by Nicola Upson
‘He’s put money in my pocket, Archie, but it’s only a professional allegiance.’ She nodded to the terrace, where the director was ordering drinks. ‘If it makes you feel better, he’s in for a disappointment now. Hitchcock is about to make Jack an offer he can and will refuse.’
‘Is he going to work for another studio? He told me he had plans.’
‘No. He might go to America eventually, I suppose, but he’s going to fight in Spain first. I can’t talk him out of it.’
She was grateful to Archie for refraining from the usual meaningless reassurances about another person’s safety. ‘And what about you?’ he asked instead. ‘What are your plans?’
‘Back to London for a couple of days, then on to Cambridge.’
There was a silence as each waited for the other to speak. In the end, it was Archie who took the risk. ‘We could try this again, away from the film crew.’
‘I’d like that. It would be good to talk properly, without any distractions.’
‘From what I recall, Cambridge with you was just one distraction after another. That’s what I loved about it.’
‘Let’s meet in London first, Archie.’ Worried that she had seemed too eager to deflect him, she added‚ ‘I’ve got to come up to town a lot over the next few weeks. It would be nice to have something to look forward to apart from work, and I need to check you’ve got that painting in the right place.’ He smiled, and she took his arm as they walked to White Horses.
16
Josephine sat by the hotel pool and watched as Alma Reville hesitated before coming over to her. ‘Miss Tey‚ may I have a word with you?’
‘Of course.’ Alma seemed relieved by the welcome‚ but her reticence was unnecessary: it had been a long, restless morning of waiting and thinking, and Josephine was glad of any distraction which kept her mind from the reality of Branwen Erley’s body and the imagined horror of Bella’s. ‘Although I should warn you that it might be detrimental to your health. People have a habit of dying after a heart-to-heart with me.’
She made the comment without thinking, then realised that Alma did not know her well enough to understand that its flippancy was defensive. The director’s wife seemed to take the remark in the spirit it was meant, though; Josephine guessed that she was used to black humour, living with Hitchcock. ‘It has been a terrible day,’ Alma agreed, ‘and your conversation with Bella must have made the news of her death even more of a shock. But it’s not really a heart-to-heart I want, so I’ll take my chances.’ She smiled and sat down. ‘Hitch and I are going back to London later this afternoon‚ and, before we go, I wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed meeting you.’
The suddenness of the departure surprised Josephine. ‘Doesn’t your husband want to stay and see all this in action?’ she asked, gesturing to the village. ‘I’ve heard how seriously he takes his research, and I would have thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At least, I hope it is.’
‘Hitch is not very good at real life,’ his wife admitted. ‘It’s never been his strong point.’ She gave Josephine a wry smile. ‘And I notice you’re taking a back seat, too.’
‘I got closer than I ever wanted to this morning,’ Josephine said quickly. ‘It was a salutary lesson in fact and fiction, and it will be a long time before I need another reminder.’
‘Yes, of course. I’m sorry.’ The apology was sincerely delivered‚ and Alma added‚ ‘That was a stupid thing to say, especially as I believe that Hitch’s blurring of those boundaries has already led to some tension between him and your friend.’
‘Archie knows more about murder than the rest of could understand or bear,’ Josephine said, smiling to take some of the edge off her words. ‘It’s not surprising that there are days when death as entertainment seems a little strange to him, even offensive.’
‘Quite, but I hope you won’t let any of this affect your decision regarding A Shilling for Candles?’
So that was it, Josephine thought: not so much a heart-to-heart as a white flag of diplomacy. ‘Of course not,’ she said. ‘I’ve made my mind up, and I’m almost looking forward to seeing the finished result.’ Alma smiled gratefully‚ and, while she had the upper hand, Josephine took the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity on another subject. ‘What was the problem between you and Bella?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know either of you personally, but you seem to me to have had a lot in common: the same strength and determination, the same talent and power, the same joys and worries. That often makes people friends, or at least natural allies, but obviously not you and Bella.’
‘The problem was David Franks,’ Alma said candidly. ‘We demand absolute loyalty and commitment from the people who work for us, and Bella resented the fact that he was prepared to throw his creative lot in with us entirely. That’s what she meant by suffocation: she thought that he should spread his wings more widely, and in some respects she probably had a point. He’ll be brilliant in his own right one day if he gets the right experience.’
‘He must have more experience now than your husband did when he started directing,’ Josephine said shrewdly.
‘Indeed he does, and I admit that our interests in keeping him with us were not selfless by any means – but neither were Bella’s. As David said this morning, it’s not easy to see someone you’ve guided choose advice from elsewhere. More than anything, though, Bella didn’t want him to go back to America and she knew we would have asked him to come with us.’
Once again, Bella Hutton’s devotion to her nephew sounded unconvincing to Josephine, but she said nothing. She followed Alma’s gaze over to the hotel and watched as Franks came out onto the terrace. ‘Would have?’ she queried.
‘Yes.’ Alma got up, bringing the conversation to an end. ‘If you’ll excuse me, there’s another apology I need to make. I have a policy of not interfering in my husband’s decisions, but I can at least try to clear up after them.’ She held out her hand before Josephine could ask for an explanation. ‘I’ll be in touch with your agent as soon as we’ve settled back in town, and I sincerely hope that we’ll do your book justice.’
Josephine smiled. ‘So do I,’ she said. In the distance, she saw Archie walking across the lawn from the direction of White Horses. He acknowledged her wave but seemed preoccupied, and she wondered if Bridget had talked to him about whatever was worrying her. ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked cautiously as he sat down. ‘How’s Bridget?’
‘She’s fine,’ he said, and she was touched to see how his face lit up at the mention of Bridget’s name. ‘We’ve arranged to meet when she’s in town next month.’
‘I’m glad. I was hoping you weren’t going to wait until my sixtieth. Once every twenty years doesn’t allow for much conversation.’
He laughed. ‘No, I don’t suppose it does.’
‘So why the frown?’ She followed his gaze over to the Bell Tower. ‘It’s this investigation, isn’t it?’ Archie nodded. ‘Do you know why Turnbull did it?’
‘I don’t even know if he did it.’
‘What?’ She looked at him in surprise. ‘Do you mean that?’
‘No, I don’t suppose I do, and I’d have a hard job to argue with the evidence,’ he admitted. ‘Perhaps I just enjoy being on the opposite bench to Detective Inspector Roberts as a point of principle. But there’s something about it that I don’t understand. I can see that Leyton Turnbull hated Bella Hutton. I understand completely why he found it impossible to forgive her or his wife for keeping the birth of his child from him . . .’
‘They must have had their reasons.’
‘Even so, he missed out on the chance to be someone completely different‚ and the shock of that realisation might have tipped him over the edge. But there are still so many unanswered questions. Did Bella Hutton know something else that we’re not aware of? Where does Branwen Erley fit in, and what happened to her mother? Why did Turnbull kill himself? All that may be completely irrelevant‚ and murder is never logical, but if it were my case I’d
want to know more.’
‘Can’t you make it your case? Or at least pull some strings to make sure it’s done properly?’
‘Not really. All the evidence points very clearly to one conclusion; that’s partly what bothers me, but I can hardly use it as a reason to go over someone’s head. Chief inspectors aren’t supposed to be contrary.’
‘Are you sure you’re not letting the company affect your judgement?’ Josephine asked.
‘You mean the temptation to arrest Hitchcock and his crew might prove too strong?’ He looked a little shamefaced. ‘There is an element of that, I suppose. They’re all so unpleasant. The sooner we can leave them behind, the better I’ll like it.’
Ronnie walked over from the hotel and dragged another deckchair across to join them. ‘The next time I’m having a fucking awful day, I’ll think of David Franks,’ she said. ‘There’s always comfort to be found in those worse off.’
‘Why? What’s happened?’
‘Hitchcock’s fired him.’
‘I thought there was trouble,’ Josephine said, remembering the look on Alma’s face. ‘What did he fire him for?’
‘Telling Archie about the stunt they were planning with Leyton Turnbull. I’ve just been talking to David in reception. That was the last straw, apparently. Hitchcock’s furious.’
‘He should have thought of that before he set it up,’ Archie said. ‘He’s lucky I didn’t charge them all with wasting police time.’
‘David’s very indignant about the whole thing, naturally. He says he followed Hitchcock’s instructions to the letter, and now he’s taken the blame for everything.’
‘Although hiring an actress for whom Number Seventeen is a position rather than the title of a film wasn’t the smartest thing to do,’ Josephine said. ‘Perhaps Alma will manage to smooth things over.’
‘Or perhaps he’ll decide it’s for the best. He told me last night he wanted to strike out on his own.’
‘That was probably the champagne talking.’
‘Maybe. We’ll see.’
‘Well, that’s me packed.’ Lettice sat down and pulled the teapot towards her. ‘We could give you a lift‚ but I’m not sure it would be very comfortable with four of us in the car as well as the luggage.’
‘It’s all right,’ Josephine said quickly. ‘Archie and I were going to the Lakes for a couple of days anyway. We’ll just lie low here for tonight and head off tomorrow as planned. There’s a train to Keswick after breakfast. That’s if he’s got the small matter of the dog sorted out by then.’
‘The dog?’ Ronnie asked.
‘Bella Hutton’s Jack Russell has taken quite a shine to him.’
‘I hoped Bridget would be able to take him,’ Archie explained, ‘but apparently Border Terriers and Jack Russells don’t mix, so I’m giving him to Mrs Snipe.’
Archie’s housekeeper was notoriously meticulous in her duties‚ and Josephine looked at him doubtfully. ‘Have you told her yet?’
‘Of course. She’s thrilled. She told me it would be just like having a proper star in the house. I don’t know what that says about the rest of us.’
Lydia and Marta walked down the hill from the village, and Lettice waved them over. ‘What are you two doing now?’ she asked, pouring more tea.
‘Waiting for someone to fix the car,’ Lydia said wearily. ‘Apparently we’ve got a flat battery. Then it’s back to London.’
‘We’re giving Bridget a lift,’ Marta added, winking at Archie. ‘It’ll give us a chance to get to know her better.’
‘Yes, she mentioned it.’
‘We never did tell you what she did while we were in Cambridge, did we?’ Ronnie said, settling into her story. ‘It was the most extraordinary thing. She . . .’
Archie’s salvation came in an unlikely form. A man in a dark-brown suit came over to the table and cleared his throat politely. ‘Sorry to interrupt you, sir, but I just have a couple of loose ends to tie up.’
‘What is it, Inspector Roberts?’ Archie asked, and something in his tone made Josephine look at him in surprise. ‘This isn’t my case, as you pointed out earlier.’
‘It’s Miss Fox I’m after, actually,’ he said. Josephine saw the fear in Marta’s eyes as her past came back to haunt her and opened her mouth to object, but the policeman was in no mood to be interrupted. ‘My colleague informs me that you’ve got a criminal record, miss,’ he said, making sure that his voice carried across the lawn. ‘Accessory to murder, I believe. With that in mind, it’s my duty to ask you where you were between the hours of ten last night and two o’clock this morning?’
Archie got up and went over to stand by Marta. ‘Don’t be so bloody ridiculous, Roberts,’ he said quietly. ‘You know damned well she had nothing to do with this.’
‘Like I said, sir, it’s just a formality‚ but those loose ends do need to be dealt with.’
‘It’s all right, Archie,’ Marta said. ‘I was down by the sea until the storm broke, and then I went back to my room.’
‘And can anyone confirm that?’
‘I can.’ Lydia and Josephine looked at each other. If they had planned it, their words could hardly have been more carefully synchronised.
‘Both of you?’ Roberts raised an eyebrow at Archie. ‘What these girls get up to when our backs are turned, eh sir? It shouldn’t be allowed.’
Josephine saw Ronnie glance at Lettice‚ but for once she had the sense to be discreet. In the end, it was Lydia who recovered first. ‘We were having a birthday party, Inspector. We didn’t know until this morning that it should have been a wake, so I’m sure you’ll forgive us for staying up late.’
‘You have your answer, Roberts,’ Archie said. ‘Any more of this and she’ll sue you for harassment. I’ll make sure of it.’
‘Of course, sir. And you were in your room all night?’
Archie glared at him. ‘I left my room after dinner and spent the night at White Horses.’
Roberts looked down his guest list. ‘With a Miss Foley? Will she confirm that?’
‘Of course she’ll bloody confirm it.’
‘Excellent. You have a safe trip back to London, sir. Oh‚ and just to put your mind at rest‚ there’s no abandoned bicycle anywhere along the Harlech road. We’ve checked.’
17
David stood on the old quayside, staring out across the estuary to the island. Alma walked down to speak to him, picking up snatches of conversation from the tables on the terrace, and wondered how he must feel as something so personal was made lurid and sensational by strangers who knew no better than to appropriate his tragedy as their own. He turned round as he heard her approach, but there was no sign of the hostility that she had expected. ‘I’m so sorry, David,’ she began, seeing little point in prefacing what she had come here to say.
He cut her off with a rueful smile. ‘There’s no need for you to apologise. He makes his own decisions.’
‘True, but that’s not what I meant. What happened to your father, everything that’s gone on this weekend – I can’t even begin to imagine how hurt you must be.’
‘I wouldn’t want you to.’ A flock of wildfowl took off from the sands, twisting and somersaulting in the breeze; when it settled again, the birds’ melancholy clamour rose in volume for a few seconds and then died away. She waited patiently for him to continue. ‘I can’t hate Turnbull for what he’s done, you know,’ he said eventually. ‘Is that wrong of me?’
Alma shrugged. ‘I don’t think there’s a right and a wrong way to feel. Your emotions are your own: don’t hold them up for judgement, by me or by anybody else.’
‘He was family. I suppose those loyalties are hard to forget.’
‘Bella was family too,’ Alma reminded him gently.
‘In name, yes, but Bella Hutton was never going to be anybody’s aunt. That sort of affection just wasn’t in her.’ His words were spoken as a fact rather than a criticism, but still he felt the need to qualify them. ‘Don’t get me wrong: Bella did what
was best for me, even though it didn’t feel like that at the time. She opened more doors than I could ever have dreamt of knocking at, but she never did anything for me out of love‚ and she never grew to love me. We both knew that, and I accepted it.’
‘But sometimes you’d have traded the opportunities for the love.’
‘Yes. Bella was a star, though, and that life doesn’t leave much room for human failings, does it?’ Alma shook her head. ‘If she couldn’t fix something by throwing money at it, then it didn’t get fixed.’ The first trace of bitterness had entered his voice. ‘Do you have any idea how sickening it is to be grateful all the time? Now I’ll have to do it for the rest of my life.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘As soon as the cancer was diagnosed, she told me she was going to leave me a very rich man – so no matter what I achieve off my own bat, it will always be down to the start that Bella Hutton’s money gave me.’
‘Not necessarily. Whatever the situation was between you, there’s no doubt that she believed in you and wanted you to succeed. All right, so it wasn’t love – but it was respect, and she didn’t give that away easily either.’ He looked at her gratefully, and she held out her hand. ‘Good luck, David. Not that I think you’ll need it.’
18
Archie was on his way out of the hotel to fetch Bridget when he heard Marta call his name. ‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere,’ she said. ‘I wanted to thank you.’
He smiled. ‘There’s nothing to thank me for. I was about the only person who didn’t offer you an alibi.’
‘Probably just as well: things are complicated enough. But I was talking about earlier. You weren’t even aware of what you were doing, but I saw how much you cared about Branwen Erley and everything that had happened to her, and it helped me more than you can ever know.’
‘It’s part of what I do, Marta. Perhaps the most important part.’
‘No. It’s part of who you are.’ She surprised him by taking his face in her hands and kissing him. ‘I’ve told Bridget she’s a lucky woman. Will you let her know we’re ready to leave? Someone from the hotel has found us a new battery.’