by Ruby Loren
Right on cue, I handed over the cash for the coffees and added a generous tip.
“Thank you, Diana. I always put a good word in for your business whenever any of my customers mentions they’re having an event or are looking for a florist to buy a gift from.”
I smiled warmly at the baker, knowing I didn’t need to return the favour. Anyone local who came to me for flowers would have known Mrs Dovey for years. She was just one of those village characters that seemed to always be present.
When I turned back to the table, George had gone. For a moment I was struck by the rudeness of his lack of goodbye, but then I shrugged it off as easily as a drift of freshly fallen snow. He hadn’t come to Merryfield for me. He’d come here for himself. Hopefully he was packing his bags right now, ready to return to London.
The only thing still bothering me was the possibility that there could be a diamond in one of his suitcases.
I exited the cafe and stood in the empty Merryfield high-street and wondered about what I’d just learned. If Cordelia Wrexton really was strapped for cash, then it was certainly a motive to steal the diamond, or at least - sell out the secret of its location and how to access it. If she was responsible for her father’s death by proxy, I hoped she was feeling terrible right now.
A white flake dropped from the sky and settled on my cheek. As usual, the snow had skipped Christmas, but this year it had only missed by a day.
I shook my head, the snowflake melting away. I shouldn’t be so quick to form opinions, especially when they were biased by the past. If Cordelia had orchestrated the theft of the diamond in return for some cash, she would surely have been paying off her debts right now in order to cover the fact that she’d run them up in the first place. I knew if I were in her position, I wouldn’t want local businesses talking like that about me. Especially when there was a theft investigation going on. I wondered if anyone close to her knew about her money problems. Harrison had claimed he paid for everything, so I was guessing it wouldn’t have come up. And then I wondered if she really had it in her to betray her family like that, even for the money.
I just didn’t know.
15
The Conspiracy King
It was only a day later when I saw Samuel Farley again. This time, he was standing on my doorstep with snow falling all around him with surprising persistence.
I opened the door and waited for him to say something that would stop me from shutting it in his face.
“I’m here to apologise. May I come in?” he asked, clutching a bobble hat in his hand and looking genuinely sorry. The smug amusement had vanished, and I was willing to believe he may have experienced some kind of revelation about the way he’d behaved.
“Please do,” I said, stepping back and allowing him through. I wondered how he’d found out where I lived, before remembering that he was a conspiracy theorist. They may not always get their facts right, but they tended to be excellent researchers. Samuel had probably found my website and taken my address from there.
“Sit down. Diggory’s harmless,” I said by way of apology for my very hyperactive dog. I’d been about to take him out for a walk to try to debounce him a little bit, but he’d have to wait five minutes longer.
Samuel perched on the edge of the sofa in a similar manner to the way George had done. Fergus seemed to be the only one able to relax on my soft furnishings. “I’ve made a mess of everything,” he began, looking down at the floor. “When this thing began, I was too focused on finding out about this diamond, and if it really was such a big deal. I didn’t consider what I was doing to those around me… to Charlotte,” he said, looking distraught before raising his gaze to mine. “I really do love her, but I doubt she’s ever going to believe it again. I started out being with her for the wrong reasons, I know that, and I know I was an idiot, but it’s only now that she’s gone that I realise it was all real. I want to be with her. Heck, I really do want us to get married! This whole thing might have been fate pushing me towards my life partner.” He clasped his hands together and looked at me. “Can you help me out? Maybe put in a good word with Charlotte for me? I want to make things right again.”
I gave Samuel a long look. “You probably should have thought about that before you used my sister to further your conspiracy theory obsession. Not only did you ruin your own sham relationship, and probably ruin Charlotte’s trust in men forever, you’ve also made it so that she isn’t speaking to me. Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t. But I really, really don’t want to help you,” I told him.
Samuel looked crestfallen, but he nodded as if he’d been expecting that kind of response. “I got way too focused on a mystery that doesn’t even make sense. Do we even know that this diamond really exists? All we have is various snatches of stories. Do you really know anything for sure? Has anyone described the diamond to you?”
“No,” I confessed, thinking that although Gillian had confirmed there was a diamond, it had only been after Fergus’ retelling of that ancient Egyptian conspiracy theory tale. She hadn’t even told us what we were looking for. We’d been assuming the rest.
“Something to think about, isn’t it?” Samuel said, not sounding amused in the slightest. “I feel like an ass for ever getting involved. I guess I’ll go back to India and forget about everything.” He let out a self-pitying sigh. “I just wanted this one to be something real. I started out as more of a parody writer than a real theorist, but now I understand. I want to be respected.” He shot me a sideways look. “It’s no secret that I’m not friendly with your friend, Fergus Robinson, but he’s probably the most credible theorist out there. Especially recently. He’s really upped his game.”
“Glad to hear it,” I said, pleased that Fergus was doing well. Perhaps he’d finally started taking on board some of my questions when he considered the validity of the theories he investigated.
“He’s written about all kinds of action scenes, like you wouldn’t believe. He’s doing what I do better than myself. It’s so gripping, it could be fiction.”
“What name does he write all of this under?” I asked. I was definitely starting to get the impression that Fergus was working on something that I clearly had no idea about. Unlike Samuel, Fergus didn’t have a handy catchphrase to type into the search engine.
“T.C.King,” Samuel said. “He has a whole blog and everything, as well as the books. That was the website I was talking about. It looks stupid. I thought you were friends with him?”
“I didn’t know he had a pseudonym! How did you?” I was baffled as to how this had escaped my knowledge. I knew Fergus’ actual name, and I’d thought I’d known his website. Had I been led along a false trail?
“To be fair, I didn’t know the guy’s name was actually Fergus Robinson. I just recognised him from the stupid picture he slaps on the inside of every book and all over the site. Uh-oh, have I just started something?” Samuel asked, probably noticing the glitter my eyes had taken on, as I finally discovered the truth about Fergus and how he presumably made his living. Gillian might have thought she was reading fiction, but I was willing to bet that T.C.King wrote books that the author believed were factual.
Samuel shook his head. “I doubt either of us will get much writing inspiration from this one. I bet the whole thing is some kind of insurance scam. People pull it off all the time to get money.”
“How do you explain Bill Wrexton’s death?”
Samuel turned his palms up to the ceiling. “Buy one get one free? They got to steal the diamond and get rid of a troublesome husband with a fortune to pass on. Great value for money.”
I frowned at him. “I don’t think that’s what happened. Gillian seems genuinely upset.”
“Well then, I don’t know. If there really is a diamond, it’s just about the perfect crime. If it was a jewel thief, they must have one heck of a fence to sell it without so much of a whisper. It’s that or something else is going on… and I’m sticking with the insurance scam. I’m the first to jump
on an interesting theory, but even I will come clean and say that, nine times out of ten, it’s the most mundane answer that’s the true one.”
He pushed himself to his feet. “I should be getting on. I’ve just caught wind of a new theory to follow up on before the New Year. I’d tell you what it is, but funnily enough, I’m not about to trust the best friend of my biggest rival. He’s quite a big deal in the conspiracy theory world, you know.” He gave me a funny look. “You’re not exactly anonymous either, if you’re who I think you are.”
And on that cryptic and concerning note he walked back towards my front door.
“I know I don’t deserve it, but if you do see Charlotte… tell her I’m sorry and that I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said, turning to face me at the last moment.
“I’ll tell her what you said,” I decided. But I wasn’t going to do anything more than that. After what Samuel had done, I strongly believed that Charlotte would have to be crazy to ever trust him again. I was sorry that things hadn’t worked out with her husband and that Samuel could well have been a leading factor in that, but that didn’t mean she should settle for someone who’d lied to her. There would be other loves in her life. I was sure of it.
I closed the door only to turn around and grab my coat. I wanted to find out the truth about Fergus and the pseudonym he’d been keeping just as quiet as Samuel had his own alter ego. More than that, I wanted to find out if I was angry or not… and I wouldn’t know which way my feelings were going to fall until I looked up T.C.King, but I couldn’t do it right now. Right now, I was determined to investigate a case that Samuel had just given up on.
It was time to confront the demon of my past.
* * *
I swept into Merryfield Manor as soon as the door was opened for me by a bemused looking Harrison.
“Where’s Cordelia?” I began, not wishing to waste any time on pleasantries.
“Upstairs somewhere. I think she was talking to your friend.”
That made me stop for a second. “My friend?”
“Yeah, the one who’s decided he’s a detective. I think he’s got some competition now,” Harrison said, even as I was walking past him and up the stairs. I frowned at the mention of competition, but my mind was taken up by Fergus, and what I’d been told by Samuel. Was it the truth? I wanted to hear it from Fergus first, I realised. I wanted to hear what he had to say before I found out for myself.
I bit my lip. I’d only come here to confront Cordelia, but now it looked like all of my confronting had been rolled into one session. Lucky me.
I found them outside the study. Fergus stood close to Cordelia and they were deep in conversation. I almost felt bad about interrupting them. Almost.
“Cordelia, I need to ask you some questions,” I said, announcing my presence.
“Urgh, get in line!” she said back in her usual obnoxious manner. “Everyone wants a piece of me today. I’m busy. I have a life!”
She’d be needing a job, too, if what I’d heard was true.
“You asked before about whether or not the items in the safe were insured… but I think you knew that the diamond was insured, and I think you hoped to benefit from the payout,” I said.
“Excuse me? Why would I be interested in some tiny insurance payment? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m Cordelia Wrexton!” She gestured down to the luxurious dress she was wearing today. “And also, how dare you suggest I had anything to do with my father’s death!”
“I’m not certain that you did have anything to do with that,” I said, quite a lot more gently. “It could have been a mistake when you hired someone to steal the diamond - a simple case of your father being in the wrong place at the wrong time and coming up against someone pretty nasty.”
Cordelia looked from me to Fergus and back again. “Are you hearing this? This is ridiculous! I know you’re supposed to be here to help, but she can’t be here anymore. I’ve been gracious, but she has no grounds or evidence…”
“What about the debts you owe to a lot of traders in the village? I heard you made an unwise investment choice. Now you’re strapped for cash,” I said, knowing that now was the time to play my ace. I hadn’t taken Mrs Dovey’s word for it, either. I’d made phone calls and had it confirmed. When I’d finished ringing around, I’d been very glad that Cordelia had never darkened my door with her ‘business’, and that it had been her mother who’d paid me for the work I’d done at the ball.
Cordelia turned pale and then her cheeks reddened with both rage and embarrassment. “That’s all just a misunderstanding. I am not poor,” she hissed.
“I’m not here to mock you. I just want to know the truth. If you’re in trouble because of money, it’s always best to get help. We’ll be here for you. I’m sure you never meant for things to happen the way they did. Was the writing on the window a threat?” I asked, wondering if the code had been some kind of deadline for Cordelia to pay up, left by someone who’d sneaked inside of Merryfield Manor and wanted her to know it. Had I been too quick to dismiss Samuel or George’s involvement? This could all be tied together.
We all heard the sound of voices approaching down the corridor.
Cordelia’s expression morphed into desperation. “Please. Don’t tell her. It isn’t what you think! I didn’t do anything. This is entirely separate.” She glanced over her shoulder as her mother’s voice became louder. “It’s exactly what you think… about me losing my money. I invested everything in a startup that went bad. I’m still trying to figure out a way out of it, and any extra money that comes my way will be useful, but I’m trying to get myself out of it. Mum doesn’t need to know. Especially not with everything that’s happening now…” She looked imploringly between us again.
Fergus and I looked at one another. We nodded our agreement a mere second before Gillian rounded the corner flanked by two men in suits.
“Fergus! I didn’t know you were coming in today?” Gillian said, looking a little flustered. I noted that she was back to looking like a gracious host, but I could still see the grief in her eyes. “Seeing as the police don’t seem to be doing much at all, I thought I’d hire some more investigators. These two have experience of catching killers. I thought they could focus on finding my husband’s killer whilst you continued your stellar work on tracing the missing diamond. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not at all, Mrs Wrexton,” Fergus said, inclining his head towards the newcomers. “I have no doubt at all that you have taken the most prudent approach to this difficult situation.”
The two suits watched silently from either side of the widow. Apparently they weren’t the chatty sort.
“Could you describe the missing diamond to me, Mrs Wrexton?” I asked, copying Fergus’ lead and using a formal address.
Gillian Wrexton blinked. “It looked like the biggest diamond you’ve ever seen. You know those cartoon diamonds? Like one of those. I’m afraid that’s the best I can describe it.”
“You don’t have any pictures of it at all?” I pressed.
She shook her head. “Not that I know of. My husband might have taken one to send to the insurance company… I’m not sure. I just want to get it back. It’s not about the money, it’s the sentimental value. They took my husband’s life, and I’ll be darned if they get to keep their ill-gotten gains!”
“Mrs Wrexton, may we continue our discussion somewhere private?” One of the suits finally proved he did have a voice after all.
“Yes, of course,” Gillian said, coming down from her moment of rage. “We’ll go into the office.”
She walked away, taking the men in black with her.
“They don’t look like private detectives,” Cordelia said as soon as the strange entourage had disappeared.
I looked at her in surprise. I’d been thinking the same thing.
“I’m leaving you losers to your stupid investigation. At least Mum’s hired people who look like they can do the job… even if they’re, like, assassins, or something,”
she continued, before swishing her hair way too close to my face. “Bye Fergus,” she said with an unnecessary flutter of eyelashes before wiggling off.
“Did she call me a loser?” Fergus asked when she’d gone.
“I think she meant it in a nice way for you and not so nice for me,” I said, remembering Cordelia’s mannerisms.
“Huh.” Was all Fergus had to say to that, before he frowned and looked at me. “What was all of that about with Cordelia?”
“She’s broke. I figured she might have got someone to steal the diamond, so that she could get some insurance money and the thief could get the diamond, or something like that. Perhaps the thief would fence the diamond and then she’d get her money,” I said, realising my initial insurance idea hadn’t been thought out incredibly well. It was probably unlikely that Cordelia would be in line for any of that money. However, she was likely to feature in the will her father might have made. Dare I go down that avenue of thought? I decided I’d only contemplate it if any more evidence arose against Cordelia. I needed to make sure that this investigation was based on fact, not vengeance.
“I’ve been researching the word that was written on the jotter pad,” Fergus said.
“Find anything?”
He tipped his head from one side to the other. “Some interesting things, but nothing that seems relevant to a jewel theft and the murder of a man, who hadn’t apparently done a single memorable or interesting thing in his entire life. As far as I can tell, being wealthy is all there was to Bill Wrexton.”
“Is that suspicious in itself?” I asked.