4 Camera ... Action ... Murder!

by Faith Mortimer

  “What a pretty bowl. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so big before either,” she said standing back to admire her work.

  “Yes, isn’t it? It belonged to my granny and I adore it. Having a house party gives me a good excuse to give it an airing. You don’t see glass like this anymore. Someone’s just arrived. I’ll go and answer the door.” Clare smoothed a hand over her hair and checked herself in the mirror before leaving the kitchen.

  Diana was left putting the finishing touches to their dishes. Most people had already arrived, and she knew it could be Adam who was on the doorstep. She smiled at her friend’s antics, knowing the barbeque was the perfect excuse to get him here. Adam really stood no chance; Clare would inveigle him into her bed if it was the last thing she did.

  Russell had obviously worked well on Sebastian because he had arrived only a few minutes previously and was in the garden talking to Joanna. Di knew Joanna’s gentle ways would help soothe the troubled and unhappy young man. She wondered how old he was. She couldn’t remember how long it was since his mother, Emily, and Duncan had finished their affair and she and Russell had got together. She and Steve had been around when Sebastian was born, and she guessed he must be in his early twenties. It was funny she hadn’t considered it before, but she estimated Caroline was a few years older than he.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Clare and Adam entering the room. Adam looked amused and—for him—slightly ruffled, and Di could only guess what Clare had either said or done to him in the short time they had been together in the hall.

  “Hi, Adam. You made it then,” she said.

  “Nothing would keep me away from the promise of a large steak. I’ve skipped so many meals in the past forty-eight hours, my throat feels like it’s been cut.”

  Both women looked at each other over his choice of words. “Charming,” murmured Clare.

  “Sorry! Please excuse this ignorant, unfeeling policeman. I’m forgetting what you’ve both been through over the past two days. Police work makes you hard, and sometimes we cover our own feelings with terrible jokes.”

  “It’s fine, we understand. Come and get a drink. We’re keeping all the booze indoors, because it’s still so hot outside. The fridge is full of beer and chilled white wine. The red wine is in here on the table, and there’s an assortment of spirits and mixers if you wish on the smaller table over there,” Clare said taking his arm. “What would you like?”

  “A beer sounds great. Cheers!”

  Diana realised she had finished her spritzer and poured herself another, while Clare disappeared outside to make sure everyone knew to help themselves to drinks.

  “I hear you pulled Duncan in earlier. Have you arrested and charged him, then?” she asked once they were alone.

  Adam shook his head. “I can’t. We haven’t got enough to go on. I’m sure the bugger’s guilty of something even if it’s not murder. He’s acting oddly, and I’m positive he’s keeping something from us. He comes over too confident most of the time and doesn’t appear that worried about the murder of his wife. He didn’t even bother asking for his solicitor until we suggested it, and he seemed to know we had nothing concrete to pin him down with. I let him go home. Thankfully, the plagiarism thing has all been sorted. I know it wasn’t our problem, but it was one more thing to get out of the way.”

  “How was it sorted?”

  Adam snorted and took a pull of his beer. “It was funny. Our eminent historian, Sydney Graham, despite all his earlier bluster and snobbery over the film, was quite keen when Macpherson said he’d add his name to the film credits as author of the book. Apparently book sales haven’t been that amazing, and he could see the publicity bringing him a lot of good, especially as he’s about to bring out a sequel.”

  Diana laughed then sobered. “What about Patrick? Patrick Mulligan. What’s going to happen to him?”

  Adam shrugged. “There’s nothing that anyone except he and Graham need to get involved with. I believe they’re going to sort it out themselves.”

  Diana nodded. “That’s what Patrick intimated earlier. He gave me a breathy and much shortened version of things, and I put two and two together. I think he is so humiliated about it all, he just wants to forget it ever happened. He and Joanna are here together, and I hope they make a go of it once and for all. They’ve been on and off ever since I’ve known them.”

  “Maybe some people aren’t meant to marry,” Adam said, gazing into her eyes with what she swore was a leer. “Perhaps they’re meant to have affairs and live in sweet sin.” Diana chose to ignore him and looked away. There was nothing to be gained from going down that route as she had warned him before. Sometimes people never knew how to play fair. What was that clichéd quote by the Renaissance English poet and playwright, John Lyly, from Euphues that meant all’s fair in love and war? It was something like ‘The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war.’ Well, they certainly weren’t applied by Adam Lovell.

  “So. What are you going to do now? Chat to everyone and see if you can find anything that’s out of place?”

  “Something like that. It’s been a tough two days, and I’m knackered—as are the rest of my team. I sent Barbara home on time for once. She was looking rough and acting a bit snappy when she left. I’ve left everything in the hands of a very capable chief inspector. Tonight I’m going to relax and enjoy myself, even if it means battling with that sex-crazed Clare. Wherever did you find her? She scares me witless.”

  Diana hooted with laughter at his words. “Adam! You lie too much. You love it and particularly enjoy being fought over. Clare is just normal—well almost—she’s possibly a bit over-sexed, but what about your sergeant? Do I detect something there between you?”

  Adam looked guilty while taking another swig of his beer. “Ah, there you have me. No, nothing serious has happened between us. I learned my lesson long ago. But Barbara would like it to, I’m sure. She’s nice but not my type. She has too much angst and anger within her. It comes from her upbringing, I suppose. She was brought up on some ghastly council estate, a high-rise block of flats, with only her mother for company. She never knew her dad, and she and her mother survived mainly on social security so far as I can gather. No, she needs someone much more lovable and kind. She needs to come home every night and have nothing to do with the police and criminal minds.”

  Diana was surprised at his statement but was sure he was right. There had been something in Barbara’s manner which exuded frustration and bitterness.

  “That’s sad for her. I hope she meets someone nice. Shall we go outside and say ‘hello’ to everyone? They’re all here.”

  “Yep. Lead the way. I must say this is a nice house. Maybe Clare’s got something after all,” he said with a smile.

  “Hang on, a car’s just arrived. I’ll go and see who it is.” Diana peered through the little pane of glass on the front door. “Good grief, it’s Duncan! Whatever is he doing here? I never expected him to show up.”

  Chapter 19

  As Duncan walked into the garden and everyone noticed him, there was a brief lull in conversation before they recovered and said ‘hello’. Remembering that the majority of the gathered company were actors, Diana considered they did a good job of covering up their astonishment. Diana and Adam had just joined Steve at the barbeque. He paused between turning his grilled lamb chops, looked at the other two, raised his eyebrows, and lifted his shoulders in surprise.

  “Crikey, Moses. I’m flabbergasted he came,” he murmured, faking an Australian accent. “He’s either not guilty of anything, or he’s the coolest customer I’ve ever seen. Perhaps he’s just thick-skinned. What do you think, Adam? I believe you talked to him down at the station today?”

  Adam sighed. “Yeah, I was telling Di earlier. I wanted to pile on the pressure, but we’ve still nothing concrete to pin on him. We’ve had some forensic reports back, linking the two deaths but very little else. I still think the bugger murdered Isabelle for her money. Most interesting is w
hy Macpherson should choose to kill his wife in that way. Isabelle was having a fling with Andrew Downs, but considering Macpherson loathed his wife, sexual jealousy can’t be a motive. It’s all complicated. If he wanted rid of her merely to inherit her money, there are any number of domestic accidents which are comparatively easy to contrive. Why take the risk of killing her when there were so many people at the house?”

  Diana frowned at Adam’s words. “Maybe you’re wrong, Adam. Perhaps he didn’t kill her and he’s telling the truth. What if she was killed because there were so many people there during those few days? The murderer could have chosen this time on purpose, knowing that with so many people being around, he or she could hide amongst them. The risks of being discovered would be greatly reduced, because you’d have more individuals to investigate.”

  Steve agreed by inclining his head. “She may have a point, Adam. Defendit numerus, a Latin phrase meaning there’s safety in numbers.”

  “That’s exactly my point. I think we need to find out who knew about this party well in advance. Someone had to know about the photo shoot and who was coming. I don’t mean people like the catering company. I mean more about the grand scheme of things and down to the finer detail.”

  “I should imagine that includes everyone here, wouldn’t you?” Adam interjected.

  “Not necessarily,” Steve answered. “Di and I were invited to the Macphersons by email. It merely said we were being asked to take part in a photo shoot with other members from the original cast of the stage play. It didn’t mention anything about who else was invited, and we received the email only a couple of weeks ago. Would that have been enough time for someone to formulate a plan ? It seems a bit risky to me.”

  Adam folded his arms while he thought. “I’m still not sure. It’s a personal thing with me, I know, but when I believe myself to be right, I don’t readily accept evidence where I could be wrong. I won’t leave any stone unturned. However, if I’m wrong and you’re right, then the murderer had to know the layout of the place. He—hang on, Clare’s bringing him over. I don’t really want to talk to him at this moment. We’ll talk later.” He slipped away towards the kitchen and left Steve and Diana standing next to the grilling meat and vegetable kebabs.

  Clare looked flushed with excitement when she saw Adam, and excusing herself took off in his direction. Diana turned to Duncan with a smile.

  “Hi there. We’re glad you decided to come.”

  “I hadn’t intended to at all. I expect you know I’ve had a session being grilled by Super Cop over there, and I was all for going home for some peace and quiet. It was not to be, as Clare rang and insisted I come for an hour. She’s a pushy female if I ever knew one.”

  “How did she know you were finished?” queried Diana. “It’s funny but she never mentioned anything to me earlier.”

  Duncan made a sound like a snort. “How does Clare know anything? She has an infallible instinct, that woman. She said she’d spoken to the superintendent, and he told her I’d been released. What a waste of police time and money that was. Why he would think I had anything to do with Isabelle’s death beats me.” He looked tired, and not for the first time, Diana realised he was looking his age.

  “Come on. I see you’ve got a drink. Let’s take a walk over the grass and find somewhere peaceful, shall we? It’s lovely down by the stream, and there are some fabulous dragonflies down there. We won’t be long, Steve. Make sure you save us two of your best steaks please.”

  “Aye aye, ma’am,” Steve said, saluting her. “Watch out for midges, there are quite a few around.”

  Diana led Duncan down to the river and suggested they sit on the bench in the shade. Sensing Duncan wanted a quiet moment, Diana decided to remain silent until he wanted to talk. Duncan looked miserable and worried and finished his gin and tonic within minutes of sitting down.

  “Shall I go and get our glasses refreshed?” Di asked. “It won’t take me long.”

  “No, sit still. If I drink too much I’ll soon get sloshed, and I’m not staying long. I need to get back. I have things to do.”

  Diana murmured. “I’m sure you do.”

  Duncan sighed and lounged back on the bench, stretching his legs out in front. “I expect you’re all wondering if I really did kill Isabelle, and I’m not surprised one little bit. She was an absolute cow at times even from the very beginning. We soon both learned to loathe one another.”

  “If she was that bad, why did you marry her?” Di asked in a gentle voice. “I mean you must have felt something at one time.”

  Duncan slowly turned his head to look at Diana. “Maybe once we had something, but I can’t for the life of me remember when. She was incredibly selfish and never wanted children. I only found that out after we’d been married a few months. The truth is she was an absolute bully and made my life miserable if I didn’t stand up to her. But even then I was only allowed to go so far before she rapped me on the knuckles. You see, she has—or had, I should say now—a fair-sized fortune, and she always helped fund my projects.”

  Diana drew in her breath as she listened to him. “I think everyone knows Isabelle was very rich. Steve and I certainly guessed she must have helped you with money from time to time.”

  “But it always came at a price. There was always something I had to do before Isabelle wrote that cheque.”

  “I don’t understand though. Your plays were—are—always so popular. If you’re so successful, why did you need Isabelle’s help? Surely the productions made a lot of money.”

  “Not nearly enough. To stage a play from scratch, with all the publicity, actors, props, scenery, costume, equipment, and well, you must remember how it was when you were on the stage. Everything seemed to disappear into a black hole, even with a grant from the Arts Council. When Isabelle gave me her first refusal, we had a huge row, and I walked out on her. I was convinced I could succeed without her money, and I made the big mistake of borrowing against Havershall House.”

  Diana gasped. “Whoops.”

  “Whoops indeed. Havershall was not mine to borrow against.” He rolled his eyes before continuing. “Within months, I was in deep do-do. My creditors were clamouring for their money back and with high interest. I’m too ashamed to tell you how much it was, but it was substantial, and I had to go back to Isabelle, cap in hand, and beg her to help me out.”

  “And did she?”

  “Indeed yes, but only on her terms. This was years ago you understand, and to cut a long story short, she’s never changed since that day. Neither have I been able to get out from under her heavy hand. Did you know that the original idea of the film was hers? She remembered Patrick’s play, and she discussed the idea with Andrew Downs from Lodestone Pictures. She and Andrew had known each other for quite a while, but I hadn’t realised they were attracted to each other. Anyway, she told me about her proposal, and I agreed it was a good one. I thought, stupidly as it turned out, that I could make a smash hit of the film and get rid of her afterwards. No, not get rid of her like that! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that at all. I meant divorce her once I’d cleared all my debts.”

  “So did Isabelle put up the money for the film?”

  “Some of it. A proportion was coming from Lodestone, and I had to find the rest. I really did think I would be able to keep my creditors at bay until after the launch of the film, but they were so greedy and rigid with their repayment terms and knew about Isabelle and her money. Eventually, I had to let her know, and she was adamant I’d never get a penny of her money for repaying those loan sharks. I pleaded with her and asked if she’d put up some more capital, as I knew Lodestone wouldn’t. She became offensive and sneered over my mismanagement saying it was typical of the way I did anything.” He looked down at his clenched hands in his lap. “She said she would only think about it if I stopped seeing Caroline.”

  Diana looked at Duncan’s profile, saying softly. “Did you agree?”

  Duncan bowed his head in misery. “At the time I had to. I
could see no other way out of my mess, so I said I needed to see the photo shoot through and then I’d tell Caroline.”

  “Was Isabelle happy with this agreement?”

  “I’m not sure if she believed me. You see she’s done this before. I mean dictated terms over who my friends should be.”

  “Have you told Adam Lovell all this?”

  “That policeman? Not in so many words. I’ve given him the bare background. Why the bloody hell should I tell him about my private life? He’s got me guilty as charged without any real evidence. Why should I make his job easy? He’s got a nasty streak in him.” He paused and shot a sideways look at Diana. “But I was forgetting you went out with him before, didn’t you? You should know all about his ways.”

  Diana felt awkward. She truly considered Adam to be a fair and trustworthy copper, but there was obviously something about Duncan he disliked, and Duncan understandably resented this.