Murder by Suspicion

by Veronica Heley

  ‘I’m afraid it’s too early to—’

  ‘It’s never too early to be about God’s work, is it? Early to bed and early to rise? I’m sure you must have heard that.’

  ‘Yes, but …’ He was sapping her energy. She resented that.

  He looked around him with sparkling eyes. ‘Delightful old house. Big. Just as it was described to me. Well maintained. There’s just the two of you living here now, is that right? And Rose, of course. But we know all about Rose, don’t we?’

  Ellie stood there like a dummy, holding on to the front door while he stepped past her and prowled around the hall, looking into the dining and sitting rooms. Without being invited to do so.

  She’d lost the initiative. If only Thomas had been able to return with her! He would have been able to deal with this intruder.

  She shut the front door, with care. ‘I’m afraid you have assumed too much. I have not yet had time to look at the paperwork which has been piling up during my absence. When I have done so there will no doubt be questions which will need answering—’

  He held out his arms. ‘Ask away. What do you wish to know? Our affairs are totally transparent. We toil in the depths of humanity to bring forth the fruits of the spirit, and—’

  She held up her hands. ‘Stop! Stop right there. You are being most unbusinesslike. I have just told you that I can’t—’

  ‘Oh, but you can, you can! What is to stop you listening to the voice of truth! God has laid on me a heavy task, to work with the dregs of society. He has told me that you are the one who will rescue us in our hour of need. You are to bring hope to the despairing and balm to the wounded.’ His voice rose to a clarion call. ‘You will provide shelter for the homeless and work for those wearing the rags of poverty. You will—’

  Ellie had both her hands to her head. She was getting another headache. ‘Just go, will you!’

  ‘But you invited me to—’

  ‘No, I didn’t.’

  A movement at the back of the hall. Claire crept into sight, washing her hands in apology.

  Ellie said, ‘Claire, did you invite this man?’

  He said, smiling, ‘Yes, of course. She said to be prompt, and so I am.’

  Ellie took a deep breath. She opened the front door again. ‘Out. Both of you. Yes, I can see it’s raining, but as far as I’m concerned it is far too early in the morning for me to attend to business. Pastor Ambrose, or is it Reverend?’

  ‘Whichever you wish, gracious lady.’

  ‘I don’t care which title it is, but—’

  ‘That shows a certain lack of respect.’

  ‘If you’d behaved with respect to me, I might show some for you. Out! Both of you!’

  He turned on Claire. ‘What have you done! I asked you to arrange this meeting. Can’t you even manage the simplest—’

  Claire started to cry. Of course. ‘I’ve just prepared a lovely breakfast for us all.’

  Pastor Ambrose took a turn around the hall, breathing hard before coming to a halt, eyes closed and face uplifted. He swept his hands outward. ‘So be it. God has spoken to his servant. We will forgive one another and eat the bread of reconciliation. We will forgive our sister Claire, who sometimes oversteps the mark in her eagerness to be of service …’ And here he shot the woman a glance which Ellie couldn’t interpret. A frown, yes. But also – or was she reading too much into it – an order to keep her mouth shut?

  ‘This way,’ said Claire, opening the door to the kitchen, the door which Ellie kept propped open so that if Rose rang her bell it could be heard throughout the house: a door which seemed mysteriously to shut whenever Claire was around. And, yes, the temperature had dropped again.

  What was that? Rose, weakly calling Ellie’s name. Ellie had no choice. She shut the front door and followed Claire and Ambrose down the corridor into the kitchen. Rose was already in her big chair, trying to fasten her bib around her neck. Claire had laid the table for four, which proved she’d planned that Ambrose should join them for breakfast.

  Claire was all smiles. ‘Freshly squeezed orange juice in the glasses, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, mushrooms, fried bread, tomatoes and baked beans. Toast and fresh fruit to follow.’

  Altogether it was a sight to tempt the pickiest of appetites, and Ellie was hungry enough to eat the lot. But.

  If she broke bread with them, they would assume she had accepted their intrusion into her life. Which she hadn’t.

  She thought about upending a plateful of the cooked food over Claire’s head. It was a thought that gave her pleasure. She could just imagine the baked beans slithering down the woman’s pasty cheeks. She’d do the same to the pastor. That would wipe the grin off his face.

  Ambrose had seated himself at the head of the table. He glanced up at Ellie. ‘When you are seated, I will say the grace.’

  Ellie took a deep breath. This was going to be difficult. ‘I fear you have been misled. I see that Claire has invited you to have breakfast with her, but I have not. You must excuse me from eating with you. It would be unethical until I have come to a decision about your application for funds. To do that I have to study the papers you have sent in, after which I may well need clarification on certain points. Only then will I convene a meeting with the other members of the trust to discuss the matter. I suppose that may take a week or so. I understand you are in some haste. I cannot prejudge the issue, but I promise I will get back to you as soon as I can.’

  ‘You haven’t understood—’

  ‘Oh, I think I have. Claire, you and I will have a talk after breakfast. I will take mine in the sitting room.’

  Her pulse was too fast. She was breathing like a grampus. But she’d left them in no doubt as to her position, hadn’t she?

  Claire bridled. Yes, she really did. Her shoulders moved up and down, and her head wagged from side to side, while her mouth looked as if she’d tasted something sour. ‘I was not employed to be your maid of all work. I have prepared this meal out of the goodness of my heart because it is a great honour for the pastor to eat with us, but—’

  That was it! Ellie marched round the table, picked up the heavy frying pan with all its luscious contents and tipped it into the waste food bucket.

  Claire cried out in horror. Ambrose half rose from his seat, but Ellie was too quick for him. She seized the toast rack and flicked the slices in, one by one, on top of the fry-up. Then she reached for the jug of orange juice.

  ‘No, you shan’t!’ cried Claire, reaching for it at the same moment as Ellie. An undignified tug of war took place till Ellie suddenly let go …

  … which meant that Claire took an undignified dive backwards, slipping from chair to floor …

  … and the juice went all over her.

  Claire screamed, throwing the jug on to the floor and clawing at her T-shirt.

  ‘Bravo, Ellie!’ Rose fell back in her chair, laughing so much that she had to hold herself together.

  Ambrose didn’t go pale with rage. A dusky skin doesn’t allow for that. He thrust back his chair and thundered, ‘Woman! What do you think you are doing!’

  Ellie didn’t feel ashamed of herself. Not one bit! Well, perhaps a little bit. She’d behaved like a spoilt child, and one part of her mind informed her that she was going to regret her hasty actions when she’d calmed down. But she hadn’t calmed down yet.

  Hands on hips, she said, ‘I did not invite you into my house. That was my food, bought with my money, which Claire prepared. I had every right to dispose of it in any way I wish. I can’t imagine why you think I’d enjoy being browbeaten. I have already asked you both once to leave this house, and now I ask you to do so again.’

  ‘Look at what you’ve done to me!’ wailed Claire, sitting up and holding her T-shirt away from her.

  Ellie’s better self tried for contrition, and failed. Normally, she’d have sprung to the rescue of someone who’d spilt juice down herself with offers of help to get them into clean clothes. Now, she folded her arms at Claire.
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br />   Ambrose raised his hands in the air, to bring down a curse upon her? ‘Woman, you are piling up a mountain of sin—’

  ‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous,’ said Ellie, losing patience. ‘You can’t just barge in on people and take over their household, no matter how good your project may be. Now pick Claire up off the floor and take her to wherever it is you live.’

  Claire wasn’t giving up that easily. ‘You can’t manage on your own, you know you can’t.’

  Rose, who had crept out of her chair and was now at the sink, said, ‘Oh, yes, we can. Shall I make us boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast, Ellie? And a nice cup of strong tea to follow.’

  ‘Come!’ The pastor seized Claire by one fleshy arm and lifted her to her feet.

  Claire wailed, ‘I can’t go out like this! I’ve got to change! My things are all upstairs! Mrs Quicke, you can’t be so hard of heart as to throw me out without letting me even change my clothes.’

  Ellie hesitated, then nodded. ‘All right. Go upstairs, change and pack. Perhaps your pastor will be so good as to wait for you. Outside.’

  A look passed between Claire and the pastor. He let go of her and nodded. ‘I’ll wait for you in the car.’

  ‘One moment,’ said Ellie. ‘Before you go, I need your keys, Claire.’

  Sniff, sniff. A bunch of keys was produced and laid on the table.

  The pastor said, ‘I speak to you, Mrs Quicke, more in sorrow than in anger. I pray you will see the error of your ways. Meanwhile, I’ll consult my solicitor. You cannot expect to get away with assaulting someone as you have done, or to dismiss them from their job without giving them notice.’

  Ellie grinned. ‘Do make sure I get a copy of the contracts which Rose or I am supposed to have signed, and I’ll give them to my solicitor as well.’

  He didn’t ask what she meant, but he did send a glance of barely-contained fury in Claire’s direction as she stumbled to the back stairs and disappeared. Ellie led the way to the front door, hoping Ambrose would take the hint. She couldn’t think what she’d do if he refused to budge. Would she have to call the police to remove him?

  Fortunately, he took his dismissal calmly and followed her to the hall. She opened the front door for him. A good-looking silver car was standing outside. His, presumably? He must be getting a good stipend to run a Lexus … At least, she thought it was a Lexus. She’d heard it said a Lexus was the cream of cars at the moment, but what did she know about cars? It was raining, not much, but enough to deter further conversation. She saw him get into his car, and she closed the front door on the outside world.

  Now, breakfast. Rose might or might not have achieved boiled eggs, and she might well have poured boiling water into the pot without first putting in any tea bags, but Ellie could sort out what needed to be done, and they could eat in peace.

  It was early yet, and she could be at her desk by nine – with luck. After she’d sorted out her washing …

  By ten past nine Ellie was indeed at her desk, sorting the pile of mail into His and Hers. Thomas edited a quarterly Christian magazine. He’d put the last issue to bed and made a good start on the next before he left for Canada, and meanwhile the follow-ups were being handled by his part-time assistant, who would work from home while Thomas was away. But still some correspondence had landed up on Ellie’s desk. Also bills. She dealt with those, collected all the envelopes addressed to him and left them on his desk.

  When she got back, she found Midge had taken over her chair and was pretending to be asleep. She lifted him up and placed him on her lap, which meant she couldn’t access her computer properly … but then, it hadn’t come on when she’d tried it the day before. Bother. She tried it again, and this time it decided to obey her instructions. Oh, good. There were over a hundred emails. Oh dear.

  Someone tapped on her door and entered.

  Pastor Ambrose. Smiling. Not at all hesitant.

  Ellie was not amused. In fact, she was annoyed, with an undercurrent of fear. This man had invaded her space once too often. Midge sat up on her lap and stretched, with his eyes on the intruder. Was he going to leave her to face the man alone? How ridiculous, to depend on a cat’s presence to protect her!

  She said, ‘I suppose Claire let you in? Which tells me that neither of you can be trusted to carry out your promises.’

  He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘Forgive me. I was misled into thinking you were a godly woman who worshipped the light. Claire thought she was helping you on your way and did not realize how far you still have to travel. That was very wrong of her. I fear she frequently mistakes her role in life. In a sense, I have made myself responsible for her, so I asked her to let me in, to apologize to you most profoundly for offending you. She means well, but she is not always wise.’

  Ellie stilled her heartbeat. He did not mean her any harm. Probably.

  So, Claire’s role in life was to be the fall guy? Anything Ambrose did which turned out badly could be blamed on Claire? The perfect scapegoat with a spotty past?

  She stroked Midge, who refused to settle down again but didn’t leave her. ‘I think I’ve made my position clear. I cannot enter into any discussion with you until—’

  He took a seat, unasked, and leaned forward, clasping his hands in a praying position. ‘I realize we have got off to a bad start, and I want to correct that. Let me tell you about our organization.’

  Ellie indicated the pile of papers at her side. ‘I am sure your application is here, and I will get round to it shortly. Now, if you don’t mind … You can see how busy I am.’

  Another tap on the door; this time a timid one. Claire sidled in.

  Midge jumped from Ellie’s lap to the top of the filing cabinet, where he fluffed himself out to twice his normal size and growled.

  Claire gave a little scream. ‘Oh, save me!’

  Ellie would have laughed if she hadn’t been so annoyed. ‘Midge won’t hurt you.’

  Claire cringed into a corner, as far away from Midge as she could get, hands over her mouth. ‘Help! Oh, save me!’

  Ambrose said, ‘Pull yourself together, woman!’

  Ellie knew it was no good telling people to pull themselves together if they were as distressed as Claire was. And Claire really did seem to be distressed. She wasn’t making it up.

  Ellie opened the door and, risking Midge’s claws, removed him from his perch and put him down in the corridor. He was the type of cat who believed himself to be hard done by if he were picked up and ejected from the room he’d chosen to grace with his presence. He turned his back on Ellie and proceeded to attend to his toilet.

  ‘Now,’ said Ellie, returning to her seat, ‘if you will kindly leave, I really do need to get on.’ She swung round to her computer, hoping they’d take the hint.

  Pastor Ambrose put his large, warm hand over hers as it rested on the mouse. He said, ‘A woman’s first duty is to her church, and then to her family and friends. She should leave financial affairs to those who understand them.’

  ‘Make up your own mind. You can’t have it both ways,’ said Ellie, who secretly agreed with him and left all financial dealings to those she considered better equipped to deal with them … except, of course, that Kate, their financial wizard, did also happen to be a woman. ‘Either you are talking to me as the head of a charitable trust, in which case I have already informed you of my position, or you aren’t … in which case we have nothing to say to one another.’

  ‘We need you!’ Claire was in tears. Again. ‘You’ve got to help us! They said you were a good, kind person who went to church and helped people who are in trouble, and we’re in desperate trouble!’

  ‘Hush, woman!’

  ‘But we are! And I am! Pastor, you did believe me when I said I hadn’t killed that girl, didn’t you? You said, before the whole congregation, that I was blameless in that matter—’

  ‘You were foolish in other ways.’

  ‘I admit it! I was spiteful. I carried tales. I was uncharitable and
envious, but I didn’t deserve to lose my job, my flat and my car!’

  ‘How did you lose all of them?’ asked Ellie, who was, reluctantly, becoming curious about this.

  ‘I …’ The woman stopped. Her face flooded red with embarrassment and, possibly, with shame.

  ‘She assaulted one of the pupils at the school where she was working,’ said Ambrose, shooting Claire an unfriendly glance.

  ‘He provoked me beyond bearing!’

  The pastor wagged his finger at her. ‘Your loss of self-control could have landed you in prison. You were fortunate indeed to be let off with the loss of your job and a hefty fine.’

  Ellie sat back in her chair. ‘Is that how she came to work for your organization? You help people who’ve been through the courts by giving them work?’

  ‘Not everyone comes to us through the courts. We do take those addicted to drugs and drink, but Claire came to us long ago because she believed in the Vision, and it only later transpired that she nursed a secret sin. Claire is an addict to anger. She has to learn—’

  ‘I have, I really have! I was happy to give up my car and my flat and move into the community rooms to prove that I am on the right path—’

  ‘You were rebellious and ungrateful when we found you another job—’

  ‘Helping an old lady dress and feed herself! I’m worth more than that!’

  ‘There speaks your pride. You convict yourself out of your own mouth. You promised us much good would come of that job, and what happened? Nothing but trouble. Not a single penny has come to the Vision, for all your boasting. Then you failed to inform me that our young neighbour was behaving wantonly in—’

  ‘I hoped that if I warned her—’

  ‘Too late! She was steeped in sin and rebellious. You should have spoken out earlier, either to her mother, or to me.’ Ambrose displayed a nasty temper. ‘You did nothing to stop her descent—’