Murder by Suggestion

by Veronica Heley

  ‘Then there’s Russet, auburn-haired and a smoker. She’s in the room my grandson uses when he sleeps over. Russet is not as old as Barbie but getting on. She is in shock. It was her husband who died this afternoon and I have no idea what the verdict on that death is going to be. Strangely enough, if he was pushed, then that was the death jokingly prescribed for him by Trish. She’s the youngest of the evicted wives, and she’s in the old housekeeper’s bedroom upstairs. She seems to be a really nice girl married to a not very nice man called Terry. She was a primary school teacher and wanted children, but he didn’t. He’s been abusing her. Trish certainly didn’t mean Walt any harm.’

  ‘Barbie, Russet and Trish. That’s three,’ said Susan.

  ‘Number four is Kat, short for Katarina. She came from somewhere in middle Europe to act as housekeeper for her husband, who is a right old skinflint called Rupert. Apparently he married her to save himself the price of her wages. I think Kat will probably have to doss down on the sofa tonight. She won’t object. She’s a capable woman, and a born carer.’

  Rafael said, ‘You say the five wives can all alibi one another for this afternoon’s death?’

  Ellie winced. ‘Four of them were here. I joined them mid-afternoon, made them tea, tried to calm them down and phoned Lesley to ask if there were any basis for suspecting foul play. If it weren’t for the emails, I’m sure the verdict on Walt’s death would be that it was an accident. But with the emails …’ Ellie raised her hands in a helpless gesture. ‘Lesley is looking into it.’

  Rafael said, ‘You’ve left one wife unaccounted for.’

  Diana. He meant that Diana had not been with them this afternoon during the time when – or if – Walt had been pushed down the stairs. Did Rafael really think that Diana might have been responsible for Walt’s death? No, surely not!

  But she could read a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

  Susan could do the maths, too. She wasn’t going to say anything, though. Instead, she turned away to busy herself checking the contents of various pans on the stove.

  Ellie said, ‘Diana went to the bank and then to my solicitor’s chambers. She waited around for him all afternoon, because he was in court.’

  Noncommittal, Rafael nodded. Susan tasted the contents of one pan and added a half teaspoonful of salt.

  Were they both mulling over the idea that Diana might have committed murder? Were they wondering if, when Diana had learned Gunnar was in court, rather than wait around for him, she had taken herself off somewhere for a couple of hours … and called on Walt … and did what?

  ‘No,’ said Ellie. ‘I don’t believe that Diana pushed Walt down the stairs, not for a minute. Why should she? What would she gain by doing that? Besides which, she was in great distress. She’s been separated from her little boy, is homeless and without a job. It’s nonsense to suspect her of, well, of anything.’

  Rafael rubbed his chin. ‘Do you think any one of the women would be prepared to kill for a friend?’

  Ellie shook her head. ‘No, I don’t. I’ve talked to each one of them in turn and the idea is ridiculous.’

  Susan said, ‘Supper’s ready. Will you call them down?’

  The aroma of the meat cooking had already wafted through the house. Kat came in, shepherding a shaken Trish before her. Kat looked more settled now she had somebody to look after. Trish looked as if she’d disintegrate any minute.

  Ellie ushered them to the table, introduced everybody and said she hoped nobody was a vegetarian. They shook their heads. Kat seated Trish next to her. ‘It smells good, no? You will feel better when you have eaten.’

  Thomas arrived, putting his own worries aside to play host. ‘Ladies, you are all very welcome. Now, which is which?’

  Ellie said, ‘This is Kat, and next to her is Trish.’

  Rafael had put his laptop away and now dealt out knives and forks. Susan dished up and passed hot plates around.

  Barbie appeared in the doorway. ‘I’m sorry to be difficult …’

  Ellie introduced Thomas. ‘Barbie, this is my husband Thomas. Thomas, this is Barbie.’

  Barbie managed a social smile. ‘It’s very good of you to have us. Mrs Quicke, would it be possible for me to take some food up to Russet? She’s still very weepy, wants to return home, wants to see her husband. She’s not fit to go anywhere.’

  Ellie hesitated. ‘I think it would be best if Russet came down and joined us. No matter how little she eats, it’s important for her to be with her friends at this time. Do you think she can make it?’

  Barbie nodded. ‘You’re right. I’ll get her into a dressing gown or something and bring her down.’

  As Barbie left, Diana passed her in the doorway. She ignored Thomas, and everyone else at the table to say, ‘I’d like mine brought upstairs, please. I have various phone calls to make which won’t wait.’ It was an order, not a request.

  Before Ellie could object, Rafael got his word in. ‘I’m not having Susan wear herself out carrying food up and down those stairs.’

  Diana blinked.

  Ellie wondered if Diana was thinking, What! Are the peasants revolting?

  Ellie hastened to smooth things over. ‘If you’d like to take a tray upstairs, Diana, then please do so, but bring it down again afterwards, right?’

  ‘Really!’ Diana paled with anger, and then flushed. ‘Oh, very well. I’ll hang around till you’ve all fed your faces and take what’s left over, shall I?’

  Susan handed Diana a plate. ‘No need for that if you’d like to help yourself?’

  For once, Diana had not got her own way. Ellie wondered whether this was a good time to knock Diana off balance even further. ‘Diana, you didn’t wait for Gunnar in his office all afternoon, did you?’

  ‘No, of course I didn’t. What a waste of time that would have been. I went to see the bank manager, and then I thought …’ She paused to lick her lips. ‘I went over to the nursery. I thought that when my son came out at the end of the day, I could whip him into a taxi and … But he wasn’t there.’

  ‘You waited outside the nursery? For how long?’

  ‘I don’t know. An hour, I suppose. What’s with the questionnaire? I hope there’s no onions in that dish. I can’t abide them.’

  Susan didn’t even lift her head. ‘No onions. Shallots. They’re rather good at this time of year.’

  Onions and shallots. Same difference. Fortunately Diana didn’t seem to know that. So she’d had an opportunity to go round to Walt’s house and push him down the stairs? No …

  Ellie’s landline rang, and she hurried into the hall to take the call. Barbie and Russet passed her on their way to the kitchen. Russet was in a velvety green housecoat. She looked like a feeble old woman, her hair lustreless, her gait unsteady. Barbie had her arm around her friend, saying, ‘Just a few more steps.’

  Ellie picked up the phone. As she’d hoped, it was Lesley on the other end. Ellie shut the door to the kitchen quarters. ‘What’s the verdict on Walt’s death?’

  ‘Awaiting the result of the autopsy. I didn’t get back to the station in time to submit the emails, so there is as yet no cause for suspicion from the police point of view.’

  ‘There is no doubt about the manner in which Walt died?’

  ‘It’s routine to have an autopsy when someone hasn’t seen a doctor recently. I will suggest they look to see if there’s some bruising on his back which might indicate he was pushed, but no one’s ringing alarm bells yet. Are the women still with you?’

  ‘Yes, all five of them. Russet is in shock. So is Trish. Barbie and Kat are looking after them.’

  ‘Your opinion?’

  Ellie crossed her fingers. ‘They alibi one another and none of them benefited by their husbands’ deaths.’ Diana had no alibi, but Ellie wasn’t going to mention that, was she?

  Lesley said, ‘I’ll submit the emails to my boss tomorrow morning for consideration. Independent of the autopsy, I do believe we will want to take the case further. Whether or not
I’ll be on it is another matter. It complicates matters that I’ve spoken to two of the wives without cautioning them first.’

  ‘If you’re not put on the case, who will be in charge?’

  ‘Um, your devoted admirer “Ears”, I suppose.’

  Ellie had feared it might be him. The man she’d nicknamed ‘Ears’ was Lesley’s superior officer, who lacked imagination. And that was putting it kindly. His ears turned bright red when his blood pressure rose, and most unfortunately Ellie had, in a senior moment, referred to him by this idiosyncrasy. He had never forgiven her, as the nickname had run around the station in minutes. ‘Ears’ hated Ellie. He didn’t like Lesley much, either, since she was considerably more intelligent than him.

  At times this created a difficult situation for Lesley. Every now and then Ellie worried that she’d harmed Lesley’s prospects in the police force. ‘Ears’ would certainly enjoy finding fault with Ellie for anything from putting the rubbish bins out before the correct time, to murder. Yes, he would love to get her for murder.

  Or arrest Diana for it. Ellie winced at the thought.

  ‘Lesley, isn’t it common practice for the police to inform the victim’s wife if he’s found dead? No one official has been round to see Russet yet.’

  ‘What? I agree. They should have been.’ Lesley didn’t actually grind her teeth, but Ellie got the impression that that was what was happening. ‘Someone ought to have called. Perhaps they didn’t know where to find her?’

  ‘They could have reached her through her smartphone, or her neighbour. Russet learned of her husband’s death when her nosy neighbour phoned her. And the gardener who found Walt’s body, he’s also got her number.’

  Lesley sighed. ‘Anything else you’d like to throw at me before I am thoroughly put off my supper?’

  ‘The neighbour or the gardener might have seen a strange car or noticed a visitor?’

  ‘Yes, we’ll have to do house-to-house if we decide there is a case to answer.’

  ‘Also, the woman who masterminded the expulsion of the five wives is called Monique. She was Evan’s first wife. She is intelligent and powerful. I suspect that she employed a cleaning agency to do the dirty work. If so, the cleaners might have noticed something which would help. I haven’t checked yet, but it is possible Monique would have gone to the one I use, which is run by a friend of mine.’

  ‘There are lots of cleaning agencies around.’

  ‘Not many that are good. There is another reason why Monique might have used Maria’s agency. Maria is happily married to Diana’s first and long-divorced husband. Monique doesn’t care for Diana, and it would be just like her to use Maria’s agency to get rid of Diana’s things. A subtle form of revenge, if you see what I mean.’

  ‘You’re guessing.’

  ‘Yes. I’ll check in the morning, shall I?’

  Lesley said, ‘The end of a perfect day. I’m going to go home to my husband and listen to him grumbling about the other teachers at school. Or maybe – let’s look on the bright side – he’ll be talking about cricket. Or maybe it’ll be football, because that seems to be on all year round nowadays. We shall turn on the telly, pick a ready cooked meal from the freezer, have some ice cream for afters.’

  ‘Sounds good. Speak tomorrow.’

  Diana pushed open the door from the kitchen and came into the hall, carrying a tray heaped with food. ‘Who’s that on the phone? You’ve been speaking to Gunnar? When is he going to tell Evan he can’t keep my little boy?’

  NINE

  Monday supper.

  Ellie knew that she ought to allay Diana’s fear, but she couldn’t quite manage it. It had been a long and tiresome day and the immediate future looked grim. She realized she was being curt but couldn’t help herself.

  ‘Diana, that was the police on the phone. They have the emails and there’s to be an autopsy on Walt. I know you’ve spoken to Lesley informally, but I think the police will want to see you again about your suggestion to kill a man by mixing up his pills. In the meantime, my supper awaits.’

  Without waiting for a reply, Ellie swept down the corridor and into the kitchen. And relaxed.

  Rain was beating at the windows, but Susan had switched on the lights and lowered the blinds with the result that all those sitting round the table seemed to be enclosed in a warm, golden glow. Tantalizing aromas rose from the dishes of food which Susan had placed on the table.

  Rafael swept Ellie into a chair beside Thomas and Susan put a plate full of food in front of her. ‘Enjoy!’

  ‘Yes, enjoy!’ said Thomas, pushing his own worries aside and including everyone at the table. ‘It may be raining outside. You’ve had a bad time today and the future is uncertain, but you are all here, safe and sound. Take the time to rest and recover. Be thankful for the meal. Let tomorrow bring what it will. Tonight you are among friends.’

  ‘You are very kind.’ That was Trish, hollow-eyed and badly bruised.

  The strained looks of the women began to fade as they took their first mouthfuls of food.

  Kat patted Trish’s arm. ‘You can manage a bit more to eat, yes?’

  Trish looked at her clean plate in surprise. Then smiled. ‘Yes, please.’

  The women had each taken only a small portion, perhaps fearing they would have no appetite, but as they cleared their plates, they began to realize that they might manage seconds.

  Susan beamed. She liked her food to be appreciated. ‘Seconds for you, Mrs … Bunny, is that right?’

  Ellie thought Barbie might take offence, but she didn’t. She even managed a low laugh. ‘Mrs Bunny it is. I’m Barbie, short for Barbara. And you are Susan? Who is not a cook, I gather?’

  Rafael spoke up. ‘Susan is training to be a chef. As soon as she finishes, we’re getting married. She’s refused to wear my ring yet, but she has agreed that the Reverend Thomas will marry us.’

  This struck the right note, as the women all switched from contemplating their own troubles to congratulate Susan on her cooking and on her engagement. Each and every one of them had a second helping. Ellie told herself not to eat too fast; Susan’s cooking was, as ever, delicious.

  It was Russet who picked up on Rafael’s hint. ‘The Reverend Thomas? You are a minister? You have a church? I haven’t been to church for ages. Not since I was a child.’

  ‘I’m retired from parish work,’ said Thomas. ‘I don’t often wear a dog collar now. Anyway, the beard hides it when I do.’

  Kat, who was probably a Catholic by upbringing, said, ‘Rupert didn’t like my going to church. I tell him that I pray wherever I am. It is good, but not essential, to go to church.’

  Ellie thought, Good for Kat.

  Everyone had cleaned their plates of the first course. Susan removed the few leftovers and placed a huge bowl of fruit puree, yoghurt and cream on the table, together with a plate of her homemade biscuits. There was a further slackening of tension. Clever Susan. Nothing in the meal was too heavy for these distraught women to eat. Nothing was indigestible. Individual glass dishes were provided, and the dessert went round the table for everyone to help themselves.

  Thomas said, ‘If you go past the dining room on the other side of the hall you will come to a quiet room. It’s not a chapel. It’s not consecrated. I go there for my thinking and prayer times. If any of you would find it helpful, you are welcome to spend time there.’

  There was silence while the women absorbed this information.

  Barbie said, ‘Would you be there? If, for instance …’ The words died away.

  ‘Your choice,’ said Thomas, in his usual comfortable fashion. ‘If you want to sit and think, that’s fine. If you want to talk to God, that’s all right. If you would find it helpful to talk to me about anything, no problem.’

  Rafael couldn’t resist. ‘May I come and talk about cabbages and kings? Or politics?’

  All four of the wives cracked a smile. Rafael knew how to release tension, didn’t he?

  Thomas said, ‘Your choice, l
adies.’ He looked around at their dishes. ‘No coffee for me tonight, I think. I’ll need my beauty sleep.’

  Kat started.

  Ellie realized that she hadn’t yet arranged a bed for Kat. Must she really sleep on the sofa? Before Ellie could speak, Susan laid a hand on Kat’s arm. ‘I have a small flat on the top floor here. You are welcome to occupy my spare room. You don’t mind climbing some stairs, do you? Show me which are your things in the hall, and we can take them up together.’

  Kat hesitated. ‘Trish, will you be all right?’

  Trish said, ‘I’m fine.’ She didn’t look it, but she was a brave lass. ‘I’m going to ring my parents and then take myself off to bed.’

  Kat had risen to go with Susan, but now she said, ‘First I must help clear the table.’

  ‘No, you don’t,’ said Susan. ‘You have an early night. You’ll feel better in the morning.’

  Kat’s eyes watered. ‘You are all so kind. Blessings be on you.’

  Russet also got to her feet, holding on to the table to stabilize herself. ‘Kat has the right idea. Thomas, will you give us your blessing before we leave this room?’

  Thomas looked round at each one of them. ‘May God bless this house, and all in it. May He grant us a quiet night, and peace in our hearts. Amen.’

  Russet brushed tears from her cheeks and followed Susan, Trish and Kat out of the room.

  Ellie helped Rafael stack dirty plates in the dishwasher.

  Barbie sat at the table, her eyes down.

  Thomas said, ‘I’m off for a few minutes in the Quiet Room. All right with you, Ellie?’

  Ellie nodded, and he left.

  After a moment, Barbie followed Thomas out of the door and down the corridor.

  Now that was a surprise. Ellie hadn’t expected it to be Barbie who would take up Thomas’s offer.