Death of a Dancer

by Irena Nieslony

  “Good,” Rachel said. “We should be able to leave the front door open very soon. It is a bit strange for people using the restaurant to have to ring the doorbell.”

  Rachel and Steven went off to do their respective jobs, but although Rachel had been adamant that she wasn’t going to tell the police about Carlotta ransacking her dining room, deep down she felt she should. She had now seen a different side to Carlotta, one which was quite ruthless, which didn’t care about her best friend’s feelings and also one which could be violent. Perhaps Carlotta was capable of murder after all.

  Chapter 11

  The next couple of days went by quickly at Oakfield Hall. Rachel was kept busy making sure that the hotel guests were happy, comfortable and well fed. More restaurant diners booked meals and they started to get busy at lunchtime as well. André was in his element creating new and exciting dishes.

  Rachel was relieved that she didn’t receive any more threats and she hoped that they had come to an end. She had also not heard anything concerning Jane Simpson’s death and wondered if any progress had been made. A small part of her wanted to ring the Chief Inspector to find out, but she knew that anything that had ever been between them had now gone.

  It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that Rachel had a moment to herself. She had wanted to get a new dress for her date with Josh, not that she didn’t have wardrobes full of clothes, some of which she had worn only once. Still, she thought she deserved a treat after the past few days and she did want to look good for her new man. A couple of hours in Windsor going round the shops would do her the power of good.

  Rachel found she was excited about the date. Josh was such a handsome and charming man that it was impossible not to be bowled over by him. In addition, the last time they had met, the evening had ended so abruptly that she wanted to make up for it. She planned to make that evening perfect.

  Even though she hadn’t seen him, Josh had still been romantic the last couple of days. There was no way he was going to let her forget him. He had telephoned her twice each day and once that morning. He had also sent flowers the day before, a bouquet of red roses no less, and she was beginning to feel very spoilt. The man certainly knew the way into a woman’s heart and she felt she was being swept off her feet.

  After the tables had been cleared from the lunch diners, Rachel got into her car. It had brand new tires and it felt good to drive. However, as she reached the end of her long driveway and put her foot on the brakes, the car refused to slow down. Rachel panicked, but still managed to pull on the hand brake in the hope that it would help. Unfortunately, the car still careered into the road, right over to the other side and into a hedge. The airbag flew out, making Rachel very uncomfortable, but at least she didn’t feel as if she had broken anything. Nevertheless, she sat there shaking, imagining what could have happened if there had been other cars on the road as she had come out.

  After a few moments, Rachel struggled out of the car. Just as she was doing so, a couple of cars came along on the side of the road where her Mercedes sat horizontally. They both hooted at her impatiently as they attempted to pass her.

  Rachel walked over to the other side of her car and got her handbag. She took out her mobile phone and called the breakdown service company.

  As Rachel sat there waiting for them, she wondered if something had been done to her car deliberately. After the slashed tires, the phone calls and the letter, she wouldn’t have been surprised, but perhaps she was being paranoid.

  After half an hour, the breakdown company arrived and inspected the car.

  “Excuse me Miss,” the man said. “I don’t know if someone has something against you, but it looks like the hydraulic brake lines have been cut.”

  “What?” Rachel exclaimed. “Can I have a report stating that please?”

  The chap nodded, wondering what it was all about.

  . Even though she had thought about it, Rachel was still shocked to find out it was true. Somebody was after her and this time they wanted to hurt or even kill her.

  Rachel let the breakdown company take the car away while she walked back to the house. As she walked, Rachel knew she was shaking, but she didn’t want to stop and try to calm down. She wanted to get back to the house as soon as possible. She didn’t feel safe and she wondered if anyone was hiding in amongst the trees, ready to pounce on her, or what if they had a gun? She felt exposed out in the open air and started to run, her mind a myriad of thoughts. Who wanted to hurt her? Did they want to kill her? She burst into tears as she ran. And what about her new dress? She wouldn’t be able to get one now.

  Then the next moment, Rachel started laughing. Only she would start thinking about a new dress at a time like this

  Approaching the house, she took a hanky from her bag and wiped her face. She didn’t want anyone to know she had been crying. At least the journalists had all disappeared. She certainly couldn’t face the press now. She knew, however, that she had to speak to Chief Inspector Taylor, as much as she didn’t want to.

  * * *

  “So someone interfered with your brakes?” Taylor asked Rachel about an hour later.

  “Yes. I went flying across the road at the end of my driveway. I was on my way to Windsor after lunch. It could have been much worse. There might have been cars on the road at the same time.”

  “Yes, you could have been injured badly,” Helen put in. “Or killed.”

  Taylor glared at Helen. Had she not taken any notice of him when he told her to be more sensitive? He’d have to have a word with her again. Her attitude towards the people they interviewed left a lot to be desired.

  ‘You were very lucky, Ms Fisher,” Taylor said. “As I hadn’t heard from you for a couple of days, I’d hoped that whoever it was had stopped bothering you.”

  “Me too,” Rachel said. “I blame myself for the brakes though. When the garage brought my car back with the new tires, I didn’t check to see if they’d locked the car. I just assumed they had, but when I went to get into it today, I found it was unlocked. Probably the person who’s hounding me was going to do something else, but finding the car unlocked, saw it as a great opportunity.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Rachel. The hydraulic brake lines are by the wheels. Whoever did it didn’t need a key.”

  “Oh, thank goodness it wasn’t my own fault. I don’t know a lot about cars apart from driving them .... and admiring them,” Rachel almost smiled.

  Helen, however, was getting fed up of the attention Taylor was paying to Rachel. Would it never end?

  “At least they haven’t got to you inside the house,” Taylor said.

  “No, but we have been locking the door while the journalists were here. However, we’re about to stop doing that now. The hotel guests have their own key, but the restaurant clientele obviously don’t. It seems a bit odd for people going to a restaurant to have to ring the doorbell.”

  “It’s up to you, but it may be sensible to keep the door locked,” Taylor said.

  They became quiet and Rachel realized that this was the first time that she was finding it a little hard to keep a conversation going with the Chief Inspector. The ease that they used to have had gone as far as she was concerned. She wanted him to go, but why? They should be able to be civil to each other, but she found it difficult to be in the same room as him.

  On the other hand, Taylor still had eyes for no other woman except for Rachel and felt distraught that she had drifted away from him.

  It’s that Josh. Why did she have to meet someone else, especially a man as handsome as he? But I only have myself to blame. Why didn’t I do something long before he came on the scene? She did like me once and I could have made her happy. I was too slow and insecure.

  Rachel looked at Taylor and was overcome with sadness. She had been attracted to him, but it had ended before it had even begun. She would have liked to have got to know him better, but now it was too late. Still, she had Josh and he was more than enough for her.

  * * *r />
  “You look beautiful this evening, Rachel,” Josh said when he arrived at six that evening.

  “You don’t look too bad yourself,” Rachel replied, smiling shyly.

  Rachel again felt overwhelmed. Josh was absolutely gorgeous and she was more than a little happy that she was going to spend the whole evening with him.

  They were going to dinner early as Josh had got them tickets for the theatre in Windsor. He had phoned a couple of hours before to see if she minded going out earlier than planned. After her awful afternoon, she couldn’t wait to go out and try to forget about it.

  “We’d better get going so we’re not late for our dinner reservation,” Josh said. “By the way, I didn’t see your car. Haven’t you got it back yet?”

  “Yes I did, but...”

  Rachel didn’t much want to talk about what had happened that afternoon, so she hurriedly told Josh that it looked like someone had tampered with the brakes on her car. He was shocked.

  “Rachel, that’s terrible. You could have been hurt.... or worse,” he said, putting his arms around her. “I can’t believe that idiot policeman hasn’t caught whoever’s doing this to you.”

  “He’s not an idiot,” Rachel said defensively.

  Josh suddenly lost some of the charm he’d had when he first walked into Oakfield Hall that evening.

  Rachel was surprised at her reaction to his words. She realized that perhaps she hadn’t quite got over Taylor. She was so certain that she had, but why then did she keep defending him?

  “The Chief Inspector’s not had much to go on,” she continued.

  “If you say so, but I’m worried, that’s all. I dread anything bad happening to you.”

  Rachel’s heart melted. She was being silly. Josh was looking at it from purely a romantic point of view. He didn’t want to lose her and in his eyes many bad things were happening to her, while Taylor wasn’t making any progress in fining the culprit.

  “Let’s try and forget about it; for tonight at least,” Josh said. “We need to get going.”

  They didn’t have much time. They were having a special pre theatre supper, but they couldn’t linger over the meal as the play began at eight.

  “Yes, let’s go,” Rachel said, not wanting to carry on with their conversation. Perhaps Josh really was a little jealous of the Chief Inspector. After all she did keep standing up him. Possibly he thought that deep down she was attracted to him. After all, Taylor was a handsome man. Or perhaps he thought that the Chief Inspector was interested in her and could be a rival for her affections. It was all nonsense of course. Taylor had given her little encouragement and she had decided to write him off completely.

  * * *

  It was about eleven fifteen when Josh and Rachel arrived back at Oakfield Hall. They’d had a wonderful evening. Both the meal and the play had been thoroughly enjoyable and Rachel hadn’t wanted the evening to end.

  “Would you like to come in for a nightcap, Josh? The bar stays open until twelve.”

  “I’d love to,” Josh replied. “It would make a perfect end to a perfect date.”

  Rachel realized that Josh wasn’t putting any pressure on her for anything but a drink and she was grateful. Josh was certainly a gentleman.

  They went inside and into the bar. Steven stood behind the bar, but there were no customers around.

  “A quiet night, Steven?” Rachel asked.

  “No, it’s been busy. The last guests went up to bed about five minutes ago.”

  “Is André still here? I need to have a quick word with him.”

  “I think so.”

  “I won’t be more than a couple of minutes, Josh. I’ll have a brandy, Steven.”

  “Make that two,” Josh spoke to Steven.”

  “Terrible about Carlotta the other day, wasn’t it, Mr. Simpson. I would never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

  “What about Carlotta?”

  “Oh, I thought that Rachel would have told you. Perhaps I should keep my mouth shut.”

  “You’ll have to tell me now, Steven, otherwise I shall have to try and get it out of Rachel."

  Steven stared at him. He knew he’d have to spill the beans, but Rachel wouldn’t be happy at all. It suddenly clicked that Josh was Charles’s son and he might not know about Charles and Carlotta. He was now going to have to tell him about the affair his father was having. Why couldn’t he have kept his beg mouth shut?

  * * *

  “Rachel, why didn’t you tell me about Carlotta?” Josh asked when Rachel came back.

  His voice was tinged with anger.

  “I… Steven, why did you tell Josh?”

  “It should have been you telling me,” Josh interrupted. “I have a right to know.”

  Josh was getting impatient. His whole mood had changed and Rachel realized that she was now seeing a different side to him. But why was he annoyed with her? In all honesty, it should be Charles telling Josh about the affair, not her.

  “I’m sorry, Josh, I didn’t want to upset you so soon after your mother’s death. I thought it was up to your dad to tell you about Carlotta.”

  “He’d never tell me. He’d be too ashamed. And you know what; this makes him a suspect; and Carlotta as well. I’m going to have to go and have a word with him.”

  “What, now?”

  “Yes, now. I’m sorry about the drink, but I need to get this sorted as soon as possible.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Confront him. Ask if he killed mum. I know when he’s lying. And I’ll get him to finish with that Carlotta woman. She’s a man eater and he deserves so much better. She was supposed to be mum’s best friend and she does this. Did you report what she did to the police?”

  “No,” Rachel said quietly.

  She was shocked that Josh had reacted so badly and seemed angry with her.

  “I can’t believe you haven’t talked to the police, Rachel. You must rethink this. She deserves punishment.... I’m sorry to end our date so abruptly, but I have to go and see my father.”

  Josh quickly kissed Rachel on the cheek and left, leaving her pondering if she still had a boyfriend. She felt her eyes starting to water. It had been such a lovely evening until this point, but it was better to know his true colors sooner than later. Josh was a bully. He wanted to tell both his father and her what to do. She was more than a little disappointed in finding this out about him.

  “I’m sorry I ruined your night, Rachel,” Steven said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Rachel replied. “It’s better that I know what Josh is really like.”

  She poured Josh’s brandy into her glass.

  “I’ll take my brandy up to my room.”

  Rachel left the bar to think whether or not she wanted a relationship with Josh Simpson, presuming he came back of course.

  * * *

  Josh was angry, angrier than he had been in a long time. He had put all thoughts of Rachel completely out of his mind.

  As soon as he left Oakfield, he went straight to his father’s house which wasn’t far away. He had his own key and he let himself in.

  “Dad, where are you?” he shouted.

  Charles came out of the sitting room into the hallway.

  “What’s up, son? Why are you making all this racket?”

  “I know about you and Carlotta. How could you? How could you do that to mum?”

  Charles was dumbfounded. How on earth had Josh found out? For a moment he said nothing.

  “She was doing the same thing to me, son,” was finally all he could come up with.

  “Two wrongs don’t make a right, Dad.”

  “No, they don’t, but I didn’t start seeing Carlotta just for the hell of it. I fell in love with her long before anything happened between us and then she finally noticed me and that was it. These things happen, Josh.”

  “You shouldn’t give into lust, not when you’re married.”

  Charles stared at his son. It would be imp
ossible to explain how he felt to Josh. Josh saw everything in black and white. There was no middle ground. And he was so prim and proper, not like his half-brother, Ed.

  . “How did you find out about us?” Charles asked Josh.

  “Steven Robertson told me when I went back to Oakfield after my date with Rachel. For some reason Rachel didn’t think it appropriate to tell me. I’m not too happy with her, I can tell you. Anyway, apparently Carlotta went to Oakfield thinking that Rachel had found out about your affair and had told the police. It was all nonsense of course. Rachel had no idea about you two at all. Anyway, Carlotta went a bit crazy whipping tablecloths off the dining room tables, together with cutlery and glasses. She made a real mess and I can’t believe that Rachel’s not going to tell the police.”

  “That’s so unlike Carlotta,” Charles said. “She’s usually calm in any situation. Thank God Rachel’s keeping quiet about it, but I wonder who did tell the police. We obviously have someone out there who doesn’t like us and probably wants to frame one or other of us for your mother’s murder.”

  “Yes, you should have been more discrete when you were betraying mum. Dad, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can bear to be in the same room as you anymore. Catherine will look after you, but I’m out of your life.”

  With that, Josh stormed out leaving Charles bewildered Things were getting more and more complicated and he didn’t like it one bit.

  * * *

  As soon as Josh had left, Charles poured himself a whisky and drank it very quickly. Then he poured himself another. He was upset. It had taken him a long time to establish a close relationship with Josh. He had been quiet as a child and so close to his mother, that there didn’t seem to be room for Charles. However, over the last few years, as Josh had become successful and more gregarious, they had got on better. Now he had thrown their relationship away, but he would do it all again. Carlotta was the love of his life.

  Charles felt restless and didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t tired at all. He wanted to see Carlotta, but it was terribly late and she was bound to be asleep by now. In the end he decided to go to bed, try and get some sleep and then drive up to London to see Carlotta early in the morning, before the rush hour. He wondered what she would think about all these people now knowing about their affair. She probably wouldn’t care, but he was mortified. It made them look not only cheap, but as if they had conspired to kill Jane.