“I’m pretty sure that they’re telling the truth. I somehow have the feeling that Arthur’s given up on the will, though I could be wrong. Perhaps he was jealous that Rachel’s hotel is doing so well. After all, they were full up for the weekend. We have to consider every possibility. Next I think we need to go to the prison to question John and then pop in to see Carlotta as well.”
Helen nodded again. She was going to have to work overtime, but it was worth it to be so close to Taylor.
* * *
Taylor and Helen first went to the prison to see John Robertson. Looking at him for the first time since the trial, Taylor thought how gaunt he looked. He seemed to have lost his spirit as well.
“Chief Inspector,” John spoke wearily. “What’s all this about?”
“Someone slashed Rachel Fisher’s tires last night,” Helen said quickly.
She felt as if she wasn’t pulling her weight in the interviews. Taylor wouldn’t be impressed if she left him to ask all the questions.
John suddenly laughed, startling both officers.
“And you think I did it? Yes, I escaped last night and then broke back in.”
“Calm down, sir. We don’t think you did it yourself, but you could have sent someone to do it; Carlotta for example.” Taylor said, taking over the interview.
“Carlotta!” John exclaimed. “I wouldn’t ask her to do anything, not that I think she would. She was never particularly angry with Rachel. Carlotta is also very much her own woman and won’t do what I ask just because I’ve asked it.”
“She still comes to visit you?” Helen asked.
Taylor glanced at Helen. She was certainly trying to make an impression on him with her questioning. Perhaps it was because he had been so sharp with her earlier.
“Yes, she still comes, but I don’t expect her to be faithful to me. I’m in here for a long time and she’s still a very vibrant woman.”
“Doesn’t that upset you, Mr. Robertson?” Taylor asked.
“Yes, but I can’t do much about it. I’m just grateful she still visits.”
Back in the car, Helen spoke. “I feel quite sorry for him, sir.”
“Why?” Taylor snapped. “He did try and kill Rachel Fisher; don’t you remember?”
“Yes, of course, but he was upset because of what she had done.”
“What she had done!” Taylor exclaimed. “She only told the truth. She was afraid for her life.”
Helen was shocked by her boss’s response and decided not to say anything else. She had upset him yet again and Rachel Fisher was to blame for a second time. That woman had a lot to answer for. Helen knew she had to change her strategy otherwise she’d never win her boss’s heart.
* * *
The last visit Taylor and Helen made was to Carlotta Fox. The Chief Inspector thought she was a definite suspect in Rachel’s case. Perhaps Carlotta was only pretending to be friends with Rachel. Possibly she was more in love with John Robertson than she made out. It could be that she totally blamed Rachel for John’s incarceration.
Taylor had to ring the doorbell a couple of times before Carlotta answered. Although she was at home, she looked as glamorous as ever. She was fully made-up and dressed smartly. She even had high heels on. He thought what a striking woman she was and wondered how many hearts she had broken over the years.
“Chief Inspector,” Carlotta spoke as soon as she opened the door. “What can I do for you? I hope you haven’t come to arrest me for murdering my best friend.”
Carlotta attempted to smile, but Taylor could tell it was forced. She and Jane Simpson had been close friends so it was highly likely that Carlotta was very upset and probably hadn’t slept much the past two nights. Looking at her more closely, Taylor noticed that her make-up didn’t quite hide the bags under her eyes.
“No, I won’t be arresting you today, Mrs. Fox,” Taylor said. “There are just a couple of questions I’d like to ask you. We’re not disturbing you, are we? You look ready to go out.”
“No, I’m not going anywhere. I always dress well. After all, you never know what might happen.” Carlotta replied. “Come in Inspector. I’ll help in any way I can.”
Once they were sitting comfortably in the sitting room and had accepted Carlotta’s offer of coffee, Taylor began the interview.
“I’m afraid that there has been a development which may or may not have anything to do with Mrs. Simpson being murdered.”
Carlotta suddenly looked pale despite her clear olive skin. She didn’t say anything; instead she only stared at the Chief Inspector.
“On Sunday evening somebody slashed all of Rachel Fisher’s tires on her Mercedes.”
“What?” Carlotta exclaimed. “And you think I did it?”
“We don’t think anything at the moment. We’re just eliminating people from our enquiry.”
“But why would you even think for one minute that I would do such a thing to Rachel? We are friends. We’ve actually seen quite a bit of each other since; you know... all the attempts on her life.”
“It could all have been a ruse. Perhaps you do blame Ms Fisher for John being in prison.”
“No, I don’t,” Carlotta replied, sounding a little harassed.
This was the first time the Chief Inspector had heard Carlotta sound agitated. Of course she had been very upset when Jane had been found murdered, but even then she had kept control of herself.
“Can I ask where you were last night?”
“I was at home on my own all evening. It had been a particularly trying day, I’m afraid that I don’t have an alibi, so do what you will with that information,” Carlotta spoke, pulling herself together.
Taylor could see she wasn’t one to lose control and she had only momentarily lapsed.
“So there’s nobody who can vouch for your movements?”
“No, I got home from Oakfield at around midday and I haven’t left my apartment since. I have one question, Chief Inspector. Why on earth do you think this has anything to do with Jane’s death?”
“We don’t really, but it is a coincidence that it should happen the very day after Mrs. Simpson was murdered.”
“Perhaps you think I was so angry that Jane was killed at Oakfield that I went berserk and slashed Rachel’s tires, just because it was in her hotel.”
“There are many possibilities, Mrs. Fox, and we have to look at all of them. Of course, this could have nothing to do with Mrs. Simpson’s death at all. There is the codicil to George Robertson’s will of course ....” his voice trailed away.
“Well don’t you think the person would have tried to kill Rachel rather than slash her tires? It could only be Arthur or Sam if you rule me out.”
“Yes, we have thought of that as well,” Taylor said. “There’s a whole list of reasons that we could go through, but I’m sure you’d rather we went. We have nothing else to ask you for the moment.”
“Very well, Inspector,” Carlotta said as she led them out of the sitting room. “I hope you catch whoever did this to Rachel. She’s been through enough. I don’t suppose there’s anything new in Jane’s case?”
“I’m afraid not, Mrs. Fox,” Taylor said as he and Helen took their leave. As they went down the stairs of the apartment block, Helen spoke to her boss.
“There’s a good chance it was her who slashed Rachel’s tires, don’t you think, sir? John Robertson could have asked her to do it, despite what he said and she could just be pretending to be Ms Fisher’s friend.”
Helen sounded excited when she said this and Taylor didn’t want to deflate her enthusiasm. He didn’t really think Carlotta was working on John’s behalf. He wasn’t convinced that Carlotta was madly in love with John, nor could he see her down on her hands and knees slashing tires. However, he felt uncomfortable. There was something not quite right about Mrs. Fox. She had let her cool and calm exterior slip for a moment and that was the first time he had witnessed it happen. Was she hiding something from the police?
As Taylor drove, he started to worry. T
his was turning out to be a mystery and he hoped it wouldn’t take too long to unravel it. All he hoped was that he wouldn’t be too late. He had completely forgotten about Jane Simpson’s murder. All he could think about now was saving Rachel from whoever was after her.
Chapter 7
Rachel felt a little better after the police had left. The Chief Inspector was taking this very seriously, which gave her confidence that the perpetrator might actually be caught. However, she couldn’t imagine who could have done it? What nasty, cruel person slashed all her tires? Rachel felt a shiver of fear run down her spine as she thought that another person hated her. It wasn’t only James. Could it really be Carlotta as the Chief Inspector had suggested? Had Carlotta only pretended to be a friend to her for the last few months?
Her mobile rang and when she picked it up, she was pleased to hear that it was Josh. She now had a chance to apologies for the previous evening.
“Josh, how lovely to hear from you. I had a lovely time yesterday evening, thank you, that is apart from when we got home.”
“Yes, so did I, but I’m worried about you. Are you feeling any better? Have you called the police yet?”
“I feel a lot better now that you’ve rung, Josh. And yes, I have rung the police.”
“Who came? Taylor?”
“Yes,” Rachel replied, hoping that Josh wouldn’t go into another tirade about how useless he thought Taylor was. All thoughts of saying sorry about how she ushered him out of the house so quickly the previous evening, left her.
“Oh, I hope he was more on the ball than when mother died.”
Rachel felt anger building up. Josh had no right to criticize the Chief Inspector. He barely knew the man, but then she remembered her own first impression of Taylor and it wasn’t favorable at all. She started to calm down a little.
Anyway, why am I still being so defensive about the inspector? I’ve decided I want to carry on seeing Josh and put Taylor to the back of my mind. However, it seems as if I’m unable to do so.
Rachel pulled herself together, deciding not to have a go at Josh for his attitude towards Taylor.
“He’s actually taking all this seriously. He’s going to question quite a few people about their movements last night. He’s not as bad as you think.”
“If I didn’t know better I’d think you had a little crush on him,” Josh laughed.
“Of course I haven’t,” Rachel replied all too quickly. “He’s just a friend, but I do feel sorry for him. His wife died not so long ago and left him to bring up two small children on his own.”
“Fair enough Rachel, but you can’t scold me for wondering if there was something between you and Taylor. You’re a very beautiful and talented woman. I don’t want to lose you after I’ve just found you again.”
Rachel smiled to herself, all her anger dissipating. “I don’t want to lose you either, Josh, so when can we see each other again?”
“You don’t beat about she bush do you Rachel?” Josh laughed again. “I’m busy in the studio quite a bit this week, but Thursday night looks good.”
“That would be lovely, even though it is a long time away.”
“I know. If I can slip away at any other time, I’ll give you a call. You really have helped take my mind off mother.”
“I’m pleased. I’ll see you on Thursday then, if not before.”
“You aren’t getting away from me that easily. I shall phone you every day.”
Rachel smiled and cradled the phone. Josh was so romantic, but then she thought of James. He was romantic and loving; everything a girl could want from a man, yet he was completely insincere. Was she being fooled again? As Rachel put the phone down, she noticed her hands were shaking. This wasn’t happening to her again, was it? Was James’s betrayal going to destroy her future relationships?
* * *
Rachel busied herself around the hotel for the rest of the day. In the evening, they had more customers in the restaurant again, most curious to know about the murder. She couldn’t help but be pleased that her business was going well, but she wished that it hadn’t taken a murder to make it happen.
When her mobile rang, Rachel answered it absentmindedly. She said hello a couple of times, but when nobody answered, she ended the call. She thought nothing of it until it happened another time and then a couple more times. Then Rachel started to become nervous. She had gone through this before when James was trying to kill her, and she hoped that this time it was just a case of someone dialing a wrong number and not somebody attempting to frighten her. However, if they were trying to scare her, they were doing a pretty good job.
Rachel decided to call her friend, Mary Knight, again. They had a tendency to talk to each other when things went wrong, knowing that the other would listen and give support without question.
After telling Mary about her date, Rachel went on to speak about everything that had happened from the time she and Josh got back to Oakfield.
“I don’t believe this,” Mary said once Rachel had finished. “Everything has gone so smoothly since James was arrested and now all this happens. You don’t think it was him, do you?”
“What?” Rachel exclaimed. “He’s locked up in jail and he will be for a long time to come.”
“I didn’t mean him personally. I meant perhaps he got someone on the outside to do this. After all, your hotel has just opened and he might have had a sudden surge of rage and wanted to spoil it for you.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, Mary. The police did think that perhaps John asked Carlotta to slash my tires. I originally thought that she wouldn’t do something like that as we’re friends, but she could have been pretending to like me. She might still hold it against me that John is in jail.”
“That’s quite possible,” Mary replied.” What’s the Chief Inspector going to do?”
“He was going to question Carlotta and a few other people. It could be Arthur Robertson. Even though he came to stay at Oakfield for the weekend, he wasn’t particularly friendly and he did comment that Jane’s death wouldn’t do my hotel any good.”
“I expect he’s probably still bitter and only came to stay in the hope of the hotel being a failure,”
“Oh Mary, can we talk about something else now. This is giving me a headache. Tell me how things are going with Geoff.”
“Brilliant, thank you. I certainly made the right decision when I told Peter Taylor I couldn’t see him again after our first date. How is the Chief Inspector by the way?”
“He’s his normal self. Josh thinks he’s incompetent and miserable, but I’ve put him straight. I suppose Josh is picky about who is in charge of the case because his mother was murdered. He was very close to her.”
“You’ve still got a thing for Peter, haven’t you?” Mary said.
Rachel could imagine her grinning on the other end of the line.
“No I haven’t,” Rachel said quickly.
“Methinks you protest too much.”
“Josh and I are much more suited, Mary, and he is gorgeous.”
“Humph,” Mary said. “I believe you, thousands wouldn’t. You know, Rachel, you should follow your heart, not analyze every relationship in so much detail. It doesn’t matter who you’re suited to. It matters how you feel about them.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Rachel said. “But I am more or less over The Chief Inspector. He had plenty of time to get in touch with me after James was arrested, but he didn’t. There’ll always be a little part of me that still holds a torch for him, but I’ve made my decision.”
“Fair enough. We’ll have to go out as a foursome soon. I’d like to see Josh again.”
“At least you’re not against him as you were with James.”
“I will give you my full opinion when I see him, but as of yet he’s not in my bad books.”
Rachel laughed and a little while later, after she had stopped talking to Mary, she realized how much better she felt.
I’m going to be positive, she tho
ught. There’s no point worrying myself over who is trying to get me. After all, the car tires could have been slashed by hooligans and the calls could just have been wrong numbers.
However, as she got ready for bed, Rachel had an awful feeling that she was wrong. Someone was really out to frighten her and she would have to take extra care from now on, just in case.
Chapter 8
Carlotta finished applying her make-up and breathed a sigh of relief. She had taken extra care this morning as she didn’t want anyone turning up unexpectedly and seeing her looking below par. She was certain that the police officers had seen the bags under her eyes the previous evening and had noticed that she had been crying. However, on second thoughts, perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing. The Chief Inspector had always seen her looking immaculate so it was appropriate that she appeared visibly fatigued after the death of her best friend. Not that she didn’t miss Jane terribly, but she thought that you could still look upset with perfectly done make-up.
The doorbell rang giving Carlotta a shock. Had the police come back so soon? She certainly hoped not. What on earth would they want to ask her now? Or had they come to arrest her?
Carlotta knew there was no point delaying the inevitable, so she went straight to the front door and opened it. However, instead of being confronted by the police, standing there in front of her was Charles Simpson.
“What on earth are you doing here, Charles?”
Carlotta’s voice was tinged with anger and she almost glared at Charles.
“The police could be watching the building,” she continued. “I don’t think they are satisfied with the answers I gave them. I told you we’d better not see each other for a while.”
“I had to see you, Carlotta. Please let me in,” Charles almost begged.
Carlotta sighed and stepped out of the way to indicate that Charles could come in. As soon as he was in the hallway, Charles took Carlotta in his arms.
“I’ve been thinking about you all night, darling.”
Carlotta tried to push him away.
“It’s not appropriate so soon after Jane's death,” she spoke.
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