Murder by Suspicion

by Veronica Heley

  ‘And anyway,’ said Ellie, ‘even if she had clocked the girl one, what would she have done with the body? You say there was no forensic evidence in the car or … Don’t take any notice of me. I’m rambling. But I can’t help thinking … No, nobody at the Vision would have helped her. They keep on the right side of the law. Even when Claire was convicted of an offence in court, they were holier than thou about it. They paid her fine, but made her reimburse them by taking away her car. So now she has no car, no future and must work for demanding old ladies … and, finally, for me. I suppose I ought to feel sorry for her.’

  Lesley grinned. ‘You don’t, do you?’

  ‘How can I? She’s such a poor creature. The only thing about her is …’ Ellie frowned. ‘I think she tried to drug me.’

  Lesley almost dropped her mug of tea. ‘What?’

  ‘Can’t be sure, but I think she tried. She’s perhaps not as helpless as she seems? Oh, I don’t know. I want her out of the house. You may say she’s looked after Rose well while I’ve been away, but I’m not convinced about that. She fed Rose some linctus that made her so sleepy that she didn’t know which end of the day she was at. She took Rose out of the house in a borrowed wheelchair to go to a meeting of the Vision. Another thing: although she’s been pleading with me to keep her on, she’s never here when she should be. As of now, this very minute, I haven’t a clue where she is. She’s certainly not taking care of Rose. Then again, she got two of the Vision girls to move all our furniture around, and she tried to bring in a decorator to paint everything green, and …’ She threw up her hands. ‘You’ll laugh, but the clincher is that she’s a vegetarian and we aren’t.’

  Lesley said, ‘You think she’s been brainwashed by the Vision people?’

  ‘I think she’s in thrall to their pastor, a man called Ambrose. He’s been leaning on me to give him the money to buy their house. He’s charismatic. I can see how he’d appeal to someone looking for an authority figure to obey. I get the feeling he knows all about Claire’s spotty past and is prepared to use her as a scapegoat whenever it suits him to do so. Blame Claire for everything. Why not? She’s not going to fly off the handle with him.’

  Lesley put her empty mug down. ‘Can’t you get Vera back to look after Rose?’

  ‘She’s got a full-time job at the hotel working in reception, and a new husband, and Mikey, the young limb. Also, she’s pregnant. I gather the men in her life have demanded a baby girl. She’s dropping in here when she can, and so is Mikey, but she’s got her hands full.’

  ‘Have you tried agencies?’

  ‘Yes. No luck so far. I feel I’m going to regret it, but I sort of promised Claire I’d look into what happened when Gail left home. She feels she’s still under suspicion, even though the girl surfaced later.’

  Lesley shook her head. ‘The case is dead in the water. Tell her to get on with her life and forget about Gail.’

  Ellie leaned back in her chair. Oh, how good it was to be able to sit back in her own chair and look at the flowers Vera had placed on the small table in the window … and past them to the garden. The sun had come out. The grass needed cutting. The roses needed dead-heading. Soon she’d be able to get out into the garden and attend to it. But, sufficient to the day.

  Lesley got to her feet. ‘Must go. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.’

  ‘Mm. Could you find out – it’s probably nothing – but when you looked into Claire’s past life in Perivale … There wasn’t another incident of a girl going missing at that time, was there? Someone she could have been in contact with?’

  ‘What!’

  Ellie rubbed her forehead. ‘Now, what made me say that? I think … Did Claire speak once about girls in the plural, or was it a slip of the tongue?’

  ‘What makes you think of …? There wasn’t the slightest hint of anything like that. I spoke to the people in personnel at the supermarket. They said she’d wanted a clean break after her mother died. I suspect she moved down here following her vision of the Vision, if you get me.’

  ‘Yes, of course. I can’t think why I—’

  ‘Young girls who have grown up too fast go missing all the time. You know that. They run off with the boyfriends, or chase after a rock star, or get out to escape from Mum and Dad.’

  ‘And most of them end up in care. Yes, I know that. But, could you run it through the computer for me?’

  ‘Claire didn’t smack another school boy, I can tell you that.’

  ‘Yes, but did another girl go missing from the supermarket where she worked?’

  Lesley stared into space. ‘I am an idiot. I ought to have checked. It never occurred to me, and it ought to have done so. No, no. That’s ridiculous. Claire’s been formally cleared of involvement with Gail’s disappearance. What makes you think …?’

  ‘It’s just an idea that floated into my mind.’

  Lesley said, ‘How do you do it, Ellie? I bet you’re right. And I’m not a betting woman.’

  ‘I hope I’m wrong,’ said Ellie, ‘but somehow, it feels right.’

  SEVEN

  Wednesday, late afternoon

  When Lesley had gone, Ellie felt restless. Where was Claire? Had she left the house, and if so, why had she done so when the sole reason she’d been allowed to stay was because she was supposed to be looking after Rose? Ellie checked on Rose, who was sleeping on top of her bed with the telly on.

  A light summer rain shower had cleared the air, so Ellie went out into the garden to do a little dead-heading before she started to cook supper. And no, it wouldn’t be vegetarian. Claire had said she was going to look out something for supper, but there was nothing to show that she’d done so. How about sausages and mash? The butcher had a wonderful array of pork sausages. Ellie had bought some with a leek and mustard flavour and some of the old-fashioned Cumberland variety. With lots of veg, they should make a really tasty meal. At least Claire had kept the fridge well stocked with fruit, so they’d have a summer pudding for afters.

  Ellie had hardly made a start on the dead-heading before another rain shower drove her indoors. Resignedly, she went into her study and found that even more emails had arrived. She was in no mood to deal with them. The room felt airless. She opened a sash window at the top to air the room. She wished Thomas were on a plane coming home at this very minute.

  She decided to drop into their Quiet Room, into which Thomas went every day to meditate, to study and to pray. It was always peaceful in there, and she needed a spot of peace and quiet. She opened the door and couldn’t believe her eyes, for there was a body lying on the floor in front of her.

  Correction: Claire was lying face down on the floor, arms outstretched, shoes off and neatly placed to one side.

  Was she dead?

  No, she seemed to be breathing.

  ‘Claire? Are you ill? Whatever’s the matter?’

  Claire raised a tear-stained face. Her hair was all over the place.

  Ellie bent over her. ‘Shall I get an ambulance?’

  Claire pushed herself up to a sitting position. ‘I have seen a vision of hell, and you are in it!’

  Ellie ironed out a smile. ‘Yes, yes. Are you all right?’

  Claire raised both hands in supplication. ‘Lord, forgive her. She knows not what she says.’

  Ellie felt and sounded sharp. ‘I know very well what I’m saying. Oh, get up: do!’

  Claire tried to get up. She groaned. ‘Give me a minute …’

  Ellie helped Claire to a chair. Not the big chair which Thomas used, but one of the smaller ones. ‘There, now. Of course you’ll be stiff if you’ve been lying on the floor. Whatever possessed you to—’

  Up went Claire’s arms. ‘I have seen a vision of hell, and—’

  ‘Yes, and I’m in it. So you said. Now, are your arms and legs working? Good, good.’

  Claire repeated herself, louder. ‘I have seen a vision of—’

  ‘I dare say.’ Ellie raised her own voice to drown out Claire. �
��I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I thought you were supposed to be staying on to look after Rose, but instead—’

  ‘I have been wrestling with the Lord. I have implored him to overlook my many imperfections and show me the way to soften your hard heart. I have been—’

  ‘That’s enough of that!’ Ellie cut her off. ‘You leave my soul alone.’

  Claire began to rock to and fro. ‘I saw your soul in hell, twisting and turning in the flames, screaming for help to—’

  ‘That,’ said Ellie, ‘is more than enough. If God wants me to alter my ways, he’ll tell me so himself.’

  ‘You aren’t listening to him, I can tell. Otherwise you wouldn’t—’

  ‘Have you packed, as I asked you to?’

  ‘It was more important to spend time in prayer and—’

  ‘Have you eaten?’ Ellie was beginning to think Claire was round the twist.

  ‘Eaten? No, no. I fasted, and I prayed. Not a drop of water, not a crumb has passed my lips, and I have vowed that I will not break my fast till the Lord has vouchsafed me an answer to my prayers and—’

  ‘That’s it,’ said Ellie, pushing the woman’s shoes into her hands. ‘Put those on. Now! Don’t argue! Just do it. Then go and sit in the hall. I will fetch your belongings.’

  Ellie didn’t wait for a reply, but banged out of the room, stamped up the stairs and opened the door of the room in which Claire had been sleeping. It was a large, comfortable bed-sitter, en suite, which had once been occupied by Rose.

  It stank of some joss stick, or perfume. Ugh.

  Ellie hammered the window open.

  The room was neat and tidy. A large tote bag lay beside the wardrobe. Ellie emptied the contents of wardrobe and chest of drawers into the bag, swept everything off the bedside table and added Claire’s nightdress and dressing gown. And slippers. And a bedtime book – of prayers? A couple of tracts?

  The bathroom contained very little … some medication, herbal. A large bottle of linctus. Toothbrush, etc.

  Altogether, a small enough collection of belongings.

  Ellie threw back the bed coverings to air the bed – ugh, that scent! Or whatever it was. Yes, a scented candle, thankfully not alight.

  One last look around, and Ellie made her way down the stairs with the tote bag, which she dumped on the floor by the front door.

  Claire was sitting in the hall, looking as if she were going to start crying at any minute. ‘You’re not going to throw me out now, are you? I haven’t anywhere to go.’

  ‘Ring your friends at the Vision house, or whatever it calls itself—’

  ‘Don’t blaspheme!’

  ‘Claire! I’m trying not to lose my temper with you, but frankly, if you’re not out of here in ten seconds, I shall not be responsible for my actions. Out! Sleep in the road, for all I care. So long as I never see you again.’

  ‘But you can’t—’ Here came the tears. ‘I’m going to cook supper!’

  Ellie opened the front door and threw the tote bag out into the drive.

  Claire shrieked, hands to mouth.

  Ellie spotted a black coat which had been left on the chair by the clock. It certainly wasn’t one of hers. ‘Is this your coat?’ Ellie threw that outside, too.

  Claire tottered out after her belongings, tears streaming down her face. ‘You are a wicked, wicked woman!’

  ‘Sure!’ Ellie slammed the door, double-locked and bolted it. She realized that she was as high as a kite, and didn’t care.

  Yes, she did. She cared a lot. She was going to have to sit down and have a good cry. Or lie on the floor and scream.

  Like Claire.

  Which thought made her laugh. A bit. No, she wasn’t going to go down that road. But, she did need to shut herself away and be quiet for a while, which meant using Thomas’s Quiet Room.

  Only, Claire had been using that recently. Fancy lying down on the floor and weeping like that …!

  All right, Ellie had been thinking of doing the same thing. Well, not exactly, no.

  She looked around the Quiet Room. Thomas’s chair was still there; also the two smaller chairs that she and Rose used. The table with the bible on it had been pushed to one side. Ellie returned it to its usual place. The rather absurd Victorian wool-work picture of the Good Shepherd bearing a sheep on his shoulder was still in its usual place. Thomas liked that picture. He didn’t need statues, or even pictures, to help him to pray.

  She didn’t, either.

  She let herself down into her usual chair and pressed her hands to her eyes. Was she going mad? Was Claire right?

  A vision of hell …?

  She tried to pray, but her brain had become scrambled. Odd words came through, but didn’t make any sense.

  Please, Lord. Your humble servant … Please … A picture of hell? Am I so …? I’m crying out for help, but … She’s such a poor creature, but … What was she trying to do to me?

  Ellie was exhausted. Finally, she stopped trying to pray. She let her hands fall to her lap. The words whizzing around in her head began to slow down.

  Almost, she could feel the peace of the room. Almost. But not quite.

  Because someone else had come in and seated himself, cross-legged, on the floor. Looking at her, but waiting, patiently, for her to notice him.

  Mikey. Serious. Tranquil.

  He was only a child.

  She must pull herself together, not let him see how distressed she’d been.

  He waited.

  She blew her nose. Tried to smile.

  He nodded. He was waiting for her to say something?

  She didn’t know what to say. So said nothing. It didn’t seem to matter.

  He went on sitting there, still as a mouse. Not a mouse. A cat. Usually, Midge was with him. It occurred to her that Midge didn’t often come into the Quiet Room. She wondered why not.

  He said, ‘Mum wants to move back in here, but Dan says “no”. He’s right, I think. She shouldn’t.’

  Ellie agreed. ‘No, she shouldn’t. She’s got enough on already.’

  ‘And we don’t want her getting across Claire more than she has done.’

  ‘Dan thinks Claire’s dangerous?’

  ‘He thinks she’s just tiresome. It’s me that thinks she’s dangerous. I heard her, you see, talking to Rose, making her feel bad, slagging me and Mum off.’ He eased his shoulders under his shirt. ‘I’ve sort of been spying on her, watching her when she thinks I’m not looking. I didn’t like it that she kept putting some stuff from a bottle in Rose’s food, as well as giving it on a spoon.’

  ‘Rose had a cough.’

  ‘Not that I noticed.’ Mikey would have noticed, wouldn’t he?

  ‘Do you know if Claire is on medication herself?’

  He shook his head. ‘She keeps a bottle of something in her handbag, but I’ve never seen her take it. She said it was ordinary stuff that you can buy over the counter. The thing is, it made Rose so sleepy, she didn’t know what day it was. I don’t know why Claire didn’t take any for herself. It might have calmed her down. I was thinking she might try to put some of it in the food she was making for you, and I didn’t think she should, so this morning I rang Thomas.’

  Ellie started. Thirteen-year-old boys didn’t interfere in adult matters, did they? All right, Mikey was no average schoolboy. ‘Mikey, I didn’t want to worry him. He’s got enough on his plate. And wouldn’t it have been in the middle of the night for him?’

  ‘No, he’d been out late, had just got back to the hotel. I was pretty sure you hadn’t told him, but I thought he’d want to know. And he did.’

  Ellie was amazed. ‘But … how did you get his number?’

  ‘He left it for you in his study, so I made a note of it, easy-peasy.’ Scornful. ‘But, like, I’d have yanked him out of a meeting if I’d had to. He said to tell you he’d come back early if you really needed him, but he thought you ought to be able to manage. He said he’d ring you this evening, usual time, dunno what that is, but he s
aid you’d know. Oh, yes, and he gave me a message for you …’ A heavy frown as he tried to remember the exact words. He recited, ‘I’m to tell you that nothing can separate you from his love.’ He cancelled out a grin. ‘I thought you’d take that for granted, being married and all. But that’s what he said.’

  Ellie almost laughed. ‘What he really said was that nothing bad can separate me from the love of God. In other words, God loves me, no matter what.’

  Of course Thomas loves me, but God loves me even more. I’d forgotten that. Even if I do something silly, even if I make the wrong decision about supporting the Vision people, God will still love me. And support me. And be ready to advise me, as soon as I turn to him in prayer. Which I have failed to do.

  Mikey hadn’t finished. ‘He said he’d pray about it. He said I’d got to pray, too. So I did.’

  Ellie tried for a light touch. ‘Did God tell you to bunk off school?’

  ‘No. I decided that myself. I wanted to be sure Claire wasn’t worrying you. I saw what she did to Rose. If you’d been all right when I popped in, I’d have gone back to school. But I could see you weren’t, so I stayed.’

  Ellie knew she ought to give him a right telling off and send him straight back to school. Instead, she said, ‘Thank you.’

  He relaxed, taking his eyes off her, letting his gaze rove around the room. ‘I suppose I’m a bit like a guardian angel today, though I’m not sure I believe in guardian angels. Or not all the time, anyway. What do guardian angels do, anyway? If you were in the road and going to be run over, would they pick you up and fly you over the road to the other side, do you think?’

  ‘Perhaps they’d just remind you to look both ways before you cross?’

  He grinned. ‘Will you write me a note for school, to say you were ill or you fell or something?’

  ‘I’ll ring them and say I was poorly and asked you to sit with me till I felt better. Which is true.’

  He nodded. ‘Have you noticed that Rose is “seeing” Miss Quicke more and more? It used to be only now and then, but she “sees” her more or less every day now.’