kitchen to turn the oven off. In the drawing room, long velvet curtains had been closely drawn against the dank evening outside, and there was a simulated-log gas fire burning in the hearth, adding to the overall warmth of the central heating.

  ‘Pour us all a sherry, will you, Roy?’ said Miss Quicke, ensconcing herself in her high-backed chair.

  ‘Not for me,’ said Felicity, nervous now that she had to explain herself. ‘Ellie, will you tell them?’

  So Ellie did. They all knew some of it, but not everything. Enough that they could follow and understand the importance of what Felicity had done.

  Felicity drew out the mobile and laptop. ‘So, what do I do now? I took them on impulse, and immediately regretted it because if he'd caught me …’ She drew in her breath. ‘If I could have taken them out of the bag again, I would have done so, but he'd have seen me and realized what I'd done. He'll miss them quite soon, unless Diana gives him something else to think about for a while. When he does miss them, he'll know what's happened to them, and he'll come after me. I don't know exactly what incriminating information he may have here, but …’

  ‘Enough.’ Miss Quicke set her sherry glass down with a snap. ‘We must copy the hard drive, of course. I have my computer set up next door. Felicity, you will help me.’

  Ellie eyed her aunt with admiration. ‘I wouldn't know how to begin.’

  ‘There are such things as manuals, aren't there? Also, I have an excellent relationship with the little man who supplies me with all my equipment, and if I run into trouble, I can always ring him up and ask his advice.’

  ‘On a Sunday night?’ asked Roy.

  ‘At any time,’ said Miss Quicke. ‘I make it worth his while.’

  Thomas stroked his beard. ‘It's theft, of course.’

  ‘Thomas,’ said Miss Quicke, ‘if you feel that helping us would compromise your position, then you must leave immediately. Only, I do trust that you won't give us away to Sir Arthur.’

  ‘No, I won't do that.’

  ‘Good. Now, Thomas, you forget about the laptop and concentrate on getting the information on the mobile to the police. It's my belief they can find out what calls he's been making without having the mobile actually in their hands, but they might find it useful to check on any recorded messages and copy them.’

  She held out her hand to Felicity, who helped her to stand. Miss Quicke's face quivered with pain, but she was not about to give in.

  Felicity said, ‘I suppose I'd better turn off my own mobile, because he'll ring me as soon as …’

  Her mobile trilled at that point. She turned paper-white and swayed, but Miss Quicke's grasp on her arm tightened. ‘Turn it off, girl. Now!’

  Felicity fumbled for her mobile and turned it off. She looked at it. ‘It was him.’

  ‘Right. So now we know what we're up against. He's discovered his loss and is looking for you. He may go to Ellie's but he won't know where else to look if you're not there. Roy! Tell Rose that supper will have to wait.’

  As they went out, Thomas picked up the phone. ‘I'll try to get hold of the policeman we saw yesterday.’ He hung on for ages till someone finally answered. No, DS Robertson was not available. Neither was DC Smith. Someone would take a message, if it was important.

  ‘Can I speak to someone dealing with the attempted murder of the Talbot boy?’

  A long wait. Thomas beat tattoos on the table. Ellie sank into a chair and gazed into the fireplace. How long before Arthur tracked them down?

  Eventually Thomas put the phone down with what was, for him, a rare moment of anger. ‘They've taken a note that we have some important information for them, and will pass the information on soonest. Which is not going to help us if Sir Arthur tracks us down. What to do now?’

  Ellie said, ‘I could speak to Chris Talbot. I used your mobile to ring him earlier, so you should be able to raise him. Maybe he'll have some ideas.’

  Chris Talbot replied on the third ring.

  ‘Mr Talbot. Ellie Quicke here, with some good and some bad news. But first, how is Julian?’

  The calm voice was as controlled as ever, but a slight tremor showed fear had entered his life. ‘He's a fighter. We hope, we pray.’

  ‘Same here. The bad news first. Arthur thinks he sorted everything out this morning with his friends. You might like to check that your alliance is still in place. Now for the good news: Felicity has left Arthur and managed to bring away his laptop and mobile with her … what did you say? Are you still there?’

  ‘Yes. Continue.’

  ‘He may have missed them already. We're going to try to copy the hard drive, get as much information as we can, and return both to him quickly. Hopefully without him suspecting anything. Only, although my aunt knows a lot about computers, we don't necessarily have the right equipment. We thought it might be good to copy the recorded messages on the mobile, but again, we're not sure how. We've tried the police, but there's no one there who knows anything about the case at the moment.’

  ‘Let me think.’ He sounded stronger now. ‘Can you bring them up to my office in town? I can get someone to meet us there, someone who knows how to copy hard drives. I can't send my car for you, since I'll need it to get there myself. Take a cab. I'll pay. Bring the mobile too.’

  Thomas frowned, but Roy called out, ‘I'll bring them. Tell me where and when.’

  Chris Talbot heard that. He said, ‘Mrs Quicke, you know where. I'll have someone meet you in the foyer. Um, will Felicity …?’

  ‘I don't know. I'll ask her,’ said Ellie.

  He rang off, and Ellie went through into the dining room next door, which Miss Quicke used as her office. Miss Quicke had the laptop open, and was talking on her phone. ‘So you see, it's really urgent. You say all you need is your laptop and a connection to make them speak to one another? You can do it straight away? Good. We'll give you supper, of course, and make it worth your while. Now, what about the mobile …? No, I understand.’

  She switched off. ‘He'll be here in half an hour with his laptop. He says it'll take about an hour to copy the hard drive on to his computer, and then we can access the information at our leisure. Unfortunately he doesn't know how to transfer messages f
rom a mobile phone. I suggest we listen to what messages there may be on the mobile and Ellie can take them down in shorthand and type them out for us. No need to involve Mr Talbot.’

  ‘He's very keen to do something,’ said Ellie. ‘His son's fighting for his life.’

  ‘I realize that,’ said Miss Quicke, ‘but he's too deeply involved in this to be an impartial witness. If we get Jock to do it, he's an independent expert and the police can use whatever he can get for us. Mr Talbot is an interested party and the police could say that he might have tampered with the evidence.’

  Ellie said, ‘You're right, as usual. I'll ring him back and tell him what we've arranged. Save him a trip into London.’

  Rose was twittering in the doorway. ‘Is it all right to take the food in now? I've already dished up and it's been keeping warm, but I don't want it to spoil.’

  Miss Quicke struggled to her feet, her face calm but her hands trembling. ‘Yes, take it in, Rose. We might as well eat while we're waiting for Jock. Remember to put some aside for him. That boy doesn't eat enough to keep a cat alive.’

  Everyone processed back to the drawing room, where Rose had put up the side leaves of a pretty Pembroke table, and laid it for four: Thomas and Roy, Ellie and Felicity. Miss Quicke had hers on a tray on her lap beside the fire.

  As Ellie got through to Mr Talbot, Rose brought in plates of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, parsnips and Brussels sprouts. Thomas's eye brightened. ‘Rose, if ever you get tired of working for Miss Quicke, you can come and be my housekeeper and cook!’

  Rose went pink. ‘Oh, but I'd never get tired of … Ellie knows … and Miss Quicke, too! It's a pleasure to …’

  Miss Quicke patted her arm, smiling. ‘My dear Rose, take it as a compliment.’

  Ellie went out into the hall to hear Mr Talbot better on Thomas's mobile. ‘Mr Talbot? Panic over. My aunt's got some expert to come in and copy the hard drive. It'll only take about an hour. So there's no need for you to traipse all the way into town. Save you a journey.’

  ‘I'd prefer to supervise this myself. I don't trust anonymous “experts”.’