4 Camera ... Action ... Murder!

by Faith Mortimer

  He paused and then looked across at Barbara. “You’d better bring these tools back with us to the station. Are there evidence bags in the car? Good. I doubt if the tools have been used in connection with this, but we’d better make sure. As for the missing screwdriver, we’ll get someone up to conduct a thorough search, but I expect it’s been disposed of hours ago. It could have been used to prise the seam between the boat planks open. Perhaps Isabelle had something to do with it, which was why she was so adamant in getting you out of here, but my money’s on Duncan. I know personal feelings shouldn’t come into it, but I neither like nor trust the man.”

  He gave the place another look and moved towards the door. Before he reached it, he stopped and swung round.

  “Oh, by the way, I know you didn’t know the deceased very well, but did she tell either of you she was pregnant?”

  Chapter 13

  When they arrived back at the house, there was another car parked next to Sergeant Wilkins’ blue Peugeot.

  “Are the Macphersons expecting anyone?” asked Adam as he gave the silver soft-topped Renault Megane coupé a once-over.

  “No idea,” said Steve. “Duncan didn’t mention it during breakfast. He did act rather oddly though. He had a go at Sebastian over some of the photos he took of Caroline. It sounded like he’d taken some shots he shouldn’t have. He quite frightened Sebastian, who left the room in a hurry.”

  The front door was wide open and Diana could hear voices coming from inside. She was still thinking about Adam’s last words down at the lake, concerning Caroline. So, she was pregnant! That poor girl and her unborn infant, it was shocking. It posed more questions, though, and ones Diana couldn’t very well ask without hurting people’s feelings. If Caroline had been sleeping with Duncan—and everyone assumed she was—was it his? Or was it possible she was right about Caroline and Sebastian seeing each other. And if so, was Sebastian the father of her unborn child? But then again, thinking back to the get-together on their arrival, Russell had given Diana the impression Caroline wasn’t too highly valued in his opinions. What had he called her? She was a little gold-digger and a bit free and easy with her favours. Hardly original, but what if it was true? If it was, the child could have been anyone’s…

  Steve and Diana went through to the drawing room and, as instructed by Adam, told everyone the police would like a very quick word after they had spoken to Duncan. There were a few mutterings over this, and Diana wondered what Adam would say to detain them a while longer.

  “Any sign of Isabelle yet?” asked Steve.

  “No, it’s odd. She’s such a good hostess, and I can’t believe she wouldn’t be in to oversee breakfast and morning coffee. It just isn’t her at all,” said Joanna. “Her car’s here, so she hasn’t gone for a drive either.”

  “What were you doing with the police down at the lake, then?” Patrick said, thrusting his Daily Telegraph to one side with a crackle of paper. “We’ve all been sitting here, twiddling our thumbs while you go off on a jolly with the police. I thought they were coming to say a few words to us earlier?”

  Steve walked over to the open French windows, realising anyone would have a clear view down to the water. Obviously, Patrick had seen the four of them as they walked back from the boathouse. “Sorry, there were one or two things the superintendent wanted to go over with us.”

  While standing at the open doors, Steve noticed Russell standing by a rose bed. He had picked a few blooms and seemed to be studying them intently. Feeling Steve’s gaze on him, he looked up and smiled. “The Black Ice rose—beautiful isn’t it? Although it’s called ‘black’, it’s actually a deep red-coloured rose. The name Black Ice is derived from the parent Iceberg and was first bred by Gandy here in England back in 1971. I think it’s a stunning flower. The black bud opens out into a beautifully formed large bloom with velvet-touch petals. It’s one of my favourites, but unfortunately the thorns are wicked, as you can see.” Russell held up his hand, and Steve noticed the scratch. “I’d better go and wash in case the gardeners have been using something non-bio—I don’t want any skin trouble.” Steve agreed and turned back indoors.

  Patrick gave his paper an angry shake and tried to look like he was engrossed with the sports page.

  Once Russell had disappeared in the direction of the cloakroom, Di took a look round the hot room and decided she didn’t want to spend any more time sitting down waiting for something to happen.

  “I’m just going outside,” she said to Steve. “I’ll leave my handbag here with you is that all right? I won’t be long.”

  “Don’t go far, darling. The police won’t be long. We’ll leave after saying ‘goodbye’. Shall we have a night in Cheltenham? It might be fun, and perhaps we could even book some tickets for the theatre. A night staying at Beaumont House would be good.”

  “Maybe,” she said absent-mindedly. “No, I won’t go far.”

  She left Steve leafing through a copy of County magazine and slipped out through the front door. Something felt wrong. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced it was Isabelle they saw that morning. The first time had been down at the lake and then again entering the maze. But that was hours ago! Where had she got to? She hoped there was a simple explanation. If Isabelle had taken it into her head and wandered off, Adam would be incensed.

  Despite the maze looking like an intriguing place, Diana couldn’t remember ever going into it, at least not right through to the centre and out the other side. Russell had said it was modelled on an Italian one and quite intricately designed. Approaching the entrance, she wondered how big it actually was and if anyone from their party had explored it. Absorbed by what she was doing, she entered under a leafy archway and decided she would go in just a little way. Within minutes, she was fascinated. The seven-foot hedges were well maintained, clipped, and straight. When she reached the first fork in the pathway, she wondered whether it would hurt to go a little further in. She knew exactly where she was; surely, it wasn’t that difficult to find the right path. Diana had a good memory and could easily find the right way out when she was ready. Feeling confident, she continued towards what she thought was the centre.

  ***

  Bored, Steve thrust his magazine to one side and stood up, stretching his legs. Hearing footsteps in the hallway, he peered round the corner of the door, thinking Diana was on her way back. Instead, he spied Adam bearing down towards him.

  “You haven’t seen Diana, have you,” he asked. “Only, she’s been gone for a while, and I thought maybe she was with you?” He looked hopeful.

  Adam frowned. “Why would she disappear? She knew I was coming back to talk to everyone. I thought she wanted…” His voice trailed off and he frowned. “What was that?”

  They both listened, and this time Steve heard it too. There was no mistaking Diana’s high-pitched ear-splitting scream.

  “Diana!” yelled Steve and took to his heels with Adam close behind. They rushed outside and stopped. Diana was nowhere in sight. There was a commotion behind them, and soon everyone from the drawing room was spilling outside onto the gravel drive.

  “What’s going on?” they demanded. “Where’s Diana?”

  Steve looked round in a blind panic. “I heard a scream. It was Diana, but she’s not here.”

  And then they heard the scream again, and it sounded like, “Here! Help me!”

  “She’s in the maze!” said Steve, bolting for the entrance.

  “Stop!” bellowed Adam. “Have you ever been in there? It’s supposed to be monstrous! You’ll get lost in no time. We need some help.” He turned to the others.” Does anyone know their way round the maze?”

  Everyone shook their heads, and then Duncan elbowed his way forward. “What’s all the fuss about? This really is intolerable.” He glared at Adam as if it was his fault.

  Steve and Adam turned to face him simultaneously. “It’s Diana. She’s in the maze and sounds like she’s in trouble. We need to get her out, but neither of us kno
ws the way. Can you help?”

  “I have a detailed map—a plan of the layout I lend to visitors. I’ll go and get it for you.” Duncan disappeared into the house, and Steve shouted to let Diana know they were coming for her.

  “He’s taking his time,” Steve said with a worried look on his face. “I hope she’s all right. She’s been gone at least fifteen minutes or so.”

  Duncan walked towards them, muttering, “I couldn’t find my usual map. Someone must have borrowed it and not put it back. I had to look for another. Isabelle’s forever having my study tidied, and I can never find anything once the cleaner’s been in there. Here you are.” He thrust a sheet of paper at Adam and turned to go back indoors.

  Adam and Steve looked at the route. Adam whistled in amazement. “No wonder she got lost—this looks like one hell of a maze. Shall we go?” He then had another thought and turned back to his sergeant. “Barbara, you stay here. Ring the station, and arrange for someone to come and start that search we talked about earlier, but make sure you talk to Mr Macpherson first. We also need to speak to those gardeners. And while you’re at it, have another word with Sebastian. The rest of you, please make yourselves comfortable inside. We won’t be long, and I’d appreciate a word with you once we return.”

  Steve didn’t wait for Adam; instead, he was already inside the maze and making his way down the first path of tall greenery. He shouted, letting Diana know they were on their way and received a muted response. Adam jogged to catch up with him.

  “At least she can hear us.” Steve said.

  Adam flashed a look at Steve. “It would have been much more sensible if she’d stayed put, and we wouldn’t have had to go hunting through a maze looking for her. Your wife…” He paused and shook his head. “Your wife can be as maddening as hell at times.”

  It was Steve’s turn to return the look. “Tell me about it,” he muttered at the same time as the question passed through his mind: just what was Adam doing helping him find Diana? Shouldn’t he have been talking to the other guests?

  “Hang on, slow down. Let’s think about this properly. There’s no point in charging off like a bull at the gate. We need to ascertain exactly where she is,” explained Adam. “Otherwise we’ll be walking round in circles. We need to call her once we’re further in and can hear her reply more clearly.”

  In the end, they found Diana at the centre of the maze, only she wasn’t alone. She was sitting huddled on a bench, and her arms were round her knees, which were drawn up to her chin. The look on her face was one of pure terror. Lying spread-eagled on a picnic table, only a short distance away was the naked body of a woman.

  Steve and Adam ran towards Diana, who raised a tear-stained face to them and whispered. “It’s Isabelle. I think she’s been strangled.”

  Chapter 14

  The SOCOs had been and gone. They spent what seemed like hours, painstakingly assessing the crime scene, preparing sketches, taking measurements, photographs, and samples. They assured Superintendent Adam Lovell it was all going to be written up and presented to him within twenty-four hours. Under more normal circumstances, the house would have been empty apart from Duncan and the house servants. Diana thought that now the technicians were finished with the house and land, it should have been left to grief and silence. It was unusual for Havershall House to still have visitors.

  Diana knew that the body at the scene of a brutal murder can often tell those investigating the death many things. The forensic evidence left behind on the corpse often became the silent witness against those who committed this most heinous of crimes. It was up to the forensic pathologist to say exactly how and when Isabelle was murdered. With over 200,000 autopsies performed in the UK each year, it would have come under the authority of the coroner. The forensic pathologist had to determine the medical cause of death, interpret the injuries found on Isabelle’s body, as well as ascertaining the manner of her death. But it was obvious to Diana. Isabelle had definitely been strangled.

  Sitting in the library, a blanket wrapped round her and a large mug of tea in her hands, Diana was still reeling from shock and disbelief. Despite being stunned, she couldn’t help wondering why these facts and figures were running through her brain, when all she really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and fall into a deep and dreamless sleep. Maybe when she woke up, the previous forty-eight hours might prove to have been nothing but a nightmare.

  ***

  When Diana first left Steve and the others—it all seemed like hours ago when really it was nothing like that—she had no intention of going into the maze, let alone reaching the centre of it. However, once Diana placed her first step on the grassy path, she felt a compelling need to find out what seemed to be drawing her in. Diana was convinced Isabelle was the person she and Steve had seen early that morning down by the lakeside, and she was confident Isabelle had also entered the maze. But why, she couldn’t say, unless it was to meet someone.

  Within minutes of setting foot inside the maze, Diana became horribly disorientated and could have kicked herself for being so pig-headed to think she would be able to find the centre easily. She knew there was no need to panic, because she knew she could ring Steve on her mobile, but then realised her first mistake. She had left her telephone in her handbag back at the house. She didn’t feel too worried, as she was sure that if she had called out, someone would have heard her, so she carried on. Within ten minutes, she knew she was getting deeper and deeper into the maze, and without knowing how much ground it covered, she thought she was nearing the centre. Once in the middle, she knew from what Russell had told her the first night, there was a sign-board showing a detailed plan, and she could then take a good look at it and find her way back out.

  As the morning wore on, Diana felt the day becoming hotter. There was no breeze between the hedges, and when she felt a prickle of sweat run between her eyes, she wondered whether she had made a sensible decision. She knew mazes and labyrinths consisted of a complex and confusing series of pathways, but that technically, a maze was more difficult. She had read somewhere that a labyrinth distinguished itself with a single through-route with twists and turns but without extra branches like a maze, and right now she was wishing she was in a simple labyrinth. God, it was hot, and she was dying for a cold drink. That was her second mistake: not bringing one with her.

  She stopped and wiped her face with the back of her arm. The surrounding hedges were way above her head with no chance of breaking through to another path. For the first time, Diana realised how silent and still everything was within those green walls; not even a bird chirped to keep her company. A creepy feeling stole over her, and she looked behind her at the path disappearing round a bend. She was quite alone; yet the feeling remained, and she considered calling out. Diana waited for a few seconds and, hearing nothing, decided to carry on. Before continuing, she spied something caught in one of the branches of the right-hand hedge. She pulled it from the branch and realised it was a glove. It was one of those old-fashioned driving gloves made of beige-coloured cotton and brown leather. It was larger than she would have worn and judging by the size appeared to belong to a man. At this point, the maze path had narrowed, and the distance between hedges was smaller. A walker could easily have brushed past and lost their glove. She tucked it into her skirt pocket and carried on. She thought it was an odd thing to find because no one would be wearing gloves on a hot summer’s day. After a minute, she entered a clearing with a small covered gazebo and benches dotted around. Despite being in the centre and a long way from the entrance, she felt relief. At least now she could find the map and plan her way out. She should see a large board near to one of the ornate stone benches and walked towards it. When she reached it, she had an enormous shock. The plan had been defaced. A sharp stick lay on the ground in front of it, and she immediately assumed this was the item used by the culprit. Her heart sank when she realised she couldn’t make out which path she should take. But that wasn’t the only thing which shocked her. Diana gasp
ed. For lying on a picnic bench just twenty feet or so away was a naked woman.

  She exclaimed in horror. Glancing round, she saw there was no one else to be seen, and slowly, she approached the figure. Edging closer, she realised who was lying naked and spread-eagled on her back: Isabelle.

  At first, Diana couldn’t bring herself to look closely at her. Isabelle’s body lay before her as white as milk and as thin as a reed. Her eyes were open and glazed, and Diana knew she was dead. Her neck looked scratched, and drawing closer, Diana could see faint bruising and both short and longer scratch marks. Looking at Isabelle’s hands, she realised she must have tried to pry her assailant’s fingers from around her neck because some of her nails were broken and torn. Looking at her gaping mouth and the state of her neck, Diana surmised Isabelle must have been strangled.

  But it wasn’t this that shocked her the most. Shuddering with real disgust and horror, Diana looked down to where Isabelle’s legs had been cruelly thrust open as widely as possible. She hurriedly turned away, retching onto the grass; between Isabelle’s legs and protruding from her vagina was the missing screwdriver.