Death Rope

by Leigh Russell

  Too wretched to do any more she had something to eat and went to bed early, only to be disturbed by a gale rattling around outside. As she came to, she thought it sounded odd, more like a door creaking than a storm. Peering out of her bedroom window, she saw the trees in her back garden were hardly moving. What she had heard couldn’t have been the wind. Still, something had woken her up. She lay in bed listening, but couldn’t hear anything. She supposed she must have dreamt it. Slightly unnerved, she decided to check all the windows upstairs were shut before going downstairs to check the doors were locked. Before going downstairs she turned off the burglar alarm but when it should have given two long beeps in response to the code she entered, there was only silence. She must have forgotten to set it when she went to bed. Since Mark’s death, her own life had been falling apart.

  Cautiously she crept downstairs and found all the doors and windows closed. Reassured that everything was secure, she set the alarm and returned to bed, leaving several lights on around the house. But she was wide awake now so she turned the alarm off and went back downstairs to put the kettle on. The noise of the water coming to the boil drowned out the silence. Sipping a mug of tea a few moments later, she told herself she must have been dreaming she had heard noises in the night. There was no other explanation for it, unless the wind had picked up and then dropped again before she looked out of the window. In her confused state of mind, anything seemed possible. Abandoning her tea, she poured herself a large slug of whisky.

  If she hadn’t been downstairs, she probably wouldn’t have heard the faint sound of her front door opening and closing. On the instant her pulse began racing so fast, she thought she was going to have a heart attack. Someone had just entered or left the house. There could be an intruder prowling around as she stood in the kitchen clutching her mug of whisky. The only other person who had a key was Eddy, and he was hardly likely to be visiting her at two o’clock in the morning. Trembling, she hesitated over what to do. It was possible Eddy had walked out on Luciana after a massive row. Never a patient man, he’d always had a short temper. Not only did he have a key to Charlotte’s house, but he would have nowhere else to go at that time of night. If that was what had happened, as seemed likely, then Charlotte would look pretty stupid calling the police. Moving as quietly as she could, she raced upstairs and grabbed her phone before locking herself in the bathroom. Leaning back against the door, she began to shake. If it wasn’t Eddy downstairs, her life could be in danger.

  There might be a violent criminal prowling around in her house while she sat on the side of her bath, procrastinating. Her hand trembled as she phoned Eddy, praying that he would answer and tell her that he had just popped in to collect something. He didn’t answer; no doubt because he was fast asleep at home. There was nothing else to do but call 999. She couldn’t risk waiting any longer to find out who was downstairs. Having summoned the police, she sat staring at the flimsy bolt on the bathroom door, waiting. It seemed to take hours for them to arrive, although in reality it was only about five minutes until she heard banging on her door. Cautiously she opened the window and saw a police car parked outside.

  ‘I’m just coming down,’ she called out.

  Her legs were still shaking as she crept down the stairs. A police presence on the doorstep was no guarantee she was safe indoors. A drug-crazed maniac might pounce on her at the bottom of the stairs and take her hostage, or stab her to death, before anyone outside had a clue what was happening to her. Reaching the hall, she cast a rapid glance all around before making a frantic dash for the front door and flinging it open. Two young policemen were standing outside.

  ‘Mrs Abbott?’ one of them stepped forward. ‘We received a phone call from you just now –’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ she interrupted him, ‘that was me.’ She lowered her voice and spoke slowly, aware that her speech was sounding slurred. She needed to be careful or they would never believe her. ‘There’s someone here.’

  The policeman nodded. ‘Yes, ma’am, we received your message. Did you get a look at the intruder?’

  ‘No, I didn’t see anyone. I just heard the front door open and close.’

  The policeman nodded again and gave her a sombre smile. ‘The fingerprint officers will be here shortly, so please don’t touch the external doors or windows unless you have to before they get here.’

  She trailed helplessly behind the two officers as they went around the house checking all the doors and windows. There was no sign of a break-in. The police officers didn’t seem surprised when they didn’t find anyone else in the house. Charlotte didn’t think they believed she had heard anyone, but it made sense that the intruder would have fled as soon as the police began banging on the door. When she followed them into the living room, she frowned. The cupboard doors were open. She always kept them closed. She never left doors open. Mark used to complain about her compulsion for closing doors around the house.

  ‘Someone’s been in here,’ she stammered.

  Her alarm must have shown on her face because the officer gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘We’ll soon be finished here,’ he said gently.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Charlotte told him she always closed all the doors in the house.

  ‘It’s a habit of mine,’ she explained with an embarrassed grin. ‘I can’t help myself. So you see, I’d never have left those doors open.’

  ‘What about your burglar alarm?’

  She bit her lip. ‘I must have forgotten to turn it on.’

  The policeman took a step away from her. ‘We’ve looked around and there’s no sign of a break-in, so I don’t think you need to worry, but we’re sending a fingerprint officer along. Does anyone else have a key to the house?’

  ‘No, only my son.’

  The policeman asked for Eddy’s address and telephone number.

  ‘There’s no need for you to speak to my son. I can do that myself. If I find out he was here during the night, I’ll let you know.’

  With no sign of a break-in, and nothing missing, there wasn’t much more the police could do but the officer assured her a report would be filed and an incident number issued. They departed soon after, leaving Charlotte feeling tired and disturbed. The police believed that she had imagined hearing an intruder during the night. The evidence certainly seemed to confirm that they were right. But she knew she hadn’t left the cupboard doors open. Although she had already checked the doors and windows were closed, she went around the house checking them all again before she went upstairs to bed. She didn’t go back to sleep. She was afraid she was losing her mind.

  34

  Eddy was tempted to ignore the door bell, but it rang repeatedly until Luciana snapped at him to see who it was. Hastily throwing on his dressing gown, he hurried downstairs in his bare feet. He opened the front door, ready to snarl at the caller to bugger off, and blinked in surprise. He had just been thinking about his stepmother, and now there she was on his front doorstep, as though she had read his mind. Despite his preoccupation with his own problems, he couldn’t help noticing that she looked agitated and haggard, as though she hadn’t slept. He had a horrible suspicion she had somehow discovered he was tens of thousands of pounds in debt and had come round to challenge him about it in front of Luciana.

  ‘I need to see you,’ she blurted out before he could say a word.

  He could hardly slam the door in her face. As soon as she closed the front door behind her he turned to glare at her, blocking her from going any further along the narrow hall.

  ‘What’s this about?’

  ‘I need to ask you something.’

  He scowled at her. ‘And this really couldn’t wait until later? Listen, why don’t you go home and I’ll come round and see you when I finish work?’

  ‘It can’t wait. Can we go and sit down?’

  She looked exhausted but he didn’t budge, so she came straight out with it. ‘Did you come round to my house last night?’

  ‘Me? Why? What makes you say that?’
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  ‘Were you in my house last night?’

  ‘No, of course not. What are you talking about? You’d have known if I was there.’

  Behind him, he heard Luciana coming downstairs. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that she was fully dressed, with make-up and everything. It was typical of her to send him down to open the door while she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, getting herself ready. Not that a good-looking woman like her needed so much make-up. Looking at her, he felt a lump in his throat. He still found it hard to believe she was really his wife. One thing was for sure, he was never going to let her down again. Last time she had discovered him gambling, she had threatened to leave him if she ever caught him at it again. He wasn’t going to let that happen.

  ‘Who was it? Oh, hello, Charlotte,’ she called out as she caught sight of her mother-in-law. ‘Is something wrong?’

  She joined them in the hall. ‘Don’t stand around here. Come on in. Eddy, why don’t you go up and get dressed? I can keep Charlotte company until you come down.’

  Without answering Eddy went into the living room, followed by Charlotte and Luciana.

  ‘So what’s happened?’ he asked when they were all sitting down. ‘Do you want to go and put the kettle on?’ he added, turning to Luciana.

  ‘Not until I’ve heard what this is all about.’ She glanced at the time on her phone. ‘It must be important to make you come round so early.’

  Taking a deep breath, Charlotte launched into an account of what had happened in her house during the night. When she finished, Eddy was barely able to catch his breath, let alone speak, he was so relieved.

  ‘You’re telling us you think you had an intruder because you found a cupboard door open?’ Luciana said slowly.

  Eddy shook his head. ‘Mum never leaves doors open,’ he muttered. ‘She used to drive me and dad mad nagging us about it.’

  ‘There was someone in the house. I heard him,’ Charlotte insisted.

  ‘But you said there wasn’t any sign of a break-in?’ Luciana asked.

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘Well, who else has got a key to the house and knows the code for the alarm?’ Luciana asked.

  ‘No one. Only me and Eddy.’

  ‘Then if it wasn’t Eddy, you must have imagined someone was there.’

  Charlotte shook her head vigorously. ‘No, I didn’t imagine it. There was someone there. I know what I heard.’

  While Eddy was trying to decide what to say to his stepmother, Luciana announced she had to leave for work. Without hesitation, Eddy said he would take the morning off to be with his mother. When Charlotte remonstrated that she was fine and he shouldn’t stay at home on her account, he insisted. Actually it had all turned out perfectly. He didn’t explain that he had been planning to phone in sick so he could talk to Charlotte that morning. He wanted to keep that from Luciana at all costs, for fear she would find out why he was so desperately in need of money. All that remained was for him to convince his stepmother that he was entitled to his share of his father’s estate, and all his problems would be over. She would bail him out, and he would be saved from the financial ruin that threatened to destroy his marriage.

  With Luciana safely out of the house, he offered his mother a cup of tea, and was disappointed when she shook her head.

  ‘No, no, Eddy, I’d best be getting on. I only called round to find out whether you’d been in the house while I was asleep. I’m fine, really. I appreciate your concern, but there’s no need to take time off work on my account. You get going. I’m fine.’

  She stood up to leave.

  ‘No. Don’t go.’

  He spoke more forcefully than he had intended. Surprised, she sat down again.

  After an uneasy silence, she reassured him. ‘If it was you last night, I don’t mind. I’d rather know it was you than be left in this horrible uncertainty. Was it you?’

  ‘No, I already told you it wasn’t me. Now listen to me, will you? I need to speak to you.’

  ‘Go on then. I’m listening.’

  Taking a deep breath, Eddy plunged in. ‘I need my money.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘My money. The money I should have had when dad died.’

  ‘What money?’

  ‘The money that’s owed to me.’

  His stepmother frowned. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’d better explain yourself.’

  ‘You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. I was due to inherit a fortune when dad died –’

  ‘Let me stop you right there,’ she cut in, her voice cold. ‘I was your father’s next of kin and his estate came to me when he died. There’s nothing complicated or unusual about that. I really don’t know why you would think you have any claim to any part of his estate, but you don’t.’ She leaned forward and her expression softened. ‘If you’re in trouble, Eddy, I’ll help you if I can, you know that. Most of what I own is tied up in the house and I’m not planning on selling it any time soon, if that’s what you’re thinking. But I’ve got a small nest egg of my own, and –’

  ‘How much?’ he interrupted quickly.

  ‘I’ll need to check the exact figure because it’s been earning interest, but last time I looked it was just over a thousand pounds –’

  ‘A thousand!’

  She smiled, completely misunderstanding his dismayed exclamation.

  ‘I can get my hands on it whenever I want, and I’d like to give it to you not as a loan, but as a gift.’ Her smile broadened as she waited for his expression of gratitude.

  He nearly choked on the words. ‘Thanks, mum, that’s very generous of you, but –’

  ‘But nothing,’ she cut in, firm now that she had made up her mind. ‘There’s no need to thank me. You’ve been a great help to me, with the funeral, and painting the hall, and everything. I’d have had to pay someone to do the decorating if you hadn’t offered. Let’s call it a payment for all the work you’ve done so far, and the work you’re going to do for me around the house, and we’ll say no more about it. I’ll get on to that today.’

  Eddy watched her stand up. His mind was racing. This hadn’t gone as he had planned, but a thousand quid was better than nothing. With a stake like that, he wouldn’t need too many decent wins to recover his losses. Even though his stepmother was a stingy cow, she might have bailed him out after all, and Luciana would be none the wiser.

  35

  Seeing a missed call from his stepmother, Eddy dashed to the toilet to speak to her. He could hardly catch his breath for impatience as he waited for her to answer.

  ‘Well?’ he demanded as soon as he heard her voice. ‘Have you got the cash?’

  ‘Calm down, Eddy –’

  ‘Don’t tell me to calm down.’ He drew in a sharp breath and lowered his voice in case someone was outside the cubicle, listening. ‘Have you got the money, yes or no?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve got it. I told you I would. You can come round for it whenever you want.’

  ‘I’ll be round straight after work.’

  After he rang off, he realised he hadn’t thanked her. Oh well, that could wait until he saw her in a few hours. Immensely relieved that he had succeeded in persuading her to get hold of the cash quickly, he was impatient to get started. Facing the prospect of a decent stake with which to try his luck made all the difference. Only of course it wasn’t luck that sorted the winners from the losers, it was having the bottle to continue when you had suffered a run of bad fortune. What he needed to do now was make a start on recouping his losses that afternoon, hopefully before Luciana noticed he was late home from work.

  As he had promised, Eddy went straight round to his stepmother’s house after work to collect his cash. Before she had even closed the front door behind him, he reminded her what he was there for. She gave a smug smile, as though she was doing him a favour, when in fact she was giving him only a fraction of what he was entitled to inherit. But he wasn’t going to argue with her about that. He just
wanted to get his hands on the thousand quid and leave as quickly as possible.

  ‘I was just putting the kettle on,’ his stepmother said.

  ‘No, no. I can’t stop. I have to get home.’

  ‘But – are you really saying you’re going to take the money and leave straight away?’

  ‘Yes, exactly. I’m sorry, but I haven’t got time to hang about. So, where is it? I can run and get it if you like. If it’s upstairs or –’ he broke off, registering her expression. ‘What’s wrong, mum? You aren’t thinking of changing your mind, are you? Only you told me you’d got hold of it. You promised me –’

  ‘No,’ she interrupted him coldly. ‘I’m not changing my mind. I said you could have it, and you can.’

  Scurrying along the pavement five minutes later, with a thousand pounds in his pocket, Eddy glanced around and slipped on the cap which he had remembered to bring with him. His stepmother’s parting words didn’t bother him in the slightest. He really didn’t care that she wouldn’t part with another penny to help him out. She had given him a thousand pounds and with some careful tactics he was going to make at least fifty times that amount before the night was over.