Murder for Nothing

by Veronica Heley

  EIGHTEEN

  Tuesday teatime

  Timmy ignored everyone to concentrate on Angelica. He smiled. A small, tight smile. ‘I told you, Angel. Jake is the weak link in your plans for the future. You should have let me deal with him when Kate died. I could have constructed a romantic double suicide for you and then we’d have been in the clear.’

  Angelica pouted. ‘But you wouldn’t marry me, Timmy. Jake is my own true love and can give me everything I want in life. He just needs to keep his nerve and we’ll be home and dry.’

  Jake’s body sagged. He shook his head, over and over. ‘It’s no good, Angelica. I’m through with pretending.’

  Angelica said, ‘Timmy, you know how to stop him, don’t you?’

  Timmy said, ‘Why should I?’

  ‘Because …’ Angelica’s eyes shone with a wicked innocence. ‘Because if you don’t, I’ll have to tell the authorities that your papers were originally drawn up for another member of your family, someone who hasn’t got a police record.’

  Narrow eyes almost closed. ‘That’s not true.’

  Eyes wider than ever, she smiled. ‘It’s close enough. You carry a knife. I’ve heard you threaten another student with it when you couldn’t get your own way about something, and you get ants in your pants every time your papers are mentioned.’

  Ellie’s brain went into overtime, trying to work out why Timmy had helped Angelica in her schemes.

  Yes, he didn’t want anyone looking at his papers, so he’d do anything to avoid the attentions of the police.

  He had gone to the party, stayed for a short while and left with Angelica for the club. Then had come the phone call from Jake to Angelica asking her to return to the flat to help him with Kate. Angelica had asked Timmy to give her a lift back to the flat and he’d agreed. Why not? He would think that he’d be earning brownie points by helping Angelica out.

  Only, the problem back at the flat was far more serious than he’d expected. Jake, Angelica and Timmy were faced with a hysterical Kate, threatening all sorts in an effort to get Jake back. Clay had been no help at all.

  None of them had known how to handle the situation. There had been a lot of shouting and screaming. Suddenly the situation had turned from tragi-comic to tragic. Kate had pretended to commit suicide. Jake had hit the drug supplier, who’d died. It had been an accident, but yes, he’d died, and that didn’t half complicate matters!

  Then Kate ‘woke up’ and by mistake had swallowed the drug. She might have been saved if someone had called for an ambulance. Jake had tried to do so.

  Angelica hadn’t for several reasons; foremost of those was probably panic. Yes, of course she would panic! Kate was dying … well and good. But Jake had killed Clay! At all costs, Jake had to be prevented from alerting the authorities or the future she’d planned for herself would be lost for good.

  Timmy wouldn’t have wanted to call an ambulance because he couldn’t afford to be found at the scene of a double death.

  Jake had tried to call the police and …

  What had happened then? Angelica would have screeched to Timmy to stop Jake … and at that moment Timmy would also have seen that he had to stop Jake. So he’d hit Jake from behind and knocked him out.

  One blow. That’s all it would have taken. Timmy didn’t look as if he’d ever been much of a boxer, but he’d panicked and lashed out. Luckily Jake was only stunned, not killed.

  Ellie could understand Timmy’s reasoning. He was not, repeat not, going to let his future go down the drain because some idiot girl had killed herself by mistake, and her even more idiotic friend had taken his revenge on a drug dealer, of all people. Drug dealers were the lowest of the low.

  So then Angelica and Timmy were faced with the problem of two bodies to dispose of. Who had decided what they should do next? Angelica or Timmy? That would be for the police to decide. Kate’s body could be left in the garden, to be found by someone else later. Her death would not be regarded as suspicious. But the evidence of blunt force trauma on Clay’s body could land all three of them in jail, so his body had had to disappear.

  Timmy had acted to save his own skin as well as Angelica’s. From his point of view, he was wise to back Angelica. No doubt she promised him the earth in exchange for his silence. She had no money herself but her fiancé had enough for both her and Timmy. Timmy didn’t need the money, but he did need her silence and that of Jake … and that’s why he’d been sniffing around, trying to ensure that neither Angelica nor Jake would betray him to the authorities.

  In Angelica he had met his match. She might appear to be a fragile beauty, but she had a tongue that could weave a spell to ensnare unwary souls. Her fragility was deceptive, but Timmy had known her for a while and he understood that she’d have no compunction in giving him up to the police if her future were endangered.

  Timmy Lee had not intended to become her partner in crime, but circumstances had pushed him into making a couple of wrong decisions. He would not break under pressure, as Jake had done, or as Angelica would probably do.

  Ellie could see that if Jake planned to go to the police then Timmy would need to deal with him.

  Timmy said, ‘Come along now, Jake. I’ll take you somewhere quiet and we’ll talk things over.’

  It was an invitation to death on a rainy afternoon.

  Angelica had mentioned that Timmy carried a knife …

  ‘Yes, Jake,’ said Angelica. ‘Go along with Timmy. He’ll help to get you sorted out.’

  Did Angelica think that Jake was no longer any good to her? Did she fear that he might fail to keep her out of the picture and that she might be sent to prison as an accomplice? Was Angelica ditching her hopes of marriage into a wealthy family?

  Could she really be that cold?

  Um, yes. She was switching sides. Angelica now wanted Jake dead. And so did Timmy Lee.

  Jake gathered himself together. ‘Where are we going?’ Like a child.

  ‘We’ll take your car, shall we? For a little drive. To somewhere quiet, where we can talk everything through. You’ll like that, won’t you?’

  ‘I’d like that. Somewhere quiet. Far away. Sort it all out. And then we can go to the police together.’

  Susan said, ‘No, don’t go!’ In a frightened voice.

  Rafael took out his wallet. ‘Look, Jake! That cheque. I don’t want it. Here, take it and tear it up. That should put you right with your father again.’

  Jake wavered, frowning. ‘My cheque …? Well, yes. I suppose … But …’ His eyes lost contact with Timmy’s. He stood still, unsure of his next move.

  Ellie heard a click as a knife appeared in Timmy Lee’s hand, a sharp blade that caught the light. The knife added another dimension to the situation.

  ‘Come along, then,’ said Timmy. The knife flickered in his hand. His eyes locked on to Jake’s.

  Rafael said, ‘Hold on, now!’ And started for Jake.

  Timmy slashed the air with his knife, indicating that Rafael keep his distance. All without taking his eyes off Jake.

  Susan lashed out at Timmy with her tote bag. He sidestepped and backhanded her. She yelped as she fell.

  Rafael shouted, ‘No!’

  Timmy smiled, the knife flickering in his hand this way and that but his eyes never leaving Jake. ‘Come along, Jake. These people are no use to you now. Let’s get out of here. Get it over and done with.’

  Jake nodded agreement. ‘Yes, it’s the right thing to do. We’ll sort it out, together. I haven’t had a minute’s peace since I killed that man. It’ll all be over soon, won’t it?’

  Timmy took a step back on silent feet. His left hand reached backwards for the door.

  Jake was within his reach.

  Timmy’s hand found the latch on the door.

  Rafael dived for Jake and took him to the floor in a rugby tackle.

  Timmy lunged forward. He seized Rafael’s hair and put the knife to his throat. ‘You shouldn’t interfere! Release him or I’ll dig a hole in your eye
!’

  Something ginger shot across the hall from the sitting room. Midge the cat?

  A wail, and little Evan blundered into the hall, making straight for Ellie. ‘Ganny, Ganny! Midge bit me!’

  He held up his arms to her to pick him up but, as quick as Ellie was, Timmy Lee was quicker. Timmy scooped up the boy and held him high. Evan hit out at him but he might as well have been hitting the wall.

  Evan wailed, ‘Put me down! Bad man!’

  Timmy said, ‘Get up, Jake. You’re not hurt. And I know you want to come with me. And anyone else …’ The knife flashed. ‘Anyone else moves and the boy gets cut. Understood?’

  Evan screamed with fury. ‘Bad man!’

  Everyone else froze.

  And the doorbell rang.

  No one moved, except for Evan. Bright red with rage, he screamed at Timmy, ‘Put me down!’

  The bell rang again. And again. The knocker went tap, tap, tap!

  ‘Delivery, missus!’

  Two voices. Male.

  Rafael got to his feet. He was laughing. ‘The new mattress for your bed, Mrs Quicke.’

  Timmy backed away to the wall, still carrying Evan, who went on screaming and beating at his captor’s neck.

  Timmy’s eyes darted everywhere, his arm firmly around Evan. ‘Don’t answer it. They’ll go away.’

  ‘No, they won’t,’ said Ellie. ‘They can hear Evan scream so they know there’s someone here. Timmy, give me the boy. He’s no use to you and he’ll burst your eardrums if he keeps screaming like that.’

  Slowly, Timmy relaxed his hold, letting Ellie take Evan from him.

  Rafael opened the door to the delivery men with their plastic-wrapped mattress, saying, ‘Come on in.’

  Timmy Lee clicked the knife shut and tried to slide out of the door past the delivery men, who hadn’t caught on to what was happening, and halted, half in and out of the hall.

  ‘Stop him!’ cried Rafael.

  The delivery men gaped, the mattress between them. ‘What?’

  Timmy screamed at them, ‘Let me through, you stupid—’

  The delivery men might not be quick on the uptake in apprehending a criminal but they weren’t going to put up with being called names. That raised hackles. The foremost man said, ‘Who you calling stupid?’

  Rafael grabbed Timmy from behind and swung him round.

  Timmy tried to shake him off.

  Ellie, one-handed, hampered by a screaming child, tried to dial for the police.

  Rafael was thrown off and … the delivery men blocked Timmy’s exit by standing foursquare in the doorway with the bulky mattress between them.

  Timmy gibbered, and then … and then …

  Timmy drove his knife into himself.

  In and up.

  Blood seeped out over his hands as he folded inwards and let himself down on to the floor. He was out of it.

  ‘What the …!’ The delivery men.

  Oh, dear! A bloodstain is so hard to get out of a wood floor.

  Ellie pulled herself out of shock and said into the phone, ‘Police and ambulance, please. And hurry!’

  Angelica made a dive for the front door. She was getting away …

  Susan swung her tote bag round, catching Angelica at the back of her knees so that she stumbled and fell, hands scrabbling the floor. And squawked.

  Susan sat on Angelica, driving the air out of her lungs.

  The delivery men froze.

  Ellie jiggled Evan, speaking to the phone. ‘Yes, yes. That’s the address. Do hurry. I think that a young man has done himself an injury.’ And then, to Evan, ‘Milk, Evan? Tea?’

  Evan stopped mid-scream, inspected her face to see if she really meant to give him some food and sighed. ‘Biccy and milk.’ He laid his head against her neck, and one of his chubby hands reached up to clutch at her neckline. ‘Hippo. Where’s Hippo?’

  Rafael retrieved Hippo from where Evan had dropped the toy and handed it to the boy, who clutched it, hard.

  Ellie prompted him, ‘Say thank you, Rafael.’

  A long, sweet sigh. ‘Thank you.’ And then, unexpectedly, ‘Love you, Ganny.’

  Ah, the sweet little one. He could be very affectionate, at times. Far more so than his mother had ever been.

  Ellie shifted from foot to foot in the age-old manner of a woman soothing a child.

  The foremost delivery man said, ‘Well, blow me! Is this a stunt for the telly, like?’

  Rafael took charge. He said, ‘I wish it were. Attagirl, Susan. Can you keep Angelica there for a moment?’ He helped Jake up off the floor and made him sit on the hall chair. ‘Now, mate. Keep in mind, killing Clay was an accident. And here.’ He stuffed Jake’s cheque into his pocket. ‘I don’t want this. Give it to your father. He’ll need it to get you bail.’

  The delivery men were lost. This sort of thing simply didn’t happen, and therefore it was not taking place. The larger of the two recovered first. ‘Look, do you want this mattress or do we take it back?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ said Rafael. ‘Can you bring it inside?’

  ‘Where you want it put?’

  ‘Would you carry it up the stairs for me?’ asked Rafael. ‘And take the old one away and dump it.’

  The larger of the delivery men looked hard at Timmy, groaning on the floor, and looked away, making it clear that if people chose to push knives into themselves it was nothing to do with him. ‘We deliver to the ground floor of the house, not further, and we don’t take the old one away, mister.’

  ‘Surely …?’ Rafael fluttered some notes into their hands. ‘An exception?’

  Again, the delivery man glanced at the figure of Timmy. And again decided it was nothing to do with him. ‘Well, if you put it like that! Where you want it?’

  ‘Leave it at the top of the stairs and I’ll do the rest.’ Rafael ushered them up the stairs as yet another visitor arrived.

  Andy, with his arms full of packages. ‘Hello? I need to dump these things before I get back to the hospital. Lesley’s out of surgery but they’re keeping her in tonight. What’s going on here? What’s Angelica doing on the floor?’

  ‘Angelica is wanted for murder and mayhem,’ said Ellie. ‘Leave her be. She’s going down to the police station to make a statement and then she’s on her own. I suggest you let her get on with it, for once. She and the man on the floor are the ones who wrecked your flat, helped Kate to die, murdered the drug dealer and disposed of his body. We’re waiting for the police and an ambulance to remove them.’

  Andy was going to say, ‘What?’ any minute now, so she forestalled him. ‘So, that’s good news about Lesley. She’ll be out tomorrow?’

  Andy’s mouth dropped open and stayed that way. ‘Why is Susan sitting on Angelica?’

  ‘Because Angelica is finally learning that crime doesn’t pay. Susan, you can let Angelica get up but first take away her shoes and her handbag. She won’t run far without them.’

  ‘What …?’ said Andy. ‘I don’t understand. That man is bleeding!’

  ‘So he is,’ said Ellie. ‘And I wish he weren’t. But if people will carry knives then such things do happen.’

  ‘Shouldn’t we be doing first aid or something?’ He dropped his packages to kneel by Timmy, who seemed to have drifted off into another world.

  Ellie said, ‘Don’t touch him, Andy. If you pull that knife out, he’ll die. Wait for the paramedics, who will know how to staunch the bleeding. And,’ hearing the ambulance siren impatiently requiring entry into the drive, ‘here they come. Will someone please see to it that they can park in the drive? Also the police, when they come. Thank you, Rafael. Thank you, Susan. You’re both stars. Now, if anyone needs me I’ll be in the kitchen, feeding Evan.’ She went down the corridor to the kitchen.

  The kitchen was nice and quiet. The clock on the wall announced it was time for tea. Good. She’d get Evan settled first, and then she’d feed the others and ring Thomas and oh, dear! She’d forgotten to ask if Andy needed feeding tonight.

/>   There was a ring at the doorbell, heavy footsteps and raised voices. The police and the ambulance people had arrived. Good-oh.

  ‘What shall we have to eat, little one? Not just biscuits. You must be hungry, after all that’s happened today.’

  ‘Hippo wants food, too.’

  First things first. Food for the little one.

  Tuesday evening

  Evan was cranky. He walked around, trailing Hippo but could settle to nothing. He wailed softly to himself, but when picked up he wanted to be put down. And when on the floor, he wanted to be picked up. Ellie didn’t dare let him go to sleep or he’d be waking Diana up every hour in the night. Meanwhile, she had something else to worry about. Thomas would surely be making every effort to get home this evening so how many more people would be needing supper?

  Would she need to give a statement to the police?

  Listening hard, she heard Rafael’s voice, followed by miscellaneous rumbles from, presumably, the paramedics and police. Then she heard Susan’s voice, steady and calm. And, finally, Jake’s.

  The ambulance drove away. More chat in the hall. The police car drove away.

  Finally, she and Evan were alone. All was quiet. An uneasy, waiting quiet.

  Ellie ensconced herself in the big chair in the kitchen. She took Evan on her knee and tried to interest him in the picture books she kept for him to tear up or throw around … which he duly did.

  Ellie cuddled Evan, who cuddled Hippo. He was warm but not too warm. And heavy. It was a relief when Diana swept in to collect the boy, scolding as she went. ‘Come here, look at you, what have you been doing? Mother, I did think I could trust you to …’ Diana tossed Evan into her car, buckled him in and drove off, spurting gravel.

  And then the house was quiet again … until her phone rang. It was her cleaner, Annie, ringing to report on progress at the flat. The bathroom and kitchen had been scoured clean, the carpets spot-cleaned and the bed linen had been laundered, dried and replaced on the beds. The broken glasses and empty bottles and cans had been removed and the place was now spotless. The new toilet and replacement pane of glass would be fitted on the morrow, which meant that Lesley could indeed return to the flat then, if she wished to do so.