Death Trap

by Patricia Hall

  Mackintosh eventually noticed Barnard and Kate and shrugged slightly, licking dry lips as if unable to speak.

  ‘Put the blade down, Nelson, or someone else will get hurt,’ Barnard said.

  No one seemed to breathe while Mackintosh considered this and then slowly put the machete on the floor as uniformed police began to stream in the door behind Barnard. He was not surprised to notice that Ray Robertson and Fred Bettany were no longer in the room.

  It was two weeks later that Harry Barnard delivered Kate O’Donnell and her friend Tess to a tall Victorian house in Goldhawk Road, just to the south of Shepherds Bush. They had at last found a small flat that they could afford and that was in a reasonably decent condition.

  ‘So there you are, girls,’ Barnard said, dropping the last of their bags and suitcases in the living room.’

  Kate kissed him on the cheek. She knew only too well that he was disappointed that his efforts to persuade her to stay in Highgate with him had failed, and guessed that he would continue his blandishments for a while yet.

  ‘So Marie had decided not to come back?’ he said.

  ‘She went home to Liverpool and managed to get some work up there. Nothing spectacular but it’s a start,’ Kate said.

  ‘So tell me what’s happened while I’ve been staying with Jenny,’ Tess said.

  ‘Both the Mackintoshes are in jail,’ Kate said sombrely. ‘Ben charged with arson and Nelson with the murder of Devine. I’ve not been back to see Evelina. I don’t think I can bear it.’

  ‘But Kate has some good news,’ Barnard said quickly. ‘She’s got some of her pictures in this new magazine that’s being launched. Some of the Notting Hill stuff she took, and the excitement yesterday when the Beatles played at the Palladium. As far as her boss is concerned she’s a bit of a star.’

  ‘Great,’ Tess said. She gave Kate a hug.

  ‘And Miles Beauchamp has been arrested,’ Kate said.

  ‘Notting Hill nick moved on that in the end and found him holed up with his friend Nick Carey down in the country with all the cash still in a carrier bag. As far as they can make out Carey thought he had some claim on the loot from the fraud, so he’s been arrested as well. The joke is that when the old lady changed her will she left the house to a cats home in memory of her late departed moggie. So Miles got nothing at all.’

  ‘And did Beauchamp kill his mother?’ Tess asked.

  Barnard shrugged. ‘They’re still doing some forensic work on that, I think, but it looks likely.’ He put a carrier bag on the table and pulled out a bottle of champagne. ‘I brought you this as a flat-warming present,’ he said, undoing the wire.

  ‘I’ll see what glasses we’ve got,’ Tess said.

  Kate looked at Barnard thoughtfully as Tess went into the kitchen. ‘You don’t look totally happy with the state of things,’ she said. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing you need to worry about,’ Barnard said lightly. ‘But these things never end. If there’s a vacuum in Notting Hill it will soon get filled by another Mister Big.’

  ‘Ray Robertson, you mean?’ Kate asked.

  ‘I’d put money on it,’ Barnard agreed as Kate came back with three tumblers. He let the cork off and poured the foaming liquid into the glasses.

  ‘So here’s to the new flat, girls,’ he said, raising his glass. ‘And to a quieter life, I hope. Cheers!’