by Rebecca Tope
‘Why do you think?’ she managed tightly.
‘Oh, pooh. Nothing’s going to happen to us in the broad light of day. Look at that sky! Isn’t it amazing!’
‘Jocelyn – are you drunk? Or have the fairies stolen my real sister and left this weird person in her place?’
Jocelyn giggled. Thea was now standing facing her in the small road, watching as she crouched over the putative orchid. ‘Of course I’m not. No – it’s just that I’ve been up since six, wandering around savouring the atmosphere and having a proper think. If I am drunk, it’s on this incredible place. You were right – it’s glorious. I just had to find it out for myself.’
‘Did I say it was glorious?’ Thea looked around herself. ‘I thought I’d just wittered on about the history of canals.’
‘Never mind. Now I’ve got to go and phone Alex. I was waiting until you were up, so I wouldn’t wake you if I started shouting at him.’
‘Are you likely to?’
‘Quite, yes. I’m going to tell him I’m staying here after all. For at least a week.’
Thea’s eyebrows lifted. ‘Is this in response to a small voice emanating from the orchid? Or a bolt from the clear blue sky?’
‘In a way, yes. Both of the above – and several other things. I’m due a holiday, if nothing else. Alex goes off for his reunions and camera club jaunts – why shouldn’t I have a turn? Besides, somebody has to look after you, if you’re intent on staying here.’
‘I hate to utter the word, but what about the kids?’
‘They’ve got two parents, damn it. They’re not babies. It won’t kill them. Life can be too damned comfortable sometimes. It’ll be something for them to tell their shrinks when they have their breakdowns later on.’
‘Right.’ Thea recognised that Jocelyn was now in much the same mood she’d been in when she’d arrived. Any deviation in the meantime had probably arisen from Thea’s big-sisterly adjurations. The wise course would be to accept and be glad. Wise, and also self-interested. It suited her very well to have her sister in residence for a few more days. ‘Hollis’ll be pleased,’ she added.
‘Well, you’ll soon be able to tell him. Less than an hour before he shows up again. That gives me time to phone home, and you can go and wash your hair.’
But before Thea could follow this suggestion, the phone rang and a rather overdue conversation with Julia Phillips took place.
‘My God, it sounds as if World War Three’s broken out as soon as we turned our backs,’ the householder began, with scarcely any preamble. ‘It looks as if we’ll have to come home,’ she said. ‘We can’t just carry on here as if nothing has happened, whatever Desmond says.’
‘What does Desmond say?’
‘He’s absolutely set on carrying on with his fishing. He’s in some sort of competition, up in the Mountains of Morne, would you believe? Actually, it’s all fallen apart a bit, with him going off like this. He only stayed with us for about ten minutes and then got talked into joining some group that were going up to the mountains. Then Flora insisted she wanted to go as well, and hopped on a bus to catch up with him. So I’m here with the others, trying to keep them occupied. At least the weather’s nice. And then all this business with some dropout getting himself hanged. Quite honestly, it’s turning into a bit of a nightmare.’
Thea came close to apologising for all these disappointments. ‘Did you know the dead man?’ she asked instead.
‘What? No, I don’t suppose so. Hey, Harry, quit that, will you! Listen, it’s chaos here. Harry Two is in a foul mood. Poor Naomi’s driving us all mad worrying about Pallo. She says somebody might murder him next.’
Thea felt cold. This was her cue to break the news about the cat. But something before that nagged at her. ‘Haven’t they told you his name?’ she asked.
‘Whose name?’
‘The dead man.’
‘’Not yet, no. Oh, heavens – speak of the devil. It looks as if this is him now.’
Thea swallowed. ‘Pardon?’
‘The policeman who came to see us on Monday. He’s back again. I’ll have to go. Listen, I’m really sorry about all this. You must think you’ve walked into a madhouse. This is typical of us. Nothing ever goes to plan. But Pallo – I mean, I know it’s unreasonable, but you will stay, won’t you? I’ll never be able to face Naomi again if he’s not alive and well when we get home.’
Thea felt her temper fraying. ‘Considering what happened in his stable, he’s surviving very nicely. I fixed up a stall for him in the barn, and he seems quite happy. I think he can go back home tomorrow.’
Julia was clearly anxious to curtail the conversation. ‘Well, I’m terribly grateful to you. I’ll call again when we’ve got things a bit more sorted here. Yes, yes, officer, I’m coming. He’s looking daggers at me, I’ll have to go.’
‘Well, I’m happy to carry on here,’ Thea said loudly, before the connection was broken.
‘That’s very sweet of you. Bye now.’
The conversation ended with a number of frustrations for Thea. She had found no opening into which she might insert the bad news about the break-in or the slaughtered cat. Guiltily, she realised that she had not relished being blamed for these mishaps. Neither had she referred to any of the neighbours. As for the man in the sporty car who lurked in the back of her mind as a threatening shadow, Thea was making so much effort to banish him entirely, that there was no way she was going to talk about him. Her feelings towards him were irrational, and she knew it.
And perhaps worst of all, she had neglected to inform Julia that her, Thea’s, sister was currently colonising her, Julia’s, daughter Naomi’s bedroom, without invitation.
Then came a second phonecall three minutes later. It was Cecilia Clifton. ‘How are you?’ she began. ‘I gather there’s been some kind of incident.’
‘You could say that. But I’m fine. I’ve got my sister here, and the police are keeping an eye on us. It’s all rather exciting in a way.’
‘So you’re still not ready for that pub outing we’re meant to be having?’ There was a hint of accusation in the tone that made Thea uncomfortable. She nibbled her lip, wondering what she ought to say. Jocelyn’s presence not only removed any need for socialising, it actually created a reluctance to go off and leave her sister behind. ‘Well…’ she began. ‘I suppose…’
‘Bring your sister, obviously,’ Cecilia added.
But this was even more peculiar. It now felt as if Cecilia was the needy one, the one with time to kill and spaces to fill. Was she so lonely she had to batten onto visiting house-sitters for her human contact? What had Frannie Craven said? Cecilia is a law unto herself. Which perhaps implied a solitary habit, rather than membership of the odd-sounding ‘club’.
‘Okay,’ she said, trying to sound enthusiastic. ‘But I’m not sure what we’re going to be doing.’ Nothing would persuade her to make an appointment for lunchtime today, when there was a prospect of still being in DS Hollis’s company by the middle of the day. ‘I don’t think we can manage today, anyway.’
‘Goodness, I didn’t mean today,’ came the slightly unconvincing reply. ‘I’m busy myself until late this afternoon.’
‘And I had planned to do a bit of exploring with my sister. Thanks to your inspiration. I might take her to Daneway House.’
‘It’s not open to the public, you know. But you can go halfway up the drive, which gives quite a good view.’ There was an impatience in the voice, a barely-concealed irritation. Thea wondered what she’d said to offend.
‘Thanks. And we could explore the canal path to the tunnel, as well. I haven’t seen it from this end yet.’
‘Nothing much to see. The Coates entrance is infinitely more ornate.’ Again the voice was scratchy with impatience.
If she didn’t terminate the call instantly, there would be no time for the hair wash. ‘Well, I’ll see if we can manage lunch tomorrow, if that suits you,’ she offered. ‘Shall I phone you back this evening?’
> ‘No, no. I’ll call you. Enjoy yourselves.’ And Cecilia Clifton put down the phone.
‘Phone’s busy,’ remarked Jocelyn, coming into the kitchen.
Before Thea could agree, it rang again, raising a wry laugh between them. This time it was the Cirencester police.
‘Just a courtesy call, madam, to let you know that Detective Superintendent Hollis will be paying you a visit shortly. Would you please arrange to be available, in about twenty minutes’ time?’ The voice held an undertone of barely-suppressed amusement, reminiscent of playground teasing where everybody knows you’ve got a notice attached to your back, except you.
‘That’s fine,’ Thea breezed, hiding the irritation. ‘Thanks for calling.’
‘The policeman’s coming,’ she told Jocelyn.
‘You mean the policeman? Didn’t we already know that? Was that him on the phone?’
‘Nope. Some menial busybody.’
‘They’ll be enjoying this,’ said Jocelyn. ‘Watching their boss man falling for one of the witnesses in a murder case. It’s probably totally against the rules. What if you pervert the course of justice?’
‘I’ll just have to promise not to, won’t I? He doesn’t seem worried.’
‘Shall I go out for a walk, then?’
‘Don’t be daft. Though you can go and feed the guinea pigs if you like. I can hear them squeaking.’
‘And the rabbits?’
‘Of course.’
Hollis’s blue Mondeo arrived four minutes late. Thea was shamelessly waiting for him in the yard, hair still unwashed. ‘Hello,’ she said, through the open driver’s window, before he could get out. ‘How’s your investigating going?’
He sat unmoving for a full minute, leaning back in the seat, head turned towards her, but only flickeringly meeting her eye. His gaze took in the duck pond on one side and the stone barn on the other, with everything in between. ‘Peaceful,’ he murmured.
Then he got out of the car and flexed the leg that had been in plaster three months earlier. ‘I thought you said it was as good as new,’ said Thea.
He blinked. ‘What?’
‘Your leg. The one that was broken. It looks stiff.’
He looked down at himself. ‘Maybe it is a bit. I hadn’t noticed.’
She waited for what might come next. ‘We’ve got a name for the victim,’ he said, without preamble. ‘I thought you’d like to know.’
‘Yes, I know,’ she said. ‘I thought you were never going to tell me.’
He gave her a look of wary reproach. ‘Oh?’
‘One of the Innes boys came over yesterday and shared it with us. I know quite a bit about poor Nick Franklyn now.’
‘Nicholas James Franklyn. Nineteen. Student. Home address in Cirencester. Only son, last seen on Friday last week. All that?’
‘Most of it,’ she nodded. ‘Plus he was a Rural Warrior, concerned to preserve the countryside, or some such campaign. I forget the exact words.’ She watched his face, knowing she was being too flippant. ‘Have you seen his parents?’
‘Yes. The father’s identifying the body as we speak.’
Thea was effectively sobered. ‘Poor people. What a terrible thing.’
‘Mmm.’ The inarticulate sound contained a due measure of pity and concern, but Thea could also hear impatience. Well, she thought forgivingly, he is a policeman. His job is to find answers, explanations and rightful legal process, not to wallow in the grief and misery that went with most criminal activity.
‘I was wrong, wasn’t I?’ she said. ‘I thought he was a vagrant. What happened to his leg?’
‘He had some sort of bone condition as a child. The post-mortem spotted it, and we did a search of local doctors, to see if they had anyone on their books with that particular problem. It’s quite rare, apparently.’
‘What’s it called?’ Thea had a detached curiosity about medical matters, arising from a succession of friends who found themselves or their offspring afflicted with a variety of ailments.
‘Perthe’s Disease. Bet you’ve never heard of it.’
She grinned. ‘You bet right,’ she admitted.
‘Where’s your sister?’
‘Patrolling the homestead somewhere, I think. She’s intent on befriending the geese, for some reason. I stay clear of them as much as possible. They’re beastly if they take a dislike to you.’
‘Anyway,’ he pursued with a brisk display of hand-rubbing, ‘I’ve come to warn you that the story’s going to be in tomorrow’s local paper, and the TV news for the region this evening. It’ll put you on the map, I’m afraid.’
‘Why? You won’t name Juniper Court, will you?’
‘No, but people will work it out.’
‘So does that mean I can talk about it now? I mean, it isn’t all a deep dark secret any more?’
‘In what way?’
‘Well, your man, on Monday, told me not to say anything. It’s a bit difficult when people keep asking me what’s going on.’
‘All I can say to that is, use your common sense. You’ll appreciate that the actual killer could be one of these people.’
Thea raised her eyebrows. ‘I hope not. Anyway, I’ve already had most of the neighbours onto me about it.’
‘Oh? Anybody I should know about?’
After a quick inspection of his face for any sign of patronage, she gave him a serious reply. ‘We saw Frannie Whatever-it-is, last night. She seemed to want to warn us about something. Said Julia and Desmond weren’t very popular around here. She and her husband have been staying with his mother in Chalford since Sunday – does that count as an alibi? Oh, and the mother is buddies with Cecilia Clifton. You’ll remember her.’
‘Indeed. And which Innes boy came to spill the beans about Franklyn – and when?’
‘Jeremy. Handsome lad. It was yesterday afternoon, three-ish. He’s joining the army, and is involved in an outfit called Rural Warriors, which is a very difficult phrase to say clearly. Luckily, he manages his r’s quite well.’
Hollis sighed with some melodrama. ‘So much for hoping to keep you out of all this. You know almost as much as I do, by the sound of it.’
Thea smirked. ‘People talk to me, you see. I’ve just got one of those faces, they can’t resist confiding their secrets.’
‘Seriously,’ he insisted. ‘Can you be absolutely sure not to say anything about the barn? I meant to warn you of that yesterday. As far as we can work out, nobody’s connected it with young Franklyn’s death, so the less we say about it the better.’
‘Aha!’ crowed Thea. ‘I understand. The first person to drop a careless reference to that being the scene of the murder is our man. Except,’ she frowned, ‘won’t they have noticed your men crawling all over the place yesterday? They were quite visible from the road.’
‘We’ll have to hope they didn’t. It seems to me that scarcely anybody other than the Innes family use that little road anyway. Since it’s their barn, we’ve had to inform them that we’re examining it, of course.’
‘So if one of them did the murder, you’re sunk.’
He sighed again. ‘Thea, it really isn’t as simple as that. I’ve got twenty people or more working on this, every one of them following up different parts of the story. There’s all the forensic stuff, plus the background to these Rural Warriors, the link between the barn and your stable here – and dozens of other scraps of information, all having to be investigated. And all needing hard evidence before we can do anything as dramatic as making an arrest.’
‘You make it sound awfully boring,’ she pouted.
‘Most of it is,’ he confirmed. ‘But not entirely. I’m every bit as worried as before about you and Jocelyn staying here. And if you accidentally stumble on anything that might lead to an arrest, you’ll be in even more danger. A killer doesn’t have a lot to lose, remember. If attacking a second person assures his escape from being caught, he’s very likely to do it.’
‘I know,’ she said, clasping herself tightly
with crossed arms. ‘And I admit I wouldn’t be here without Joss. But I’ve just promised Julia I’ll stay a bit longer. Poor thing, she seems in a real old state, with her holiday falling apart.’
‘When was this?’
‘Just now. Half an hour ago. And Cecilia Clifton phoned as well. I’m sorry – am I supposed to report every conversation to you? Should I be taking notes?’
They were still standing out in the yard, where the sun was gaining strength and the sky was a promising blue. He took her questions manfully, treating her to one of his forward leans and intent examinations before nodding. ‘I think you probably should, yes.’
Thea dropped her gaze. ‘I really am a cow, aren’t I. I’m not taking this half as seriously as I should be. It’s not like me to be so flippant, honestly. Put it down to the weather, or something.’
He smiled. ‘I’ll opt for or something, then. Thea – you must realise—’
‘Yes, I expect I must,’ she dodged, her heart pounding. ‘But not now. Everything’s too muddled already. Shall I get coffee? Do you want to sit on the lawn for a bit?’
‘Fifteen minutes, that’s all,’ he said, accepting the gentle rebuff. ‘And then I have to be somewhere.’
‘See what I mean,’ she said, going briskly for the coffee.
Chapter Nine – Wednesday
They parted lingeringly, Thea following him to the car, and talking to him even when he was in the driver’s seat.
‘Thanks for coming,’ she said. ‘I know how busy it must all be.’
‘A pleasure,’ he smiled. ‘Thanks for the coffee. And remember – don’t say anything about the barn.’
‘Sir,’ she saluted. ‘My lips are superglued.’
‘It’s a bit late to ask you this, but I’m assuming you didn’t have any more trouble during the night,’ he went on. ‘That’s the main reason I came over, after all – to check that you’re both safe.’
‘Not a squeak. Even the peacocks seem to have gone quiet.’
