The Crooked Shore

by Martin Edwards

  ‘Who did you talk to?’

  ‘The manager of the home. A waste of my breath. She pooh-poohed any suggestion of foul play. All that mattered to her was protecting the good name of Sunset View. Like her care assistants, she was starry-eyed about Prentice. It’s so easy to fall under his spell.’

  ‘What about the doctor who examined Ivy Podmore?’

  ‘As far as he was concerned, Ivy had had a good innings, and there was no need for an inquest. My mother hadn’t actually seen her being murdered.’

  ‘Did Logan Prentice know you’d accused him?’

  ‘Oh, yes. The manager told me that Prentice flatly denied having been inside Ivy’s room, and she’d have believed him if he told her the moon is made of green cheese. Besides, I won’t pretend my mother was popular at Sunset View. Simply because she took no nonsense, they regarded her as a stirrer. A malicious old crone who was still making ructions from beyond the grave.’

  Bitterness gave his words a scything edge. Whatever the truth, Daniel thought the man was speaking from the heart.

  ‘As for me, I was just a gullible mummy’s boy who was flailing around and making wild accusations because I was demented with grief. The manager actually warned me not to repeat a word of what I’d said, in case Prentice sued me for defamation of character.’

  ‘So what did you do?’ Daniel asked gently.

  ‘What could I do? I’d lost the person I cared most about in the world. I was in a mess and nobody was listening. Besides, the manager was right. I wouldn’t put it past Prentice to sue me for every last penny.’ Kingsley’s hands were shaking. ‘He’s utterly merciless.’

  ‘Ingrid is so young,’ Logan Prentice said. ‘So lovely. So talented. I’m prejudiced, of course, but she has so much to look forward to, the rest of her life ahead of her. And now this diagnosis. I still can’t quite believe it. What she’s going through … it just seems bloody unfair.’

  Tory reached out to brush a bit of fluff off his shirt. They were sitting on the terrace at the rear of her flat, looking out towards the timber summer house and beyond it, the lake. A heron relaxing by the edge of the water pondered its next move.

  ‘Life is bloody unfair, sweetheart. What matters is what we do about it.’

  ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘You’re so shrewd, Tory.’

  ‘It’s because I’m so venerable,’ she murmured. ‘Call it the wisdom of age.’

  ‘I told you last night, you’re not old,’ he said fiercely. ‘I’ve never met anyone so … so vibrant.’

  She patted his hand. ‘Who needs pills when there’s Logan to keep me young? You boost my morale.’

  ‘And you’re brilliant at boosting mine.’ He bent towards her and dropped a kiss on her cheek. ‘Whenever I’m in a foul mood, you make me feel there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Honestly, I’ve never known anyone like you. You ought to be prescribed on the National Health.’

  She giggled. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere. I still don’t know why you bother with me. Such a good-looking boy. You can pick and choose.’

  ‘I’ve chosen,’ he said. ‘What I find baffling me is why an elegant woman of the world is mucking around with a computer geek like me.’

  ‘What I see is a young man with bags of get-up-and-go,’ she said. ‘The world’s at your feet.’

  ‘I wish.’ He hung his head. ‘Let’s face it, I’ve achieved nothing in my life.’

  ‘Rubbish. You’re your own boss, you run a business.’

  ‘My heart isn’t in it. I only ever meant it to be a way of paying the rent until I could make a living as a pianist. But I was kidding myself. Yes, I can entertain a group of old biddies in a care home or a party of drunks in a pub, but I’d never get a regular gig in a hotel. Let alone on a cruise ship. So I’m stuck with repairing computers and gaming machines.’

  ‘Don’t knock it. If I’d not seen your card in the shop window, I’d never have asked you to fix my laptop.’

  ‘Thank God you did. You’ve changed my life.’ He bowed his head. ‘Sorry if I seem twitchy. The truth is, I’m a mass of insecurities.’

  The heron flew over the trees and out of sight.

  ‘You’re bound to feel miserable, with Ingrid so poorly. I’m sure everything will work out.’

  He gave a sour smile. ‘Yeah, miracles do happen.’

  ‘Believe me, they do.’

  ‘You think so?’

  ‘I know so. Ask the medical profession. I ought to be pushing up the daisies. Not lapping up the sun with a young Adonis by my side.’

  He closed his eyes. ‘Thank God you pulled through. I simply don’t know what I’d do without you.’

  She drew his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers one by one. ‘Listen, Logan, I’ve got a proposition to make. Why don’t you move in with me?’

  His eyes widened. ‘You’re not serious!’

  ‘Never been more so. Why waste your money on rent? Two can live as cheap as one. Not that we have to stint ourselves. I realise now, the flat’s ridiculously large for a single person on their own.’

  ‘That’s wonderful, darling. So generous. But really, I can’t let you …’

  ‘Don’t be silly.’ She gestured at their surroundings. ‘Life is for living, nobody knows better than me. What’s the point of having money unless you make the most of it? For Christ’s sake, don’t let male pride come between us.’

  ‘I … I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘Just say yes.’

  He clutched hold of her. ‘You’re incredible.’

  ‘Glad you understand that, sweetheart. You can give notice to your landlord and shift your things over the weekend. All right? Do we have a deal?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said happily. ‘We have a deal.’

  ‘Darren blamed himself for the rest of his life for betraying his father,’ Maggie said. ‘That’s clear from the note he sent to Jade Hughes, and it explains why he chose the anniversary of Gerry Lace’s death to walk into Morecambe Bay. But all he did was confide in another boy at his school. Said he was worried sick about his dad, because he’d been out late the night Ramona went missing. The date stuck in his mind, because he’d been suffering from a toothache, and his mum had been under the weather as well. They’d not been able to get to sleep and they’d kept each other company. Gerry had rushed off in his car during the evening and didn’t arrive back home until after midnight. His face was scratched, and he seemed groggy and in a vile temper. He went straight to bed without a word. When the hue and cry was raised about Ramona, and Gerry was interviewed, Darren was scared stiff. He told his friend that his mum and his sister refused to believe his dad could do anyone any harm, and he felt the same. They’d all sworn to the alibi.’

  ‘Naturally, the school friend shared the secret?’ Les said.

  ‘Told his parents, and they contacted us. Ben gave the Laces a hard time, and Shirley broke down and admitted lying to protect her husband. Simply to avoid any misunderstanding, she said. Lace had no choice but to haul up the white flag and tell the truth. Or at least his version of it.’

  ‘Which was?’

  ‘When Ramona gave into his pleas, they agreed that he’d pick her up after she left Guido’s. They headed off to the Crooked Shore for some late-night hanky-panky.’

  ‘Why go there?’

  ‘Ramona’s idea, according to him. Only half an hour away, but much quieter than Windermere. What’s more, it was the spot where they’d first consummated the affair.’

  ‘Very romantic,’ Les grunted.

  ‘Exactly what Lace said when they parked the car,’ Maggie said. ‘That’s when things began to go wrong. Ramona told him in no uncertain terms that he shouldn’t get his hopes up. This was a special treat because it was going to be their last time together. She’d found someone else, and it was serious. She and Lace were finished.’

  Les shook his head. ‘I’m guessing he didn’t take rejection with good grace?’

  ‘Spot on. He said they both went ‘a bit cra
zy.’’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘He screamed at her, and she slapped his face, and when he lifted his hand to ward off another blow, she caught his cheek with her fingernail. Hence the scratch. Something and nothing, he said it healed within days. He grabbed her by the hair, only for a moment, or so he said. When he let her go, she yanked something out of her rucksack; he wasn’t sure what it was, maybe a stone. Things moved so fast, he said everything was a blur. She hit him on the side of the head and he saw stars.’

  ‘She knocked him out?’ Les rocked back in his chair, barely able to contain his disbelief.

  ‘So he claimed.’

  ‘With a stone she’d allegedly been carrying in her rucksack?’

  ‘He did say he might have been mistaken. Whatever, nothing was ever found at the scene.’

  ‘I’m not surprised Ben Kind didn’t believe him.’

  ‘It’s perfectly possible Ramona struck him during a quarrel, as well as scratching his cheek. She was younger and fitter. Lace didn’t know how long he was unconscious, though he guessed it was only a few minutes. When he came round, he threw up. Ramona was nowhere to be seen. At first he thought she’d stolen his car and scuttled off home. But it was just where he’d left it. So he drove himself back to Bowness and got back in one piece.’

  ‘Didn’t go to A&E, then?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Suspicious in itself.’

  ‘According to Gerry, a good night’s sleep worked wonders. He said he suffered from a headache for several days, but it had worn off by the time he was first questioned. Shirley backed up his story.’

  ‘Just like she supported him in the original lie that they spent the whole evening together.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What was his story regarding the bloodstained anorak?’

  ‘Ramona still had it on when they tussled. He might have grazed her in the course of defending himself, hence the presence of her blood as well as his.’

  ‘Did he admit taking the anorak off her?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So how did the anorak finish up under some bushes, in a different place from the rucksack?’

  ‘That, he couldn’t explain.’

  ‘Stating the obvious,’ Les said, ‘you don’t need a corpse for a murder conviction. This man’s blood was on the victim’s clothing. He’d lied about his whereabouts. He finally admitted having been with her that night. She’d told him it was over between them. There wasn’t a trace of her. Bang to rights, surely?’

  ‘Ben Kind drew the obvious conclusion,’ Maggie said. ‘The CPS agreed that the evidence justified charging Gerry Lace with Ramona’s murder. If the good old British public had managed to get hold of him, he’d have been lynched. Luckily for him, he was defended by Edgar Priestley.’

  ‘Never heard of him.’

  ‘Edgar used to be a byword on this side of the Pennines,’ Bunny explained. ‘A shit-hot defence lawyer who represented all the leading villains from Carlisle to Chester.’

  Hannah nodded. ‘He was famous for bamboozling juries. One closing speech from Edgar, and they’d entertain a reasonable doubt about whether the Earth goes round the sun, let alone whether his client was guilty as charged.’

  ‘Priestley came up with an alternative explanation for Ramona’s fate,’ Maggie said.

  ‘Oh, yeah?’ Les said. ‘Reckoned she was alive and well and hiding in a cave?’

  ‘He was too smart to rely on that argument. He knew as well as anyone that it wasn’t likely to save Lace from a life sentence. So he maintained that if she was dead, it was because she’d been killed by someone else.’

  ‘Yeah, well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?’

  Maggie checked her notes. ‘Ramona had told several people, over a period of time, about a woman friend of hers. Her name was Vee, and she lived in Grange-over-Sands.’

  ‘Thought you said she didn’t have any women friends?’ Les objected.

  ‘Vee cropped up more than once during the initial investigation. Once or twice Ramona used her as an excuse to turn down invitations, saying that she’d agreed to go out clubbing with her chum Vee. Jimmy Smith didn’t know the first thing about Vee. He’d never heard of her, let alone met her. Nobody else had even set eyes on her. They couldn’t provide us with any information about her. Strange, given that Ramona had mentioned her to both Gerald Lace and Ravi Thakor.’

  ‘Was Vee traced?’ Hannah asked.

  ‘Never. Talk about a mystery woman. Exhaustive enquiries were made in Grange, but they turned up nothing.’

  ‘So maybe she didn’t exist?’ Bunny suggested. ‘Just an alibi? A convenient excuse?’

  ‘Edgar Priestley had a different theory,’ Maggie said. ‘His case was that Vee wasn’t another woman after all. Why would Ramona make her up? She was a bit long in the tooth for an imaginary friend. No, Priestley reckoned that Vee was a man.’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ‘You describe Logan Prentice as a predator,’ Daniel said. ‘What’s your evidence?’

  Kingsley’s face turned the colour of beetroot. ‘I’ll be honest with you, Mr Kind. What I’m about to say won’t put me in a good light. In fact, I’m utterly mortified about what I’m going to tell you. I’m ashamed of myself.’

  He paused, as if hoping for words of encouragement. Daniel composed his features into a bland mask.

  ‘I’ve agonised about how much to tell you, but everything I’ve read about you suggests you’re a good egg, that you won’t abuse my confidence. Besides, I don’t know what else to do. A life is at stake. When I made a simple mistake at Strandbeck, a man died.’

  ‘You’re not responsible for that.’

  ‘You’re right, Mr Kind, but some people don’t agree. I couldn’t live with myself if there was another tragedy. So I’ve decided to make a clean breast of things.’

  Daniel drank some coffee. He’d resolved not to make any promises. Was this strange man about to incriminate himself?

  Kingsley lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘You see, I was taken in by Logan Prentice. I was as credulous as Ivy Podmore. I forgot he was an actor. My mother had a valuable collection of lapis lazuli and I mentioned this to Prentice. We became friendly, and I invited him over to our bungalow in Bowness. One day, while he and I were at Sunset View, the house was burgled. The intruder was interrupted and nothing was stolen, but he hadn’t needed to break in. He had a key. Prentice had taken it from my mother’s handbag.’

  ‘Could you prove that?’

  ‘Of course not, otherwise I’d have had the police down on him like a ton of bricks!’ Kingsley’s voice rose. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to get carried away. It’s just that … it was very upsetting. I’d trusted him, and he’d betrayed me.’

  Daniel savoured his fudge cake. ‘If you’re right, this young man may be deceitful, but why do you describe him as ruthless?’

  Kingsley Melton’s Adam’s apple bobbed. ‘I confronted him about the burglary. He went berserk.’

  ‘Any innocent man would.’

  ‘He was guilty!’ Kingsley hissed.

  He closed his eyes. Daniel waited for him to continue.

  ‘Sorry, I mustn’t let my emotions carry me away. It’s an old fault, my mother used to chastise me for it. I realise you can’t simply take me at my word. That’s why I need to be straight with you, however painful it is. The truth is that Prentice threatened me.’

  ‘What kind of threat?’

  Kingsley’s eyes remained shut. His voice was barely audible. ‘You see, when he and I were alone together, I behaved foolishly. At the time I was an emotional wreck. I knew my mother was never coming home again, and it was hellish to see her in terminal decline. Prentice feigned sympathy. He became a shoulder to lean on, so to speak. I was fond of him, and I was stupid enough to believe that he was fond of me. Forgive me if I don’t go into sordid details, but I’m afraid I said and did one or two things that were, let’s say, open to misinterpretation.’

  He opened his eyes
to watch for a reaction.

  Daniel said, ‘I see.’

  ‘I was at my lowest ebb. I couldn’t run the risk of Prentice shaming me, and he left me in no doubt that if it suited him, he’d destroy my life, as casually as some cruel boys pull wings off flies. So after my mother’s death, I crept away with my grief and pretty much went into hiding at home in Bowness.’

  ‘Did he try to prise money out of you?’

  ‘No,’ Kingsley said. ‘The man’s a coward. He isn’t comfortable with a victim who knows his little games. He prefers to catch people unawares.’

  ‘What about Ivy Podmore’s money?’

  Kingsley shifted in his chair. ‘That was a puzzle, I must admit. A year after the murder, I was getting back on my feet. I’d promised my mother that I’d try to make sure justice was done for Ivy. As a starting point, I contacted the Probate Registry and got hold of a copy of Ivy’s last will and testament.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The will was six years old, made long before she went into Sunset View. All her estate was divided between various charities and other good causes.’

  ‘In other words, Prentice had no motive for murder?’

  ‘Yes, I was so astonished that I got in touch with the solicitors. I’m afraid I rather embellished the truth. Pretended to be a distant relative of Ivy’s, over on holiday from Canada, wanting to know about her last days.’

  Daniel conjured up a mental picture of Kingsley Melton playing the awkwardest of amateur sleuths.

  ‘The lawyers were guarded, as you’d expect, but I gathered that they didn’t consider she was in a fit state to make a new will during the last twelve months of her life. Apparently, she kept getting extravagant fancies and then changing her mind. Giving everything to Logan Prentice wasn’t the first. Previously, she’d decided to bequeath her worldly goods to a homeless man she’d met on a bus. The solicitors humoured her, but the new wills were never prepared, let alone signed and witnessed. There was no point because they wouldn’t stand up in court if they were challenged. Ivy gave people to understand that she’d made Prentice her heir, and I’m sure Prentice was deceived, like the rest of us. He must have thought he was quids in.’