The Concealers

by Janet Pywell

  ‘I’ll have to organise the wines for tonight.’

  ‘Did you know Jim was spying on everyone?’

  ‘I saw him plant some of the cameras, well, the one in the pantry—’

  ‘Pantry?’

  Hugo laughs.

  ‘That’s what I thought. It only made sense after you cut the cake and there’s the massive rock inside. I suppose no one knew about it, only you and Herr Schiltz, but good old Friedrich wanted to make sure you wouldn’t steal it, I suppose. He probably thought you’d run off with it.’

  ‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ I say truthfully.

  ‘Dear Ronda, you’re so lovely and innocent.’

  ‘Tell that to Wilhelm,’ I mutter, but he doesn’t hear me.

  He’s looking at the spines of the books on the shelf and reading the titles.

  ‘So, where else did Jim place the cameras – in the Grand Hall obviously, so why didn’t he find out who put the package on the table?’

  ‘That’s because I found the camera the night before. I saw him place it on the table, near where you put the cake, and it gave him a good view of the whole room, so I thought I’d move it.’

  ‘Didn’t he know?’

  ‘Not that I’d done it. I just moved it aside as if it had been knocked accidentally, and so it filmed the wall.’

  ‘Didn’t he check it?’

  ‘He did when he woke up, but by that time, I’m guessing whoever put the package on the table did it late at night or early, first thing in the morning.’

  I feel my shoulders slump with relief.

  ’So, they were bluffing? They have no idea who put the package on the table?’

  ‘Exactly.’ Hugo stares into my eyes.

  I grin, hardly able to hide my delight.

  Hugo frowns. ‘But that’s the problem, Ronda. I think Herr Schiltz has kept back a few people here, because I think he knows who did it.’

  ‘You mean which one of the guests Gunter, Roma, Mike or Fran put it on the table?’

  I have to make sure I’m not a suspect.

  ‘No, no, no, Ronda. It’s much more complicated than that. I mean, I think Herr Schiltz knows, at last, he knows who killed his first wife – Iris.’

  * * *

  There’s no sound in the library as I considered Hugo’s words. I lean back on the sofa and close my eyes. Is this what Inspector Joachin wanted? Is this why he wanted me to leave the gun on the table?

  ‘You don’t think Herr Schiltz could have done it?’ I suggest. ‘That he might have killed his wife?’

  Hugo shakes his head. ‘He’s not the type. He’s a decent man and honourable.’

  ‘I think he’s terrifying.’

  ‘Yes, but that’s because he reminds you of your father, Ronda. You’re confusing the two of them. It’s like you’ve imprinted your father’s negative traits onto Herr Schiltz.’

  I move toward the door. I’m not ready to be analysed. ‘Come on, so what’s the plan, Hugo? What are we doing?’

  ‘Well, I thought we’d start upstairs on the battlements with Gunter and Roma. She’s fed up that she’s not leaving today. She wants to get back to her children.’

  ‘How many do they have?’

  ‘Three. Two boys, ages thirteen and ten and a girl who is five.’

  ‘Who is looking after them?’

  ‘Roma’s parents – they live near them in Germany. She’s furious because Herr Schiltz changed their plans without asking her. Paula organised it all. Paula must be exhausted. She’s coped with all the travel arrangements, castle hire and staff.’ Hugo shakes his head. ‘I don’t know how she’s managed it all. They’re not particularly kind to her either.’

  ‘You must know Paula quite well?’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘You’ve worked with her before?’

  ‘Yes, a few times.’

  ‘So, you’ve grown quite close?’ I persist.

  ‘I wouldn’t say close. We’re always so busy. Did you know about her and Freya?’

  ‘I suspected they were in love. Freya was waiting for phone messages from her, but I think Paula was too frightened in the beginning to text back with all the family around.’

  I open the door. ‘Where are you going, Ronda?’

  ‘To the battlements, isn’t that the idea?’

  ‘Don’t you want to know more about Iris Schiltz’s death?’

  I pause then close the door slowly. ‘What do you know? You weren’t working for him then.’

  ‘I’ve looked into it all.’

  ‘Okay, so tell me.’

  ‘Herr Schiltz and Louisa started their affair ten years ago. Iris and everyone else knew, including Fran who was Iris’s best friend—’

  ‘She’s now Louisa’s best friend.’

  ‘She had to be. You see, Mike is Friedrich’s business partner. They entertain a lot together, so the ladies have to get on. But, I also think Fran is worried about the business – look at what she said about the import of animals for illegal testing.’

  ‘It’s still going on, five years later?’

  ‘I don’t know. But presumably, after that lunch, Iris called Gunter, but he was away on business, so she called Wilhelm. He was the last person to see her alive.’

  I cover my mouth with my hand. ‘It’s no wonder Wilhelm was so upset this morning.’

  ‘This morning?’

  I tell Hugo how Wilhelm had come to my accommodation and how he had wanted to teach me a lesson.

  ‘He was clearly upset at seeing the gun this morning. It reminded him of his mother’s death,’ I add.

  Hugo listens carefully then he says, ‘The police never found the gun – but they accused the gardener, they said he’d been having an affair with Iris. There were witnesses although Fran – her best friend – knew nothing about it.’

  ‘You’d have thought she’d have told her best friend,’ I say.

  ‘Well, perhaps not, especially if she’s married to the junior partner in the company.’

  ‘That’s true. So, who found the body? Who found Iris?’

  ‘Herr Schiltz came home, but she was already dead. Someone had broken in. They smashed the windows. The gardener wouldn’t have done that.’

  ‘But they arrested the gardener, and he went to prison, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, and then he later killed himself,’ Hugo adds.

  I play along with Hugo. I can’t let him know that Inspector Joachin had the gun and he was the one who gave it to me.

  ‘So, now the gun has turned up. Assuming it’s the real gun, who has been keeping it all this time? Five years is a long time to hide a murder weapon – it’s a very long time, Hugo.’

  ‘Wilhelm was the last person to see her alive.’

  ‘That we know of.’

  ‘True.’

  ‘So why would anyone bring out the gun now?’

  Hugo shrugs. ‘Maybe, as a warning to his father, if he’s thinking of cutting Wilhelm out of the vast majority of the family business by relocating it to Europe.’

  ‘What if it was someone else?’ I suggest.

  ‘Like who?’

  ‘It could be anyone. Someone who went to the house after Wilhelm, and shot Iris.’

  ‘Well, it is possible. Wilhelm maintained that he only stayed for a few minutes and that she was alive when he left. Their house is remote. It’s in the country and there were no witnesses.’

  ‘But there has to be a motive,’ I say. ‘Who would want Iris dead? What did she know and who could she have told that made her a threat?’

  Hugo shrugs. ‘That’s what I’d like to know.’

  ‘Well, it points to one person.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Herr Schiltz,’ I reply, and just at that moment, the door to the library opens.

  * * *

  Paula pokes her head around the door, and her face shows a sign of relief when she sees it is us.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness, it’s you two. I heard voices outside.’ She sits down on
the sofa. She looks weary and worried. ‘It’s been madness this morning.’

  ‘You must be exhausted,’ Hugo says.

  ‘Well, I’m relieved that at least some of them have gone home. Where’s Herr Schiltz?’ She looks at Hugo.

  ‘He’s gone for a walk to the river with Louisa.’

  ‘Good.’ Paula leans her head back and closes her eyes. ‘And Jim?’

  ‘He’s gone into town on an errand.’

  ‘Even better.’

  ‘Gunter and Roma are on the battlements,’ he adds, ‘and, Fran and Mike are in their bedroom.’

  Paula yawns loudly and covers her mouth.

  ‘So, what’s this all about?’ I ask her. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘I have no idea. Only that Herr Schiltz wants to have time to speak to Gunter and Mike about the business. I suppose, if he’s retiring, he wants to make sure the family is organised, and all the finances are in order.’

  ‘What about the gun?’ I ask.

  Paula opens her eyes. ‘That’s all a mystery, isn’t it? I don’t know what to think.’

  ‘Were you working for Herr Schiltz when his first wife died?’ I ask.

  ‘I’d only been working with him a few weeks. I was new to the job and it was such a shock.’

  ‘Do you remember what happened?’

  ‘No, not exactly, I was based at the office in Germany in the beginning, and I didn’t know what was going on, and then afterwards, after she died, he was off work for a few days. It was all chaotic with the police, interviews, fingerprints, all that sort of thing. We were all questioned. Then they arrested the gardener. His prints were everywhere.’

  ‘Wasn’t that because Iris had asked him inside to sort out the house plants?’ Hugo says.

  Paula shakes her head. ‘That’s what I heard, but I don’t know…’ She pauses, ‘Weren’t you working for him then?’

  Hugo shakes his head in denial, and I wonder now how he seems to be well-informed about the events of Iris’s death, and how he continually spies on the family.

  Hugo said he’d only worked for Herr Schiltz for two years, but he seems very familiar with all the details of the affair, and I begin to wonder how far his loyalty lies. Perhaps he has been working for Herr Schiltz far longer than he admits, or maybe he isn’t just a sommelier. He’s got the measure of Jim, and it would be typical of a man like Herr Schiltz to employ Hugo as his ‘eyes and ears’, just like I am, for Inspector Joachin.

  Perhaps Hugo is on the family business payroll to watch Herr Schiltz’s back. He’s extremely loyal to him and never says a bad word.

  Was he protecting his boss’s bedroom when Jim almost caught me yesterday?

  ‘Do you think Iris was having an affair with the gardener?’ he asks.

  ‘Goodness, it was all a long time ago. I only met her once.’ Paula checks her clipboard.

  ‘Well,’ I say quickly, wanting to make my escape. ‘I’ll make coffee, and if anyone wants one, I’ll be in the kitchen.’

  I leave the library, not knowing what to make of Paula or Hugo, or even their relationship and I wonder what Inspector Joachin would make of it all.

  * * *

  I take my coffee into the herb garden, and Bobby hops off the wall and flies away as if I’ve disturbed him. Through the chink in the brickwork, I spy Herr and Frau Schiltz walking across the lawn together. Their stride is purposeful and determined, not like a couple sharing a romantic walk to the river. They’re not speaking. I squint in the sunlight, but they are too far away to see if she is still wearing the blue diamond.

  Money doesn’t make them any happier.

  ‘I thought I’d find you out here.’ Mac sits down beside me. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘You seem a little tense today.’

  ‘Just tired.’

  ‘I bought the shopping you requested. It’s on the table in the kitchen.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Is Jim back?’

  ‘I haven’t seen him. This is a strange situation, isn’t it, Mac? Why do you think this small group are staying on?’

  ‘I have no idea, but they’ll be gone tomorrow and then it’s back to normal until the next group.’

  ‘When do they arrive?’

  ‘Not until Wednesday. Paula was lucky she could extend their stay for one night.’

  ‘What do you think of Hugo?’ I ask.

  He pauses before replying, and I’m beginning to get used to the burr of his accent. Whereas Mac is rugged and broad, Hugo is slim and robust, but there’s something about them that is similar.

  ‘Hugo is a city boy. He’s also very intelligent. I think he’s good at what he does – he must be – or Mr Schiltz wouldn’t want him around.’

  ‘And Paula?’

  ‘Overworked and underpaid.’ He smiles. ‘Now, I guess you’ll be asking me about Julie next?’

  It hadn’t been on my list, and I grin at him.’ What do you think of Julie?’

  He scratches his head. ‘Well, Ma would say not to get involved, she’s older than me and—’

  I hold up my hand. ‘Mac, I asked what you think, not what your mother thinks.’

  ‘Julie’s lovely. She’s adorable, and we get on well.’

  ‘Is there a chance for you romantically?’

  He shakes his head. ‘I have no idea. She’s moved into the village, but she’s got a past. She told me that she might not hang around here. She didn’t want to tell me too much.’

  ‘Is she separated?’

  ‘Single.’

  ‘What made her come here?’

  He seems to think about the answer. ‘She’s got an aunt in the village.’

  ‘So, she could put down roots?’

  ‘Possibly, possibly – that’s what I’ve been wondering.’

  * * *

  After I finish my coffee and chatting with Mac, I return to my room to check my phones.

  There’s no message from Inspector Joachin which annoys me, but back on the bench, sitting in the sunshine, I call Tina.

  It clicks to her voicemail, and I wonder what she’s doing on Sunday afternoon that she can’t take my call. I wish Molly could answer the phone. I miss my morning jog with her. She’s uncomplicated and loving. She’s all I need.

  A shadow descends over me. I squint up into the sunlit sky. Jim stands with his legs akimbo and his arms out wide, like a wrestler’s stance, like a man used to his bulky weight.

  ‘I want to talk to you,’ he says.

  ‘Hello, Jim, how are you?’ I use my friendly tone while calculating how long it would take me to run inside the kitchen and scream for help.

  He sits beside me, leaning forward, his elbows on his solid knees.

  ‘I know you went into the Grand Hall early this morning.’

  I catch my breath.

  He pauses then adds, ‘And, I know you were at the table. You could have put the package there.’

  I don’t say anything, and he looks at me, waiting. ‘You’re not saying much.’

  ‘You haven’t asked me anything, Jim.’

  ‘Did you see anyone else in the room?’

  I shake my head. ‘Not as far as I can remember.’

  ‘Was anyone else around?’

  ‘Maybe, but if they were, I didn’t see them.’

  ‘Freya went into the kitchen.’

  ‘I didn’t see Freya. So, that goes to show. You know how big this place is.’

  ‘You went into Herr Schiltz’s bedroom yesterday.’

  ‘I was with Hugo on the—’

  ‘So you pretend.’

  ‘Believe what you like.’

  ‘Did you move my camera?’

  ‘What camera?’

  He sighs and rubs his eyes with a meaty fist.

  ‘You are the only person I can place this morning, who went to the Grand Hall and was at the dining table.’

  ‘You’re missing a massive point.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  �
��Where did I get the gun? Well, more than one point actually. There are several points like – how did I get it? How did I know anything about it? Why would I have put it there? How am I involved in this family business?’

  He shrugs.

  ‘Exactly, Jim. Your theory doesn’t make sense. So, I suggest you stick with the family who employs you and work out why Herr Schiltz has asked only six people to stay behind – including you, Paula and Hugo.’

  He stands up and shakes his legs as if his trousers are too tight.

  ‘I saw what you did to Wilhelm, that’s not normal – it’s professional kickboxing. Where did you learn that?’

  ‘Look, it is normal when you’re walking home late at night, in the dark on your own or when someone attacks you on the underground. No one will ever assault me again – ever. And I don’t care who they are.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  He turns away and heads toward the kitchen, but he pauses in the doorway and says, ‘Don’t ever try that fancy stuff with me. I won’t be so kind. I’ll kill you, cut you into pieces and throw your body in the river.’

  Chapter 17

  ‘In any war, there is a concealment of certain kinds of setbacks because it’s propaganda for the enemy.’

  Kate Adie

  The rest of the afternoon is taken up with me preparing canapés and dinner. There hasn’t been much time for a rest, and my head is whirling. I’m not only cynical about the events of the weekend, but I’m also angry.

  I’ve done what I had to do. I’ve planted the package. I’ve been the eyes and ears for Europol. Now, I may never hear from Inspector Joachin again.

  Julie watches me as I roll the pastry for the game pie with frustrated anger. She’s working alongside me, but she looks rested, and she’s even put on some mascara and lipstick.

  ‘A siesta made all the difference,’ she confesses. ‘I don’t know how you keep going, Ronda.’

  ‘Stubbornness.’ I don’t smile. ‘Pure stubbornness.’

  ‘Are you angry?’

  ‘No, I’m frustrated. I hadn’t planned on working tonight. I thought I’d be in the local pub.’

  ‘Do you mind cooking?’

  ‘Sorry, Julie. No, I don’t mind. I’m probably overtired.’

  ‘Grumpy more likely.’ Hugo breezes into the kitchen.