Only the Cat Knows

by Marian Babson

  I smiled at him with a blandness I didn’t feel. If he was trying to make me nervous, he was succeeding. But damned if I would show it!

  ‘Everett —?’ Madame looked at him uncertainly. ‘Vanessa —?’ She transferred her gaze to me.

  Neither of us responded.

  Anderson edged a little closer to the door.

  ‘Vanessa wished to speak to you, Everett,’ Madame said. ‘That is why we are here.’

  ‘Only speak? How disappointing. I’d hoped she might be ready to take her rightful place … by my side. Or is that what we’re going to speak about … my darling?’

  I stared at him. The more he talked, the less I liked his tone. Or what he was implying.

  ‘What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue … Vanessa?’

  Suddenly, he convulsed, bending low until his forehead nearly struck the top of his desk.

  ‘Everett!’ Madame cried in alarm. She, too, thought he was having some sort of fit.

  I stood and started forward. Anderson, however, despite the wheezing choking noises coming from his employer, did not move to help. In fact, he backed a little farther towards the door.

  Oversall straightened up and I discovered he was laughing. He was amused … toying with me —

  He knew!

  ‘You bastard!’ Anderson couldn’t move fast enough to escape me. I caught him by the shirt front, raised him up on his toes and slammed him against that door he’d been so anxious to reach. ‘You told!’

  ‘Vanessa!’ I heard Madame gasp behind us. Oversall was still laughing.

  ‘Don’t be a fool, man!’ Anderson clawed at my hands, trying to free himself. ‘He had to know. Did you really think I could keep a desperately ill patient in the intensive care unit without anyone knowing? Without accounting to anyone? Without authorization?’

  ‘He authorized you to take her off the life support machine!’ That still rankled. ‘Without consulting me.’

  ‘I was right.’ Oversall had stopped laughing. ‘She was responding and didn’t need it any more. She’s growing stronger every hour now.’

  ‘She’s still far from well,’ Anderson warned. ‘It will take more time — but she’s going to make it.’

  ‘I want to see her.’ I lowered Anderson to his feet, but kept hold of his shirt. Take me to town! Now!’

  ‘It won’t do any good,’ he said. ‘She isn’t there.’

  ‘Where is she?’ I began to hoist him again.

  ‘In a safe haven,’ Oversall cut in. ‘We moved her when Kiki… disappeared. We didn’t want anything to happen to her. Not anything more.’

  Something hit the back of my ankles and I lost my grip on Anderson. He scuttled away. I turned to look down at Madame — she had rammed me with the footplate of her wheelchair.

  ‘That wasn’t kind,’ I said.

  ‘Neither is your behaviour … Vanessa. Only you are not Vanessa. Almost — but not quite. Who are you?’

  ‘Her twin.’ I did Madame the courtesy of retaining my natural voice. ‘Her fraternal twin — Vance. I apologize for the deception, but it was necessary.’ I offered her my hand.

  ‘I see.’ After a long moment, she accepted my hand in a surprisingly strong grip. I had the feeling that she did see — or almost.

  ‘Everett —’ She swung about to face him. ‘Why did you not tell me?’

  ‘The fewer who knew, the better.’ Oversall looked faintly uncomfortable.

  ‘Oh?’ She shot him an III speak to you later look. ‘And Kiki has disappeared?’

  ‘Kiki is dead,’ I said, since it seemed no one else was going to. ‘I found her body. And then someone disappeared it.’

  ‘So? Everett?’ She looked to him for an explanation.

  He shook his head. She wasn’t going to get one. Not here. Not now.

  ‘Everett —’ Maybe she wasn’t, but I was. ‘Or should I say Edward, brother Edward?’ For a moment, I was distracted by a sudden vision of him in a monk’s robes, stalking the cloister.

  No! I shook off the image, intriguing though it was.

  Oversall didn’t operate that way — he didn’t need to do his own dirty work. Apart from that, why should he? Even if Nessa had learned something deeply incriminating about him, he had already neutralized any possible threat from her. A wife could not be forced to testify against her husband.

  ‘What’s your game?’ I demanded. ‘Where did Nessa fit into it? Why would anyone want to kill her? What was she doing here in the first place? Why did you —?’

  ‘Wait!’ Oversall held up a hand to stop me. ‘If you’re not going to stop for breath, I can’t get a word in edgewise, far less answer any questions.’

  ‘Go ahead then.’ I clenched my teeth. ‘Talk!’

  ‘We have been having a bit of trouble here for some time …’ Oversall paused and exchanged a grim look with Madame.

  ‘An enemy within,’ she supplied.

  ‘A spy,’ he corrected. ‘An industrial spy. Highly confidential information has been finding its way into the hands of competitors who have used it against me. The information had to be coming from this headquarters, which meant I could not trust anyone already in residence. I imported Francesca from an Italian subsidiary to look into the matter. She was clever, ambitious, multilingual but, just when she seemed to be getting to grips with the problem …’ He shrugged. ‘She disappeared — or so they tell me.’

  ‘You don’t believe them?’

  T seldom believe everything I am told. Francesca left without giving notice or telling anyone, she took few belongings with her, the salary paid into her account was never touched. In fact, there has been no financial activity — either with bank account or credit cards — since she “eloped”. That is all I know.’

  ‘But not all you suspect?’

  ‘How could it be?’ He lowered his head for a moment. ‘Then, more than ever, I needed to know more.’

  ‘And that’s where Nessa came in?’

  ‘After Francesca, it seemed … wiser … to bring in a complete outsider, someone who had nothing to do with —’ his lips twisted — ‘the “Oversall Empire”, as the tabloids like to call it. I’ve begun dabbling in the entertainment world recently, strictly for my own amusement, and I met Vanessa when I invested in a show she was designing. She was restless, not happy — a love affair gone wrong, I gathered. She was no longer sure she wished to continue working in the theatre. She was looking around for something else that would be interesting … present a challenge. She was open to an offer.’

  ‘So she married you?’ I couldn’t keep the incredulity out of my voice. He was not exactly Love’s Young Dream — even on the rebound — unless we were talking about Gold Diggers. And Vanessa wasn’t greedy.

  ‘Not immediately. That wasn’t part of the original plan. She was just to take over where Francesca had left off and see what she could discover.’

  ‘But?’ There was always a but.

  ‘But …’ He nodded acknowledgement. ‘Circumstances change … new issues emerge —’

  ‘There was a fresh betrayal,’ Madame interrupted. ‘A most serious betrayal. It was necessary for Everett to take steps to protect his interests — and himself.’

  ‘And he did that by marrying Nessa? Wouldn’t it have been simpler just to call in the police?’

  ‘Then the situation couldn’t be kept under wraps. There are always leaks when too many are involved. Inevitably, the media would learn that Oversall Enterprises had been defrauded of millions. We’d lose the confidence of our associates — and quite rightly. Our integrity would be compromised, we would —’

  ‘We would look like fools!’ Madame snapped. ‘We would become a laughing stock. It was necessary to take steps to avoid this.’

  ‘And Vanessa was one of those steps?’ I found myself shaking with fury.

  ‘Vanessa understood the situation,’ Oversall said mildly. ‘She was in complete agreement with us.’

  ‘So much so that she agreed to marry you? Agreed to sig
n the pre-nuptial agreement —’

  ‘There was no pre-nuptial agreement,’ Oversall said. ‘That was the whole point of the exercise. The marriage nullified my current will and many of the long-standing staff arrangements. If anything happened to me, Vanessa would inherit everything.’

  ‘It was a form of insurance to see that nothing would happen to Everett.’ Madame nodded her head emphatically.

  ‘No — it happened to Vanessa instead! You deliberately threw her into the firing line to preserve your rotten hides!’

  ‘Not quite. Vanessa was my secret weapon. Only my most-trusted Madame knew of the marriage. Vanessa would continue in her usual way. No one would know anything had changed. If anyone learned of our secret — then we had found our traitor.’

  ‘Except that it didn’t quite work that way.’

  ‘Nothing happened for months. Vanessa returned to her quarters and life went on as normal, except that we were now on guard. Waiting … Another betrayal and I would announce our marriage, emphasizing that Vanessa was now my sole heir and making sure all the implications of that were clear.’

  Interesting. Did he understand that he had as good as admitted that he didn’t trust Shadow — his own son — any more than I did?

  ‘Meanwhile,’ he went on, ‘Security kept a close eye on Vanessa during the day, but perhaps not so close at night …’

  ‘They do now.’ I thought of my frequent encounters with Bud and Brutus.

  ‘Once she had bolted herself in for the night, we thought she was safe. She was aware that the situation was tricky, she knew better than to admit any callers — or allow herself to be lured outside — after dark …

  ‘And yet… she went outside that night…’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t imagine what possessed her to be so careless.’

  ‘Perhaps that was the first time the Monk began prowling — she didn’t know what was happening and was curious.’ That was the best explanation I could think of. But, even so, I wouldn’t have thought Nessa would be so curious — or so impulsive — as to chase him. So careless …

  ‘What is done is done,’ Madame pronounced. ‘And only we know the real result of it.’

  I found I didn’t like the speculative way Madame was regarding me.

  ‘Quite.’ Oversall, too, had a look in his eyes that chilled me. ‘But now we have our Vanessa back again — and even more of a threat to person or persons unknown should her memory return …’

  ‘You mean,’ I said, ‘you’re going to use me as bait.’

  ‘Use you?’ Oversall gave me a vulpine smile. ‘I was under the distinct impression that you’d long since volunteered.’

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  We had our aperitifs in Oversall’s apartment before making a delayed Grand Entrance in the dining room. Anderson wheeled Madame’s chair; I walked at Oversall’s side, my arm in his.

  It was all there: the heads snapping up, the indrawn breaths, the eyes that followed our every move. Ah, yes, the stars had entered and the stage was ours. All that was missing was the applause.

  I wasn’t wearing the wedding ring; it didn’t fit. So it still swung proudly and blatantly from the chain around my neck. Let them all wonder about it. I didn’t catch anyone actually staring at it, but I was sure no one had missed it.

  Shadow wasn’t there — but the hatred was. I glanced at Oversall, at Madame. Could they feel it, too?

  I saw that Anderson was no stranger to the usual arrangements as he slotted Madame neatly into her place beside mine and took Richie’s accustomed chair on her other side. He did not look at all happy about it.

  ‘My dear …’ Oversall bowed me into my chair and took the place usually occupied by Monica — on my left at the head of the table.

  Monica was opposite him at the foot of the table, her smile rather strained.

  The others were all present and accounted for, in their usual places. Only Nina looked pleased to see me.

  Ivor, after one swift glance, ignored me. Candy inspected me more closely, taking in my mascara, blusher and more emphatic lipstick, then gave me an approving nod. I was beginning to make more of myself, as she had suggested.

  Amanda and Yvonne barely acknowledged our arrival, their body language conveying that they were absorbed in some vital conversation of their own, which was much too important for them to take any notice of extraneous details — like the unusual presence of Oversall at the table. Or the unusual attention he was paying to me.

  I haven’t seen you all day.’ Nina was paying attention, too. ‘I was beginning to get worried.’

  ‘I’ve been … resting,’ I said.

  ‘It’s done you good,’ she said. ‘You look a lot better. Oh! Not that you didn’t look all right before.’

  ‘She is stronger,’ Madame said. ‘She grows stronger every day. It is good.’

  ‘And more beautiful, too,’ Oversall laid it on with a trowel.

  ‘Why, thank you …’ I fluttered my eyelashes at him … ‘Everett.’

  A tidal wave of hatred struck me. Yet no face changed. I wondered if Shadow were lurking nearby Eavesdropping … afraid of missing something … feeding his hatred.

  The service door opened and the first course arrived. Gerta shot me a nasty look as she set a bowl of leek-and-potato soup down in front of me. She might not actually hate me, but she certainly disliked me. To be fair, she didn’t seem to like any of the others, either.

  The soup was delicious. Perhaps the knowledge that someone was begrudging me every spoonful made me savour it more.

  ‘It’s so very good to have you back among us once more, my dear,’ Oversall said fulsomely. ‘I know I speak for all of us.’

  Wicked man! My sardonic look to him must have passed as a flirtatious one. A ripple of suppressed fury surged through the atmosphere like lightning before a storm broke.

  True, true!’ Ivor lurched to his feet, wine glass raised. ‘A toast! Vanessa — your health! Your continued very good health!’

  Chairs were pushed back awkwardly as everyone except Madame stood and raised their glasses.

  ‘Good health,’ they echoed, although I would be prepared to bet that not many of them actually drank. They were all looking at Oversall and not at me.

  ‘Thank you, Everett, Ivor — all of you.’ It was my turn. I stood and raised my own glass. ‘To all of you — who have been so generous in sharing your memories with me, in an attempt to help me regain mine.’ I took a hearty gulp and sat down.

  Wicked man! Oversall’s sardonic look mirrored my own and threw it back at me. The old devil was enjoying this.

  ‘Well said, my dear.’ He moved swiftly to refill my glass personally, a mark of favour no one missed.

  There was a sharp sniff by my ear as Gerta snatched away my soup bowl and went on to collect the rest of them. Monica must have quietly signalled the end of the course.

  The soup was immediately replaced by crown roast of lamb with roast potatoes, buttered leeks and green beans with toasted flaked almonds.

  ‘Aaah …’ Oversall looked at his plate with deep satisfaction before lifting his knife and fork. ‘My compliments to the chef.’

  Someone poured a rich red wine into the appropriate glasses while we all followed his lead and there was a peaceful silence as everyone concentrated on the meal.

  Oversall saw fit to enliven the proceedings by occasionally patting my hand and giving me a fond smile. I forced myself not to pull my hand away. I may have agreed to act as bait, but did he have to cut me up quite so much?

  By the time the gooseberry syllabub was served, barely controlled emotions were perking more violently than the coffee.

  ‘How good it is to have you at the table with us, Everett.’ Madame reached for her syllabub greedily. ‘The meal is never complete when you are not present.’

  Although Madame seemed impervious to the undercurrents, I knew that she had probably registered more than any of us. She had also cleaned her plate at every course with gusto and looked brighter and
stronger for it.

  ‘How good to enjoy my food without dear Richie at my elbow to warn me of the dietary hazards in every bite I take,’ she said to me when the coffee and mints came round. ‘Dr Anderson is refreshingly mute.’

  I’d noticed that, but I couldn’t say that anyone else had been exactly forthcoming. Lost in their own thoughts — or more probably schemes.

  ‘No one to tell me how dangerous is caffeine.’ Madame reached avidly for her cup. ‘Nor how many hours of sleep I shall lose if I indulge in it.’

  ‘Everett?’ At the far end of the table, Monica raised an eyebrow. ‘We’re not having coffee in the drawing room?’

  Everett shook his head; obviously we were not.

  ‘A special treat tonight,’ he announced. ‘In the cinema. The latest Bollywood blockbuster — a little musical epic, for which I contributed some financial backing. It will première in Bombay in a fortnight, play most of the cinemas in the subcontinent, then selected cinemas in London and across Great Britain. But we are going to see it first tonight. I believe it’s called a Sneak Preview.’

  Only if it follows a major film in an ordinary commercial cinema — with audience reaction cards to be collected and assessed after the performance. This was obviously just the usual grovelling to a sponsor.

  But who was I to correct him? He already had the audience reaction he wanted: a horrified recoil from people who had never seen a Bollywood musical and would cheerfully have paid good money not to have to watch this one.

  But he was their sponsor, too — and they were trapped.

  ‘Splendid!’ Only Madame was enthusiastic. Caffeine-fuelled and good for the next few hours, she welcomed the prospect of something new and interesting to do. She reached eagerly for the wheels of her chair, ready to go.

  ‘Let me.’ I moved to the back of her chair and pulled her out from the table, then turned to Everett. ‘Lead the way.’

  He did so. Walking beside Madame and me, followed by the others, he took us down another corridor I had never seen and into a luxurious viewing room.

  I was conscious of eyes — avid, hostile eyes — glittering from the shadows along our path. Shadow? Richie? Both? Exiled from the Presence, but jealously keeping watch.