by K E O'Connor
“I’ll take the best care of your son,” said Gunner. “He’s got a lot of useful information I need.”
Lady Camilla shook her head as she looked at Ranulph. “I hope you have not disappointed me.”
“I haven’t, I promise, Mommy,” said Ranulph.
Lady Camilla turned away and followed me and Flipper down the stairs and into the study. Helen was already there with a cup of tea.
She nodded at me, handed over the tea, and then left, giving me a quick thumbs up as she did so.
“Why don’t you take a seat?” I said to Lady Camilla.
She looked around the room, as if seeing it for the first time, before sitting on a high-backed winged chair covered in soft-pink velvet. “I’m not sure what’s going on. This is my own home, and yet everything is a mystery. What’s happening?”
I sat opposite her and rested my elbows on my knees. Flipper sat on the floor next to me, his gaze on Lady Camilla. “I received some information about your daughter’s disappearance. Someone told me Ranulph was involved, and the police are here to find out what he knows.”
“Ranulph had nothing to do with Katie going away.” Lady Camilla lifted the cup to her mouth, but then set it down without taking a sip. “I was the one who told her to leave if she wouldn’t give up that young man of hers.”
“Johnny?”
“That’s right. He wasn’t good enough for her.”
I rubbed my palms on my thighs, never liking to be the one with bad news. “The information I obtained suggests Ranulph hurt Katie before she could leave with Johnny.”
Lady Camilla’s already pale face turned white. “He would never do that. Of course, they had their squabbles, but all siblings do. That doesn’t mean he’d do anything to cause her harm. Who has been telling you these lies?”
“A close friend of yours,” I said. “And someone I believe. Henry Davenport.”
“Henry! What nonsense.” Lady Camilla flapped a hand in front of her face. “He doesn’t know anything about Ranulph or Katie.”
“He did date Katie for a while,” I said. “So he knows her well. And he’s friends with Ranulph.”
“Oh, their relationship came to nothing,” said Lady Camilla. “I thought it would be fun to get the two of them together. But it quickly became clear they weren’t suited. Henry has no clue what’s going on. He’s a sweet man, but not all that smart.”
“Henry believes Ranulph is involved in Katie’s disappearance,” I said. “He was quite convincing when we spoke. That’s why the police are here.” It wasn’t the complete truth, but I needed to convince Lady Camilla that Ranulph was not the innocent she believed he was.
Flipper jumped to his feet, and let out a whine. The air around us chilled as Katie arrived.
I gave her a discreet nod. I was glad to see her, it was time she knew the truth about her death.
“There must be some mistake,” said Lady Camilla. “Ranulph didn’t like Katie. And I know he’s not the best of men, he has a lot of growing up to do and can be childish at times. But that’s all that’s wrong with him. He’s not a killer.”
“I think it might be more than that,” I said.
Katie rested a hand on her mom’s shoulder, and Lady Camilla shuddered at the touch. “I’m sure the police will get to the bottom of this. There must have been some kind of mistake. A mistake you seem instrumental in causing.” Her blue-eyed gaze hardened as she glared at me.
“You do want to find out what happened to Katie?” I asked. “If your son was involved in her death, you can’t want that kept a secret?”
Lady Camilla drew in a shuddering breath. “I do. But not if it means I lose both of my children.”
“Katie deserves justice,” I said, pushing down the irritation I felt. She can’t seriously want creepy Ranulph kept out of prison. “As does her partner, Johnny. If Ranulph is involved, no matter in what capacity, you need to know.”
Lady Camilla tipped her head back. “I would like to know what happened to Katie. Although I cut her out of our lives, she’s still my daughter. I want to know if she’s doing well. I did not agree with her life choices, but we’re still family.”
Katie smiled sadly and nodded just as Johnny appeared by her side and took hold of her free hand.
“I think that’s a good idea,” I said.
“This is a lot to think about,” said Lady Camilla. “I need to lie down. I can feel a headache coming on.” She stood and walked to the door, her steps slow and unsteady.
“Get some rest,” I said. “I’ll be here, and so will Helen. We’ll keep an eye on things for you.”
“Thank you.” Lady Camilla nodded, her unfocused gaze shifting around the room. “I’m sure everything will be fine in the morning.”
The door clicked shut behind her and I let out a breath.
Katie hovered in front of me, an anxious look on her face.
“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked her.
Katie gave me a puzzled look and tilted her head to one side. She drifted over to the mantelpiece where a number of family photos sat and pointed at one of Ranulph in a smart black suit.
“That’s right. Your brother killed you.”
She pointed at me and shook her head.
“I know, you thought you saw a woman just before you died. That’s because Ranulph was dressed in women’s clothing,” I said.
Katie drifted towards me, her mouth open.
“Yes, it was a surprise to me when I saw Ranulph in one of his best gowns. He must have been wearing the clothes on the night he killed you. He drugged your drinks and then got Billy and Henry to put you in your car. After that, he started the engine, and let you die from carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Katie’s image wavered and I saw sparkles of light in her eyes.
“Sorry to tell you the bad news,” I said. “But I thought you’d want the truth.”
Katie nodded again. She went back to the pictures and traced her hands over them.
“You can be angry if you want to,” I said. “Ranulph was a terrible brother. I don’t think he’s all that stable, though. He might need professional help. It sounds like he has a few issues to work through.”
Johnny moved to stand next to Katie and placed an arm around her shoulders.
“You did find happiness in the end,” I said to her, as I smiled at Johnny. “I know it’s not much consolation, but at least the two of you can be at peace now. The police are getting to work on uncovering your graves. And your families will make sure you both have proper burials. You can rest easy, knowing what happened to you. Even though the information is painful to know.”
Johnny looked over at me and nodded.
“Take care of each other,” I said. “It’s the best you can do now. And rest assured, Ranulph will get what he deserves. And the police will be interested in talking to Henry and Billy about their involvement, too. The people who harmed you will be punished.”
Katie raised her sad eyes to me, and a small smile crossed her face. She mouthed the words thank you, before she and Johnny disappeared.
I sat back in the chair and rested my hand on Flipper’s head. It was all over. The ghosts could rest.
Chapter 24
I yawned and nodded a tired thanks to Helen as she poured me a mug of strong tea.
“I’m so glad we caught Katie and Johnny’s killer.” Helen sat opposite me and took a sip from her own mug. “I knew there was something wrong with Ranulph the first time we met him.”
“He definitely wasn’t the nicest of people,” I said. “And all that obsession with his sister. That was too creepy. I didn’t mention anything about that to Lady Camilla, though. She’d had enough frights for one night. Guess it will come out later, though.”
“Poor Lady Camilla,” said Helen. “Even though she acts like an ice queen, she must be shocked by what’s going on.”
“I think she secretly knew about Ranulph’s cross-dressing,” I said. “She didn’t seem surprised about the wom
en’s clothes in Ranulph’s room, even though she tried to pretend Ranulph was hiding a woman in there with him.”
“As if that would be true. The man needs therapy,” said Helen. “I wonder if he’ll get help in prison?”
“I think he’ll get a lot of interest from the other prisoners if he decides to take that pink feather boa in with him. Not sure if that will help him, though.”
Helen snorted a laugh. “That horrible image is going to be burned into my eyes for the rest of my life. Why would anyone think red panties and a pink feather boa go together?”
I grinned at her and stifled another yawn. None of us had had any sleep after the revelation Ranulph killed Katie and Johnny. Gunner had taken Ranulph in for questioning and made sure neither Henry nor Billy escaped, sending in local officers to apprehend them and take their statements.
Sleep had been out of the question when all of that was happening, and we were running on caffeine and plenty of hot buttered crumpets.
The kitchen door banged open, and Gunner and Zach strode in.
Zach kissed me on the cheek, patted Jessie on the head, who’d spent the night snoozing with Flipper, and then sat down.
Gunner pulled out a chair and kicked his booted feet up onto the table.
Helen squeaked and glared at him. “I’ve just cleaned this table.”
Gunner smiled and removed his feet. “Any spare tea? I’m parched after all the questioning.”
“I could make another pot.” Helen kept glaring at Gunner, as she stood and went over to the kettle.
“Successful night of questioning?” I asked Gunner.
“It was,” said Gunner. “Ranulph confessed to everything without any bother. Henry was also helpful. Billy not so much. But when we told him what we knew, he had no choice but to admit his involvement.”
“What will happen to Henry and Billy?” I asked. “From the sounds of it, they weren’t involved in killing Katie and Johnny.”
“They’ll be charged as accessories to the crime,” said Gunner. “When found guilty they should go away for several years.”
“And Ranulph?” asked Helen.
“Ranulph won’t be getting out. There’s no chance he’ll get bail; he’s too much of a risk,” said Gunner.
“How’s Lady Camilla?” asked Zach.
“Amazingly, she slept through the whole night after we had our chat,” I said. “She came down to breakfast this morning and started asking where Ranulph was. I think she forgot what happened and thought it was a horrible dream. I had to remind her all over again. But after I’d done so, she asked Manfred to bring her some toast and a newspaper, and sat at the table on her own.”
“Probably in shock,” said Gunner. “Gets some people like that.”
“How’s Manfred?” asked Helen. “Does he know what’s going on?”
“I managed to grab a few words with him this morning,” I said. “He’s shocked and sad. But I think he’s relieved to finally know about Katie.”
“Poor Manfred. And I feel sorry for Lady Camilla,” said Helen. “She’s all alone now in this massive great house with no one to talk to.”
“I’m not sure how she’s going to move on from this,” I said.
“How much did you tell her?” asked Gunner. “Don’t want too much information getting out while we’re still investigating.”
“She knows her son’s been arrested,” said Helen, as she dumped a full pot of tea in front of Gunner. “We could hardly keep it a secret with you banging around last night and then dragging Ranulph off in front of her.”
“I was only doing my job, gorgeous,” said Gunner, with a grin.
“I didn’t tell her much,” I said to Gunner. “But she knows Ranulph has something to do with Katie and Johnny going missing. She’s a smart lady; she’ll figure it out herself soon enough.”
“I need to talk to her at some point,” said Gunner. “Find out what she knows. Ranulph was throwing around all sorts of wild accusations last night. And I’ve got the team coming to do some digging later, so everything will come out then, including the bodies if you’re right about their location.”
“Lady Camilla’s not involved in Katie or Johnny’s deaths,” I said. “She did cut Katie out of her life, but from the way she was talking last night, she regrets it.”
“She’ll still need to come in for questioning,” said Gunner. He looked at the stern expression on Helen’s face and smiled. “But perhaps I can get someone to take her statement here since she’s had such a shock. Don’t want the old girl keeling over.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” I said.
“So, what now?” asked Zach, as he helped himself to a buttered crumpet.
“Now, we get on with our jobs,” I said to him.
“You want to stay here?” asked Zach. “After everything that’s happened.”
“Well, maybe not for too long,” I said. “But Lady Camilla is going to need extra support now she’s on her own. At the very least, I think we need to stay and make sure she gets the help she needs. And also stay until we find out what’s going to happen with Ranulph.”
“He’s going to prison,” said Gunner.
“Yes, but that will take time,” I said. “We can’t just abandon our employer because her son’s an odious creep.”
“Even if she is meaner than a rattlesnake with the flu,” said Helen, giving a sigh as she sat down.
“Exactly,” I said. “Even rattlesnakes need love.”
“I don’t mind staying here a while longer,” said Helen. “And without the creepy Ranulph or the obnoxious Billy around, it could be a nice place.”
“Will you miss Henry?” I asked her.
Helen snorted, as she smeared jam onto her crumpet. “Not for a second.”
“You’re involved with one of the suspects?” asked Gunner, his eyebrows shooting up.
“Barely,” said Helen. “We went on one proper date.”
“And she caught him trying on her shoes on that date,” I said.
Gunner snorted tea across the table. “Princess, you have terrible taste in men.”
“My taste in men is excellent.” Helen shot me a glare. “And my private life is none of your business, Gunner.”
“I could make it my business,” said Gunner, winking at Helen. “Sounds like you’re single.”
“And I intend to stay that way,” said Helen hurriedly. She took a large bite of crumpet and blinked rapidly at Gunner.
“My job is going to take at least a year to complete,” said Zach. “So I’m in no hurry to leave the area if you’re happy to stay.”
I took hold of his hand and smiled. “But we need to start making plans ourselves.”
“About what?” asked Zach.
“Well, aren’t we moving in together?”
This time, Helen almost spat her tea across the table. “You’re really going to do it?”
I grinned at Zach. “Why not? We need a base big enough for all of us. We can find something central and settle there. Then we’ll be able to travel around wherever we like for work.”
Zach lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. “I like your thinking. And there’ll be room enough for anyone who wants to visit. Human or otherwise.” He looked over at Flipper and Jessie who were snuggled together in the corner of the kitchen.
“Is there room for me?” asked Gunner. “I’ve been looking for a place for a while now. Just don’t like the thought of living alone.”
“There won’t be room for you,” said Helen. “I’ll be moving in with Lorna and Zach. And the dogs will be there, too. They need their own space. You’ll get in the way if you come as well.”
“I’m sure we can find enough space for everybody.” I looked at Zach. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Fine with me,” said Zach. “The more the merrier.”
I looked around the table and smiled, as Helen shot Gunner another glare for swiping the last crumpet. Living with this lot was going to take some getting used t
o, but I was up for the challenge.
