Murder by Suggestion Read online

  Ellie said, ‘I’m arranging a meeting this afternoon with the parties concerned. Perhaps we might get some idea of the truth then.’

  ‘You are a brave woman, Mrs Quicke. Look what’s happened so far. Your house might have gone up in flames too if you hadn’t a couple of men around to protect you.’

  ‘True. I’m wondering if you have some protection yourself that you might have overlooked. Is your household insurance up to date, and will it cover your loss of personal goods outside your house?’

  Barbie’s legs gave way and she sat on the bed. ‘I’m losing the plot. Why didn’t I think of that? Yes, of course it would. Ah, but will that cow Fenella allow me to get at the paperwork, which is all in Bunny’s study?’

  ‘Your solicitor should be able to get you access.’

  ‘He’s not been terribly helpful so far. Bunny’s family solicitor never cared for me because he’s some kind of cousin of dear Fenella’s. He could hardly hide his pleasure when I went to ask him about my husband’s will. Bunny had told me he was drawing up a new will leaving me everything, but his solicitor said he hadn’t got round to signing it, and therefore the earlier will, made when Sam was a little boy, must stand. It’s true Fenella doesn’t gain from it, but their wretched son gets the lot.’

  ‘Was there a prenuptial agreement when you married?’

  Barbie looked away. ‘You know, don’t you?’

  Ellie sighed. ‘I did wonder. You were never actually married to Bunny?’

  ‘No, I wasn’t. We met soon after he’d thrown Fenella out. I thought at first he was a funny little man but nice with it. I was taller than him, you see, and we did look odd together. But the more I got to know him, the more I found to admire. Do you know that bitch Fenella used to inflate all the bills and take a cut off each one? And the boy, who by all accounts was a sweet little lad, was so spoiled by Fenella that he developed into a bully who was constantly being asked to move schools. She said it was everyone’s else fault and that Sam was an angel. Every time Bunny tried to correct the lad, Fenella said he was a sadist who should never be allowed near children. She dug away at his self-confidence, telling him how ridiculous he was and how nobody could possibly respect him. He was a successful businessman, he really was, and brilliant at sniffing out a bargain in the auction rooms. What she did to him was a crime in itself, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, I rather think it was.’

  ‘Bunny had a heart of gold, used to do all sorts of good in the community but kept quiet about it. If she ever found out he’d given someone a helping hand, she’d say he was a fool, that he was being conned, while all the time it was she who was the hustler. Don’t take my word for it; Evan and Terry knew all about it, too. And Walt. It cost Bunny an arm and a leg to be rid of her, and after that he was wary of committing himself to another relationship. His friends accepted me as Bunny’s partner when I moved in with him. We went away on holiday together and when we got back, everyone thought we’d actually done the deed and I wore a gold band on my ring finger and, well … that was it. It didn’t seem to matter that we weren’t married.’

  ‘You began to think of regularizing the position when Bunny’s health worsened?’

  ‘Yes, we were going to have a quick visit to the registry office at the end of this month. Witnesses off the street, no fuss, no bother. That’s when he said he’d make a new will in my favour. We had so many good years, you know. We worked well together and were careful of one another’s failings. I can’t say it was a great romance, but I miss him more than I can say.’

  There was a tap on the door, and there stood Trish with an armful of clothing. ‘Oh, Mrs Quicke. I can’t remember; is it Russet in here, or Barbie?’

  Barbie cried out, ‘Come in!’ And Trish came in.

  Ellie looked at her watch, ‘Barbie; Trish. Time’s getting on. Can I quickly tell you what’s been happening this morning, and what I have in mind to do to prevent this nightmare getting any worse?’

  Trish put her hand to her mouth. ‘It can get worse? I suppose you’re right, but we don’t know who’s been doing this. Do we?’

  Ellie was grim. ‘I have an idea. This afternoon I want to get everyone round the table to talk about it. Meanwhile, can you two look after Russet? I’ve given her some painkillers but she can’t wash herself or do her hair or dress without help. Put a plastic bag over her bandaged hand so that she can have a shower, but for the rest … Can you two help her look reasonable again? Clothes; Trish has brought some and so have I, but shoes are a problem. We might try some flip-flops? I have some I bought for the garden and never used.’

  ‘Understood.’ Barbie was on board. Trish would follow where Barbie led.

  ‘Then,’ said Ellie, ‘you’ll want some breakfast. Get yourselves downstairs for a light meal as soon as you can. Make out a list of what each of you need to buy. Just the essentials. One outfit each, shoes, night things, cosmetics, toiletries. I’ll order a taxi to take you up to a department store. If you have cards, use those. If not, subsidize one another. Keep the bills. Have a light lunch out and be back here by half past three. The men are coming at four.’

  Barbie’s eyes narrowed. ‘I get it. Trish, Russet and I are to stick together. If one goes to the toilet, the others must wait outside. We’ll be safe in the department store because no one would expect us to be there. We order a taxi for the return journey.’

  Trish said, ‘I was going to drive up to my parents this afternoon, but I suppose I’d better stay for this. That is, if you don’t mind, Mrs Quicke?’

  ‘Of course you must all stay.’

  Trish said, ‘What about Kat and Diana?’

  Ellie said, ‘I’ll see them in a minute. I’m hoping they’ll pair off together. The main thing is can you look after Russet? If she can’t manage all the shopping, would you send her back here in another taxi and I’ll put her to bed till the men come? On the whole I’d say she’s better taking painkillers and doing something positive than sitting around here worrying.’

  ‘Understood. Throw those clothes over, Trish. Let’s get the show on the road.’

  Ellie made two more cups of tea. She took one into little Evan’s room. Kat was lying on the bed and tucked up in his duvet beside her was little Evan, clutching his soft toy. Both were sound asleep. Ellie left one mug for Kat and took the other in to Diana.

  Diana was also asleep, but less deeply. She stirred when Ellie drew back the curtains.

  Diana started upright. ‘Little Evan! Where is he?’

  ‘Kat is looking after him. He’s had some breakfast and now they’re both asleep in his room across the corridor.’

  Diana stretched, and sniffed. ‘Pooh. What a stink of burning. Can’t you open a window downstairs to get rid of the smell? And what about little Evan? He’s usually awake by six at the latest. It was good of Kat to look after him last night for me, but we’ve got to get him back into his routine. If I wake him soon … Is it too late to take him to nursery this morning? I suppose it is. It seems strange not to have work to go to, but … Perhaps I should take him to the park? He enjoys that.’

  Ellie remembered that Diana had gone to bed before Russet and Barbie had been collected from the hospital. ‘Russet’s house was firebombed last night. They got out in their nightwear and came back here to sleep for a few hours. Russet has a badly burned hand. She’s in some pain but Barbie and Trish are looking after her. I thought they’d better go shopping for some clothes this morning. Do you want to go with them?’

  Diana shook her head. She sat up, retched, but wasn’t actually sick. She took a sip of tea and kept it down. ‘I don’t need to go shopping and I do need to look after little Evan. Poor Russet, poor Trish. Barbie can cope, and so will Russet, I suppose. I’ll survive. I have my little boy to look after, I’ll get another job and Evan will have to pay me some decent alimony or else! You know, I thought I’d reached some sort of stability in my life. We were getting along well enough. I’d got accustomed to his little ways. It doesn’t take
much to keep a man happy, does it? And he could be quite sweet at times. I’ve come to terms with the fact that he’s too old to be a good father. He’s more like a grandfather to our little boy. But that’s what he is, and a little girl to come, too.’

  ‘He’s not a bad man,’ said Ellie, crossing her fingers as she spoke.

  A sigh. ‘He’s a product of his times, I suppose. Stiff upper lip and all that. I’ll tell you something. He’d hate it to be known, but he sleeps with his bedroom door open and leaves a light on in the landing. It dates back to his childhood. His father used to frighten him with tales of ghosts lurking on the stairs. I hope he remembered to leave the light on and his door open last night. You’ll say it’s ridiculous to worry about him after the way he’s treated me, but I do. Who’s going to look after him now?’

  Ellie said, ‘That’s something we need to discuss this afternoon. I’ve invited everyone to meet here at four.’

  ‘You mean, Evan’s coming here?’ She considered the idea. It found favour. She ran her fingers back through her hair. ‘He likes me to look feminine. Old Man’s darling and all that. I need a wash and blow-dry. You say little Evan is still asleep? Could you watch him while I go to the shops, and maybe have a facial as well? Or would Kat look after him?’

  ‘I’ll ask her when she wakes.’

  Diana was fretful. ‘The police. Where are they at? Surely they should be taking some notice of what’s happened? What are they doing about the arsonist? We could all have fried to death last night. Something ought to be done.’

  ‘Yes, indeed. We need to eliminate the innocent and point the finger at the guilty. That’s why we’re meeting this afternoon.’

  ‘Do the police still think I was responsible for Walt’s death? What happened at the autopsy?’

  ‘I’ve checked with my friend Lesley. She says the results of the autopsy are inconclusive. There was some bruising, but he was wearing a jacket and that padded him out. So far, no decision has been made about looking into either Bunny’s or Walt’s deaths. Breakfast downstairs when you are ready.’

  Ellie left Diana to shower and dress. Uneasy laughter came down the corridor from where Barbie and Trish were helping Russet to face the day. Russet’s door was ajar, and Ellie paused to listen to what Barbie was saying.

  ‘I think we should aim for a look that says, Don’t mess with me! We are three highly marketable commodities. Yes, Trish, that goes for you, too. We know how to dress and how to behave ourselves. We know how to keep house and how to look after a man. We want the men to appreciate what they’re missing. We have a limited amount of time to make ourselves presentable. Let us organize the day like a military operation. When we get to the shops, what department do we hit first?’

  As she descended the stairs, Ellie reflected that Barbie might give way to tears in private but would always put on a good show in public.

  The phone rang, and Ellie scrambled to get it. The insurance man wanted to make an appointment for the following day but would ring again to confirm the time. The phone rang again. A concerned neighbour wanted to know if it really was a fire engine that she’d seen at Ellie’s house the previous evening?

  Ellie was on her way to the kitchen when the phone rang yet again. This time it was Thomas, to say that he was staying at Russet’s house for a while. ‘Her car’s all right, not touched by the fire. I got hold of her builder and they’re making the house secure by boarding up all the ground-floor windows at the front and fixing something temporary but solid over where the front door had been. He says it’s going to take all day.’

  Ellie said, ‘Have you been able to get into the house?’

  ‘Yes and no. The builder and I had a conference and I explained Russet had no keys or handbag and we agreed that the study window was so badly cracked that it had to be replaced with some boarding, so we climbed in there to see how bad the damage is. The door to the hall from the study had been left open so the furniture inside was charred though not burned through. We levered the desk drawer open and found the contents untouched. I rescued the insurance file. Russet’s handbag had been left on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs and it’s so badly burned it’s almost unrecognizable, but I brought it out anyway.’

  ‘The rest of the house?’

  ‘Uninhabitable. The gas, electricity and water have been turned off. The kitchen’s pretty well all right and so is a garden room at the back, but the two front reception rooms are badly affected and the stairs have gone. I asked if we could go up a ladder outside and get into the bedrooms that way, but the builder said to wait till the insurance people have been and done a survey of the damage. It’s a sensible decision. I mean, if the floor’s been burned through, anyone walking around upstairs might find himself dumped on the ground floor all of a sudden.’

  ‘Russet will need to see for herself but she’s very frail. I’m not sure she’s up to looking at it today.’

  ‘Tell her we’re making it all safe, and that I’ll get on to the insurance people for her. She doesn’t have to make any decisions straight away. Between you and me, and judging from what the builder said, it would probably be best to pull down what’s left and rebuild.’

  Ellie kept that to herself while she went off to make breakfast for Trish, Barbie and Russet. The three made a reasonable stab at eating breakfast, helping Russet by cutting up her toast and so on. There was some hilarity caused by their being dressed in an odd assortment of clothes. Then they went off to raid the shops.

  Diana came down, looking pale. She’d tried to wake little Evan and failed. She said she’d managed to wake Kat up enough to ask if she’d look after the boy that morning, and Kat had agreed to do so. Diana had a couple of dry biscuits and some water, and also left for the shops.

  Rain threatened. Kat brought a fretful little boy down, fed him and said she’d take him for a walk to keep him awake for a while. Ellie couldn’t find another front door key, so gave Kat hers so she could get back in when she’d had enough.

  Ellie was exhausted. She told herself she hadn’t done anything much that morning, but the fact was that she felt as tired as Russet looked. She left the breakfast things where they were and went down the corridor to sit in the Quiet Room for a while. She needed to regroup her forces for that afternoon. She needed to be quiet and talk to God.

  What have I missed?

  What have I left undone?

  Please will you look after those poor women … please?

  She drifted off to sleep.

  SEVENTEEN

  Wednesday afternoon.

  Ellie woke with a start. What time was it? Rain had threatened that morning, but the day had brightened up after that. Someone barged into the Quiet Room, slamming the door back against the wall.

  Little Evan had come to take a nap in this room, as he often did. He looked owlishly at Ellie, pulled his rug from the cupboard, laid it out and settled himself down to sleep.

  Ellie looked at her watch. Horrors! It was half past three. The breakfast things hadn’t been attended to. The men were coming to tea and they’d expect cake! And, there were noises off. Who else, apart from little Evan, might be in the house?

  Then, she remembered. She bustled out to the kitchen, but everything was clean and tidy, and the dishwasher was working away. Kat had been busy. Where was she?

  Ah, Kat was in Thomas’s study at the end of the corridor, hoovering away while singing to herself. Kat was one happy bunny. Perhaps, thought Ellie, she was the one who had benefited most from being discarded by her husband, because she’d immediately dropped into housekeeping mode in someone else’s house. What’s more, she had lost the least in the move as she’d only had two suitcases with her when she arrived, and they were still present and correct.

  If Rupert could be persuaded to take his wife back, would Kat return to him? Kat held strong views on the sanctity of marriage, didn’t she? Perhaps she would.

  There was no time to make a cake. Scones, perhaps?

  Where was everyone?
She’d called a meeting and no one had arrived.

  Ellie dithered, and then realized there was no need to make cake, or scones. The meeting today was not going to be a social one. She went into the somewhat lifeless dining room which she only used for the weekly meetings of her charitable trust. The Victorian furniture looked good in the room; the long table and the chairs set around it shone with polish, and the claret-coloured, full-length velvet curtains were double-lined to keep out the cold.

  Rafael had been working there that morning but had removed himself and his paraphernalia by this time.

  Instead, Ellie found Lesley, her policewoman friend, who had set up a small table and chair for herself in a corner and was now unpacking a box of tricks. A machine?

  Lesley said, ‘If this is a scam, Ellie, I’ll never speak to you again.’

  ‘No scam, and I’m truly glad to see you.’

  A taxi drew up outside and Ellie hastened to open the front door. From it, hung around with packages, came Barbie and Trish.

  This was alarming. ‘No Russet?’

  Barbie said, ‘We dropped her off at her house. Thomas rang to ask her about something. He said he’d still be there for another hour as the builders hadn’t finished. She wanted to see how bad it was for herself. It’s all right – we delivered her into Thomas’s hands and he said he’d bring her back in good time for the meeting. We’ve got the things she bought and will dump them in her room, if that’s all right with you?’

  Barbie was wearing a well-cut dress and jacket in a shade of grey to match her eyes, with medium-heeled court shoes. Her hair was as smooth as usual and she looked elegant, if a trifle tired.

  Trish wore a stylish black and white pants suit which showed off her excellent figure. The youngest of the Orphans of the Storm, she had slept reasonably well and even in the harsh light of day she looked a million dollars. She said, ‘Barbie chose this for me. I’ve never worn black before. It makes me feel, I don’t know … grown up?’

  They were both smiling, both pleased with themselves as they ferried the things they’d bought into the hall and up the stairs.