‘Let’s not panic.’ Sukey tried to sound reassuring, but the same thought had occurred to her. ‘For a start, let’s see if we can check where that call came from.’ She reached for a pencil and a notepad that were lying on Myrna’s desk, picked up the phone and tapped out 1471. She was half expecting to hear that the caller’s number had been withheld, but luck was on their side. Her pulse-rate quickened as she jotted down the figures and then pressed the call-back button.

  After only two rings the voice they had heard moments before came on the line and said, ‘Glevum Investigations, Doug Brown speaking.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, I must have called the wrong number,’ said Sukey politely and hung up. She turned to Fergus and repeated what she had just heard. ‘We haven’t wasted our time after all,’ she said. Her heart was thumping harder than ever.

  ‘I don’t see that it helps all that much,’ he said. ‘So Myrna had a boyfriend, but he couldn’t have killed her if he was out of the country – and anyway, he doesn’t even know she’s dead.’

  ‘Oh, come on, Gus, wake up. “Glevum Investigations, your favourite sleuth” – this guy’s a private detective. Remember what June told me? Myrna had some dirt on her husband and his colleagues, but she didn’t know how she came by it.’

  ‘Of course!’ His eyes lit up again. ‘She employed this guy to investigate them. Mum, you’ll have to go and talk to him.’

  ‘You don’t suppose he’d tell me anything, do you?’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Client confidentiality and all that. Besides, the last thing he’d want would be to get mixed up in a murder case, especially if he’s been having an affair with the victim.’

  ‘But if you tell the police, they’ll find out he’s been carrying on with Myrna. They already think Dad killed her, they’ll say that was his motive—’

  ‘If I tell the police, I’ll be dropping myself in it,’ she reminded him. ‘What excuse do I offer for this little adventure? I’m in enough trouble already.’

  ‘We can’t just let it go.’

  ‘No, of course not, but—’

  At that moment their attention was distracted by the sound of a car. They exchanged apprehensive glances; Fergus moved to the window, peered cautiously out and said, ‘It’s Leonie. What the hell’s she doing here?’

  ‘Maybe the same as we are. Come to collect some of her stuff, remember?’

  ‘Oh, right.’ Fergus patted his pocket containing the computer game he had brought along by way of an excuse for being there. ‘What d’you reckon we should do?’

  ‘Switch that off, for a start.’ She nodded towards the computer. ‘We don’t want anyone knowing we’ve been trying to hack into Myrna’s files.’

  ‘She may not come up here.’

  Sukey’s brain was working at top speed, considering and rejecting possible courses of action. ‘When she sees our car out there she may take fright and leave,’ she began, but Fergus interrupted.

  ‘She’s not leaving, she’s parking the car… she’s got a key in her hand, she’s coming in—’

  ‘Then we’d better show ourselves before she gets suspicious and calls the police.’

  Sixteen

  ‘Who’s there?’ Leonie’s voice, harsh and apprehensive, floated up from the hallway as Fergus reached the head of the stairs with Sukey a short distance behind him.

  ‘Hullo, Leo,’ he said coolly. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Leonie glared at him. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she retorted as the pair of them slowly descended the stairs. ‘And who’s she?’ She jerked her head in Sukey’s direction.

  ‘This is my mother. Mum, this is Leo.’

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ said Sukey, with a friendly smile that was not returned. ‘I’m sorry if we startled you. We came to collect something Fergus left behind.’

  ‘Oh yeah?’ The tone was scornful, the blue-grey eyes suspicious. ‘What was that?’

  ‘Just one of my computer games – I left it in my room,’ said Fergus, in the soothing tone Sukey was accustomed to hear from him when he assured her that he had done all his homework before going out.

  ‘It needed two of you?’

  Sukey sensed that the girl was instinctively guarding the territory of her late employer. ‘Fergus wanted to show me where he used to sleep when he stayed here with his father,’ she explained.

  The reference to Paul only increased Leonie’s hostility. ‘I’m surprised you had the nerve to come near the place, after what he did,’ she snarled.

  Fergus flushed and took a sharp breath. Sensing that he was about to explode, Sukey said quickly, ‘I know how upset you must be feeling over Myrna’s death, but it’s not fair to take it out on Fergus.’

  ‘What do you mean, you know?’ At the mention of Myrna’s name, the belligerent manner all but collapsed; the girl was close to tears. ‘Nobody knows how I feel… nobody but me really understood her or knew how sweet and good she really was—’

  Once more, Sukey moved in to forestall an indignant contradiction from her son. ‘Fergus has told me how close you were to her,’ she said gently.

  ‘He has?’ The statement appeared to take Leonie by surprise and her manner seemed to soften. ‘We loved each other,’ she said. Her tone was defensive, as if she expected some signal of disapproval.

  ‘So I understand,’ Sukey said quietly. She did not for one moment share the infatuated girl’s confidence in Myrna’s fundamental goodness, or her belief that her love was returned. It was more likely that the dead woman had been stringing her along, either to amuse herself or as part of some deep and devious game of her own, but it was possible that Leonie, having obviously spent a lot of time in her company, might have picked up some valuable information that could, with a little tact and patience, be uncovered. Fergus had mentioned that she was employed in the estate office and not in the headquarters of Maxford Domestic Fittings, but she might at least know the names of the company directors and even have some inkling of what – if anything – they had to hide. Since the attempt to break into Myrna’s computer files had failed, anything was worth a try.

  ‘It’s natural to feel upset when someone you care about suffers such a dreadful death,’ Sukey said, ‘but really, you shouldn’t jump to conclusions. You don’t know that Paul killed her.’

  ‘No?’ The girl’s tone hardened again. ‘Why have they arrested him, then?’ she demanded. ‘Of course he did it. He threatened her – I heard him—’

  ‘He didn’t mean it, not really, he couldn’t have!’ Fergus shouted. ‘She made him angry and he lost his temper, that’s all. Anyone would, the way she—’ He was scarlet with rage at the attack on his father and Sukey knew instinctively that if a slanging match were to break out, the opportunity to gain her confidence would be irretrievably lost.

  ‘Gus, will you please be quiet!’ she said, raising her voice. It was a long time since she had spoken to him so sharply and he gaped at her in shocked astonishment. The hurt and dismay in his expression, the unshed tears that glittered in his eyes, reminded her of how as a child he used to look at her after she had scolded him. Knowing how much he was hurting already, she felt a stab of remorse at the thought of adding to his pain, but now was not the time for explanations.

  ‘Go and wait in the car,’ she commanded. ‘At once!’ she almost shouted, sensing that he was about to argue. ‘I want to talk to Leonie alone.’

  He glowered at her resentfully, but did as he was told. When he had gone, Sukey took Leonie by the arm. ‘Why don’t I make you a cup of tea?’ she suggested. She half expected a rebuff, but the girl allowed herself to be led into the kitchen where she sat down, covered her face with her hands and began softly weeping. The blaze of anger had died out, drowned in a wave of misery that went straight to Sukey’s heart. It would, she knew, be cruel to destroy her tender memories of Myrna, but if there was any chance that she might, without realising it, know something that would help to clear Paul and lead to the real killer, then sooner or later she would have to be made to face up to the truth: that the woman she had idolised was a ruthless, power-hungry monster. There was no way of sparing her the anguish, but at least it could be broken to her gently – and in private.

  But first, some common ground had to be established. Sukey left her to her grief while she filled the kettle and rooted in cupboards for everything else she needed. She made tea, filled two mugs, put them on the table and sat down. ‘I’m afraid there’s no fresh milk, but I found a carton of UHT in one of the cupboards, I hope that’s all right,’ she said. Leonie made no reply, but she wiped her eyes, stuffed her handkerchief into her pocket and picked up one of the mugs. ‘Why do we have to put up with men?’ Sukey went on chattily. ‘They’re such a load of shits, aren’t they?’

  It was a shot in the dark, but it found its target. Leonie stared at her in evident surprise and said, ‘You think so too?’

  ‘I’ve every reason to, haven’t I? My ex threw me over for another woman and left me alone with a ten-year-old kid.’

  ‘What an arsehole! When was that?’ For the moment, Leonie appeared to have forgotten that they were speaking about the man she held responsible for Myrna’s death.

  ‘Nearly six years ago – when he met Myrna.’

  ‘Oh, him!’ Leonie gave a contemptuous snort and Sukey sensed the dawn of kinship between them. ‘Myrna’s told me about the way he used to bad-mouth you!’

  ‘It doesn’t surprise me. Whenever we had a row, he always managed to twist things round to make me feel it was my fault.’ Sukey waited for a moment before asking casually, ‘When did he say all this?’

  ‘When he first met Myrna. She used to tell me how he made a dead set at her as soon as he met her. She knew he was married, of course, so she did everything she could to discourage him, but he gave her all this sob stuff about how unhappy he was and how much he needed her. You had no time for him, you cared more about your career than about him—’

  ‘It’s not true!’ Sukey declared indignantly. ‘I gave up work when Fergus was born and I did my best to be a good wife and mother.’

  ‘I believe you.’ Leonie put out a hand and touched her on the arm. ‘It must have been tough for you – but it has been for Myrna as well. She didn’t see through him until it was too late. She never even knew he had a child, not until after they were married.’

  ‘So why didn’t she divorce him?’

  ‘She was dependent on him, don’t you see? She’d put all her financial affairs into his hands – and of course it was her money he was after all along.’

  ‘The bloody toe-rag, he swore blind her money had nothing to do with it! He kept going on about how madly in love he was, how crazy she was for him, how drop-dead gorgeous she was.’ Sukey had become so carried away in her role as confidante that she had almost begun to share the girl’s belief in the lies Myrna had fed her. Just the same, the bitterness that crept into her voice brought an immediate response.

  ‘That was her trouble, don’t you see? Being rich and beautiful – every fortune-hunting rat was after her.’ Leonie’s eyes were glaring and her voice was harsh with hatred and resentment. ‘She told me she’d always believed Paul was different, that he only wanted to love and take care of her, and look after the business for her – but he was just like all the rest.’

  ‘Are you saying she handed over control of the company?’

  ‘Of course. No one else knew, it was a private arrangement between the two of them. She trusted him implicitly.’

  Knowing for a fact that Myrna had done nothing of the kind, Sukey found it an effort not to betray herself as she remarked, ‘I always had the impression that she was a very astute businesswoman.’

  ‘That was just a big act.’ Leonie’s manner, which exuded venom when speaking of Paul, melted into tenderness. ‘When her father died and she found herself in charge of Maxford’s, she didn’t know which way to turn. She understood a little about running the estate, and of course she had Ezra to look after that for her, but she didn’t know the first thing about managing a company. She was at the mercy of Dennison, Perry and Ashton, and they just carried on the way they wanted to and only told her what they wanted her to know.’

  ‘I’m sorry – who are Dennison, Perry and Ashton?’

  ‘The Maxford directors.’ Sukey mentally chalked up her first piece of solid information. ‘Old man Maxford trusted them,’ Leonie went on, ‘but they were just waiting for him to pop off so they could run things to their own advantage. After a while she began to suspect that they were up to no good, but she couldn’t prove anything; she was putty in their hands. Paul promised to get them sorted, he said he’d take care of everything for her… but he was as bad as all the others and now he’s killed her. Well, at least he’ll never get his filthy hands on her money. He’ll rot in jail for the rest of his life and serve him right!’ She fished a tissue from the pocket of her baggy denim jacket to mop away a fresh flood of tears. ‘It was all going to be so different,’ she gulped pathetically when she could speak again. ‘She’d had enough of men… I was going to look after her… we had it all planned—’

  ‘Just a moment,’ Sukey said. ‘You said Paul was as bad as all the others. Were you talking about the other directors, or did Myrna have lovers?’

  ‘Lovers!’ The tear-stained features registered horror at the suggestion. ‘Of course she didn’t have lovers. I told you, she was sick of men. She confided in me soon after I began working for her how disgusting she found them.’

  ‘How long ago was that?’

  Leonie scrubbed at her eyes and made a valiant effort to control yet another outburst of weeping. ‘Only six months,’ she said brokenly. ‘They were the best six months of my life. Knowing her changed everything. It was going to be so wonderful, and now—’

  She was a pathetic figure, sitting crumpled in the chair, twisting the sodden tissue between her fingers. Sukey felt a wave of anger at the heartless way the dead woman had used her.

  ‘Leonie,’ she said quietly, ‘are you quite sure there were no men at all in Myrna’s life – aside from Paul, I mean?’

  ‘I’ve just said—’

  ‘Yes, I know – and that’s what Myrna told you. But are you sure she was speaking the truth?’

  ‘What are you suggesting?’ There was a hint of resentment in the question. ‘How many times do I have to tell you? She’d had enough of men, she didn’t want anything to do with them any more.’

  It was time to shatter the illusion. The well-worn cliché came into Sukey’s mind: This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me. She would do her best to break it to the girl gently, and at least there was no third party present to witness her humiliation. ‘Does the name Doug Brown mean anything to you?’ she asked quietly.

  Leonie looked blank. ‘No. Who is he?’

  ‘A private investigator. There’s reason to believe he knew Myrna rather well.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘I’m afraid there are quite a lot of things you don’t know.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ The tone was belligerent, but a hint of anxiety crept into the red, swollen eyes.

  ‘Six months isn’t a very long time to get to know anyone, is it?’

  ‘Long enough for us to fall in love. She confided in me—’

  ‘And you believed everything she told you? That she was finished with men, only wanted you; that sort of thing?’

  ‘Of course.’ Leonie was plainly disturbed at the way the conversation was going, but she stood her ground. ‘Why would she say that if it wasn’t true?’

  ‘Before you turned up just now, there was a call for Myrna – from a man who obviously doesn’t know she’s dead. He left a message, rather an intimate one. It’s pretty clear he was her lover.’

  ‘No!’ Leonie shouted. ‘No, I can’t… I won’t believe it. There’s some mistake. Anyway, how do you know he’s a private detective?’

  ‘I checked the number and called back. He answered by saying “Glevum Investigations” and giving his name.’

  ‘Did you talk to him?’

  ‘No. I just wanted to check where the call came from.’

  ‘Well, that explains it. This man, whoever he is, thought he was talking to someone else, he must have got the wrong number—’

  ‘He knew who he was talking to all right – he’d have recognised her voice on the recording. It’s not the kind of message anyone would leave if they weren’t sure they had the right number.’

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ Leonie repeated stubbornly.

  ‘The message is still on the tape. Perhaps you should listen to it, but I warn you, it’s very personal – or rather, very intimate.’

  Leonie shook her head. Her eyes were full of despair; her mouth formed the words I don’t believe it, but no sound emerged. Sukey felt a stab of compunction, then reminded herself that she was doing this in the cause of justice and said, ‘I’m afraid you have to accept that Myrna wasn’t being entirely straight with you. And there’s something else. Quite by chance, yesterday I met an old schoolfriend who turned out to be the wife of one of the Maxford directors. She had some pretty harsh things to say about Myrna. For starters, she claims Myrna was blackmailing her husband and almost certainly his colleagues as well.’

  ‘Stop! I don’t want to hear any more!’ Leonie clapped her hands over her ears and began rocking from side to side. Thin, wailing sobs racked her body and all but choked her while she repeated, ‘She wouldn’t… she couldn’t…’ like some despairing mantra. Then the weeping abruptly stopped and her distress turned to fury. ‘It’s a trick!’ she shrieked. ‘You’re making all this up! You’re still in love with Paul and you want to turn me against Myrna, make me say something to help him!’

  ‘I want to find out the truth,’ said Sukey quietly. ‘I’m not in love with Paul any more. In fact, I think he’s behaved contemptibly in many ways, but I lived with him for over ten years and I know he couldn’t have killed Myrna, not in the way she was killed. He might have lost his temper, injured her accidentally – there are plenty of cases where that’s happened – but he wouldn’t have gone for her with a knife. Someone else killed her and I believe it was the same person who attacked poor old Mrs Willow with a chopper. Paul would never have done that.’

 

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