Murder for Nothing

by Veronica Heley

  Ellie said, ‘I really don’t know.’

  Again, his eyes went up the stairs. ‘She’s really not here? I thought, if I could have a word with her, she might come clean and tell the police a bit more about what happened that night. Confirm that I left when I said I did. That sort of thing.’

  ‘No, she’s not here.’

  ‘You’re sure?’ Brown eyes had turned hard.

  I was a fool to let him into the house. He’s sitting on a lot of … what? Anxiety? Tension? Pressure of some kind.

  ‘She went out with her cousin some time ago.’

  Something shifted at the back of his eyes. ‘Ah, the soft-touch cousin?’

  ‘Is he?’ Ellie wasn’t sure how much this man knew. Or thought he knew. Uneasiness grew. By her own stupidity, for the second time that day she’d let a large young man whom she didn’t know into her house when she was all alone. She hoped she wouldn’t regret it but was rather afraid she might.

  The doorbell rang. SOS style. Rafael? Thank the Lord.

  She almost ran to open the door and, yes, there he was.

  He stepped inside. ‘Susan said I should come back, that I shouldn’t have left you alone. She’ll let me know when she’s ready to leave.’

  ‘Thank you, Rafael.’ Ellie gestured towards her other guest. ‘I think you know Jake Hartley Summers? A friend of Angelica’s. Jake says he knew Kate, the girl who died, but he says he left the party even before Angelica did.’

  Rafael’s face was a mask. He inclined his head towards Jake.

  They knew one another.

  Jake’s eyes narrowed. ‘It’s Ralph, the Ready Reckoner, isn’t it?’

  An insult? Rafael smiled faintly. ‘And … Jackie Jam Pots?’

  Insult returned. Ellie looked from one to the other. Jake looked wary. Rafael looked watchful. Two alpha males.

  Jake postured, throwing his powerful shoulders back. Look at me! How strong I am!

  Rafael was as still as a cat can be when watching a mouse hole. Concentrating.

  Rafael, thought Ellie, was a fully mature person. He could play the child and throw a mattress down the stairs for fun. He could also walk into a dragon’s den and emerge unscathed. Perhaps because he was a dragon himself?

  Ellie came to the conclusion that she rather liked Rafael and almost trusted him.

  Jake jingled coins. ‘So did you drop in on Angelica’s party on Saturday night? What a crazy chick she is. I can’t think what possessed me to say I’d go, even for five minutes. I left as soon as I caught a whiff of trouble. How about you?’

  ‘The opera. With Melinda.’

  An open-mouthed guffaw. ‘I gather her parents don’t approve.’

  ‘No?’ Giving nothing away.

  A tinge of pink in the smoothly-barbered cheeks. ‘Kate, of course … Well, we’ve known one another for ever. I suppose it’s not surprising that Angelica was jealous.’

  ‘Was she?’ Again, giving nothing away.

  A slighter deeper pink in the cheeks. ‘Well, of course she was. Made scenes, you know? I mean, Kate had everything: the private education, the good job, the family tree, the indulgent parents who have always expected us to pair off.’

  ‘I heard she was a bit of a drama queen.’

  A light laugh. ‘Yes, I suppose … the two girls were well matched in that way. Poor little Angelica. Out of her depth there. It’s no wonder she felt at a disadvantage. I gather she went back into the party after I left …’

  Did she? Now that’s news to me. No, surely not.

  He continued smoothly, ‘It would be amusing to find out what happened next between her and Kate.’

  ‘Amusing?’ Rafael tried out the word. He didn’t seem to think it was appropriate.

  ‘Oh, I suppose you’ll stand up for her but let’s face it. She is a bit of rough, what? A nasty temper when the tears don’t work. What do you think happened? I imagine they set to, hair-pulling, scratching, throwing things …’

  No reaction from Rafael.

  Jake shifted his feet. ‘Right. Bad taste, that. Forget I said it. Tell you something: this has knocked me for six. You can say it won’t do my street cred any harm, two bitches fighting over me but, when all’s said and done, I have known Kate for years and I’m shocked to the core by what’s happened.’

  Rafael said, ‘I didn’t know Kate. I heard she was a nice girl. Decent. Got a good job. Her parents must be devastated.’

  ‘Yes. I must call round. Perhaps later this evening. You don’t know them, do you?’ Another pointed remark, trying to put Rafael down.

  ‘My parents know them, I think. I wouldn’t wish to intrude. Do you know how Kate died?’

  A shrug. ‘The police wouldn’t say. I suppose it was drugs. What else? Once Angelica had invited a drug dealer in, the odds were that someone was going to get topped.’

  ‘So it was true? Drugs were involved?’

  He reddened. ‘I have no idea. Have you?’

  ‘Did Kate do drugs? Did any of your crowd? I hadn’t heard that.’

  ‘Would you know?’ A sharp laugh. ‘Forgive me, but I didn’t think you were on close terms with Kate, or anyone else in our crowd.’

  A slight inclination of the head. ‘One hears things.’ A penetrating look from under his eyebrows.

  Jake shifted from foot to foot again. He looked at the clock and checked the time by his gold wristwatch. ‘Well, busy, busy. Mustn’t keep you up beyond your bedtime, eh? Mrs Quicke, you’ll tell Angelica I called, right? Say I want to speak to her. Not tonight. Things to do, places to go. You understand? I’m sure she’s nothing to worry about regarding the police. She only has to tell the truth, even if it does mean she … well, we all know she’s a trifle what … impulsive, shall we say? A woman scorned and so on and so forth.’

  He swung past Ellie and made an exit, carefully shutting the front door behind him.

  Ellie took a deep breath. ‘Rafael, do you think he’s told the police that Angelica killed Kate with a drug? That’s what he’s been trying to tell us, isn’t it?’

  ‘It is.’

  Ellie said, ‘But Angelica couldn’t possibly have done that. Or could she? She told me she left the party soon after Kate arrived and immediately after having words with Jake out in the street, and that Timmy Lee gave her a lift home. He confirmed that. The only thing is he probably won’t back her up because he doesn’t want to draw the attention of the police to the state of his visa.’

  ‘I have come across Timmy Lee now and then. I don’t think I’d rely on him for anything.’

  ‘So you do know him?’

  ‘Slightly. He’s not tried to borrow from me, if that’s what you mean.’

  She said, mimicking his tone, ‘You called that man “Jackie Jam Pots”. What was that about?’

  ‘The family business is making expensive jam, marmalade and pickles. He’s their senior sales rep.’

  She put her head on one side. ‘He called you Ralph, the Ready Reckoner? You two know one another more than “slightly”.’

  ‘We were in the same year at university but were never close. My uncle died and left me some money in my final year. I made use of it to help out a couple of friends who’d got into difficulty with their bills. They repaid me with a reasonable rate of interest and that’s how I got started. I’m into all sorts now.’

  ‘Is it “Ralph”? Or “Rafael”?’

  He smiled – his sudden, warm smile. ‘It really is Rafael. My mother was Italian. Jake and I have issues.’

  Ellie was amused. ‘You took a girl away from him?’

  He laughed. ‘Oh, that. Yes. But more importantly, I turned him down for a loan and he’s never forgiven me.’

  ‘What did he want the loan for?’

  He shook his head. ‘My lips are sealed.’

  ‘Something his family wouldn’t have liked, if they’d been approached? Ah …’ She thought she knew. ‘He got a girl into trouble and—’

  ‘Hush. Perhaps we all do things we regret later. And y
ou’re off the mark, anyway.’

  She didn’t think she was. She looked at her watch and then at the clock. When Susan came back, she would grab her own phone and ring Annie. In the meantime …

  He said, ‘When did you eat last, Mrs Quicke?’

  She blinked. ‘Er, I can’t remember. I seem to have missed lunch but I had some biscuits at teatime, I think. Are you trying to look after me or are you hinting that you’d like some food yourself?’ She looked at her watch and then at the clock, which showed a time fifteen minutes apart. ‘Oh dear, how long is Susan likely to be? And, I must ring Thomas … No, I can’t, can I? He’s on an errand of mercy. I honestly don’t know what to do about supper.’

  Rafael took her by the elbow and guided her down the passage to the kitchen. ‘Let’s investigate the fridge, shall we? And you can tell me how you came to take Angelica in and under what terms.’ A phone appeared in his hand and he looked down at it.

  He said, ‘Forgive me, I must take this call. Business.’ He turned away, spoke softly into the phone and then listened.

  Midge appeared from nowhere, with the intention of annoying Ellie until he was fed. She obeyed and he settled down to ingest his food. Noisily.

  She opened the fridge door and took items out, more or less at random. She listened in to Rafael’s conversation, of course.

  ‘… But no, I haven’t found it. Yes, I’m back at the house. The girl’s gone; she’s been out of it for some time. I’m going to try to persuade Mrs Quicke to let me search the whole house … Yes, we searched the ground floor, but the client is at odds with someone who occupies a flat at the top of the house and I’m wondering if she might have hidden the stash up there, trying to make trouble for her … Yes, I’ll keep you updated.’ The phone disappeared.

  Ellie gaped at him. ‘You think Angelica might have hidden the stuff in Susan’s quarters because she didn’t like her? I grant you Angelica might have thought about it, but she told us she’d decided to put it in Thomas’s Quiet Room instead, and you saw how she reacted when she found the cupboard empty. She really did think it would be there.’

  ‘I lied. It’s gained us a few hours.’

  Midge jumped up on to the table, eyed Rafael closely, decided he was an acceptable table companion and started to groom himself.

  Rafael rubbed Midge behind his ears. Midge gave him a level look and washed behind his ears all over again.

  Ellie said, ‘Midge is not supposed to be on the table. Put him on the floor, right?’

  Rafael obeyed. Then, ‘Tell me how you know Susan.’

  NINE

  Monday suppertime

  So now Rafael wanted to know about Susan, not Angelica?

  Ellie said, ‘Lesley, who is a very good friend of mine, asked Susan to be one of her bridesmaids. Susan is her niece, and when she came up to London to study to be a chef, she moved in with Lesley and Andy for a short time until she found somewhere else to stay. There really wasn’t enough room in Lesley’s flat for her. Lesley knew that my dear housekeeper, who’d been with us for years, was failing and that I needed someone to help look after her. Lesley asked if I’d like to have Susan for a while to help me out with Rose, and I did. It worked beautifully. After Rose died, I asked Susan if she’d stay on for a while and she did. She’s part of the family now.’

  ‘She pays rent?’

  ‘She volunteered to do so, and I accepted because this house is expensive to run. Susan also cooks for us sometimes, which we really appreciate. She keeps her rooms immaculate and she’s a very easy person to have around.’

  ‘Angelica isn’t?’

  Ellie sighed. ‘Angelica is Andy’s cousin. She’s always been treated with indulgence by her family. Andy asked her to be the second bridesmaid at his wedding, which gave her an opportunity to tease Susan unmercifully. Fortunately Susan rose above it. Angelica had also been staying with Lesley and Andy, until she assumed too much and got on Lesley’s wick. Lesley threw her out. And that’s when, shortly before the wedding, Angelica turned up here in tears, saying she had nowhere to sleep that night. It didn’t seem right to turn her away when I have all these spare rooms and I’d already taken Susan in. Angelica said it would only be for a few days, but—’

  ‘She lied. She took you for a sucker.’

  Ellie fished some frozen tubs of homemade soup out of the freezer. ‘She lies beautifully. So do you.’

  A gleam of white teeth. ‘What, me? Never. Well, I admit I lied to Milos, but that was to help you out of a hole, right?’

  ‘Asparagus soup, ham, cheese and salad. That do you?’ Without waiting for his reply, she emptied the two tubs of soup into a pan and put it on the stove. ‘Is it right to lie? Ever?’

  He said, ‘Sometimes. Socially and for business. But not without having weighed the consequences. And don’t tell me you’ve never lied to get yourself out of trouble.’

  Of course she had. She poked at the frozen mass of soup. ‘Next you’ll be telling me you have an active conscience and that your business decisions are all ethical.’

  No smile this time. ‘I try, yes.’

  Perhaps he did. She began to assemble a salad while he took out his phone, turned away from her and listened to a message. And replied to it. This time she couldn’t hear what he said.

  When he’d finished, he put away the phone and said, ‘Susan told me she has an understanding with someone on her course, that they plan to work in other people’s kitchens for a couple of years and then set up together in their own restaurant. She said they intend to get married then. What do you think?’

  Ellie couldn’t think how to reply to that. She pressed her thumb on the wrapped cheeses, one by one. Were they ripe enough to eat today? Yes. She stirred and poked at the defrosting soup. She’d thought at one time that it would be quicker to defrost soups in the microwave but had come to the conclusion that the old-fashioned method worked better.

  The salad was ready. There was a bottle of homemade dressing in the fridge. The soup would be another few minutes. She found a fresh loaf and cut some slices, located the butter and the marg. Thinking about what he’d said.

  Rafael waited for her to reply to his question. He could be patient; she had to grant him that.

  Finally she thought she knew what to say. ‘When I first knew her, Susan was self-conscious about her figure. She’d been teased about it for ever. Angelica was the worst of her tormentors. On the plus side, Susan had discovered that not only could she cook but she could also make friends. She’d made friends in college, both boys and girls, in a jolly hockey sticks way. Some time ago she told us that she hoped to team up with someone on her course in order that they might open a restaurant together.’

  ‘So it’s true?’

  ‘It was true, then. I’m not sure that she still thinks the same way now. Lately Susan has discovered that displaying her figure properly leads to people treating her differently. A short while ago my level-headed Susan went out clubbing for the first time and experienced what it was like to be admired, until—’

  ‘I brought her home and made a pass at her.’

  ‘And she reverted to type. She hasn’t been clubbing since.’

  ‘But she hasn’t been covering up her beautiful bosom, either.’

  ‘No, she hasn’t. So if you ask me whether her arrangement with her fellow student is still on or not, then all I can say is that I don’t know.’

  ‘She’s halfway between what she was and what she might become?’

  ‘Rafael, we’ve only just met and I don’t know you very well, but I think you’re getting fond of Susan and I must warn you that she’s a straight up and down sort of person, who tries to live life as a Christian should.’

  He grinned. ‘She’s never been tempted by someone like me before.’

  ‘You might well sweep her off her feet for a short romance but then what? Think how devastated she will be when you dump her. Because you’re not in the market for a faithful companion in life, are you?’

  ‘Y
ou make her sound like a Labrador. No, I’m not. Mind you, my parents would probably fall over themselves with delight if I took Susan home with me. He’s a retired solicitor and she does good works. I’m the black sheep of the family, who toils not and neither does he spin. All I do is shift money around. Rather successfully, I might add. I may have started out as a moneylender to my friends but I have invested in the property market, too. Buy to let, that sort of thing.’

  Ellie nodded. Yes, he had the air of a successful businessman.

  He said, ‘Girls have always thrown themselves at me. And yes, I admit that I was intrigued and annoyed when Susan rebuffed me. She’s not my usual type. I tell myself that she’s no good for me but I can’t seem to get her out of my mind.’

  He was serious. Ellie said, ‘Leave her alone. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.’

  ‘Thanks for the advice.’ Eyes down. He had no intention of leaving Susan alone.

  Midge finished his grooming and leaped on to the top of the fridge, from which vantage point he could observe everything that was happening. Rafael’s phone appeared in his hand and he turned away from Ellie to talk into it.

  The phone rang in the hall. Ellie went to answer it.

  A hard voice, male. ‘Well, have you found my property yet?’

  A slight lack of the r’s. The drug dealer? ‘Are you Milos?’

  ‘Who else?’

  ‘No,’ said Ellie. ‘It’s not here. Someone has stolen it. I’m trying to find out who.’

  ‘I’ll help you find it. I’ll be round in ten.’ He disconnected.

  I should have lied. Now what have I done?

  Ellie walked back to the kitchen, slowly. Rafael gave her a sharp look.

  She said, ‘That was Milos. I suppose it’s about time I met him. He’s coming round straight away. When I explain what has happened—’

  ‘You think he’ll see reason?’ Rafael threw up his hands. ‘You think he’ll wait patiently while you try to find out who has stolen the goods? You’re out of your mind!’