It took a
lot of energy to get back to Upper Grumpsfield. Lower Grumpsfield was nearer
sea-level, so the road back was uphill all the way. Pushing on her Nordic
walking sticks and trying to do the rhythm properly, Dorothy managed to get to
the bistro in time and was, as a result, the first one there.
"Out
walking. Can you hide them somewhere?"
Mitch took
the sticks and disappeared into the back.
"Have
you been out on your own, Dorothy? Don't you know it's dangerous round
here?"
"Rubbish.
I always go for walks."
“But not
dressed like a sleuth and looking as if something had chased you all the way
here."
"Well,
to be honest, I've been investigating a bit."
"Two
people have been shot on the common. No one knows who did it. You or I could be
next. It's a question of being at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Those
two people had enemies. We don't."
"How do
you know that? There are enemies everywhere, aren't there, Mitch?"
Delilah
appealed to Mitch for confirmation.
"I'll
take your word for it, Sweetheart," Mitch replied, winking at her
outrageously, Dorothy thought.
The
conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Cleo and Robert, closely
followed by Gary, Julie and Colin.
***
It did not
escape Cleo that Dorothy was wearing her camouflage outfit.
"Have you been out snooping,
Dorothy?" she asked.
"I
never snoop. I went for a walk."
"So
what did Kelly have to say for himself?" Robert asked, having guessed
where the walk had taken her.
Dorothy felt
caught in the act.
"Enough,"
she said, wishing she had not had that tussle behind the farmhouse, though it
had revealed more than one home truth.
"You'll
tell us all about it, won't you, Dorothy?" Gary said. "I'd hate to
think of any valuable information being kept a secret."
"You're
a good one to talk, Gary Hurley," retorted Dorothy. "You didn't tell
us that a number of other cars were tampered with at the same time as Kelly's
brakes were cut."
"Is
that true, Gary?" said Cleo, shocked that he would keep that kind of information
from her.
"I
forgot…."
Cleo shook
her head and bit her lip. Gary expected cooperation, but he didn't cooperate
himself.
"So
Kelly's car was just one of a row attacked by vandals, was it?" said
Robert. He was justifiably angry. How much had the guy kept from Cleo, just to
make sure he got the credit for solving something?
Delilah
could see that the situation was escalating.
"Come
into the snug, folks," she invited. "There's a big log fire burning
in the hearth and I've made you some grog to start off with."
"You're
an angel, Delilah!" said Dorothy. "I really need a hot drink."
***
"And I
think we'd better start the ball rolling," said Colin, as soon as they had
all found somewhere to sit at the round regulars' table. Tempers were already
frayed: Robert's because Gary was not playing the game and Cleo’s because she
was cross with Dorothy for going off on her own. She was starting to doubt the
wisdom of working with Gary. Colin was disgusted with Gary he did not think he
had the right attitude. Julie just looked on in amazement.
"I
think Dorothy has something to tell us first," said Cleo, looking at
Dorothy sternly.
"Nothing
that can't wait," Dorothy retorted.
"Let us
be the judge of that," said Colin. He had never been happy with the idea
of a retired pianist investigating crime and was anxious not to have the same
amateur status as her.
"My
excursion was most useful because Kelly told me about the other damaged
cars."
"How
did you find Kelly? Was he nervous?" Gary wanted to know.
"Well,
actually he found me first and thought I was a prowler."
"Didn't
you knock on his door?" said Cleo.
“Of course I
did.”
Dorothy told
them as much about her experience as she wanted them to know.
"You
could have been killed," said Robert.
"You
must admit that it was a silly thing to do, going off on your own like
that," added Gary.
"You
promised not to, Dorothy," said Cleo.
"I just
had to do something to get things moving."
"What
were you expecting him to say or do?" Cleo asked.
"I'm
not sure, but it confirmed my feeling that he was not responsible for Magda's
death."
Gary was
interested in that conclusion, but did not want to praise such foolish
out-of-turn snooping. Feelings are not facts. Dorothy's nosey-parkering could
have ended in tragedy.
"So
without telling anyone, you went in search of someone who might have murdered
someone," he commented drily.
"On
reflection, it was rather a stupid idea," Dorothy conceded in a small
voice.
"But
since you went there and saw him, we'd better hear more about it," said
Colin, who wanted to move on to his own stuff.
"I've
told you everything," said Dorothy, blushing slightly. But that might have
been caused by the heat of the log fire.
***
Gary announced
that the information about the man in a coma had been confirmed by the guy
himself, but he had only just heard about Magda’s death. The guy was a Mr Louis
Mcbain. He was a businessman who had a date with Magda. He hadn't known Magda
was a part-time hooker until that evening when he had had to pay Kelly in
advance for the time spent with her. She had invited him to visit her at home and
even though he now knew about her profession, he had thought it was normal
gallantry to offer to drive her car. He thought she was attracted to him, and there
was nothing noble about being rude to a lady, whatever her chosen profession.
Mr McBain
said he had found Magda extremely sexy and decided to go ahead with his
intention, though he didn’t usually pay for sex. There had been no indication
of brake problems until he tried to avoid a hare crossing the road. That was
all he could remember. His memory of events immediately prior to the accident
was patchy. Magda had flirted with him somewhere a month earlier, he
remembered. He had found her attractive then and thought the attraction was
mutual. She hadn't charged him for her attentions that time, and he repeated
that he had never paid for sex before.
"Pretty
cynical of him," said Colin. "And suspicious. Curious how he
remembers some things, but not others."
"Selective
amnesia. Normal after such accidents,” Gary said after consulting his notes.
“Psychologists can explain that, apparently. Mr McBain did not have any
personal identification with him, but since he was out with a girl-friend, he didn’t
need any. He always carried a wad of banknotes in his pocket. His briefcase and
his other belongings were found at the hotel he eventually named. They had
wondered what had happened to him, but since he was a regular guest they
assumed he would turn up again to collect his things. He had paid in advance
for his room."
***
Cleo had to
admit that even if she was in love with Gary, it did not include liking him all
the time if he played tricks on her agency by not keeping her up to date.
***
Gary said
that the police had originally taken the guy’s identity for granted because he had
been in Kelly's car with Kelly's wife and answered to the description of Kelly.
Farmers don't usually carry their passports around, always assuming they even
have one. It was only thanks to Dorothy that they had eventually discovered
that it was not Kelly lying in that bed.
Gary grudged
having to thank Dorothy for her initiative, but not doing so would have shown
resentment, so he smiled at her.
Dorothy
nodded graciously. He was quite a different person from the one who had sat at
her breakfast table, and she preferred the other one.
***
They still
had not heard what Colin had to tell them when Delilah came in with some fresh
Italian bread and herb butter for starters.
Colin took over.
It was high time Gary’s one-upmanship was stopped in its tracks. He disliked
Gary’ condescending attitude to Dorothy, who had risked her life in the name of
detection. He could also see that Cleo was quite aggravated with the whole
business. Looking at Delilah, Colin also wondered how much she knew that she
still hadn’t revealed about the goings-on in her pub.
Robert was
relaxing in the most comfortable chair, sipping his grog and not contributing
anything to the conversation, but just watching the spectacle and musing that
Cleo looked anything but happy about Gary’s meanness at not keeping her
up-to-date.
Since it was
time to move on and Delilah was in the room, Colin asked her if she had seen
Burton at the bistro.
"Yes
and I think I told you," she replied, not remembering who she had told.
"How
often was he here?" Gary asked, annoyed with himself for not pursuing that
line earlier.
"Several
times with the Norton woman and then with someone who looked like a good-time
girl, and after that he came in once or twice with an older woman. She was
smartly dressed and very nervous."
"Would
you remember her if I showed you a photo, Delilah?" Colin said,
successfully interrupting Gary’s effort to take over the questioning.
Colin loaded
photos of Mrs Temple and Mrs Stone on his tablet.
"Both
of them were here, and come to think of it, they were both here with Burton. At
different times, of course."
"You
see, Gary?" said Colin. "My hunch was right. Burton was a
Casanova."
"I
can't understand what women saw in him," said Delilah. “He was scruffy and
ill-mannered."
"But
probably good in bed," said Dorothy.
"I'm
surprised at you, Dorothy," said Cleo. "And Colin, how come you have
such recent photos?"
"I
asked Gary for them."
Cleo felt
left out. Were the two men conniving? Did Gary know what Colin was up to and
vice versa? How long would it be before they booted her out of her own job?
Colin read her thoughts.
"Cleo,
I needed them. We aren't plotting against you."
"I
should damn well hope not," shouted Robert.
"We're
not here to quarrel, Robert," said Dorothy, "but to get to the bottom
of the whole nasty business."
"You
should all be working as a team," said Julie, who had watched the
proceedings with a growing feeling that she was somewhere she didn't want to
be. "You won't make any progress without a bit of give and take."
"I
thought that's what the meeting was about," jibed Cleo.
"What
about Hatherton?" Gary asked Delilah. "Did he come here with
Burton?"
Colin loaded
a photo of Hatherton for Delilah to refresh her memory.
"Not
with Burton, he didn't; only with those women on the photos."
Since the
photos included one of Mrs Temple, they had definitely met prior to the
incident at the barn. It made sense that Mrs Temple would prefer to forget the
meeting, but did not make sense that Hatherton had obviously not told her he
had been in prison, and she had not told him about Shirley. Mrs Temple had also
known Burton.
"In
that case, let's close this meeting and find out how many women Burton was
seeing and whether they were being blackmailed," said Cleo.
"A good
idea," said Robert. "All this chit-chat is a waste of time."
"Do you
remember if Mrs Temple and Hatherton were here before or after Burton's murder,
Delilah?"
"Before,
I think. But they were not friendly, spoke only briefly to one another, and
left without eating anything. I wondered about that.
"Mrs
Temple wasn't friendly with anyone," said Cleo.
"What
if she and Hatherton were in it together?" said Dorothy.
"In
what, Dorothy?" Gary asked.
"Search
me!"
"I
wonder why were they so secretive about meeting?" said Gary.
"It's not
secretive here," said Delilah.
"The
whole of that interview in my office could have been for my benefit," said
Gary.
"I
wouldn't go as far as that," said Cleo. "Hatherton obviously had no
idea that Shirley was his daughter and I don't think for one minute that either
of them had a hand in that killing. They were just in the throes of a personal
crisis."
"So who
did kill Burton and Shirley?" Julie wanted to know.
"We
could ask Mr Kelly again," said Dorothy.
"Do you
seriously think he would commit murder?" said Cleo.
"No,
but he might know who did."
"How,
Dorothy?"
"He
knew Burton well, so he probably knew who had it in for him," Dorothy
explained. "That might be why Burton was in hiding."
"All
speculation, Ladies," said Gary, who had to admit to himself grudgingly
that Dorothy might again have a point.
***
"So who
killed Burton and that policewoman?" said Julie, who was now sure this
meeting was serving no useful purpose.
They were
all at cross purposes and running round in circles like hamsters on their
training ladders. What a chaotic state of affairs it was! Why had she come? Why
had Gary allowed amateurs - not counting Colin - to help him? They could not
even agree among themselves. And now Colin was going behind Cleo's back. It was
time for some clear thinking, on their part and hers.
***
"Whoever
he was blackmailing could be his killer," said Cleo. “Elinor Stone, for
instance. She was a sure target with her life-style."
As if on
cue, the door to the snug was kicked open and Mrs Stone barged in brandishing a
revolver.
"Right
in one, Miss Hartley. How did you guess?"
"Put that gun away," shouted Gary.
"Shut
up. I've waited long enough to use it on you pathetic investigators. No wonder
my husband wanted to get rid of you, Mr Hurley. I should have shot you instead
of the Temple girl. Or both of you. Two birds with one stone, to coin a phrase."
The group
around the table sat frozen. How did she know about the meeting?
"What
about Burton, then?" probed Cleo, playing for time.
Mitch and
Delilah were standing just outside the snug, trying to decide what to do.
Delilah stepped back and dialled 999. Mitch braced himself.
"The
bastard was blackmailing me."
"You
had an affair with Hatherton, didn't you?" cried Dorothy. "And that’s
why you’re here now, isn’t it?”
“It’s none
of your business why I’m here,” snorted Elinor.
“Of course
it’s my business. Your husband was not to know about your little affair, was he?"
Cleo was
full of admiration for Dorothy’s nerve. Gary wished he was armed.
"Shut
up, woman," Elinor Stone shouted.
***
Dorothy
still had her father's old revolver in her rucksack. That had been a precaution
against Kelly, but she hadn't been able to make use of it because her rucksack
had been on her back for convenience. Now it was on the floor at her feet.
"I want
to blow my nose," she said.
"Blow
away," Mrs Stone retorted. "You may not get another chance."
Dorothy
reached down to her rucksack, pulled her father’s old revolver out, aimed at
the ceiling and pulled the trigger.
Mrs Stone
was so startled that she dropped her guard long enough for Robert to grab and wrench
the arm holding her gun. She gave a squeal of pain and dropped the weapon. Quick
as lightning, Gary took charge of it.
"Well
done, Dorothy," said Colin.
"I just
hoped that it was loaded," fibbed Dorothy, who always carried the loaded
gun when she was sleuthing.
"Just
as well it was," said Robert, giving Mrs Stone's arm another little twist.
"I hope
it’s licensed." Gary asked.
“What sort
of a chump are you, Gary?” Robert shouted. “Are you going to arrest Dorothy for
saving your life?”
***
Mitch heard
the shot, he and Delilah rushed in and went to Robert's aid. Together they tied
Mrs Stone's wrists behind her back with the long nylon scarf Delilah had been
wearing.
"The
police are on their way," Delilah told them.
"Thank
goodness for that!" said Dorothy, who seemed to be the only one of the
group capable of a normal reaction.
Julie burst
into tears.
Cleo echoed
the words her mother tended to use when faced with anything remotely risky.
"It's
safer in Chicago," she said.
"This
isn't funny, Cleo," reproached Robert.
***
Gary didn't
say anything. He had failed on all counts. The sleuth women had shown him up
for what he was. He looked bleakly at Julie, who granted him an almost
imperceptible smile.
"Don't
take it so hard, Gary," Dorothy said, noticing how dejected he was and how
he seemed to be appealing to Julie rather than Cleo for support.
***
A police
patrol car drew up in front of the pub, lights flashing. Felix and Greg jumped out.
It was Felix's last week as a patrol cop. He would be starting Shirley's old
job on December 1st. Nigel would probably quit the police force and go into dry
cleaning.
Delilah's
cry for help had been dramatic and fearful. A few bistro customers were now
cowering outside. They had fled when they heard the shot and had no idea what
was happening.
"Everything's
under control," Delilah announced as she led the police into the snug.
Felix and
Greg took over and Mrs Stone was handcuffed properly. Felix dropped the woman's
gun into a plastic bag.
"Souvenir-hunting?"
Mrs Stone sneered, and said to Felix “Get back into your closet, Dorothy
darling!”
"I'm
Dorothy," shouted Dorothy, who was unaware of the innuendo Mrs Stone
intended.
"Hold
your tongue, Mrs Stone," said Cleo in defence of Felix, who was blushing
and clearly upset. Even cops are human.
Hoping to
give an impression of competence, Gary arrested Mrs Stone for murder.
"For
the moment," he added. "The other charges can wait until tomorrow."
“What are
you talking about?” said Mrs Stone.
”You’ll
see,” said Gary.
"Who is she, Sir?" asked Felix.
"That
is Roger Stone’s dearly beloved," said Colin.
"Not
THE Mrs Stone," said Greg.
"Right
in one," said Gary. "Wife of Super Intendant Roger Stone, supervisor of
my homicide squad."
"Good
God," said Greg.
"Take
her away," said Gary.
***
Mrs Stone
was escorted to the waiting patrol car. She had stopped struggling. The game
was up and she knew it. Once forensics compared the gun calibre and other items
of evidence, she would not be able to talk herself into freedom, whoever she
was married to.
Gary wondered if Roger Stone would attempt to get his wife's
neck out of the noose. He thought not. The evidence against her would be too
strong, if his suspicions were correct. Stone would have enough on his plate
defending himself. Gary could not quell his schadenfreude. For the moment he
had no sympathy for his friend. Was that the reason he had been removed from
the case. Had Roger been managing a cover-up?
***
Cleo could
see that Gary's was jubilant in the midst of all the chaos. He was enjoying his
own victory over Roger Stone, although he could take no credit for the dramatic
climax to the meeting in the snug. Never in his wildest dreams had Gary thought
Elinor Stone could be mixed up in anything remotely damaging to her husband's
position. The marriage stank, but the Stones had managed to put on a remarkably
good show of conjugal harmony in public.
***
Colin had not
had a chance to reveal his findings on various aspects of the Burton case, but
that was no longer really necessary and he wanted to tell everyone about his
own immediate plans. Gary knew that Mrs Stone’s arrest was the start rather
than the end of the case. Quite a few who had enjoyed protection and privileges
would be exposed once the media got hold of the story.
Mrs Stone was
taken to police headquarters in Middlethumpton. Everyone who had witnessed the
incident would be questioned and typed statements would be signed at HQ the
following day.
Cleo
wondered if that was the end of the line for the Stones. Mrs Stone would definitely
serve a life sentence. It remained to be seen how Roger Stone would weather the
storm.
"Let's
not speculate on what happens next," Gary proposed. "I think we need
time to get this in perspective."
"You
might," said Cleo and immediately regretted her sharp tone.
Gary sat in
the rear of the police car next to Mrs Stone. She had said nothing. In fact,
not a word was spoken all the way to Middlethumpton. Gary wondered what Roger
would have to say.
***
Delilah was
the most shocked by what had happened. The paramedics called to help Dorothy
over her shock were fully occupied reviving Delilah instead.
"In
Regency novels they called it 'the vapours'," Dorothy remarked. "I
didn't know Delilah was so sensitive."
"Imagine
we'd all been mown down on your premises, Dorothy,” said Robert. “Delilah is living
through what could have happened."
"But it
didn't, did it?"
"Thanks
to your presence of mind," said Robert.
Dorothy was now
emotionally torn between heroism that she had saved the situation and
contrition about saying something so negative about Delilah.
“I’m so
sorry for what I said to you, Delilah.”
"That’s
OK!" said Delilah, who had revived in record time.
The
paramedics decided they were no longer needed.
"If it
hadn't been for Dorothy's presence of mind, we might all be dead now," Delilah
told everyone. "We should be grateful that she got us out of a really
sticky situation. Let's celebrate! Can you fetch the best cognac, Mitch?"
"I
think we should all go home and get some rest," said Robert.
"The
cognac will help you to sleep," said Mitch, pouring the precious golden
liquid into tulip glasses. "And the fresh air walking home will do you all
good.”
"What a
splendid idea," said Dorothy.
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