Murder by Suggestion

by Veronica Heley

  Ellie could have said that she wanted to retain Gunnar herself so that she could have access to her grandson and that she didn’t necessarily want to retain him on Diana’s behalf – or not without thinking the matter through – but she decided this was not the moment to have that conversation.

  Thomas opened his mouth to speak and closed it again. He shook his head, wordless.

  Ellie remembered he’d shot out that morning to deal with some crisis affecting the magazine. Hadn’t the printer threatened to go bust, or something? He must have had a difficult day. Now he’d come home to find himself in a sea of distraught women, his difficult stepdaughter requiring money and support, Lesley representing the police and luggage blocking the way through to his sanctum in the library.

  Thomas, being a man who liked peace and quiet, might well have roared his disapproval and demanded that Ellie considered his problems first and foremost. He might have turned the discarded wives out.

  Thomas, being a man of integrity, managed to put his own problems aside to help others. As Ellie hoped he would.

  He said, ‘A council of war. Good idea. Yes.’

  The girl with the red-gold curly hair who had come in behind Thomas now stepped forward. ‘Mrs Quicke, I know I said we were going out tonight, but that’s not important. Can I help at all?’ Susan, the ‘cook person’ who was Ellie’s and Thomas’s lodger, currently studying at university.

  Thomas perked up. ‘Yes, what about supper? Can we feed the five thousand?’

  Diana said, ‘Thomas, you really are something else. As usual, you’ve got things out of proportion. Food is not the most important question at the moment. Retaining Gunnar is.’

  Ellie hated it when Diana got at Thomas, especially in front of other people. He had the patience of an ox, but when she was rude to him in front of other people it was enough to make Ellie’s blood boil. ‘Diana, manners, please. I will have to consult with Thomas before I make any arrangements to speak to Gunnar about anything.’ And to Susan, she said, ‘Are you sure? Haven’t you got theatre tickets for something?’

  Susan dimpled. ‘No, we were going out on a pub crawl.’

  Ellie grinned. Susan did not, repeat not, do pub crawls. Susan liked an evening out at a pub, chatting to friends, but she was a thrifty, sensible girl who was saving hard for her wedding in a few months’ time. She was a thoroughly nice girl, and Ellie was very fond of her, especially when she exercised her skills in the production of food for Thomas and Ellie. She said, ‘Well, if you really don’t mind?’

  ‘Of course we’ll help.’ That was Rafael, her half-Italian fiancé, who’d been keeping in the background. Rafael had a lively sense of humour and Ellie suspected that he was probably enjoying every minute of this unusual situation. ‘May I help you ladies up to the bedrooms with your gear? You don’t want to get it mixed up with anyone else’s, do you?’

  Barbie got in her bid a fraction before Russet. ‘Oh, if you could. Those three suitcases and—’

  Russet homed in on Thomas. ‘If you could help me? I’d be so grateful. This tote bag and that. I can manage a couple of these bags if—’

  ‘No, that one’s mine!’ Barbie straddled the disputed piece of luggage.

  Thomas was not his usual ebullient self. He was having to make an enormous effort to smile and appear agreeable. Ellie wanted to ask him what was wrong but decided she must wait till they were on their own.

  Rafael, who was a young man with an unusually keen understanding of people, managed to get himself between Barbie and Russet, who were going nose to nose over one of the bundles. ‘Judgement of Solomon coming up. What’s in this bag, ladies? Tell me, and I’ll check.’

  ‘Clothes. I think.’

  ‘Paperwork. Photograph albums.’

  Rafael looked. ‘Clothes it is. Now, ladies, which room is occupied by who?’ He started up the stairs in Barbie’s footsteps, while Russet angrily delved into some of the other black plastic bags on the floor, opening them, inspecting the contents and flinging them down again. Thomas hovered, dividing his attention between her and Ellie.

  Ellie thought Thomas was being unnaturally quiet. Alarming!

  Diana clicked off her phone. ‘Well, I’ve told Monique, and she’ll tell the others, I’m sure.’

  Ellie was watching Thomas, who was trying to pretend nothing mattered bar finding the right luggage for Russet. ‘Very well, Diana. Your friends are welcome. I think you’d better speak to the police before you decide what to do next.’

  Lesley, who’d been keeping mum, said, ‘Yes, that would be a good idea.’

  Diana wasn’t playing. ‘Police? What for? I can’t be bothered with all that now.’

  Ellie considered a scenario in which Lesley might arrest Diana for murder. No, of course she didn’t mean that, exactly. But Ellie knew that when Diana wanted something she went at it with the persistence of an electric drill until she’d achieved her end, and at this particular moment Ellie would welcome a respite. She met Thomas’s eyes across the hall. With the empathy born of a happy marriage, she became aware that he was desperately worried about something and that it was nothing to do with the marital discord that had turned their house into a hotel.

  She remembered he’d left her a note about the printer of his magazine going bust. He’d gone out to see them and returned with no good news clearly written on his face. Ellie tried to remember exactly when the next issue was due to go to press. Soon, she thought. Which meant …? She couldn’t work out what it meant for the moment.

  Meanwhile, Lesley was at her elbow, in full police mode. ‘Ellie, do I have your permission to use the dining room for some interviews? I’ll speak to Diana first.’

  ‘This is ridiculous!’ Diana was outraged. ‘What do you want me for?’

  Lesley was placatory. ‘Just a quick word, right?’

  ‘Of course you can use the dining room,’ said Ellie, trying to think if it had been dusted that week and deciding that it didn’t matter. ‘Go ahead.’

  Susan appeared from the kitchen, slipping into an apron. ‘How many for supper?’

  Ellie said, ‘Can’t think. Four wives, one widow, Thomas and me, plus you two. Lesley, do you want to eat with us?’

  A shake of the head from Lesley, who was wearing plain clothes but had the trick of authority. ‘I hope to be out of your hair before long.’ She waved Diana into the dining room. ‘I promise this won’t take long.’

  In other words, Lesley didn’t really think there was any call to yell for a formal police investigation but wanted to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. So Kat must have convinced Lesley that the whole joke thing had not been done with criminal intent. It was something of a relief to know that.

  ‘I can spare ten minutes!’ Diana stalked into the dining room, calling back to Ellie, ‘Don’t forget to ring Gunnar!’

  Susan disappeared. In her place stood Kat, wringing her hands. ‘How can I help?’

  A shriek of rage from Russet. ‘Look! My precious scent!’ An exotic scent perfumed the hall. ‘The bottle’s been broken! How could they! I’ll sue the lot of them!’

  ‘Yes,’ said Thomas, being patient. ‘Perhaps we can rescue some of it, upstairs? Will you lead the way?’

  Grumbling, Russet grabbed a tote bag and started up the stairs. Thomas, heavy-laden, followed behind her.

  Ellie dithered. What to do first? Ring Gunnar? No. She must talk to Thomas first.

  Kat swam into Ellie’s field of vision again, pleading for something to do. ‘Perhaps I can lay the table? That would be helpful, yes?’

  Ellie shook her head. ‘Lesley is talking to Diana in the dining room. I think we’d better eat in the kitchen but Susan is better left alone when she’s cooking. Look, have you a mobile phone with a camera? I think someone should take a photo of Trish’s jaw before the bruising fades.’

  ‘I have smartphone, yes, but I do not know how to take pictures yet.’

  ‘Get Trish to show you how to take the photo. Now that would be really helpfu
l.’

  Kat brightened up at the prospect of action. ‘Where is Trish?’

  Yes, where indeed? Last seen, she’d been in the door leading to the conservatory, but she hadn’t come into the hall like the others. Ah, there she was, crouched in a chair in the sitting room, sobbing. One poor, overtired, overwrought girl who’d had a really bad day.

  Ellie said, ‘Kat, Trish is worn out. Can you look after her?’

  ‘The poor, poor thing,’ said Kat. ‘She loves that frog of a husband.’ Seeing Ellie’s reaction, she asked, ‘Is “frog” right? Is it tadpole?’

  Ellie said, ‘It’s probably “toad”, and I agree. You will take care of her, right? Take her up to her room, the one we’ve just got ready, and see her settled there.’

  As Kat chugged off to look after Trish the men came back down the stairs, with Russet chivvying Rafael along. ‘That one over there, and the blue case …’

  Ellie would have interfered, but Rafael still seemed amused rather than annoyed, so she kept her mouth shut. Barbie came out on to the landing above, calling out, ‘Oh, Rafael, can you bring up the black carry-on case for me?’

  Ellie left Rafael to decide which woman to obey and towed Thomas down the corridor to his study. She pushed him into his big chair. ‘Tell!’

  He washed his face with his hands, looking every day of sixty-plus. Usually he wore his years lightly, but not today. ‘I feel such a fool.’

  Ellie couldn’t be doing with this. ‘Skip that. What’s happened?’

  ‘The printers. We’ve used them for years. The old man retired, but the new manager seemed to know what he was doing. A few things hadn’t been … Well, they were late a couple of times which was infuriating, but there was nothing to indicate … Then last month, you know we’ve always paid our bills on time, we’ve never … But this time he asked for payment in advance because they’d had a problem with the press. He was very apologetic but said they’d guarantee … Stupid! How could I have been so stupid?’

  ‘You paid the bill early, and now he isn’t going to produce the goods?’

  Thomas nodded. ‘It’s the end for the magazine. Even if I could find another printer in time, we don’t have enough working capital to pay for another printing.’

  He knew that Ellie had considerable funds in her charitable trust, but he’d never asked her for money before, and she understood that he did not wish to do so now. Thomas had been squeamish about marrying a woman who’d inherited money. He’d been meticulous about paying his way in the household expenses.

  Ought I to offer him a loan? No. He wouldn’t accept it. Or would he?

  He said, ‘I got there to find the shutters down. No one there. Deserted. I tracked him down to his home. The old man, that is. Not the manager. The old man was distraught. He’s retired, walking with a stick, got Parkinson’s. He only learned what had happened this morning. Like me. His manager has cleaned out their accounts and taken off for pastures new. I was afraid he, the old man, would have a heart attack there and then.’

  Ellie took his hands in hers and pressed them. ‘What do you propose to do?’

  ‘On the way back, I was thinking how to get the magazine out. The subscribers have all paid, I can raise the money at the bank, find a new printer. I’ll probably have to pay in advance, but that’s all right. I’ll have to see about it tomorrow.’ He returned the pressure on her hands. ‘I’m not asking you for money, Ellie. You understand that? I’ll be all right. Just for a while, I felt I’d been knocked senseless. It’s my own fault that I’ve got into this mess. I ought never to have trusted the man. My mistake, and I’ll get myself out of it. I won’t take any remuneration from the magazine for a while, but if you can manage without my contribution to the household finances for a few months, I’ll repay as soon as I get everything working again.’

  Ellie understood that he really did want it that way. She loved him all the more for it while feeling irritated that his pride refused to let her help him out. Love and irritation, that’s what life was about in a family, wasn’t it?

  He said, ‘It’s not as bad as it might be. I wasn’t due to email the text of the next issue to him till later in the week so tomorrow I can find another printer. I’ll have to ask around, see if I can get some recommendations.’

  She nodded. He was picking himself up, dusting himself down and starting all over again.

  He said, ‘I’m sorry I … Just now. It all looked so black. I couldn’t see my way.’

  ‘You came back to find chaos and a wife who was so distracted by what was going on that she couldn’t find time to look after you.’

  He did his best to smile and it wasn’t a bad effort. ‘Yes. What a shambles! I’d forgotten to pray about it. Can you imagine? Completely, utterly forgot my biggest resource. I was so locked into self-pity … It was only when I carried those bags up for that woman … Who is she, by the way? No, don’t bother to tell me now. On the stairs I realized what a fool I’d been. I only had time for an arrow prayer or two. I must spend some time in the Quiet Room this evening. That is, if you can spare me.’

  ‘I think I’ll join you. Thomas, I need your advice. Diana and her friends have all been thrown out by their husbands or families on the shaky pretext that they were plotting to murder them. They need a solicitor. Some of them have money. Some haven’t. As you know, Diana wants me to pay Gunnar to help her. She thinks I can access the trust fund to help her but I can’t do that. It’s not my private purse. I cannot take money from it whenever I fancy. I pay so much from my pension towards the bills, and what with the rent Susan pays me, and what you put in the bank every month, it’s enough to keep the house going and for us to be comfortable. I really don’t think I can subsidize Diana.’

  ‘Has she no means of paying Gunnar herself?’

  ‘I don’t think she has enough. She seems to be able to make money but not to keep it. I cannot let her draw on the trust. That money is not intended to finance my daughter’s divorce or a custody case. I’m quite clear in my mind about that. I do have some money put away for a rainy day, and I’m asking you if you agree with me that this is it. I was going to suggest we have another holiday abroad this year, and update various things in the house but, if you agree, I will use that money to see what can be done in relation to—’

  ‘The little boy. Of course. He must be so confused, so distressed. What a dreadful business.’

  ‘What I think we might do is retain Gunnar to help us, you and me, to understand what rights we may have regarding access to our grandson. That shouldn’t cost too much, should it? Diana will be furious, but if you back me up, I can cope with that. I cannot and will not draw on the trust funds for Diana. I will have to pay what I can afford out of my own money.’

  ‘And here’s me making matters worse for you. I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.’

  She kissed his bearded cheek. ‘Things happen. We’ll survive. Let’s go and see what’s for supper.’

  They didn’t get any further than the door when there was a tearing scream from above.

  There were still some heaps of luggage in the hall, although they had diminished in size and were more scattered around than they had been.

  Susan’s fiancé, Rafael, was halfway up the stairs, carrying some bags under his arms. He was looking up at the landing.

  Russet stood there, swaying.

  Phone in hand.

  It was she who had screamed. Her mouth was open and working, her eyes rounded with horror.

  Her eyes turned up in her head.

  She was at the top of the stairs. She was going to fall!

  SEVEN

  Monday evening.

  Rafael dropped whatever it was that he was carrying, sprinted up the stairs and caught Russet as she collapsed. He was stronger than he looked and managed to lift her away from the top of the stairs.

  Barbie appeared from her bedroom along the corridor. ‘What the …!’

  Kat and young Trish appeared on the landing from the other side of
the house. ‘What’s the matter?’

  Ellie started up the stairs. ‘Russet appears to have had some bad news. Rafael, can you carry her back into her room?’

  Rafael half supported and half carried Russet along the corridor. Ellie followed. Russet had ended up in the small bedroom used for Ellie’s grandson, and it was crowded with his and her belongings. Rafael negotiated his way through the luggage to lay his burden down on the bed against the wall.

  Russet’s mouth worked but no sound emerged. Her colour was patchy. Shock.

  Barbie hovered in the doorway. ‘What’s happened?’

  Russet’s phone was still in her hand. It quacked. Someone said, ‘Hello? Are you still there?’

  Ellie reached for the phone, but Barbie was quicker. She picked it up and spoke to the caller. ‘Who is this speaking?’

  Russet began to shiver. Her jaw juddered.

  Rafael, ever cool, took Russet’s pulse. ‘She’s in shock. We should get her into bed?’

  Ellie nodded. She pulled off the woman’s shoes and skirt and, with Rafael’s help, got her under the duvet.

  Rafael said, ‘Brandy?’

  Ellie shook her head. ‘Tea. Sugared.’

  Rafael disappeared. Trish and Kat crowded in. ‘What’s wrong? Can we help?’

  Barbie clicked off the phone. In a dead tone, she said, ‘That was a neighbour of Russet’s. I’ve met her. She’s a horrible woman, an avid gossip. She’d watched Russet being thrown out of her house this morning. She doesn’t like Russet, because Russet is beautiful and kind, and she’s neither. She intended to ring Russet to “commiserate”. As if you can believe that! She was glorying in what had happened! Fortunately or otherwise, she had an appointment at the hairdressers this morning so she put off ringing till she got back, which is when she saw an ambulance arrive at Russet’s house and, after that, a police car. That did it. She couldn’t bear not to know what was going on, so she went round to ask a policewoman who was standing by the front door what had happened. She was told there’d been an accident and to go away but she managed to look over the woman’s shoulder and saw Walt lying on the floor in the hall with paramedics standing around, doing nothing. It was obvious he was dead. So naturally she had to ring Russet to see if she’d heard the bad news.’