Blood Rights (A Jack Le Claire Mystery)

by Kelly Clayton

  ◆◆◆

  Riley threw the ball for what seemed like the thousandth time. Khan raced up the beach to collect it. Then Riley would throw it again. This had been the pattern for the last half hour. His mobile buzzed in his jeans pocket. He took it out, didn’t recognise the number. “Riley Jones.”

  “This is DCI Le Claire. I have a quick question, which I hope you won’t find offensive.”

  He stiffened. “Go on.”

  “I need to ask if you were aware that your mother had a personal relationship with Kurt Englebrook?”

  “You mean like an affair? Absolutely not.”

  “We have a letter from your mother to Kurt Englebrook; it refers to an affair ending and never speaking of it again if they are to continue to work together.”

  “Utter rot. That could be about anyone.” His voice wavered, and he knew he didn’t sound as convinced as his words. He barely concentrated as Le Claire said something else and the call disconnected.

  She’d said there was nothing between them, but his mother has lied. What else hadn’t she told him? His stomach plunged with the weight of despair.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Eva paused at the door to what she always termed the “party room.” She had a vague recollection that Jessica had called it the big lounge—peasant. It had been a long time since Eva had hosted a drinks party at the manor. Over a decade, in fact. But this was no ordinary social gathering. She decided it was incumbent upon her to organise some kind of memorial event. A private burial had taken place earlier that day, and, given the fact that Kurt’s death was suspicious, she had agreed with the boys that something low-key would be appropriate while the investigation was ongoing.

  Organising the guest list, and keeping it to manageable numbers, had been a challenge. She worked with her sons to compile the names of fifty people who had been prominent in her ex-husband’s life. In addition to the family, and she grudgingly included Jessica and Chloe, she had asked Rudy to compile the rest of the list. Jessica had accepted, no doubt to keep face. Plus, she was still living at the house so Eva couldn’t entirely ignore her.

  And that had led to the current situation where Richard was across the room chatting to the developer she’d had an argument with only days before. She knew the reasons for them having to be careful no longer existed, but old habits didn’t simply fade away.

  She noticed Angela talking to one of Kurt’s essential business connections. She liked her eldest son’s girlfriend. Angela was the type of woman she could perhaps once have been if her life had taken a different path. Angela was strong and confident and successful. Her gallery put on some fabulous exhibitions and was praised by all. As was Angela herself. She was an important figure in the local art scene, and Eva wondered if she was a little bit jealous of her sometimes.

  She glanced across the room again just as Richard looked in her direction. He quickly looked away as soon as they made eye contact. He said they had to bide their time, had to wait for the right moment. He’d started to flirt with Jessica whenever he could. She lapped up the attention. He promised her time and time again that it was to create a distraction and hadn’t gone any further than that.

  The thought of him making eyes at Jessica made her sick. The little cow had stolen Kurt; she wasn’t going to get Richard as well.

  She moved through the small crowd until she reached the console table at the end of the room and quickly opened one of the drawers. She searched but couldn’t find her e-cigarette. She’d already taken it from this drawer twice tonight. It had to be there. She knew she’d put it back when she finished. What she would give for a proper drag of nicotine, but she’d promised the boys. There was a spare e-cigarette upstairs. She’d go and get that.

  Her attention was caught by a slight commotion near the door. Nils was speaking to Rudy. Her eldest son had his hands on his brother’s wrists as if he was preventing him from coming into the room. She took one look at Nils and understood why. He appeared dishevelled, agitated and anxious, and she knew that could mean only one thing. He’d fallen off the wagon again. Christ knew how much Kurt had paid for rehab over the years. Nils had seemed fine recently. Now the question was whether he was on booze or pills? She quickly crossed the room.

  She came close to them and whispered, “Follow me. Don’t cause a scene here tonight. Come on.”

  Once in the hallway, she faced them both. “What the hell is going on here?”

  “You even need to ask that?” Rudy said. “Look at him. His eyes are shot to pieces; he can’t concentrate on anything I’m saying. God knows what he’s taken, but he’s in no fit state to meet anyone tonight.”

  Nils slumped against the wall. “I’m not that bad. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine. I only had a couple of drinks.”

  Eva said, “You’ve had more than a couple. I need you to go to your room now.”

  To her surprise, it was Rudy who turned on her. “Don’t start trying to play mother now. Dad’s the one who looked out for us all these years. You know we need money for the business, and you’re not even willing to enter into the land development agreement. You’re completely selfish.”

  She pulled back, offended. “You two always support each other. Well, both of you can get out of my sight. The land is mine to do with what I want. If I spend every penny, there is nothing you can do. You are both so entitled. Well, Kurt’s gone, and things are going to change if I have any say in it. Now get your brother to his room and see if you can do anything at all to make him fit company for our guests. A gallon of coffee should do for a start.”

  ◆◆◆

  The room was becoming uncomfortably warm. Chloe tugged at her neckline for some relief. Her formal black dress was a little too tight, but it was all she owned that had been suitable for the private burial. The day had passed without incident so far as if everyone had agreed to put their differences aside while they buried Kurt.

  She had been standing on her own in the corner of the room for over fifteen minutes. Jessica was in good form. Playing the fragile, grieving widow. She was overacting, in fact, and Chloe couldn’t work out whose benefit this little performance was for. There was a dangerous edge to her tonight. When they’d entered, she’d shot Eva a look that would have blistered paint. Eva had simply smirked and raised her glass in a taunting toast. Jessica was her blood, but that didn’t mean Chloe had to like her, not all the time, at least. Her sister seemed to be on a frantic path, and Chloe knew there was nothing she could do to help her. She’d done enough of that so far.

  She sipped at a glass of fizzy water and surreptitiously checked the time on her wristwatch. She’d already told Jessica she wasn’t staying more than another hour. She gazed around the room. Eva was holding court by the bar, puffing away on one of those e-cigarettes. At least she wasn’t polluting the room with her usual fags. Rudy and Nils had both joined everyone a few moments ago. Nils looked positively green. She’d keep an eye on him, make sure he was okay.

  Rudy was talking to a man who had his back to Chloe. But the broad shoulders, curling hair and height gave the game away. Her heart thudded. What the hell was Riley doing here? And what was he speaking to Rudy about?

  She hadn’t seen Riley since the night at his campervan. She hadn’t called him, but she’d thought about him continually. She had to keep in mind that he hadn’t called her either. This was a terrible time for him, and she could cut him some slack. They were friends, and she didn’t want to lose that. Taking a steadying breath, she made her way across the room. As she walked up behind Riley, she heard him say, “Thanks for listening, Rudy. I wanted to come and say that, no matter our recent differences, your father was a good friend to my mother and acted like an uncle to me. I’d like us to put all the bad feelings behind us.”

  Rudy said, “I have no time for vendettas. We have both lost a parent and not in usual circumstances. Stay and have a drink. You’re welcome here on this day.”

  Rudy walked away, and Chloe quickly took his
place. “I’m surprised to see you here. I couldn’t help but overhear. It was big of you to come here tonight. You couldn’t have been sure of the reception.”

  Riley smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Coming here was the last thing I felt like doing. But I’m convinced my mother’s death has something to do with Kurt and this family. I’m keeping them close in my sights.”

  “You can’t think anyone here had anything to do with your mum’s death?”

  “Why should I think anything else? There are too many connections here, and I’m not going to rest until I find out what happened.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Is that why you’re here, Riley? Or do you have another motive?”

  Before he could reply, there was a loud crash. She turned around and saw Eva leaning against the bar. She was slumped over, and the floor around her was covered in broken glass. She must have knocked into a tray of drinks. Two of the serving staff were on their knees with dustpans and brushes as they cleared up.

  Rudy was beside his mother in moments, followed by Nils.

  “Mum. Are you okay?”

  Rudy reached out to touch his mother on the arm, and she slowly slithered to the ground and lay there unmoving.

  A woman nearby screamed, “Oh my God, she’s dead!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Le Claire waited impatiently outside the emergency area at the hospital. “What the hell is taking them so long?”

  Dewar said, “I don’t know. When I called, I was advised that the emergency physician on duty was Dr Foster and that he would see us as soon as we arrived.”

  The first responders had locked down the party room at the manor, taken the details of all who were present and, when they realised the connection to an ongoing major incident investigation, had dragged a sleepy Le Claire from his bed. He immediately called Dewar, who, to her credit, had simply said she’d meet him at the hospital.

  The massive double doors opened, automatically closing behind Dr Brian Foster. He looked exhausted.

  Le Claire said, “The duty team contacted me. I understand Eva Englebrook has been admitted. And that she is alive but critical?”

  “Correct. Mrs Englebrook is unconscious. She has apparently taken a drug overdose, and we have to do some tests to work out exactly what she took.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “I don’t know. There is definitely the presence of some complex illegal compounds, but more than that I can’t say at this point.”

  “Did she try to commit suicide, or was it accidental?”

  “I can’t tell you anything about that. And to be honest, that isn’t my concern right now. I have a critically ill woman under my care, and I don’t know if she will come out of the coma. We are monitoring her closely, but more importantly, we are ridding her system of the drugs and maintaining stability. I’m sorry, I must go. We’ll keep your office updated as to progress, but my patient is the most important thing to me right now.”

  As he hurried away, Le Claire made to leave, but Dewar said, “Look, over in the corner.” Rudy and Nils sat hunched on the obligatory hard plastic chairs. Le Clair headed over to them.

  “Gentleman, I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Could you tell me what happened?”

  Nils was ashen. The only colour in his face was grey. His eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. “I don’t know. She just fell. Christ, this is a nightmare.”

  Rudy said, “I was walking towards her. Suddenly, she grasped her throat, fell to the side and sent a tray of glasses flying. There was a huge crash. She was leaning against the bar. I thought maybe she’d drunk too much. I rushed over, and as I touched her, she collapsed. Fell to the ground. We called the ambulance immediately.”

  Le Claire said, “I understand that drugs were involved. Was your mother a habitual user?”

  Rudy shook his head violently from side to side. “No way. Mum never touched drugs at all. Her vice was smoking. She got through twenty cigarettes a day. We’ve been trying to wean her off, and she’s been happy to go along with us.”

  “How have you been weaning her off?”

  “Oh, I get where you’re coming from,” Nils said. “No, we haven’t been giving her anything dangerous. We got her into using e-cigarettes. They’re supposedly harmless enough, and she likes all the different flavours. Mum’s got a nervous personality. She needs to be doing something with her hands. Usually, that was smoking a cigarette. Now she can do it with an artificial one.”

  “I have to ask this: Is there any reason your mother would attempt to take her own life?”

  Rudy shook his head. “I can’t see why. She got over Dad years ago and wasn’t unduly suffering from grief. Mum finally got the art collection she adores, and, to her surprise, she also has the house she chose when we first moved to the island, plus the land. She could always develop it if she wanted to, but she doesn’t. No, Mum didn’t have anything to be worried about or concerned about right now. She wasn’t upset about anything. I don’t know what’s happened, but there’s no way she harmed herself.”

  Nils said, “She’s going to be okay because I don’t want to be making those kinds of decisions.”

  Rudy stared at him. “What? Like switching off the machine?”

  “You heard the doctor. Mum is on that machine to keep her alive. He has no idea yet as to whether there is any brain damage. She’d never have wanted to be kept around in that state.”

  “I agree, but let’s worry about that when we have to. You get home. I’ll stay here. I can nap in the waiting room.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll stay too.”

  As Le Claire walked away, he mused that Eva’s Englebrook’s sons had moved quickly from disbelief to discussing turning off the machines that were keeping their mother functioning correctly. He wasn’t sure if they were both staying because they were worried or if they wanted to keep an eye on each other.

  ◆◆◆

  Eva was alive—unconscious but still alive.

  Most of the party guests had left, although some shocked stragglers lingered in the courtyard as they waited for their taxis. Either that or they wanted an excuse to nose about and see what happened. Chloe figured that was the most likely scenario. They’d be experts when the story started making the rounds on Facebook. With each hushed conversation, the detail was chewed over and embellished. The police had cordoned off most of the downstairs area, so Chloe had followed the crowd outside. Rudy and Nils had followed the ambulance.

  One of the staff drove. Rudy had drunk his share, and Nils wasn’t fully recovered from being off his face earlier. Richard Grainger had been most insistent he go with them, but Rudy had refused. It was a kind offer, but this was time for family.

  Jessica knocked back a glass of champagne. “Well, I’m off to the kitchen to get some more booze. Do you want anything?”

  “No, I doubt we’ll hear from the hospital again tonight, although Rudy said he’ll call if there’s any change.”

  “Sure you don’t want another drinkie?” Jess slurred the words.

  A voice came from behind Chloe. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” It was Riley.

  Jessica laughed. Chloe assumed her sister meant it to come out as a tinkling sound. However, it was more of a nasal snort. Her voice was too loud as well, and several people turned around, their disapproval evident. “Don’t be a bore, Riley. Why don’t you do it? Be a good boy and go to the kitchens and get me something, anything, wine, champagne—I don’t care.”

  Chloe spoke before Riley could reply. “It’s late, Jess. You don’t need another drink. Perhaps you should go to bed? It’s been an exhausting night.”

  “And perhaps you should keep your sanctimonious little nose where it belongs and out of my business. Screw you both. I’ll get myself a drink.”

  Chloe’s eyes tracked her sister as she stumbled towards the house, her gait unsteady. “I’m sorry about that. She has obviously had a lot to deal with recently.”

  “Haven’t we all?
Don’t worry about it. I need to get a taxi. I’ll catch you later.”

  “It’s almost 2:00 a.m. You’ll never get a cab now. I’m staying here tonight. Why don’t you?”

  “That’s an offer and a half.”

  Her skin tingled, and the air between them shifted into something entirely different. “I didn’t mean anything by that. What I meant was there are plenty of spare rooms here. I’m sure Rudy won’t mind; these are unusual circumstances.”

  “They certainly are. I’ll hang about for a while. Mum’s old Fiat is still in the garage here. I haven’t had much to drink tonight. I’ll be okay to drive after a couple of hours. Why don’t we find one of those rooms, and you can keep me company? I don’t want to be alone, and I’ve always loved talking to you, Chloe.”

  Her heart drummed a rapid tattoo against her ribcage. He held her gaze, and she nodded. “Follow me.” She walked slightly ahead of him as she headed to her old room, which was always kept ready for her. She was a grown woman and could do as she pleased; no one was going to be interested in what she did tonight. They had more than enough on their minds. Plus, she wasn’t up to anything. Yes, she was taking a gorgeous man she’d fancied forever to the bedroom, but not to her bed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Nils was in the kitchen when Chloe ventured downstairs. Her mind was a jumbled mass of emotions, and she didn’t know what she thought. How the hell could she have been so stupid? Riley’s head wasn’t in the right place. It couldn’t be. And he wasn’t in any state to make decisions, like irrevocably crossing the friendship line the way they had in the early hours of the morning.

  Nils hunched over his mug of coffee, bloodshot eyes a testament to his state. “I’ve almost finished this. Be a love and make me another one, Chloe.”