Strangled in the Sauna

by Oliver, Marina

  'And do you? Find them comfortable?'

  'I might have done if I hadn't donated them to some charity.' Elena laughed. 'Now come on, if we must undergo this torture for your precious Jamie's benefit, let's get on with it as soon as we can, then we can go home, back to civilisation.'

  She opened the car door, and swore as the wind, blasting in from the sea she could discern beyond the cliffs, blew it shut again. Then a uniformed porter appeared, held open the door, and helped her out. Elena smiled at him as she clambered out from her seat.

  'Thanks, Brian. I'll leave the keys and you can bring in the luggage.'

  'I'll take the cases to your rooms. Miss Sankey's in the office,' Brian said. 'She thought you'd be along soon.'

  'Good. We'll go and see her straight away. Am I in the same room as before?'

  'Yes, and your mother next door.'

  Dodie had already scurried to the big front door, of oak and rather implausibly banded with iron bars, which was open and revealed a high-ceilinged hall containing several settees and armchairs scattered around, with their attendant small tables. A huge log fire burned in a marble fireplace and Dodie saw central heating radiators along the walls. It looked, she thought, as she went to stand beside the fire, rubbing her hands together, like some minor stately home. There was no reception desk, no door marked 'Office', but a friendly looking woman in a neat green dress appeared from a room to the right.

  'Hello, you must be Mrs Fanshaw. And here's Elena. Welcome, both of you. I'm Sheila Sankey, they usually call me Miss Sheila.'

  'Elena has told me what a wonderful time she had here,' Dodie said, breathing deeply and deciding to be gracious. It wasn't the woman's fault she lived in such an inhospitable spot. 'I'm hoping to shed a few pounds myself this week.'

  'I'm sure we can help you do that. How is my cousin Jamie, Elena? As busy as ever?'

  'Crime doesn't stop in the Home Counties,' Elena said, frowning.

  'Or anywhere.' Sheila sighed. 'Come along, settle in and I'll have tea or coffee sent up to your rooms, and then after dinner we can perhaps talk.'

  'We get dinner? As well as decaf coffee?' Dodie asked when they were safely inside their connecting rooms and Brian had deposited their cases. 'What is it, carrots and lettuce? And mineral water, I suppose. Oh for a double G and T!'

  'Behave! We get a nutritious, balanced meal, and either fruit juice or non-alcoholic wine.'

  Dodie groaned. 'And no doubt the fruit juice is sugar free. I knew I ought to have packed a bottle of gin.'

  'Well, you didn't, and you will enjoy what Sheila provides. She has an excellent chef. There might be diet tonic if you're feeling really deprived. Now do you want to unpack yourself or shall I send for a maid to do it?'

  'I hate maids stashing my clothes where I can't find them. I'll do it. When do they serve dinner? At least you spoke the truth, the place is warm enough,' she added in some surprise.

  'So you won't need your cashmeres. Dinner is in half an hour. We can go down and meet the other guests when you're ready.'

  'Those other poor deluded fools who think a week's starvation and hours of agony on the treadmill will alter their lives.'

  *

  Dodie admitted afterwards she was pleasantly surprised. The meal was ample, and delicious, and even the non-alcoholic wine was drinkable. Afterwards Sheila and her sister Joan retreated to their own quarters, as many of the guests did once they had had coffee in the drawing room. Elena shook her head when Dodie began to get to her feet.

  'Let's sit a while, let more of them go to their rooms,' she said, and Dodie nodded. It was ten minutes later when Elena, bidding a couple deeply engrossed in a chess game goodnight, led the way into the main hall and after a glance around, through into the room Sheila had appeared from when they arrived.

  It was an efficient office, with filing cabinets, desks and computers and copier, but Elena went through it into a small, comfortable sitting room where the sisters were waiting for them. Another log fire made the room warm, there was a tray with coffee on a small table in front of Sheila's chair, and vases of flowers on a side table. Dodie had already appreciated the fresh flowers and pot plants that decorated all the rooms.

  'It's good of you to come and help us, Mrs Fanshaw,' Joan said. 'My cousin has told us how you and Elena solved a couple of crimes some time ago.'

  'I'll do my best,' Dodie said. She liked the sisters, from what she had seen, and her lingering disinclination to become involved left her. 'Jamie gave us the background, but I'd like to hear what happened from you both. Do you mind if I make notes?'

  'Of course not. Do you want a table to write on?' Sheila asked.

  Dodie shook her head. 'I have just a small notebook, I can manage on my lap, thank you.'

  There was little new from what Jamie had told them. The thefts had happened during three separate weeks, the victims had not met nor, so far as the sisters were aware, were they known to one another, though all three lived in London. Two had reported the thefts as soon as they had been discovered, the third on the following day, and all three pleaded earnestly that the police not be involved.

  'So there was little we could do,' Sheila said. 'I asked Jamie for advice. I confess, I hoped he might come and investigate himself, but he is too busy, and he said he could not come into a different police authority. But he sent Elena to look at the place.'

  'And I was quite useless,' Elena said. 'I spent a week here, met all the staff, and had no more ideas at the end of it than before I started.'

  'Right,' Dodie said. This was the sort of puzzle that intrigued her. 'Now for the questions. You suspect it was an employee, not a guest?'

  'None of the guests stayed so long. We can eliminate them, I think,' Sheila said.

  'All your employees are still working here? None have left recently?'

  'No. That would have been an admission, surely?' Joan said, but she looked unhappy.

  'They've all been with us for at least a year,' Sheila said. 'It can only have been one of the staff, but I find it hard to suspect any of them. I thought I could trust them all.'

  'And why should they suddenly begin thieving now?' Joan asked.

  'Are you sure it has been only recently?'

  Joan looked startled. 'Well, we have not been told of any other thefts.'

  'Is it possible there were small, less valuable things stolen, and not reported? Perhaps the people thought they had themselves mislaid a ring, say? Or dropped a bracelet or necklace, something not valuable, and they didn't want to make a fuss about their own carelessness?'

  Sheila nodded. 'It's possible, I suppose. Some people don't like to admit to carelessness. Most bring only costume jewellery here anyway, not really valuable pieces. It was foolish of our three to bring what they did, and I still cannot understand why.'

  'That child Phillipa wanted to pretend she was wealthy, which was why she borrowed the brooch,' Joan said. 'That was what she told us, eventually, when she had to explain why she didn't want the police involved. Perhaps she wouldn't dare wear the brooch in London, where someone might recognise it.'

  'And young Tansy would naturally bring her new engagement ring. It's Lady Carter's motive I can't fathom,' Sheila said, and frowned. 'Why bring such an ostentatious necklace, which is only suitable for gala occasions, to The Crags?'

  'Did she wear the necklace while she was here?'

  'Yes, almost every evening.'

  'Was there a man with her?'

  'A man?'

  Dodie nodded. 'I noticed there are several men among your guests. Who was here at the same time as Lady Carter?'

  'I'll fetch the register.'

  They waited in silence while Sheila went through to the office. She came back holding the large register open, and handed it to Dodie.

  'There were five men here that week.'

  'What do you know of them?'

  'Not a great deal. I think only one of them had been here before, but I can't be certain.'

  'I understand your gu
ests come by recommendation. Do you remember on whose recommendation these five booked?'

  Sheila slowly shook her head. 'We don't keep any record of that. Maybe we should. I can't remember now, but perhaps I will later.'

  'We still have their letters booking,' Joan reminded her. 'I'm sure they would have mentioned it then.'

  'I'll go and sort them out now.'

  'No,' Dodie said. 'That can wait. More importantly, I want to know which of your staff can move about the house and guest bedrooms without being questioned.'

  'All the bedrooms are locked.'

  'With the same sorts of keys we have?' Elena asked.

  'Yes, quite simple keys. I have master keys, of course, there are separate ones for each floor, and so does Mrs Jones. She is our housekeeper, and she hands them to the maids each day. But they always work in pairs, and she says they hand the keys back to her as soon as they have finished.'

  'But at other times, when they are not on duty?

  'They have to hand in the keys when they have finished the rooms each morning. Mrs Jones hands them out again when they go to turn down the beds, during dinnertime. We keep a strict check.'

  'It would be possible to make duplicates?'

  Sheila nodded unhappily.

  'And any other of your staff would find it easy to gain access. What about the safes? I saw mine has a combination lock. Is there a master key that can override these? If, let's say, a guest forgets her combination?'

  Joan sighed. 'We have the only one. And all the jewels were in the room safes, they said.'

  'They said? Did you believe them?'

  'Not entirely. Tansy wore her ring most of the time apart from when she went swimming. It must have been taken then, but she insisted it was in the safe, she wouldn't admit she left it lying about. She was no doubt thinking of insurance.'

  'Phillipa?'

  'Possibly she wasn't used to room safes. She did mention once she was afraid of forgetting the combination.'

  'And Lady Carter?'

  'I'm positive she would lock her jewellery away. She had other pieces with her, and some were quite valuable. She said she even locked away her rings when she went to bed, and I believed her.'

  'So,' Dodie said, 'it's possible the thief found the ring and brooch by chance, but they must have been able to get into at least one safe. How many of the staff apart from the housemaids can move about freely?'

  The sisters looked at one another and Joan began to count on her fingers.

  'Brian, the porter you saw. He also does odd jobs which involve going into the rooms. To free a stuck window, for instance. And Felicity, our receptionist, who lives in the village and comes in three days a week. She often shows people to their rooms. The barman may take drinks up to guests. The housekeeper may be asked for fresh towels. Any of our therapists may need to check on appointments.'

  'The only people we can eliminate are the kitchen staff, waitresses, the gardeners, and the pool attendants,' Sheila added. 'None of them would have any excuse for being in the bedroom wing. Shall we make a list for you?'

  'Please, and then in the morning I can start talking to people. It would be helpful, too, if you could write down all you can of the men who were here at the same time as Lady Carter. Though they could not have stolen the other things.'

  *

  CHAPTER 2

  Dodie, deciding to pamper herself before the energetic part of the day began, elected to have breakfast in bed. It was brought by Diane, one of the waitresses who had served dinner the previous night. So Sheila was wrong saying the waitresses could be eliminated because they didn't visit the guest rooms.

  'Do you have many people eating in their rooms?' Dodie asked.

  Diane shook her head. 'Only three of you today.'

  'And you bring all the trays?'

  'I do today. Sometimes one of the others helps, but I do most.'

  'I see.' Dodie eyed the glass of grapefruit juice, the boiled egg, and single slice of thinly buttered toast, and suppressed a sigh. 'I can tell I'll be losing weight. What's this?' she added, indicating a sheet of paper on the tray.

  'The day's programme of classes anyone can join. And you can make appointments for private sessions with the different therapists. Miss Sheila organises them.'

  'Things like massage?'

  'Lots of other things too. There, see, on the bottom of the paper.'

  Diane began to list them, and Dodie shuddered. She didn't understand what half of them were, but they all sounded like a subtle form of torture. Apart, she added to herself, manicure and pedicure and a hair stylist. Those she could tolerate.

  'I'll think about it.'

  'They are all good for you, Mrs Fanshaw, really they are. Well, I'll leave you to it. Have a good day.'

  Dodie thoughtfully topped her egg. It was beautifully cooked, the golden yolk just the right consistency. Cheering slightly, she dipped in her spoon. She would no doubt survive without her usual coffee. What was on the programme first?

  Elena had promised she was going to show her the house after breakfast. Then she would look at the details of the men who had been here during Lady Carter's visit, a list Sheila had promised to prepare for her. Not, Dodie thought, that she expected to learn anything apart from which of the men Lady Carter had been with, if any. None of them had been at The Crags during the other thefts. She really needed to talk to the three women. Perhaps Sheila could arrange a telephone call to Hollywood. The other two Dodie would talk to face to face, perhaps later in the week when she could arrange a quick trip to London. If, that is, the thief had not been discovered before then.

  Before that she must try and talk with as many of the staff as possible. It would be difficult, as she could not reveal the reason for any questions, but Dodie had confidence in her ability to chat to all sorts of people, and it was surprising what they would reveal when they felt under no pressure. More, she suspected, than they would under police questioning. At least she could try to judge what sort of people they were. A stranger often had a clearer vision than those who saw them every day. With luck it might provide a pointer to likely culprits.

  The egg was finished, also the toast. Dodie drank the juice, wincing slightly at the sharpness of the grapefruit. How she longed for a cup of strong coffee. Breakfast clearly didn't include even the decaf variety, and by now, such was her feeling of caffeine deprivation, she'd have welcomed even that. She sighed, and went to have her shower. She'd agreed to investigate, and would do her best, but one day soon she would find an excuse to visit the nearby village where there would certainly be a pub offering, as well as a strong gin, some decent food.

  *

  Dodie had just finished dressing when Elena appeared. She tossed a large envelope onto the bed.

  'These are photos of the missing jewels and the lists you asked for. No, don't look at them now, I have a tour of the house planned.'

  They went first to explore the guest wing.

  'Thirty rooms on three floors,' Elena said. 'On each floor five face the sea and five look over the gardens.'

  'Thank goodness ours face onto the gardens. They're bleak enough, but just looking at the sea makes me cold.'

  Elena gave her a pained look. 'Don't be a wimp, Ma. One room on the ground floor is set aside for Sheila or Joan, or one of the therapists. They take it in turns to sleep there for a week. Sheila says they are too far away in the main house, and need someone close by in case of an emergency, or if a guest needs something.'

  'Sensible. So they all normally sleep in the main house?'

  'Apart from those who live out. Sheila has a list of those.'

  They moved on and looked at the elegant drawing room where they had had coffee, opposite the office they'd seen yesterday. There were windows on two sides, one overlooking the car park and the cliffs. Groups of comfortable chairs stood around. Newspapers and magazines were on a side table, and there were several big arrangements of flowers as well as some large pot plants placed in corners. Already a log fire bl
azed in the hearth, and a couple of the guests were sitting at a table bearing a chess set. Behind it was the dining room which Dodie had seen the previous evening, with small two or four seat tables scattered around and a long buffet table to one side. Beyond the dining room, Elena explained, were the kitchens, laundry and staff dining room. In between, matching the corridor they had used from the guest wing, was a wide corridor leading to the pool and treatment rooms. The rest of the ground floor was taken up with a small library, a television room, and a recreation room containing billiard and table tennis tables.

  Elena then led the way up the wide, shallow staircase that curved round to the first floor. Dodie could imagine a girl in a crinoline sweeping down it, ready to go to the ball. The landing was far smaller here than on the entrance floor, and narrower stairs at one side led to the top floor.

  'Joan and Sheila use the one half of this floor, they have a private flat. On the other side there are bedrooms for the chef, housekeeper, barman and porter. They all have their own bathrooms, like the guest rooms. There is also a sitting room for all the staff. The others all sleep in what used to be the nursery and servants' quarters apart from a few of the staff who live in the village, and Felicity who is married and lives out. One of the gardeners has rooms over the old stables. The rooms are small but comfortable bedsitters. Sheila showed me last week, but I don't think we need go up there.'

  Back on the ground floor Elena led the way to the other wing. On one side was a large swimming pool with hot tubs built into one side and a row of small sauna cubicles at the far end. Next to them was a door that led out to the garden. Dodie, trying to orient herself, decided this was the driveway. Both side walls, that looking obliquely towards the sea and the one bordering the corridor, were of glass, and the waves could be seen. The rain of the previous day had ceased, but there was a strong wind and the waves were high, topped with white horses. The rest of this wing contained a gym with a multitude of exercise machines, from which Dodie averted her gaze, and a large room for dance and exercise sessions, plus a number of small treatment rooms for, as Dodie read on the notices attached to the doors, as well as beauty treatments such as facials, waxing and manicures, various types of massage, body wraps, salt glow, reiki, reflexology and craniosacral therapy.