Taylor couldn’t imagine what Diana knew, but he was very curious. Could this be the break he was waiting for?
Once seated, Taylor told Diana to tell him everything she knew.
“Well, this may have nothing to do with the case, but I think I should tell you anyway,” Diana spoke nervously. “You won’t have to tell the people involved that I told you, will you? I’m a bit scared what they might do to me.”
“If it’s unnecessary, of course we won’t, but I can’t confirm this until we know what your secret is.”
“Well, I’m pretty certain that Charles and Carlotta are having an affair.”
“An affair!” Taylor exclaimed. “What makes you think that they are in a relationship?”
“I saw them indulging in a passionate kiss at a party a little while ago. They thought nobody could see them, but I did. The awful thing was that Jane was in the other room. Poor sweet Jane.”
“She wasn’t that sweet,” broke in Helen. “She was having an affair as well.”
Taylor looked at Helen. He was surprised at how moralistic Helen was, but she was entitled to her opinion. However, she shouldn’t have said that in front of Diana. He really was going to have to give her a talking to.
“You didn’t know her,” Diana said sharply, looking at Helen. “Charles had a habit of being unfaithful. That was what drove her to have an affair with Percy. She told me, but she didn’t know about Carlotta.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, they were still friends. It’s hardly likely that they would have remained close if Jane knew about Carlotta and her husband. I don’t know how Carlotta could do it. Jane was her best friend and she betrayed her. I doubt if she even loves Charles. Most men are just playthings to her, so why pick on her best friend’s husband?”
“Perhaps this time she did fall in love,” suggested Taylor.
“Perhaps, but I doubt it. She’s always saying that nobody could replace George. You won’t tell her I told you about the affair, will you? She can be quite vicious.”
“I don’t think it will be necessary, Mrs. Rackham.”
Diana breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” Taylor asked.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Taylor let Diana go and then he turned to Helen.
“Well, this is a very interesting turn of events. It’s time to question both Charles and Carlotta again.”
Helen nodded, but just as she was about to get up, Taylor spoke.
“Oh, one more thing. I wasn’t happy about you giving your opinion about Mrs. Simpson. She is dead and Mrs. Rackham was her friend. Please try to be more discreet and sensitive in the future.”
“Yes sir,” Helen replied, but inside she was fuming.
He’s been cross with me all day. It’s that Rachel Fisher again. He was annoyed with me at Oakfield as well. It was like he didn’t want me there. He’s a fool and I’ll prove he’s wasting his time on that woman.
* * *
Taylor and Helen stood outside Carlotta’s door. This time she answered quickly and Taylor noticed that she looked immaculate. There were no bags under her eyes today, nor did she look as if she had been crying. In fact she smiled at the Chief Inspector and his sergeant. Had Carlotta Fox got over her friend’s death so quickly or had she actually killed Jane herself and was now looking forward to a life with Charles?
“Officers, back so soon?” Carlotta said with a smile on her face.
Taylor wondered how she could keep so calm. For all she knew they could be coming to arrest her. She was either innocent or, if guilty, completely sure that she had covered her tracks.
“May we come in?” Taylor asked.
“Of course you may, Chief Inspector, although I can’t imagine how else I can help you.”
She moved out of the way to let the officers in.
“Go straight into the sitting room,” she said. “You know where it is, don’t you?”
Taylor glanced at Carlotta and could see a faint smile on her face again. He was worried about questioning her. She was confident and usually had an answer for everything.
“I’ll come straight to the point, Mrs. Fox,” Taylor spoke as soon as they were settled in the sitting room. “It’s come to my attention that you and Charles Simpson are having an affair.”
For a split second, Carlotta looked shocked. Taylor was surprised to see her lose her cool, but it lasted only a moment.
“Well, I wondered how long that would be kept a secret. So, Chief Inspector, who told you? Which one of our so-called friends knows? I wonder if it was Rachel again, although I’m almost certain she hasn’t seen me with Charles, and after last time, I doubt she would be so quick to run to the police with such information. Come on, Chief, Inspector, I’m dying to know who told you?”
“It doesn’t matter who told us. I want to know if it is the truth.”
“Yes, Charles and I are in a relationship; I won’t deny it, but what’s it got to do with you?”
“It gives you an excellent motive for murdering Jane Simpson.”
“Jane was my best friend.”
“And yet you had an affair with her husband.”
“What can I say? I’m weak. My head gets turned by a handsome man and you must admit that Charles is very good-looking for a man his age. I didn’t chase him however, Chief Inspector. I knew he was a man who had affairs. It just happened one day. We looked at each other and suddenly there was a spark of electricity between us.”
Taylor didn’t know whether or not to take Carlotta’s statement seriously. He was sure she was laughing at him on the inside.
“I take it Mrs. Simpson didn’t suspect that you were having an affair?”
“Heavens, no. She would never have spoken to me again. Mind you, I don’t know how she would have reacted if Charles had left her for me. I suspect that she would have been both angry and upset.”
“So you love Charles.”
“Yes.”
“More than you loved George Robertson?”
“How do you measure love, Chief Inspector? It’s impossible.”
“Have you told John Robertson?”
“No, of course not. He’s having a bad time in jail. There seems to be no need to tell him anything at the moment.”
“But what about Percy Wilkinson? He’s adamant that Mrs. Simpson was going to leave her husband for him.”
“That’s rubbish. Jane was still in love with Charles and told me she wasn’t going to leave him for Percy.”
“You do realize you are incriminating yourself all the more, Mrs. Fox. Jane was standing in the way of you being with Mr. Simpson.”
“To be brutally honest, I didn’t really want Charles to leave Jane. I’m happy living on my own. As much as I love him, I’m sure I would get bored with Charles after a while. Even everyday life with George grew a little dull.”
Taylor brought the conversation to an abrupt end. He wanted to leave. He decided he didn’t want to be in the same room as Carlotta Fox ever again. He had admired her previously. She was a very beautiful woman and he had thought her to be devoted to George Robertson, but in fact she was a cold and calculating person. She had deceived her best friend and what’s more, she didn’t care one bit about it.
* * *
Charles sat waiting for the police. Carlotta had phoned to tell him that they had visited her and that they knew about the affair. He thought about doing a runner, but where could he go? They’d catch up with him sooner or later so it was better to get it over and done with now.
Charles poured himself a whisky and then another one so that when the police arrived he felt a little lightheaded, particularly as he’d had nothing to eat.
“May we have a word,” Taylor asked when Charles opened the front door.
“Yes, of course,” Charles said ushering them into the sitting room. “Coffee, whisky?”
“Coffee would be great.” Taylor said, neither of them having had a drink in hours. Carl
otta had not offered them anything this time.
Once they were settled with their drinks, Taylor started the questioning.
“I presume you know why I’m here, sir?”
“Yes, Carlotta rang to say you know about our affair. Well, I didn’t kill Jane. I loved her.”
“And yet you had an affair, or affairs as Carlotta said?” Helen asked.
“I’m afraid I can’t help it. I find it impossible to be faithful. Jane knew and she put up with my affairs. She didn’t like it and I did try to be faithful, but I couldn’t. I basically love women, but I didn’t stop loving Jane.”
“So you don’t love Carlotta?”
“Yes, I love her as well. You’ve seen her; she’s sophisticated, smart and beautiful.”
“Were you going to leave your wife for her?”
“I don’t know. I’d thought about it.”
“How come you reacted so badly towards Percy Wilkinson on the night your wife was murdered? “ Taylor asked.
“I know it sound hypocritical, but I couldn’t stand the thought of another man handling my wife. And I felt certain he killed her because she wouldn’t leave me. I know she wouldn’t end our marriage. We had an understanding. Percy was lying when he said she was going to leave me.”
Taylor noticed that Charles was slurring and guessed that he had been drinking. To confirm his suspicions, Charles got up to pour himself another whisky.
“You know that you are one of our chief suspects now, Mr. Simpson,” Taylor stated.
‘I would never have killed my wife, never,” Charles said determinedly.
“Well, somebody did, sir, and in a most brutal fashion.”
Taylor and Helen left soon after, feeling that they hadn’t got much further forward. Neither Charles nor Carlotta seemed to have wanted to take their relationship beyond an affair, but of course they could be lying to take suspicion off them. Taylor sighed, hoping that the rest of the day would be more fruitful.
* * *
Taylor decided to pay a quick visit to Percy Wilkinson before returning to the station.
“Why are we going to visit Mr. Wilkinson, boss,” Helen asked along the way. “I thought we’d asked him everything.
“It looks like he’s been lying to us, or Charles and Carlotta are. I want to get to the bottom of his affair with Mrs. Simpson.”
Once they had sat down comfortably in Percy’s sitting room, Taylor came straight to the point.
“Mr. Wilkinson, is it right that Jane Simpson was going to leave Charles for you. I’d like you to be totally honest about this.”
“I have been honest with you. Jane was going to leave Charles for me. She realized what a mistake she’d made marrying Charles in the first place.”
“Are you absolutely certain about this, Mr. Wilkinson? If we find out you’ve been lying, you will go to the top of our list of suspects.”
Percy hesitated and looked down at the floor. When he looked back up, his eyes seemed to be watering. Taylor now thought he knew what the real answer was to his question.
“No, she wasn’t going to leave Charles,” Percy said. “She still loved him, despite his years of philandering. Goodness knows how many mistresses he’s had. I begged her to leave him, but she said she couldn’t. I didn’t kill her though; I swear. She said she’d still see me. It was better than nothing.”
“Thank you Mr. Wilkinson, that will be all.”
“Why did you need to know this?” Percy asked as he walked Taylor and Helen to the door.
“We’re just painting a picture of the scene, that’s all. Thank you for your help.”
Percy, however, thought it was more than this. Did they think he killed Jane? It certainly seemed like it to him.
Back in the car, Helen spoke.
“Do you think he’s a suspect now, sir?”
“He’s a definite possibility. He could have killed Mrs. Simpson because she didn’t want to leave her husband. He basically wasted his life on her. Mind you, I can’t see him doing it; certainly not such a brutal crime anyway. However, he was in his room at the time Mrs. Simpson was killed, so it could have been him. No, we definitely can’t rule him out.
* * *
Carlotta was speeding along the motorway. It wouldn’t be long before she got to Oakfield and then she would be able to have it out with Rachel.
After the police had left, Carlotta had sat thinking for a long while. Who on earth had seen her with Charles and reported them to the police? Unfortunately, it always came back to Rachel, even though she had initially dismissed her as the culprit. Rachel had spent three of the last five months filming her television series, which meant that she had been staying in her apartment in London. That was virtually around the corner from Carlotta’s flat. Charles and Carlotta always met in London, away from Jane and the Simpson’s mutual friends in Buckinghamshire. No, the only person who could have seen her with Charles was Rachel. She’d done it again; Rachel had interfered in her life and this time Carlotta wouldn’t forgive her.
While Carlotta was exceeding the speed limit on the M4, Rachel was putting the finishing touches to the tables in the dining room. It was one of her favorite jobs and she loved to add a little elegance and sophistication to them.
Half an hour later, as Rachel was completing her task; she heard the doorbell ring and wondered who it could be. All the hotel guests had arrived and now had their own keys and it was too early for the restaurant clientele. Steven was out at reception so she knew he would answer it.
A few moments later, Carlotta stormed into the dining room.
“Rachel, how dare you tell the police about my relationship with Charles. Now they suspect that either one of us or even both of us conspired together to kill Jane. I could end up in jail for something I didn’t do.”
“What?” Rachel asked incredulously. “I haven’t told the police anything. I didn’t even know about you and Charles.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Carlotta shouted and then walked over to a table and pulled off the tablecloth taking all the cutlery and glasses with it. Everything came crashing onto the floor.
“That felt good,” she laughed as she went to do the same to another table.
Rachel rushed over to Carlotta and tried to stop her, but Carlotta seemed to be infused with a hidden strength and she pushed Rachel so harshly that she fell on the floor. Steven, hearing the noise, came dashing in.
“We’ve got to stop her,” Rachel spoke frantically as she pulled herself up. “She’s going to strip all the tables bare.”
Both went over to Carlotta and grabbed her. She struggled, but Steven was too strong for her. With Rachel helping, he managed to drag her away from the tables. Gradually, Carlotta stopped fighting back and seemed to calm down. Steven held onto her while Rachel went to get a couple of chairs.
“Do you promise to sit there and talk rationally if Steven lets you go,” Rachel asked.
Carlotta nodded. Steven took his hands away from Carlotta very slowly and she sat down. She didn’t even try to make a dash to get away.
“I didn’t know, I promise, Carlotta,” Rachel said, sitting down on the other chair.
Carlotta looked close to tears, surprising Rachel. She had never seen Carlotta this emotional before.
“I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry about the damage. I’ll pay for the glasses and anything else I’ve broken.”
“Don’t worry about it. Come and have a drink in the bar and talk to me.”
Carlotta got up, smiled sweetly at Steven, who had already started to clear up the mess, and followed Rachel to the bar. Rachel noticed the smile and thought she must be feeling better if she was flirting again.
Once they were settled in the comfy seats in the bar and they had both got large brandies in front of them, Rachel spoke.
“Carlotta, I’ve never seen you like this. You’ve always been so calm and collected.”
“I know. I think everything has finally got on top of me. Whatever you might think of me,
I do feel guilty for betraying Jane; I just couldn’t resist Charles. You know what I’m like with men. Then, despite this, I am upset at losing Jane. We talked about everything, well, almost.... And then to top it all, someone has told the police about me and Charles. I’m sorry I thought it was you; it’s just that Charles and I meet in London and you live round the corner from me.”
“Carlotta, we’ve become good friends these past few months. If I had found out, I would have talked to you about it, not the police.”
“I realize that now. I’m so sorry. But who could have done it, Rachel? Who knows about me and Charles?”
“I don’t know. Carlotta, but someone has seen you and you’d better be careful as they might try using the information in some other way.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. They could sell it to the papers perhaps.”
“Oh my God, I hadn’t thought about that. This is a nightmare. I think I had better keep a low profile where Charles is concerned. I have actually told him not to come to my apartment, but he says he needs me.”
“He’s got his family. He’s better off being with them.”
“I agree, but try telling him.”
Carlotta finished off her brandy in one large gulp and then got up.
“I’d better go. You won’t tell the police about what I’ve just done, will you?” she asked.
“No, I won’t and I will keep that promise, Carlotta. As for leaving, you can’t go yet, you’ll be over the limit.”
“I am actually very tired. Could I have a lie down in your room for an hour or so; then I should be alright to drive.”
“Of course, here’s my key. You know where it is.”
Carlotta gave her a half-hearted smile ad left the bar.
Steven, who was hovering close by, had heard Carlotta’s last few sentences and spoke to Rachel.
“You’re not really going to keep this to yourself, are you Rachel? She had a field day in the dining room and damaged quite a few things.”
“I gave her my word. Carlotta has a lot on her mind and I’m sure she did it in the heat of the moment. I’ll give her one more chance.”
“You’re the boss.” Steven said. “Oh, by the way, there’s only a couple of journalists out there now.”
Death of a Dancer Page 10
