“Sarge, this is Matthew Greer. Lives two houses down, and he says Miss Edgeware hasn’t been home for two nights, or at any rate her car hasn’t been here.”
“What kind of car does she drive?” I asked immediately.
It’s a Ford Mondeo,” Matthew muttered, hands in his pockets.
“Color?”
“Silver.”
I tried to swallow down my dry throat. “You’re Callum’s brother?”
Matthew nodded then looked over at the house. “So, where is the witch?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You don’t like Miss Edgeware, I take it?” I was willing to bet Matthew might be responsible for the decapitated garden ornament.
“No, I don’t,” he said, raising his chin defiantly at me. “Grandad’s been in hospital, and Callum’s working two jobs including being a bar tender at Rooftop Gardens in town.”
“That’s a club?” I asked, all the pieces fitting together.
He nodded. “The witch reported us to the cops, because she said Callum goes out drinking all hours and is noisy coming home. He’s working, but the baffels have gone on his exhaust. We couldn’t get that fixed right away, because he needs it for work.”
I knew what he called baffels were what I would call a muffler, so I nodded. The car would be really noisy. “Is your brother still at work?”
He shook his head looking worried. “Nah, we’ve got an old cat we rescued as a stray that’s gone missing. Callum’s been driving all over the place after work putting up posters.” He toed the ground with worn out sneakers. “It’s just Grandad loves that old black and white cat, and he’s coming home on Monday.”
“I have a friend who’s a vet. I’ll get her to keep a look out.”
My mobile rang and I saw it was the call I’d been waiting for. “Excuse me one moment.” I turned away and answered. “Sergeant O’Leary.”
“Yes, Sergeant, this is Mr. Brown, from the order department at Hudson and Sons.”
“Yes? Do you have the information for me?”
“Yes sir. We had two special orders for that particular garden sculpture. Both by the same person—a Mr. Roger Battersley of Newbury.”
I suddenly wasn’t especially interested in asking if Matthew knew anything about the gnome. I thanked the man on the phone and slid it into my pocket. “Thank you, Matthew. We’ll be in touch. I hope you find your cat.”
I left both constables getting more information and seeing if the doctor’s surgery she was based at could give me a list of her patients. One of them would also stay here and let me know when she came home.
My phone rang then just as I was driving away and I answered it. It was Tom. “Where are you?”
“I’m just leaving Miss Edgeware’s. No sign of her. Why?”
“Because we might have a bigger problem.”
“What?” I said signaling and pulling over.
“We got that car you reported trying to run you down in Reading?”
I stiffened. “You ran the tag?”
“I’m assuming you mean number plates, but no, because there weren’t any.”
“Back or front?” I asked in surprise. Unlike the US, the UK had to have a number plate on both the front and the back.
“Which means they were taken off to avoid detection.”
“Which means we were targeted deliberately,” I finished. It hadn’t been some random idiot. “Likely the same person that hit Roberta,” I said. “Can you tell what sort of car it is?”
“It’s a Ford,” Tom confirmed.
“A Mondeo?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I’m heading back to check on Ella and Maisie.” I confirmed. “I think I know now who killed Roger Battersley and who ran Roberta down and tried to do the same to Ella. At least I have some questions for the lady and I’d be really interested in hearing her answers.”
Tom started peppering me with questions, and I answered them as I drove back to the pub, not caring at all if I was going to be arrested for speeding.
Chapter Seventeen
Petronella
About a half hour or so after Garrett left, Maisie’s dad came back from his dental appointment, and we had to fill him in on all that he’d missed, and then try to calm him down when he heard the whole story of how Wainwright had conducted himself in front of all their customers. He wanted to call the Inspector himself to lodge a complaint, but Maisie talked him out of it and managed to get him back to work. She sent me an apologetic glance and I smiled and waved her on. I really didn’t need to sit here and worry about Garrett all afternoon, as tempting as that might sound.
I had a restless, fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach, as if things were moving fast. Maybe faster than I was ready for. But ready or not, it seemed that things were coming to a head on more than one front. I swallowed down my nerves and decided to go home and wait for Garrett there when my mobile rang.
Katie was on the phone and sounding a bit distracted. “Oh Petronella, there you are. Henry got called away for a calving and I need to leave early.”
“Oh, that’s fine, Katie. I hope everything is all right? Did you have to cancel appointments?”
“No, it’s been a quiet day, and the only one we had called us to say they couldn’t make it. It was a wellness check anyway, and they promised to call tomorrow to reschedule. Henry took care of all of the rest before he left. You see, my mum called and said her home nurse hadn’t shown up today, and she needed some help taking her bath. Poor thing has been waiting all day and I’m not sure she even had lunch. I really need to go check on her.”
Katie’s mother had MS or multiple sclerosis. Some days were better than others for her, but she often relied on her home nurse visits.
“Oh my, of course. But what happened, do you think?”
“I don’t know. Miss Edgeware is usually so responsible.”
I felt so stunned I almost ran off the road. “Did you say, Miss Edgeware? Elaine Edgeware?”
“Yes. She’s my mum’s nurse. Do you know her?”
“No, not really. I’ve heard the name.”
“She’s a bit hard to warm upto, but mum seems to like her. They gossip a bit together, and there’s not much my mum likes better than that. Between my mum and Mary Appleby, I imagine there’s not much going on that Miss Edgeware hasn’t heard about.”
“Mary Appleby?”
“Yes, she’s Mary’s home nurse too. Mary’s getting on in age, you know.”
“Yes, I know…well, go along to help your mother then.”
“Could you possibly come round and make sure the animals are fed properly?”
“Yes. I can pop in and check on things before I go home.”
She rang off then, and I drove to the quiet office, knowing Garrett wouldn’t like it, but I thought I could go in quickly and then go straight home. The animals had to come first, after all. I was still feeling shocked about the identity of Katie’s mother’s nurse. Katie was right. Between her mother and Mary, there wasn’t much gossip that wouldn’t be covered. And I had talked to Mary myself only a few days ago and questioned her about Roger’s ex-girlfriends.
I needed to call Garrett and let him know about the change in plans. I pulled out my phone and texted him that I had stopped by the clinic and had something to tell him. I couldn’t help but wonder if this had anything to do with the car almost hitting us the night we went to meet my parents.
I went inside and sank down in the receptionist’s chair to think. We knew that Roger had an ex-girlfriend that Maisie said he called “crazy.” I had always had the impression it was because of her jealousy and refusal to let him end the relationship, but what exactly had she said or done that made Roger call her crazy? It seemed to me that I remembered Roger joking once about having a “stalker.” I’d have to find out more about that now, but could she have stalked Roger and struck him with the tire iron when he went out to the car park that night at the pub? While we were all inside? It was terrible to th
ink someone—anyone—could have done such a thing, but like Garrett had just told me, people have all kinds of motives for doing all kinds of terrible things. And it was impossible to predict what someone might be capable of doing.
I sighed and went back to check on the boarding animals while I was there to make sure they had everything they needed, until the lad who came in to take care of them in the evenings got there. We only had two boarders this week—one was Mrs. Cambridge’s chihuahua, who would be with us for another week, while his mistress visited her son, who lived in France. The other boarder was the little stray cat the strange woman had brought by my house a few days before.
Henry called her Lucky, and she was a real sweetie. A little black and white girl, it was easy to see that she was used to being inside and seemed to love everyone. I stayed with her a while, petting her head and talking silly nonsense to her, and then gave her some treats. A few wouldn’t hurt her, and she still needed to gain some weight. I needed to find her a good home as soon as I could.
I heard a knock on the front door and went to answer, thinking that it must be Garrett, or possibly someone with an emergency. I pulled open the door and was shocked to see the strange lady who had come by my house a few nights earlier to drop off the cat that she’d claimed to have hit with her car.
“Oh… hello,” I said, clutching the side of the door. I felt nervous and wasn’t sure why. After all, it was broad daylight with people all around. There was no reason to think this woman was here for any nefarious reason. Except there was something about her…something dark and a little wild looking in her eyes. “Sorry, but we’re closed for the day.”
“Oh, but I came to check on the little stray cat. Remember me? I brought her to your house a few nights ago?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I came to check on her and see how she’s doing. See if you found her owners yet?”
“No, not yet. But she’s doing fine. Uh, if you’ll excuse me, I was in the middle of something. I need to get back to it, so…”
I began to close the door, but the woman put her rather large foot squarely inside, so I couldn’t close it. I don’t think we’re ever really ready for something like that. I certainly wasn’t and I took a quick step backward, letting go of the door. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
“Not so fast, Ella. I can call you Ella, can’t I? I feel as if I know you so well already.” She came toward me another step and I kept backing away.
“After all,” she said, with an odd smile. “You’ve been asking a lot of questions about me all over town.”
“I-I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you? You asked Mrs. Appleby about Roger’s old girlfriend from the old days, didn’t you? Small world around here, isn’t it?”
“You’re Elaine Edgeware, aren’t you?”
She laughed in surprise. “Yes, in fact I am. Clever girl. I wondered when you’d put two and two together.”
“It’s not difficult to figure out someone like you. Maybe you’re not as clever as you think you are.”
She didn’t like that. She took a menacing step forward. “You never heard it from Roger. Since we started going out together again, he always called me Lainey, my old nickname from back when we first met. So where did you hear my name?”
“The police know who you are. It’s only a matter of time until they catch up with you. In fact, they’re looking for you now.”
“That’s a lie!”
“Is it? Sgt. O’Leary is on his way here right now, and when he gets here and finds you, he’ll arrest you for Roger’s murder. You did it, didn’t you? You killed Roger.”
“Yes, I killed him and I’d do it again. He was cheating on me! Not just with that stupid little girl, half his age from the pub either. I was there that night to watch him. I saw him go out on the porch with that other young girl—that constable. But I fixed him. I fixed both of them good!”
“It was you who hit Roberta in the car park, wasn’t it?”
“What if I did? None of it was your business, you nosy girl! You just couldn’t stay out of it, could you? Asking your questions about me all over town! Oh, it got back to me, all right! You’re a little do-gooder, aren’t you?” She turned and twisted the door lock. “Always got your nose stuck in somebody else’s business.” The cruel sneer on the lips matched the cold-bloodedness in her eyes—eyes that assessed me carefully up and down. “You’ve become a loose end, Dr. Knight, and I don’t like loose ends. The only question is, what am I going to do with you now?”
I glanced back up into her cold eyes and realized she wasn’t like the rest of us. Killers like this woman operate in a different moral universe from the rest of humanity. Maybe that’s why they were often able to hide in plain sight, precisely because they looked just like everyone else. It was their ability to blend in that made them so very dangerous. It was only at times that those facades slipped ever so slightly, like it was slipping now, that we could see them for what they truly were.
A sudden loud knock sounded on the door behind her and she whirled around. We were both transfixed for a moment by the sound of Garrett’s voice. “Police! Open the door or I’ll break it down!”
“He’s not joking, you know,” I taunted her. “He’ll break it down and have you in handcuffs in a minute. Make it easier on yourself and open the door. Surely you can see this is over.”
She gave me a fierce glare and then ran for the door on the side of the building. She flung it open and rushed outside—right into the waiting arms of Tom Pearson and two uniformed constables.
I quickly ran to open the front door and fell into Garrett’s arms. “Are you all right?” he asked me urgently. At my nod, he put me gently aside and rushed out to help with Elaine Edgeware, who was screaming and still struggling with the constables outside. I sank down in the nearest chair and sat there quietly shaking as I waited for Garrett to come back.
Epilogue
Petronella
It was later that evening before I finally quit feeling so scared and shaky. Lily had come over to sit with me while Garrett was busy interrogating Elaine Edgeware. He had seen me home and then gone with Tom Pearson to headquarters. He had assured me he’d come by, no matter how late it got, so I was drinking tea with Lily and sitting in my cozy lounge, with Sherlock curled up by my feet. Pawdry was stretched out behind me on the sofa back.
“Can I get you something else to eat, dear?” Lily asked.
I shook my head. “No thank you, Lily. I couldn’t eat a bite more. Save the rest for Garrett—I know he’ll be hungry when he makes it home.”
“There’s plenty left for him, don’t worry. Are you sure you’re feeling better, dear?”
“Oh yes. It was just the surprise of her trying to corner me that way. I don’t know what she must have had in mind. Garrett said she wasn’t armed.”
“Hmm, well, she seems to like bludgeoning people and hitting them with her car. When Garrett called earlier, didn’t he say she confessed to everything?”
“Yes, he said she bragged about it. She admitted stalking him. She had a jealous kind of ‘if I can’t have him, nobody can’ mentality, I suppose. She had followed him to the Drunken Duck and waited outside to confront him. She noticed she had a flat tire when she pulled in the car park and was in the process of changing it when Roger and Roberta came out on the front steps. It made her furious to see him with yet another young woman. He saw her and went over to see what she was doing there. He was helping her change the tire but they were still arguing and he was angry at her following him—he was very drunk too. Anyway, they kept arguing and he hit her. She dropped to the ground and came back up with the tire tool. She hit him with it, and actually said she thought she’d killed him then. She’s a strong woman, so she managed to get him over to Maisie’s car which was parked next to them and put him inside. That’s when she heard people coming out. It was actually you and Maisie coming, when Maisie took you home.”
“
Oh dear. And we thought he’d passed out in Maisie’s front seat.”
“Yes. Elaine ducked back behind the car and was hiding there the whole time with her tire tool. Thank goodness you didn’t investigate any further.”
We both shuddered at the thought at the same time. “Anyway, she got in her car and drove off.”
“Bloodthirsty woman, isn’t she?”
“So it seems. Garrett said he must have been badly concussed, but woke up and tried to drive away—maybe to go to a hospital.”
“Oh, the poor man.”
“Yes,” I replied softly. “He went into the ditch, and got out of the car. Maisie came by...”
“And struck him down.”
I nodded. “Maisie must have shown up only a minute or so after the car went off the road. His lights blinded her, like she said.”
After a little silence when the only sound was Sherlock’s gentle snoring, Lily sighed. “And Elaine was the one who hit Roberta.”
“Yes. She had seen her again at the wine tasting and recognized her. When she saw her again at the W.I. dance, she was leaving. Then Roberta walked out and she thought it was too good a chance to pass up. Garrett told me she said she needed to get rid of me, because I was helping Maisie and risking her not going to jail. Apparently she wanted Maisie locked up. Death would have been too easy a punishment.”
There was a soft knock at the door and Sherlock sat up with a “woof.”
“Come in,” I called and Garrett walked in, looking exhausted. He’d been running his hand through his hair as he sometimes did when he was irritated or angry, and he looked rumpled and out of sorts and absolutely wonderful.
I sat up and smiled at him and he came over to sit down beside me and ruffle the top of Sherlock’s head. He sighed and fell back on the sofa. “It’s good to be home.”
I didn’t remind him that he wasn’t quite there yet. It was close enough.
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