A Family Concern

by Anthea Fraser

  Max sighed. ‘It would seem so. My wife always warned me, though I couldn’t see it. But to get the facts straight, Inspector, it was she who made overtures to me, a week or so ago at the cottage. I made it plain I wasn’t interested, and I presume this is her revenge.’

  ‘Mrs Yarborough has severe bruising to her arms, legs and neck, sir, and we’re informed there are also older bruises and evidence of previous fractures.’

  ‘I’m not surprised,’ Max said shortly.

  The policeman’s eyes narrowed. ‘Would you care to explain that comment?’

  ‘With pleasure. As you might know, I’m an art tutor, and Mrs Yarborough joined my class last May. During that very hot spell, I noticed she always wore either a cardigan, or a dress with long sleeves. One day, her sleeves rode up as she reached for something, and I saw her arms were covered in bruises.’

  The two policemen exchanged glances.

  ‘My wife will bear me out on this, because I mentioned them to her. Later, in view of Mrs Yarborough’s pallor and general timidity, I became even more concerned. I asked my wife and her sister to invite her to tea, and let me know what they thought.’

  ‘And what did they think, sir?’ the inspector asked stolidly.

  Max flushed. ‘That the bruises had been caused by heaving furniture about during the Yarboroughs’ recent move. But the other week, I saw more bruising. To be frank, I was convinced her husband was abusing her. Once, she even “fell” downstairs; it transpired that he’d been upstairs at the time, and what’s more, my sister-in-law, who lives opposite, had more or less to force him to take her to hospital.’

  He looked challengingly from one man to the other. They returned his gaze impassively.

  ‘On reflection,’ Max continued heavily, ‘it figures, doesn’t it? She suddenly finds she can’t take any more, but she daren’t say anything against her husband, either because she’s frightened of him, or because it might split up the family. So, as soon as he’s out of the way, she picks on me, thereby killing two birds with one stone, since it would pay me back for rejecting her.’

  ‘An interesting theory, sir.’

  ‘I think you’ll find it’s the right one,’ Max said.

  It was four o’clock when the police car brought him home. Rona rushed into the hall to meet him, Lindsey tactfully remained in the sitting room.

  ‘What happened?’ she demanded as she hugged him. ‘Has it all been cleared up?’

  ‘Not really, no. I’m released on police bail “pending further enquiries”, and have had to undertake not to go within a hundred yards of Adele. As if I’m likely to.’

  ‘Lindsey’s been waiting with me,’ Rona said, and led the way into the sitting room. Her sister came forward and kissed Max’s cheek.

  ‘Sorry you’ve been landed with this,’ she said.

  He smiled ruefully. ‘It’s not as if you didn’t both warn me.’

  ‘Did you contact Barry?’

  ‘No, I didn’t think it was warranted. They offered me a solicitor, but I declined.’

  ‘That was unwise,’ Lindsey, the solicitor, rebuked him.

  ‘No doubt, but I don’t think I did too badly in my own defence.’

  Lindsey smiled. ‘We can’t have you doing us out of a job.’

  He sat down, patting Gus who had come up wagging his tail. ‘It was more serious than it seemed,’ he told them soberly. ‘She’d taken an overdose of sleeping pills.’

  They looked at him in consternation. ‘Is she all right?’

  ‘Yes, they pumped her out, or whatever it is they do.’

  ‘But – where was Philip?’

  ‘That’s what I wanted to know. He’s taken the kids to Lapland, if you please, to see Father Christmas. Adele was going with them, but dropped out at the last minute.’

  ‘So she was alone in the house?’

  ‘Presumably. They’ve not been able to contact him; I suppose, going for only four days, it didn’t seem worth adapting his mobile, especially as until the last minute he thought she’d be with him.’

  ‘When’s he due back?’

  Max shrugged. ‘Some time tomorrow, I suppose.’

  ‘I wonder if they’ll question him about the bruises.’

  ‘Well, at least I got in my pennyworth. With luck, it might have sown the seeds of suspicion.’

  The next two days brought no further news, but at lunchtime on the Wednesday, Max phoned.

  ‘I’ve just had Archie Duncan round,’ he announced. ‘The allegations have been dropped.’

  ‘Well, thank God for that. Was there any explanation?’

  ‘No. I think Archie was jumping the gun, bless him; he’d been highly embarrassed about the whole thing. He just said that I’d be hearing officially, but he wanted me to know as soon as possible.’

  ‘Has Philip been arrested?’

  ‘Darling, I’m telling you all I know. At least someone’s seen sense. Look, since there are no classes I’ve a free afternoon, so I’m pressing on with the calendar. But I’ll be home earlier than usual – say sixish?’

  ‘I’ll have the champagne on ice,’ she said.

  ‘I didn’t think you were serious about the bubbly,’ Max commented, opening the bottle.

  ‘Well, it’s a celebration, isn’t it? I didn’t fancy being married to a jailbird!’

  He poured it carefully into the glasses, and as they toasted each other, the doorbell rang.

  ‘Somebody smelt it!’ Rona said.

  ‘Let’s take it up, anyway, and savour it in comfort. You carry the bottle, and I’ll bring the tray with the glasses.’

  Rona led the way. Max rested the tray on the hall table before opening the door, and she went ahead into the sitting room, stiffening as she heard him exclaim, ‘Yarborough!’

  ‘Please don’t shut the door,’ Philip was saying quickly. ‘I realize I must be the last person you want to see, but I have to speak to you.’

  Max hesitated, and Rona came into the hall. ‘Come in, Philip.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Max reluctantly stepped aside, and Philip passed him and, at Rona’s gesture, followed her into the sitting room. He looked wretched, she thought, with a stab of pity.

  ‘First, on behalf of my wife, I owe you both the most enormous apology. I can’t think what came over her.’ His eyes fell to the champagne bottle Rona had set down, and he produced another from behind his back. ‘You’ve preempted me, but I hope this will come in useful over the New Year.’

  Rona glanced at Max’s face, which remained stony. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  ‘And the second thing I owe you,’ Philip continued, ‘is an explanation. Adele’s ill – you must have guessed that, but perhaps you don’t realize quite how ill.’

  ‘She told me she suffers from depression,’ Max said stiffly.

  ‘Yes, but that’s only a part of it. I’m well aware what you, and doubtless other people, have been thinking about me.’ He glanced at Rona. ‘And I know your sister blamed me for not taking her straight to A and E when she fell downstairs; but the simple fact is, I was embarrassed to do so. I could see she wasn’t badly hurt, and we’ve been to every hospital in the area so many times, I couldn’t face it again.’

  ‘In which case,’ Max said, ‘I’m surprised the medical authorities didn’t contact the police. They must be used to stories of walking into doors and so on—’

  ‘—from battered wives?’ Philip finished bitterly. ‘Exactly. But the truth of the matter is, she’s been harming herself.’

  Rona and Max stared at him in disbelieving horror.

  ‘It’s a form of Munchausen’s syndrome. No doubt you’ve heard of it?’

  They both nodded.

  ‘It’s partly my fault it’s got this bad. I was convinced it would pass, that with love and care she’d stop doing it. Sometimes she’d go for months without harming herself, and then something would start her off again. This last time, it must have been leaving Suffolk and her family, and coming here. She�
��s steadfastly refused to have treatment in the past, despite her parents and I pleading with her, but this time I think she frightened herself. Incidentally,’ he added, ‘the sleeping pills weren’t sufficient to do serious damage. They were just another symptom, a means of attracting attention and sympathy.’

  ‘It must have been terrible for you,’ Max said.

  ‘Frankly, it’s been hell. Obviously I’d have had no choice if it had involved the children, but it never did. She’s devoted to them and they to her.’

  Rona said awkwardly, ‘Would you like a drink? I’ll bring another glass.’

  He shook his head. ‘You’ll understand if I don’t feel like celebrating.’

  ‘So what are you going to do?’ Max asked.

  ‘Well, since I can’t look after her myself, because of work and everything, she’ll be going back to Ipswich with her parents. They’ll get her started on the treatment, and if she responds well, as we’re all hoping, she’ll soon be back with us. In the meantime, my sister’s coming to keep house for me and look after the children. They’re well settled at school, and it didn’t seem right to uproot them again.’

  ‘Is there anything we can do?’ Rona asked.

  ‘Thank you, but no. Adele’s caused enough upheaval in your family.’ He glanced at Max. ‘I’m not entirely clear what happened, but she asked me particularly to thank you for your encouragement with her painting, and to say how sorry she was that things got out of hand.’

  ‘Give her my best wishes,’ Max said stiffly.

  ‘Well, I must be going. I have to pack a case for her.’

  ‘It’s too bad it’s happened so near Christmas,’ Rona said.

  ‘Yes, but the children and I will go up to my parents-in-law, and we’ll all spend it together.’ He moved towards the door. ‘Again, I’m deeply sorry for all the trouble, especially this latest episode. If I’d been home, it would never have happened. I do hope, though, that when everything’s settled a little, we can remain friends.’

  ‘Of course,’ Rona said, and after a minute, Max nodded.

  They showed him out, and returned to the sitting room, their mood of relief tempered by the news they’d heard. The champagne seemed hardly appropriate.

  ‘Perhaps we should toast Adele,’ Rona suggested, ‘and her speedy recovery?’

  ‘I’ll drink to that,’ Max said.

  It had been agreed that Max’s arrest and the events leading up to it should remain between Lindsey and themselves. There was no point in going over it with Tom and Avril, and the sooner the whole thing could be forgotten, the better. But over the next day or so, the shadow cast by it overlay the preparations for Christmas, and decorating the tree and hanging up the cards didn’t generate the usual pleasant anticipation.

  ‘I’m glad we’re going to the Trents’ tomorrow,’ Rona said, on the Friday evening. ‘It might lift our spirits a bit. Though goodness knows, the Tarltons have more need of spirit-lifting than we have. What with all the business with Adele, I’ve hardly thought of them this week.’

  ‘There hasn’t been anything new, anyway,’ Max said. ‘Quite honestly, I don’t see how there can be.’

  ‘In which case, they’ll have to spend the rest of their lives wondering who killed Velma. What a ghastly prospect.’

  ‘Especially if they start suspecting each other,’ Max said.

  For Avril, too, it was a lacklustre run-up to Christmas. The cards falling on her mat in undiminished numbers were, of course, addressed to both herself and Tom, and she hadn’t the heart to put them up. Instead, she read the messages they contained, ticked them off in her record book, and laid them aside to pass on to him when she saw him on Christmas Day.

  In a moment of defiance, though, she had bought a small artificial tree and set it up on a table, decorating it with tinsel and silver balls, and laying the parcels she had wrapped around it. She was glad they’d all be together for Christmas lunch. By next year, she’d have had time to get used to her changed status.

  The phone rang, and Lindsey’s voice said, ‘Hello, Mum. I wondered if you’d like to come to the flicks this evening? They’re showing that new film everyone’s talking about. It doesn’t start till eight, so we could have a bite to eat first.’

  ‘That would be lovely, darling,’ Avril said gratefully.

  As always, Rona felt herself relax as they drove through the Trents’ gateway. The trees in the comfortably overgrown garden had been decked with coloured lights, and there was a large holly wreath on the door.

  She’d brought an armful of presents for everyone, including the three cats, and amid profuse thanks, they were placed on the pile under the tree.

  ‘Yours are here, too,’ Dinah told them. ‘Remember to take them when you go. And, of course, there’s also something for Gus.’

  Gus, always sure of his welcome here, looked up at her with lolling tongue, before trotting over and lying down in front of the fire. Two of the cats, already in position, opened an eye to see who’d arrived, and closed it again. A non-aggression pact existed between them.

  Rona hadn’t seen Mitch, Melissa’s husband, since their wedding, and she’d forgotten how tall and broad he was. With his tanned, open face and crew-cut hair, he was unmistakeably American.

  ‘How much longer will you be out in the Gulf?’ Max asked him.

  ‘I’m halfway through; it was a six-month assignment.’

  ‘And how are you liking it?’

  ‘It’s OK, though I miss the family, of course. Luckily I’ve avoided the worst of the heat, but it was still pretty fierce when I arrived.’ He smiled at his mother-in-law. ‘Dinah’s turned up trumps and volunteered to look after the kids for a week in February, so Mel can fly out and join me.’

  ‘That should be lovely!’ Rona exclaimed, turning to his wife. ‘No doubt you’ll make for the gold souks?’

  ‘My first port of call,’ Melissa confirmed.

  Rona accepted the glass of hot punch Barnie handed her and sat back in her chair, her eyes going contentedly round the familiar room, now dominated by the enormous tree whose twinkling lights lent it an air of magic. As always, she wished she could feel as relaxed with her own family as she did here. And thinking of her family, she realized that Barnie and Dinah didn’t know of the split. She was wondering how best to bring it up, when Dinah did it for her.

  ‘I suppose by now your father will have retired?’ she asked, perching on the pouffe beside Rona’s chair.

  ‘Yes, at the end of last month. Actually …’ She waited until she had everyone’s attention. ‘I’m sorry to say, he and my mother have separated.’

  ‘Oh, my dear!’ Dinah exclaimed. ‘I’m so very sorry.’

  ‘They were making each other unhappy, so it seemed the best thing.’

  ‘What’s happening to the family home?’ Barnie asked.

  ‘Mum’s staying on there. She’s decided to take in lodgers, for company.’

  ‘And your father?’

  ‘He’s renting a flat in Talbot Road.’ She’d no intention of mentioning Catherine and hurried on, ‘However, after initial hiccups things are more amicable now, and we’re all having Christmas lunch together.’

  ‘Well, I suppose that’s something,’ Dinah said doubtfully. ‘Do you think there’s any chance of their coming back together?’

  Rona shook her head. ‘None,’ she said.

  Melissa, sensing the air of embarrassment, said quickly, ‘Isn’t it exciting, having a murder in the town? We’ve been telling Mitch about it. Pity you’re not on the Gazette, Rona; you’d be au fait with developments!’

  Rona shot Max a warning glance. ‘I feel very sorry for them all,’ she said.

  ‘You were thinking of researching the family, weren’t you?’ Barnie remembered. ‘Better put that on hold for the moment.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Mitch put in. ‘It’d be an even better story now.’

  ‘It depends on the outcome,’ Max said.

  Everyone turned to him.

/>   ‘Do you think the husband did it?’ Melissa asked. ‘That’s how it usually turns out.’

  ‘I know no more than the rest of you, but Robert Tarlton doesn’t strike me as a killer.’

  ‘Under sufficient provocation, anyone could be,’ Barnie said darkly.

  Dinah jumped to her feet. ‘Dinner’s almost ready; I’ll go and put the finishing touches to it. Mel, you could bring in the first course for me, if you would.’

  The meal was as sumptuous as always: melon with prawns, roast goose with all the trimmings, and an iced Christmas bomb for dessert.

  ‘I didn’t want to pre-empt the turkey,’ Dinah said, ‘but it had to be Christmassy!’

  As they were finishing, a group of carol singers came to the door. Barnie went to open it, and they sat in silence, listening as the familiar tunes reached them.

  ‘There are some mince pies in the kitchen, Barnie,’ Dinah called, when they came to an end.

  ‘Beautifully stage-managed, Dinah!’ Max said. ‘All we need now is some snow, and it will be really Dickensian.’

  ‘It’s quite cold enough for me, thanks!’ Mitch protested. ‘The temperature’s already some twenty degrees lower than I’m used to.’

  They returned to the fireside for coffee, but Max and Rona declined the offer of liqueurs. ‘We have to drive home,’ Max said regretfully. By now, talk was desultory, and when a cry from upstairs summoned Mel, it seemed time to make a move. Dinah searched out their presents from under the tree and Mel, having resettled her daughter, came down in time to say goodbye. The whole family gathered in the doorway to see them off, and they drove away to a chorus of ‘Happy Christmas’.

  ‘I do hope it will be,’ Rona said. ‘For everyone.’

  Sixteen

  Freya said, ‘I do wish we were spending Christmas together.’

  Matthew nodded. ‘Me, too. Trouble is, up to now we’ve both spent it with our families, and since we’re not engaged or anything, it’s what they still expect. In fairness, I’ve not seen my lot for a month or two; I feel I owe it to them.’

  ‘And I couldn’t desert mine, especially this Christmas. Dad looks like a ghost, while everyone else is going round with false smiles plastered on their faces. And it’s all my fault.’