Still Death (A Lexie Wyatt murder mystery Book 1)

by Shauna Bickley

  ‘Oh yes, she mentioned something about friends coming today. I’m Jed Middlehurst by the way.’ He had a friendly smile and looked more like the man next door than someone who lived in a huge house that had been in his family for generations. ‘Come on in. She’s gone to rearrange one of the exhibits, or something like that. I don’t think she’ll be long. Roni, my wife, is in the house. She’s more likely to know the details, or at least she’ll have Dominique’s mobile number to let her know you’re here.’

  Lexie hopped out of the car. Even better, she would get to see the inside of Longcross House. ‘Dominique’s not staying here then? It’s just I met her on the first day of the exhibition and got that impression.’

  Jed stopped on the bottom step leading up to the door. ‘She stayed while the exhibits were going up, but once they were in place she moved into town. The first week or so of the exhibition she was here most of the time, but now she only comes for particular groups or the occasional interview.’

  ‘Do you host this type of event often?’ asked Sadie.

  ‘No, first time. Can’t really remember how it all started; possibly it was Roni’s idea, although it’s not really her kind of thing.’

  ‘Is it your kind of thing?’ asked Lexie with a smile.

  Jed returned the grin. ‘Not at all. I’ve got some paintings and family stuff. They may be worth something, but I wouldn’t sell them as they’re part of this place.’ Jed’s gesture took in the house and land. ‘The family has been through plenty of hard times and never sold them, so the least I can do is to keep them.’

  Lexie followed the others through the double doors into a large hallway. There was an immaculate black and white tiled floor and a wide, curved staircase up to the first floor. A huge chandelier in the middle of the hall caught the light from the open doors either side of the hallway.

  ‘This entranceway is stunning,’ said Lexie.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Jed. ‘When I inherited the house there was precious little to boast about, and stuff-all money to keep it going. It’s not a stately home, but it is home. I was lucky to make enough money to do the work it needed and keep it in the family.’

  It was certainly more of a home than Lexie thought she’d ever own.

  ‘Roni?’ called Jed.

  ‘In here.’

  Jed led them into a room on the left of the hallway. It was a large lounge, furnished with couches and chairs that had presumably been purchased for style rather than comfort. Lexie guessed they were Veronica’s choice rather than Jed’s. They followed him through into another room, smaller, but the size was relative as several of Cherry Tree Cottage’s rooms would have fitted in here. Veronica looked up from behind a highly polished antique desk. The laptop in the centre looked out of place.

  ‘Veronica, this is Ross and Sadie Moran and…’

  ‘Alexandra Wyatt,’ added Lexie. She suddenly felt the need of her full name.

  ‘They’re meeting Dominique here.’

  Roni’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Lexie. ‘Have we met before?’

  ‘Not really. I moved to Nettleford recently. I think I’ve seen you around town once or twice.’ She hoped Veronica wouldn’t recall the café incident and the Nutella-and-cereal-decorated top she’d been wearing. ‘Ross and Sadie are visiting from London.’

  ‘Did you come from London just for the exhibition?’ asked Jed in a conversational tone.

  ‘Not quite,’ said Ross. ‘I own Omega Aviation Enterprises. We’ve just developed a new purpose-built centre in the area. Le… Alexandra’s husband Nathan runs the business down here. Don’t know what I’d do without him. I’m also very grateful to Alexandra for putting her career on hold for a while. She managed a capability team for Raines.’

  This was quite a speech from Ross, and it surprised Lexie. Veronica didn’t exactly look overwhelmed but managed a slight smile in Lexie’s direction. She’d probably have to be royalty for Veronica to be impressed. From the lack of expression, Lexie guessed Veronica was a regular worshipper of Botox. She silently thanked Ross for his endorsement of her skills, although she was startled he knew so much about her role at Raines. It also irritated her that this lack of a job and the perceived status bothered her so much.

  Veronica picked up the iPhone on her desk and tapped the screen. ‘Dominique, some friends are at the house to see you.’ She glanced at them as she finished the call. ‘She’ll be here in a few minutes.’

  ‘Would you like a drink or something?’ asked Jed. He led them out of the office and gestured for them to take a seat in the large lounge next door. Much to Lexie’s surprise, Veronica followed them into the room. The chairs were as uncomfortable as Lexie had assumed. She perched on the edge of one and glanced around the room. The furniture wouldn’t be her choice, she liked comfort, but the high-backed upright chairs suited the room. The paintings were too modern to fit into Jed’s description of family works. The style was expensive but understated. The expensive part felt like Roni, but the understated element most likely came from an interior designer.

  Jed disappeared to somewhere else in the house, returning a few minutes later followed by a lady with a tea tray. Lexie was impressed that the biscuits on the tray were home-baked and delicious.

  The conversation would have been stilted if left to Veronica, but Jed was relaxed and friendly. He asked Ross a number of questions about his company and the makes of planes for which they built components.

  ‘Roni works for Peter Webber of Webber Media, he runs a private plane. A Learjet, I think it is.’ He turned to Veronica, but she shrugged.

  ‘I’ve no idea.’

  About ten minutes later, Dominique came into the room. She greeted Ross and Sadie then turned to Lexie. ‘Alexandra, how lovely to see you again.’

  Lexie returned the smile and let out a small sigh of relief. When she’d initially had this idea, she quashed the memories of her second meeting with Dominique in the pub garden. She hadn’t been rude, but she hadn’t given Dominique any reason for being pleased to see her again. It would have served her right if Dominique had ignored her, or asked why she had turned up uninvited.

  They said their goodbyes to Jed and Veronica and went out into the garden. Dominique walked them around each of the exhibits and talked about making them and her initial inspiration for each piece. While Lexie hadn’t known exactly what she wanted to say to Dominique, she’d been determined to have a private conversation with her, even if only for a few minutes. However, she was fascinated listening to Dominique talk about her work and inspiration, especially when it came to Portal, and she forgot her initial intentions.

  As they reached the house, Jed came out holding a mobile phone. ‘Dominique, you left your phone here. Richard Price wants you to call him as soon as possible.’

  She turned to Ross, Sadie, and Lexie. ‘It’s been lovely seeing you again, and you Alexandra. Sorry to rush off like this, but I need to talk to Richard. I’ve been waiting for him to call.’ With that she disappeared into the house.

  They talked for a few minutes with Jed Middlehurst and then said their goodbyes. Lexie was quiet in the car as they drove back to Cherry Tree Cottage. She invited them in but was relieved when they said they’d best be on their way back to London.

  Around eleven-thirty the following morning, Lexie had a call from Helen. ‘D’you fancy an early lunch?’

  ‘Sure. Java?’

  Helen was already at the counter when Lexie arrived. After they ordered they found an empty table in the corner and sat down.

  ‘So what’s the reason for this?’ asked Lexie. ‘Not that I’m against the occasional lunch out.’

  ‘I had that meeting with the solicitors this morning.’

  ‘Oh yes, about Evelyn’s will.’

  ‘Miriam was there.’

  Lexie sat back, a little surprised, although on reflection it was probably obvious, Miriam and Evelyn had been close.

  Helen carried on. ‘Evelyn had made a will but apparently Patrick hadn’t.
To begin with, the solicitor went through some legal information about the time of death and wills and stuff. After that he read Evelyn’s will. Patrick was obviously the main beneficiary, but Evelyn had added that in the event of his death her house should go to Miriam and I.’ Helen said all this in her usual no-nonsense tone and elocution-class accent, but on the last few words her voice wobbled. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a tissue. ‘I can’t believe it. After I got the letter I guessed Evelyn had left me something, but I certainly wasn’t expecting this.’

  Lexie leaned across the table and squeezed Helen’s hand. ‘I can guess how you feel, but it’s amazing for you and Gareth.’

  ‘I’d sooner have Evelyn here and healthy, rather than her money.’

  ‘I guess Miriam feels the same.’

  Helen nodded. ‘She barely talks to anyone.’

  The waitress brought their lunch. After she left Helen added, ‘Evelyn also left some instructions about her funeral service. Now we can organise something for her and Patrick.’ Helen picked up her knife and fork. ‘I still can’t believe it.’

  Lexie had only been home from lunch with Helen a short while when the phone rang.

  ‘Alexandra, hello, it’s Veronica. I have a proposition for you.’

  She certainly didn’t waste time on small talk.

  ‘What kind of proposition?’

  ‘Since we met yesterday, I’ve had a look into your work background and spoken to a few people. You come highly recommended. The role with me would be different to your job at Raines, but I feel you would be good at it.’

  ‘What kind of work?’

  ‘My assistant.’

  If that meant taking orders and typing up scandalous articles, then the short answer would be no. She wasn’t desperate enough to put up with being pushed around by Veronica Hardcastle, and more importantly, she was a lot better than that.

  If Veronica was aware of Lexie’s intake of breath, she gave no sign of it. ‘I have an assistant at the office, but her tasks are to take care of the mail and do anything I don’t have time to do.’

  Poor woman. Veronica probably treated her like a personal office slave. Lexie couldn’t imagine Veronica doing anything she could possibly delegate to someone else.

  ‘I need a research assistant. I know it isn’t the type of work you’re used to, but Raines has an excellent reputation, and I know someone from there. He said you’re quick thinking, used to taking some risks, a bit of a maverick even. All good skills.’

  ‘Exactly what would the job entail?’ She was surprised she even asked the question.

  ‘I have leads on a number of items at any one time, and I can’t possibly follow them all up myself. I’d like you to do some of the research for me. Most of it could be done from home. Occasionally there might be interviews with people. I think it’s the type of thing that could grow as we work together.’

  ‘Is this research for your Icon articles?’ There was no way she was going to be involved in Veronica’s grubby work.

  ‘Not exactly. It will be for Icon, but I want to change my career direction and write more serious stories. Obviously they’d still be of interest to the magazine readership, but more investigative, more… well serious.’

  Against her better judgement, she was interested.

  Veronica carried on talking. ‘Someone said you had children.’

  ‘Yes, but they’re at pre-school and school.’

  ‘You wouldn’t need to come to the office much, but occasionally there might be a need for a meeting or interview.’

  Still holding the phone, Lexie roamed around the house. She needed to use her brain and do something more than she was at present. This might not be the ultimate answer, but it was on offer now, and she could do most of it from home. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Yes, you’re interested?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll take the job, as long as it’s the serious stuff you want me to work on.’

  ‘It is. You can even contribute ideas on stories if you want.’

  Right. So Veronica had one or two ideas but needed more. That didn’t matter. Lexie had learned to follow her instincts. Some people might call it a sixth sense, or intuition. She wasn’t bothered with the semantics of categorising it. Some days a particular decision felt right, and her instinct had never let her down. It told her to take this job.

  Nathan was more than a little surprised when she told him. ‘You’re working for Veronica Hardcastle? But you don’t like her, and you don’t like the stuff she writes. I distinctly remember you using the words gossip and bitchy in the same sentence.’

  ‘I’m not going to be doing those kinds of stories. She wants to get a bit more serious.’

  ‘From your work.’

  ‘Probably, but I’m getting paid, reasonably well actually. Not by Raines standards, but not bad for part-time work, and I can do most of it from home. I did think Veronica would be stingy on the payment front, but I guess it’s not coming out of her pocket, and she must be earning a huge wodge. Not that she needs it by the looks of Longcross House.’

  Lexie didn’t add that Patrick and Caroline had both worked for Webber Media, and the job would give her access to records and information. She wasn’t going to do anything that could put them in any danger, but she might be able to discover what it was that Caroline had puzzled over. She didn’t want to listen to the other voice in her head that wondered if he had been a murderer.

  Tilly commandeered Nathan to read the bedtime story. ‘Mummy read a really, really, really short story last time.’

  After clearing away the dishes, Lexie wandered out into the garden. There were a lot of colourful plants in the flowerbeds. She had no idea what they were, but they made the place look cheerful. There was a profusion of scented roses on the far side of the garden. She went back into the kitchen and hunted for the scissors. When she eventually found them they were sticky with glue; obviously Tilly had used them for her scrapbook. Lexie muttered under her breath as she cut some roses then searched for a vase.

  When she took them into the living room, Nathan was on the couch, staring at a blank space on the wall. She put the roses on top of the bookcase and sat down next to him, her arm along his shoulders.

  Nathan rubbed his earlobe, always a sure sign he was worried. ‘The old guy died this morning.’

  ‘The one you found in the woods?’ There was no other old man they could be talking about, but the words gave her a minute to think how to react.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘From the hospital. The first time I rang they weren’t going to tell me anything because I’m not family, but when I mentioned I found him, the nurse said he was in a bad way but stable. He was a widower and they couldn’t trace any family. Just him and his dog. I rang every day to find out how he was doing. I think I was the only one because they started telling me a little more. Anyway, when I rang this morning they said he’d died.’

  14

  Veronica suggested they get together the following day to discuss the work she wanted Lexie to do. Lexie dressed carefully, obviously her work suits were too much, but the look Veronica had given her that afternoon in the café still rankled. She pushed away the thought that not so long ago she would probably have given some poor harassed mother the same look. She flicked through the clothes in her wardrobe and took out a favourite cream silk top and a deep blue skirt.

  ‘You’re not going to put those on before breakfast, are you?’ Nathan’s look was quizzical, with just a hint of a grin.

  ‘Smart thinking.’ She pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, before going to sort out breakfast and lunches for the hungry hordes that lived in her house.

  ‘Are you off for a secret assignation?’ Helen asked when they met at school.

  ‘Hell. That must mean I usually look awful when I arrive here.’

  Helen gestured around at the other mothers dropping children off at school. ‘Not really. It’s just there is a definite difference in the
wardrobe of the mums at home and those rushing off to work. Anyway what’s the smart wardrobe in aid of, or did I guess right about the secret assignation?’

  Lexie told Helen about the new job with Veronica.

  ‘I don’t know whether to congratulate you or commiserate.’

  ‘I feel a bit like that myself. I’ll see how it goes. Fortunately at the moment we’re not desperate, so I can always tell her to stuff her job if it doesn’t go well.’

  ‘And it will give you a chance to maybe find out a little more about Patrick.’

  Lexie lowered her voice. ‘I won’t do anything that might cause any trouble or problems.’

  ‘It’s okay, I trust you. I feel bad as well knowing what might have happened and yet doing nothing, especially now after Evelyn’s will.’

  It was a clear, sunny day, and Lexie enjoyed the drive to Longcross House. As she turned off the main road and onto the driveway, she glanced over the vivid green pastures towards the distant sea and sighed happily.

  There was no sign of Jed today, and they went straight into Veronica’s office.

  ‘I’ve been in touch with the IT people to sort out an email address and the software you’ll need for logging into the Webber network. You did bring your laptop, didn’t you?’

  Lexie nodded. She didn’t mind using her own laptop, but with the money the company must be raking in you’d think they could afford to let her use one of theirs.

  ‘Leave it with me when you go,’ said Veronica. ‘Jed will be able to install the Webber Media software and get it set up.’

  ‘I’m sure I could manage.’

  Veronica made a dismissive gesture. ‘Jed made his money from computers and apps. He’ll make sure it’s set up properly.’

  Lexie stopped herself from retorting that she knew her way around a computer and went to get it out of the car. Using her own laptop, Veronica gave Lexie a swift overview of the network system and where they’d store project documents and information. She showed Lexie the Webber Media intranet and the online forms Lexie needed to complete.