by Ellen Dean
‘Yes, it is.’ Beth agreed. ‘Are you going to eat all of those?’ she pointed to the three croissants stacked up on Lou’s plate.
‘Sex with you makes me hungry.’
Beth burst out laughing. ‘I suppose I should be grateful you don’t want to turn me into a jam sandwich.’
Lou grinned wickedly, ‘Now, that’s an idea.’
‘Stop it. Come on. Let’s go sit by the window.’
‘Are you going straight home, or to the hospital?’ Lou felt the need to know Beth’s plans.
‘Home. That’s if my car doesn’t give up the ghost.’ Beth reached for the butter.
‘You’ve got problems with it?’
‘It’s just so old. Rattles like hell and I keep thinking it’s going to pack in. I’ll have to find the time to look for a new one.’ She buttered her toast.
‘So what do you fancy? Poser, or practical?’
‘Poser. Definitely. I don’t need practical.’ Beth released the lid with a pop on a small jar of jam.
‘Poser, eh? Does that mean sporty?’
‘Oh yes. A sleek sports job, but with style. Any ideas?’ Beth dropped jam onto the pristine white tablecloth pulling a face at her clumsiness, ‘I’ve been looking on the internet. I get really pissed off with car salesmen. They can be very cocky when a woman goes to buy a car on her own.’
Lou buttered her second croissant. ‘The new BMW sports looks smart.’
‘Yes, I suppose so, but I quite like the Jag XJS, it’s got such an elegant line to it. I’ve seen a sexy silver blue one.’
‘Interesting.’ Lou picked up the tea pot. ‘More tea?’
‘Please.’ Beth handed Lou her cup.
‘I’ll have to leave soon. I have to meet up with Sarah.’ Lou felt sick at the thought of leaving Beth.
* * * * * * * *
Lou left first. After soulful parting kisses and promises to ring, Beth was left alone feeling desolate. At least Lou had promised to go to Davinia’s with her — a good sign.
Her things packed, Beth was ready to check out, but first she had to meet Penny Corday in the drawing room. Why on earth did I offer? she asked herself while making her way downstairs to where Penny was waiting.
Urgently taking Beth by the arm, Penny whisked her through the drawing room then led the way to the farthest corner of the leafy conservatory to a table almost invisible behind a wall of greenery. Beth was not prepared for what Penny had to say.
‘You were right in your assumption, Beth. There is something wrong.’
‘I knew it. Are you ill?’
‘No, nothing like that. I’m errr . . .’ Penny scratched the top of her head, and shuffled in her seat. ‘I’m being — oh it’s no good. I can’t even bring myself to say it.’
‘What can’t you bring yourself to say?’ Beth said.
‘It’s just that . . . I’m being blackmailed.’
‘Blackmailed! Why would anyone want to blackmail you?’
‘Well, some people get jealous of my lifestyle. I’ve had letters. So has Victoria. The blackmailer is threatening to wreck Bertie’s career.’
‘You never mentioned his career last night. You said Bertie enjoyed the high-life, and the nearest thing he ever did to work was to lead your shooting parties. And he only did that when the mood took him. I distinctly remember that you called him an idle bastard.’ Beth said, raising an eyebrow. ‘What career?’
‘He sits in the House of Lords. Just think of the embarrassment it would cause him if it came out that his wife was a lesbian.’
‘I don’t suppose you have the blackmail demands with you, by any chance?’
‘I carry them with me all the time in case Bertie finds them.’
Beth looked at the letters Penny dropped onto the table, reluctant to touch them. Sinister words demanded a five hundred thousand pound payment otherwise the press would be sent a photograph of Penny and Victoria in a passionate clinch.
‘Victoria left early this morning. I wanted her to be with me when I told you, but she is too distraught to openly discuss the situation.’
‘Why are you telling me?’
‘Because I feel drawn to you.’
A waiter appeared at the table. Penny didn’t try to cover up the letters, but quickly ordered two large gin and tonics. Agitated, she said to Beth, ‘I’m staying a little longer. I need to keep my head down while Bert is in London for a few days.’
The waiter returned with the drinks. Draining her glass Penny gazed out of the window, ‘Oh Beth. What a mess. What am I to do? I’ve always tried to be so careful.’ Tearfully, she searched in her bag for a handkerchief.
Beth handed her a tissue, and pushed the other drink over to her. ‘Here . . . have mine. I’m driving anyway.’ Penny took a gulp, then stared miserably into the glass.
‘Have you any idea who could be doing this?’ Beth asked while twisting a strand of her long brunette hair around her finger.
‘No. None. I have a circle of trusted women friends, you know what I mean, don’t you? Of course you do.’ Penny managed a thin smile and patted Beth’s hand. ‘We are all loyal to each other. We have to be. I can’t go to the police We all have too much to lose.’
‘I have a friend in the police force who may be able to help you.’
Penny visibly gagged. ‘No. that won’t be necessary.’ She shook her head vigorously, while collecting the letters and putting them back into her bag.
‘I could ask her to contact you direct.’
Penny didn’t answer.
‘Yes, I’ll do that. Blackmail is serious business. You’ve got to do something about it.’ She paused expecting Penny to respond.
‘What is your friend’s name?’
‘Inspector Powell.’
Penny’s hands shook, ‘Inspector Powell . . . What if Bertie gets wind of things? No, forget it, I wish I’d never mentioned it now.’
‘Don’t worry, Penny, my friend is totally trustworthy, I’ll try to speak to her today.’
Leaving Penny weeping into her gin, Beth went to check out and wasn’t surprised to find Lou had settled the bill. She glanced up the stairs, gasping as Hyacinth disappeared out of view from the landing.
‘Excuse me, but I think I’ve just seen my friend Hyacinth Dickinson going upstairs. She didn’t tell me she was coming here . . . has she just booked in?’
‘Dickinson, did you say Madam?’ the receptionist glanced up. ‘Sorry. That’s not the name of the guest who has just checked in.’
‘No? Oh. I must be mistaken.’ Like hell I am. She hurried outside to scan the car park for the silver Mercedes. It wasn’t there. Perhaps she was mistaken.
Beth drove home enjoying the warm weather, reliving her time with Lou. Once home she would ring Lou first, then Lindsay, provided the car made it back. It was making an awful noise, rattling like a bag of hammers. She would have to make the effort to buy a new one. The only thing she was short of was time, and patience. She hated the waffling of car salesmen who irritated her to death automatically assuming she had no idea what was under the bonnet, when in actual fact she could teach them a thing or two about car mechanics. She wasn’t a petrol head, but she was close to it.
Lou wasn’t home so Beth left a message with her answering service asking her to get in touch. Then she rang Lindsay and told her about Penny’s problem.
Lindsay listened carefully.
‘I’d like to read the letters, Beth. I was thinking of coming up for your birthday on Wednesday anyway. I’m due a few days leave.’
‘It would be great to see you. I’ve got so much to tell you. I really need for us to sit and talk. I want to tell you all about Lou, but I’ve got to go now because I’m waiting for her to call me.’
‘Can you arrange for me to meet with Penny?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘I’ll leave it with you then. See you Wednesday.’
‘Tell me about Lou.’
‘Not until you are here. But I will tell you this — I h
ave been completely seduced by this woman, in every sense of the word.’
* * * * * * * *
Lou didn’t call until much later. Beth was curled up under the duvet when her mobile rang.
‘Where are you?’ Lou asked.
‘In bed. Where are you?’
‘I’m in bed too, thinking about what I would like to do
to you.’
‘Oh you are naughty, but I like you.’ Beth smiled into the phone. ‘What would you be doing to me if you were here right now?’
‘Well, first I would trail my fingers up the inside of your thighs, feel the softness of your skin on my lips, and then I would use my tongue to tantalize your clit until you begged for mercy.’ Lou’s voice was full of passion.
Beth could feel her skin flush, she was hot, and highly aroused. ‘Then what? I’m all ears.’ Her hand wandered down to her groin, now wet with desire.
‘What are you doing Beth?’
‘Nothing, just listening to you.’ She was too shy to tell Lou what she was doing. ‘I’ve got to go now Lou, and try to get some sleep. Not that I’ll be able to sleep after this conversation.’ Beth laughed.
‘Sorry Beth, can’t help myself. Night, night, sleep tight, keep your legs crossed or I might bite, ha-ha.’
‘You are so uncouth. I love it. Night-night.’
Chapter 24
Beth arranged for Penny and Lindsay to meet on Thursday morning. Penny seemed grateful in a strange sort of way.
On Wednesday morning Beth’s secretary, Janet, received a phone call from a local garage saying Beth’s new car would be delivered at lunch-time. As Beth was in theatre most of the day Janet took delivery on her behalf, leaving the keys with her messages on her desk.
After a hard day Beth was looking forward to going home and meeting Lindsay. All she had to do was check her messages, then leave. Nothing urgent required her immediate attention, except the small matter of a car. Reading Janet’s note again she learned her new XJS (‘nice choice dear — remember to drive safely’) had been delivered and was sitting in her personal parking bay.
Perfect car, thought Beth, big mistake; someone must be going crazy wondering what had happened to their new motor. She rang Janet’s home number. No mistake, Janet assured her. The car was definitely hers.
The only thing to do was to return it to the garage. Picking up the keys and paperwork, she went to find the car. She groaned in despair at the beautiful motor, a silver blue dream machine with a navy hood. Opening the door she slid into the driver ’s seat breathing in the smell of new leather.
On the passenger seat was a bouquet of red roses with an envelope addressed to her. She tore it open. Inside was a note:
Happy Birthday, my love.
Enjoy!
See you soon.
Lou.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Gob smacked, she recalled her conversation with Lou about getting a new car, when she’d moaned about how she hated the hassle, but this gesture was too much.
She stroked the leather seats, admiring the sexy curve of the bonnet and drinking in the luxury. Unable to resist, she turned the ignition, and the engine roared into life. Just wait until Lindsay gets an eye full of this. Of course she couldn’t possibly keep it, even as a gift. Lou knew she appreciated life’s luxuries and loved surprises, but this was one serious piece of luxury and one hell of a surprise.
Chapter 25
Lindsay pulled off the motorway into a service area. Time for a break. Washing her hands in the ladies’ room her attention was drawn by two attractive women deep in conversation. They would make an interesting pairing. She held her hands under the automatic dryer a little longer than necessary. The darker blonde, as if aware of her scrutiny, looked up and their eyes held momentarily, Lindsay caught up in the depths of the Mediterranean blue.
Looking at herself in the mirror Lindsay smoothed her short, light brown hair. Yes, she’d made the right decision to have the gold highlights, made her look more of a babe. That blonde certainly thought so. Lindsay tried to catch her attention again, without success.
Clearly the woman had more pressing things on her mind. After strong coffee and a chocolate muffin, Lindsay was ready to leave. She stood up, dropped a generous tip on the table then spotted the blonde in the car park. Alone this time, she looked angry, her deep blue eyes blazing. Always the police officer, Lindsay moved out of sight as the Mercedes cruised past the restaurant windows crossing the car park, then turned to head north.
The image of the two women played on her mind for a while. She enjoyed taking them through sex games until she had to stop, her imagination interfering with her driving. Anyway, she wondered, what sort of sex games was Beth playing? She couldn’t wait to find out. This blackmail business was a wonderful excuse to visit, suss out Hyacinth, and hopefully meet the lovely Lou who had knocked her best friend for six.
Arriving early evening, she expected Beth to have company when she saw the Jaguar convertible parked outside. Instead she was staggered at the change in her best friend who tried to make coffee, tell her about Lou, and her new car, all at the same time, talking twenty to the dozen. Lindsay had never seen her so euphoric.
‘Slow down! You’re making me dizzy. Lou sent you the car? A birthday present? Knocks mine into a cocked hat!’
‘Yes. Are you not listening? Honestly, Linz, you’re supposed to be a police officer!’
‘Tell you what. You’ve landed on your feet there. I wish I had someone who would give me a Jag and take me away for luxury weekends.’
‘She talked about going on a cruise some time. What do you think I should do?’
‘Do? The first thing you should do is get the keys and take me for a spin. That’s some car. And honey, if you don’t want to go on the cruise, I will!’
‘No chance. Come on then, let’s go.’ She picked up the keys and dangled them under Lindsay’s nose.
After a fast test drive they spent the rest of the evening catching up on Beth’s news. Lindsay wanted to know everything.
* * * * * * * *
The next morning at ten sharp Penny Corday arrived with the blackmail letters, including the one sent to Victoria. Sitting at the dining room table, Beth was concerned for Penny, who looked pale and drawn.
Lindsay studied the letters. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble. All six envelopes showed a different postmark.
‘Could you get some coffee, Beth? Penny looks like she could use a hot drink.’
As Beth left the room she heard Penny nervously gabble, ‘Thank you so much for seeing me. I’ve wracked my brain, but I can’t think of anybody who would do this.’ Penny sobbed into her handkerchief.
Beth returned carrying a tray of coffee.
How could someone be so cruel to such a lovely person, Beth thought while Lindsay tried to persuade Penny to have full police involvement. One thing was for sure, though; Lindsay would catch whoever was doing this.
‘Penny, if you won’t allow official police involvement you may never find out who has sent these. And the police can’t do anything unless you officially report this. I urge you to go to the local police.’ Lindsay paused giving Penny time to think about it. ‘They will deal with it professionally while giving you much needed support.’
Penny shook her head. ‘No. Absolutely not.’
‘Okay then, if you’re absolutely sure?’ Lindsay lit a cigarette. ‘Whatever you do, do not hand over any money. And I mean both of you. Understand?’
Penny nodded.
‘I would like to speak to Lady Victoria Ashton and see if she wants to take it any further.’ Lindsay sat back in the chair, casually blowing cigarette smoke into the air, while weighing up Penny’s body language.
Penny nearly fainted with shock at the request. ‘Oh no! That’s not possible. Victoria doesn’t want to speak to you. That would make it too real for her. She just wants it all to go away. She’s completely buried her head in the sand.’
’Pity. I can keep the letters, ca
n’t I?’
Penny grabbed the letters. ‘No! I’ll burn them. Let’s just forget about it. I should never have mentioned them. I must go now. Thank you for your time, Inspector Powell.’
* * * * * * * *
Sitting at the table, eating a late lunch, Lindsay’s sixth sense was troubled.
‘There’s something not right there, Beth. I’ve got this gut feeling she’s not all she makes out to be. Just how well do you know her?’
‘I don’t know her at all really. Only what I told you. We met her at the weekend, in the hotel, like I said. She seems so sweet and genuine. Honestly Linz, you’ve seen the dark side of life for too long.’
‘Really? And you always see the good in everybody, don’t you? Too bloody trusting for your own good sometimes. Pass the garlic bread.’
Beth nodded patiently. ‘I’m not stupid, you know. I do watch Agatha Christie.’
Lindsay laughed, ‘How I miss your sense of humour.’
‘She was in a dreadful state when she told me about the letters.’ Beth set her knife and fork down onto her plate, ‘I can’t understand why she refused police help, and why she almost ran out of the flat.’
The phone rang. It was Lou. ‘Hello, beautiful. How are you? How’s Inspector Lindsay?’ Beth had told Lou about the visit, but not the real reason why.
‘I’m home for the weekend. Why don’t you both come and stay? I’d love to meet Lindsay. She can tell me all of your dark secrets.’
‘Lindsay has to go back first thing tomorrow, but I’d love to come.’
‘And come you will — just as often as I can make you.’ Beth shot a quick glance at Lindsay wondering if she could hear. ‘Pack lightly, babe; you’ll not be needing much.’ Lou’s suggestive comments flustered and excited her.
Lucky Lou, Lindsay felt a pang of jealousy at the blush on Beth’s cheeks, but she simply couldn’t afford to be jealous. If only she’d been brave enough to make a move on Beth years ago instead of enduring all those sleepless nights. Oh, well, she’d just have to get over it. Lou may not last anyway, and why spoil a lifelong friendship by letting sex rear its ugly head? Who was she trying to kid?