Filigrees, Fortunes and Foul Play

by Emily Selby

  'She sounded upset and a little slurred on the phone,' Katie said thinking back to the phone call. 'She liked her routines, and her whole schedule was upset that day with Vera, extra cleaning and that urgent meeting with Mr McBride at 5.15 pm. This might have been the reason why she had taken the medication.'

  'Seems likely.' Jack nodded. 'Let's note it and continue. Vera Bower rang Phyllis Dunbar on that day at midday.'

  'Did she?' Katie cut in. 'She never told me how she got hold of her—'

  'We have a log of all incoming and outgoing calls from Mrs Dunbar's landline. She didn't have a mobile phone. Let's put it all on a time line.' Jack drew a straight line and put a dot with the time of death somewhere in the middle.

  'So, Vera calls at 12.03 pm.,' Jack picked up, putting a dot on the line. 'She arrives, according to Vera, just before 2 pm. She is "a little late". We don't have any witness to corroborate that. But we know Phyllis was still alive at least at 2.32 pm. According to Vera—and Roy confirmed this—Vera leaves the house at 2.20 pm. Then, Phyllis calls her solicitor, at 2.30 pm. She is told the solicitor is out of the office and will be back around 3 pm.'

  'Then she calls me to tell me to come in late. She sounds upset and definitely tired or sleepy,' Katie added.

  'I think she wanted to have time to discuss something with the solicitor before you arrived.'

  'Did Vera notice anything unusual about Mrs Dunbar's behaviour?' Chris asked.

  'Vera said that Phyllis appeared upset,' Jack replied. 'Vera thought it was because of her late arrival.'

  Katie nodded. 'So what happened next?' she asked.

  'Vera sees herself out, as she says,' Jack continued. 'On the way out, she talks to Roy, who is repotting flowers in the shed.'

  'Vera saw herself out?' Katie mused. 'That's why the front door was left unlocked. And let's not forget about the window in the spare toilet–she left it open. The killer climbed through it, correct?'

  'Good point about the window,' Jack noted. 'I'm not sure the killer entered by it, but given the wiped-clean windowsill, this is a reasonable hypothesis. To return to our timeline, Roy continues working in the shed, as he says, although we can’t find a witness to confirm this. The house next door is empty at this time of day, and the neighbour opposite is out, at work. She is back shortly after 5 pm. She has multiple witnesses to confirm that.'

  'What about Vera's movements after she left Phyllis' house?'

  'Vera goes back home, on her bike, but, as she says, she takes a scenic route. She cycles through the new housing estate. She wanted to have a look how it’s progressing, apparently. She stops at a corner shop to buy a bottle of milk. She told me she was at the shop at 3.35 pm, which is just three minutes after Phyllis' call to Katie. The shop is more than three minutes by bike away from Phyllis' house.'

  'She's very exact with the timings,' Katie said slowly, thinking back to Vera. 'She doesn't come across as a person who pays a lot of attention to time.'

  'Evidence?' Jack asked her.

  Katie blushed. Put on the spot, she couldn't come up with anything, so she just bit her upper lip and shook her head.

  'Sorry, no hunches or impressions that can't be supported by evidence,' Jack said grimly.

  A large brick landed in the pit of Katie's stomach. Shoots! DI Hard-Evidence-Only!

  'Oh, I remember now.' Katie called out, suddenly realising she did have an answer. 'Last night, when I met with Vera, she made a comment about not being a punctual person. She also said she'd arrived late for her meeting with Phyllis because her watch was not accurate that day. Something to do with the battery.'

  Jack nodded. The brick lifted. Katie relaxed her shoulders. But Jack wasn't yet done questioning her reasoning.

  'She gave us the exact timings of her actions. If her watch was not reliable, how did she know the time?'

  'She says she checked with Roy and then in the shop where she bought the milk,' Chris replied before Katie could open her mouth. Clearly, he was much better prepared than Katie.

  'I've checked with Roy and the shopkeeper - they both remembered that,' Chris supplied.

  'So, we have two independent witnesses confirming her timing.'

  'Yes.'

  Katie shook her head. There was something not quite right here. She couldn't put her finger on anything, yet it kept nagging her. She had to share this, even though she might make a fool of herself in Jack's eyes. She steadied her breath.

  'I've got this niggling feeling that Vera is not a person who always tells the truth,' she said. Whatever Jack would think of it, she had to get it out in the open.

  Jack flinched.

  'Can you support this with evidence?' he asked after a pause.

  Katie hunched and shook her head. Chris chuckled.

  'I may be able to help,' Chris said. 'My mum went to high school with Vera, and she remembers her as a girl who liked to embellish the truth.'

  Jack exhaled through his nose.

  'What do you think she lied about, Katie?' Jack asked, a hint of irritation edging into his voice.

  'I didn't say she lied,' Katie protested.

  'What gave you the impression she lied?'

  'The story about going to see Phyllis Dunbar for advice quilling techniques. It doesn't really make sense. She says someone recommended Phyllis, but she couldn’t tell me who. Then, she says she might have seen Phyllis quilling at the Club, but that's not possible–otherwise, I'd remember that. Plus, from my conversation with Vera, I gathered she didn't have much to ask Phyllis. The techniques she was after are not all that complicated. Fair enough, Vera claims she had difficulty with execution, but why go to an old woman who can't hold the quilling tool properly anymore because of her arthritis?'

  'Do you think Vera's reason for her visit to Phyllis was plausible or not?'

  'Yes, but... You know, that niggling doubt at the back of your head?'

  'Yes, I know that. And, I must add, I had the same feeling when she reported her movements. But she has a strong alibi for the time of the murder. And, even if she did have an opportunity, what would be her motive?'

  All three looked at one another. Katie opened her arms and shrugged. 'I haven't got a faintest idea. I haven't heard any gossip either.'

  'Chris?'

  Chris shook his head.

  'What about Roy?' Katie continued her review of suspects.

  Jack blew out a breath. 'This guy is not that well-alibied, I'm afraid. He says that after he talked to Vera, he continued working in the shed. They both confirmed the timing when Vera approached the shed. They chatted for a few minutes, then she realised it was late and left. He continued working. He insists he didn't see anyone. The next we know, you saw him shortly after making your emergency call.'

  'That was at 3.23 pm by the way,' Chris added. 'We've got the logs,'

  'When did Roy appear?'

  'It couldn’t have been more than a minute later. I was standing outside, waiting for the ambulance. I talked to him for a while. It felt weird, and even though I did recognise him and knew who he was, I couldn't stop thinking he might be the murderer. He looked a bit strange, suspicious. I was trying to keep the conversation going until the ambulance arrived.'

  'The ambulance arrived 3.30 pm, and the Police car right after them.'

  'Going back to Roy. Is he the main suspect?'

  'It appears so.' Jack tapped on the board again. 'He had ample opportunity, and he has no real alibi for the time of death. According to Katie's account, he must have been at the back of the house for a while. He could have entered the house and killed Mrs Dunbar between Vera leaving and Katie arriving. But did he have a motive?'

  'Didn't he inherit from his aunt? He was in need of money. That was my interpretation of what he and Vera said.' Katie added.

  'We've checked his financial situation, and he does need money. Who doesn’t? He left his job recently to concentrate on his musical career,' Chris reported. 'His wife wasn't happy about it. Maybe she pushed him to get money to finance his
passion from somewhere else?'

  'It makes sense, superficially,' Jack said. 'But then, he doesn't inherit any money. All he gets is this house. Phyllis didn't have money. She had some assets, including the house, the workshop and a few paintings and sculptures by her husband. He needs money and promptly.'

  'Apparently some of those paintings or other artwork are valuable.' Katie said slowly, wondering if the police had any information on it. Roy had only made a passing comment. 'I've heard it on the grapevine. People wanted to buy it.'

  'People wanted to buy Mr Dunbar's paintings?' Jack shook his head. 'That's new to me. We'll look into it. Back to Roy. He needs cash, not assets that may be difficult to sell. He would have been better off if he had waited until she sold these paintings and then inherit the money.'

  Katie thought back to the conversation with Roy the previous day, carefully recalling what he had said as well as her own impressions.

  'He seemed very upset by Mrs Dunbar's death,' she said.

  'Yes. He is in fact so upset it's been hard to interview him. He gets teary immediately,' Jack added.

  'I think he genuinely loved and cared for her.'

  'People kill their loved ones all the time,' Jack reminded her.

  'And he doesn't have a good alibi...' She sighed.

  'Many iron-clad alibis have disappeared in a puff, and many innocent people can't account for their moves, which doesn't mean they are guilty. I've seen many cases of both in my career,' Chris said.

  Katie nodded. 'What about the parish council thread? Have you been able to establish anything? What was the urgent meeting with the vice-chairman for?'

  'The vice chairman, Mr Pomp-, erh, what's-his-name?' Jack looked at Chris who was more than happy to supply the name.

  'Alistair McBride.'

  'Yes, Mr McBride insists he didn't know what the meeting was going to be about. He assumes, and he repeated this several times, this was something to do with the ongoing conflict between Mrs Dunbar and the treasurer, Julian Fischer. Apparently, Mr Vice-Chairman didn't quite listen to Phyllis' concerns. He says she'd been quite vocal about the treasurer's alleged shortcomings for a while, and he, I quote, "grew a little tired of their bickering".'

  'That's not very helpful,' Katie said.

  'I totally agree. Unfortunately, this is the sort of attitude I've been getting from all but you in this inquiry.'

  Katie's hand wandered to the loose strand of hair, making it into a spiral again.

  'Did Mr McBride say anything about the church's financial problems?' she asked.

  'He says there have been some problems recently,' Jack explained. 'The vicar's been stressed. But this is not much different to what normally happens at times. He said something about fat years and lean years.'

  'Are they willing to disclose the accounting books though?'

  Jack looked at Katie thoughtfully. 'Good question. I've asked Mr McBride, and he agreed to talk to the treasurer, the vicar and the rest of the council. He's got back to me after just talking to Mr Fischer and apparently Mr Fischer said, "over my dead body, get a warrant."'

  'Is it possible?'

  'Not at this stage. Not enough evidence.'

  'Maybe the chat with Mrs Lee can help.'

  'I really hope so. We need to gather more information, before we can progress any further.'

  12

  Mrs Lee walked in through the main door as the wall clock in the reception area hit one. Her red coat was glistening, and droplets of water clung to her face.

  Katie ushered her into the interview room and let Jack know that Mrs Lee had arrived.

  Having introduced himself and the purpose of the interview, Jack jumped right into the questions.'

  Mrs Lee didn't seem to mind. She looked all business: a sober, practical maths teacher. She would, no doubt, rely on facts and logic. Jack would be happy. Katie sighed.

  'I've heard from a number of independent sources that there had been a lot of discord between the deceased and some other members of the parish council,' Jack asked and glanced at Katie. Her role was to listen carefully and jump in with more questions if she noticed anything she took to be important, or not quite fitting in. Jack was taking the notes.

  'Indeed, there has,' Mrs Lee replied and paused. 'We realised we had financial difficulties in early June, when we started discussing the detailed budget for the November church anniversary fete. During the June meeting, there was an unpleasant situation between Julian Fischer, our treasurer and Phyllis Dunbar. She challenged him about some inconsistencies in the financial reports. He got very defensive and... how do I put it? Oh, well, he stormed out of the room, taking the financial records with him. We had to continue the meeting without him. He returned later but wasn't keen on discussing the finance any further, because there was no need for it, as he repeated multiple times. Phyllis disagreed, and the vicar tried to intervene.'

  'I had some dealings with Julian earlier in the year and I noticed that he was behaving a little out of character,' Katie chipped in.

  'This was not Julian's typical behaviour. He's been rather unwell lately. I'm not in a position to comment on that, but if you ask him, he may give you more info.'

  'Or not...' Katie whispered. Mrs Lee must have heard her.

  'Or not, in fact,' she said. 'Anyhow, returning to the council matters. In July, Julian didn't attend the meeting, and Phyllis took over the financial reports. They were not prepared, with Julian being sick, but she still insisted on having access to the documents. She wanted to see the books. We keep an old-fashioned book, a ledger, with all incomings and expenditure,' she added. 'Phyllis kept asking the vicar for the ledger throughout the meeting. Annoyed, he got up in the middle of the meeting and brought the book from home. I think either the book was not in order, or Phyllis was too upset at that stage, because her remarks weren't all that coherent. But, from what I remember, at least some of her questions did make sense. Don't get me wrong, she used to pester and annoy people, but she often had a point.'

  'I know,' Katie said. 'Mrs Dunbar could get a bee in her bonnet about things.'

  'That's right.' Mrs Lee nodded.

  'But I'd say, she often had a good reason to complain,' Katie added hesitantly, thinking about some of her own cleaning shortcomings.

  Mrs Lee glanced at Katie with her well-shaped eyebrows lifted.' I suppose, it's at least somewhat true,' she said.

  Jack nodded at Katie, as agreed before the meeting.

  'Did the Vicar get an earful from her as well?' Katie asked.

  'She upset him at that particular meeting. And because Julian wasn't there, and the financial reports were not prepared, she insisted the council met again at the end of July just for the financial matters.'

  'Did you?'

  'No. Julian was still sick. By then, Phyllis managed to convince a couple of other members, and I was one of those in support of that, to have an extraordinary meeting to discuss financial matters as soon as it was possible.'

  'Has this happened?'

  'Not yet. On his return from sick leave, Julian refused to prepare financials at such a short notice. He said he needed more time and insisted there weren't any worries. The vicar seemed to be in agreement with him. He’s been concerned about Julian's health. We all have been. But Julian is also a rather stubborn man and he won’t see his doctor. I think the family had to take him away from home to force him to take a break. Anyway, I'm gossiping. I'm sorry.' Mrs Lee pulled herself back from her comments on the Fischer family.

  'Why are there financial problems at the parish?' Jack asked.

  'We've had a couple of unexpected expenses a burst pipe in the vicarage, with water damage to the floors. Then, the vicar discovered an unpaid electricity bill, which incurred penalty charges. It also seems we've also been receiving fewer donations. Even the money box has been light this year.'

  'The box in the church entrance?'

  'Yes, that one.'

  'I wondered whether anyone ever put any money into it.'

/>   'People do. We used to get lovely little extra cash during summer months, but not this year. Oh well, I suppose it's been one of those lean years.'

  'Going back to Phyllis Dunbar. Did she have any arguments or conflicts with anyone else, beside the treasurer and the vicar?' Jack chipped in.

  Mrs Lee looked at him carefully.

  'It's been a difficult year on the council overall. I'm thinking of handing in my resignation once the church anniversary fete is over. Frankly, I got to the point, oh...' She hesitated. 'I know I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but Phyllis really got under my skin. At one point, I stopped paying attention to her squabbles with the others.'

  'Were there any other squabbles between Phyllis and members of the council that struck you?' Katie asked.

  'I do remember one other strange interaction. It stood out because it was Barbara Cambridge, another long-serving council member. She lost it with Phyllis. Barbara is usually very calm and never loses her composure. She is quick to make caustic, dry remarks, but she was quite upset that day. And instead of her usual, half-murmured sarcastic comments, she snapped.'

  'What happened?' Katie and Jack asked in unison.

  'I don't know exactly what they were doing just before the argument. It was before the official meeting started and I was busy going through some documents. All of a sudden, I heard a... I can only describe it as a hiss. I looked around and saw Barbara standing by Phyllis' chair and looking at her like... Like she wanted to murder her. Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to say—'

  'No, no problem. We understand,' Jack said.

  'Then Barbara said something to Phyllis in that similar hissy sound. It was something about Phyllis' husband maybe not being as holy and model a husband as Phyllis made him out to be.'

  'Did she say he hadn't been a model husband?'

  Mrs Lee hesitated and wriggled uncomfortably. 'I really can't remember. I only heard some of it. I don't know what was actually said and what I filled in later. I think Phyllis was going on and on about her late husband that day. This was last month, shortly after someone offered to buy two pictures from the church - both by Phyllis' husband. And, given the financial condition of the parish, we were discussing whether it was an option.'