Murder By Committee

by Veronica Heley

  ‘Of course you don't,’ said Kate, all brisk and businesslike. ‘Neither does Ellie. But I do. Powerful interests in the City want the restructuring of a particular company to go through and your husband is blocking it, partly because he's holding out for a giant pay-off, and partly because your father is on the side of the restructuring.’

  Felicity shrugged. ‘Nothing to do with me.’

  ‘I know that.’ Kate was patience itself. ‘What you do need to know is that the City wants that restructuring to go through, and they don't think it would be good public relations to encourage your husband to get away with a golden handshake. There have been meetings going on yesterday and today which your husband doesn't know about. He's been boasting that his board of directors are behind him in refusing to restructure. He's wrong. On Monday he's going to discover he's lost all his support.’

  ‘You mean the others have been bought off?’ said Felicity, trying hard to follow.

  ‘Not bought off,’ said Kate, with a grimace. ‘Made to see reason. If the restructuring doesn't go through, the company goes to the wall - and bang goes their money tree.’

  Silence. Felicity tried to think this through. ‘You mean my husband will lose a lot of money too?’

  Kate nodded.

  ‘I don't understand what you want me to do,’ said Felicity.

  Kate held back a sigh. ‘Warn him, obviously. If he can only forget his feud with Chris Talbot and concentrate on the real issue, he can still come out of this smelling sweet enough, if not smelling of roses. True, he'll have lost control of his company, but he'll have a nice block of shares in the new corporation to make up for it. The merger will go through and he'll live to fight another day.’

  Felicity fingered her mobile. ‘He'll be so angry. He wants me to find out where my father's going to be this weekend.’

  ‘Why? To have another attempt at murder?’

  ‘No!’ Explosively. ‘To talk to him, of course. To make him see reason.’

  ‘It's not Chris Talbot he has to talk to now, but Gwyn. Tell him Gwyn wants to speak to him urgently.’

  Felicity did her helpless, dithery act. ‘I just don't think I can make him understand.’

  Ellie said, ‘For heavens' sake, girl! Get through to him, and then pass the phone over to Kate!’

  Thirteen

  Ellie rather expected Felicity to whine that she didn't need to shout at her, but she didn't. She pressed buttons and listened. They could all hear the phone ringing at the other end. The answerphone kicked in.

  ‘He's got it switched off,’ said Felicity. She glanced at the clock - it had stopped - and at her watch. ‘He never switches it off … unless … I suppose it's about the time of day that he … well, he may be with someone.’

  Ellie said, ‘Try the landline. Maybe he'll hear that.’

  ‘The thing is,’ Felicity hesitated, and then rushed on. ‘He might be with Anita, the housekeeper. Together, if you know what I mean.’

  Ellie and Kate flicked glances at one another. Like that, was it?

  Catriona burped. Smiling, Kate laid the baby down on the settee beside her.

  Ellie said, ‘What about that man Martinez? He's been round to see Roy this evening …’

  Felicity perked up at the mention of Roy.

  ‘… on a blackmail mission for his master …’

  ‘I wish you wouldn't say such things,’ said Felicity, resorting to tears once more.

  ‘So I assume he's in London at the moment. Suppose you try his mobile number, get him to understand that it's in Sir Arthur's best interests to call off his vendetta? If he can't get through on the phone either, perhaps he could actually go down to the manor and speak to your husband in person? Unless, of course, he's already been arrested by the police for arranging your halfbrother's little accident.’

  Felicity applied a tissue to her eyes. ‘I can't believe this is really happening.’

  Kate rolled her eyes.

  Ellie had had enough. ‘Felicity Kingsley, stop that this instant! You're not a child any more, and if you don't snap out of it, I'll tell the police that you've been obstructing their enquiries into your half-brother's “accident”, and you can spend the night at the station, being interviewed. I can just about believe you didn't know everything your husband's been getting up to. Tearing up people's gardens. Corrupting councillors to get planning permission through. Breaking promises to pay people when it no longer suits him to do so. Getting poor Roy drunk and taping promises he'd never have made in his right mind. Destroying my conservatory. Arranging an accident for Julian …’

  Felicity had both hands over her ears. ‘Stop! It's not true!’

  ‘So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you chose not to know what was going on, rather than actively participated.’

  ‘Da-da-di-da-da! I won't listen!’

  ‘You can't deny you more or less invited yourself into my house, in order to find out where your father was?’

  Felicity avoided eye contact. ‘All right, I did listen in to his phone message, but the number he left is no use, because it's obviously a mobile. He could be anywhere. Arthur told me to find out where he is and ring him back, but I really don't want to get involved. Anyway, I can't get through to him now, can I?’

  Kate rolled her eyes again. Kate didn't suffer fools at all, never mind suffer them gladly. She was gently rubbing Catriona's tummy. The baby laughed up at her, pumping arms and legs. Kate smiled down at her child. Kate was opting out of the conversation.

  Ellie said, ‘I'll give you one last chance, Felicity. Get hold of Martinez and tell him to stop bothering Roy.’

  ‘He takes orders from Arthur, not me. He won't listen to anything I say.’

  Ellie ground her teeth. ‘All right. Try Marco's mobile. If he's still at liberty.’

  With a bad grace, Felicity punched in numbers. The phone rang. She listened. It was just going to cut off, when Marco answered. Ellie and Kate could both hear him, because he was bellowing down the phone. There was a lot of background noise.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘It's me, Felicity. Have the police been round?’

  ‘I just missed them. What's going on?’

  ‘They know about your breaking Mrs Quicke's windows.’

  Marco laughed. ‘So what? She won't dare complain.’

  ‘You're wrong there,’ said Felicity, showing fight. ‘She has. She told the police she thought it was you, so …’

  ‘She weren't there, so she can't have seen me.’

  ‘They know her cat scratched you. When they see your hands, they'll know it was you.’

  Kate lifted her eyes from adoration of her baby. ‘Tell him I saw him. And told the police I thought it was him.’

  Marco heard that. ‘What? Who's that? Hello? What's going on? Where are you? Down at the manor? No, can't be. He's got someone else there this weekend. Does His Majesty know Mrs Quicker's put the police on to me? I'll half murder her.’

  ‘No, don't do that,’ said Felicity, dealing with this inadequately. ‘Are you at the house, or-’

  ‘In the pub, of course. Saturday night, innit? Dunno where Martinez is. Tell you what, I'll pay the old girl another visit, warn her to keep her mouth shut, that'll do it.’

  ‘No, you mustn't!’

  He rang off.

  Ellie leaned back in her chair. ‘Did I mention that I'd like an extended holiday somewhere warm? The South of France, perhaps?’

  Felicity burbled, ‘Oh, I'm so sorry. He doesn't mean it, of course he doesn't. I'll have a word with him in the morning. Or get Arthur to do so. I'm afraid that if I say anything, Marco might take it into his head to do the opposite. Anyway, if I ring him back while he's at the pub, he might be angry, you know? Drinking time, and all that?’

  Kate and Ellie regarded Felicity with the weariness of adults faced with a toddler who's forgotten her nappy training. Again.

  Ellie said, ‘Why not try your husband just once more?’

  Cowed, Felicity t
ried. No answer. ‘It doesn't usually take him this long to … he's probably forgotten to switch it on again … after … you know?’

  ‘She must be good,’ said Kate, lifting Catriona back on to her shoulder. ‘Well, this little one's ready for bed.’

  ‘So am I,’ said Felicity, giving an appealing look at Ellie. ‘You won't turn me out, will you? I really don't have my car this weekend, and I don't want to go home till Arthur gets back. Because Marco, when he gets back late tonight, well, he might get aggressive and then I'll have to lock my door and … it's not very nice when that happens.’

  ‘I'd walk away from the whole sorry mess, if I were you,’ said Kate, getting ready to depart.

  ‘Can't,’ said Felicity, and her chin came out to reinforce this statement.

  Kate blew a kiss at Ellie. ‘See you in the morning, maybe?’

  Ellie nodded. ‘Church. Then I've got to visit Mrs Dawes. Or maybe the other way round.’ She saw Kate safely down the path, locking and bolting the door from the conservatory after her. Would Marco really pay her another visit? And if so, when? After he'd had enough to drink in the pub?

  Ellie offered Felicity a hot drink to take to bed. Would the girl really go up without reminding Ellie to get back to her father? ‘No, thanks. Nothing for me. You've been so kind.’

  Ellie put a mug of water into the microwave to heat up for herself, waiting for Felicity to make her move.

  The girl got as far as the bottom of the stairs. ‘Oh, I've just remembered. You still have some telephone calls to make tonight, don't you?’

  Ellie sipped her hot water. It was as good an aid to digestion as she knew, and she needed it after supper at McDonald's. ‘Ah. A good thing you reminded me. Poor Mrs Dawes. Yes, of course I must ring her. It's not too late, is it?’

  Felicity pinched in her lips. ‘I was thinking that my father must be waiting to hear from you.’

  ‘I've nothing to report. But you have, haven't you? Do you want to try your husband again?’

  ‘Why, I suppose I could, but …’

  ‘But you don't want me to hear what you say. I noticed you didn't leave a message for him, either time you rang.’

  Felicity went up the stairs without another word.

  Ellie called after her. ‘Your bedroom is at the back of the house, straight ahead at the top of the stairs. Bathroom to your left. Use that first. I've got to ring Mrs Dawes before I come up.’

  Felicity closed the bedroom door with extreme care. Ellie smiled to herself. The girl would be on the phone to her husband within minutes, of course. Ellie rather hoped he would have turned his mobile on again. Anita must have been proving rather more fascinating than usual.

  Ellie took her hot water and the notebook from the hall into the study, where there was an extension phone. Firmly shutting the door behind her, she rang Chris Talbot's number. Unlike Sir Arthur, Chris Talbot had left his phone switched on.

  ‘It's good to hear from you, Mrs Quicke. I'd been imagining all sorts, and feeling guilty that I'd dragged you into this mess.’

  And charm will get you anywhere, thought Ellie. ‘I'm fine. I have Felicity staying the night.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘She hasn't left her husband. She insists he's white as driven snow. He encouraged her to spend time with me, in order to learn your whereabouts, which I sincerely hope you're not going to tell me.’

  He was amused. ‘Mrs Quicke, you are an amazing woman.’

  It was getting late, and Ellie was tired. ‘Don't patronize me, please.’

  ‘I'm sorry.’

  ‘As to what I've found out; Kate tells me there've been meetings today to persuade Sir Arthur's supporters that he's on the losing side-’

  ‘Yes, I was there.’

  ‘-but I'm afraid Sir Arthur is still using Martinez to pressurize someone into putting money into another of his schemes. I may be able to stop that. I hope so. But I haven't found out who sent the poisoned pizza yet, because too much else has been going on. Not least an attempt to implicate me as the driver who ran your son down.’

  ‘Really?’ His voice cooled with suspicion, then warmed again. ‘That makes no sense.’

  ‘As it happens, I don't drive. But the police did question me about it.’

  ‘Clever,’ he said, slowly. ‘But not clever enough.’

  ‘I imagine it was Martinez's idea. It wasn't Sir Arthur who made the phone call, anyway. It might have been Marco. The police went round to pick him up, but missed him. He's in a pub drinking at the moment, and threatening to pay me another visit to shut me up.’

  He drew in his breath. ‘I'm truly sorry, Mrs Quicke. I'd no idea Sir Arthur'd resort to such tactics.’

  ‘I think the death of his dog has tipped him over the edge, and there I can't help you. Yet.’

  ‘It wasn't Felicity?’

  ‘No. She married him because he made a dead set at her, and promised to restore the manor. He gives her enough money to cover her mother's incarceration in a home, but not enough for her to appear well-groomed. Felicity visits her mother whenever his back is turned at weekends. Sir Arthur doesn't want her at the manor, where he seems to have installed a mistress-cumhousekeeper.’

  ‘I could pay for her mother to-’

  ‘She promised her mother not to have anything to do with you. She has poor self-worth. Her devotion to her mother overrules everything, except her terror of her husband. She won't meet you, or talk to you, yet. She's in denial about her husband's ruthless activities. Her need to provide for her mother will probably keep her tied to Sir Arthur for the foreseeable future.’

  Silence.

  ‘I'm sorry if that all sounds rather depressing,’ said Ellie, ‘but it's the truth as I see it.’

  ‘I repeat, you are amazing, Mrs Quicke. Thank you.’ This time he didn't sound patronizing. ‘You can reach me any time on this number. Take care.’

  He rang off. Another soft ‘click' sounded on the phone. Ellie replaced her own receiver, and glanced back at the door. That soft ‘click' was a giveaway. Felicity must have crept down the stairs and lifted the handset of the phone in the hall, to listen in on Ellie's report to her father.

  Ellie had always been told that ‘listeners never hear any good of themselves'. She didn't suppose Felicity had enjoyed what she'd heard, but it might have made her think; if she was capable of thinking for herself, of course, which was quite a different matter.

  Ellie made herself relax. She'd been horribly tense throughout the phone call. She glanced at the clock. Would Mrs Dawes have taken some painkillers and gone to sleep? She'd risk it.

  Mrs Dawes answered the phone at the first ring, sounding as loud and confident as if she'd been in the same room. ‘Ellie dear, I've been so worried. You've heard, have you? So stupid. I was trying to collapse one of those metal tables, you know how awkward they can be. I overbalanced and fell. It would be my bad knee, of course.’

  ‘I'm so sorry to hear it. I wish I could have stayed to help clear up, but little Frank …’

  ‘The young rascal!’ Indulgently. ‘Jean was in such a temper, hearing you'd taken him home, but as I said to her, what else were you to do? Anyway, Archie took me to the hospital and they didn't keep me waiting above half an hour, fancy that! And this Indian doctor, I wondered if he could even speak English, but of course he did, and he had the gentlest hands, and was so kind. Nothing broken, but a strained muscle, so I have to keep my leg up for a few days, and then I'll be out and about with the help of my stick.’

  ‘You won't like being stuck indoors for days.’

  ‘No more I will. But Tum-Tum - Thomas - told me you were trying to find out who else might have suffered from Sir Arthur Kingsley recently. Dreadful man! Who does he think he is, planning to build all those flats in our vicarage garden? Dear Tum-Tum - Thomas - dropped in to see me after Archie brought me back, and I was asking him about your conservatory - has the stephanotis survived, dear? - and he seemed to think it was Sir Arthur who arranged it.’

  ‘W
ell, yes, but-’

  ‘Thomas - I really can't go on calling him by that ridiculous nickname, even if it does suit him - thought I might dig up some information on Sir Arthur for you, since I'm not going to be so active for a few days. You heard about the woman who had her garden trampled down, did you?’

  ‘Yes, I went to see her. I don't think it's her. Too downtrodden, poor thing.’

  ‘Oh. Well, there's the odd-job man who Sir Arthur cheated … now what was his name? It'll come to me in a minute. Or I could ask around. One or two of my old friends have promised to drop in, keep me company. One of them is sure to know.’

  ‘Mrs Dawes, you are incredible. May I bring you in some food or flowers - or perhaps a bottle of sherry tomorrow, to cheer you up?’

  ‘Not that very sweet sherry, dear. I don't think it agrees with me. Oh, and Jean wanted to make sure you were going to do coffee after church, and I said you'd never forget! So don't, will you? Forget, I mean.’

  Laughing, Ellie put the phone down. How clever of Tum-Tum - Thomas - to provide Mrs Dawes with something to keep her mind occupied during her enforced period of leisure. Mrs Dawes loved poking into other people's business.

  Mrs Dawes was right about not calling him Tum-Tum in future, as well. That nickname had been applied to him on his very first day in the parish, but it really wasn't suitable. Of course he did look like a Tum-Tum, with that solid corporation of his. But he was a wise and experienced minister and he deserved to be called by his proper name. Thomas. Yes.

  Ellie called Midge in from the garden, and gave him a late-night snack. She made sure the telephone bell was turned right down, and put her mobile phone in her pocket. Turning off the lights, checking that the bolt and chain was on the front door, she went up to bed. Felicity's light was on in the spare room.

  She undressed with one eye on her bed, which appeared particularly soft and inviting tonight, especially with Midge spread out upon it. Would she get a good night's sleep, or would Marco pay her a visit?

  Dear Lord, what a tangle. I don't know whether to feel sorry for Felicity; or to shake her. Uh-oh. When I don't know what to ask for, I should just say, Please, Lord. You know what's best for her.