She gathered him up over her shoulder, switched off the lights and went back up to bed. Midge snuggled close to her back, and then decided to give himself a good wash all over. He shook the bed each time he changed position. Ellie lay there, trying to think about nothing at all … and drifted into a prayer or two.
Dear Lord, help us all. Help Diana. I wish I understood her. How did she get this way? Was it our fault? Her father and I, perhaps we did spoil her, but … she was his little Princess, nothing too good for her … she only had to put on that wheedling tone and he would buy her anything she wanted. When I tried to object, they’d both turn on me and call me a spoilsport.
Ellie turned over in bed and sighed. Midge protested, but she ignored him. Diana had always been a difficult child, demanding to be first in everything.
Like … like her father. Ouch. Ellie hadn’t liked to admit it before, but it was true. Frank had been equally demanding and she, as his loving wife, had thought it her duty to please him. But Frank had loved her, in his own way. He had looked after her, had thought for her, had left her well provided for. Whereas Diana …
Diana loved no one but herself, thought of no one but herself. Ellie turned over yet again, much to Midge’s annoyance.
She checked the time on her digital clock. Nearly five. She wouldn’t sleep again now. Her eyes half closed and she dozed. Tomorrow – no, it was today already – was going to be difficult.
Friday morning. It was eight o’clock! She’d overslept, after having been awake so long in the early hours of the night. She groaned and turned over, willing herself to go back to sleep, but the scent of frying bacon brought her sitting upright. For a moment she couldn’t think who could be in her kitchen frying bacon. Then she remembered that Aunt Drusilla and Rose were staying in her house, that Diana was in deep trouble, Stewart likewise.
She remembered the death of the cleaner and that little Frank had been handed from mother to father to childminder.
And she was supposed to forget everything and go out for the day, shopping? What on earth for? For clothes, to make her look like something she was not.
What on earth would her own dear Frank have said about it? He would have snorted and said that she shouldn’t throw good money after bad, trying to look like something she was not. He liked her as she was, he’d always said that. Not trying to show off. Not trying to be a dolly bird, yes, that had been his very expression.
Well, she was no dolly bird, never had been. But it wasn’t a sin to make the best of oneself, and one new dress and a haircut wasn’t going to break the bank.
Ellie cringed a bit when she remembered that Kate was going to take her up to Bond Street. Then she grinned. Well, why not? Ellie was sure that Diana spent more on her clothes and hair than Ellie had ever done.
Ellie showered, put on her one really good suit – the coffee stain was hardly visible – and went down the stairs to find Rose and Aunt Drusilla finishing their breakfast in the conservatory. It had stopped raining at last, and the sun was trying to break through. Maybe it would be a nice day.
‘Sorry I’m late.’ She kissed them both. ‘I had a bad night.’
‘I slept like a log,’ said Rose, faded blue eyes sparkling with enjoyment. ‘I do enjoy a night in a really soft bed.’
‘I didn’t sleep a wink,’ declared Aunt Drusilla, which was a lie, of course. But there were prune-coloured shadows under her eyes. ‘Worrying about that stupid little girl.’
Rose giggled. She could be very girlish at times. ‘You should have seen us, trying to get Derek Jolley to leave, with or without Diana …’
‘A disgusting sight,’ said Miss Quicke. ‘Sex rampant. Wrapped round one another.’
‘We got Roy to tell them to go eventually, because they wouldn’t take the hint and you’d disappeared. Poor Roy was in a state anyway, because of having been questioned by the police all afternoon, and he did rather lose his temper with them and shout but it worked, thank goodness, and the lamb stew was as tender as could be …’
Ellie put some bacon and mushrooms on to fry, and made some more tea for herself. ‘I’m worried about Diana.’
‘So am I,’ said Miss Quicke. ‘Little though she deserves it. The way she’s been carrying on, the police will think she had a good motive and would know how to interfere with the wiring. Personally, I don’t believe she did it, but I can see why the police would think so.’
‘I agree,’ said Ellie, bleakly. ‘I’ll ring her after breakfast and give her the name of Bill’s junior partner, so that she has someone to represent her if the police haul her in.’ She took her meal to the table and sat down with them. She was hungry.
Rose clattered used plates and cutlery together and piled it on a tray. ‘I’ll just pop these in the sink for now, and tidy up the bedrooms. I have to be at the hairdresser’s in the Avenue at eleven, and then check on everything for the wedding tomorrow.’ She drifted off. The buttons on her cardigan had been done up wrongly, her skirt dipped at the back, and she was a thoroughly contented woman.
There was silence when she’d gone. Aunt Drusilla appeared to be dozing in the sun that streamed into the conservatory.
Finally Ellie said, ‘I’m going shopping today with Kate.’
‘Running away from your problems?’
‘Yes. It’s too close to home. Too painful.’
Aunt Drusilla said, ‘To return to the matter of the accident. It occurred to me – no doubt I am being fanciful – that the wiring had been interfered with in order, not to kill me, but simply to give me a shock. To make me realize that I couldn’t continue to live in the house. So who would benefit? You, of course – but I dismissed that idea immediately. Roy? No, it’s not his style. So that’s why I gave DS Willis the name of Mr Strawson when she came round to see me yesterday afternoon, after you’d gone to visit Mr Weatherspoon. She wanted to know who might have had a motive for meddling with the wiring, so I told her that my builder, Mr Strawson, had threatened me.’
‘Did he actually threaten you? He told me all about his plans yesterday, when I went round to collect your things. I understand why you didn’t mention his proposal to me, but …’
‘You might have seen what an opportunity it was to make some more money, and I didn’t fancy anyone else living there, so close to me. If I had told you, you might have done a deal with the builder behind my back.’
‘I wouldn’t, you know. I told him so, too.’
Miss Quicke softened. ‘No, I don’t really think you would but that’s what I told myself. He didn’t help his case by bringing Diana into it. That merely put my back up further. He is, of course, quite right. It’s a disgrace to leave all that accommodation standing empty. Why don’t you do up the garage yourself, and move in?’
Ellie hid a smile. ‘You’ve been on at me for ever to move in with you, but you know perfectly well that I like my own house and garden.’
‘Well, it was worth a try. Mr Strawson did threaten me, you know. And Diana. They made remarks about my frailty, about my needing to go into a home to be looked after. Mr Strawson knew about the fall I’d had down the stairs. In front of Diana he said he could see me having another accident soon and having to leave the house anyway. Mr Strawson deserves to be questioned by the police, if he thinks I can be intimidated into selling.’
‘Poor man,’ said Ellie, with a twist of her lips. ‘How little he knows you.’
Miss Quicke twitched a smile and smoothed it out again. ‘Exactly, I have no intention of going into a home. But I have been thinking about the garage and how much money it could bring in if converted into two flats. You have my permission to do that and find me some quiet, respectable tenants.’
‘Thank you,’ said Ellie, hiding a smile. ‘I’ll do that.’ She thought that Rose could do with moving from her council flat into a pleasant place of her own. Would a ground-floor flat in the garage suit her? ‘So you tossed Mr Strawson to the police to take their minds off Diana. Will it work, and won’t they haul Diana into it
, anyway?’
‘That is why I wish to speak to your friend Kate, whom you’ve always said was a paragon of financial virtue. Perhaps she can help me provide the police with another suspect.’
Eleven
Ellie said, ‘Another suspect? Another red herring? Won’t the police catch on?’
A twitch of a smile. ‘I did not find Ms Willis sympathetic.’
‘No. She’s honest, dogmatic, persistent. I think she’s probably a good policewoman, though not intuitive.’
‘You are intuitive, Ellie.’
‘I know when you are trying to bamboozle me, if that’s what you mean. Who is this other person? Anyone I know?’
Aunt Drusilla shifted in her chair, ‘I rather think that one of the stockbrokers I use has been cheating me, though it’s going to be difficult to prove – hence my need for the services of your friend.’
‘I don’t suppose I’d understand what he’s been doing, but …’
‘Put simply, the stock market has taken a hammering recently, and I was not particularly surprised to find that I was losing money. Naturally, I check the performance of my stocks daily. Then I noticed that he was moving my money around far more than seemed appropriate. You look puzzled. Every time stocks and shares are bought or sold, my stockbroker charges me a fee. Unnecessary movement is called “churning”, and can provide a nice little income if it remains undetected. I want your friend Kate to detect it, and then I’ll pass the information to the police for action.’
‘But even if you’re right, would it provide him with an incentive to harm you?’
‘Probably not,’ admitted Miss Quicke. ‘But it might help to muddy the waters.’
Ellie went to switch on the kettle. So Miss Quicke really did believe Diana was guilty. Ellie felt hollow inside. It was one thing for her to suspect Diana, but quite another to have her suspicions echoed by the astute Miss Quicke. She made herself some instant coffee and took it back to the conservatory.
Miss Quicke sighed. ‘I tell myself that I must be wrong, that Diana would never mean to murder me. However, I fear she would not in the least worry about giving me an electrical shock, if it meant she could throw me off balance enough to get her own way. I understand Diana. I was like her myself, once. She takes after her father …’ She shook her
head.
Ellie was horrified. ‘Frank was an honest man. He’d never have …’ ‘Oh yes, he would, my dear. As I did when I was younger and thought
I could get away with it. When I first started out buying up flats and doing
them up for resale, I tried to gloss over any problems but was soon found
out and had to learn the hard way that honesty is the best policy. This
tendency to cheat must be in the genes. My father cheated his customers
and was proud to “do the fools down” as he put it. Frank’s father was a
weakling, always took the easy way out. I could never get him to see that
cutting corners was the quickest way to lose his reputation. ‘I struggled to bring Frank up correctly but he broke out, time and again
… until I despaired of him. Then he met you and tried to change. He’d
quickly realized what a diamond you are, and that he’d have to be
completely straight if he wanted to keep you.’
‘Frank was always straight!’
‘No, he wasn’t, but your honesty kept him that way. He always had to
fight a tendency to shade the truth in business. It was something of a
pleasant surprise to him to find that he could be straight and still make
money. He was always afraid of losing you, though. He used to tell me
that he had to keep a firm hand on you lest you stray.’
‘Me? Stray? I loved him.’
‘He was afraid that if you went out into the world more, got a better job,
you’d see him for what he was and stop loving him. Perhaps you would,
because you’ve changed a lot since he died and you’ve had to take
charge of your own life.’
‘I loved him,’ repeated Ellie, wounded. ‘How could he think I’d ever
change towards him?’ Every word Aunt Drusilla said had dropped into
her mind and stuck there. Had Frank really been like that? And she had
never noticed?
Miss Quicke shook her head. ‘You closed your eyes to his occasional
lapses, as you closed your eyes to Diana’s. She’s just like her father. She
married an honest man, but I’m afraid Stewart is not as strong as you,
and hasn’t been able to keep her straight.’
‘Your theory breaks down when it comes to Roy. He’s straight.’ ‘He’s been well brought up,’ said Aunt Drusilla with a grim smile. ‘My
theory holds good for the rest of the family.’
There was a bad taste in Ellie’s mouth. She’d always respected the
older woman’s brains, thinking them a good deal sharper than her own.
If Aunt Drusilla really thought Diana was responsible and was prepared to go to considerable lengths to divert the police from her great-niece, Ellie supposed – with a feeling of dread – that the older woman must be
right.
Aunt Drusilla had acted with her usual efficiency when she’d understood
the danger she was in. She’d ensured there would be no repeat
performance by telling Diana that she wouldn’t gain anything by her
great-aunt’s death, and she was planning to confuse the police
investigation to such an extent that no jury would be able to try her greatniece without reasonable doubt.
‘Well, girl? Are you with me in this?’
Ellie thought about honesty and family feeling, her love for her only
child, and Frank’s attitude to her.
Time for an arrow prayer. Dear Lord, what would you like me to do? I
don’t know what to think, or feel. Am I really sure that Diana is guilty? It
looks as if it must be her, but … I can’t help remembering her joyful
response when I broke the news of the accident to her. It didn’t sound as
if she’d known anything about it. It had sounded as if she were really
surprised. Could she act that well? And surely Diana had been speaking
the truth last night when she’d said that if she’d tried to kill Miss Quicke,
she would have succeeded.
I really don’t know.
Ellie’s instinct was to play for time.
‘I’ll ask Kate to speak to you about your stockbroker. And yes, I will
back you up with the police over the builder’s threats. In fact, I have
already mentioned it to them. As for the rest, I must do some phoning
before I go out, give Diana my solicitor’s number, check on Stewart and
little Frank. And on poor Roy. I’m afraid I was a little rude to everyone last
night, going to bed so early, but I was not quite well. We have such a busy
weekend ahead, what with the party for the new vicar tonight, the wedding
and then the Golf Club dinner.’
‘I gather Roy has asked you to go with him to that.’
Ellie started guiltily. Yes, he had asked her and she had turned him
down, only to agree to go with Bill. Oh dear, trouble ahead. ‘Bring me in the Financial Times when you return.’
Ellie had never been shopping in Bond Street in her life before. Kate was obviously used to it, striding into the most discreet and expensive of establishments without even glancing in the window, and commanding the attention of the sales girls without effort. Ellie followed on her heels rather, she thought, like a lady in waiting trailing after a princess.
Kate bought herself a new suit in dove grey – very handsome – in record time. Ellie quested up and down, trying to work out what might suit her from the rows of
beautiful but slimline clothes displayed, and refusing to flinch when she checked the price tickets.
‘That’s settled, and now I’ll take you to the kind of shop you’ll love,’ promised Kate.
Ellie couldn’t believe that there might be a shop which would cater for her unfashionable figure, but there was. In fact, there was more than one. But the first one Kate took her to provided such a revelation that Ellie thought she would never, for the rest of her life, try to buy clothes in Marks & Spencers or the charity shop.
Of course, it did help that she had a Gold Card to pay for her purchases. Underwear – ‘You have a very pretty figure,’ said the saleswoman, ‘and beautiful shoulders.’
Skirts that swirled and clung in the right places. Ellie exclaimed in delight, ‘I could even run for a bus in this.’
‘And turn heads,’ added Kate. ‘If you’ve got a pretty bum, then flaunt it.’
Colours: ‘With that beautiful, natural complexion, I’d suggest clear colours, not too heavy,’ said the sales woman. Ellie gasped, seeing her skin tones enhanced by sweet-pea colours, by apricots and her favourite blues.
Evening wear: ‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly,’ said Ellie, giving a twirl in front of the glass. And then, ‘I don’t think I can bear to take it off.’
Kate laughed. ‘You’ll knock their eyes out. How many men did you say were after you at the moment?’
‘Oh, Kate! Don’t. It’s not funny, indeed it’s not.’
‘It’s no more than you deserve,’ said Kate. To the saleswoman: ‘She’ll not be wearing very high heels, so that length will be perfect. We’ll take the evening wrap as well – that’s a present from me.’
‘Oh,’ cried Ellie, reaching for her handkerchief. ‘But you mustn’t.’
‘Yes, I must,’ said Kate, giving her a hug. ‘Now, an early lunch before I deliver you into the hands of my hairdresser. Don’t worry, he won’t do anything dreadful to you.’
Burdened with packages, they found a quiet corner for lunch and Ellie, whose imagination had been filled with daydreams of herself in designer gear, walking down a catwalk on eight-inch heels, pulled herself back to reality. She told Kate what Aunt Drusilla wanted.
Murder By Accident Page 15
