Death of a Dancer

by Irena Nieslony

  Taylor was flabbergasted. How could she have known? Was it that obvious? He blushed, not knowing what to say. Carlotta smiled at him, but for one moment, she glanced at Helen who was standing in the corner of the room. Her face was contorted with anger and there was an ugly snarl on it.

  Good heavens Carlotta thought. That woman’s in love with the Chief Inspector and by the look on her face, God help anyone who stands in her way.

  * * *

  After he had spoken to Carlotta, Taylor interviewed Diana and Bert Rackham, but they had very little to say. They weren’t staying for the weekend and had therefore remained in the bar from the moment they had arrived at Oakfield until they went into the dining room at eight thirty.

  Next to be interviewed were Carly and Chris Hawkins. As soon as they sat down, Carly began to speak.

  “Poor, poor Charles. How terrible it must be for him, don’t you think so, Chief Inspector?”

  “Yes, it’s a very tragic situation and we need to catch the murderer as soon as possible, Mrs. Hawkins.”

  “Yes, of course,” Carly replied. “It will give Charles closure I’m sure. He must be all over the place, not knowing which one of us did it. Poor man.”

  “Oh for God’s sake woman, shut up,” Chris Hawkins burst out. “This is all she’s been doing since it happened, Chief Inspector; saying how awful it must be for Charles.”

  Chris looked over at his wife.

  “Anyone would think you were in love with the man. In fact I’ve thought that for a long time.”

  Taylor and Helen looked at each other wondering where this was leading. Could they have a possible suspect here? Could Carly have killed Jane to free up Charles? Perhaps they were having an affair.

  “How dare you talk to me in that tone, Chris?” Carly spoke and then turned to look at Taylor. “I’m just a sensitive person, Chief Inspector, that’s all. I understand how Charles must feel. Of course I’m not having an affair with him. I think my husband would like me locked up in jail so he can run off with one of those young things at work.”

  Taylor sighed. Perhaps there was nothing in this after all. Perhaps they spent all their lives trying to make the other jealous. Still, he wouldn’t dismiss Carly completely.

  “Can I ask where you two were between eight ten and eight thirty this evening?”

  “I stayed in the bar all the time,” Chris said, “but Carly went upstairs to powder her nose about ten minutes before dinner.”

  “Are you trying to frame me for murder, Chris?” she asked angrily. “I could never have done it. I mean, Jane was probably stronger than me.”

  “No, I don’t think you killed Jane,” Chris replied. “I think you may have gone to have an illicit moment with Charles. He went out before eight thirty, didn’t he?”

  “Meet Charles? What a load of rubbish.”

  “Methinks the lady protests too much.”

  Taylor was slightly agitated. Was this really the way the wealthy behaved. They didn’t seem to take marriage very seriously at all, what with Jane and Percy having had an affair and possibly Carly and Charles.

  “Now please Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins,” Taylor interrupted. “Can you keep your squabbling until you get home? I am trying to conduct a murder investigation.”

  Both became quiet, but Taylor was still interested to know if Charles and Carly were having an affair. It would put a whole new perspective on the case.

  However, he had heard enough from this couple for the time being and decided he was ready to interview Arthur and Joan Robertson.

  * * *

  “This feels like déjà-vu, Chief Inspector,” Arthur said a few minutes later, almost smiling.

  Taylor imagined that Arthur was probably delighted that a disaster had struck the hotel as soon as it had opened.

  “Well,” Taylor said. “I didn’t expect to be interviewing you two again so soon.”

  “At least this time we’re not suspects. We hardly knew the woman.”

  Taylor’s eyebrows rose.

  “Hardly? So you did know her?”

  “Trust you to pick up on that. Yes, we did see her a few times back in the old days when Carlotta lived with George.”

  “But you haven’t seen her since.”

  “Not for years.”

  “Where were you between eight ten and eight thirty this evening?”

  “Well, it’s funny you should ask that,” Arthur said. “We left our room at about twenty past eight and we went by Jane’s room. The door was slightly ajar and we heard raised voices. We couldn’t make out what they were saying, but they were arguing.”

  “Was she talking to a man or a woman?”

  “I’m pretty sure it was a man, but I could be wrong. I didn’t take much notice.”

  “I couldn’t be sure either,” Joan piped up, much to Taylor’s surprise.

  Joan very rarely said anything.

  “Thank you. You’ve been most helpful,” Taylor said, not really knowing if this got them any further forward. Of course, if it was a man, it did rule out Carlotta and most of all, Carly

  Having interviewed Arthur and his wife, he very quickly had a word with Sam Nightingale, not wanting to waste his time with the High Court Judge. He had got on the wrong side of him when investigating the attempts on Rachel’s life the previous year. How he ever could have thought that Judge Nightingale wanted to kill his niece still haunted him. He should put it behind him, but it was easier said than done. Anyway, the Judge had entered the dining room just after eight that evening and there were witnesses, so he couldn’t have killed Jane Simpson.

  Taylor’s last interview was with the American couple, Walt and Evelyn Edwards.

  “This is such a tragedy,” Evelyn said as soon as she walked in. “And on her birthday as well. Poor woman. It must have been the husband, don’t you think, Chief Inspector?”

  “Are you telling me that you actually saw Charles Simpson stab his wife, Mrs. Edwards?”

  “Well no, I have a cataract in one eye and Walt is short-sighted so we didn’t see anything, but it’s nearly always the husband, especially when the wife is having an affair.”

  “So Jane Simpson was having an affair?” Taylor asked.

  ‘Her husband seemed to think so; with that Percy... I can’t remember his surname.”

  “I’m only interested in facts so if you didn’t see or hear anything, that will be all.”

  “Well, really,” Evelyn said, getting up slowly.

  She was hoping for an interrogation by the British police, but that wasn’t forthcoming so when she and her husband got up to go, they both looked quite angry. Taylor reckoned they wanted to have more to tell their friends back in the States.

  “Before you go,” Taylor said to Walt and Evelyn. “Where were you between eight ten and eight thirty this evening?”

  “We were in the dining room eating. You can’t really think we killed her, Chief Inspector?” Evelyn asked, sounding very annoyed.

  “I’m asking everyone,” Taylor replied calmly.

  “Humph. I should think you are. Come on, Walt. Let’s get a drink.”

  She stared stonily at Taylor and marched out of the sitting room followed by a meek looking Walt.

  Taylor leant back and sighed when they had left.

  “Are you alright, sir?” Helen asked.

  “Yes, just a bit weary. Some of these people have been a little trying to say the least. ...And I’m worried about the case. Whoever has done this seems to have been very clever.”

  * * *

  The body of Jane Simpson had gone and Taylor thought there was little else the police could do that night. Taylor told the guests the interviews were over and they were free. Apart from Joan who went to bed, everyone else headed for the bar.

  Taylor told Helen to wait in the car while he had a word with Rachel. Luckily for Helen, he didn’t catch the evil look she gave Rachel, but Carlotta, who was leaving the room, once again did and shivered.

  “Rachel,” Taylor said. “I ho
pe you’re going to be alright. I know this has been a terrible evening for you, but I shall do my utmost to find out who killed Mrs. Simpson.”

  ”Thank you, Chief Inspector, I know you will.”

  “If you discover anything else, feel free to contact me," Taylor continued, passing her a card with his mobile number written on it.

  The Chief Inspector couldn’t bear to leave Rachel. He was thinking of something to say to keep him there, but he knew he had to go. Rachel looked vulnerable and lost and he wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he supposed that job would be left to Josh.

  Rachel walked Taylor to the door in silence. She wished he had touched her, even if it had been a gentle touch of the arm, just to reassure her. However, he hadn’t and any dreams she’d had about her and the Chief Inspector faded completely.

  And so they should, she told herself. He’s made no attempt to contact me since James was arrested and now I have agreed to go out with Josh. And Josh is handsome, charming and sophisticated, so I’ve got absolutely nothing to feel miserable about.

  “Rachel," Josh suddenly called out. “What can I get you to drink? I’m sure you need one.”

  Rachel turned and smiled.

  “A brandy would be just the thing, thank you, Josh.”

  He nodded and smiled that dazzling smile of his. Rachel turned back.

  “Goodbye, Chief Inspector.”

  “Goodnight, Ms Fisher,” Taylor said with a heavy heart.

  Chapter 4

  The alarm woke Rachel at seven the following morning. For a few moments she couldn’t remember what had happened the previous night, but then it all came flooding back and she covered her face with her hands.

  The weekend had started off so well. The hotel had been full, the guests were spending freely on drinks and she had met a rather handsome and charming man who had asked her out. Now however, one of the guests was dead, murdered no less, and Detective Chief Inspector Peter Taylor had come back into her life. Could things get any worse?

  Rachel decided she had to try and act positive. Perhaps Taylor was right and the murder would attract more bookings, although she thought that haunted hotels had more appeal than ones where murders were committed. However, for now she had to put a smile on her face and make her guests feel welcome. It was time to get up and make sure that breakfasts were underway.

  Rachel got dressed and made-up and went straight to the dining room where she found the only guest to be up was Judge Nightingale.

  “Couldn’t sleep, Uncle Sam?”

  “Not really, Rachel. I’ve been going over what happened last night again and again and I can only think that there are two suspects, Charles and Percy.”

  “I agree with you,” Rachel replied. “Charles could have killed his wife because she was having an affair and Percy could have killed her because she wouldn’t leave Charles. Of course there is Carly as well. She was hanging round Charles last night and even flirting a little. I could see her husband getting very irate. Perhaps there’s something going on there.”

  “You’re getting to be quite the sleuth Rachel my dear,” Sam grinned.

  Rachel smiled back at him.

  “Perhaps it’s because of James. I’ve thought about our relationship and I think I was naive not to have known what was happening. I should have been more alert. I think I’ve learnt my lesson and will be more open to possibilities now. I fell for James very quickly and forgot how awful he was as a child. People don’t change that much and James definitely hadn’t underneath that charming exterior.”

  “It’s easy to see where you went wrong when you look back, Rachel, not so easy when you’re in the middle of a situation.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Uncle Sam.”

  “Back to Jane,” Sam continued. “Whoever did it wanted to make a spectacle of her death, killing her in a hotel of all places. They wanted to have as many suspects as possible to make it very hard for the police.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if the killer gets away with it” Rachel said. “I’m pretty sure that not everybody knew exactly what they were doing at the approximate time Jane was murdered. I’m certain some of them guessed. The police may have a lot of false information.”

  “I agree, Rachel.”

  She glanced over at the table where Jane would have had her sixtieth birthday party the night before. The table was near the window and Rachel imagined what it would have been like the previous evening if Jane had lived. It would certainly have been noisy and most people would have been happy and no doubt, quite drunk. She thought again about the birthday cake and a couple of tears fell. It was beautiful. André had put a great deal of effort into it and now she had no idea what she was going to do with it. Most of the other food had luckily been used up in the buffet. She supposed that she and the staff could eat the cake. Walt and Evelyn might want some as well. They would be the only guests staying in the hotel until Tuesday when three more couples would arrive. Rachel hoped that the new people wouldn’t read about the murder or if they did, that it didn’t put them off coming. What if the police were still wandering around? She dreaded having to explain what had happened. The guests might look at her in horror, cancel their bookings and leave.

  I know I shouldn’t be thinking like this, but I have a business to run and I have invested a lot of money in it.... So why do I feel so guilty?

  Josh, who had spent the night in his father’s room, entered the dining room while Rachel was in the midst of her guilt trip. Seeing him, she suddenly felt a little better.

  “Josh,” Rachel said, thinking how good he looked, even at such an early hour. “How are you today? And your dad?”

  “Neither of us slept well. We talked a lot, about mum mainly. Dad only drifted off to sleep about an hour ago so I left him there to try and get a bit of shut-eye.”

  ‘Good," Rachel replied. “I’m sure he needs it.”

  “I expect the police will be back soon,” Sam said.

  “Why?” Josh asked. “They’ve spoken to everyone already.”

  “They may have further questions,” Sam replied. “Anyway, I’ll leave you two for the moment. I’m going to read the paper in the sitting room if you don’t mind.”

  Rachel had made an arrangement with the local newsagent to ring the day before with orders for newspapers for the guests.

  When Sam had gone, Rachel turned to Josh.

  “Do you think it was Percy who killed your mother, Josh?”

  “I can’t think of anyone else it could be. Perhaps mother was trying to end the affair and he was angry with her and wanted his revenge.”

  “But why kill her here and in such a cruel way?”

  “To make it more pointed. Percy is a man who does extravagant things. And speaking of the devil, here he is.”

  Percy wandered in, looking confused.

  "Good morning, Mr. Wilkinson,” Rachel said politely. “Sarah will take your order for breakfast.”

  “Thank you,” he mumbled as he sat down as far away from Rachel and Josh as he could get.

  “You see, Rachel, he has the air of a guilty man about him.”

  “Oh Josh, he’s probably embarrassed because your father accused him of killing your mother. He probably had nothing to do with it.”

  “Let’s agree to disagree, Rachel, and talk about something more pleasant. That dinner you promised to have with me for example.”

  “I’m sure you won’t want to do that for a little while now.”

  “On the contrary I think it would cheer me up no end. How about tonight?”

  “Tonight?” Rachel exclaimed.

  She was taken aback. Josh certainly didn’t waste any time. Was she ready to date again? Was it too soon after James? And had she got Peter Taylor out of her system?

  “Of course, if you're too busy here, I’ll understand.”

  “No, no,” Rachel said quickly, suddenly deciding that Josh wasn’t a bad prospect after all. “We only have Walt and Evelyn in for dinner tonight, so I’m s
ure that the others can cope.”

  Yes, Rachel decided, it would be a good idea to go out with Josh tonight. She could try and stop thinking of the impact the murder might have on her business and it would also be the end of any lingering feelings she still had for Peter Taylor.

  “If you’re sure your father will be alright without you tonight, then I’d love to go out to dinner with you, Josh.”

  “Wonderful. My half-brother, Ed, from dad’s first marriage, is going to see dad tonight and Catherine is staying with him for a few days, so he won’t be alone. I feel like I need a break. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  Rachel smiled, thinking that perhaps things weren’t going quite as badly as she thought.

  * * *

  An hour later, Rachel answered the door to find Detective Chief Inspector Taylor standing there, with Helen and a couple of other officers in tow. Rachel was both surprised and relieved that her heart didn’t start racing at the sight of him. She had been thinking about her dinner with Josh since he’d asked her and it must have worked some magic because she had become rather excited about spending the evening with him.

  “Good morning, Rachel,” Taylor said. “My officers need to examine Mrs. Simpson’s room in a little more detail today and I would like to speak to Charles Simpson if I may.”

  Taylor sounded formal. He had decided that he had to be. His chance with Rachel was long gone, but oh, how it hurt.

  “Mr. Simpson is having breakfast,” Rachel said, “so if you’d like to come into the dining room....”

  They all followed Rachel, and then Taylor headed straight for Charles.

  “Good morning, sir. I hope you managed to get some sleep.”

  “Not a lot,” replied Charles, who had made quite a dent in the mini bar in his room that past night.

  “So, what else do you want from me?” Charles asked, pushing the food around his plate. “I told you everything I know last night. Or have you come to tell me that Percy is guilty of murdering my wife?”

  “I’m afraid we haven’t any evidence to hold Mr. Wilkinson at the moment, nor anyone else, sir.”

  Charles looked around the dining room. He had noticed Percy when he had come in, but had decided to ignore him. However, now he was angry. How dare Percy sit there reading a newspaper as if nothing had happened? Charles leapt up and dashed over to Percy’s table. He dragged him out of his chair and threw an almighty punch which sent Percy flying. It had taken all his self-control not to do that earlier, but now he knew that the police weren’t going to arrest him, Charles could contain himself no longer.